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Sports Quote of the Day:
"Athletic competition clearly defines the unique power of our attitude." ~ Bart Starr, NFL Quarterback, Head Coach and Hall of Famer
Trending: The Cubs have the pedal to the metal. They swept the Atlanta Braves this weekend to go 20 games over .500. The Cubs are starting to smell the playoffs. Let's go Cubs!!! (See more about the Cubs in the baseball section).
"Athletic competition clearly defines the unique power of our attitude." ~ Bart Starr, NFL Quarterback, Head Coach and Hall of Famer
Trending: The Cubs have the pedal to the metal. They swept the Atlanta Braves this weekend to go 20 games over .500. The Cubs are starting to smell the playoffs. Let's go Cubs!!! (See more about the Cubs in the baseball section).
Trending: Much improvement was shown by the Chicago Bears in exhibition game #2 against the Indianapolis Colts. Next weekend's game is the most important game of the preseason. The starters will play three quarters against the Cincinnati Bengals and we'll see how far they've really come. (See more Bears stories in the football section).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears push smash-mouth running model to new level in win over Colts.
By John Mullin
Whether it is a formula for winning football in 2015 remains to play out. But either by choice or by chance (injury), the Bears have to at this point of the preseason given every indication of a team that says it will run the football, and then does it.
Most important, it has the potential to produce an efficient, turnover-lite offense, something that was decidedly not the flavor of recent seasons.
The Bears have run 125 plays through their two preseason wins – 27-10 over the Miami Dolphins, 23-11 over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday – and of those, 68 (54.4 percent) have been carries by running backs. They have zero lost fumbles and one interception, the latter on an apparent communication gaffe between the quarterback and tight end.
“That’s pretty much how we’re going to continue to play,” coach John Fox said, in a rare public declaration of both strategy and tactics.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase has tasked line coach Dave Magazu to slowly turn a group of what were pass-protecting guard dogs under Marc Trestman into attack dogs for Fox. (If the Bears do want to be a running team, however, Magazu does have a penalty issue to address).
Gase now has had Jay Cutler for six preseason series and the NFL turnover leader of 2014 has been the very model (relatively speaking, of course) of ball control – zero INT’s through all but two training camp practices and two preseason games, and zero fumbles. Cutler will never be a classic game manager, but he is currently doing a functional job of impersonating one.
The run-pass template that was established last week with a 50-50 balance was pushed even further toward the run Saturday: 57 total plays, 35 carries by running backs.
Why this becomes more than just statistically significant is that the Bears have established themselves running the football even when they were forced to and a defense knew it. By the end of Saturday’s first quarter, the offense was without three of its projected top four wide receivers – Alshon Jeffery out with a calf injury, Kevin White down indefinitely with his shin injury, and then Marquess Wilson leaves with a hamstring injury.
The result has been nothing like plodding football. The Bears have outscored two opponents by a combined 50-21.
“Running the ball like that says there is confidence in the offensive line,” said center Will Montgomery. “You have to be good in both pass and run blocking but every offensive lineman likes to come off the ball and hit somebody.”
Jeremy Langford flashes potential as Bears rally to beat Colts.
By John Mullin
Whether it is a formula for winning football in 2015 remains to play out. But either by choice or by chance (injury), the Bears have to at this point of the preseason given every indication of a team that says it will run the football, and then does it.
Most important, it has the potential to produce an efficient, turnover-lite offense, something that was decidedly not the flavor of recent seasons.
The Bears have run 125 plays through their two preseason wins – 27-10 over the Miami Dolphins, 23-11 over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday – and of those, 68 (54.4 percent) have been carries by running backs. They have zero lost fumbles and one interception, the latter on an apparent communication gaffe between the quarterback and tight end.
“That’s pretty much how we’re going to continue to play,” coach John Fox said, in a rare public declaration of both strategy and tactics.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase has tasked line coach Dave Magazu to slowly turn a group of what were pass-protecting guard dogs under Marc Trestman into attack dogs for Fox. (If the Bears do want to be a running team, however, Magazu does have a penalty issue to address).
Gase now has had Jay Cutler for six preseason series and the NFL turnover leader of 2014 has been the very model (relatively speaking, of course) of ball control – zero INT’s through all but two training camp practices and two preseason games, and zero fumbles. Cutler will never be a classic game manager, but he is currently doing a functional job of impersonating one.
The run-pass template that was established last week with a 50-50 balance was pushed even further toward the run Saturday: 57 total plays, 35 carries by running backs.
Why this becomes more than just statistically significant is that the Bears have established themselves running the football even when they were forced to and a defense knew it. By the end of Saturday’s first quarter, the offense was without three of its projected top four wide receivers – Alshon Jeffery out with a calf injury, Kevin White down indefinitely with his shin injury, and then Marquess Wilson leaves with a hamstring injury.
The result has been nothing like plodding football. The Bears have outscored two opponents by a combined 50-21.
“Running the ball like that says there is confidence in the offensive line,” said center Will Montgomery. “You have to be good in both pass and run blocking but every offensive lineman likes to come off the ball and hit somebody.”
Jeremy Langford flashes potential as Bears rally to beat Colts.
By Chris Boden
Jeremy Langford #36 of the Chicago Bears runs the ball near the goal line against Clayton Geathers #42 of the Indianapolis Colts in the second half of a preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 22, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo/Joe Robbins/Getty Images North America)
As was the case in last week's preseason opener, the Bears opened the second half trailing, but Jimmy Clausen and his depth chart brethren rallied and finished things off in the 23-11 win over the Colts, to improve to 2-0 on the preseason.
The biggest post-intermission star was Jeremy Langford. The under-the-radar fourth-round draft pick was squarely on the radar on a pair of second half-opening touchdown drives. On a fourth consecutive carry, after gaining two tough yards on a third-and-1, Langford used his toolbox on a 46-yard run: strength, vision, balance, and second-level speed to help set up a Clausen 12-yard touchdown pass on third down to Josh Bellamy, who tightroped the sideline and dove in to cap off a 10-play, 88-yard drive and put the Bears on top for good, 16-11.
While Bellamy scored the touchdown, another wideout made a couple of important plays earlier: Northwestern product Rashad Lawrence, who had a 12-yard catch-and-run to get the Bears out from inside their own 10. He then took a quick toss from Clausen on the next play for a five-yard gain on third-and-3.
Lawrence would also deliver an important block early on the next scoring drive, allowing Cameron Meredith a 13-yard gainer. Important stuff in the wake of the Kevin White, Alshon Jeffery, and now Marquess Wilson injuries.
Langford was then the workhorse to finish the drive: runs of 15 and two yards to get the offense down to the Colts' 2-yard line. The rookie then bounced off would-be Colts tacklers at the line to spin outside and win a race to the end zone for a 23-11 lead. At that point, the Bears' rushing attack had 156 yards on 29 carries (5.4 average). Exactly the kind of production you only hope could translate into the regular season, albeit against a middle-of-the-pack Colts defense, playing its backups. Langford finished with nine carries for 80 yards.
Defensively, Sam Acho made an impact play for the second straight week, a strip-sack of Matt Hasselbeck while getting low and using leverage to beat a lineman, and the ball rolled into the arms of rookie Eddie Goldman, who had another positive showing throughout the night.
We mentioned Willie Young helping Will Sutton with a first half sack (which was credited fully to Sutton), and Lamarr Houston also saw his first game action since a serious injury of his own. He showed burst and explosiveness at outside linebacker - a little too much on an offsides call.
David Bass had a sack and a pass defended, as well.
While it's preseason, I think most Bears observers are looking for steps in the right direction, week by week. Who knows how this game would've turned out if it were the regular season.
But the first-string offense and defense took those steps Saturday night, and the special teams was overall solid, establishing field position in the first half, and utilizing the running game to eat some clock. It sounds like a formula that'll work when it starts for keeps in three weeks. And the roster competition is on.
Rookies already upgrading Bears’ No. 1 defense in win over Colts.
By John Mullin
The defensive bar for the Bears’ No. 1 defense was set low by last week’s poor start against the Miami Dolphins, who in two possessions involving starters, gained 132 yards on 21 plays, with a touchdown on Miami’s first possession.
This time the No. 1 defense, faced with a genuine elite quarterback in Andrew Luck, managed to sack him once, limit him to 5-for-9 passing in his three series and while allowing a touchdown, made Luck earn it with a scramble away from pressure.
The various defensive units, with rookies Adrian Amos starting at safety and Eddie Goldman playing the majority of the game at nose tackle, combined for four sacks, three tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. The Bears held the Colts, the NFL’s No. 6 scoring team and No. 3 yardage producers last year, to 11 points and 229 yards. Preseason to be sure, and limited Luck time, but consider it an improvement from the 343 yards allowed to the Dolphins last week.
“I thought we improved,” said coach John Fox. "Obviously I didn’t like the way we started a week ago. We let them off the hook a couple times with some mistakes. We still had mistakes tonight. But I think we ended up plus-one in turnover ratio and that’s always helpful.”
Defensive line
Rookie Eddie Goldman played extensively at nose tackle after Jeremiah Ratliff started, and Goldman took another step in his NFL development. Goldman provided a stout presence against the run throughout, and got some surprising middle push on Indianapolis quarterbacks. He recovered the Matt Hasselbeck fumble forced by the Sam Acho sack in the third quarter, which was in part caused by Goldman collapsing the pocket back into Hasselbeck’s lap.
Will Sutton broke through for a sack (of Hasselbeck) in the second quarter to force the Colts to settle for a field goal on a possible TD drive. “It just fell right in my lap,” Sutton said, laughing. “I just got off a block, and there he was, so I got him.” Sutton was credited with three solo tackles, one for a loss and a quarterback hit.
Lamarr Houston and Willie Young, both returning from season-ending injuries in 2014, were in uniform for the first time since their injuries, both having been held out of the Miami Dolphins game. “I think they showed good progress and good confidence building in practice,” said Fox. “I think they both probably feel good about getting over that hump.” Houston was credited with one assisted tackle.
David Bass notched a sack, four tackles, one for loss, and a quarterback hit.
Linebackers
Pernell McPhee delivered exactly what the Bears thought they were getting when they made the former Baltimore Raven their priority signing of the offseason. McPhee sacked Luck on the Colts’ second play, forced a Luck throwaway with a near-sack on the third, and closed down for a tackle on the first play of Indianapolis’ next series.
Not to be outdone, Jared Allen power-rushed left tackle Anthony Costanzo to force Luck to misfire on another throw in the first quarter.
Sam Acho made multiple statement plays in the win over Miami and this game delivered a sack in the third quarter that produced a fumble that Eddie Goldman recovered and the offense converted into a touchdown. “Our guys inside, Eddie and Brandon Dunn, got great push,” Acho said. “Brandon was actually holding onto his feet as I was coming around the edge. Anytime you get pressure up front, it helps the edge rusher, too.”
Secondary
Coverage had its moments, highlighted by cornerback Terrance Mitchell out-fighting Indianapolis wide receiver Donte Moncrief for a second-quarter pass from veteran Hasselbeck. Mitchell has consistently flashed with plays during training camp.
Kyle Fuller embarrassed himself in the second quarter by being thoroughly beaten (without safety help) for a 45-yard gain from Luck to T.Y. Hilton. Fuller then handed the Colts 15 more yards for taunting.
The game was the first start for rookie fifth-round safety Adrian Amos, who was credited with three tackles, one a solid open-field solo tackle on speed wideout Phillip Dorsett. “We kind of had him on a pitch count [and] we were kind of taking him out when the first unit came out,” said Fox. Brock Vereen, who lost his starting job to Amos, played physical against the run with a couple of stops in the box.
Alan Ball allowed Moncrief to run free for a 20-yard completion in the second quarter and was nowhere close to the receiver when Hasselbeck’s pass arrived.
So you really think you know NFL football, now's the time to prove it. It's two weeks before the start of the 2015 season and the Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica NFL Office Pick 'em Pool. Remember, knowledge is power. What are you waiting for?
Sports Quote of the Day: (With reference to the CS&T/AA 2015 NFL Office Pick 'em Pool)
"You only go around once in life, so grab all the gusto you can." ~ 1966 Schlitz Beer advertising campaign
If you're looking to enhance this year's NFL season and make it more exciting, then our pool is for you. It's conducted over the internet as it has been for six years, it's for adult entertainment purposes only and we pay rewards every Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM. Read the pool information below and give it strong consideration. We promise that you won't be disappointed!!!
Below is a sample of the first week's CS&T/AA 2015 NFL Office Pick 'em Pool) Pick sheet. You must also pick a tiebreaker score, (The combined total score for both teams). Our pool is a marathon not aa sprint..... 17 weeks of concentration, dedication and extreme confidence. Let the games begin. They do, September 10, 2015.
Enter this pool credential information.
The Pool ID is: 110413
Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Women's hockey leagues in tense tug-of-war over star players.
The biggest post-intermission star was Jeremy Langford. The under-the-radar fourth-round draft pick was squarely on the radar on a pair of second half-opening touchdown drives. On a fourth consecutive carry, after gaining two tough yards on a third-and-1, Langford used his toolbox on a 46-yard run: strength, vision, balance, and second-level speed to help set up a Clausen 12-yard touchdown pass on third down to Josh Bellamy, who tightroped the sideline and dove in to cap off a 10-play, 88-yard drive and put the Bears on top for good, 16-11.
While Bellamy scored the touchdown, another wideout made a couple of important plays earlier: Northwestern product Rashad Lawrence, who had a 12-yard catch-and-run to get the Bears out from inside their own 10. He then took a quick toss from Clausen on the next play for a five-yard gain on third-and-3.
Lawrence would also deliver an important block early on the next scoring drive, allowing Cameron Meredith a 13-yard gainer. Important stuff in the wake of the Kevin White, Alshon Jeffery, and now Marquess Wilson injuries.
Langford was then the workhorse to finish the drive: runs of 15 and two yards to get the offense down to the Colts' 2-yard line. The rookie then bounced off would-be Colts tacklers at the line to spin outside and win a race to the end zone for a 23-11 lead. At that point, the Bears' rushing attack had 156 yards on 29 carries (5.4 average). Exactly the kind of production you only hope could translate into the regular season, albeit against a middle-of-the-pack Colts defense, playing its backups. Langford finished with nine carries for 80 yards.
Defensively, Sam Acho made an impact play for the second straight week, a strip-sack of Matt Hasselbeck while getting low and using leverage to beat a lineman, and the ball rolled into the arms of rookie Eddie Goldman, who had another positive showing throughout the night.
We mentioned Willie Young helping Will Sutton with a first half sack (which was credited fully to Sutton), and Lamarr Houston also saw his first game action since a serious injury of his own. He showed burst and explosiveness at outside linebacker - a little too much on an offsides call.
David Bass had a sack and a pass defended, as well.
While it's preseason, I think most Bears observers are looking for steps in the right direction, week by week. Who knows how this game would've turned out if it were the regular season.
But the first-string offense and defense took those steps Saturday night, and the special teams was overall solid, establishing field position in the first half, and utilizing the running game to eat some clock. It sounds like a formula that'll work when it starts for keeps in three weeks. And the roster competition is on.
Rookies already upgrading Bears’ No. 1 defense in win over Colts.
By John Mullin
Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts gets sacked by Pernell McPhee #92 of the Chicago Bears in the first half of a preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 22, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo/Joe Robbins/Getty Images North America)
The defensive bar for the Bears’ No. 1 defense was set low by last week’s poor start against the Miami Dolphins, who in two possessions involving starters, gained 132 yards on 21 plays, with a touchdown on Miami’s first possession.
This time the No. 1 defense, faced with a genuine elite quarterback in Andrew Luck, managed to sack him once, limit him to 5-for-9 passing in his three series and while allowing a touchdown, made Luck earn it with a scramble away from pressure.
The various defensive units, with rookies Adrian Amos starting at safety and Eddie Goldman playing the majority of the game at nose tackle, combined for four sacks, three tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. The Bears held the Colts, the NFL’s No. 6 scoring team and No. 3 yardage producers last year, to 11 points and 229 yards. Preseason to be sure, and limited Luck time, but consider it an improvement from the 343 yards allowed to the Dolphins last week.
“I thought we improved,” said coach John Fox. "Obviously I didn’t like the way we started a week ago. We let them off the hook a couple times with some mistakes. We still had mistakes tonight. But I think we ended up plus-one in turnover ratio and that’s always helpful.”
Defensive line
Rookie Eddie Goldman played extensively at nose tackle after Jeremiah Ratliff started, and Goldman took another step in his NFL development. Goldman provided a stout presence against the run throughout, and got some surprising middle push on Indianapolis quarterbacks. He recovered the Matt Hasselbeck fumble forced by the Sam Acho sack in the third quarter, which was in part caused by Goldman collapsing the pocket back into Hasselbeck’s lap.
Will Sutton broke through for a sack (of Hasselbeck) in the second quarter to force the Colts to settle for a field goal on a possible TD drive. “It just fell right in my lap,” Sutton said, laughing. “I just got off a block, and there he was, so I got him.” Sutton was credited with three solo tackles, one for a loss and a quarterback hit.
Lamarr Houston and Willie Young, both returning from season-ending injuries in 2014, were in uniform for the first time since their injuries, both having been held out of the Miami Dolphins game. “I think they showed good progress and good confidence building in practice,” said Fox. “I think they both probably feel good about getting over that hump.” Houston was credited with one assisted tackle.
Linebackers
Pernell McPhee delivered exactly what the Bears thought they were getting when they made the former Baltimore Raven their priority signing of the offseason. McPhee sacked Luck on the Colts’ second play, forced a Luck throwaway with a near-sack on the third, and closed down for a tackle on the first play of Indianapolis’ next series.
Not to be outdone, Jared Allen power-rushed left tackle Anthony Costanzo to force Luck to misfire on another throw in the first quarter.
Sam Acho made multiple statement plays in the win over Miami and this game delivered a sack in the third quarter that produced a fumble that Eddie Goldman recovered and the offense converted into a touchdown. “Our guys inside, Eddie and Brandon Dunn, got great push,” Acho said. “Brandon was actually holding onto his feet as I was coming around the edge. Anytime you get pressure up front, it helps the edge rusher, too.”
Secondary
Coverage had its moments, highlighted by cornerback Terrance Mitchell out-fighting Indianapolis wide receiver Donte Moncrief for a second-quarter pass from veteran Hasselbeck. Mitchell has consistently flashed with plays during training camp.
Kyle Fuller embarrassed himself in the second quarter by being thoroughly beaten (without safety help) for a 45-yard gain from Luck to T.Y. Hilton. Fuller then handed the Colts 15 more yards for taunting.
The game was the first start for rookie fifth-round safety Adrian Amos, who was credited with three tackles, one a solid open-field solo tackle on speed wideout Phillip Dorsett. “We kind of had him on a pitch count [and] we were kind of taking him out when the first unit came out,” said Fox. Brock Vereen, who lost his starting job to Amos, played physical against the run with a couple of stops in the box.
Alan Ball allowed Moncrief to run free for a 20-yard completion in the second quarter and was nowhere close to the receiver when Hasselbeck’s pass arrived.
So you really think you know NFL football, now's the time to prove it. It's two weeks before the start of the 2015 season and the Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica NFL Office Pick 'em Pool. Remember, knowledge is power. What are you waiting for?
Sports Quote of the Day: (With reference to the CS&T/AA 2015 NFL Office Pick 'em Pool)
"You only go around once in life, so grab all the gusto you can." ~ 1966 Schlitz Beer advertising campaign
If you're looking to enhance this year's NFL season and make it more exciting, then our pool is for you. It's conducted over the internet as it has been for six years, it's for adult entertainment purposes only and we pay rewards every Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM. Read the pool information below and give it strong consideration. We promise that you won't be disappointed!!!
Below is a sample of the first week's CS&T/AA 2015 NFL Office Pick 'em Pool) Pick sheet. You must also pick a tiebreaker score, (The combined total score for both teams). Our pool is a marathon not aa sprint..... 17 weeks of concentration, dedication and extreme confidence. Let the games begin. They do, September 10, 2015.
| Game ** = Pick cannot be edited, picks deadline has past. | Away Team | Home Team | Ranking [?] (Your goal is to get the most points.) | Game Date / Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/10/2015 7:30 PM* | |||||
| 2 | 9/13/2015 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 3 | 9/13/2015 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 4 | 9/13/2015 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 5 | 9/13/2015 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 6 | 9/13/2015 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 7 | 9/13/2015 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 8 | 9/13/2015 12:00 PM* | |||||
| 9 | 9/13/2015 3:05 PM* | |||||
| 10 | 9/13/2015 3:05 PM* | |||||
| 11 | 9/13/2015 3:25 PM* | |||||
| 12 | 9/13/2015 3:25 PM* | |||||
| 13 | 9/13/2015 3:25 PM* | |||||
| 14 | 9/13/2015 7:30 PM* | |||||
| 15 | 9/14/2015 6:10 PM* | |||||
| 16 | 9/14/2015 9:20 PM* | |||||
It's two weeks until the start of the 2015 NFL season. Time to consider participating in the2015 CS&T/AllsportsAmerica NFL Office Pick 'em Pool. Some of you have played before and know how much fun it is. The season last for 17 weeks. The entry fee is the same as it's always has been, $35.00. We usually have 35 players but this year we are looking for 50 players. Again, the entry fee is the same but we're looking forward to doubling the payouts. We need your help, if you've played before, we're asking you to bring in one additional player. It can be a fellow employee, friend from the sports bar, relative, neighbor or general acquaintance. If you haven't played before, now is the time to take the plunge and join in the fun. The pool is conducted over the internet and you have 24/7 access to the website, statistics, scores, weekly winners, etc. This is strictly an office pick 'em pool for entertainment purposes only and rewards are paid out weekly every Tuesday morning.
We need 50 diehard football fans that love the sport and have confidence in their knowledge of the game their ability to pick winners. The entry fee is $35.00 for 17 weeks which also includes weekly payouts of: 1st place - $50.00 and, 2nd place - $30.00. We also have bonuses for the 1st and 2nd place players with the most accumulated points at the end of the season: 1st place - $200.00 and 2nd place - $100.00.
If we don't get 50 players, we will revert back to the payouts for 35 players. However, We know that we will get 50 players with everyone's help.
We made two major changes to our pool last year, 1) You do not have to pick against the spread. Just pick the winner of each game and place your confidence points on them and 2) Your picks must be made one hour before the game(s) on the day the game(s) are played. If you miss Thursday's game(s), you will lose the highest number of points for that week (16, 15 or whatever the maximum points are for that week), however, you may still make Sunday's picks. If we get more than 50 participants the payouts will increase proportionately.
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The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), a rival of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), completed its first free agency period last Monday. As the first league in the modern era to pay women for playing hockey professionally, the NWHL easily filled all 72 spots available.
Yet, when the clock struck midnight on the east coast, only 61 players had officially been announced as joining the league.
“Out of respect for the players, the NWHL has agreed to not announce the remaining players' intent to play in the league until they receive official releases from other leagues ... The NWHL still plans to announce the final team rosters and contract details as soon as the players are ready.”
According to multiple sources, the remaining 11 "mystery" women are players who participated in the CWHL this past year. The players are unable to officially sign contracts with the NWHL because they have not been granted a termination of their player agreement by the CWHL -- despite following the steps laid out by the league to earn their release, and in some cases having asked for one as far back as May.
According to sources, CWHL participants were made to sign a player agreement after the beginning of the 2014-2015 season. The Boston Blades actually forfeited two games in their season because of their reluctance to sign a contract when it was placed before them. They objected to the length of the contract - then three years, now it’s two - and the lack of detailed opt-out information.
In that uniform agreement obtained by Puck Daddy, language regarding termination of the contract was vague:
Article 13 – Termination of the Agreement
13.1 This Agreement shall automatically terminate on the Termination Date.
13.2 This Agreement shall terminate prior to the Termination Date, upon the execution of a written agreement of the parties.
13.3. This agreements shall terminate prior to the Termination Date, upon the execution of a player no longer being on a CWHL member club roster.The women agreed to sign the deal just to get back on the ice playing, as long as the league would provide a letter of understanding detailing the termination policy and procedure.
Here is the addendum, added after the players signed off on the deal:
In a situation where a player is currently under contract with the CWHL, but wishes to play in another league, the CWHL will not hinder or prohibit her from doing so, as long as she (1) provides the league with written notice and (2) she follows the requirements outlined in the Player Movement policy.
The IIHF has established several rules surrounding the interleague transfer of players. The Policies of the CWHL comply with these rules and strive to allow the players the opportunity to control where they play while protecting the member clubs of the league. There are several ways that a player in the CWHL can transfer to another league, according to the IIHF and the CWHL Player Movement Policy
1) The CWHL Club may release a player (a club initiated release). In this case the player is a free agent is allowed to sign with any CWHL Club or a club in any other league.
2) A player may request a release from her contract (player initiated release) – the release may or may not be granted by the member Club.
a. If the release is granted, the player is free to join a club in another league. However, the player may not be contacted or retained by any of the CWHL Clubs for a period of one year.
b. If the club does not grant a release, the player may become a free agent at the end of the season and may be:
i. Signed to the official roster of the club;
ii. Traded to another team in the CWHL for consideration.
iii. Eligible to play in a league other than the CWHL for the balance of the season; however she is ineligible to play for any CWHL team other than the team that holds her rights.
The player may also refuse to be named to the official roster of the club and will be placed on the inactive (reserve roster). A player on the reserve roster is eligible to play in a league other than the CWHL for the balance of the season; however, she is ineligible to play for any CWHL team other than the team that holds her rights. (This is in compliance with IIHF rule 5.6 “A player may be transferred during the term of her contract, for a limited period of time, provided that an agreement is reached between all three parties concerned (the releasing club, the player and the receiving club). During the period of such limited transfer, the player will be under the jurisdiction of the new member national association.
After termination of the limited transfer, the player shall continue her contractual obligations to her former club.
By way of example, if a player, who signs with a CWHL Club and is included on the roster, is approached by league X to play for the current season – and the player wishes to play for the league X club. There are a few options open to the player.
1) Request a release from her contract with the CWHL Club. If this release is granted, the player will be free to join league X – but will be prohibited from returning to the CWHL for a period of 1 year.
2) Request a release from her contract with the CWHL Club. If the release is not granted, the player may refuse a position on the official roster and will be placed on the reserve roster. In this situation the player will be allowed to join League X but will be prohibited from joining the CWHL team’s official roster for one year, unless she returns to the CWHL prior to the October 4 Official roster deadline.
3) Formally resign from the CWHL. The player may formally resign from the CWHL and join League X - But the player will be prohibited from returning to any CWHL Club for a period of one year.
Regardless of the option chosen by the player, the player will be able to join league X, but will be prohibited from joining the active roster of a CWHL Club for a period of one year.
Yet, as sources indicated, the NWHL’ers-in-waiting have submitted their termination requests in writing and have not been granted a release. For some players, they’ve been waiting since May - after the NWHL Foundation announced their camps - to receive their release, and were unable to participate in any non-Foundation related NWHL events for fear of legal retribution.
When contacted for comment on the alleged withheld releases, Jennifer Smith, director of marketing and communications for the CWHL, replied with this statement:
According to the CWHL, anyone who has received a reply from the league but not a release. If that’s the case, why haven’t these players been announced?“The CWHL continues to follow its written policies pertaining to player movement and is reviewing release requests as they are received. Any player who has requested a release has heard back from the league within a reasonable business time frame. The CWHL has provided US based players with the opportunity to play the highest level of hockey in the world, against the best competition, in the world’s best league, for the past five years at home in Boston. We are understandably disappointed when a player requests to leave the league, but at the same time we respect a player’s right to make such a request. On Sunday August 23 the CWHL is set to welcome its 2015 draft class to the league – a class that features the player who has scored the gold medal game winning goal in each of the past two Olympic Winter Games – a feat never before accomplished and likely never to be repeated. Marie-Philip Poulin joins Hayley Wickenheiser, Brianne Jenner and other Olympic and World Champions who have chosen the CWHL for their professional careers. The draft can be followed online at CWHL.ca and through social media at @cwhl_insider (Twitter and Instagram).”
Something isn’t lining up.
When asked for clarification as to the players’ status, Dani Rylan, commissioner of the NWHL, told Puck Daddy via email:
“The long-and-short term goal of the NWHL is to promote the growth of women's hockey.
"It is our understanding the players who have requested releases from the CWHL are still awaiting approval.
"Since our free agency ended on August 17th, the timing of these player releases is critical to the NWHL's success. However, until the CWHL releases the players we feel it is important to respect the player's situation.”
Rylan wouldn’t comment as to the players in question, or when they submitted their releases to the CWHL.
Just because the women aren’t paid in the CWHL doesn’t mean they can up and leave. They’re still under contract. Playing for the NWHL without going through the termination channels they agreed to, by signing the CWHL player agreement (pre-addendum), makes them vulnerable to contract violation lawsuits with monetary damages related to business losses attached and other legal perils.
Playing Devil’s Advocate, it’s not difficult to see why the CWHL wouldn’t want to let go of any of their established players. As much as everyone wants to share in the sunshine and rainbows vision of growing women’s hockey, the reality is the CWHL is a business, and the NWHL is competition, pure and simple.
In all likelihood, most of the women asking for release from the CWHL are bigger (probably American) names in the sport. Losing them to an upstart is a big blow to marketing and expansion power, especially in the United States. Why not hold on to the superstar power missing from the NWHL’s lineups? It’s called competitive advantage; doesn’t mean it’s right.
Both leagues have reached a critical impasse.
The NWHL’s success in Year 1 hinges on recruiting relatively well-known women’s hockey players to buy-in to their league. The focus of recent rumors surround Team USA's Hilary Knight. She captained the CWHL's Clarkson Cup winning Boston Blades, but has not made public any intentions to either switch leagues or stay where she's at. (All parties involved with Knight are mum on her status.) Keep in mind, Knight, like all CWHL players, falls under the termination restrictions in the player agreement.
The CWHL has the decision to play by the rules they set or lose face in the marketplace; diminishing the attractiveness of their product not just to the public, but to future professional women’s hockey players when making their decision which league to join.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Crowning the next NBA champion
The CWHL has the decision to play by the rules they set or lose face in the marketplace; diminishing the attractiveness of their product not just to the public, but to future professional women’s hockey players when making their decision which league to join.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Crowning the next NBA champion
The baseball season is coming down the home stretch.
College football is right around the corner.
NFL preseason games are underway and the regular season is less than a month away.
And I woke up this morning excited about ... the NBA?
This past postseason was amazing, and I'm jonesing for some more Association action. And with that said, it's never too early to start analyzing future plays for this upcoming NBA season.
If you're thinking to yourself, "Hey, Nick, when it comes to this year in the NBA, there's only a few teams that can win," well, you're right. I can't dispute that. By my count, there are five -- count em, five -- teams that can legitimately dream of raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy next June.
I'll run through those five teams and offer a presumptive champion -- one that comes with terrific value.
(Title Odds: 2/1, SportsLine Simulation Model Title Odds and Win Projection: 33%, 59.7 wins)
Let's get this out of the way first: Unless LeBron James suffers a catastrophic injury or a meteor strikes Earth, the Cleveland Cavaliers will represent the Eastern Conference in next year's NBA Finals. In fact, it's already happened. Congratulations, Cleveland. You're back in business.
No team in the East can hang with the Cavs. The Bulls? Good luck with Fred Hoiberg. The Heat? I doubt an aging Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade can seriously compete with LeBron and company.
So let's just fast-forward to the Finals. While one could easily argue that a fully healthy Cavs team would have beaten Golden State this past June (I happen to agree), their opponent next year will be better than the 2014-15 Warriors.
The Warriors will be a year older -- and, by proxy, a year better. The Spurs (more on them later) have reloaded. Same for the Clippers (more on them later, too).
And I'm not sold on David Blatt as a championship-level head coach. There were points where LeBron flat-out emasculated Blatt on the sidelines during playoff games, and if you're keeping score, that's not good.
Cleveland will have to wait at least one more year to capture its first NBA title.
Golden State Warriors
(Title Odds: 9/2, SportsLine Simulation Model Title Odds and Win Projection: 18.2%, 62.1 wins)
Did the Golden State Warriors really win the NBA championship? Is that a thing that actually happened? I'm still in stunned disbelief.
And yes, Warriors fans: I'm going to keep hating on your squad. I don't think they'll repeat. Golden State won't win this year's NBA title.
Hell, I'm not sure how they won last year. Wait, I do know: They avoided the Spurs, they avoided the Clippers and they drew an injury-riddled Cavs team in the Finals. That sort of luck won't manifest itself again.
Don't get it twisted, though: The Dubs will roll through the regular season. After all, they do boast the reigning NBA MVP (Steph Curry) and an outstanding roster. They're still one of the best teams in the NBA, and should play deep into the postseason.
But I like three Western Conference teams -- plus the Cavs -- more than I like Golden State.
Oklahoma City Thunder
(Title Odds: 5/1, SportsLine Simulation Model Title Odds and Win Projection: 16.7%, 51.8 wins)
The Thunder were hit hard by injuries last year -- highlighted by star forward Kevin Durant being limited to only 27 games -- and as a result, missed the postseason in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
But Oklahoma City should be back with a vengeance this year -- and while Durant's health is paramount to that cause, the hiring of head coach Billy Donovan will provide a major boon as well.
The bottom line is that deposed coach Scott Brooks was in over his head and wasn't good enough to lead the Thunder to a championship. While Donovan is unproven on the NBA level, it's hard to imagine that he won't be better than Brooks. And Donovan's hire clearly signals that this is a championship-or-bust season in Oklahoma City.
Durant and Russell Westbrook could be the best one-two punch in the league, and both should be hungry for postseason success after last year's failures.
But the roster around them isn't up to the level of some of the other Western Conference powerhouses.
San Antonio Spurs
(Title Odds: 4/1, SportsLine Simulation Model Title Odds and Win Projection: 20%, 57.1 wins)
The San Antonio Spurs have long been the NBA's model of efficiency, and a sterling offseason should once again place them back among the league's elite.
The signing of forward LaMarcus Aldridge was nothing short of stunning, as Aldridge turned down bigger markets for the opportunity to play -- and win -- under coach Gregg Popovich and alongside veterans Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli.
The Spurs also kept forward Danny Green at a discounted rate, which was a major coup for Poppovich. Green can stretch the floor and add needing scoring oomph. General manager R.C. Buford also did well to extend the contract of 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kahwi Leonard.
I kind of (OK, I do) hate myself for not picking the Spurs. Duncan is still an elite player and Aldridge adds another dimension.
But my championship pick does not reside in San Antonio.
Los Angeles Clippers
(Title Odds: 10/1, SportsLine Simulation Model Title Odds and Win Projection: 9.1%, 54.3 wins)
The Los Angeles Clippers will win the NBA championship. That's right. I said it. And I mean it.
Every criticism of the Clippers over the last few years? It's been spot on. Chris Paul hasn't been able to get it done in a big spot. DeAndre Jordan can't hit a free throw (or make a free-agent decision) to save his life. And Blake Griffin too often settles for jump shots.Well, this season is going to be different. Maybe not for Jordan's free-throw shooting, but you get the idea. And why is that the case? Because of two outstanding acquisitions made during the offseason.
Joining the team are Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson, and both add much needed toughness. Pierce is as good a late-game closer as there is in the NBA -- as evidenced by his heroics for the Wizards in this past postseason -- and he can single-handedly elevate a team when it matters the most. His presence will do wonders for Paul and coach Doc Rivers.
Last postseason, the Clippers folded against the Rockets. There's no way Pierce and Stephenson will allow that to happen again.
At 10/1, the Clippers represent the best value -- and are my pick -- to win the 2015-16 NBA title.
Michael Jordan awarded 8.9M in civil suit against supermarket.
By Arthur Weinstein
Michael Jordan (Photo/Getty Images)
Michael Jordan said his civil suit against a supermarket was never about the money.
But a Chicago jury Friday night ruled a defunct grocery store chain must pay the NBA legend $8.9 million for using his name without permission.
Jordan sued Dominick's Finer Foods over a 2009 ad run by the supermarket chain. The ad congratulated Jordan on his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame and included a $2 coupon for steak along with the phrase "Michael Jordan ... You are a cut above." Jordan had not granted permission for the use of his name.
After hearing the verdict, Jordan said the suit was never about money, and he later issued a statement saying he will donate the money to charity.
"I'm very pleased with today's verdict," read the statement. "No one — whether or not they're a public figure — should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission. This case was not about the money, as I plan to donate the proceeds to charity. It was about honesty and integrity. I hope this case sends a clear message, both here in the United States and around the world, that I will continue to be vigilant about protecting my name and identity.
"I also hope the size of the monetary award will deter others from using someone else's identity and believing they will only pay a small penalty. I'd like to thank the members of the jury for their time and deliberation."
According to NBCChicago.com, while deliberating how much in damages Jordan should collect, jurors sent a single note to the judge: "We need a calculator."
The trial in Chicago revealed some interesting tidbits about the finances of the retired superstar who now owns the Charlotte Hornets. Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist testified that Jordan made $75.5 million from endorsement deals in 2012, more than any current NBA player (LeBron James topped the league with $44 million in earnings last year, according to Forbes).
Jordan's attorneys also claimed Jordan's name was worth $480 million to Nike, citing money made from endorsements with the company from 2000 to 2012.
"What's Mr. Jordan's most valuable asset? It's the use of his identity," Jordan's attorney, Frederick Sperling, noted during the trial.
Bryant, Cubs use long ball to complete sweep of Braves.
But a Chicago jury Friday night ruled a defunct grocery store chain must pay the NBA legend $8.9 million for using his name without permission.
Jordan sued Dominick's Finer Foods over a 2009 ad run by the supermarket chain. The ad congratulated Jordan on his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame and included a $2 coupon for steak along with the phrase "Michael Jordan ... You are a cut above." Jordan had not granted permission for the use of his name.
After hearing the verdict, Jordan said the suit was never about money, and he later issued a statement saying he will donate the money to charity.
"I'm very pleased with today's verdict," read the statement. "No one — whether or not they're a public figure — should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission. This case was not about the money, as I plan to donate the proceeds to charity. It was about honesty and integrity. I hope this case sends a clear message, both here in the United States and around the world, that I will continue to be vigilant about protecting my name and identity.
"I also hope the size of the monetary award will deter others from using someone else's identity and believing they will only pay a small penalty. I'd like to thank the members of the jury for their time and deliberation."
According to NBCChicago.com, while deliberating how much in damages Jordan should collect, jurors sent a single note to the judge: "We need a calculator."
The trial in Chicago revealed some interesting tidbits about the finances of the retired superstar who now owns the Charlotte Hornets. Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist testified that Jordan made $75.5 million from endorsement deals in 2012, more than any current NBA player (LeBron James topped the league with $44 million in earnings last year, according to Forbes).
Jordan's attorneys also claimed Jordan's name was worth $480 million to Nike, citing money made from endorsements with the company from 2000 to 2012.
"What's Mr. Jordan's most valuable asset? It's the use of his identity," Jordan's attorney, Frederick Sperling, noted during the trial.
Bryant, Cubs use long ball to complete sweep of Braves.
By Mike Singer
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It took the Cubs a grand total of two pitches to light up the scoreboard on Sunday, and they barely slowed their torrid pace all afternoon.
Dexter Fowler drilled a 1-0 pitch to the left field bleachers, the Cubs tacked on four more homers throughout the game and SP Jason Hammel picked up a badly-needed win as the Cubs rolled to a 9-3 win on Sunday on a gorgeous afternoon at Wrigley. The victory – the Cubs’ 19th in their last 23 games – gave Chicago its fourth four-game series sweep of the season, a feat they hadn’t accomplished since 1945.
More importantly, the Cubs maintained their distance in the wild card chase thanks to a 3-for-4 effort from Kris Bryant with two homers, four runs and three RBIs. His first-inning blast compounded the damage already done by Fowler. The Pirates, now up 2 ½ games over the Cubs, host the Giants on Sunday night. San Francisco currently trails Chicago by 5 ½ games.
The victory also moved the Cubs (71-51) to a season-high 20 games over .500 and improved their home record to 38-26. Following Monday’s make-up game against Cleveland, the Cubs will have spent their last 19 days in the Windy City before heading to California.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon spoke pregame about how Chicago was a destination city that opposing teams circle on their road trips.
“I think teams do feel a certain amount of energy by being here, the opposition,” he said, before recalibrating. “At the end of the day we come here and we have to feed of off our fans and I think we’re doing that right now. I still believe it’s a tremendous home field advantage.”
As has been the case all series, there was no shortage of energy on Sunday as Hammel won his first home game since April 27th. It didn’t hurt, of course, that the Cubs’ offense did their damage early to both jolt the crowd and give Hammel a cushion. The Cubs’ bullpen had worked overtime throughout the first three games of the series, and Hammel at least got them to the seventh with eight strikeouts and just two earned runs in the process. Effective relief pitching from Clayton Richard, Jason Motte and James Russell helped close out the game.
Dexter Fowler drilled a 1-0 pitch to the left field bleachers, the Cubs tacked on four more homers throughout the game and SP Jason Hammel picked up a badly-needed win as the Cubs rolled to a 9-3 win on Sunday on a gorgeous afternoon at Wrigley. The victory – the Cubs’ 19th in their last 23 games – gave Chicago its fourth four-game series sweep of the season, a feat they hadn’t accomplished since 1945.
More importantly, the Cubs maintained their distance in the wild card chase thanks to a 3-for-4 effort from Kris Bryant with two homers, four runs and three RBIs. His first-inning blast compounded the damage already done by Fowler. The Pirates, now up 2 ½ games over the Cubs, host the Giants on Sunday night. San Francisco currently trails Chicago by 5 ½ games.
The victory also moved the Cubs (71-51) to a season-high 20 games over .500 and improved their home record to 38-26. Following Monday’s make-up game against Cleveland, the Cubs will have spent their last 19 days in the Windy City before heading to California.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon spoke pregame about how Chicago was a destination city that opposing teams circle on their road trips.
“I think teams do feel a certain amount of energy by being here, the opposition,” he said, before recalibrating. “At the end of the day we come here and we have to feed of off our fans and I think we’re doing that right now. I still believe it’s a tremendous home field advantage.”
As has been the case all series, there was no shortage of energy on Sunday as Hammel won his first home game since April 27th. It didn’t hurt, of course, that the Cubs’ offense did their damage early to both jolt the crowd and give Hammel a cushion. The Cubs’ bullpen had worked overtime throughout the first three games of the series, and Hammel at least got them to the seventh with eight strikeouts and just two earned runs in the process. Effective relief pitching from Clayton Richard, Jason Motte and James Russell helped close out the game.
After Fowler hit his career-high 14th homer of the year in the first, Bryant's two-run, opposite field homer settled halfway up the right field bleachers to make it 3-0. An inning later Kyle Schwarber hit his 11th of the year and by the end of the third, Miguel Montero had crushed the Braves’ hopes with another three-run shot.
It was his second home run in as many games after knocking the game-winner on Saturday night, and Bryant would add another in the sixth to dead center. The Cubs’ 51 home runs since the All-Star break lead the National League, and four of their first five hits on Sunday left the yard.
The Cubs chased Braves SP Matt Wisler after just 2 2/3 innings with a line of seven earned runs, four homers and three walks to his name.
Even Hammel contributed to the offensive outburst with a bases loaded RBI single to the left in the fifth inning. All told, it was significantly more than the Cubs would need.
White Sox rally, but comeback falls short in loss to Mariners.
By Dan Hayes
Adam LaRoche and Jose Abreu both homered, but it wasn’t enough as a White Sox comeback fell short in an 8-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon.
Seven unanswered Mariners runs off John Danks left the White Sox in a hole that was too big to climb out of, though they tried. Abreu had a two-run homer as did LaRoche in a five-run sixth-inning rally against Seattle starter Taijuan Walker and reliever Logan Kensing.
But Mariners relievers Carson Smith and Tom Wilhelmsen combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings to keep the White Sox from completing their comeback. The White Sox finished their seven-game road trip with a 3-4 mark.
After two scoreless innings to start, Danks couldn’t escape trouble in the third inning. Jesus Sucre tied it with a one-out RBI single, and Nelson Cruz doubled in two runs. Franklin Gutierrez singled in another to make it 4-1.
Austin Jackson singled in a run in the fifth inning off Danks, and Robinson Cano crushed a two-run homer to put Seattle ahead by six runs.
Danks allowed eight hits and seven earned runs with three walks and four strikeouts in five-plus innings.
The Mariners got an insurance run in the eighth against Jake Petricka to make it an 8-6 game.
Tyler Saladino’s RBI double got the White Sox going in the sixth, and Abreu followed with a two-run homer, his 23rd. LaRoche followed an Avisail Garcia single with a two-run homer, his 12th, to make it a one-run game.
But Smith and Wilhelmsen righted the ship for a porous Mariners bullpen with 2 1/3 scoreless innings combined. After Saturday’s game, Seattle designated Fernando Rodney for assignment and demoted losing pitcher Danny Farquhar to Triple-A Tacoma.
Could Chris Sale strike out 300 batters this season?
(Photo/Full Scale Sports)
Chris Sale likely has eight starts left this season, which gives him a viable shot at 300 strikeouts.
In his bid to become the first pitcher to achieve 300 strikeouts since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002, Sale has 222 strikeouts over 164 1/3 innings in his first 24 starts. Were he to maintain his current averages, Sale should pitch 54 2/3 innings the rest of the way with 74 strikeouts, which would put him at 296.
“It’s really hard,” Samardzija said. “It’s definitely a mindset. The coolest thing about Sale is he’s clearly been a strikeout pitcher his whole life because it’s not new for him.
“I was excited and it was a lot of work (to get 214). I was really exhausted after that year.
“I wasn’t used to being the strikeout guy, but for Sale its almost just like another day’s work for him.”
White Sox manager Robin Ventura has roughly seen 848 of Sale’s 959 strikeouts in person. He has seen it more than most and knows the capabilities of his lanky left-hander. Even he’s captivated by Sale, who has struck out 29 batters in his past two starts and has 12 games this season with at least 10 strikeouts.
“When you measure it against what you’re seeing around the league and what you’re seeing with history, it is impressive,” Ventura said. “You’re starting to look at the efficiency of what he does. He’s had some games where five, six innings of it was him striking people out. That’s the part that becomes impressive. Once you get up over 11, 12 strikeouts, you’re really eliminating a lot of work for the defense. It puts a lot more work on you, there’s a lot more work to striking people out than just let him hit it and let the defense go.”
Samardzija also is stunned by the efficiency and Sale’s ability to routinely throw between 110-120 pitches. Sale has averaged 12.16 strikeouts per nine innings this season, the highest total since Johnson’s 13.41 in 2001. Were Sale doing this 40 years ago, Samardzija believes he’d easily eclipse 300 strikeouts because his innings total would be more like 250-260.When Johnson struck out 334 batters in 2002, he did it in 260 innings while Schilling finished with 316 in 259 1/3 innings. Sale could still achieve the feat even though he’s on pace for about 219 innings. If he maintained his current average for Johnson’s 260 innings in 2002, Sale would strikeout 351 batters.
“To strikeout 300 without throwing that many innings is really, really impressive,” Samardzija said. “If Sale had 300 innings and struck out 300, that’d be one thing. But he’s going to probably do it in 220 innings, which if you the math is really more impressive. It’s unbelievable. It’ll be something down the road we’ll look back on and say ‘Geez, that was unbelievable.’ ”
As outrageous as his run has been, Ventura thinks Sale could accomplish the feat. Ventura knows it would take a lot of work but Sale is up to the task.
“Of course he can,” Ventura said. “I don’t think there’s any reason why he can’t. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Astros' Mike Fiers throws no-hitter against Dodgers in 3-0 win.
By Matt Snyder
Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter on Friday. (Photo/USATSI)
Astros starting pitcher Mike Fiers -- making just his third start with Houston since coming over in a trade from Milwaukee -- has thrown a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Dodgers.
Fiers, 30, had previously never even thrown a single complete-game in his big-league career and surpassed his previous career high of 113 pitches during the eighth inning. In fact, he had never before recorded a single out in the ninth inning as a starter and hasn't gone more than seven innings in a start this season. He'd end the game with 134 pitches, thanks in part to 10 strikeouts and three walks.
Still, Fiers had nasty stuff working all night and came through with the first no-no of his career. This is the 11th no-hitter in Astros franchise history. The last one took six pitchers (Roy Oswalt, Peter Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner), as Oswalt left with an injury after one inning in the 2003 no-hitter. The last no-no for an Astros individual pitcher? Darryl Kile in 1993.
This is now the fifth no-hitter in MLB this season, even though the first didn't happen until June 9. That one was Chris Heston and he's been followed by Max Scherzer, Cole Hamels, Hisashi Iwakuma and now Fiers.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Love turns back the clock at Wyndham, Tiger fades.
Reuters; By Andrew Both, Editing by Frank Pingue
Davis Love III poses with the trophy after winning the Wyndham Championship golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Rob Brown)
Davis Love III became the oldest winner on the PGA Tour in 40 years when he clinched the Wyndham Championship on Sunday while Tiger Woods's bid to end a two-year victory drought ended in a tie for 10th.
North Carolina-born Love, 51, secured his 21st PGA Tour title, and his third in Greensboro, in magnificent style, recovering from a bogey at the first hole to card six-under-par 64 at Sedgefield Country Club.
More than two years after spinal fusion back surgery, and five months after foot surgery, the 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup captain finished at 17-under 263, one stroke ahead of overnight leader Jason Gore (69), who missed a long birdie chance at the last that would have forced a playoff.
"Any victory now when you're over 50 is really sweet," Love, who earned a berth in the lucrative FedExCup playoffs with the win, told reporters. "It's hard to believe."
Woods, who has not won on the PGA Tour since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, began the day two strokes off the lead and needing a win to guarantee a FedExCup playoffs berth but was not able to convert a birdie opportunity until the ninth hole.
"I gave myself a chance. I had all the opportunities in the world to do it and didn't get it done," said Woods.
Love ended a losing streak on tour that stretched back to 2008 by making eagles at both par-fives, and adding four birdies to go with two bogeys. And he made his move while ignoring leaderboards.
"I did a really good job (of) not looking at leaderboards. When I walked off and saw I had a two-shot lead I was shocked," he said. "I've been saying all year if I putt well enough to win on the (over-50s) Champions Tour I can win on this tour.
Love, who arrived in Greensboro ranked 613th in the world, gave Woods some credit for his victory.
"Everybody thinks I'm just being nice trying to hang around with Tiger and help him out, and I am, but part of it is I want to learn.
"He's really helped me a lot with prepping for tournaments (and) he gave me a little nudge with my putting back at the PGA."
Love is now the oldest living winner on tour. Sam Snead was 52 when he won the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open at Sedgefield, and Art Wall was 51 when he won the 1975 Greater Milwaukee Open.
NASCAR: Joey Logano holds off late surge by Kevin Harvick to win Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol.
By Jerry Bonkowski
Joey Logano celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Kevin Harvick gave it all he could, but Joey Logano had enough to withstand the challenge to win Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Logano, who led 176 laps, defended his win in this race at Bristol from last summer.
It was Logano’s third win of the season and second triumph in the last three races.
Harvick finished second, followed by pole-sitter Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Clint Bowyer.
How Logano won: Logano did an excellent job of holding off Harvick in the closing laps, alternately going high and then diving down low in front of Harvick to block him. Harvick tried to make the low line work, but Logano stayed high as much as possible, dipping down low only to block Harvick. They had a number of close calls but did not make contact in the final laps.
Who else had a good race: Points leader Kevin Harvick scored his 10th-runner-up finish of the season. It also is Harvick’s career-high 17th top-five finish. … Clint Bowyer didn’t let the news this week that he’d be leaving Michael Waltrip Racing at season’s end prevent him from having one of his best runs of the season. … Kyle Busch led the most laps (192).
Who had a bad race: Matt Kenseth’s bid to sweep both 2015 races came to an end on Lap 111 when his engine let go. Kenseth finished 42nd. … Kyle Larson, who was as high as second in the first half of the race, twice cut down tires and hit the wall. Larson finished 41st. … AJ Allmendinger made contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., spun and hit the wall on Lap 147. Allmendinger finished 26th. … David Ragan was running fourth on Lap 371 when Jimmie Johnson cut down on him, forcing Ragan into the car of teammate Clint Bowyer and then into the wall. Ragan’s car suffered extensive damage, leaving him with a 40th-place finish.
Notable: Kevin Harvick was penalized for speeding on pit road and for his crew going over the wall too soon. … Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch all suffered loose wheel issues at various points during the race. … The younger Busch brother was also caught speeding on Lap 432, which knocked him from as high as second to 14th.
Quote of the day: “They never warn you, it would be cool if they would send you a text or something,” Matt Kenseth on how the engine in his car broke without any warning.
What’s next: The Sprint Cup Series will enjoy its final off-weekend of the season next week, returning Sept. 6, for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says NASCAR needs to do a better job policing restarts.
By Dustin Long
“All the drivers really want is for NASCAR to police that stuff with a stern hand,’’ Earnhardt said about restarts after Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. “I saw in the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen … so many guys pull out of line before the start/finish line and pass people going into Turn 1. I’m like ‘What the hell? It’s right there in front of you. Hell I can see it and I’m watching on TV.’
“We know those are rules and you see a guy breaking the rule and you just want to see NASCAR come down on people. I say that now and I will probably jinx the hell out of myself and do something stupid next week, but you just want NASCAR to run the show like you read in the rule book.’’
NASCAR’s rules state that “vehicles must maintain their track position/lane … until they have crossed the start/finish line.’’ Another rule states that “the leader of the race will control the restart within the designated restart zone.’’
Drivers don’t see those rules being enforced consistently. Carl Edwards questioned series officials about restarts during the drivers meeting before Saturday night’s race.
Edwards mentioned the previous race at Michigan when he led but Austin Dillon beat him on a restart. Edwards claimed that Dillon took off when Edwards should have been first to go. NASCAR did not penalize Dillon.
“Are you going to enforce that?’’ Edwards asked Richard Buck, Cup series managing director, during the drivers meeting.
Buck told Edwards “we don’t went to get in and micromanage it, that’s for you to do it,’’ noting series officials reviewed the restart Edwards was concerned about and saw no issue.
Last week, NASCAR penalized Ryan Blaney during the Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol for jumping a restart when he was the leader.
“It seems like in the Truck series they really get after them guys and smack those guys on the back of the hand when they screw up,’’ Earnhardt said. “But in the Cup series they have kind of let a little stuff here slide. It depends what it is. Like they say it’s a judgment call, but you want them to really rule on the side of the penalty.
“Keep people honest. Or else it’s just like these cars and these engineers and these crew chiefs, they are going to push the envelope on every rule. If you give us a little room out there as drivers, we are going to try to take it. We don’t want the sport ran so loosely. We really want it to be structured very tight.”
No drivers were penalized in Saturday’s Cup race for violating restarts rules, but the inconsistency has drivers flustered. They want to know what they can and can’t do because restarts are often the best chance to gain positions with passing difficult.
“There’s a lot of questions,’’ Joey Logano said after his victory Saturday. “I spent a lot of time with NASCAR this week, actually, trying to understand what I can and can’t do and being able to understand where their head is at and what they’re thinking when they look at a restart – what’s right and what’s wrong and what they’re going to police and what they’re not going to police.’’
Denny Hamlin suggested during the drivers meeting that NASCAR should go back to the rule that the No. 2 starter cannot beat the lead car to the start/finish. Buck said that could be discussed later. Earnhardt said maybe it will come up in an upcoming drivers council meeting with series officials.
Clint Bowyer just wants to see NASCAR do something.
“I understand they don’t want to step in, but nonetheless, it’s a rule,’’ he said. “In my opinion when there’s rules, you enforce them one way or another. I know it’s a judgment call, but that’s why there’s two stripes.
“I’ve been racing at short tracks with that kind of rule my whole life. It don’t bother them to yank the point leader or the crowd favorite or anyone else to make that call.’’
SOCCER: Fire done in by first-minute goal, fall to Rapids.
By Danny Michallik
A nightmare start, which saw the visiting Colorado Rapids execute and convert a sublime counter attack, sunk the Men in Red, 1-0, in front of 18,317 at Toyota Park Saturday night.
Combination play from Kevin Doyle and Gabriel Torres down the left flank was capped off by Dillon Serna, who finished with ease at the back post to give Pablo Mastroeni's side their first win on their travels against an Eastern Conference team this season, while the Fire were left to rue another poor and lethargic beginning to the match that confined them to the bottom of the standings.
"Seems like every team that plays against us has not as many chances as we create or get and seems to score goals, so we’ve looked at it, we working on it, we talk about it the whole time," Fire head coach Frank Yallop said. "I’ve been in this game a long time and sometimes you keep trying to put your finger on it and you can’t kind of figure it out."
Yallop trotted out four changes with rookie Matt Polster replacing Lovel Palmer at right back, and Matt Watson and Harry Shipp standing in for Razvan Cocis and Jason Johnson, respectively. Meanwhile, David Accam, who looked on from the bench at PPL Park, made his return to the side and succeeded Shaun Maloney, whose transfer to English Championship side Hull City is expected to be completed early next week.
Seeking to make amends for the early blip, it was Patrick Nyarko and Joevin Jones who took the game by the scruff of the neck in the 13th minute, combining down the left side. Jones' cross skipped to the back post to Accam, whose scuffed effort was palmed aside by Rapids 'keeper Clint Irwin, a common theme as the visitors rode their luck throughout the night on the heels of a defensive, yet solid performance.
A lively Accam - making his return to the lineup after being rested the previous match - produced a string of threatening chances on the night, but failed to muster enough to beat an alert Irwin.
The Fire - despite holding a commanding edge in possession (68 percent) and total shots (20) on the night - couldn't break through a staunch Rapids back four, which similarly stood up to the task with conviction in the second stanza.
Second-half substitute Gilberto nearly found an equalizer for the hosts two minutes into stoppage time, but his effort chimed the woodwork, calling an end to another frustrating night in Bridgeview.
"Tonight was a big game for us that if we could’ve won this one it would’ve helped us and obviously not winning it," Yallop added. "Again it’s about us, we got to keep going and keep battling on through. It’s nice to see some of our guys on the field; Gilberto and I think Kennedy [Igboananike] looked sharp tonight, but obviously we just didn’t get that goal we needed.”
Next up for the Men in Red is the first of 10 remaining fixtures against Eastern Conference opponents, which sees Jesse Marsch's New York Red Bulls march into Toyota Park on Wednesday night.
Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs)
(4-4-1-1): Sean Johnson; Matt Polster, Eric Gehrig, Jeff Larentowicz (C), Joevin Jones; Patrick Nyarko (Gilberto, 63'), Matt Watson (Jason Johnson, 69'), Michael Stephens, David Accam; Harry Shipp (Mike Magee, 85'); Kennedy Igboananike.
Everton 0-2 Manchester City: Howard’s heroics not enough for the Toffees.
Howard thwarted Aguero once more in the 10th minute, when the Argentine striker got on the end of a cross from Jesus Navas, driving the ball low and into the center of the goal.
Lukaku went six inches from giving the Toffees the lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time. After a foul committed by Fernandino barely a yard outside Man City’s penalty area, Lukaku took the ensuing free kick and whipped a frightening left-footed shot over the wall and grazed the top of the crossbar with Hart rooted to the ground.
For the difficult saves made by Howard early on, the one that snuck in – struck by Aleksandar Kolarov from an incredibly tight angle – and gave City their lead in the 60th minute is the only one he’ll remember Sunday night. Sterling played the Serbian left back into the box and Kolarov whipped a left-footed shot past Howard inside the near post.
Samir Nasri scored City’s long-awaited second goal in the 89th minute, when Yaya Toure chipped a through ball into the box for Samir Nasri, whose brilliant first touch was just strong enough to lift the ball over Howard and just delicate enough to bring it back down under the crossbar.
By Ryan Nanni
College football is inherently unpredictable. Motivated by that guiding principle, I've tried to predict what will happen to the sport over the next three decades. The future I'm proposing may not come to pass, even in part. But it's certainly weird and crazy and drunken enough to consider as reasonable a possibility as any other.
PHASE ONE (2018-2019)
It begins with the NCAA losing a court case. Take your pick: uncompensated use of player likenesses, the ability for student-athletes to unionize, or the antitrust claim arguing scholarship amateurism is an unlawful restraint of trade. One case will end in a very bad ruling for the NCAA and dramatically reshuffle the power relationships in college football, especially where the distribution of money's concerned.
PHASE TWO (2019-2023)
Though there's always been some question as to how profitable college football programs really are (thanks to accounting cleverness and the desire for athletic departments to look like non-profits and not lucrative businesses), the new costs of increased player benefits prove to be overwhelming for many universities. Some schools shut down teams immediately, convinced that the numbers won't ever work in their favor. Others attempt to soldier on for a while, find themselves ultimately unable to compete in the changed recruiting landscape, and decide to fold. This winds up being one of the most heartbreaking and difficult periods in the sport's history, and once the dust has settled, the number of FBS teams has been cut roughly in half, with just 60 teams or so remaining.
PHASE THREE (2023-2025)
The surviving teams cluster into four different super conferences, though the distribution is slightly unequal, and the Playoff Committee is dissolved once all agree that the four playoff teams should be the four winners of the super conferences. Once fans adjust to this radical shift in the landscape, they begin to see some of the positives. With no cruddy teams left to pad the schedules of superior teams, games are of a much higher quality. Recruiting becomes more accessible to the remaining teams, since the number of available spots has been halved; though fewer high school athletes choose to play football due to injury concerns, the drastic reduction in opportunities still makes this a buyer's market for schools, while the overall pool of talented incoming freshmen hasn't changed.
Ohio State is the nation’s top football team, according to the Associated Press Poll released Sunday afternoon.
The Buckeyes earned 61 first-place votes, becoming the first team in the 65-year history of the preseason AP Poll to be a unanimous No. 1 selection. Prior to this poll, no team had received more than 97 percent of the first-place votes in a preseason poll.
TCU, Alabama, Baylor and Michigan State rounded out the top five. These are the highest preseason ranking for TCU, Baylor and Michigan State. TCU's previous high in a preseason poll was No. 6 in 2010, Baylor's was No. 7 in 1957 and this is the highest preseason ranking for the Spartans since starting the season No. 3 in 1967.
Since 2002, the preseason No. 1 has been the previous year's national champion six times and none of those teams have gone on to repeat.
The last two times Ohio State has been the No. 1 preseason pick in the AP Poll (1998 and 2006), it has gone on to finish No. 2.
The SEC led all conferences with eight teams selected in the poll, including three in top 10, and the Pac-12, which many think could potentially be the best college football conference this season, had six teams in the poll.
Boise State was the only Group of Five team to crack the Top 25, ranking at No. 23.
The AP Poll is the last of the preseason polls to be released. It is made up entirely of media voters. While it’s interesting, it has no bearing on the College Football Playoff, though many playoff committee members likely use this poll as well as others, as a rough guide of who to watch to start the season.
Here’s a look at the entire AP Poll:
Graham Rahal, who was second in the standings at the start of the race, was involved in an early crash. Montoya's cushion went from nine points to 35 with next Sunday's finale in Sonoma set to decide the title.
The finale is worth double points, and six drivers will head to California in contention for the title. Hunter-Reay is mathematically eliminated, but picked up his second win of the season in what's been a disappointing year for Andretti and Honda.
Hunter-Reay was one of many who was discussing safety measures -and not his win - for the open-cockpit series.
''Maybe in the future we can work toward something that resembles a canopy,'' Hunter-Reay said. ''Something that can give us a little bit of protection and still keep the tradition of the sport. Just to be innocent bystander like that and get hit in the head with a nose cone is a scary thought.''
The 37-year-old Wilson, a native of Sheffield, England, entered this season without a full-time ride. He latched on with Andretti and was in the sixth of seven scheduled races with the team. The deal was put together right before the season-opening race in March and initially started as just a two-race agreement at Indianapolis.
Sponsorship was found for another five races as the season progressed, and Wilson finished a season-best second earlier this month at Mid-Ohio.
He said after the race that he raced clean and did not take any risks that would have jeopardized eventual race-winner Rahal because Rahal was part of the championship race and Wilson was not.
Wilson broke a bone in his back at Mid-Ohio in 2011. He missed the final six races of the season and wore a back brace for more than two months as he was restricted from any physical activity. The injury kept him out of the season finale at Las Vegas and the race where Wheldon died.
He broke his pelvis and suffered a bruised lung in the 2013 season finale at Fontana.
Wilson said in 2012 his injuries and Wheldon's death did nothing to change his perspective or make him question his career choice.
''I've had the conversation with Julia - this is what we do, and you try to make the best plans if that ever happens,'' Wilson told The Associated Press upon his return in 2012. ''You've got to know the risks and work out if those risks are acceptable. To me, it's acceptable. But I'm not going to stop trying to improve it.
''All the drivers, this IndyCar, we're always trying to make it safer, but at the end of the day, it's a race car. We're racing hard, we're racing IndyCars and it's fast. When it goes wrong, it can get messy.''
Logano, who led 176 laps, defended his win in this race at Bristol from last summer.
It was Logano’s third win of the season and second triumph in the last three races.
Harvick finished second, followed by pole-sitter Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Clint Bowyer.
How Logano won: Logano did an excellent job of holding off Harvick in the closing laps, alternately going high and then diving down low in front of Harvick to block him. Harvick tried to make the low line work, but Logano stayed high as much as possible, dipping down low only to block Harvick. They had a number of close calls but did not make contact in the final laps.
Who else had a good race: Points leader Kevin Harvick scored his 10th-runner-up finish of the season. It also is Harvick’s career-high 17th top-five finish. … Clint Bowyer didn’t let the news this week that he’d be leaving Michael Waltrip Racing at season’s end prevent him from having one of his best runs of the season. … Kyle Busch led the most laps (192).
Who had a bad race: Matt Kenseth’s bid to sweep both 2015 races came to an end on Lap 111 when his engine let go. Kenseth finished 42nd. … Kyle Larson, who was as high as second in the first half of the race, twice cut down tires and hit the wall. Larson finished 41st. … AJ Allmendinger made contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., spun and hit the wall on Lap 147. Allmendinger finished 26th. … David Ragan was running fourth on Lap 371 when Jimmie Johnson cut down on him, forcing Ragan into the car of teammate Clint Bowyer and then into the wall. Ragan’s car suffered extensive damage, leaving him with a 40th-place finish.
Notable: Kevin Harvick was penalized for speeding on pit road and for his crew going over the wall too soon. … Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch all suffered loose wheel issues at various points during the race. … The younger Busch brother was also caught speeding on Lap 432, which knocked him from as high as second to 14th.
Quote of the day: “They never warn you, it would be cool if they would send you a text or something,” Matt Kenseth on how the engine in his car broke without any warning.
What’s next: The Sprint Cup Series will enjoy its final off-weekend of the season next week, returning Sept. 6, for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says NASCAR needs to do a better job policing restarts.
By Dustin Long
(Photo/Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants NASCAR to follow it’s rules. It’s that simple, he says.
“All the drivers really want is for NASCAR to police that stuff with a stern hand,’’ Earnhardt said about restarts after Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. “I saw in the Xfinity race at Watkins Glen … so many guys pull out of line before the start/finish line and pass people going into Turn 1. I’m like ‘What the hell? It’s right there in front of you. Hell I can see it and I’m watching on TV.’
“We know those are rules and you see a guy breaking the rule and you just want to see NASCAR come down on people. I say that now and I will probably jinx the hell out of myself and do something stupid next week, but you just want NASCAR to run the show like you read in the rule book.’’
NASCAR’s rules state that “vehicles must maintain their track position/lane … until they have crossed the start/finish line.’’ Another rule states that “the leader of the race will control the restart within the designated restart zone.’’
Drivers don’t see those rules being enforced consistently. Carl Edwards questioned series officials about restarts during the drivers meeting before Saturday night’s race.
Edwards mentioned the previous race at Michigan when he led but Austin Dillon beat him on a restart. Edwards claimed that Dillon took off when Edwards should have been first to go. NASCAR did not penalize Dillon.
“Are you going to enforce that?’’ Edwards asked Richard Buck, Cup series managing director, during the drivers meeting.
Buck told Edwards “we don’t went to get in and micromanage it, that’s for you to do it,’’ noting series officials reviewed the restart Edwards was concerned about and saw no issue.
Last week, NASCAR penalized Ryan Blaney during the Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol for jumping a restart when he was the leader.
“It seems like in the Truck series they really get after them guys and smack those guys on the back of the hand when they screw up,’’ Earnhardt said. “But in the Cup series they have kind of let a little stuff here slide. It depends what it is. Like they say it’s a judgment call, but you want them to really rule on the side of the penalty.
“Keep people honest. Or else it’s just like these cars and these engineers and these crew chiefs, they are going to push the envelope on every rule. If you give us a little room out there as drivers, we are going to try to take it. We don’t want the sport ran so loosely. We really want it to be structured very tight.”
No drivers were penalized in Saturday’s Cup race for violating restarts rules, but the inconsistency has drivers flustered. They want to know what they can and can’t do because restarts are often the best chance to gain positions with passing difficult.
“There’s a lot of questions,’’ Joey Logano said after his victory Saturday. “I spent a lot of time with NASCAR this week, actually, trying to understand what I can and can’t do and being able to understand where their head is at and what they’re thinking when they look at a restart – what’s right and what’s wrong and what they’re going to police and what they’re not going to police.’’
Denny Hamlin suggested during the drivers meeting that NASCAR should go back to the rule that the No. 2 starter cannot beat the lead car to the start/finish. Buck said that could be discussed later. Earnhardt said maybe it will come up in an upcoming drivers council meeting with series officials.
Clint Bowyer just wants to see NASCAR do something.
“I understand they don’t want to step in, but nonetheless, it’s a rule,’’ he said. “In my opinion when there’s rules, you enforce them one way or another. I know it’s a judgment call, but that’s why there’s two stripes.
“I’ve been racing at short tracks with that kind of rule my whole life. It don’t bother them to yank the point leader or the crowd favorite or anyone else to make that call.’’
SOCCER: Fire done in by first-minute goal, fall to Rapids.
By Danny Michallik
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
On the back of a captivating 3-3 draw at the Philadelphia Union last weekend, an early lapse in concentration was all it took to see the Fire slip to their 13th loss of the 2015 campaign.
A nightmare start, which saw the visiting Colorado Rapids execute and convert a sublime counter attack, sunk the Men in Red, 1-0, in front of 18,317 at Toyota Park Saturday night.
Combination play from Kevin Doyle and Gabriel Torres down the left flank was capped off by Dillon Serna, who finished with ease at the back post to give Pablo Mastroeni's side their first win on their travels against an Eastern Conference team this season, while the Fire were left to rue another poor and lethargic beginning to the match that confined them to the bottom of the standings.
"Seems like every team that plays against us has not as many chances as we create or get and seems to score goals, so we’ve looked at it, we working on it, we talk about it the whole time," Fire head coach Frank Yallop said. "I’ve been in this game a long time and sometimes you keep trying to put your finger on it and you can’t kind of figure it out."
Yallop trotted out four changes with rookie Matt Polster replacing Lovel Palmer at right back, and Matt Watson and Harry Shipp standing in for Razvan Cocis and Jason Johnson, respectively. Meanwhile, David Accam, who looked on from the bench at PPL Park, made his return to the side and succeeded Shaun Maloney, whose transfer to English Championship side Hull City is expected to be completed early next week.
Seeking to make amends for the early blip, it was Patrick Nyarko and Joevin Jones who took the game by the scruff of the neck in the 13th minute, combining down the left side. Jones' cross skipped to the back post to Accam, whose scuffed effort was palmed aside by Rapids 'keeper Clint Irwin, a common theme as the visitors rode their luck throughout the night on the heels of a defensive, yet solid performance.
A lively Accam - making his return to the lineup after being rested the previous match - produced a string of threatening chances on the night, but failed to muster enough to beat an alert Irwin.
The Fire - despite holding a commanding edge in possession (68 percent) and total shots (20) on the night - couldn't break through a staunch Rapids back four, which similarly stood up to the task with conviction in the second stanza.
Second-half substitute Gilberto nearly found an equalizer for the hosts two minutes into stoppage time, but his effort chimed the woodwork, calling an end to another frustrating night in Bridgeview.
"Tonight was a big game for us that if we could’ve won this one it would’ve helped us and obviously not winning it," Yallop added. "Again it’s about us, we got to keep going and keep battling on through. It’s nice to see some of our guys on the field; Gilberto and I think Kennedy [Igboananike] looked sharp tonight, but obviously we just didn’t get that goal we needed.”
Next up for the Men in Red is the first of 10 remaining fixtures against Eastern Conference opponents, which sees Jesse Marsch's New York Red Bulls march into Toyota Park on Wednesday night.
Chicago Fire Starting XI (subs)
(4-4-1-1): Sean Johnson; Matt Polster, Eric Gehrig, Jeff Larentowicz (C), Joevin Jones; Patrick Nyarko (Gilberto, 63'), Matt Watson (Jason Johnson, 69'), Michael Stephens, David Accam; Harry Shipp (Mike Magee, 85'); Kennedy Igboananike.
Everton 0-2 Manchester City: Howard’s heroics not enough for the Toffees.
By NBC Sports
Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard was called into action just 79 seconds into the game, when Sergio Aguero latched onto a badly deflected effort from David Silva. Aguero unleashed a blistering shot from a tight angle but Howard made the kick save and the ball went out for a Man City corner kick.
Howard thwarted Aguero once more in the 10th minute, when the Argentine striker got on the end of a cross from Jesus Navas, driving the ball low and into the center of the goal.
Everton thought they had taken the lead in the 24th minute, when Romelu Lukaku received the ball inside the penalty area from Ross Barkley, danced around Hart and slotted the ball inside Hart’s right-hand post. The celebrations at Goodison Park were short-lived, though, as the assistant referee flagged Lukaku for offside.
Lukaku went six inches from giving the Toffees the lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time. After a foul committed by Fernandino barely a yard outside Man City’s penalty area, Lukaku took the ensuing free kick and whipped a frightening left-footed shot over the wall and grazed the top of the crossbar with Hart rooted to the ground.
Eighty-five seconds into the second half, Silva got onto the end of a through ball from Raheem Sterling and smashed a left-footed shot, which would have had Howard beat all the way, but found only the American ‘keeper’s right-hand post.
For the difficult saves made by Howard early on, the one that snuck in – struck by Aleksandar Kolarov from an incredibly tight angle – and gave City their lead in the 60th minute is the only one he’ll remember Sunday night. Sterling played the Serbian left back into the box and Kolarov whipped a left-footed shot past Howard inside the near post.
Samir Nasri scored City’s long-awaited second goal in the 89th minute, when Yaya Toure chipped a through ball into the box for Samir Nasri, whose brilliant first touch was just strong enough to lift the ball over Howard and just delicate enough to bring it back down under the crossbar.
NCAAFB: The next 35 years of college football, predicted.
College football thrives on disorder — far more so than its professional counterpart. This is a sport that, for decades, could not find a way to have the teams ranked first and second play each other at the end of each season.
Once its overseers solved that uncrackable puzzle with the Bowl Championship Series, the sport's best minds faced the quandary of what to do with more than two undefeated teams. Conference realignment, clumsy internal rule enforcement, a playoff run by the same people that, just years earlier, insisted a playoff was unworkable and dangerous: the sports skews toward a consistent, almost genetic, affinity for chaos.
Once its overseers solved that uncrackable puzzle with the Bowl Championship Series, the sport's best minds faced the quandary of what to do with more than two undefeated teams. Conference realignment, clumsy internal rule enforcement, a playoff run by the same people that, just years earlier, insisted a playoff was unworkable and dangerous: the sports skews toward a consistent, almost genetic, affinity for chaos.
College football is inherently unpredictable. Motivated by that guiding principle, I've tried to predict what will happen to the sport over the next three decades. The future I'm proposing may not come to pass, even in part. But it's certainly weird and crazy and drunken enough to consider as reasonable a possibility as any other.
PHASE ONE (2018-2019)
It begins with the NCAA losing a court case. Take your pick: uncompensated use of player likenesses, the ability for student-athletes to unionize, or the antitrust claim arguing scholarship amateurism is an unlawful restraint of trade. One case will end in a very bad ruling for the NCAA and dramatically reshuffle the power relationships in college football, especially where the distribution of money's concerned.
PHASE TWO (2019-2023)
Though there's always been some question as to how profitable college football programs really are (thanks to accounting cleverness and the desire for athletic departments to look like non-profits and not lucrative businesses), the new costs of increased player benefits prove to be overwhelming for many universities. Some schools shut down teams immediately, convinced that the numbers won't ever work in their favor. Others attempt to soldier on for a while, find themselves ultimately unable to compete in the changed recruiting landscape, and decide to fold. This winds up being one of the most heartbreaking and difficult periods in the sport's history, and once the dust has settled, the number of FBS teams has been cut roughly in half, with just 60 teams or so remaining.
PHASE THREE (2023-2025)
The surviving teams cluster into four different super conferences, though the distribution is slightly unequal, and the Playoff Committee is dissolved once all agree that the four playoff teams should be the four winners of the super conferences. Once fans adjust to this radical shift in the landscape, they begin to see some of the positives. With no cruddy teams left to pad the schedules of superior teams, games are of a much higher quality. Recruiting becomes more accessible to the remaining teams, since the number of available spots has been halved; though fewer high school athletes choose to play football due to injury concerns, the drastic reduction in opportunities still makes this a buyer's market for schools, while the overall pool of talented incoming freshmen hasn't changed.
PHASE FOUR (2025-2030)
With more bowl games than teams available to play in them, some of the newer and less-regarded bowls disappear altogether. More popular bowls start throwing money at teams to secure the best available match-ups. (Because this involves bowl committees, yes, there are copious kickbacks.) The shift creates new financial imbalances in favor of established, name brand teams, since they have the traveling fan base and national recognition the bowls desperately want. Unable to draw the interest of the top-tier bowls, a few more schools drop out of the college football game altogether.
PHASE FIVE (2030-2034)
While all this has been going on, the super conferences have let their contracts with ESPN, Fox, CBS, and other media companies expire. Rather than put them up for bid, they choose to retain their media rights and focus their resources on building super conference networks to air games. Following the precedent set by the University of Texas, some schools set up networks dedicated just to their own athletic programs, negotiating with the super conference for the exclusive rights to a few games each season.
PHASE SIX (2034-2039)
With more bowl games than teams available to play in them, some of the newer and less-regarded bowls disappear altogether. More popular bowls start throwing money at teams to secure the best available match-ups. (Because this involves bowl committees, yes, there are copious kickbacks.) The shift creates new financial imbalances in favor of established, name brand teams, since they have the traveling fan base and national recognition the bowls desperately want. Unable to draw the interest of the top-tier bowls, a few more schools drop out of the college football game altogether.
PHASE FIVE (2030-2034)
While all this has been going on, the super conferences have let their contracts with ESPN, Fox, CBS, and other media companies expire. Rather than put them up for bid, they choose to retain their media rights and focus their resources on building super conference networks to air games. Following the precedent set by the University of Texas, some schools set up networks dedicated just to their own athletic programs, negotiating with the super conference for the exclusive rights to a few games each season.
PHASE SIX (2034-2039)
Two schools from one of the super conferences, after months of quiet collusion, suddenly announce something momentous: they're going independent. These schools plan to do everything themselves. They set their own schedule. They handle all their own TV distribution. Though this development infuriates the remaining members of the super conference they've abandoned, the scorned schools have a problem: their fans still really want them to play against these two schools. A quiet settlement precludes any drawn-out litigation, and college football has its first teams without a conference affiliation in decades.
PHASE SEVEN (2039-2040)
A domino effect follows, with more and more teams leaving the constraints of conference membership and going independent. (In the process, more schools drop football, unable to make it completely on their own without the cache of belonging to a super conference.) That means more scheduling freedom; without conference foes you have to face every year, you can really mix up your opponents. Some schools go so far as to only schedule the first month or so of the season in advance. They then fill the remaining weeks with quickly arranged matchups based on who they think will make for the most interesting game. Strength of schedule, once a potential albatross from arrangements made years prior, now becomes a flexible tool.
PHASE EIGHT (2040-2043)
The one big flaw in the system at this point? The dissolution of the four super conferences eliminates a clean and efficient source of playoff teams. Without that structure, polls start to return to the sport, handing out championship awards based on their own preferences. We even see the dreaded return of split national titles in some years. College football fans, angry at this development, insist that the NCAA — which, at this point, only exists as an academic eligibility clearinghouse and source of free breakfasts at conferences — step in to provide a way to identify a national champion on the field.
PHASE NINE (2043-2045)
Down to 30 or so teams, the NCAA restricts every school to a 10-game schedule and organizes an eight-team playoff at the end of the regular season. Participants are selected by a newly formed College Football Tournament Committee. (Ty Willingham is a member.) One of the defunct football schools, seeing the financial windfall generated by the Tournament, forms an exploratory committee to consider bringing its football program back.
PHASE TEN (2045-2050)
With amateurism entirely a thing of the past, NFL teams start negotiating partnership agreements with college football programs. The Draft largely disappears, as Cowboys fans know they've already got dibs on the best players at Oklahoma, for example. That NFL money lures even more colleges back to the table, until the inevitable happens: Alabama formally applies for membership as a full-fledged professional franchise.
Ohio State makes history as first-ever unanimous No. 1 pick in AP Poll.
By Graham Watson
PHASE SEVEN (2039-2040)
A domino effect follows, with more and more teams leaving the constraints of conference membership and going independent. (In the process, more schools drop football, unable to make it completely on their own without the cache of belonging to a super conference.) That means more scheduling freedom; without conference foes you have to face every year, you can really mix up your opponents. Some schools go so far as to only schedule the first month or so of the season in advance. They then fill the remaining weeks with quickly arranged matchups based on who they think will make for the most interesting game. Strength of schedule, once a potential albatross from arrangements made years prior, now becomes a flexible tool.
PHASE EIGHT (2040-2043)
The one big flaw in the system at this point? The dissolution of the four super conferences eliminates a clean and efficient source of playoff teams. Without that structure, polls start to return to the sport, handing out championship awards based on their own preferences. We even see the dreaded return of split national titles in some years. College football fans, angry at this development, insist that the NCAA — which, at this point, only exists as an academic eligibility clearinghouse and source of free breakfasts at conferences — step in to provide a way to identify a national champion on the field.
PHASE NINE (2043-2045)
Down to 30 or so teams, the NCAA restricts every school to a 10-game schedule and organizes an eight-team playoff at the end of the regular season. Participants are selected by a newly formed College Football Tournament Committee. (Ty Willingham is a member.) One of the defunct football schools, seeing the financial windfall generated by the Tournament, forms an exploratory committee to consider bringing its football program back.
PHASE TEN (2045-2050)
With amateurism entirely a thing of the past, NFL teams start negotiating partnership agreements with college football programs. The Draft largely disappears, as Cowboys fans know they've already got dibs on the best players at Oklahoma, for example. That NFL money lures even more colleges back to the table, until the inevitable happens: Alabama formally applies for membership as a full-fledged professional franchise.
Ohio State makes history as first-ever unanimous No. 1 pick in AP Poll.
By Graham Watson
(Photo/Dr. Saturday, YahooSports.com)
Ohio State is the nation’s top football team, according to the Associated Press Poll released Sunday afternoon.
The Buckeyes earned 61 first-place votes, becoming the first team in the 65-year history of the preseason AP Poll to be a unanimous No. 1 selection. Prior to this poll, no team had received more than 97 percent of the first-place votes in a preseason poll.
TCU, Alabama, Baylor and Michigan State rounded out the top five. These are the highest preseason ranking for TCU, Baylor and Michigan State. TCU's previous high in a preseason poll was No. 6 in 2010, Baylor's was No. 7 in 1957 and this is the highest preseason ranking for the Spartans since starting the season No. 3 in 1967.
Being ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll has not been a good thing in recent years. The last time the preseason No. 1 finished as the national champion was USC in 2004. Of course, that trophy was vacated because of a violation of NCAA rules. Only twice (FSU 1999 and UC 2004) has the preseason No. 1 team stayed No. 1 the entire season and won the national title.
Since 2002, the preseason No. 1 has been the previous year's national champion six times and none of those teams have gone on to repeat.
The last two times Ohio State has been the No. 1 preseason pick in the AP Poll (1998 and 2006), it has gone on to finish No. 2.
The SEC led all conferences with eight teams selected in the poll, including three in top 10, and the Pac-12, which many think could potentially be the best college football conference this season, had six teams in the poll.
Boise State was the only Group of Five team to crack the Top 25, ranking at No. 23.
The AP Poll is the last of the preseason polls to be released. It is made up entirely of media voters. While it’s interesting, it has no bearing on the College Football Playoff, though many playoff committee members likely use this poll as well as others, as a rough guide of who to watch to start the season.
Here’s a look at the entire AP Poll:
1. Ohio State
2. TCU
3. Alabama
4. Baylor
5. Michigan State
6. Auburn
7. Oregon
8. USC
9. Georgia
10. Florida State
11. Notre Dame
12. Clemson
13. UCLA
14. LSU
15. Arizona State
16. Georgia Tech
17. Ole Miss
18. Arkansas
19. Oklahoma
20. Wisconsin
21. Stanford
22. Arizona
23. Boise State
24. Missouri
25. Tennessee
2. TCU
3. Alabama
4. Baylor
5. Michigan State
6. Auburn
7. Oregon
8. USC
9. Georgia
10. Florida State
11. Notre Dame
12. Clemson
13. UCLA
14. LSU
15. Arizona State
16. Georgia Tech
17. Ole Miss
18. Arkansas
19. Oklahoma
20. Wisconsin
21. Stanford
22. Arizona
23. Boise State
24. Missouri
25. Tennessee
NCAABKB: Louisville, Indiana agree to a three-year series beginning in 2016.
By Jeff Eisenberg
Troy Williams #5 of the Indiana Hoosiers falls chasing the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during their game at the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Two national powers separated by a mere 100 miles will renew their regional rivalry next year.
Indiana and Louisville jointly announced Friday that they've agreed to a three-year series that will begin with a neutral-court matchup on Dec. 31, 2016 at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Cardinals and Hoosiers will also play on one-another's home floors the following two years, first on Dec. 9, 2017 in Louisville and then on Dec. 8, 2018 in Bloomington.
The two schools also announced they'll begin a similar three-year football series in 2023 with the lone neutral-field game Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Indiana holds a 2-0 all-time lead in the football series and a 10-7 all-time edge in hoops.
The announcement from Indiana and Louisville comes about three years after the Hoosiers' annual series with Kentucky fell apart because neither side could agree on the proper venue. Indiana wanted to continue it as a home-and-home series, while Kentucky preferred to play it every year on a neutral court such as Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Credit Indiana and Louisville for finding a palatable solution the way the Hoosiers and the Wildcats could not.
Too many regional rivalries have disappeared from college basketball in recent years. It's nice to see this one resurfacing.
Indiana and Louisville jointly announced Friday that they've agreed to a three-year series that will begin with a neutral-court matchup on Dec. 31, 2016 at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Cardinals and Hoosiers will also play on one-another's home floors the following two years, first on Dec. 9, 2017 in Louisville and then on Dec. 8, 2018 in Bloomington.
The two schools also announced they'll begin a similar three-year football series in 2023 with the lone neutral-field game Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Indiana holds a 2-0 all-time lead in the football series and a 10-7 all-time edge in hoops.
The announcement from Indiana and Louisville comes about three years after the Hoosiers' annual series with Kentucky fell apart because neither side could agree on the proper venue. Indiana wanted to continue it as a home-and-home series, while Kentucky preferred to play it every year on a neutral court such as Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Credit Indiana and Louisville for finding a palatable solution the way the Hoosiers and the Wildcats could not.
Too many regional rivalries have disappeared from college basketball in recent years. It's nice to see this one resurfacing.
IndyCar driver Justin Wilson in coma after wreck at Pocono.
By DAN GELSTON
A helicopter lifts off at Pocono Raceway carrying race car driver Justin Wilson, of England, after he was involved in a crash during the Pocono IndyCar 500 auto race Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
IndyCar driver Justin Wilson was in a coma and in critical condition after sustaining a head injury when he was hit by a large piece of debris that broke off a car Sunday in the crash-filled race at Pocono Raceway.
IndyCar released the information on Wilson's condition Sunday night and said he was undergoing further evaluation at Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown.
The debris broke off Sage Karam's car when Karam spun into the wall. Wilson's car veered left and directly into an interior wall. Wilson was swarmed by the safety crew and airlifted by helicopter.
''It's just a tough one right now,'' said Michael Andretti, car owner for Wilson and race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. ''Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin right now. We're going to see. Hopefully, he's OK.''
IndyCar had a subdued victory lane and Hunter-Reay was not sprayed with the traditional confetti.
The American said his thoughts were only with Wilson, an extremely popular driver in the paddock who speaks on behalf of his peers regarding safety and competition.
''All I know is that he was unconscious, he was not responding and he was airlifted,'' Hunter-Reay said. ''That's all very bad. I'm very worried right now.''
The accident was a grim reminder of the dangers of open-wheel racing. Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in 2011 after his car became ensnared in a fiery 15-car pileup, flew over another vehicle and landed in a catch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wheldon's head hit a post in the fence, and he died instantly.
He was the last fatality in a form of racing that saw drivers Scott Brayton (1996), Tony Renna (2003) and Paul Dana (2006), among others, die after wrecks.
Wilson's wife, Julia, was transported to Pennsylvania from their home in Colorado by IndyCar, while his younger brother, Stefan, was lent Tony Stewart's plane to make the trip from Indianapolis. Stewart, the three-time NASCAR champion and former IndyCar champion, is an Indiana native.
The race resumed after the Karam and Wilson accident with seven laps remaining and Hunter-Reay picked his way through the field. He passed Juan Pablo Montoya, Takuma Sato and then used a bold inside pass of leader Gabby Chaves to take the lead with five to go.
Chaves then appeared to have an engine failure that brought out the caution with three to go. The race ended under yellow.
Hunter-Reay tried to get an update on Wilson before the race resumed, and again before he climbed from his race-winning Honda.
''I thought Justin was OK the whole time, and I thought he was in the ambulance with Sage heading off to get a routine check,'' Hunter-Reay said.
Josef Newgarden was second and IndyCar points leader Montoya finished third.
IndyCar released the information on Wilson's condition Sunday night and said he was undergoing further evaluation at Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown.
The debris broke off Sage Karam's car when Karam spun into the wall. Wilson's car veered left and directly into an interior wall. Wilson was swarmed by the safety crew and airlifted by helicopter.
''It's just a tough one right now,'' said Michael Andretti, car owner for Wilson and race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. ''Our thoughts and prayers are with Justin right now. We're going to see. Hopefully, he's OK.''
IndyCar had a subdued victory lane and Hunter-Reay was not sprayed with the traditional confetti.
The American said his thoughts were only with Wilson, an extremely popular driver in the paddock who speaks on behalf of his peers regarding safety and competition.
''All I know is that he was unconscious, he was not responding and he was airlifted,'' Hunter-Reay said. ''That's all very bad. I'm very worried right now.''
The accident was a grim reminder of the dangers of open-wheel racing. Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in 2011 after his car became ensnared in a fiery 15-car pileup, flew over another vehicle and landed in a catch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wheldon's head hit a post in the fence, and he died instantly.
He was the last fatality in a form of racing that saw drivers Scott Brayton (1996), Tony Renna (2003) and Paul Dana (2006), among others, die after wrecks.
Wilson's wife, Julia, was transported to Pennsylvania from their home in Colorado by IndyCar, while his younger brother, Stefan, was lent Tony Stewart's plane to make the trip from Indianapolis. Stewart, the three-time NASCAR champion and former IndyCar champion, is an Indiana native.
The race resumed after the Karam and Wilson accident with seven laps remaining and Hunter-Reay picked his way through the field. He passed Juan Pablo Montoya, Takuma Sato and then used a bold inside pass of leader Gabby Chaves to take the lead with five to go.
Chaves then appeared to have an engine failure that brought out the caution with three to go. The race ended under yellow.
Hunter-Reay tried to get an update on Wilson before the race resumed, and again before he climbed from his race-winning Honda.
''I thought Justin was OK the whole time, and I thought he was in the ambulance with Sage heading off to get a routine check,'' Hunter-Reay said.
Josef Newgarden was second and IndyCar points leader Montoya finished third.
Graham Rahal, who was second in the standings at the start of the race, was involved in an early crash. Montoya's cushion went from nine points to 35 with next Sunday's finale in Sonoma set to decide the title.
The finale is worth double points, and six drivers will head to California in contention for the title. Hunter-Reay is mathematically eliminated, but picked up his second win of the season in what's been a disappointing year for Andretti and Honda.
Hunter-Reay was one of many who was discussing safety measures -and not his win - for the open-cockpit series.
''Maybe in the future we can work toward something that resembles a canopy,'' Hunter-Reay said. ''Something that can give us a little bit of protection and still keep the tradition of the sport. Just to be innocent bystander like that and get hit in the head with a nose cone is a scary thought.''
The 37-year-old Wilson, a native of Sheffield, England, entered this season without a full-time ride. He latched on with Andretti and was in the sixth of seven scheduled races with the team. The deal was put together right before the season-opening race in March and initially started as just a two-race agreement at Indianapolis.
Sponsorship was found for another five races as the season progressed, and Wilson finished a season-best second earlier this month at Mid-Ohio.
He said after the race that he raced clean and did not take any risks that would have jeopardized eventual race-winner Rahal because Rahal was part of the championship race and Wilson was not.
Wilson broke a bone in his back at Mid-Ohio in 2011. He missed the final six races of the season and wore a back brace for more than two months as he was restricted from any physical activity. The injury kept him out of the season finale at Las Vegas and the race where Wheldon died.
He broke his pelvis and suffered a bruised lung in the 2013 season finale at Fontana.
Wilson said in 2012 his injuries and Wheldon's death did nothing to change his perspective or make him question his career choice.
''I've had the conversation with Julia - this is what we do, and you try to make the best plans if that ever happens,'' Wilson told The Associated Press upon his return in 2012. ''You've got to know the risks and work out if those risks are acceptable. To me, it's acceptable. But I'm not going to stop trying to improve it.
''All the drivers, this IndyCar, we're always trying to make it safer, but at the end of the day, it's a race car. We're racing hard, we're racing IndyCars and it's fast. When it goes wrong, it can get messy.''
Memoriesofhistory.com
1963 - John Pennel pole-vaulted 17 feet and 3/4 inches becoming the first to break the 17-foot barrier.
1975 - Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers set a major league baseball record when he stole his 38th consecutive base.
1975 - Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers set a major league baseball record when he stole his 38th consecutive base.
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