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Sports Quote of the Day: "Always work hard. Intensity clarifies. It creates not only momentum, but also the pressure you need to feel either friction, or fulfillment." ~ Marcus Buckingham Author, Researcher, Motivational Speaker and Business Consultant
Trending: First day of Bears contact is Saturday, August 1, 2015. Oh Boy, let's get it on. Time to separate the men from the boys!!!
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Jay Cutler: With John Fox, Bears 'like coming to work now'.
By John Mullin
![Original file (SVG file, nominally 400 × 270 pixels, file size: 9 ...](https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/nZPQHVgJYT3ppsrsdL0_gw--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9ODY0O3E9OTU7dz0xMjgw/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Chicago_Bears_logo.svg/1280px-Chicago_Bears_logo.svg.png)
If there was an underlying irony to the Marc Trestman era, it was that some of the efforts that were aimed at building bridges between players had almost the exact opposite effect. Mixing up locker assignments away from position groups, rotating captains assigned by coaches, even the demeanor with which Trestman approached the team failed to take root and some said even turned players off.
If there has been an underlying strength to the early going of John Fox, it has been a near-opposite feel around the building. Where players privately confided that they grew to dread coming to Halas Hall (losing can do that for any team), now it has become quickly apparent that the exact opposite is the case.
“You can definitely tell that a lot of the walls that had been built for whatever reason in the locker room have been knocked down,” said guard Kyle Long. “It’s kind of been an open-air environment for a lot of guys.
“Between upstairs and downstairs, coaches and players and staff, everybody’s really cool. It’s good to have that one goal in mind.”
Environments are sometimes fickle, depending upon success or lack of same. Losing doesn’t build character, it reveals it, and the downward spiral of 2014 revealed some dark character deficiencies.If there has been an underlying strength to the early going of John Fox, it has been a near-opposite feel around the building. Where players privately confided that they grew to dread coming to Halas Hall (losing can do that for any team), now it has become quickly apparent that the exact opposite is the case.
“You can definitely tell that a lot of the walls that had been built for whatever reason in the locker room have been knocked down,” said guard Kyle Long. “It’s kind of been an open-air environment for a lot of guys.
“Between upstairs and downstairs, coaches and players and staff, everybody’s really cool. It’s good to have that one goal in mind.”
Brandon Marshall was perhaps the most visible and vocal of personalities, berating teammates in the wake of the Oct. 19 loss to the Miami Dolphins that sent the Bears below .500 for good. But the relationship between coaches and players frayed as well, epitomized by former coordinator Aaron Kromer venting frustrations with Jay Cutler to a national reporter, then being required to apologize to half the team.
“I think guys have reacted really well to coach Fox,” Cutler said. “He’s an easy guy to talk to, he’s got a game plan, lot of experience. You can tell he’s worked in the NFL.
"More than anything, guys like coming to work now.”
Jay Cutler on Brandon Marshall: 'No one really likes their ex-girlfriend'.
By Sean Wagner-McGough
Marshall and Cutler have seen better days together. (Photo/USATSI)
It wasn't always like this.
Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall weren't always that couple, the kind of couple that's clearly perfect for each other yet enters into a feud that, at times, seems beyond repair. That's where Cutler and Marshall now find themselves.
This off-season, Marshall, now a member of the Jets, has used every opportunity to throw some shade Cutler's way. When given the chance, he didn't list Cutler as one of his favorite teammates. He didn't anoint Cutler as the best quarterback he's played with, even though that's pretty much the case. Most recently, he took a jab at Cutler and the entire Bears' offense from a year ago, a group that underwhelmed despite high expectations.
On Thursday, Cutler finally responded to Marshall's comments through a third party. Luckily, Cutler didn't dance around the topic.
According to Around the NFL, Cutler said the following in response to Marshall's comments:
"No one really likes their ex-girlfriend just after a breakup."
"He's an incredible player, he did a lot for us here, it just didn't work out," Cutler said. "I could've been the guy that got shipped out of here as well."
It might seem like forever ago, but it was only a year ago that Marshall was predicting an MVP award for Cutler. Now, they're throwing one-line zingers at each other.
Now, to steal a line from Taylor Swift, they've got bad blood.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks, city reach deal to build new practice facility.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Blackhawks have called Johnny’s IceHouse West their practice home for several years now. That will all change soon.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel will announce on Thursday morning that the city and the Blackhawks have made a deal for the team to build its new practice facility and community ice center on the site currently occupied by Malcolm X College, which is just south of the United Center.
The college will be moving to its new campus next year.
Construction on the Blackhawks’ new 125,000 square foot facility, which will include two ice rinks, is expected to begin next year and should be completed within two years.
Jonathan Quick heaps high praise on Toews, Kane.
By C. Roumeliotis
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jonathan Quick is quite familiar with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
The Kings All-Star net-minder squared off with the Blackhawks' dynamic duo in back-to-back Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014, both teams getting past each other en route to a Stanley Cup victory — Blackhawks in 2013, Kings in 2014.
But it doesn't make them any easier to defend.
Quick wrote a nice piece for the Players' Tribune evaluating the elite snipers in the NHL, and provided a detailed analysis on what makes Toews and Kane so dangerous.
Read it below:
Oswego native runs into Jonathan Toews while hiking in Peru.I’m cheating again with his duo. It’s not a coincidence these guys are in the Conference Finals or Stanley Cup Finals seemingly every year. Unlike Getzlaf and Perry, these guys do very different things, but they complement one another perfectly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two guys play with more confidence in themselves. They just seem to have an unwavering belief that they’ll find a way to win.Let’s start with Kane. Even though he’s a smaller guy, he has a top-tier release and I think he’s actually a little bit underrated in terms of his hockey intelligence. He’s one of the best in the NHL at seeing the ice and reading defenders. A lot of guys with his natural skill level would maybe coast and wait for their chances, but Kane is constantly scanning the ice and processing where the play is going, and where he can pop into open space for a good opportunity. And, of course, his hands are ridiculous. Kane’s stick-handling quickness is probably the best in the NHL. Almost every game, he makes a defenseman look silly by catching them cheating on the poke-check, then he goes right through their tripod (between the stick and legs) with the dangle.When a guy like Kane is on the ice, you immediately take notice as a goalie. He’s on your radar constantly as the play is unfolding. But add in Toews to the mix and it’s a totally different level. The thing with Toews is that he is constantly moving, constantly working, and possesses an unholy ability to know where the puck is going before it even happens. He’s like a psychic out there. I hate to use words like “intangibles,” but it’s very difficult to describe how Toews is always able to find himself in the right place at the right time, especially in big moments.If Anaheim is hard minutes physically, Chicago is hard minutes mentally. You have to constantly be tracking the movements of Kane and Toews because you’re paranoid that Kane is going to float back door and Toews is going to know he’s there without even looking up. And I think that’s why hockey is such an interesting game to break down. Most people think of hockey as this brutal game (and it definitely can feel that way when you get hit with a Shea Weber slap shot below the belt) but it’s really a mental game more than anything. Chicago has won three of the last six Stanley Cups. Kane and Toews aren’t the biggest guys in the world, but they’re incredibly intelligent, mentally tough and have amazing intuition when playing together.Man, I want to beat them so bad. Let’s get this season started already (sorry, honey).
#HAWKSTALK
An Oswego native was in Peru during the Blackhawks' postseason run but was able to watch the Cup-clinching game at an American bar. On Monday, a pretty cool moment happened for Ryan Adorjan — who's been studying Spanish in Peru for nine weeks as part of his Mundelein Seminary — while hiking thousands of miles away from home.
Adorjan was visiting the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu on Monday when he happened to run into Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.
“I saw him earlier in the day and recognized him right away, but he was kind of walking away so I didn't get a chance to say anything,” Adorjan told Only Oswego. “About 4 hours later, my friend and I were getting ready to leave, but decided to loop around to see a part of Machu Picchu one more time. When we came around a corner, there he was! He was with his girlfriend and a guide, so we kind of waited until the guide was done with his speech, and when they were moving away I swooped in.”
Toews chatted with Adorjan's group for a few minutes — a conversation where Adorjan said "Toews was asking more questions about us and our lives than we were about him."
Afterwards, the three-time Stanley Cup champion offered to take a picture together with Machu Picchu in the background.
“He’s definitely my hockey hero and to have had such an incredible encounter only makes him cooler,” Adorjan said.
Check out the picture of Adorjan (right) and Toews below:
(Photo courtesy of Only Oswego)
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Pau Gasol on Bulls chances: "We have a great opportunity."By K. C. Johnson
Three weeks after turning 35, Pau Gasol's excitement can be heard across several time zones.
"I think offense wasn’t really too much of an issue last year. We have a lot of talent offensively," Gasol said. "But we have to utilize and play with better flow offensively. I think with Fred we’re going to have more freedom to play in transition and explore our abilities as individuals and as a team. But we have to understand that defense wins championship and what makes the difference. We can’t neglect that side of the game."
Gasol, who will play for Team World in Saturday's exhibition, called the dismissal of Tom Thibodeau "difficult" but said he understood management's decision.
"It’s always a difficult time and a hard time when you see a coach released and let go of his duties, especially after Tom had invested a lot of years in the team. But at the same time you understand why it happened," he said. "The organization had to make a decision. It was a difficult one. We’re all trying at the end of the day give the team a better chance of winning a championship and improve. That comes from the top. The players have nothing really to do with it. You accept those type of decisions and try to make the best out of them. We’re going to work hard to fulfill our goals and try to be a better team next season. That’s all we can do."
Anthony Rizzo's three-run blast propels Cubs past Brewers
By Patrick Mooney
![Chicago Cubs logo](https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/Ij5WYFKOSEkRjcwB5bYqPA--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9MTUwMDtxPTk1O3c9MTUwMA--/http://tizona.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/big_cubs_logo.jpg)
If Joe Maddon was disappointed the Cubs didn’t trade for Cole Hamels or David Price, the manager wouldn’t show it to reporters or complain through the media.
“Both are in the American League,” Maddon said. “If we’re not going to get ‘em, push ‘em in the other league. That’s it. That’s about as emotional as I got.”
Pitching continues to be the focus leading up to Friday’s non-waiver trade deadline, with the Cubs said to be focusing on the San Diego Padres — Tyson Ross would be the prize (at age 28 and under club control through the 2017 season) while Ian Kennedy is more of a short-term Plan B.
The Cubs have discussed another rental pitcher — Dan Haren — with the Miami Marlins. CBSSports.com identified the Cubs as one of five teams in on Texas Rangers right-hander Yovani Gallardo, a soon-to-be free agent. The Chicago Sun-Times reported the Cubs have also been in contact with the Atlanta Braves about Julio Teheran, an All-Star last season who is only 24 years old and might need a change of scenery.
Instead of a big-name pitcher walking through the clubhouse doors on Thursday, the Cubs got their shot of adrenaline from Anthony Rizzo, who crushed a go-ahead, three-run homer into Miller Park’s second deck in the eighth inning, leading his team to a 5-2 comeback victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Rizzo lined Will Smith’s 94 mph fastball out to right field, erasing a 2-0 deficit and making it 18 homers and 56 RBI in a season that will put the All-Star first baseman in the National League’s MVP conversation. Win or lose, the Cubs feel like they’ve already made their major offensive investments, building out their lineup for the future.
Streak is over: Red Sox rout Chris Sale, White Sox in finale.By Dan Hayes
Go figure.
Hottest offense in baseball, defense making plays and Chris Sale on the mound -- seemed pretty safe to the think the White Sox would head home with eight straight wins and a .500 record.
But whatever mojo the White Sox mustered in the previous week wasn’t with them at Fenway Park on Thursday night. It was a replaced instead by a series of two-strike hits, dinks and dunks and runners stranded as the White Sox couldn’t close out their first four-game sweep at Fenway in 88 years, falling 8-2 to the Red Sox in front of 36,215. Sale -- who was struck in the leg by a line drive in the first inning -- allowed seven earned runs and 12 hits in five-plus innings as Boston prevented the White Sox from their first undefeated road trip of eight or more games since they went 11-0 from May 15-27, 1951.
The first sign it may not be Sale’s night occurred in the bottom of the first inning with the White Sox ahead by two runs. Boston’s Xander Bogaerts lined a 95-mph fastball from Sale back up the middle and struck the pitcher in his left leg. After several warm-up pitches, Sale resumed throwing and struck out Hanley Ramirez. He did surrender a two-out RBI double to David Ortiz but stranded him with a strikeout of Mike Napoli to hold the 2-1 lead.
Sale got help from his defense and several poor base running decisions by Boston in the second and third innings. Blake Swihart singled with two outs in the seventh but tried to stretch it and Melky Cabrera threw him out. J.B. Shuck’s assist cut down Bogaerts to end the third inning, too.
Sale caught a break in the fourth, too. Batting with runners on the corners and two outs, Pablo Sandoval struck out on a pitch that hit his back forearm and forced him out of the game.
But the breaks ceased in the fifth inning. With two on and two outs, Hanley Ramirez hit a 1-2 fastball from Sale just inside the first-base line to tie the game. Ortiz followed with a bloop single to center on a two-strike pitch to give the Red Sox the lead for good.
Rusney Castillo -- who later homered -- started the sixth inning with an infield single on a chopper that didn’t reach the mound. Sale hit Sandoval’s replacement Josh Rutledge with the next pitch and all hell broke loose. Swihart singled off the glove of Ramirez to load the bases with no outs and after another visit with Don Cooper, Sale surrendered a two-strike single to Jackie Bradley Jr. that made it 4-2. Brock Holt’s two-run single with two strikes ended Sale’s night.
An offense that outscored opponents 54-19 in the first seven games of the trip wasn’t up to the task on Thursday even with an early lead.
With Adam Eaton aboard, Jose Abreu muscled a 1-1 knuckleball from Steven Wright out to right-center for a two-run homer and another first-inning lead.
But Wright had little trouble after that.
He got Abreu to fly out right to end the third with a pair of runners on board. Taking advantage of an aggressive approach by the White Sox offense, Wright only allowed one other runner to reach scoring position when Eaton walked and stole second in the fifth. But Wright struck out Tyler Saladino and Melky Cabrera to strand the runner.
Wright struck out eight as he limited the White Sox to two earned runs and six hits in seven innings.
Golf; I got a club for that: Woods rallies for 68 at Quicken Loans; Goosen, Ishikawa fire 63sBy STATS LLC
Tiger Woods took a conservative 3-wood off the first hole at the Quicken Loans National when many players were hitting driver. No matter -- he still pull-hooked it into the gallery, hit his second shot into a green-side bunker and lipped out a 5-footer for par before slamming his putter against his bag.
On the third hole, he missed the green well left and had to get up-and-down for bogey. A three-putt on No. 4 left him 3 over.
It was his final bogey of the day.
It was his final bogey of the day.
Woods got a fortunate deflection off a marshal left of the green on the par-5 fifth. He apologized, handed out an autographed glove and made his first birdie. Then he ran off five birdies in six holes around the turn for a 3-under 68. That left him five shots behind leaders Retief Goosen and Ryo Ishikawa at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
Woods said it was the first time since the Masters in April that he's turned a bad round into a good one.
"That's what scoring is all about," Woods said. "I made a lot of key putts today. I ran them by the hole but I made all the comebacks, and overall I felt like I hit the ball well enough to turn it around. It was nice to actually turn it around."
Woods is the host of the Quicken Loans National, which he won in 2009 and 2012 at Congressional in Maryland. The last of his 79 PGA Tour victories was nearly two years ago, and he has plummeted to 266th in the world.
Woods got up-and-down from a green-side bunker for birdie on the par-5 eighth. He made a 9-footer on 10 and a 7-footer on 11. He hit his approach to tap-in range on 12, the most difficult hole on the course, and ended the run with a 12-footer on 13. He two-putted for par on the final five holes.
The 68 was only his sixth round under 70 this year. He has had three scores of 80 or higher and has missed three cuts and withdrawn once in eight events.
In soft conditions with little wind, Woods' 68 was only good for a tie for 27th. Players were allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls on the rain-softened fairways, and 81 of them managed to break par.
"We got the fresh greens tomorrow," said Woods, who played in the afternoon after a 95-minute rain delay. "Hopefully, go out there and post a low one."
RTJ is welcoming a regular PGA Tour event for the first time after hosting four Presidents Cups, most recently in 2005, and experience seemed to help. Goosen, who played in two of those events, had a bogey-free 63. Presidents Cup veterans Ernie Els and Justin Leonard were one shot back, along with Kevin Chappell.
Goosen, a 46-year-old two-time major champion, is finally feeling healthy after major back surgery in 2012. Always stoic on the course, he still has plenty of passion for the game, which he showed by qualifying for both the U.S. Open and the British Open.
"I'm lucky to be out here. Three, four years ago my career looked like it was at an end," said Goosen, whose last victory was in 2009. "I'm just glad I'm still out there and playing. Yeah, I just wish I was 10 years younger again."
Ishikawa, who started on the back nine, ran off six birdies in a row starting on the 14th hole. Then he made a hole-in-one on the 180-yard fourth, spinning an 8-iron 15 feet back into the cup for his first competitive ace in the United States.
At that point he was 8 under with five holes to go. He parred the last five.
"It took about two holes to make myself calm," he said. "No. 5 was a par 5, like a birdie hole, but it was kind of difficult for me to make a par right there."
Defending champion Justin Rose, the highest-ranked player in the field, was three shots back. So was Ollie Schneiderjans, making his second professional start.
Rickie Fowler also made an ace, kicking a 7-iron off the fringe and into the cup on the 184-yard ninth, his final hole of the day. He was four shots back after a 67 that could have been much better.
Fowler said his putter went cold after his victory at the Scottish Open, and on Thursday he missed four birdie putts from inside 15 feet in a five-hole stretch. Three of his four birdies were from inside 4 feet. Honoring a club golf tradition, he bought beer for the media to toast his hole-in-one.
"I hit a great shot. Get a little bit of a good kick. Hey, we'll take it," Fowler said. "Looking forward to getting back out tomorrow and see if we can get some putts to go."
PGA Tour releases Olympics-jumbled 2015-16 schedule.
By Rex Hoggard
The PGA Tour released its 2015-16 schedule on Thursday and, as previously reported, it is a crowded and condensed lineup thanks to golf’s return to the Olympic Games next August.
The 47-event schedule is largely unchanged through the U.S. Open, with the WGC-Dell Match Play's move to late March just two weeks before the Masters as the most notable exception.
The major shakeup will come late in the season as officials were forced to dramatically rework the schedule to make room for the Olympics, which will be played in Brazil the second week of August.
“It’s important from a worldwide standpoint, and I think it’s important to the game of golf that we work around the Olympics because it’s only once every four years,” said Jason Bohn, one of four player directors on the policy board which met on Monday at the Quicken Loans National.
The Open Championship will be played July 14-17 at Royal Troon followed two weeks later by the PGA Championship, July 28-31.
The Quicken Loans National will move to the week after the U.S. Open in late June, followed by the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which is normally played the week before the PGA.
The Travelers Championship and John Deere Classic will undergo the biggest moves, shifting to the first two weeks of August.
“When we started talking about this to the Tour, everybody bought in that the Olympics were going to grow the game and everybody was on the same page,” Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said.
The move actually worked in Grube’s favor, as TPC River Highlands implements a series of “major enhancements” starting this fall. The new date will allow officials time to assure the enhancements are completed for next season’s event.
“We thought for one year this could be an OK thing to make sure the course was done and everybody was fine with it,” said Grube, who anticipates moving back to the tournament’s traditional date, the third week in June, after 2016. “I think the Tour will learn a lot about the schedule.”
The transition for the John Deere Classic will not be as seamless, with the event moving from the week before the Open Championship to the same week as the men’s tournament in Rio (Aug. 11-14).
“We feel like we’ve had challenging dates over the 45-year history of our event, but the community has always supported it and we stand proud behind our product,” said tournament director Clair Peterson.
The Olympic field will include 60 players but will likely be top-heavy with star players. Current projections indicate that nearly half of the field will be made up of players ranked outside the top 100 in the World Golf Ranking.
“With only four of our American players playing and, to be honest, I don’t know how many Tour players will be in the [Olympic] field, I don’t know how much that will deter a field," Bohn said. "That would be the ultimate concern if I was the tournament director, but I don’t think it will diminish anything.”
The biggest exception to that will likely be Jordan Spieth, who won this year’s John Deere Classic but appears to be a lock to play for the United States in Rio.
“We expect him to be at the Olympics in 2016, and we are excited for him, and the chance to win a gold medal for your country is something you don’t [often] get a chance to do,” Peterson said.
The FedEx Cup playoffs will follow a similar schedule but the Tour did move the normal open date to the week after the BMW Championship. This year’s open date falls the week after the Deutsche Bank Championship.
The Tour Championship and Ryder Cup, which will be held at Hazeltine National in Minnesota, will be played in consecutive weeks in late September.
The full schedule appears below:
Oct. 15-18 -- Frys.com Open; Silverado Resort and Spa (North Course); Napa, Calif.
Oct. 22-25 -- Shriners Hospitals for Children Open; TPC Summerlin; Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 29-Nov. 1 -- CIMB Classic; Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nov. 5-8 -- World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions; Sheshan International Golf Club; Shanghai, China
-- Sanderson Farms Championship; Country Club of Jackson; Jackson, Miss.
Nov. 12-15 -- OHL Classic at Mayakoba; El Camaleon Golf Club at the Mayakoba Resort; Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nov. 19-22 -- The McGladrey Classic; Sea Island Resort (*Seaside Course, Plantation Course); St. Simons Island, Ga.
Oct. 29-Nov. 1 -- CIMB Classic; Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nov. 5-8 -- World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions; Sheshan International Golf Club; Shanghai, China
-- Sanderson Farms Championship; Country Club of Jackson; Jackson, Miss.
Nov. 12-15 -- OHL Classic at Mayakoba; El Camaleon Golf Club at the Mayakoba Resort; Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nov. 19-22 -- The McGladrey Classic; Sea Island Resort (*Seaside Course, Plantation Course); St. Simons Island, Ga.
2016
Jan. 7-10 -- Hyundai Tournament of Champions; Kapalua Resort (The Plantation Course); Kapalua, Hawaii
Jan. 14-17 -- Sony Open in Hawaii; Waialae Country Club; Honolulu, Hawaii
Jan. 21-24 -- CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation; PGA WEST (*Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta Country Club); La Quinta, Calif.
Jan. 28-31 -- Farmers Insurance Open; Torrey Pines Golf Course (*South Course, North Course); La Jolla, Calif.
Feb. 4-7 -- Waste Management Phoenix Open; TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course); Scottsdale, Ariz.
Feb. 11-14 -- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am; *Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course); Pebble Beach, Calif.
Feb. 18-21 -- Northern Trust Open; Riviera Country Club; Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Feb. 25-28 -- The Honda Classic; PGA National (Champion Course); Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Mar. 3-6 -- World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship; Trump National Doral (Blue Monster Course); Doral, Fla.
Mar. 10-13 -- Valspar Championship; Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club (Copperhead Course); Palm Harbor, Fla.
Mar. 17-20 -- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard; Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge; Orlando, Fla.
Mar. 24-27 -- World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play; Austin Country Club; Austin, Texas
-- Puerto Rico Open; Coco Beach Golf and Country Club; Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Mar. 31-April 3 -- Shell Houston Open; Golf Club of Houston (Tournament Course); Humble, Texas
Apr. 7-10 -- Masters Tournament; Augusta National Golf Club; Augusta, Ga.
Apr. 14-17 -- RBC Heritage; Harbour Town Golf Links; Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Apr. 21-24 -- Valero Texas Open; TPC San Antonio (AT&T Oaks Course); San Antonio, Texas
Apr. 28-May 1 -- Zurich Classic of New Orleans; TPC Louisiana; New Orleans, La.
May 5-8 -- Wells Fargo Championship; Quail Hollow Club; Charlotte, N.C.
May 12-15 -- The Players Championship; TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course); Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
May 19-22 -- AT&T Byron Nelson; Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas (TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas); Irving, Texas
May 26-29 -- Colonial National Invitational Tournament; Colonial Country Club; Fort Worth, Texas
June 2-5 -- The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide; Muirfield Village Golf Club; Dublin, Ohio
June 9-12 -- FedEx St. Jude Classic; TPC Southwind; Memphis, Tenn.
June 16-19 -- U.S. Open; Oakmont Country Club; Oakmont, Pa.
June 23-26 -- Quicken Loans National; Congressional Country Club; Bethesda, Md.
June 30-July 3 -- World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; Firestone Country Club (South Course); Akron, Ohio
-- Barracuda Championship; Montrêux Golf and Country Club; Reno, Nev.
July 7-10 -- The Greenbrier Classic; The Greenbrier (The Old White TPC); White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
July 14-17 -- The Open Championship; Royal Troon Golf Club; Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
-- Barbasol Championship; Robert Trent Jones Trail (Grand National Lake Course); Auburn/Opelika, Ala.
July 21-24 -- RBC Canadian Open; Glen Abbey Golf Club; Oakville, Ontario, Canada
July 28-31 -- PGA Championship; Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course); Springfield, N.J.
Aug. 4-7 -- Travelers Championship; TPC River Highlands; Cromwell, Conn.
Aug. 11-14 -- Olympic Men's Golf Competition; Olympic Golf Course; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
-- John Deere Classic; TPC Deere Run; Silvis, Ill.
Aug. 18-21 -- Wyndham Championship; Sedgefield Country Club; Greensboro, N.C.
Aug. 25-28 -- The Barclays; Bethpage State Park (Black Course); Bethpage, N.Y.
Sept. 2-5 -- Deutsche Bank Championship; TPC Boston; Norton, Mass.
Sept. 8-11 -- BMW Championship; Crooked Stick Golf Club; Carmel, Ind.
Sept. 15-18 -- PGA Tour off week
Sept. 22-25 -- Tour Championship; East Lake Golf Club; Atlanta, Ga.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 -- Ryder Cup; Hazeltine National Golf Club; Chaska, Minn.
Rickie Fowler make last-shot ace, buys beer for the media after round.
By Ryan Ballengee
Jan. 14-17 -- Sony Open in Hawaii; Waialae Country Club; Honolulu, Hawaii
Jan. 21-24 -- CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation; PGA WEST (*Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta Country Club); La Quinta, Calif.
Jan. 28-31 -- Farmers Insurance Open; Torrey Pines Golf Course (*South Course, North Course); La Jolla, Calif.
Feb. 4-7 -- Waste Management Phoenix Open; TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course); Scottsdale, Ariz.
Feb. 11-14 -- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am; *Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course); Pebble Beach, Calif.
Feb. 18-21 -- Northern Trust Open; Riviera Country Club; Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Feb. 25-28 -- The Honda Classic; PGA National (Champion Course); Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Mar. 3-6 -- World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship; Trump National Doral (Blue Monster Course); Doral, Fla.
Mar. 10-13 -- Valspar Championship; Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club (Copperhead Course); Palm Harbor, Fla.
Mar. 17-20 -- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard; Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge; Orlando, Fla.
Mar. 24-27 -- World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play; Austin Country Club; Austin, Texas
-- Puerto Rico Open; Coco Beach Golf and Country Club; Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Mar. 31-April 3 -- Shell Houston Open; Golf Club of Houston (Tournament Course); Humble, Texas
Apr. 7-10 -- Masters Tournament; Augusta National Golf Club; Augusta, Ga.
Apr. 14-17 -- RBC Heritage; Harbour Town Golf Links; Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Apr. 21-24 -- Valero Texas Open; TPC San Antonio (AT&T Oaks Course); San Antonio, Texas
Apr. 28-May 1 -- Zurich Classic of New Orleans; TPC Louisiana; New Orleans, La.
May 5-8 -- Wells Fargo Championship; Quail Hollow Club; Charlotte, N.C.
May 12-15 -- The Players Championship; TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course); Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
May 19-22 -- AT&T Byron Nelson; Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas (TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas); Irving, Texas
May 26-29 -- Colonial National Invitational Tournament; Colonial Country Club; Fort Worth, Texas
June 2-5 -- The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide; Muirfield Village Golf Club; Dublin, Ohio
June 9-12 -- FedEx St. Jude Classic; TPC Southwind; Memphis, Tenn.
June 16-19 -- U.S. Open; Oakmont Country Club; Oakmont, Pa.
June 23-26 -- Quicken Loans National; Congressional Country Club; Bethesda, Md.
June 30-July 3 -- World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; Firestone Country Club (South Course); Akron, Ohio
-- Barracuda Championship; Montrêux Golf and Country Club; Reno, Nev.
July 7-10 -- The Greenbrier Classic; The Greenbrier (The Old White TPC); White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
July 14-17 -- The Open Championship; Royal Troon Golf Club; Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
-- Barbasol Championship; Robert Trent Jones Trail (Grand National Lake Course); Auburn/Opelika, Ala.
July 21-24 -- RBC Canadian Open; Glen Abbey Golf Club; Oakville, Ontario, Canada
July 28-31 -- PGA Championship; Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course); Springfield, N.J.
Aug. 4-7 -- Travelers Championship; TPC River Highlands; Cromwell, Conn.
Aug. 11-14 -- Olympic Men's Golf Competition; Olympic Golf Course; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
-- John Deere Classic; TPC Deere Run; Silvis, Ill.
Aug. 18-21 -- Wyndham Championship; Sedgefield Country Club; Greensboro, N.C.
Aug. 25-28 -- The Barclays; Bethpage State Park (Black Course); Bethpage, N.Y.
Sept. 2-5 -- Deutsche Bank Championship; TPC Boston; Norton, Mass.
Sept. 8-11 -- BMW Championship; Crooked Stick Golf Club; Carmel, Ind.
Sept. 15-18 -- PGA Tour off week
Sept. 22-25 -- Tour Championship; East Lake Golf Club; Atlanta, Ga.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 -- Ryder Cup; Hazeltine National Golf Club; Chaska, Minn.
Rickie Fowler make last-shot ace, buys beer for the media after round.
By Ryan Ballengee
Cheers, Rickie.
Rickie Fowler ended his first round at the Quicken Loans National on Thursday with a hole-in-one at the par-3 ninth at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Fowler used a 7-iron on the 200-yard downhill hole to make his second career PGA Tour ace and first since his pro debut at the Frys.com Open in 2009.
"We had 176 was the adjusted number," Fowler said of the shot that finished off a 4-under 67. "Spun to the right. I was trying to cut it. Rolled in with perfect speed."
NASCAR: Who has the best chance to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup?"We had 176 was the adjusted number," Fowler said of the shot that finished off a 4-under 67. "Spun to the right. I was trying to cut it. Rolled in with perfect speed."
Fowler could have walked off then and there, leaving playing partners Ben Crane and James Hahnto finish out, but the 2015 Players winner stuck around to shake hands and wrap everything up formally.
However, the celebration continued for Fowler after the round, as he sent a bucket of beer to the media tent.
![Embedded image permalink](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLMdmqpWEAAdFhA.jpg)
Tony Lema was dubbed "Champagne" for his willingness to buy the bubbly for the scribes. So what should Rickie be called? Suds?
By Daniel McFadin
![chase for sprint cup logo](https://nbcnascartalk.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/chase-for-sprint-cup-logo.jpeg?w=293)
Only six races remain before the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins at Chicagoland Speedway. But who will be among the 16 drivers racing for the championship?
Eric Chemi, CNBC’s Sr. Editor-at-Large for Data Journalism has assembled a graph showing the chances nearly every Sprint Cup driver has of making the 16-car field.
Some drivers, such as Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., already have clinched their spots and Chemi’s numbers say seven other drivers have a 100 percent of making the Chase. The chart also says Kyle Busch (95 percent) and Jeff Gordon (94 percent) are essentially locks.
Six drivers, including Danica Patrick, have a 1 percent chance of making the Chase.
Head over to CNBC.com to see the full chart, which also gives each driver’s chances of advancing to each round of the Chase.
Smooth Tunnel Turn set to greet NASCAR drivers at Pocono this weekend.
Smooth Tunnel Turn set to greet NASCAR drivers at Pocono this weekend.
By Dustin Long
![NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Axalta 'We Paint Winners' 400](https://nbcnascartalk.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/cd0ymzcznguwzdbhnduynddiytjhm2yyzthlmtjjotqwyyznpwjhyjq5zmm3mzbmntlimddlmtdjzdbkmjkzogmzntq3.jpeg?w=320)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Axalta 'We Paint Winners' 400 (Photo/nbcsports.com)
Those bumps that jostled drivers and rattled cars in the Tunnel Turn at Pocono Raceway are gone.
Track officials smoothed the racing surface in the turn and drivers should have a more comfortable ride this weekend when NASCAR returns to Pocono Raceway.
A section of the track about 170 feet by 28 feet was milled, leveled and repaved about a week after the June race there. Also, a section of the apron about 170 feet by 12 feet was leveled and repaved. That will create a much different setting from June when the bumps surprised drivers and caused some challenges.
“I’m looking forward to the bumps not being there because that was our worst corner,” said Joey Logano, who finished fourth to winner Martin Truex Jr. in June. “With the bumps gone, I think we were actually really good and one of the best cars in one and three, but I felt like a 20th-place car in Turn 2. I think that’s a good thing to get it all smoothed out. It was a jump. It was crazy.
“You look at pictures when we went through the corners and … the front tires were literally off the ground, so that’s not OK. I’m glad they fixed it. I think it will help us, and I look forward to going to Pocono.”
SOCCER: CONCACAF president to review refereeing department after Gold Cup fiasco.
By Andy Edwards
![Mark Geiger — Panama vs. Mexico — 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup](https://nbcprosoccertalk.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/cd0ymzcznguwzdbhnduynddiytjhm2yyzthlmtjjotqwyyznpwi2zdyzntriodkynza1mja3n2rmmdlkmty4mde3yti2.jpeg?w=320)
Mark Geiger — Panama vs. Mexico — 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Photo/nbcsports.com)
CONCACAF’s refereeing department could be in line for something of an overhaul in the coming months and years, as the North and Central America and Caribbean confederation announced Monday that acting president Alfredo Hawit (Honduras) will review the region’s heavily scrutinized referee department following a series of controversial and game-altering incidents at the recently completed 2015 Gold Cup.
Following the second semifinal match-up, between Mexico and Panama, CONCACAF released a statement that said referee Mark Geiger’s decisions during the second half severely altered the outcome of that game. Geiger’s status with the Professional Referee Organization has been and will continue to be unaffected.
From the CONCACAF release:
The designation of President Hawit to lead this review process was approved unanimously by the CONCACAF Executive Committee at an in-person meeting on Saturday, July 25, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Committee based its decision on Mr. Hawit’s 24-year experience in referee administration .
From the CONCACAF release:
The designation of President Hawit to lead this review process was approved unanimously by the CONCACAF Executive Committee at an in-person meeting on Saturday, July 25, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Committee based its decision on Mr. Hawit’s 24-year experience in referee administration .
“The foundation of our game is fair play, and we must take the required steps to reinforce the importance of this principle,” President Hawit said in a statement. “This review will allow the Confederation to take the next step towards improving refereeing across the region.”
According to the CONCACAF release, the review, which the organization says is already underway, will include a “detailed evaluation of refereeing standards throughout the region,” as well as “an assessment of processes for determining referee assignments for each match.”MLS attendance on rise with big-name international players.
By Pat Graham
Kaka and David Villa are raising the profile of Major League Soccer. Clint Dempsey and the U.S. national teams have done their part, too.
Buoyed by international soccer icons and capitalizing on recent World Cup success by the American men's and women's national teams, the league is drawing record numbers so far this season, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in an interview with The Associated Press this week.
MLS averages 21,109 spectators a game, a figure bolstered by the additions of Orlando City (Kaka's squad) and New York City FC (Villa's team). The 20-team league also has new television deals that allow their stars to be seen all over the globe.
Still, MLS is losing money — Garber declined to give an exact figure — as teams write big checks for top players and fund player development through academy programs to discover the next Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan or Dempsey.
"We're still in investment mode," said Garber, whose MLS All-Stars beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday. "But there's a lot of momentum for the sport of soccer in the U.S. and Canada and that is empowering."
Next on the docket? Expansion. Atlanta is scheduled to join MLS in 2017 and a second team in Los Angeles the following season. Down the road, Miami and Minnesota are expected to come on board as well.
Garber threw his support behind a plan presented by retired soccer icon David Beckham to officials in Miami. Beckham and his partners are looking at the former Orange Bowl site, with the field financed privately and built on city-owned land at an estimated cost of around $200 million.
"We believe Miami will be a great MLS market and we look forward to bringing the whole project across the finish line," Garber said.
As for Minnesota, that's proving a little more challenging. With the passing of an early July deadline for a stadium plan in Minneapolis, the league is turning its attention toward St. Paul.
"We've now become intrigued by a possibility of having a stadium be in St. Paul," Garber said. "Similar with Miami, though, without a stadium, you can't go forward anywhere. But we remain hopeful."
Other potential markets include Sacramento, St. Louis or San Diego, he said.
"That speaks to this overall growth period that we're going through," Garber said. "You have to do expansion right. There's no rush. If we have to wait any period of time to get it right, we're willing to do that."
Garber is encouraged by the number of foreign players headlining MLS rosters — and not just as a last resort.
Sebastian Giovinco, the 28-year-old former Juventus standout, has 13 goals and 10 assists for Toronto FC this season.
Then there's Kaka and Villa, a pair of 33-year-old highly decorated players who are demonstrating they still have flashy moves. Kaka scored on a penalty kick in the MLS All-Star game and set up Villa's goal.
"We're still going through these unique phases that are determining what this league will look like," Garber said. "We don't know what MLS will look like two years from now.
"But if a fan lives in a market with an MLS team, we hope they'll be deeply connected with our local club. Paint their face and wave a flag, put on a club jersey and celebrate this game. Think of this league as a league of their own."
Other topics Garber touched on:
ALL-STAR FORMAT: Garber is open to looking at a possible return to the East-West format for the All-Star game. However, the contest featuring an international opponent has been a big hit. "It provides us the platform to stand toe-to-toe against all the big clubs and say, 'Hey, we can get in the ring with you guys,'" Garber said. "It creates a real profile."
NO SIMMERING BEEF: Garber said he's on good terms with U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The pair had a public spat last year, when Garber criticized Klinsmann for not taking Donovan to the World Cup and also for saying Dempsey and Bradley damaged their careers by returning to MLS from European clubs. "I'm a big supporter of Jurgen. I have no doubt his intentions are good," Garber said.
PRIME TIME: Through new TV deals, MLS games can be watched in Europe, South American, Asia and Africa. "When you have David Villa, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard and Kaka in your league, the rest of the world is going to pay attention," Garber said.
NCAAFB: CFP won't force Notre Dame, other independents to join a conference.
By John Taylor
Over the past 10 days, in the midst of various conference media days, one of the talking points has suddenly become Notre Dame and its lack of a conference when it comes to consideration for a College Football Playoff spot.
Head coaches from Missouri to Clemson to seemingly everyone in between has been very publicly — and loudly — calling for the football-independent Irish to join a conference in order to be eligible for one of the four playoff spots.
![Details about Notre Dame Fighting Irish FOOTBALL #1 Clear Vinyl Decal ...](https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/gnvnkfB6zDrLJBTTQuzFcw--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9MjkwO3E9OTU7dz0yNzI-/http://d3d71ba2asa5oz.cloudfront.net/52000693/images/notredame-football-clear-01.jpg)
Over the past 10 days, in the midst of various conference media days, one of the talking points has suddenly become Notre Dame and its lack of a conference when it comes to consideration for a College Football Playoff spot.
Head coaches from Missouri to Clemson to seemingly everyone in between has been very publicly — and loudly — calling for the football-independent Irish to join a conference in order to be eligible for one of the four playoff spots.
If the South Bend institution is going to be forced into becoming a conference member (don’t count on it), the pressure won’t be coming from the folks who run the playoff.
Thursday, CFP executive director Bill Hancock, in a conversation with ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich, confirmed that there has been no internal discussions about forcing Notre Dame or the other two independents, Army and BYU, to join a conference in order to be eligible for one of their postseason slots.
“The three independents are perfectly happy being independent,” Hancock said. “They have the ability to craft their schedules to fit their needs. If their need and goal is to be in the playoff, then they’re in the same boat as everybody else. You better play a good schedule if you want to be in the playoff.”
When it comes to the Fighting Irish, that last sentence shouldn’t be a problem.
In 2015, Notre Dame will play nine games against teams from Power Five conferences (Texas, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Clemson, USC, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Boston College, Stanford) and three from Group of Five leagues (UMass, Navy, Temple). In 2016, it’s the exact same split between P5s and G5s.
In fact, those two regular season slates stack up quite well with the four teams that qualified for the inaugural CFP last year:
Ohio State — eight Big Ten games; one P5, two G5 non-conference games
Oregon — nine Pac-12 games; one P5, one G5 non-conference game; one FCS game
Alabama — eight SEC games; one P5, two G5 non-conference games; one FCS game
Florida State — eight ACC games; two P5, one G5 non-conference games; one FCS game
Oregon — nine Pac-12 games; one P5, one G5 non-conference game; one FCS game
Alabama — eight SEC games; one P5, two G5 non-conference games; one FCS game
Florida State — eight ACC games; two P5, one G5 non-conference games; one FCS game
What Notre Dame would lack, the same thing that impacted the Big 12 last season, is a conference championship game on its résumé, something all four of those semifinalists had. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney suggested ND add a 13th game in lieu of joining a conference, although that would require a change in current NCAA bylaws that only permit a 13th game when a road trip to Hawaii is involved.
Like the Big 12 and its lack of a title game, Hancock stated that the Irish would have to weigh the benefits of joining a league — and a potential 13th game in the form of a conference championship game — against its storied history as an independent.
“The risks and rewards of conference championship games will always come into play,” Hancock said. “I feel the same way about Notre Dame that I feel about the Big 12. It’s impossible to quantify the effect of a championship game because you don’t know who’s going to win the game.”
In another breath, Hancock very plainly explained that a league title game had no impact on how the four teams were selected last year, even as some would suggest otherwise.
“Frankly, in the committee room, it wasn’t a factor,” Hancock said of a 13th game. “The committee has the luxury of looking at the full body of work from an entire season — 12 or 13 games — for each team, irrespective of what conference they’re in. Having been in the committee room, I can tell you, it’s just not a factor.”
SMU's Larry Brown facing 'lack of coach control' charge from NCAA.
By Pat Forde
SMU lost in the first round of the 2015 NCAA tournament to UCLA. (Photo/AP)
Southern Methodist University went before the NCAA Committee on Infractions last month for a hearing related to serious allegations against the men's basketball and golf programs, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports.
SMU men's basketball coach Larry Brown is facing a "lack of coach control" charge, sources said. The SMU men's basketball program is also facing an academic misconduct charge related to coursework by former guard Keith Frazier.
This is the third time the Hall of Famer has had his program face major NCAA charges. After previous infractions at UCLA and Kansas, both of those programs were hit with major sanctions.
Sources told Yahoo Sports that SMU had a multi-day hearing with the NCAA Committee on Infractions in late June. The first day focused on the golf allegations. The second day focused on men's basketball.
At particular issue is the role of former SMU assistant coach Ulric Maligi and a basketball secretary in allegedly assisting Frazier with coursework. Maligi took an indefinite leave from the program in January 2015. Frazier played for the Mustangs during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons before he was deemed "academically ineligible" in January 2015 and missed the rest of the season. There has been no clarification yet as to his status for the 2015-16 season, but Frazier has not left the program.
At issue with Brown is what he knew about Frazier's situation, and what he did about it. In recent case precedent, the NCAA has suspended head coaches for multiple games. Most recently, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was hit with a nine-game suspension that will be served in the 2015-16 season. Syracuse is appealing that decision.
Brown's record at SMU is 69-34 in three seasons. Last season, he took the Mustangs to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993.
NFL wins first round, as Brady court battle sent to New York. What's Your Take?
By Frank Schwab
NFL wins first round, as Brady court battle sent to New York. What's Your Take?
By Frank Schwab
The NFL Players Association wanted to argue its appeal of Tom Brady's four-game suspension in federal court in Minnesota, presumably with Judge David Doty, who has ruled against the NFL in the past.
The NFL wanted to avoid Doty so badly that it filed its own case in New York, asking the court to uphold the ruling, immediately after Roger Goodell upheld Brady's suspension on Tuesday.
That tactic worked for the NFL, at least in terms of getting the venue it wanted. The case will be in New York.
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said on the "Dan Patrick Show" (via Pro Football Talk) that the court case the union filed in Minnesota has been moved to New York. That doesn't mean the NFLPA can't win its appeal. But one has to assume the league had good reason to so badly want the case to be heard in New York and not Minnesota. You don't secretly plan to file in New York as the commissioner drags out his decision, then rush to beat the NFLPA to the punch the moment the ruling is announced if there wasn't good reason.
And U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kyle in Minnesota, who made the ruling, seemed perturbed that the union tried to bring the case to Minnesota, seemingly only because of favorable decisions there in the past.
Here's Judge Kyle dropping the hammer on the Brady/NFLPA bid to have this heard in Minnesota.
"The court appreciates no 'compelling circumstances' undermining application of the first-filed rule to transfer this action from Minnesota to New York, where the first action was filed. Indeed, the Court sees little reason to have been commenced in Minnesota at all. Brady plays for a team in Massachusetts; the Union is headquartered in Washington, D.C.; the NFL is headquartered in New York; the arbitration proceedings took place in New York; and the award was issued in New York. In the undersigned's view, therefore, it makes imminent sense the NFL would have commenced its action seeking confirmation of the award in the Southern District of New York. Why the instant action was filed here, however, is far less clear."
Judge Kyle also noted in the footnotes of his ruling that he "strongly suspects" the Union filed in Minnesota because "it has obtained favorable rulings from this court in the past."
Judge Kyle flatly say he thinks NFLPA was judge-shopping. Not happy.
![Embedded image permalink](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLKzFaTUkAAoohy.png)
Many legal experts have weighed in saying that Brady and the union face long odds to win in court against the NFL. Maybe those odds are even longer after the NFL got its preferred venue.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: As you know from our previous post, we are very opinionated on certain issues and this is one of those issues. We don't know all of the facts but we're pretty sure that there is a major concern here. Where there's smoke, there's often fire. The NFL offered Mr. Brady a reduced suspension, He refused. He then painted the commissioner into a corner by saying that if he was suspended for any games, he would sue the league. Perhaps he thinks he's the king of football and dictates all and to everyone. Nope, wrong answer. Arrogance will get you nowhere. The Patriots have had several allegations made against them for skirting the rules (cheating), it's a matter of record, however, their threats and intimidation won't help either. As stated in the above article, they even made the judge angry and made him feel that he was being used by filing the lawsuit in Minnesota instead of Boston or New York. The courts advised the NFL and NFLPA to tone down the rhetoric yesterday. It's our opinion that the NFLPA needs to take another look at this problem and work with the NFL on a plea bargain. A one or two game suspension is better than a four game suspension. The ball is in New England's court, we can't wait to see how this one pans out.
Now that you know what we think and how we feel, what are your thoughts and what's your take? Go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and express your position on this situation. We'd love to hear from you because we value your opinion.
The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, July 31, 2015.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1932 - Enzo Ferrari retired from racing. In 1950 he launched a series of cars under his name.
1961 - The first tie in All-Star Game major league baseball history was recorded when it was stopped in the 9th inning due to rain at Boston's Fenway Park.
1981 - The seven-week baseball players’ strike came to an end when the players and owners agreed on the issue of free agent compensation.
2001 - Korey Stringer (Minnesota Vikings) collapsed during practice. The 27-year-old died the next day of multiple organ failure due to heatstroke.
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