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"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong." ~ Peter T. McIntyre, Painter and Author
Trending: American League wins 86th MLB All-Star Game 6-3. Trout named MVP. (See baseball section for details).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Johnny Oduya won't re-sign with Blackhawks.
By Chris Hine
The Blackhawks are saying goodbye to another key piece from their Stanley Cup run this season. Defenseman Johnny Oduya, upon whom the Blackhawks leaned heavily during the playoffs, will sign with another team, his agent Don Meehan confirmed to the Tribune.Oduya now joins Sharp, winger Brandon Saad, centers Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette and defenseman Kimmo Timonen as those who hoisted the Stanley Cup but won’t be back with the Blackhawks next season in an offseason of roster upheaval.
Oduya, 33, spent parts of four seasons with the Hawks after he was acquired in 2012 from the Jets for two draft picks. It was a move that didn’t draw much acclaim from fans at the time, but in hindsight the trade seemed to accomplish what the Hawks had hoped. The two players selected with the picks the Hawks relinquished for Oduya, Zachary Sanford and J.C. Lipon, have yet to make their NHL debuts while Oduya has won two Cups with the Hawks.
Oduya signed a three-year, $10.125-million deal with the Hawks after the 2011-12 season. In his time with the Hawks, Oduya was a reliable, durable blue liner who was essential to their last two Stanley Cups. With coach Joel Quenneville relying heavily on his top four defensemen this season, Oduya averaged 24 minutes, 45 seconds of ice time during the playoffs.
Oduya, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, proved he was capable of playing at a high level, but his price tag would likely be out of reach for the Hawks, who still are working to re-sign another Swede, 25-year-old center Marcus Kruger.
Essentially, Daley is Oduya’s replacement on the roster because he commands a salary similar to Oduya’s and will be a top four defensemen. Oduya is the more reliable option defensively while Daley packs more of an offensive punch with 16 goals last season. Oduya scored 12 goals in his three-plus seasons with the Hawks.
Daley, Garbutt ready to blend in with Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
Trevor Daley was an offensive-minded defenseman, especially last year when he scored a career-best 16 goals in what turned out to be his final season with the Dallas Stars.
Will that be his role with the Blackhawks? Or will he be expected to be more of a defensive-minded defenseman for a team that puts that element first? Whatever the task, Daley’s willing to do it.
“I’m coming on to a team that just won a Cup. I’m looking to fit in, follow their lead and listen because I want to win one with them,” Daley said via conference call on Monday. “I’m willing to do whatever I’m supposed to do."
“When I sit down with Joel and figure that out or if it’s just let your game come to it, either way, I’m excited about the opportunity I’m getting here,” Daley said. “And I’ll try to take full advantage of it.”
Daley and Ryan Garbutt, both acquired by the Blackhawks in the deal that sent Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns to Dallas, echoed the same sentiment: they’ll do what they’re told to do with their new team. That’s a mantra most have taken when they’ve joined the Blackhawks in recent years. From these two to Brad Richards to Antoine Vermette, joining an established team like the Blackhawks means you may or may not play the same role you’ve had previously. And that’s just fine with Daley and Garbutt.
“Any time you change teams you think, where do you fit in?” Garbutt said. “Coming onto a team like the Hawks, with the pedigree they have, you just want to do whatever you can to fit in and play whatever role they want you to play.”
Daley underwent hip surgery in April but said he will be “ready to go on Day 1.” Indeed, the Blackhawks are a defense-first team; but general manager Stan Bowman, who talked of the deal on Friday night, liked the offensive edge Daley could lend to the blue line. He will join an established group on the Blackhawks’ blue line with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Blackhawks’ top four got extra work last spring, especially after Michal Rozsival was injured. That and the Blackhawks’ penchant for playing an up-tempo game are enticing for Daley.
“Both teams that were playing in the final… there was a lot of skill and they played a fast-paced game,” Daley said of the Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning. “That excites me because that’s the game I like to play.”
Garbutt, meanwhile, adds some sandpaper to a team that already has a few guys contributing that, Andrew Shaw and Andrew Desjardins among them. If Garbutt just adds to that or develops a few new wrinkles to his game – the Blackhawks always like players willing to expand their roles – he’ll do so.
“They play a high-speed game with a lot of offense but they take care of their own zone,” Garbutt said. “I think of myself as someone who can play both ends of the rink. I’ll definitely work hard every night. I see guys who play hard, 100 percent every night; that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to learning from the group and I can’t wait to get started.”
Some who have joined the Blackhawks in recent years have learned a common theme: playing your game is encouraged but accepting a different role is sometimes necessary. It’s not always easy. But for a chance to win the Cup, several have rolled with the changes with great results. Daley and Garbutt will look to do the same thing.
“I get to go play for the best team in hockey, go watch some future hall of famers play hockey and play with them on the same team,” Daley said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’ll just try to take advantage of it and run with it.”
Blackhawks: Marko Dano wants to replicate Marian Hossa's game.
By Tracey Myers
Marko Dano described his style of play after his first practice session on Sunday.
“I like to play a hard game and Marian Hossa plays kind of the (same) style of game as me. But he’s at a different level,” Dano said of his fellow Slovakian, with a smile. “So I’m trying to catch him with that.”
Hossa and Dano reside in the same city in Slovakia (Trencin), and an 18-year-old Hossa played hockey with Dano’s father, Jozef. Otherwise, Dano’s been watching the Blackhawks right wing from afar. So to know he’ll be playing on the same team as Hossa come this fall is a thrill for the young forward.
Dano, who the Blackhawks acquired in the seven-player deal that sent Brandon Saad to Columbus, is participating in prospect camp this week in Chicago. For Dano, it’s a chance to get acclimated to Chicago as well as the Blackhawks’ staff and players, some of which will be vying for jobs in the fall. But there’s no doubt he’s ready for the season and the chance to show the Blackhawks what he can do.
The trade came as a surprise to Dano, who comes here with Columbus teammate Artem Anisimov. The two played together some with the Blue Jackets, and just having that familiar face in the locker room should help the 20-year-old Dano.
“I'm a young guy so I'm glad there's a couple guys who I know, a couple guys who got traded with me. So I'm not starting from zero here,” Dano said. “[Anisimov] is a big guy, a responsible center, so it was fun playing with him.”
As much as the Blackhawks look for Anisimov to solve their second-line center issues, they’re just as thrilled to see what Dano can provide. He had a solid rookie season, recording eight goals and 13 assists in 35 games for the Blue Jackets. He’ll be another right wing for the club, although he’s fine with playing the left side, too.
And for a young right wing who’s looking to hone his two-way game, there aren’t many better examples to follow than Hossa. Dano got a text from Hossa not long after Dano was traded here, and the two will get together for lunch soon.
“He’s a great player,” Dano said. “He’s played so many years here, so there are a lot of things I can learn from him.”
Dano has much to learn but he’s with a group that will teach him plenty. He was surprised when he was traded here last month. But to get a chance to improve his game, and to do it with Hossa and the Blackhawks, is going to be a treat for the young forward.
“It’s a great feeling for me to be a part of an organization that’s playing for a Cup [almost] every year,” Dano said. “Every player wants to win the Cup, and with this team there’s a bigger chance for me to raise the Cup above my head.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Little by little, Hoiberg implementing his exhaustive offensive system.
By Vincent Goodwill
Hard to imagine how the Bulls’ offense will work judging by the pared-down and less-skilled version of summer league, but there are glimpses of what Fred Hoiberg’s system looks like.
When seeing Doug McDermott going through cross-action from the left block to the right free-throw extended to catch a pass in a triple-threat position (shoot, pass or drive), he won’t actually get opportunities like that if the Bulls are at full strength.
But Jimmy Butler will.
When Vander Blue goes from the wing behind a top-side screen on a back cut to the basket waiting on a lob pass, that won’t really be him come November — even if he finds a way to crack the Bulls’ roster.
But Derrick Rose will certainly have those chances, assuming his athleticism doesn’t take some severe dip in one offseason.
The Hoiberg system — one based on movement, spacing and attacking — will look drastically different than what’s been seen over the past few seasons.
Multiple options, multiple reads, less rigidity.
By Hoiberg’s count, the Bulls had 39 uncontested shot attempts in their second summer league game, a 81-66 drubbing by the Toronto Raptors.
The Bulls will have more adept talent running Hoiberg’s sets while going against top-level defenses, to be fair. Missing all those open shots had to be a little disheartening for the new Bulls coach, considering a practice that was scheduled to run for less than an hour stretched near the two-hour range.
No, Hoiberg isn’t pulling off his best Tom Thibodeau impression.
“A little cleanup session,” Hoiberg said. “Talked about a couple things we didn’t do defensively. Things we didn’t do well yesterday.”
“Our offense at times was very good. (Thirty-nine) uncontested shots. Got most when the ball was moving.”
The word that’s on the tip of Hoiberg’s tongue is “rhythm”, which the Bulls honestly displayed a lot of at times last season when en masse. But when it mattered most, the Bulls looked like their old selves in the playoffs, struggling to do anything in their decisive Game 6 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And while Hoiberg has only put in a fraction of what he’ll truly deploy when training camp convenes in October, he’s trying to find a decent balance of what he can do with the few pieces he has to work with — mainly in the three-day minicamp the team had leading into Summer League.
“Not much. Not much,” said Hoiberg when asked how much of his sets have been used now. “You can’t really overwhelm it at this. I probably put in a little too much to be honest with you. Just try to get them to ‘flow’. Didn’t run many set plays in. We’ve run a couple things for Doug.”
McDermott will be more shooter than creator when the time comes, but he’s at least learning different positions. Rookie Bobby Portis is getting a bit of a crash course in offensive philosophy.
He had a shaky Game 2 after a sterling open to summer league, but picking up concepts will be perhaps his biggest victory this week regardless of the numbers.
“They have picked it up well,” Hoiberg said. “It’s different concepts for Bobby, when to roll, when to pop. When he sets a ball screen, not to move up to bunch up the spacing. But as far as picking up what we’re trying to put in, those three have been very good.”
The third is Cameron Bairstow, who’s been a crash-test dummy on the floor, picking up fouls and absorbing them seemingly on every possession. Grabbing 10 rebounds as an undersized center in this setup can only be viewed optimistically — especially if he’s picking up the small nuances of what will be a complicated offense.
“I really like Cam. He makes winning plays,” Hoiberg said. “The first game he took four shots. The two guys who got all the points were Doug and Portis and Cam was out there doing the dirty work, a lot of things that don’t show up in a box score. That’s what Cam does. That’s the type of kid he is. He just goes out there and makes winning plays. He picks things up well.”
Bulls: McDermott seemingly starting from scratch in Summer League.
By Vincent Goodwill
Perfect placement, perfect form, impeccable release.
Only Klay Thompson’s shooting form rivals Doug McDermott’s fundamentals in today’s NBA, seemingly, but Thompson’s results are more proof of his process than that of the 11th pick in the 2014 Draft.
McDermott finds himself battling the bad luck of last year along with trying to find himself mixed into an environment where his opponents are desperate to earn a guaranteed contract in the NBA’s Summer League.
There were moments where you could see flashes of his being able to score in bunches, moments where issues surrounding his confidence is mere conjecture and not reality.
He couldn’t buy a basket early, like many of the Bulls in their 81-66 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Las Vegas’ Cox Pavilion, going scoreless until the third quarter.
Then the second-year player started filling it up.
He scored seven straight, which was followed by a Jab-fake-jab on the wing where that textbook jumper fell easily.
“It is a big year for Doug,” said Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg. “I thought he got it going in the second half. When he starts making baskets you can play through him. I think he’s gonna have that ability.”
Who knows if he’ll get those isolation opportunities on a team where Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler promise to get the time and space to create shots on the regular. With veteran Mike Dunleavy being rewarded with a three-year deal recently after displaying an ability to take advantage of open shots, it shows that’s what the Bulls are looking for—even in someone who’ll prevent McDermott from getting on the floor this season.
“He had great looks,” Hoiberg said. “I thought he passed up a couple. He can’t do that. Doug’s got an open shot, he’s gotta shoot it.”
“I have a lot of confidence in Doug and I’ve been trying to portray that to him. And get him to go and play with confidence. He’s obviously a gifted scorer.”
Imploring McDermott to shoot the ball when open seems like a foreign proposition, but it’s almost like he’s starting from scratch after a nondescript rookie season marred by a knee injury early, then inactivity upon his healthy return.
He had a few good games before injuring his knee, then couldn’t crack the rotation for more than spot minutes after the All-Star break and into the playoffs.
“It’s tough. A lot of guys go through that early on, especially with a veteran team like Chicago last year,” Hoiberg said. “When he had the injury, Chicago was playing great and was playing guys who had it rolling. Tom (Thibodeau) went with the guys he felt could win games. Doug has to go in the mode of being a basketball player. He’s very versatile.”
“I’m not gonna lose that confidence because I believe in myself and my game,” McDermott said. “There’s gonna be nights where I don’t shoot well, don’t play great. But it’s part of the game and I’ll work extremely hard to get through it.”
Sunday was one of those nights as he finished with just 11 points, nine coming in that quick third-quarter flurry.
During his 5-for-13 showing, he rushed shots a bit and clapped his hands two possessions after his last miss, moments before he exited the game for the final time, a slight display of frustration.
“You gotta keep it all in perspective,” McDermott said. “If I have a good game, it’s good for my confidence because I haven’t played a lot of 5-on-5 last year. Any 5-on-5 competition is huge for me because I didn’t get a lot of experience. I’m just starting to get my feet wet.”
While he’s one of the players in Vegas on a guaranteed contract as opposed to hoping to impress a current team or another franchise, it’s clear McDermott feels the pressure to perform.
The opportunities in this setting are immense, even if the play is far more physical and less structured. He’s reshuffled the weight in his body, gaining a bit to get to 225 pounds but he feels more adept to playing a power forward if need be.
The unconventionality of the playoffs showed he may have to be ready in the event the Bulls want to play smaller on occasion, and the strength means he must be ready to defend his position.
“He’s a basketball player,” Hoiberg said. “You look at different lineups that happened in the playoffs. Was (Golden State’s) Harrison Barnes ever in his life a (power forward)? No. But he played it in the playoffs.”
Whether at guard or even big forward, McDermott will have to maximize every opportunity to display that fundamental jumper.
And making a few wouldn’t hurt, either.
Bulls sign Brazilian big man Cristiano Felicio.
CSN Staff
The Bulls added even more international flavor to their frontcourt Sunday, signing 6-foot-10 big man Cristiano Felicio out of Brazil.
Felicio, who's currently playing for the Bulls' Summer League team, is 23 years old. The Bulls did not announce the terms of the contract.
“We've been impressed with Cristiano's work ethic and potential,” Bulls general manager Gar Forman said in the team's announcement. “We're looking forward to working with him and having him come to camp with us this fall.”
In two Summer League games this year, Felicio has scored four points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
The Bulls' big-man corps is a regular United Nations at this point. Felicio, a native of Pouso Alegre, Brazil, joins Pau Gasol (Spain), Nikola Mirotic (Montenegro), Cameron Bairstow (Australia), Taj Gibson (United States), Bobby Portis (United States) and Joakim Noah, who was born in the U.S. to parents from France and Sweden.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Can John Fox fix all the Bears' woes?
By Frank Schwab
By the end of last season, the Chicago Bears were arguably the worst team in the NFL. Would you have picked them to beat anyone on a neutral field at the end of December?
The Bears lost their final five games, scoring 17 or fewer points in all but one. They were out-gained in every game. The were somewhat competitive in losses to the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings to end the season, but they looked like a team that knew coach Marc Trestman was on his way out and didn't feel much like playing hard for him anymore.
It was awful on just about every level. The quarterback play was bad enough that Jay Cutler was benched for Jimmy Clausen. The offense that looked so good for Trestman in 2013 became a non-stop barrage of dump-off passes to running back Matt Forte. The defense did not do a single thing at a high level; they didn't rank in the top 15 in the NFL in any important category. Injuries didn't help, but it was really bad.
Not surprisingly, the Bears cleaned house. They gave up on the Trestman experiment after two years. General manager Phil Emery was fired. Former Denver Broncos coach John Fox was hired, and Ryan Pace was hired away from the New Orleans Saints to be the general manager.
The identity will be different. Say what you will about Fox and how conservative he can be, but his teams are generally tough. The Bears could use that. Receiver Brandon Marshall was traded away, which hurts on the field, but remember that three different teams have traded Marshall, for less of a return each time. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee was signed from the Ravens to help the pass rush, safety Antrel Rolle is an instant upgrade for a safety unit that has struggled for a few years, and inside linebacker Mason Foster came at a nice, cheap one-year deal. Receiver Kevin White was an exciting first-round pick, at seventh overall.
There were so many holes to fill that this doesn't seem like a situation that can be fixed in one year. But they won't be as bad as they were down the stretch last year, which is an improvement.
2014 review in less than 25 words: The Bears were awash in losses and drama late last season, as 5-6 became 5-11 in a hurry.
Is the roster better, worse or about the same?: It's probably about the same. The Bears lost Marshall, defensive tackle Stephen Paea and some long-time veterans. The team did add a couple of good pieces in free agency, however.
Best offseason acquisition: McPhee was the headliner, with a five-year deal worth almost $40 million, but I think Rolle could have nearly as big of an impact and at a position that sorely needed a new look. The Bears just couldn't keep pretending that Chris Conte was going to become what they wanted him to be. In Rolle the Bears get a versatile, solid player who even at 32 years old will calm down the back end of the Bears' defense.
Achilles heel: The Bears are changing to a 3-4 defense under Fox, which is big news in Chicago. The team has never run a 3-4. The problem is up front. The defensive line is so full of questions the team took a chance on former 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald and risked the public-relations hit, and that turned out as bad as could be expected. That leaves the Bears with very little on the line, unless 2015 rookie Eddie Goldman and second-year player Ego Ferguson develop quickly.
Position in flux: Quarterback isn't in flux, though maybe it should be. The Bears didn't trade Cutler this offseason and start over, because that's how NFL teams operate. Nobody wants to wade into the unknown at quarterback, even if the option on the roster has proven to be mediocre. Cutler isn't bad, really, he's just not great and he's not worth the $16.5 million cap hit that he will cost this year. Cutler has played nine NFL seasons. He's 32 years old. He is what he is at this point. Even the people who annually predicted that THIS will be Cutler's breakout season have stopped. The Bears would probably be happy if Cutler made some great deep passes with his unbelievable arm, but cut down on the mistakes that seem to come at just the wrong time.
Ready to break out: Cornerback Kyle Fuller didn't grade well with Pro Football Focus last season. The 2014 first-round pick finished 107th in PFF's grades out of 108 corners who qualified. Still, he has talent and made some plays. Fuller picked off four passes last year and broke up 10 others. Fuller should be able to build on the positive and have a nice second season.
Stat fact: Worth repeating: Cutler has never finished a season with a quarterback rating over 90. Oft-criticized Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has never finished a season with a quarterback rating under 90. So yes, Romo's worst season is better than Cutler's best season, in terms of rating.
Schedule degree of difficulty: If you believe that the Vikings will build on last year's finish and the Lions won't regress, the Bears play in a really tough division. They also play the AFC West, which will be tough. Before the bye they play Green Bay, Arizona, at Seattle, Oakland, at Kansas City and at Detroit, which is five winning teams from 2014, including three on the road. Not easy.
This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: It has to revolve around Cutler having a career year, as unlikely as that seems. Maybe a better locker room helps. The Bears seemed beaten down by the end of last season. Fox is a defensive coach, so perhaps he and new coordinator Vic Fangio work wonders. If everything breaks right can the Bears have a winning season? It's not that crazy; they were 8-8 just two years ago.
And here’s the nightmare scenario: The two worst defenses in Bears history, in terms of points allowed, were the 2013 and 2014 squads. What if McPhee is one of those players who looks great in a part-time role but can't translate that to a full-time role, and Rolle finally plays like his age? It could get ugly. And Forte did slip under 4 yards per carry last year for the first time since 2009, and he'll turn 30 this season. If the defense is bad and the running game isn't effective then Cutler will have to do everything himself, and nothing good will come of that.
The crystal ball says: The Bears' new staff and front office inherited a multi-year project. The defense needs more than a couple nice free-agent signings to bounce back. The offense has some interesting pieces but that's not enough either. Expect the Bears to struggle again, finish last in the NFC North, but continue to build under Fox's identity in years to come.
MLB: Mike Trout shines as the American League beats the National League 6-3 in the All-Star Game.
By Craig Calcaterra
Mike Trout
Mike Trout is the best baseball player in the game today. You can doubt this if you wish, but you’d be wrong to do so.
No matter what you think about that, Trout led the charge for the American League on Tuesday night, reaching base three times, scoring twice, launching a home run and showing off some serious speed as the American League beat the National League 6-3. It was the American League’s 16th win in the past 19 All-Star Games and ensures that the AL representative will have home field advantage in the World Series.
After the game Trout was named the All-Star Game MVP for the second straight year. It’s the first time any player has won the MVP Award in back-to-back years and the fifth time a player has won the MVP Award more than once. As part of a sponsor tie-in, he got to choose between a brand new Chevy Silverado truck or a Camaro for winning it. He picked the truck this year, after taking a Corvette last time around. He doesn’t turn 24 for a couple of weeks. He’s gonna have a lot of trucks by the time his career is over.
Trout, batting leadoff, came to the plate four times on Tuesday night, making him the first player to have four plate appearances in an All-Star Game since Jose Reyes did in 2007 and the first AL player to do so since Ichiro did in 2004. But of course, when you’re the best player in baseball you should get to play more than anyone else. And he had a good night, homering in the first inning, beating out what should’ve been a sure double play in the fifth and eventually coming around to score. In the seventh he drew a walk and his pinch runner, Brock Holt, came around to score. He finished the night 1-for-3 with a walk, a homer and two runs scored.
The American League had other heroes of course. Brian Dozier homered. Manny Machado doubled in Holt. Prince Fielder singled in a run. Lorenzo Cain doubled one in. But on the offensive side of things, it was the Mike Trout show.
The National League wasn’t totally silent on this night, but their biggest highlights were more sound and fury than anything else. Jacob deGrom struck out the AL side in the sixth on ten pitches. Aroldis Chapman did the same in the top of the ninth on fourteen pitches, hitting triple digits over and over and over again. The AL hitters had no idea what to make of him. If an AL team picks him up at the trade deadline, it’s gonna be trouble for that team’s opponents in the late innings.
On the offensive side the Senior Circuit scored on a Jhonny Peralta single in the second, an Andrew McCutchen homer in the sixth and a Ryan Braun triple plus a sac fly in the ninth. But that was all they’d get.
The winning pitcher: David Price, not that a pitcher’s win matters much in a game in which no pitcher threw more than two innings and most only pitched a single frame. The loser: Clayton Kershaw, who gave up two runs in the fifth. This game didn’t matter too much and the NL’s loss had many helpers, but I’m sure someone will still try to hang the “can’t win the big one” label on Kershaw as a result. It’s a shame, but that seems to be his lot in life lately, at least in the minds of people who like contrived narratives more than actually analyzing baseball.
Whatever the case, that’s it from the Mid-Summer Classic, folks. See you in the American League pennant winner’s home park for Game One of the 2015 World Series. And in San Diego for the 2016 All-Star Game when we’ll do this silly thing once again.
Cubs' Rizzo, Bryant soak in thrilling Home Run Derby experience.
By Tony Andracki
Neither Anthony Rizzo nor Kris Bryant made it out of the first round of the Home Run Derby Monday night.
Neither of them cared.
At 25 and 23, respectively, Rizzo and Bryant were competing in their first Home Run Derby and they were just happy to take part in the festivities.
"It was so much fun," Bryant said. "I mean, I went up against Albert Pujols, who's had a Hall of Fame career. I have nothing but good things to say about tonight."
Rizzo had the misfortune of going first in this year's new timed format. The Cubs first baseman hit eight homers and was ousted by Toronto Blue Jays slugger Josh Donaldson.
Bryant hit nine homers, one less than Pujols, who hit his 10th right at the buzzer.
"I'm really happy I got one," Bryant joked. "I didn't want to be the guy that didn't get any."
The new format - and rain in the area - made for a sort of abbreviated event. Each player had four minutes to hit as many home runs as they could and if they hit two over 425 feet, they received a 30-second time bonus.
In past years, each player received 10 outs and there was no time limit.
"Swinging a bat for four minutes straight is tiring," Bryant said. "I didn't really think it'd be that tiring. I was exhausted at the end of it.
"[The format] is a little different. I guess it's less pressure. The 10 outs thing, you only have 10 outs to get anything done. But here, you can kinda swing away and get some hacks in. I think it's a pretty good format."
The format worked out well for Reds star Todd Frazier, who won it all in thrilling fashion in front of the hometown crowd.
Both Rizzo and Bryant loved the crowd's energy, feeling the excitement added to their own experience.
"I mean, it was a ton of fun," Rizzo said. "I really didn't know what to expect. ... You just have fun with it. Which is exactly what I did - I had fun and really enjoyed it and definitely a memory that's gonna last forever."
Bryant said he and Rizzo didn't have any friendly wager between them for their first Derby.
"I did beat him," Bryant said smiling, "so I guess I can kinda brag now."
Reds' Todd Frazier wins All-Star Derby in home park.
By Joe Kay
''The Toddfather'' has a new title. Todd Frazier - Little League World Series star, Frank Sinatra aficionado - is baseball's new King of Swing.
The Jersey boy who never seems to get rattled waited until his very last swing - three times, no less - to win the All-Star Home Run Derby in his home ballpark on Monday night.
Pressure? Sure didn't show it.
The Reds third baseman became only the second player to win the long-ball competition on his home field Monday night, topping Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson 15-14 with another late surge and one last perfectly timed swing.
''No pressure here with these fans,'' he said, after accepting the crossed-bats trophy to one more standing ovation at Great American Ball Park.
Frazier joined the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg for home-field homer titles - the Hall of Fame second baseman did it at Wrigley Field in 1990. After finishing second last year in Minneapolis, this one was as sweet as that winning swing.
''That pushed me a lot,'' Frazier said. ''I wanted to get back here. I'd been working in the offseason a little bit. I'm just glad it was in Cincinnati and they could enjoy it with me.''
Pederson was trying to become the first rookie since Wally Joyner in 1986 to win or share the title. He reached the final round by knocking off Albert Pujols, who provided a blast after making the All-Star team for the first time in five years.
''I'm happy for Todd, especially being able to do it in front of his fans,'' Pujols said. ''It's his night. He deserves it. I just hope the fans were pleased and happy with the performance every single guy did. The right guy won, too.''
Frazier topped Prince Fielder and Josh Donaldson to reach the finals, where he faced his biggest test. Pederson went first and matched the highest total of the night with 14 homers. Frazier needed a late surge to pull even, tying him with 11 seconds left in his round.
He'd hit enough long homers to earn an extra 30 seconds, giving him a chance to take a few deep breaths, regroup and refocus.
On the first pitch from brother Charlie in extra time, Frazier puffed his cheeks and exhaled as he hit one solidly, then mouthed the words ''That's gone'' as the ball headed for the left field stands. The ballpark was full of fans with arms raised even before the ball landed.
How's that?
''It was a great environment,'' Pederson said. ''It was extremely humbling being out there with Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols and Josh Donaldson.''
And, of course, it ended with a little more Sinatra.
Frazier uses ''Fly Me To The Moon'' as his music when he walks to the batter's box during games, and it greeted each of his rounds on Monday. When he'd clinched the title, the ballpark rocked with ''I Did It My Way.''
''I had no clue they were going to do that,'' Frazier said. ''That was pretty nice.''
With that, Frazier made it an All-Cincinnati All-Star event so far. Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber, a Reds fan who grew up in nearby Middletown, Ohio, was the MVP of the Futures Game on Sunday with a two-run triple.
Frazier had been gearing up for the derby all season. He faded badly last year in Minneapolis, reaching the finals before losing to Yoenis Cespedes 9-1. He was so worn out that he could barely hit one at the end, and he planned to pace himself better this time.
He hung in there and added to his lore for big home runs.
Frazier was a member of the 1998 Toms River team in New Jersey that beat Japan for the Little League World Series championship. He had a homer among his four hits in the clinching game.
He loves hitting at Great American Ball Park, which has been one of the majors' most homer-friendly places since it opened in 2003. He ranks among the major league leaders with 25 home runs this season.
There was speculation that one of the All-Stars might knock one into the Ohio River beyond right field - Adam Dunn is the only one to reach it so far.
No splashdowns. Plenty of drama, though.
Frazier had a tough challenge right away. Fielder was trying to join Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time derby champions. Junior watched from foul territory after throwing a ceremonial opening pitch to his father, Ken Sr.
And Fielder wowed 'em, hitting 13 homers - eight of them farther than 425 feet, with one estimated at 474 feet. The home crowd groaned collectively as Frazier came to bat and got off to a very slow start. He called timeout to catch his breath after struggling to hit his first five homers.
He caught up with 5 seconds to go in his allotted time, then connected again on his first swing of extra time to move on.
And there was no stopping him.
Golf: I got a club for that: Tee times: 2015 British Open, Rounds 1 and 2.
By Ryan Ballengee
History tees off on Thursday with the start of the 144th British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland.
Jordan Spieth is top story heading into the year's third major, looking to become the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the first three majors of a single year and the first player since Tiger Woods in 2000 to win three majors in a season. He's drawn a great group for the first two days, playing with U.S. Open co-runner-up Dustin Johnson and Japanese standout Hideki Matsuyama. They start at 4:33 a.m. Eastern on Thursday morning (the local time in Scotland is five hours ahead of the Eastern time zone).
Tiger Woods looks to pick up an unlikely 15th major and third Claret Jug at the Home of Golf. He'll start that quest on Thursday and Friday with Louis Oosthuizen, the only other St. Andrews Open winner since 2000, and Jason Day, who expects to be vertigo-free after a bout with the condition at the U.S. Open. It's a 4:55 a.m. Eastern start for them in Round 1.
The R&A must not want Ian Poulter and Bubba Watson to do well, since they're grouped together for the first two days with 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel as an innocent bystander starting at 4 a.m. on Thursday morning.
In what could be considered a somewhat comical grouping, 1995 Open champion John Daly, 2013 PGA champion Jason Day and the ageless Miguel Angel Jimenez are grouped together for the first two days. They start at 7:50 a.m. Eastern on Thursday.
Here are the full tee times for the first two rounds of the Open Championship:
Round 1
1:32 a.m. -- Thomas Bjorn, Greg Owen, Rod Pampling
1:43 a.m. -- Todd Hamilton, Paul Dunne (a), James Hahn
1:54 a.m. -- Graham DeLaet, Brian Harman, Russell Knox
2:05 a.m. -- Matt Every, Alexander Levy, David Lingmerth
2:16 a.m. -- Joost Luiten, Matt Jones, Robert Streb
2:27 a.m. -- Anthony Wall, Byeong-Hun An, Jordan Niebrugge (a)
2:38 a.m. -- Sandy Lyle, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Na
2:49 a.m. -- Retief Goosen, Shane Lowry, Kevin Streelman
3:00 a.m. -- Carl Pettersson, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan
3:11 a.m. -- Ross Fisher, Victor Dubuisson, Billy Horschel
3:22 a.m. -- Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Oliver Schniederjans (a)
3:33 a.m. -- Ernie Els, Tom Watson, Brandt Snedeker
3:44 a.m. -- J.B. Holmes, Brendon Todd, Shinji Tomimura
4:00 a.m. -- Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson
4:11 a.m. -- Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed
4:22 a.m. -- Darren Clarke, Mateo Manassero, Romain Langasque (a)
4:33 a.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth
4:44 a.m. -- Paul Lawrie, Ryan Palmer, Kevin Kisner
4:55 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Jason Day
5:06 a.m. -- John Senden, Tadahiro Takayama, Brooks Koepka
5:17 a.m. -- David Duval, Stewart Cink, Ben Curtis
5:28 a.m. -- Mikko Ilonen, David Howell, Greg Chalmers
5:39 a.m. -- Raphael Jacquelin, David Hearn, Eddie Pepperell
5:50 a.m. -- Tyrrell Hatton, Scott Arnold, Paul Kinnear (a)
6:01 a.m. -- Adam Bland, Gary Boyd, Daniel Brooks
6:12 a.m. -- Scott Hend, Jonathan Moore, Ryan Fox
6:33 a.m. -- Mark Calcavecchia, Marcel Siem, Jaco Van Zyl
6:44 a.m. -- Thomas Aiken, David Lipsky, Jonas Blixt
6:55 a.m. -- Soren Kjeldsen, Morgan Hoffmann, Danny Lee
7:06 a.m. -- Richie Ramsay, Pablo Larrazabal, Cameron Tringale
7:17 a.m. -- Steven Bowditch, Hiroshi Iwata, Ben Martin
7:28 a.m. -- George Coetzee, Anirban Lahiri, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
7:39 a.m. -- Padraig Harrington, Liang, Wen-Chong, Marc Warren
7:50 a.m. -- John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jason Dufner
8:01 a.m. -- Zach Johnson, Bernd Weisberger, Tommy Fleetwood
8:12 a.m. -- Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Willett, Gary Woodland
8:23 a.m. -- Geoff Ogilvy, Francesco Molinari, Bill Haas
8:34 a.m. -- Mark O'Meara, Russell Henley, Gunn Yang (a)
8:45 a.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Justin Leonard
9:01 a.m. -- Stephen Gallacher. Hiroyuki Fujita, Ryan Moore
9:12 a.m. -- Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker
9:23 a.m. -- Jamie Donaldson, Yuta Ikeda, Keegan Bradley
9:34 a.m. -- Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson
9:45 a.m. -- Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
9:56 a.m. -- Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Brendan Grace
10:07 a.m. -- Harris English, Ashley Chesters (a), Andy Sullivan
10:18 a.m. -- Koumei Oda, Marc Leishman, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
10:29 a.m. -- Edoardo Molinari, James Morrison, Romain Wattel
10:40 a.m. -- Pelle Edberg, Daniel Berger, Mark Young
10:51 a.m. -- Brett Rumford, Tom Gillis, Ben Taylor (a)
11:02 a.m. -- Marcus Fraser, Scott Strange, Allister Balcombe (a)
11:13 a.m. -- Taichi Teshima, Robert Dinwiddie, Rikard Karlberg
1:43 a.m. -- Todd Hamilton, Paul Dunne (a), James Hahn
1:54 a.m. -- Graham DeLaet, Brian Harman, Russell Knox
2:05 a.m. -- Matt Every, Alexander Levy, David Lingmerth
2:16 a.m. -- Joost Luiten, Matt Jones, Robert Streb
2:27 a.m. -- Anthony Wall, Byeong-Hun An, Jordan Niebrugge (a)
2:38 a.m. -- Sandy Lyle, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Na
2:49 a.m. -- Retief Goosen, Shane Lowry, Kevin Streelman
3:00 a.m. -- Carl Pettersson, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan
3:11 a.m. -- Ross Fisher, Victor Dubuisson, Billy Horschel
3:22 a.m. -- Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Oliver Schniederjans (a)
3:33 a.m. -- Ernie Els, Tom Watson, Brandt Snedeker
3:44 a.m. -- J.B. Holmes, Brendon Todd, Shinji Tomimura
4:00 a.m. -- Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson
4:11 a.m. -- Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed
4:22 a.m. -- Darren Clarke, Mateo Manassero, Romain Langasque (a)
4:33 a.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth
4:44 a.m. -- Paul Lawrie, Ryan Palmer, Kevin Kisner
4:55 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Jason Day
5:06 a.m. -- John Senden, Tadahiro Takayama, Brooks Koepka
5:17 a.m. -- David Duval, Stewart Cink, Ben Curtis
5:28 a.m. -- Mikko Ilonen, David Howell, Greg Chalmers
5:39 a.m. -- Raphael Jacquelin, David Hearn, Eddie Pepperell
5:50 a.m. -- Tyrrell Hatton, Scott Arnold, Paul Kinnear (a)
6:01 a.m. -- Adam Bland, Gary Boyd, Daniel Brooks
6:12 a.m. -- Scott Hend, Jonathan Moore, Ryan Fox
6:33 a.m. -- Mark Calcavecchia, Marcel Siem, Jaco Van Zyl
6:44 a.m. -- Thomas Aiken, David Lipsky, Jonas Blixt
6:55 a.m. -- Soren Kjeldsen, Morgan Hoffmann, Danny Lee
7:06 a.m. -- Richie Ramsay, Pablo Larrazabal, Cameron Tringale
7:17 a.m. -- Steven Bowditch, Hiroshi Iwata, Ben Martin
7:28 a.m. -- George Coetzee, Anirban Lahiri, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
7:39 a.m. -- Padraig Harrington, Liang, Wen-Chong, Marc Warren
7:50 a.m. -- John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jason Dufner
8:01 a.m. -- Zach Johnson, Bernd Weisberger, Tommy Fleetwood
8:12 a.m. -- Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Willett, Gary Woodland
8:23 a.m. -- Geoff Ogilvy, Francesco Molinari, Bill Haas
8:34 a.m. -- Mark O'Meara, Russell Henley, Gunn Yang (a)
8:45 a.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Justin Leonard
9:01 a.m. -- Stephen Gallacher. Hiroyuki Fujita, Ryan Moore
9:12 a.m. -- Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker
9:23 a.m. -- Jamie Donaldson, Yuta Ikeda, Keegan Bradley
9:34 a.m. -- Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson
9:45 a.m. -- Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
9:56 a.m. -- Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Brendan Grace
10:07 a.m. -- Harris English, Ashley Chesters (a), Andy Sullivan
10:18 a.m. -- Koumei Oda, Marc Leishman, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
10:29 a.m. -- Edoardo Molinari, James Morrison, Romain Wattel
10:40 a.m. -- Pelle Edberg, Daniel Berger, Mark Young
10:51 a.m. -- Brett Rumford, Tom Gillis, Ben Taylor (a)
11:02 a.m. -- Marcus Fraser, Scott Strange, Allister Balcombe (a)
11:13 a.m. -- Taichi Teshima, Robert Dinwiddie, Rikard Karlberg
Round 2
1:32 a.m. -- Mark Calcavecchia, Marcel Siem, Jaco Van Zyl
1:43 a.m. -- Thomas Aiken, David Lipsky, Jonas Blixt
1:54 a.m. -- Soren Kjeldsen, Morgan Hoffmann, Danny Lee
2:05 a.m. -- Richie Ramsay, Pablo Larrazabal, Cameron Tringale
2:16 a.m. -- Steven Bowditch, Hiroshi Iwata, Ben Martin
2:27 a.m. -- George Coetzee, Anirban Lahiri, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
2:38 a.m. -- Padraig Harrington, Liang, Wen-Chong, Marc Warren
2:49 a.m. -- John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jason Dufner
3:00 a.m. -- Zach Johnson, Bernd Weisberger, Tommy Fleetwood
3:11 a.m. -- Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Willett, Gary Woodland
3:22 a.m. -- Geoff Ogilvy, Francesco Molinari, Bill Haas
3:33 a.m. -- Mark O'Meara, Russell Henley, Gunn Yang (a)
3:44 a.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Justin Leonard
4:00 a.m. -- Stephen Gallacher. Hiroyuki Fujita, Ryan Moore
4:11 a.m. -- Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker
4:22 a.m. -- Jamie Donaldson, Yuta Ikeda, Keegan Bradley
4:33 a.m. -- Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson
4:44 a.m. -- Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
4:55 a.m. -- Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Brendan Grace
5:06 a.m. -- Harris English, Ashley Chesters (a), Andy Sullivan
5:17 a.m. -- Koumei Oda, Marc Leishman, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
5:28 a.m. -- Edoardo Molinari, James Morrison, Romain Wattel
5:39 a.m. -- Pelle Edberg, Daniel Berger, Mark Young
5:50 a.m. -- Brett Rumford, Tom Gillis, Ben Taylor (a)
6:01 a.m. -- Marcus Fraser, Scott Strange, Allister Balcombe (a)
6:12 a.m. -- Taichi Teshima, Robert Dinwiddie, Rikard Karlberg
6:33 a.m. -- Thomas Bjorn, Greg Owen, Rod Pampling
6:44 a.m. -- Todd Hamilton, Paul Dunne (a), James Hahn
6:55 a.m. -- Graham DeLaet, Brian Harman, Russell Knox
7:06 a.m. -- Matt Every, Alexander Levy, David Lingmerth
7:17 a.m. -- Joost Luiten, Matt Jones, Robert Streb
7:28 a.m. -- Anthony Wall, Byeong-Hun An, Jordan Niebrugge (a)
7:39 a.m. -- Sandy Lyle, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Na
7:50 a.m. -- Retief Goosen, Shane Lowry, Kevin Streelman
8:01 a.m. -- Carl Pettersson, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan
8:12 a.m. -- Ross Fisher, Victor Dubuisson, Billy Horschel
8:23 a.m. -- Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Oliver Schniederjans (a)
8:34 a.m. -- Ernie Els, Tom Watson, Brandt Snedeker
8:45 a.m. -- J.B. Holmes, Brendon Todd, Shinji Tomimura
9:01 a.m. -- Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson
9:12 a.m. -- Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed
9:23 a.m. -- Darren Clarke, Mateo Manassero, Romain Langasque (a)
9:34 a.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth
9:45 a.m. -- Paul Lawrie, Ryan Palmer, Kevin Kisner
9:56 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Jason Day
10:07 a.m. -- John Senden, Tadahiro Takayama, Brooks Koepka
10:18 a.m. -- David Duval, Stewart Cink, Ben Curtis
10:29 a.m. -- Mikko Ilonen, David Howell, Greg Chalmers
10:40 a.m. -- Raphael Jacquelin, David Hearn, Eddie Pepperell
10:51 a.m. -- Tyrrell Hatton, Scott Arnold, Paul Kinnear (a)
11:02 a.m. -- Adam Bland, Gary Boyd, Daniel Brooks
11:13 a.m. -- Scott Hend, Jonathan Moore, Ryan Fox
1:43 a.m. -- Thomas Aiken, David Lipsky, Jonas Blixt
1:54 a.m. -- Soren Kjeldsen, Morgan Hoffmann, Danny Lee
2:05 a.m. -- Richie Ramsay, Pablo Larrazabal, Cameron Tringale
2:16 a.m. -- Steven Bowditch, Hiroshi Iwata, Ben Martin
2:27 a.m. -- George Coetzee, Anirban Lahiri, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
2:38 a.m. -- Padraig Harrington, Liang, Wen-Chong, Marc Warren
2:49 a.m. -- John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jason Dufner
3:00 a.m. -- Zach Johnson, Bernd Weisberger, Tommy Fleetwood
3:11 a.m. -- Thongchai Jaidee, Danny Willett, Gary Woodland
3:22 a.m. -- Geoff Ogilvy, Francesco Molinari, Bill Haas
3:33 a.m. -- Mark O'Meara, Russell Henley, Gunn Yang (a)
3:44 a.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Justin Leonard
4:00 a.m. -- Stephen Gallacher. Hiroyuki Fujita, Ryan Moore
4:11 a.m. -- Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker
4:22 a.m. -- Jamie Donaldson, Yuta Ikeda, Keegan Bradley
4:33 a.m. -- Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson
4:44 a.m. -- Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
4:55 a.m. -- Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Brendan Grace
5:06 a.m. -- Harris English, Ashley Chesters (a), Andy Sullivan
5:17 a.m. -- Koumei Oda, Marc Leishman, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
5:28 a.m. -- Edoardo Molinari, James Morrison, Romain Wattel
5:39 a.m. -- Pelle Edberg, Daniel Berger, Mark Young
5:50 a.m. -- Brett Rumford, Tom Gillis, Ben Taylor (a)
6:01 a.m. -- Marcus Fraser, Scott Strange, Allister Balcombe (a)
6:12 a.m. -- Taichi Teshima, Robert Dinwiddie, Rikard Karlberg
6:33 a.m. -- Thomas Bjorn, Greg Owen, Rod Pampling
6:44 a.m. -- Todd Hamilton, Paul Dunne (a), James Hahn
6:55 a.m. -- Graham DeLaet, Brian Harman, Russell Knox
7:06 a.m. -- Matt Every, Alexander Levy, David Lingmerth
7:17 a.m. -- Joost Luiten, Matt Jones, Robert Streb
7:28 a.m. -- Anthony Wall, Byeong-Hun An, Jordan Niebrugge (a)
7:39 a.m. -- Sandy Lyle, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Na
7:50 a.m. -- Retief Goosen, Shane Lowry, Kevin Streelman
8:01 a.m. -- Carl Pettersson, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan
8:12 a.m. -- Ross Fisher, Victor Dubuisson, Billy Horschel
8:23 a.m. -- Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Oliver Schniederjans (a)
8:34 a.m. -- Ernie Els, Tom Watson, Brandt Snedeker
8:45 a.m. -- J.B. Holmes, Brendon Todd, Shinji Tomimura
9:01 a.m. -- Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson
9:12 a.m. -- Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed
9:23 a.m. -- Darren Clarke, Mateo Manassero, Romain Langasque (a)
9:34 a.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth
9:45 a.m. -- Paul Lawrie, Ryan Palmer, Kevin Kisner
9:56 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Jason Day
10:07 a.m. -- John Senden, Tadahiro Takayama, Brooks Koepka
10:18 a.m. -- David Duval, Stewart Cink, Ben Curtis
10:29 a.m. -- Mikko Ilonen, David Howell, Greg Chalmers
10:40 a.m. -- Raphael Jacquelin, David Hearn, Eddie Pepperell
10:51 a.m. -- Tyrrell Hatton, Scott Arnold, Paul Kinnear (a)
11:02 a.m. -- Adam Bland, Gary Boyd, Daniel Brooks
11:13 a.m. -- Scott Hend, Jonathan Moore, Ryan Fox
Spieth's special IQ will see him through, says Faldo.
Reuters; By Tony Jimenez, Editing by Alan Baldwin
Jet-lag will be no obstacle for Jordan Spieth at this week's British Open because he is young, fit and strong and possesses a special golfing IQ, according to former world number one Nick Faldo.
The 21-year-old Spieth flew to St Andrews on Monday, a day after registering his fourth victory of a remarkable season in the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Illinois.
Six-times major winner Faldo dismissed any idea the American wonderkid might be drained by his recent exertions.
"It's amazing, when you're that young, you would say, one good night's sleep to get over jet-lag and he'll probably be fine tomorrow morning," the Briton told reporters. Some critics have suggested Spieth made a mistake by playing in Illinois immediately before attempting to become the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the first three majors of the season but Faldo sees it differently.
"If he believes that's the way to do it, then that's the way to do it," said the triple British Open winner. "That's the way Jordan Spieth wants to do it, guess what? It's right.
"What he's doing is phenomenal. He's confident, he's seeing the right shot, he's visualizing the shot...and he keeps churning out good shots. "When you're doing that you just jump back on the saddle and ride again," said Faldo, who turns 58 on Saturday.
Asked if two and a half days' preparation was enough for the U.S. Masters and U.S. Open champion to discover the best way to tackle St Andrews in Thursday's opening round, the Englishman waxed lyrical about Spieth's special talent.
"Jordan has got this great ability, many people play practice rounds with him, one round, and the next day he'll be talking about the course and they'll have missed everything he's talking about, all the little subtle slopes," Faldo explained.
"He's obviously got a very high golfing IQ and he takes a lot on board."
Faldo, though, did have one golden nugget of information to pass on to the world number two as he prepared to tackle the famous links course on the east coast of Scotland.
Faldo, though, did have one golden nugget of information to pass on to the world number two as he prepared to tackle the famous links course on the east coast of Scotland.
Woods still chasing Nicklaus despite 7-year major drought.
By PAUL NEWBERRY
Tiger Woods is still gunning for Jack Nicklaus' record.
Despite a slump that has sent him plummeting to No. 241 in the world golf rankings, Woods remains confident he can win at least four more majors in his career.
Woods comes into the British Open with 14 major titles on his resume, but his last victory in one of golf's biggest events came at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Nicklaus holds the record with 18 championships.
Woods pointed out he doesn't turn 40 until December.
"I'm still young," he told reporters on Tuesday. "I know some of you guys think I'm buried and done, but I'm still right here in front of you."
He hopes that familiarity will carry him into contention this week.
"I just love the creativity," Woods said. "You need to have the right angles. Over the years of learning how to play the golf course under all different type of wind conditions, it changes greatly, and it's based on angles. You have to put the ball on certain sides of the fairways in order to get the ball close.
"To me, that type of thinking and the strategy that goes into that is something I've always loved. Yeah, you can run the ball up here on a lot of the holes. It won't really be doing that this week because it's a little bit softer, but still, you have that option. You know, a five-degree wind change here changes the whole golf course completely. I've always found that very fascinating."
Once the world's most dominant player, Woods has been plagued by injuries and turmoil in his personal life since his stirring victory at Torrey Pines more than seven years ago.
He missed the cut last month at the U.S. Open, after opening with an 80. Woods hasn't finished in the top 10 of a major since a sixth-place showing in the 2013 British Open at Muirfield.
Even so, he feels better about his game after making the cut two weeks ago at the Greenbrier Classic, insisting that he "hit the ball the best I've hit it in probably two years."
"That was awfully nice to be able to do coming into this week," Woods said. "I've hit the ball just as well in my practice rounds."
NASCAR takes positive steps toward brighter future.
By JENNA FRYER
What a different NASCAR we have now.
The sport so married to a dictator-style reign, so resistant to meaningful change and so slow to take a stance on anything that might alienate its fan base has seemingly been turned upside down in a matter of days.
In just the past month alone, chairman Brian France has taken a strong stance on a pair of social issues, including his desire to eliminate the Confederate flag at NASCAR events. His position is in stark contrast to NASCAR's Southern roots, and will be slow to be totally embraced by fans. And last week when Ben Kennedy, great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., was involved in an accident at Kentucky Speedway, nearly every replay featured a shot of ''The Stars and Bars'' waving at the bottom of the screen.
So it may take some time for NASCAR's position to make a meaningful difference, but France is strongly in favor of separating his series from the negative connotation of the flag regardless of how long it takes.
Same goes for improving the on-track product, which, by the way, looked a much improved Saturday night at Kentucky.
The race was the first for new rules packages that have been earmarked for trial at four different tracks. This package of lower downforce was specifically recommended by the drivers, who somehow persuaded NASCAR to allow them to form a panel that has engaged in meaningful discussion with series leaders.
Don't confuse the driver council with unionization, something NASCAR has never allowed. Curtis Turner and Tim Flock in 1961 were both banned for life - Turner's was eventually lifted - for trying to form the Federation of Professional Athletes and second-tier drivers were used at Talladega Superspeedway during a one-week boycott in 1969 as drivers tried to form the Professional Drivers Association.
But times have clearly changed, with three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart even positioning present day NASCAR in ''kind of a crisis situation'' because of the uninspired racing.
So NASCAR allowed the drivers to create a panel that they selected themselves by vote. Drivers were grouped in tiers and every manufacturer had to be represented. The first meeting, last month at Dover, put in motion the lower downforce package that was used at Kentucky.
A second meeting at Daytona a week before the race opened the door for the use of a similar rules package at Darlington next month, one that features higher drag at Indianapolis and Michigan, and a new tire at Richmond.
Drivers seemed genuinely pleased with the open dialogue with NASCAR, but cautioned not to expect much from Saturday night's race at Kentucky. At issue was Goodyear's delay in being able to produce a tire to match the lower downforce package, and driver council member Dale Earnhardt Jr. warned: ''I'm not expecting Kentucky to reveal a lot of obvious answers on the direction we need to go.''
It's not clear why Earnhardt tried to temper the waters for Kentucky, but it seemed as if NASCAR expected the driver-driven rules package to fail. That's not a surprise because it's an opposite path than the one taken by the series leaders tasked with improving the racing.
The data from Saturday night - data are always open to interpretation - suggested the drivers have been right all along in what creates the best racing. There were 2,665 green-flag passes throughout the field, compared with 1,147 last year at Kentucky. There were also a record 22 green-flag passes for the lead, up from the record of 19 set in 2011.
The racing drew raves from winner Kyle Busch. Before you say ''of course the winner liked it,'' remember he's the guy who widely panned the Car of Tomorrow when he won in the debut race of that car.
Denny Hamlin, one of the drivers credited for the push to create the driver council, was down two laps at one point Saturday night and finished third.
''This is what race car driving's all about. I feel like now it's back in the driver and crew chief's hands to get their car handling like it's supposed to,'' he said. ''It's not just an arms race of who can build the fastest cars in the shop.''
Even Clint Bowyer, stuck in a miserable season, seemed pleased after a 19th-place finish.
''I hope the fans enjoyed that because I sure did,'' Bowyer said.
This is a new era in NASCAR, a time when NASCAR is committed to doing the right thing. France made the right decision with his stance on the Confederate flag, and collecting driver input is a very strong step in the right direction.''I hope the fans enjoyed that because I sure did,'' Bowyer said.
The key now is not to fear bigger and bolder steps moving forward - even if they come at the suggestion of the drivers.
Brad Keselowski likes the idea of specific track-type rules.
By Nick Bromberg
As NASCAR starts the process of putting together different rules for specific types of tracks, it can count Brad Keselowski as a fan of the initiative.
The Sprint Cup Series is running a lower downforce package for Saturday night's race at Kentucky. The cars have smaller splitters and spoilers. At Indianapolis and Michigan, the cars will have bigger leading edges of the splitters and larger spoilers to increase the drag and promote passing on the straightaways.
"I’m in that camp and on that team that says that’s what’s gonna take our sport to the next level as far as the quality of racing is concerned is developing genre-specific packages for the tracks with the realization that when the Car of Tomorrow and the Generation 6 car came out, I think it was designed to perform at a higher level at the plate tracks and, in some way, whether it was intentional or not, the road courses and we’ve seen the road course races and the plate tracks in that time – the last seven or eight years – kind of turn into some of what I think most of the industry and its fans would recognize as the best racing our sport has to offer right now," Keselowski said.
Road course races have certainly become must-see TV in the Cup Series. The races at Watkins Glen have been some of the most memorable in recent NASCAR history. And while many people can debate the authenticity of pack racing at Daytona and Talladega, there's no arguing that it's incredibly tense.
But NASCAR has been searching for the right combination at intermediate tracks, the tracks that dominate the schedule. Restrictor plate and road course races are only six of the season's 36 races.
Keselowski has won two of the last three races at Kentucky. He's confident about his chances of three in four, even with the new rules. While he has a win at California earlier in the season.
"I look at it as one of those places that we kind of circle on the calendar for our team," Keselowski said. "I saw something pretty interesting that this is the last mile-and-a-half before the Chase starts. That just really hit me hard because to win the championship you have to win the mile-and-a-halves. The championship is the mile-and-a-halves. Literally, the last race is a mile-and-a-half. Every bracket has a mile-and-a-half in it. If you’re going to win the championship, you have to win the mile-and-a-halves and this is the last one before the Chase.
"Whoever is strong here this weekend, this is really their last chance to work and evolve into a spec or an iteration for their team to showcase strengths for what’s gonna count in a championship stretch. So I think that hit me really hard and, for that reason, we’re looking for some really big things out of the 2 car this weekend"
SOCCER: Fire set for back-to-back matches against Columbus Crew SC.
By Danny Michallik
Earlier this season -- and, as recently as last month -- the Fire became entangled in a consequential losing streak. It left head coach Frank Yallop exasperated while having to administer a depleted, injury-stricken team that had hurtled down the Eastern Conference table.
After entreating his team to obtain a result in Houston on July 3, the Men in Red weathered the humid conditions, stymied an unyielding Dynamo attack and upheld their end of the bargain. Behind a fortifying display, consensus among Fire players -- Harry Shipp and Patrick Nyarko alike -- pointed to the 1-1 draw as a turning point amid a string of discouraging results.
Galvanized by Saturday’s stirring 1-0 victory over Western Conference co-leader Seattle Sounders FC and Jason Johnson's heroics, the opportunity to capitalize on a sense of renewed intent presents itself against Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday at Toyota Park (7:30 p.m. CT; CSN), which ushers in the second half of MLS regular season play for Yallop's unit.
“Everyone felt the same emotion from that goal: relief,” Yallop said Monday via teleconference. “We got a win. Now, we’ve got to build on that. Wednesday night’s coming up quickly. Enjoy the moment, but now we’ve got to focus on the next game, which is Wednesday.”
The luxury to draw on moments of pure elation has been rare, as evidenced by the ensuing roar and jubilation that accompanied Allen Chapman's final whistle on Saturday, bringing all 18,528 in attendance duly to their feet. As depleted as both teams were, the Fire played one of the most dynamic teams in the league off the pitch for large stretches.
Beaming with confidence from their dominant outing, the Men in Red enter Wednesday's match five places and six points behind Gregg Berhalter's outfit in the standings, a fixture denoting the first of 14 of the Fire's remaining 17 matchups with conference opponents between now and the end of October.
As the East begins to shape up and playoff spots all to play for in the coming weeks and months, the Fire press on, hoping to build on exemplary showings from Eric Gehrig, Adaílton, Matt Polster and Razvan Cocis, all of which were given high marks from Yallop in his post-match remarks and again to reporters on Monday.
“It’s never easy. I thought those four did a real nice job of keeping Seattle down to just a few chances," Yallop added. "Once you’ve come through a game and you’ve got a result it’s always difficult to break it up.
“I would expect Chris Ritter or Polster to play in that spot. I’ll watch some video and some tape on Columbus again. Kei Kamara and Higuain are very mobile, so it's just picking the right combination in those four spots. Chris has a good chance of stepping in at some point, either in the back or in the midfield.”
With Adaílton suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Yallop is faced with a slightly difficult decision as the emphasis rests on striking a balance between lineup continuity and keeping his side healthy. The Fire will play four matches, including the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal against Orlando City SC, in the next 10 days, the next two featuring a home-and-home series with Crew SC, a team against which the Men in Red achieved a monumental road point, coming back from a two-goal deficit to emerge with a 2-2 draw on May 22.
Columbus, who've gone winless on the road in league play this year, were put to the sword against the Montreal Impact on the weekend, losing 3-0 at Saputo Stadium. Berhalter's delegation has scored just six goals away from home this season, while struggling to make do at the other end as well.
The Black & Gold haven't kept a clean sheet in 13 matches, dating back to April 18 against Orlando, having been shut out seven times in the process. Their last win away from the confines of Mapfre Stadium was a 3-1 defeat of the New York Red Bulls on Oct. 19, 2014.
Having only been held scoreless at home twice in 2015, the Fire seek their sixth win of the campaign and a complete performance to match it before traveling to Columbus for Sunday's nationally televised game in the Arch City.
"We haven’t got a ton of guys to call upon, and you don’t want to rip apart a team that’s just had a great result," Yallop said. "It’s more just trying to rest the guys that played on the weekend and trying to recreate that 90-minute game again with the subs and whatever we’re going to do on Wednesday.”
SOCCER: USMNT overcomes poor first half, battles back to draw Panama.
By Danny Michallik
Behind two subpar performances to open CONCACAF Gold Cup group play, the U.S. men's national team faced arguably their toughest test against 2013 runner-up Panama on a sweltering Monday night. The game was about pride and momentum, and some gumption was required before the U.S. showed either in front of an announced crowd of 18,467 at Sporting Park.
Goals either side of halftime from Blas Pérez and Michael Bradley saw the Panamanians finish in third place with a slim chance of advancing to the knockout stages, while the Americans locked up top spot in Group A and a quarterfinal meeting with the Group B/C winner on July 18.
Jurgen Klinsmann reinstated the back four that scraped by Honduras in the opening match, replacing the quartet of Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Tim Ream, and Greg Garza that edged Haiti on Friday. Kyle Beckerman deputized for Mix Diskerud in his usual holding midfield role, flanked by Alfredo Morales and Alejandro Bedoya, who stepped in for Clint Dempsey and Graham Zusi. Gyasi Zardes and Chris Wondolowski partnered up front in place of Aron Johannsson and Jozy Altidore.
It was Hernan Gomez's side that threatened first, however, as, Luis Tejada found the back of the net off a free kick in the 10th minute, but was correctly flagged offside by the assistant referee on the far sideline.
For much of the first half, Klinsmann's outfit continued to mold into a very deep, defensive shell, as Brad Guzan was required to make a number of saves throughout as Panama knocked on the door. Ten minutes shy of the halftime interval, though, the U.S. were punished.
Tejada was at the heart of the move once more, turning on Alvarado, darting toward the end line and crossing for a wide open Pérez to finish from close range in the 34th minute.
Two minutes short of halftime, Wondolowski looped a fantastic ball over the top of the Panamanian defense, sending Bedoya sprinting through on goal. The FC Nantes midfielder approached the top of the 18 when he appeared to be clipped from behind by Harold Cummings, but referee Roberto Garcia waved play on.
The U.S. took two shots in a disappointing first half, which prompted Klinsmann to introduce Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin at the start of the second half.
Bradley, making one of his vintage, late runs to the back post, was rewarded in the 55th minute. Following an excellent buildup highlighted by tight exchanges from Dempsey and Zardes at the edge of the penalty area, the ball kicked out to Bedoya, who supplied a pinpointed delivery to the captain to finish it off and pull his side level.
The renewed intent and increased tempo culminated in a laborious effort to deny Panama in the late stages, as the U.S. cobbled seven points together to finish the group stage. Now, they'll await the results from Groups B and C in the next two days to determine their quarterfinal opponent in Baltimore in five days time.
United States Starting XI (subs):
Brad Guzan; Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, Ventura Alvarado, Timothy Chandler; Kyle Beckerman, Alfredo Morales (DeAndre Yedlin, 46'), Michael Bradley (C), Alejandro Bedoya (Aron Johannsson, 71'); Gyasi Zardes, Chris Wondolowski (Clint Dempsey, 46').
Panama Starting XI (subs):
Jaime Penedo; Roman Torres, Harold Cummings, Erick Davis, Valentin Pimentel (Miguel Camargo, 62'); Armando Cooper, Gabriel Gómez, Anibal Godoy, Alberto Quintero (Abdiel Arroyo, 86'); Blas Pérez, Luis Tejada (Roberto Nurse, 71').
NCAAFB: Five things the stumbling SEC can do to regain its college football stranglehold.
By Pat Forde
It is a clear sign of the Southeastern Conference’s sense of self-importance that its football media days last twice as long as any other league’s.
They go four days here in the SEC, as opposed to two at ordinary little leagues like the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference – leagues which, it should be pointed out, have won the last two national championships after a seven-year run of SEC hegemony. To kick off this understated little production – complete this year with massive hype/coverage on the SEC Network – new commissioner Greg Sankey stated a three-word credo that will be his focus: Scholars, Champions and Leaders. Here was his modest “vision statement” for each:
“For the word scholars, we want to graduate every student-athlete,” Sankey said. “For champions, we want to win every championship – but you may have assumed that already. And for leaders, we seek literally to influence the world.”
Oh, is that all?
“Many of you may react by saying that’s simply not possible,” Sankey continued. “But keep this in mind, there is no great achievement that was ever produced by an attempt to be average, and we seek to be excellent.”
Credit to Sankey for setting the bar at Mount Everest height, even if he knows all attempts to clear it will fail. He’s right about the importance of aspiring to a gold standard. But here is the question: Even if the SEC will never be perfect, is it still an excellent football conference?
In comparison to its peers, the answer is yes. The SEC probably remains the nation’s premier football conference. But the 2014 season ended in humbling fashion for a league unfamiliar with humility, and the 2015 season will begin with plenty of doubt about its ability to get back to winning national titles.
That familiar SEC swagger has developed a distinct wobble.
The SEC West was hailed as an all-time meat grinder of a division last year (and, yes, I did some of that hailing). Yet come bowl time, that division bombed: conference champion Alabama was shocked by heavy underdog Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl; Auburn flubbed away its game against Wisconsin as a 6 ½-point favorite; LSU flopped as an eight-point fave against Notre Dame; Mississippi was massacred by TCU; and Mississippi State bombed as a six-point favorite against Georgia Tech. The top five teams in the mighty SEC West went 0-5, and the league watched a Big Ten-Pac-12 championship game in the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Failing to play for the title for the first time since 2005 was a bit of a comeuppance. So was failing to win any bowl game more prestigious than the Citrus. And now here comes a preseason filled with lukewarm (by SEC standards) expectations.
While Ohio State and TCU come into August with loaded depth charts after one-loss seasons, most SEC power programs are scouring their rosters for a few good men.
That familiar SEC swagger has developed a distinct wobble.
The SEC West was hailed as an all-time meat grinder of a division last year (and, yes, I did some of that hailing). Yet come bowl time, that division bombed: conference champion Alabama was shocked by heavy underdog Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl; Auburn flubbed away its game against Wisconsin as a 6 ½-point favorite; LSU flopped as an eight-point fave against Notre Dame; Mississippi was massacred by TCU; and Mississippi State bombed as a six-point favorite against Georgia Tech. The top five teams in the mighty SEC West went 0-5, and the league watched a Big Ten-Pac-12 championship game in the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Failing to play for the title for the first time since 2005 was a bit of a comeuppance. So was failing to win any bowl game more prestigious than the Citrus. And now here comes a preseason filled with lukewarm (by SEC standards) expectations.
While Ohio State and TCU come into August with loaded depth charts after one-loss seasons, most SEC power programs are scouring their rosters for a few good men.
Alabama and Auburn, winners of the last three SEC titles and five of the last six, both are wildly inexperienced on offense. Mississippi State, last year’s breakthrough program, is inexperienced on both sides of the ball. Two-time East Division champion Missouri is overhauling its receiver position, South Carolina is scouring for receiver depth, and Florida is rebuilding its offensive line.
Seven of the top 12 teams in the league have an ongoing position battle at quarterback heading into August camp. Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott is the only returning QB who threw for 3,000 yards last year.
Coinciding with all this turnover and uncertainty, (some parts of) the league have scheduled salty non-conference games. Alabama plays Wisconsin, Auburn plays Louisville, Texas A&M plays Arizona State, Tennessee plays Oklahoma and Missouri plays BYU. That’s in addition to the annual season-ending rivalry games: Florida-Florida State, Georgia-Georgia Tech, South Carolina-Clemson, Kentucky-Louisville.
So there is a wobble. There are some doubts. Here are five things that could help the league rediscover its strut in 2015:
• The coach with no socks. That’s Florida’s Jim McElwain, who seeks to rectify the Will Muschamp Era of Offensive Ineptitude. McElwain is a no-sock-wearing Montana native who had success as an offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama, parlayed that into the Colorado State head-coaching job and then won impressively there in four seasons. Now it’s his job to relocate the Gators’ offensive sizzle after several seasons of futility on that side of the ball – and to do it with an offensive line that may start multiple freshmen.
“It’s like going to Disney World and you’re not standing in line anymore,” McElwain said of throwing young linemen into the fray. “You’re in the Fast Pass line, and you’re on the ride right now.”
• The big-dollar new defensive coordinators. Auburn spent a fortune landing Muschamp to work on his specialty, stopping opposing offenses. Porous Texas A&M did the same thing, stealing John Chavis from West Division rival LSU. The Tigers replaced Chavis with former Mississippi head coach Ed Orgeron. A&M and Auburn were in need of an overhaul on that side of the ball, and the impact should be immediate. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn called Muschamp “the best defensive mind in all of football, not just college football.”
• Good Lane to remain at Alabama. The splashy coordinator hire of 2014 in the league was Lane Kiffin on the offensive side, and the former USC head coach lived up to his salary by polishing career backup Blake Sims into a record-setting quarterback. But amid all the production and points, Bad Lane reared his quixotic head on occasion – never at a more costly time than in the Sugar Bowl against Ohio State, when Kiffin fell in love with the pass and ignored his beastly running backs at crucial moments. Kiffin will have another unproven QB to work with this year – either Jacob Coker or redshirt freshman David Cornwell, most likely.
• The stable of stud running backs to carry the load. This should be a handoff league: five 1,000-yard rushers return from 2014, plus Alabama’s Derrick Henry should finally get more carries. The trend in football is away from running backs as labor-intensive centerpieces of an offense, but this could be a season where the SEC teams are wise to buck that trend and play throwback football.
• Tennessee to get its act together. The Volunteers have wandered the desert of mediocrity for too long, going 40-47 since 2007. Given the ongoing vacuum at the top of the SEC East since Tim Tebow graduated in 2009, it’s borderline inexcusable for the Vols to be that bad for that long. Third-year coach Butch Jones has recruited like a monster and appears to finally have the talent to return Tennessee to prominence.
NCAABKB: Kansas/USA take home gold in the World University Games.
By Rob Dauster
(Photo/AP)
For the first time in a decade, the World University Games gold medal is headed back to the United States.
Kansas, who is representing the USA in Gwangju, South Korea, needed two overtimes to get it done in the final, but they eventually knocked off Germany 84-77 to win the tournament.
The Jayhawks looked exhausted in the final, playing their eighth game in the last 11 days. Wayne Selden led the way with 20 points in the win, hitting a critical, go-ahead three with about a minute left in the second overtime, but he shot 6-for-28 on the afternoon. Perry Ellis added 19 points and 10 boards as well, but he struggled shooting the ball from the field as well. Frank Mason had 16 points and scored on a driving layup at the end of the first overtime to tie the game at 73. He also hit a pair of free throws at the end of regulation to tie the game at 66.
Germany was led by a pair of Ivy Leaguers. Maodo Lo, who plays for Columbia, finished with 16 points while Princeton’s Hans Braase had just six points and six boards.
Le Tour de France: Froome crushes rivals with mountain demonstration.
AFP; By Chesterman
Chris Froome savagely ripped the heart out of his Tour de France competition on Tuesday by streaking to victory on the first mountain stage of this year's race.
The 30-year-old Briton, who started the day in yellow, blitzed one rival after another before coming home alone at the end of the 167km 10th stage from Tarbes to la Pierre-Saint Martin.
"It was a dream day for us so hopefully we can set into that defensive way we're riding and keep the jersey," said an elated Froome.
"It's certainly not over, there's a long way to Paris and as you can see in bike racing things change very quickly."
The Sky team leader made his attack with a little over 6km left on the brutal 15km climb to the finish.At that point, reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali had already been dropped and two-time former winner Alberto Contador was struggling.
They came home respectively 21st at 4min 27sec and 11th at 2min 51sec to see their overall title hopes shredded.
"I felt good but today I wasn't even the little brother of last year's Nibali," said the Italian champion.
Contador added: "It was a terrible day and Froome rode off to demonstrate his authority."
Only Colombian climber Nairo Quintana, and American Tejay Van Garderen to a certain extent, managed to limit their losses.
Quintana finished third on the stage at 1min 04sec, suffering the insult of Froome's domestique Richie Porte beating him to the line for second place to deny him a pair of bonus seconds.
The Colombian moved up to third overall, though he's now 3min 09sec behind Froome, albeit with several mountain stages to come.
"I'm calm, I feel good but my rival was stronger then me today, that's clear," said Quintana.
"But I'm calm because my legs feel good."
Van Garderen rode a solid race to come home 10th at 2min 30sec and hold onto second overall at 2min 52sec.
- miserable day -
But it was a miserable day for French hopes on what was their national holiday 'Bastille Day' Jean-Christophe Peraud, Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet who were dropped on the lower slopes of the final climb.
In the first half of the race, a two-man breakaway of Pierrick Fedrigo and Kenneth Van Bilsen built up a 15-minute lead on the peloton.
But by the time they reached the foot of the final climb to the summit finish, their lead was down to just 2min 30sec, and their time in the sun was almost up.
Several of the favorites' teams pushed the pace as their leaders fought to start the climb at the front of the peloton.
Van Bilsen gave up the ghost 13km from the end while Fedrigo lasted another 1.5km before the battle for the stage victory overtook him.
By that point the peloton had been shredded under the pace set by Quintana's Movistar team to just 25 riders.
But already for the hosts it made miserable viewig as Peraud, runner-up to Nibali in 2014, Pinot, third last year, and Bardet, sixth 12 months ago, were amongst the debris.
As Fedrigo was caught, Dutchman Robert Geesink counter-attacked alone.
But incredibly it was Nibali next to crack more than 10km out from the finish.
Spaniard Rafael Valls had set off after Geesink and the two formed a tandem at the front with a 30sec lead.
Joaquim Rodriguez, the winner on the stage three Mur de Huy climb, and last year's king of the mountains Rafal Majka were the next to be dropped.
Sky took up the pace-setting but Quintana's teammate Alejandro Valverde attacked and the reaction from Froome's team reeled in Valls as only a dozen riders were left in the yellow jersey group.
Porte took over pace-setting and Contador was next to feel the pace and drop off, with Valverde following shortly afterwards.
Van Garderen also cracked as Geesink was caught, leaving only Froome and Quintana in Porte's wheel.
But when Froome launched his decisive attack, he dealt a crushing blow to his rivals.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, July 15, 2015.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1876 - George Washington Bradley of St. Louis pitched the first no-hitter in baseball in a 2-0 win over Hartford.
1973 - Nolan Ryan (California Angels) became the first pitcher in two decades to win two no-hitters in a season.
1985 - Baseball players voted to strike on August 6th if no contract was reached with baseball owners. The strike turned out to be just a one-day interruption.
1999 - In Seattle, WA, the inaugural game at the Seattle Mariners' Safeco Field was held.
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