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Sports Quote of the Day:
"If you always put a limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." ~ Bruce Lee, Martial Arts Icon
Trending: The Bears are getting nicked pretty good right now with nagging injuries. Let's get them out of the way and get ready for the start of the season. (See the football section for more Bears training camp updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! At this rate, rookie Jeremy Langford headed for some OT pay.
By John Mullin
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)
The rookie running back flashed with a 46-yard run in the win at Indianapolis, added a two-yard, second-effort touchdown run and finished with 80 rushing yards. Against Miami, Langford caught both of the passes thrown to him besides carrying four times.
All of this on top of being part involved in special teams and covering kicks, the closest the NFL likes to get to rookie hazing.
Backups need to be contributors on special teams, but running backs are about legs, which are red-line’d covering kicks. Langford, however, might have volunteered if he hadn’t already been assigned to kicking units.
“I feel like it really helps,” Langford said. “When you go in there a little stiff, you run down there on special teams, on all four special teams, and eventually you warm up. So I feel like that's helping me, really getting on the field and getting that nervous out of me, so that when I do get the ball it can help me a lot.”
Neal Anderson, then the rookie understudy to Walter Payton, was involved in kick coverage as the Bears’ first-round pick in 1986. The next year, Jim Harbaugh was their No. 1 and he volunteered to cover kickoffs.
(Just once. Harbaugh tore downfield, threw himself into the blocking wedge and made his way to the sideline looking out through his earhole. Enough of that.)
Langford got special-teams work at Michigan State while backing up current Pittsburgh Steeler Le’Veon Bell. But it’s been more than just Langford’s production that has made a strong, early impression.
“Outstanding,” coach John Fox said. “I think we saw early in camp that (the NFL game) wasn’t too fast for him. He’s very humble, sharp guy, willing to learn, and he has talent.
“Every time they go out there, I tell the team that they’re going to pick the roster. Those performances are big, he’s had two pretty good outings, and hopefully we can improve this week against Cincinnati.”
Latest Bears injury clouds form over Jermon Bushrod, Pernell McPhee.
By John Mullin
The health of the Bears will only really matter on Sept. 13 when the Green Bay Packers materialize in Soldier Field. But the Bears continue to have troubling nicks and bumps, and it is only speculation which are serious and which will mend as early as Saturday for the third preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The latest came on Tuesday when linebacker Pernell McPhee, one of the foundation pillars of the changing Bears defense, was not at practice due to a chest injury. That general description has had ominous aftershocks, as recently as last season when guard Matt Slauson was forced onto injured reserve and missed the entire half of 2014 with a chest injury.
The latest came on Tuesday when linebacker Pernell McPhee, one of the foundation pillars of the changing Bears defense, was not at practice due to a chest injury. That general description has had ominous aftershocks, as recently as last season when guard Matt Slauson was forced onto injured reserve and missed the entire half of 2014 with a chest injury.
In four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, McPhee missed only four games, all in 2012 with a thigh injury.
Left tackle Jermon Bushrod left practice early with a back problem that has cost him practice time through this offseason. He has missed only two games over the last five years, both in 2014 with knee and ankle injuries.
The Bears are perilously thin at tackle, with neither Jordan Mills nor Charles Leno Jr. stepping firmly enough forward to seize the right-tackle job so far. Leno stepped in for Bushrod on Tuesday and Mills, demoted last week in favor of Leno, stepped in at right tackle. After that, versatile Michael Ola is next up and Ola did not impress enough last year and this offseason to be in the current competition for the right-tackle job.
All of this is on top of three of the Bears’ top four wide receivers – Alshon Jeffery, rookie Kevin White, Marquess Wilson – all out with leg issues.
Bears DL Jeremiah Ratliff suspended three games for violating NFL's drug policy.
Left tackle Jermon Bushrod left practice early with a back problem that has cost him practice time through this offseason. He has missed only two games over the last five years, both in 2014 with knee and ankle injuries.
The Bears are perilously thin at tackle, with neither Jordan Mills nor Charles Leno Jr. stepping firmly enough forward to seize the right-tackle job so far. Leno stepped in for Bushrod on Tuesday and Mills, demoted last week in favor of Leno, stepped in at right tackle. After that, versatile Michael Ola is next up and Ola did not impress enough last year and this offseason to be in the current competition for the right-tackle job.
All of this is on top of three of the Bears’ top four wide receivers – Alshon Jeffery, rookie Kevin White, Marquess Wilson – all out with leg issues.
Bears DL Jeremiah Ratliff suspended three games for violating NFL's drug policy.
By John Mullin
Jeremy Ratliff #96 (Photo/Getty Images)
Already hit with the anticipated long-term loss of their projected No. 2 wide receiver with the shin injury to rookie Kevin White, the Bears were rocked on Monday by the suspension of defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff for the first three games of the 2015 season.
Ratliff, cited earlier by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as the Bears’ best defensive lineman, has been suspended without pay through the team's Week 3 game on Sept. 27 at Seattle against the Seahawks for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He is eligible to participate in preseason practices and games in the meantime.
Ratliff started at nose tackle in both Bears preseason games but was projected to anchor the middle – now forced to become a reality against not only the Bengals, but also the Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, the Bears’ first three regular-season opponents.
Exact details of Ratliff’s violation of the substance-abuse policy were not immediately available. But Ratliff had been placed on probation in April after pleading guilty to a DWI charge in Texas stemming from a crash that occurred in January 2013.
Ratliff’s probation is for one year. According to the Dallas Morning News, he was arrested after his pickup truck collided with an 18-wheeler. Ratliff's reported blood alcohol level of .16 was twice the legal limit. He's already attended a DWI education class and performed 20 hours of community service.
Update: Bears forced to find alternatives with Jeremiah Ratliff suspension.
By John Mullin
The Bears used their 2015 second-round draft choice on Florida State’s Eddie Goldman with the plan for him to be the nose tackle in their new 3-4 scheme eventually and for a long time. They spent their No. 2 pick in 2014 on a nose tackle, Ego Ferguson, albeit for a 4-3 scheme.
Their roles and that of possibly 2014 third-round selection Will Sutton project to expand – right now – in the wake of the three-game suspension handed down to veteran defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff on Monday for a violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
The suspension, which had been expected by both Ratliff and the team, takes the Bears’ acknowledged best defensive line out of games against Green Bay, Arizona and Seattle. Ratliff started at nose tackle the first two preseason games, but as important perhaps, was a fixture in passing situations as the Bears’ top pass-rushing down lineman.
The situation creates a need situation against three of the top teams both on the Bears’ schedule and in the entire NFC. It projects to have a domino effect.
“[The suspension] was just a matter of time and just like anyone else, it’ll be next man up,” said Bears head coach John Fox. “We’ll always be looking to improve the roster but for the short term I think we’ll do it from within.”
The “within” starts with Goldman, at 334 pounds, moving into potentially an even more prominent role going into the third preseason game, on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night, and beyond. Goldman played the second-most snaps among Bears defensive linemen in the win over the Indianapolis Colts and was a factor with push in the middle in addition to recovering a fumble caused on a sack by linebacker Sam Acho.
“I think [Goldman] has had a good camp,” Fox said. “He’s still learning, it’s a new level, like going from JV to varsity, kind of like that going from college ball to pro football. But I like what I’ve seen; he’s stout, he’s learning to transition faster, recognizing the run and pass, the difference. He’s a big body that pushes the pocket. I like where he’s headed.”
The Bears also used Ferguson and Sutton at nose tackle at different points this offseason. Ferguson has been a starter at one of the end-tackle positions but was drafted to be a 4-3 nose tackle last season. Sutton, who recorded a sack against the Colts, is considered a quicker option as a rush lineman.
Ratliff is suspended without pay through Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 27. He is eligible to participate in preseason practices and games in the meantime but cannot be in the team’s building starting the week of the Packers game.
“Just move on,” Ratliff said of his reaction to the situation.
A suspension had been expected since the 10-year NFL veteran pleaded guilty in April to a DWI charge arising out of an accident in January 2013.
“There’s a lot of things I could be doing to help myself, help the team. That’s what I’m going to focus on. This was about what, two, three years ago. That’s all behind me. This is the result of it. Just moving forward from here.”
Ratliff said he would not appeal. Given the fate of appeals like the one by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to Commissioner Roger Goodell over the football-inflation matter, appeals currently may not be the best way to go anyway.
“Sometimes it doesn’t help the cause,” Fox said. “It was going to be kind of what it was and we’ll deal with it.”
Added Ratliff: “We’ve been down this road with the NFL and they don’t care to hear it. So be it.”
Does he think the suspension is fair?
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter what I think, does it?” Ratliff said. “The results are the results. As I’ve said before, it’s all about getting better at this point and time. Keep working, keep being busy and keep staying focused. It’s not going to change anything for me."
Ratliff had been placed on probation in April after pleading guilty to a DWI charge in Texas stemming from a crash that occurred in January 2013.
Ratliff’s probation is for one year. According to the Dallas Morning News, he was arrested after his pickup truck collided with an 18-wheeler. Ratliff's reported blood alcohol level of .16 was twice the legal limit. He's already attended a DWI education class and performed 20 hours of community service.
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.
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Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________
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 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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How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Kane investigation exposes misconceptions about alcohol and sexual assault.
By Shannon Ryan
Patrick Kane talks with members of the media on June 17, 2015, during a press conference after winning the Stanley Cup. (Photo/Anthony Souffle, Chicago Tribune)
When news broke about a police investigation into a sexual assault allegation against Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, fans shook their heads, chided tsk-tsk and analyzed his frat-boy, life-of-the-party persona. Drinking, that's what has gotten Kane into trouble, we seem to have concluded.
Kane's previous off-the-ice troubles have been well-documented — most notably, an altercation with a cabdriver in 2009 and a binge that spilled onto the streets of Madison, Wis., in 2012 — and alcohol reportedly played a major role in those incidents.
Alcohol also plays a major role in the misconception about sexual crimes and mistreatment of women. Drinking becomes an all-too-convenient excuse for inexcusable behavior.
When news broke about a police investigation into a sexual assault allegation against Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, fans shook their heads, chided tsk-tsk and analyzed his frat-boy, life-of-the-party persona. Drinking, that's what has gotten Kane into trouble, we seem to have concluded.
Kane's previous off-the-ice troubles have been well-documented — most notably, an altercation with a cabdriver in 2009 and a binge that spilled onto the streets of Madison, Wis., in 2012 — and alcohol reportedly played a major role in those incidents.
Alcohol also plays a major role in the misconception about sexual crimes and mistreatment of women. Drinking becomes an all-too-convenient excuse for inexcusable behavior.
After the recent Kane episode in Buffalo, a headline on a column in the L.A. Daily News proclaimed, "Patrick Kane just another athlete whose partying may have led to worse." Sports radio, news columns, blogs and social media accounts have weighed in on how Kane's partying is to blame for "putting himself in bad situations."
It's just the latest painful reminder of how misguided our society's conversation is when it comes to men, especially high-profile men in the world of sports, and the blind allegiance — or ready excuses — they receive when they're accused of harming women.
It can't be repeated enough that charges have not been filed against Kane and he should be presumed innocent by the law. And by the same token, Kane's reputation for drinking and partying does not equate to his guilt either. But that doesn't mean we should avoid examining how off-balance the conversation is when it comes to this story.
While I've been reminded numerous times that I should withhold judgment against Kane, rarely has anyone mentioned that the same should be said for the woman who made the allegations.
The legal defense team in a case that accused former Vanderbilt football players of rape blamed a culture of college drinking for men who recorded themselves allegedly raping a fellow student.
Earlier this week, Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague was fired for a history of sexually harassing female colleagues. Later, a Star-Tribune reporter revealed that Teague had sent her harassing text messages and behaved abhorrently toward her, and reports of similar claims from 2012 surfaced.
Yet it was initially chalked up to a bad night of drinking by Teague and the school. Minnesota had suggested he seek alcohol abuse counseling.
That's great, I thought. Is there a treatment for misogyny?
Let's use this as an opportunity to examine — and change — the hypocrisy of our stances when it comes to allegations of sexual crimes against women.
That's the alcohol double standard: When a woman drinks too much, many say that's the reason she was assaulted. When a man drinks too much, it's an excuse for misconduct.
Twitter has been spitting condemnations such as "gold digger," "liar" and "slut" against a woman without any details of the allegation.
The reporting of the allegations against Kane is not helping matters. The Buffalo News, reporting a local story, is relying on the "Madonna-whore" narrative to describe the alleged victim.
One article allowed a bar owner to speculate that a woman he saw "hanging all over" Kane was the woman who alleged the assault. Another article quoted the woman's co-workers describing her as nice and hardworking and being at Kane's home only to watch out for a friend.
This back-and-forth of victim-blaming and creating a "perfect victim" is dangerous and irrelevant. Sexual assault can happen to any woman, even a woman who drinks and leaves a bar with a man. It happens to wives, prostitutes, straight-A students, drug addicts. Perpetrators can be lawyers, creeps, star athletes, valedictorians.
Rampant misconceptions about consent and assault are a reason many victims do not report crimes. If you are speaking in these terms, you are part of the problem.
Blackhawks fans have been wringing their hands for years because of Kane's partying. But alcohol alone doesn't create a situation where a sexual assault investigation is launched.
Same for Teague's self-created mess or the Vanderbilt case. A person who respects women doesn't suddenly become a sexist predator after a few cocktails. College parties don't make rapists.
It's time to change the conversation.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Nikola Mirotic looks to follow up a successful rookie season with a bigger role in 2015-16.
By Sam Smith
(Photo/Bill Smith/Chicago Bulls)
Nikola Mirotic finished a surprising runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting last season.
Could he be ready to make a run at succeeding Jimmy Butler as the Most Improved Player?
Mirotic, who with Bulls teammate Pau Gasol is playing for the Spanish National team in the Eurobasket tournament to try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics, told Jorge Sierra of the Hoopshype website in Spain that he expects an increased role with the Bulls this season. Given new coach Fred Hoiberg’s desire to create a more open, shooting oriented game, one possibility speculated upon is that Gasol and Mirotic will start together. And that this Eurobasket tournament will be a nice preview for the Bulls new starting front court.
“Some people may have been surprised with my performance, but those who know me know the best Mirotic is yet to come,” Mirotic told Hoopshype. “The expectations grow year by year, I know that. I have many things to improve, both offensively and defensively. But that’s normal for any young and ambitious guy. I’ve always liked to put in the work and make strong decisions. Next year I guess I’m going to have more of a featured role with the team and that’s just another motivation to work extra hard so when the team needs me I’m ready to deliver.”
Mirotic was one of the biggest surprise players in the NBA last season, coming from Europe and being in and out of the Bulls rotation before the All-Star break. But after the All-Star break, Mirotic was one of the best players in the NBA.
The 6-10 forward averaged 20.8 points per game in March when he led all NBA players in fourth quarter scoring while playing 30.8 minutes per game. Mirotic then averaged 11.9 per game in 22.8 minutes in April. Mirotic before the All-Star break averaged 7.1 points in 17.1 minutes per game. After the All-Star break, Mirotic averaged 16 points in 26 minutes per game. Mirotic averaged 10.2 points per game and 4.9 rebounds overall for the season in 20.2 minutes per game.
But Mirotic slumped in the playoffs, averaging 5.7 points. But his playing time was reduced drastically as Mirotic averaged just 14.9 minutes per game in the two rounds. He admitted to Hoopshype he tired after that strong late season surge in his first experience playing so many games.
“Very tired, to be honest,” Mirotic said about the close of the season. “But overall it was a good year for me. It was a year of adjustment to a new situation and also difficult in the first few months. At the end of the day, you’re a rookie dealing with a different routine even if you have played five, six years at the pro level. You start from scratch there. There were plenty of new things for me, new city, new language. It was a little complicated at the beginning, but I was lucky enough to find teammates and a club that had my back. After two or three months, I felt way more comfortable. Then when I got real playing time, I felt really important with the team and also felt respect coming from my teammates. There’s been ups and downs, but that’s normal. Overall it was a good year. Too bad we lost to Cleveland even though we had our chances, but that’s the playoffs. The expectations for next year are even bigger.”
The expectations for Mirotic also will grow. And while Mirotic obviously had a successful rookie season, the biggest disappointment in his game was his shooting, which was supposed to be a strength. Mirotic shot just 31.6 percent on three pointers during the season and 40.5 percent overall. Post All-Star, when he had his best run of games, he shot just 29 percent on threes. Mirotic’s three-point shooting declined even farther in the playoffs to 23.3 percent. And his overall shooting in the playoffs was 30.3 percent, accounting for his fewer minutes.
Mirotic had a tendency all season to pump fake and then end up with a tougher shot. Hoiberg’s style of offense is expected to feature more catch and shoot opportunities for a player like Mirotic. Thus he will have to begin to commit to what sort of game he needs to play.
Mirotic said he met with Hoiberg in Spain recently.
“It was a very nice conversation,” Mirotic said. “He’s a great guy that wants to be close to the players. It’s still very early to say how things will go, but we have big goals. We know he’s a very offensive minded coach, which perhaps is what the team needed, to play with more freedom. We have very talented offensive players that can score in the open court. I’m personally looking forward to starting the new season with him.”
But Mirotic also was complimentary of former coach Tom Thibodeau.
“We had a great group of people in Chicago with the players and the coaching staff,” Mirotic said. “It always felt like family. We had good and bad times, but we were always together. When things were going badly, we never thought it was the coach’s fault or were thinking this could be his final year with the team. We have been very focused on the task ahead. We knew we had a good shot at the Finals. I can only say positive things about Thibodeau. He has helped me improve. He’s a difficult coach that perhaps doesn’t like to play the young guys much, but you learn from him and he makes you work hard. He got you ready for the time when that opportunity could come. Like I said, we’ve always been together in it and we never doubted one another.”
And that included Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose as Mirotic said he couldn’t believe there even were reports about friction in the locker room.
“Actually, I’m surprised that people write about it,” Mirotic said. “Their relationship is very, very good. They are the leaders of our team and get along real, real well. You can see there’s very good communication between them in games and practices. There’s never been any problem between them that I have seen.”
Mirotic did an amazing job with his English and communicating and became at ease with interviews in multiple languages. He said Gasol and Joakim Noah were valuable mentors.
“I was fortunate to have Pau Gasol there,” he said. “He was very important to me. And then Joakim Noah. I got along well with everybody, but those two, I really hit if off with them, perhaps because they are both European. We have a great team with great and supportive people in it. The atmosphere was very good. I think Chicago does a great job of putting together a team with people of character and easygoing. That’s key for someone like me going into a new place. Aside from being a great player, he’s (Noah) a great person and a great teammate. He’s somebody you can learn a lot from. He comes in to work every day and puts his heart out on the court. He’s a very positive person and when you see how hard he works, you want to emulate that. He’s a motivator and a very important person in the locker room. There’s many positives with Joakim.
“We dealt with many injury problems throughout last season and that took a toll on us,” Mirotic admitted. “I just wish everybody gets back to Chicago healthy.”
Could he be ready to make a run at succeeding Jimmy Butler as the Most Improved Player?
Mirotic, who with Bulls teammate Pau Gasol is playing for the Spanish National team in the Eurobasket tournament to try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics, told Jorge Sierra of the Hoopshype website in Spain that he expects an increased role with the Bulls this season. Given new coach Fred Hoiberg’s desire to create a more open, shooting oriented game, one possibility speculated upon is that Gasol and Mirotic will start together. And that this Eurobasket tournament will be a nice preview for the Bulls new starting front court.
“Some people may have been surprised with my performance, but those who know me know the best Mirotic is yet to come,” Mirotic told Hoopshype. “The expectations grow year by year, I know that. I have many things to improve, both offensively and defensively. But that’s normal for any young and ambitious guy. I’ve always liked to put in the work and make strong decisions. Next year I guess I’m going to have more of a featured role with the team and that’s just another motivation to work extra hard so when the team needs me I’m ready to deliver.”
Mirotic was one of the biggest surprise players in the NBA last season, coming from Europe and being in and out of the Bulls rotation before the All-Star break. But after the All-Star break, Mirotic was one of the best players in the NBA.
The 6-10 forward averaged 20.8 points per game in March when he led all NBA players in fourth quarter scoring while playing 30.8 minutes per game. Mirotic then averaged 11.9 per game in 22.8 minutes in April. Mirotic before the All-Star break averaged 7.1 points in 17.1 minutes per game. After the All-Star break, Mirotic averaged 16 points in 26 minutes per game. Mirotic averaged 10.2 points per game and 4.9 rebounds overall for the season in 20.2 minutes per game.
But Mirotic slumped in the playoffs, averaging 5.7 points. But his playing time was reduced drastically as Mirotic averaged just 14.9 minutes per game in the two rounds. He admitted to Hoopshype he tired after that strong late season surge in his first experience playing so many games.
“Very tired, to be honest,” Mirotic said about the close of the season. “But overall it was a good year for me. It was a year of adjustment to a new situation and also difficult in the first few months. At the end of the day, you’re a rookie dealing with a different routine even if you have played five, six years at the pro level. You start from scratch there. There were plenty of new things for me, new city, new language. It was a little complicated at the beginning, but I was lucky enough to find teammates and a club that had my back. After two or three months, I felt way more comfortable. Then when I got real playing time, I felt really important with the team and also felt respect coming from my teammates. There’s been ups and downs, but that’s normal. Overall it was a good year. Too bad we lost to Cleveland even though we had our chances, but that’s the playoffs. The expectations for next year are even bigger.”
The expectations for Mirotic also will grow. And while Mirotic obviously had a successful rookie season, the biggest disappointment in his game was his shooting, which was supposed to be a strength. Mirotic shot just 31.6 percent on three pointers during the season and 40.5 percent overall. Post All-Star, when he had his best run of games, he shot just 29 percent on threes. Mirotic’s three-point shooting declined even farther in the playoffs to 23.3 percent. And his overall shooting in the playoffs was 30.3 percent, accounting for his fewer minutes.
Mirotic had a tendency all season to pump fake and then end up with a tougher shot. Hoiberg’s style of offense is expected to feature more catch and shoot opportunities for a player like Mirotic. Thus he will have to begin to commit to what sort of game he needs to play.
Mirotic said he met with Hoiberg in Spain recently.
“It was a very nice conversation,” Mirotic said. “He’s a great guy that wants to be close to the players. It’s still very early to say how things will go, but we have big goals. We know he’s a very offensive minded coach, which perhaps is what the team needed, to play with more freedom. We have very talented offensive players that can score in the open court. I’m personally looking forward to starting the new season with him.”
But Mirotic also was complimentary of former coach Tom Thibodeau.
“We had a great group of people in Chicago with the players and the coaching staff,” Mirotic said. “It always felt like family. We had good and bad times, but we were always together. When things were going badly, we never thought it was the coach’s fault or were thinking this could be his final year with the team. We have been very focused on the task ahead. We knew we had a good shot at the Finals. I can only say positive things about Thibodeau. He has helped me improve. He’s a difficult coach that perhaps doesn’t like to play the young guys much, but you learn from him and he makes you work hard. He got you ready for the time when that opportunity could come. Like I said, we’ve always been together in it and we never doubted one another.”
And that included Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose as Mirotic said he couldn’t believe there even were reports about friction in the locker room.
“Actually, I’m surprised that people write about it,” Mirotic said. “Their relationship is very, very good. They are the leaders of our team and get along real, real well. You can see there’s very good communication between them in games and practices. There’s never been any problem between them that I have seen.”
Mirotic did an amazing job with his English and communicating and became at ease with interviews in multiple languages. He said Gasol and Joakim Noah were valuable mentors.
“I was fortunate to have Pau Gasol there,” he said. “He was very important to me. And then Joakim Noah. I got along well with everybody, but those two, I really hit if off with them, perhaps because they are both European. We have a great team with great and supportive people in it. The atmosphere was very good. I think Chicago does a great job of putting together a team with people of character and easygoing. That’s key for someone like me going into a new place. Aside from being a great player, he’s (Noah) a great person and a great teammate. He’s somebody you can learn a lot from. He comes in to work every day and puts his heart out on the court. He’s a very positive person and when you see how hard he works, you want to emulate that. He’s a motivator and a very important person in the locker room. There’s many positives with Joakim.
“We dealt with many injury problems throughout last season and that took a toll on us,” Mirotic admitted. “I just wish everybody gets back to Chicago healthy.”
Kyle Schwarber’s whirlwind year lifts Cubs to another level
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/Sportal)
No, Kyle Schwarber didn’t see himself in the big leagues this quickly, kick-starting a Cubs team that’s on pace to win 95 games and looking like an October fixture for years to come.
But Schwarber’s rapid development mirrors what’s happening with the red-hot Cubs, the latest highlight-reel clip coming during Tuesday night’s 8-5 win over the San Francisco Giants in front of another sellout crowd at AT&T Park.
For all the questions about whether or not Schwarber would stick at catcher, the Cubs always knew the dude could hit (and get by in left field). So with two outs in the third inning, Schwarber blasted a Matt Cain slider into the right-center field seats for a three-run homer and a 3-0 lead over the defending World Series champs.
At this time last year, Schwarber won the Florida State League Hitter of the Week award with advanced Class-A Daytona, his third affiliate stop during his first season in professional baseball.
Since then, Schwarber’s been to Arizona for crash courses in catching, strength-and-conditioning minicamps and big-league spring training. He put up 16 homers, 49 RBI and a 1.022 OPS in 75 games with Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa this season.
The day before, Schwarber had gone 0-for-4 with four strikeouts during a walk-off win over the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field. But the bigger point is that Schwarber knows he’s here to stay.
“Finally, I’m not living out of the truck anymore,” Schwarber said. “I finally got a place (in Chicago) and put all my stuff in the apartment. It’s been a whirlwind. It’s probably a good thing, because I haven’t been able to stop and think about what’s happened.
“I’m always trying to keep my head in baseball. I’m always just trying to think: What’s the next step? What do I got to do to get better every day? If there’s a baseball game on, I’m watching (it).”
Schwarber now has 11 homers and 29 RBI since the All-Star break. Not bad for someone who took a below-slot deal coming out of Indiana University, feeding into the perception the Cubs reached with last year’s No. 4 overall pick.
“For us, it was a no-brainer that he was our guy,” said Jason McLeod, the executive who oversees scouting and player development. “At the time, we had some of the baseball experts say: ‘Oh, that was an overdraft.’ You guys read it. We got second-guessed and questioned about the pick.
“It goes back to who he is as a person, as a leader, as a teammate making other people around him better. (Plus) – and I said it the day we drafted him (while) talking to the press – we felt he was the best offensive player in that draft. Period.
“I couldn’t have written this script, but I couldn’t be happier for (the) guy.”
The Cubs couldn’t afford to whiff on that decision. Just look at how the Giants used the draft to identify foundation pieces for three World Series winners, using first-round picks on Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Joe Panik between 2002 and 2011.
For perspective, here’s the lineup Rick Renteria – the manager at the time – put together on the day the Cubs drafted Schwarber last year:
Junior Lake, LF
Justin Ruggiano, CF
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Starlin Castro, SS
Luis Valbuena, 3B
Nate Schierholtz, RF
Darwin Barney, 2B
Eli Whiteside, C
Travis Wood, P
The Schwarber Effect doesn’t explain everything – the Cubs have clearly upgraded their talent across the board and benefited from Joe Maddon’s presence in the clubhouse and the dugout – but this team has now won 21 of its last 25 games.
“That’s the bottom line – he can play ball,” pitcher Jason Hammel said. “Being in college last year, and all of a sudden being in The Show, and hitting laser beams all over the yard, it’s pretty impressive to watch. He’s got a good attitude, too. He’s keeping it level and taking it in stride.”
But Schwarber’s rapid development mirrors what’s happening with the red-hot Cubs, the latest highlight-reel clip coming during Tuesday night’s 8-5 win over the San Francisco Giants in front of another sellout crowd at AT&T Park.
For all the questions about whether or not Schwarber would stick at catcher, the Cubs always knew the dude could hit (and get by in left field). So with two outs in the third inning, Schwarber blasted a Matt Cain slider into the right-center field seats for a three-run homer and a 3-0 lead over the defending World Series champs.
At this time last year, Schwarber won the Florida State League Hitter of the Week award with advanced Class-A Daytona, his third affiliate stop during his first season in professional baseball.
Since then, Schwarber’s been to Arizona for crash courses in catching, strength-and-conditioning minicamps and big-league spring training. He put up 16 homers, 49 RBI and a 1.022 OPS in 75 games with Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa this season.
The day before, Schwarber had gone 0-for-4 with four strikeouts during a walk-off win over the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field. But the bigger point is that Schwarber knows he’s here to stay.
“Finally, I’m not living out of the truck anymore,” Schwarber said. “I finally got a place (in Chicago) and put all my stuff in the apartment. It’s been a whirlwind. It’s probably a good thing, because I haven’t been able to stop and think about what’s happened.
“I’m always trying to keep my head in baseball. I’m always just trying to think: What’s the next step? What do I got to do to get better every day? If there’s a baseball game on, I’m watching (it).”
Schwarber now has 11 homers and 29 RBI since the All-Star break. Not bad for someone who took a below-slot deal coming out of Indiana University, feeding into the perception the Cubs reached with last year’s No. 4 overall pick.
“For us, it was a no-brainer that he was our guy,” said Jason McLeod, the executive who oversees scouting and player development. “At the time, we had some of the baseball experts say: ‘Oh, that was an overdraft.’ You guys read it. We got second-guessed and questioned about the pick.
“It goes back to who he is as a person, as a leader, as a teammate making other people around him better. (Plus) – and I said it the day we drafted him (while) talking to the press – we felt he was the best offensive player in that draft. Period.
“I couldn’t have written this script, but I couldn’t be happier for (the) guy.”
The Cubs couldn’t afford to whiff on that decision. Just look at how the Giants used the draft to identify foundation pieces for three World Series winners, using first-round picks on Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Joe Panik between 2002 and 2011.
For perspective, here’s the lineup Rick Renteria – the manager at the time – put together on the day the Cubs drafted Schwarber last year:
Junior Lake, LF
Justin Ruggiano, CF
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Starlin Castro, SS
Luis Valbuena, 3B
Nate Schierholtz, RF
Darwin Barney, 2B
Eli Whiteside, C
Travis Wood, P
The Schwarber Effect doesn’t explain everything – the Cubs have clearly upgraded their talent across the board and benefited from Joe Maddon’s presence in the clubhouse and the dugout – but this team has now won 21 of its last 25 games.
“That’s the bottom line – he can play ball,” pitcher Jason Hammel said. “Being in college last year, and all of a sudden being in The Show, and hitting laser beams all over the yard, it’s pretty impressive to watch. He’s got a good attitude, too. He’s keeping it level and taking it in stride.”
The Cubs began the day with Baseball Prospectus giving them a 95-percent chance to make the playoffs and they now have a 7.5-game lead over the Giants for the second wild card.
But Schwarber isn’t wired to go into cruise control, not when he can still hear the draft gurus/doubters.
“People in life are always going to say: ‘You can’t do this. You can’t do that,’” Schwarber said. “It’s just a little extra something to wake you up in the morning and be thankful to come to the ballpark every day. It’s a lot of fun to be up here. (But) we still got a lot of work to do.”
Trayce Thompson's big night leads White Sox past BoSox.
By Dan Hayes
Trayce Thompson (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Trayce Thompson salvaged what looked to be an ugly night for the White Sox on Tuesday.
The rookie outfielder doubled in the go-ahead runs in the seventh inning and finished with three hits and the White Sox rebounded from a series of mistakes to top the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in front of 14,393 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Thompson, who finished a home run shy of the cycle, drove in three runs as the White Sox won their fourth in six tries.
“(Thompson is) on a nice run,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He belongs here and he knows that. The way he’s taking his at-bats, he’s going up there being aggressive and confidence is high with him right now.”
The White Sox have tried to put Thompson in the best position for success since his Aug. 3 promotion from Triple-A Charlotte. So far he’s mostly faced left-handed pitchers as only six at-bats have come against righties.
Thompson has torched southpaw pitchers with 10 hits in 17 at-bats, including a career-high three against Boston starter Wade Miley on Tuesday.
The last of the trio salvaged what had been a miserable night for the White Sox. They had already run into two of three outs on the bases, stranded eight runners and committed two errors.
But Thompson made it moot when he ripped a 1-0 fastball from Miley into the left-field corner to drive in Melky Cabrera, who had singled in a run, and Avisail Garcia, who walked with two outs.
“Here it’s all about getting in the game,” Thompson said. “If you can help the team win you’re going to get in the game. You always have to stay ready, you never know if they’re going to have a left-hander down there and if Robin wants to use you or not. My routine I think has helped me a lot and I haven’t changed it. It’s helped me a lot and helped me have success.”
Jose Quintana helped keep the White Sox close enough for Thompson’s heroics.
Boston took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on a Keystone Cops routine by Geovany Soto and Quintana, both of whom left home plate unattended when they chased after a bad relay throw home on Mookie Betts’ RBI double, which allowed Betts to score the go-ahead run.
Quintana — who allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with six strikeouts in six innings — allowed two more runs in the sixth inning to fall behind 4-2. But he kept Boston from blowing it open with strikeouts of David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez.
“That’s really important because you put your team in a situation for the comeback,” Quintana said. “They did and we came back, Thompson had a really good at-bat and we won.”
The White Sox offense missed opportunities in the early going and gave away three more.
They pulled ahead 1-0 in the second inning on Carlos Sanchez’s two-out RBI single but could have had much, much more. Thompson had a leadoff triple in the second but was thrown out at home on a grounder to third (the contact play was on). Soto followed with a single but was thrown out advancing to third on Sanchez’s single to end the inning. Sanchez also ran into an out in the eighth to give the White Sox a major league-best 59.
Down by a run, the White Sox opened the fourth inning with three straight singles, the last by Thompson to tie it. But Miley got a force at third on Alexei Ramirez’s bunt and pitched out of trouble.
The White Sox stranded another runner in the fifth and two more in the sixth inning as they fell behind Boston 4-2.
But Thompson’s confidence erased it all.
Ventura said Thompson would see more playing time in the future. Thompson became the youngest White Sox player since Ventura on April 15, 1990 to have a single, double and triple in the same game.
“(Playing time is) going to get there,” Ventura said. “The last at-bat was a big one for us.
“You don’t like seeing what we did earlier. … We kicked it around tonight, and I think the offense did enough to overcome it.”
The rookie outfielder doubled in the go-ahead runs in the seventh inning and finished with three hits and the White Sox rebounded from a series of mistakes to top the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in front of 14,393 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Thompson, who finished a home run shy of the cycle, drove in three runs as the White Sox won their fourth in six tries.
“(Thompson is) on a nice run,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He belongs here and he knows that. The way he’s taking his at-bats, he’s going up there being aggressive and confidence is high with him right now.”
The White Sox have tried to put Thompson in the best position for success since his Aug. 3 promotion from Triple-A Charlotte. So far he’s mostly faced left-handed pitchers as only six at-bats have come against righties.
Thompson has torched southpaw pitchers with 10 hits in 17 at-bats, including a career-high three against Boston starter Wade Miley on Tuesday.
The last of the trio salvaged what had been a miserable night for the White Sox. They had already run into two of three outs on the bases, stranded eight runners and committed two errors.
But Thompson made it moot when he ripped a 1-0 fastball from Miley into the left-field corner to drive in Melky Cabrera, who had singled in a run, and Avisail Garcia, who walked with two outs.
“Here it’s all about getting in the game,” Thompson said. “If you can help the team win you’re going to get in the game. You always have to stay ready, you never know if they’re going to have a left-hander down there and if Robin wants to use you or not. My routine I think has helped me a lot and I haven’t changed it. It’s helped me a lot and helped me have success.”
Jose Quintana helped keep the White Sox close enough for Thompson’s heroics.
Boston took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on a Keystone Cops routine by Geovany Soto and Quintana, both of whom left home plate unattended when they chased after a bad relay throw home on Mookie Betts’ RBI double, which allowed Betts to score the go-ahead run.
Quintana — who allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with six strikeouts in six innings — allowed two more runs in the sixth inning to fall behind 4-2. But he kept Boston from blowing it open with strikeouts of David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez.
“That’s really important because you put your team in a situation for the comeback,” Quintana said. “They did and we came back, Thompson had a really good at-bat and we won.”
The White Sox offense missed opportunities in the early going and gave away three more.
They pulled ahead 1-0 in the second inning on Carlos Sanchez’s two-out RBI single but could have had much, much more. Thompson had a leadoff triple in the second but was thrown out at home on a grounder to third (the contact play was on). Soto followed with a single but was thrown out advancing to third on Sanchez’s single to end the inning. Sanchez also ran into an out in the eighth to give the White Sox a major league-best 59.
Down by a run, the White Sox opened the fourth inning with three straight singles, the last by Thompson to tie it. But Miley got a force at third on Alexei Ramirez’s bunt and pitched out of trouble.
The White Sox stranded another runner in the fifth and two more in the sixth inning as they fell behind Boston 4-2.
But Thompson’s confidence erased it all.
Ventura said Thompson would see more playing time in the future. Thompson became the youngest White Sox player since Ventura on April 15, 1990 to have a single, double and triple in the same game.
“(Playing time is) going to get there,” Ventura said. “The last at-bat was a big one for us.
“You don’t like seeing what we did earlier. … We kicked it around tonight, and I think the offense did enough to overcome it.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: The Barclays.
By Ryan Ballengee
The FedEx Cup playoffs kick off in New Jersey on Thursday with the start of The Barclays, the first of four events to decide the season-long champion of the PGA Tour.
Two-time 2015 major winner Jordan Spieth is the No. 1 seed heading into the PGA Tour's postseason, which starts at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., for the first time since 2011, when Hurricane Irene shortened the event to 54 holes.
Since this is a tournament that moves around, but it's only been at Plainfield once, there's a lot of chalk in our top five this week.
1. Jordan Spieth — The new world No. 1 obviously wasn’t in the field here four years ago, but he’s playing the best, most consistent golf on the planet, so he’s the obvious top pick.
2. Jason Day — Had Jordan Spieth only won the Masters (and Dustin Johnson taken the U.S. Open), Jason Day would be in contention for the Player of the Year title heading into the playoffs. He’s won two of his last three starts, with Glen Abbey looking a little like Plainfield.
3. Justin Rose — Rose has been in the top six in his last four starts dating back to the Open Championship. He was T-4 here in the shortened 2011 event. He is playing the best tee-to-green golf in the world.
4. Brooks Koepka — Even though only TV shows 2-3 of his shots per week, Koepka hasn’t finished outside of the top six in his last three starts. He’s been in the top 25 in his last eight. His length is an edge here, just needs to have good proximity on many of these absurdly large putting surfaces.
5. Dustin Johnson — DJ was the winner here four years ago, and he’s playing very good golf overall. He’s just not closing. From a fantasy perspective, three top-10s in the majors this year is a great record, even if it doesn’t get the W.
Featured Groups: The Barclays.
By Sean Martin
Everything to know about PGA TOUR LIVE
The FedExCup Playoffs begin Thursday with The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club. Four tournaments will determine the winner of the PGA TOUR’s biggest prize. The points have been quadrupled for the Playoffs to ensure that players can charge up the standings with some well-timed postseason success.
In the Playoffs, players are grouped by their standing in the FedExCup, guaranteeing some star-studded groups. PGA TOUR LIVE will have Featured Group coverage for all four rounds.
It should be no surprise that Jordan Spieth leads the FedExCup. He’s won four times this season, including two majors. He’ll be in Thursday’s Featured Groups on PGA TOUR LIVE. Check below to see who Spieth will play alongside for the first two rounds at Plainfield Country Club.
The PGA TOUR LIVE broadcasts on Thursday and Friday will begin at 8 a.m. Following the completion of the 8:26 a.m. group, coverage will move to the most compelling storyline on the course until Featured Hole coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET.
The Featured Holes at Plainfield Country Club will be the par-3 14th hole and par-4 17th hole.
PGA TOUR LIVE will broadcast from 10-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, too. The Featured Holes will be featured from 10-3 p.m., followed by Featured Groups from 3-6 p.m.
THURSDAY
Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Danny Lee (8:15 a.m. ET off No. 10)
Johnson, seventh in the FedExCup, was the winner the last time The Barclays visited Plainfield. He also won this year’s World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Reed and Lee will be a rematch of the 2008 U.S. Amateur semis; Lee beat Reed, 3 and 2, en route to winning the title. Reed, eighth in the FedExCup, won this season’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions, while Lee is making good on the potential he showed as an amateur. Lee, No. 10 in the FedExCup, charged up the FedExCup standings by finishing in the top six in four of his past six starts. This run included his first PGA TOUR victory, at The Greenbrier Classic.
Jordan Spieth-Jason Day-Bubba Watson (8:26 a.m. ET off No. 10)
The FedExCup’s top-three players are featured in this Featured Group. Spieth leads the way after winning four times this season, including the Masters and U.S. Open. He’ll be looking to cap off the season with another prestigious prize, the FedExCup. Day is second in the standings after the first multiple-win season of his PGA TOUR career. He won the Farmers Insurance Open and RBC Canadian Open before claiming his first major at the PGA Championship. Watson won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and Travelers Championship. Watson has six top-three finishes in 15 starts this season.
FRIDAY
Zach Johnson-Brooks Koepka-Brandt Snedeker (8:15 a.m. ET off No. 10)
Johnson, winner of this year’s Open Championship, highlights this group, which also features Snedeker, the 2012 FedExCup champion, and one of the game’s young stars in Koepka. Johnson is No. 11 in the FedExCup standings. Snedeker, No. 13 in the FedExCup, won this season’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Koepka, who is 12th in the FedExCup as he prepares for his Playoffs debut, won the Waste Management Phoenix Open and enters the Playoffs having finished in the top six in his past three starts. Snedeker and Koepka are trying to help their Presidents Cup candidacy, as well. Snedeker is 14th in the U.S. team standings, while Koepka is 17th.
Jimmy Walker-Justin Rose-Robert Streb (8:26 a.m. ET off No. 10)
Walker will start the Playoffs in the FedExCup’s top five for the second consecutive season. Walker won this season’s Sony Open in Hawaii and Valero Texas Open. He is No. 4 in the FedExCup. Rose won this season’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans and was runner-up at the Masters and Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide; he is No. 5 in the FedExCup. Streb is having a career year. He won his first PGA TOUR title at the McGladrey Classic and was runner-up at The Greenbrier Classic. He is coming off a fifth-place finish at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and T10 at the PGA Championship. He is sixth in the FedExCup.
Love him or hate him, Tiger Woods made a lot of you watch the Wyndham.
By Ryan Ballengee
For those of you that hate watching Tiger Woods, the inside advice to get the media to stop writing so darn much about him was simple: stop clicking on him.
And, as Woods struggled throughout this season with several career-worst rounds in the 80s, many of you did -- or at least much less than you did when he was still winning golf tournaments on the reg'.
However, the 14-time major champion provided compelling theater this past week at the Wyndham Championship, climbing to the top of the 36-hole leaderboard with Tom Hoge in what turned out to be a must-win situation to complete and 11th-hour bid to make the PGA Tour playoffs. Woods failed in that quest, but still posted a T-10 in Greensboro for his best finish of the season. The tease was enough to get a lot of you to pop the channel to CBS over the weekend and see if Woods could pull off the improbable.
The final round of the Wyndham delivered a 3.9 Nielsen rating, a 143 percent increase over last year's final round, in which Camilo Villegas came back to win. The rating also is the best for a non-major on any network since in May 2013 when NBC garnered a 5.7 rating for Woods' win at The Players. The rating was also the highest for a non-major on CBS since Woods' win at the AT&T National in July 2012, a day after a derecho closed Congressional Country Club to fans and most volunteers.
By comparison, the Jason Day-Jordan Spieth battle on Sunday at the PGA Championship drew a 4.4 rating.
So, we'll keep on writing about the guy, at least for a little while longer.
PGA overhauls Presidents Cup format.
AFP
The PGA Tour announced an overhaul for the format of the Presidents Cup on Monday, bowing to calls to reduce the total number of points on offer despite opposition from the United States team.
A statement from the PGA said the changes, which would take effect at the next Presidents Cup in October, would see the total number of matches in the Ryder Cup style event reduced from 34 to 30.
The new structure for the event would see five four-ball and five foursomes played over the first two days, versus six and six as in previous years.
The new structure for the event would see five four-ball and five foursomes played over the first two days, versus six and six as in previous years.
Saturday's schedule would be reduced to four four-balls and four foursomes, as opposed to five matches per session, with 12 singles matches on Sunday.
The changes come after months of discussions between US captain Jay Haas and International team counterpart Nick Price.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said the two sides had been unable to reach a consensus about the revamped format.
"For quite some time, the International Team has been advocating for a reduction in total points, while the US Team felt strongly that The Presidents Cup format should remain as it has been," said Finchem.
"After numerous meetings and discussions, it was apparent that both captains felt passionate about their respective positions, as did their potential team members. But with no clear consensus between the two sides, it was up to me to make a decision that would be best for the event overall."
Finchem said the decision to implement changes would "strike a balance between maintaining the unique makeup of The Presidents Cup ... and the competitive environment for both teams."
Finchem said the decision to implement changes would "strike a balance between maintaining the unique makeup of The Presidents Cup ... and the competitive environment for both teams."
This year's event is to take place at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon between October 6-11.
British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dead.
AFP; By Rob Wollard
British driver Justin Wilson was declared dead after suffering a severe head injury during an IndyCar race in Pennsylvania, plunging the sport into mourning and triggering calls for a review of safety measures.
Wilson, 37, had been in a coma since Sunday, when a piece of debris from another racer's car struck his helmet on the final laps of the "Tricky Triangle" at Pocono Raceway in the penultimate IndyCar Series race of the season.
Loved ones of the Sheffield-born Andretti Autosport racer had flown to be at his bedside at Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown earlier Monday before his death was announced.
"This is a monumentally sad day for IndyCar and the motorsports community as a whole," said Mark Miles, chief executive of the parent company which runs IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Justin's elite ability to drive a race car was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility -- which is what made him one of the most respected members of the paddock."
Wilson's younger brother Stefan, also a racing driver, paid tribute on Twitter.
"Can't even begin to describe the loss I feel right now. He was my Brother, my best friend, my role model and mentor. He was a champion!" he wrote.
"I often told him, I just want to grow up to be half the man he is, as that will make me a pretty good man."
Andretti Autosport also paid tribute, describing Wilson as a "tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team."
"While Justin was only part of the Andretti lineup for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family," a statement said.
"His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none."
Andretti Autosport also paid tribute, describing Wilson as a "tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team."
"While Justin was only part of the Andretti lineup for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family," a statement said.
"His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none."
- Outpouring of grief -
Legends of the motorsport world united in an outpouring of grief.
"Terrible news... deepest condolences to all the family. RIP," British Formula One great Nigel Mansell wrote on Twitter.
IndyCar legend Dale Earnhardt Jr added: "Thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and to the @IndyCar family. #RIPJustinWilson".
Other drivers paid tribute to Wilson's personal qualities.
"Wow, what a sad day. @justin_wilson was a good man. A great man. I had the pleasure of knowing him and pray for his family," wrote Danica Patrick.
Former teammate AJ Allmendinger added: "We lost one of the great ones today. One of the best ever."
"Wow, what a sad day. @justin_wilson was a good man. A great man. I had the pleasure of knowing him and pray for his family," wrote Danica Patrick.
Former teammate AJ Allmendinger added: "We lost one of the great ones today. One of the best ever."
Wilson was hit by the nose cone of fellow driver Sage Karam's car after it spun out on lap 179 of the 200-lap race.
The father of two was airlifted to the hospital immediately after the crash, and never regained consciousness.
Wilson had driven in major US open-wheel racing since the 2004 season.
He was driving a partial schedule in 2015 for Andretti, making his 174th IndyCar start. He recorded seven wins in CART and IndyCar races, his most recent coming at Texas in 2012.
- Safety review urged -
Wilson's death is the first fatality in IndyCar since the 2011 accident that claimed the life of fellow Briton Dan Wheldon, the 2005 IndyCar Series champion and a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.
US auto racing legend Eddie Cheever said Wilson's death should lead to a thorough analysis of safety measures in the sport, while acknowledging the freak nature of Sunday's accident.
"Safety is not one of those things that because you have a clear record for a certain amount of time that you stop doing development," said Cheever, now an IndyCar analyst for ESPN.
"I think that it is time that solutions are looked for and I think it is time that the drivers got together and came up with a few ideas and I sincerely hope that some progress will be made on this issue.
"Safety is a continuous project, and in the past, IndyCar has done a very good job of doing it. But this is something they are going to have to focus on more than they have done in the past."
"I think that it is time that solutions are looked for and I think it is time that the drivers got together and came up with a few ideas and I sincerely hope that some progress will be made on this issue.
"Safety is a continuous project, and in the past, IndyCar has done a very good job of doing it. But this is something they are going to have to focus on more than they have done in the past."
NASCAR; Power Rankings: Harvick continues to be at the summit.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1): After finishing second at Bristol Saturday night, Harvick has 17 top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes in 24 races. In 2014, when he won the title, of course, he had 14 top-five finishes and 20 top 10s. Yeah, he's on pace for fewer wins this year, but does it really matter at this point? At the pace Harvick is establishing, he's going to make it to the final round of the Chase barring something crazy. And we're not willing to bet against him right now.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 4): Here's another guy we think has a great shot of making the final round. He's been an example of consistency too. Not only does he have two wins in the last three races, but he's on pace to break the career highs in top fives and top 10s that he set in 2014. Again, if we're betting on who we think is going to make the Chase's final round, we're liking the odds of this guy to make it to Homestead with a shot.
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): What a porous day for Busch, who came home eighth after he led 192 laps. Yes, we just used the word porous to describe an eighth-place finish. The usage is littered with sarcasm but given Busch's recent run and his history at Bristol, maybe there's a bit of relative truth to it. In three races over the weekend at Bristol, Busch finished second, first and eighth. It's a short list of drivers who would consider that a disappointing weekend. Heck, maybe Busch is the only name on it.
4. Matt Kenseth (LW: 2): The spring race winner didn't have much time to see if he could go back-to-back. A busted engine ruined his night and left him in the garage long before the race was over. But given Kenseth is simply in the win-or-else portion of his season because of his Chase situation, a 42nd-place finish could be a 10th-place one and nothing changes. So it seems a bit hard to punish him too much.
5. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 7): Johnson finished fourth and gets a two-spot jump. And it was kind of a non-descript fourth-place finish too. Johnson was in and around the top 10 all night, but never really challenged for the lead either. Saturday night was his third-straight top-four finish at Bristol after three finishes of 19th or worse. Fun fact: Six-Time only has one career Bristol win.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): Here's a guy who had a much more eventful night than Johnson did. He fell a lap down early because he had to pit twice under caution and then lost a lap again later in the race. After getting the Lucky Dog, Junior was able to salvage a top-10 finish, but he might have had a faster car than the ninth he scored. He just didn't have the track position.
7. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5): Truex had a fast car but his race went south with a tire issue late. Pitting under green meant he finished 28th and five laps off the pace. You can't blame Truex for being frustrated with another issue ruining a fast car. And it's something that can be crippling in the Chase. But as we've said before, this team is fast. And that can go a long way for Chase survival.
8. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8): Keselowski finished sixth, which was where he started. Yeah, that doesn't tell the story. His car was struggling in traffic, so he and crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to stay out on the last caution of the night. The strategy didn't pay off for the win as Keselowski quickly fell back, but you can't fault it when it gets a finish just outside the top five, can you?
9. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9): Hamlin finished third and made it the full race. Given that he had to step out of the car in the spring because of a neck spasm, that's an accomplishment. He also led for 54 laps, but all of those came within the first 154 laps. He had a solid top-10 car for the duration, however. The Joe Gibbs Racing cars certainly had the race speed that they showed in qualifying.
10. Carl Edwards (LW: 10): Edwards can attest to that. He led 74 laps and finished seventh. In two Bristol races this year he's led 160 laps. He's led 161 laps in the 22 other Sprint Cup Series races. It's safe to say that he's become one of the best at Bristol and Bristol has become one of his favorite tracks. We'd like his Chase chances a lot more if the half-mile was in the final 10 races.
11. Kurt Busch (LW: 11): Busch finished 14th Saturday night. He's got five wins at the track but his last came in 2006 and in his 11th start. Since then, he hasn't been as successful. While he has seven top-10 finishes since that last win he also has finished outside the top 25 five times. What does this all mean? We have no idea, other than Busch is probably a bigger fan of the old version of Bristol.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): Mr. Consistency finished 10th. He's getting ready to strike in the Chase, drawing up plans in his lair on how he can top-10 the Chase field to the breaking point again and get to Homestead. Wonder if the 2015 version of the plans includes knocking another driver out of the way to make the final round? Or since Newman did it last year, would another driver do it this year if it meant advancing to the next round?
Lucky Dog: Clint Bowyer went from a spin to a top-five. Not bad.
The DNF: Michael Annett didn't even complete a lap. That's bordering on DNS.
Dropped Out: No one.
SOCCER: As Klinsmann worries about player inclusion, England dials up strong U-21 test for U-23 Yanks.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/Getty Images)
Jurgen Klinsmann is hoping clubs in the U.S. and abroad release players to the U-23 team, and those players will get a stiff test from England’s U-21 side on Sept. 3.
England coach Gareth Southgate has called up a massive amount of talent to face the Yanks, with Arsenal’s Calum Chambers joining Spurs’ Eric Dier and Dele Alli on the loaded team.
Also in the mix? Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Liverpool’s Jordon Ibe and Norwich City’s Nathan Redmond.
U21s boss
ICYMI: Klinsmann’s concerned at clubs releasing their players to U-23 duty since it comes outside of an international break. As our own Andy Edwards points out, there’s a load of talent that could be held back from Olympic qualification.
League Cup roundup: 10 of 11 Premier League clubs advance. Watford falls.
By Kyle Lynch
(Photo/Getty Images)
It was a good day for Premier League clubs in the Capital One League Cup, as ten teams won to advance into the third round.
The only PL club to fall today was newly promoted Watford, who lost 1-0 to Championship side Preston North End. The Hornets have gotten points in all three of their Premier League matches, but are now out of the League Cup in disappointing fashion.
Sunderland 6-3 Exeter City: Jermain Defoe bagged a hat trick in a wild game at the Stadium of Light, as Sunderland came out on top of a match that was tied 3-3 at halftime. Despite the win, conceding three goals at home to a team from the fourth-tier of English football is not a good look for Dick Advocaat’s side.
Luton Town 1-1 (7-8 PKs) Stoke City: The Potters looked poised to move on until Luton Town found an equalizer in the 91st minute to force extra-time. The match went to penalty kicks, where the USMNT’s Geoff Cameron scored the game-winning goal for Stoke City.
Aston Villa 5-3 (a.e.t.) Notts County: Adama Traore scored his first goal as a Villan, while Scott Sinclair tallied a hat trick to lead Aston Villa to a shaky win over Notts County. The League Two side led three times, but Villa fought back to escape an embarrassing defeat.
Bury 1-4 Leicester City: Twenty-year-old Joe Dodoo scored a hat trick in his Foxes debut, as Andrej Kramaric scored his first goal of the season for Claudio Ranieri’s men.
Crystal Palace 4-1 (a.e.t.) Shrewsbury Town: Tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, Crystal Palace scored three goals in extra-time to defeat third-tier Shrewsbury Town.
Hartlepool United 0-4 Bournemouth: The Cherries were up 3-0 at halftime as Eddie Howe’s side cruised to an easy win over League Two’s Hartlepool.
Newcastle United 4-1 Northampton Town: Florian Thauvin scored his first goal for Newcastle just three minutes into the match, as the Magpies found themselves up 2-0 after eight minutes and never looked back.
Preston North End 1-0 Watford: The only Premier League side to fall today, Watford fell behind within ten minutes and failed to find an equalizer in a very poor result for Quique Flores’ side.
Rotherham 1-2 Norwich City: Ricky Van Wolfswinkel scored his first goal for Norwich City since his debut in 2013 as the Canaries held on to beat Championship side Rotherham United.
Swansea City 3-0 York City: A second-string Swans’ side made light work of fourth-division York City, with goals coming from Nathan Dyer, Matt Grimes, and Marvin Emnes.
West Bromwich Albion 0-0 (5-3 PKs) Port Vale: West Brom just scraped by League One’s Port Vale, as the Baggies needed extra-time and then penalty kicks to advance to the third round. With Saido Berahino possibly on his way out at The Hawthorns, getting held scoreless for 120 minutes shows West Brom may be in for some trouble.
Other results from around the League Cup
Birmingham City 2-0 Gillingham
Burton Albion 1-2 (a.e.t.) Middlesbrough
Doncaster Rovers 1-4 Ipswich Town
Fulham 3-0 Sheffield United
Hull City 1-0 Rochdale
Peterborough United 1-4 Charlton Athletic
Portsmouth 1-2 Reading
Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Carlisle United
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Oxford United
Walsall 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Barnet
MK Dons 2-1 (a.e.t.) Cardiff City
NCAAFB: Big 12 ADs in support of adopting SEC’s transfer rule regarding misconduct.
By Kevin McGuire
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
The SEC made a bold move by prohibiting players with a domestic violence past to be prohibited from transferring to a program within the conference. In light of the recent story at Baylor and Sam Ukwuachu, the Big 12 is now preparing to adopt a similar rule.
Big 12 athletic directors have voted in support of a policy following the script drafted by the SEC with regard to players with conduct problems and transfers. The policy must still be formally approved by a joint council, according to Kirk Bohls, but everybody appears to be on board with the new policy, and it may even be made stronger before it is added to the Big 12 policies. Big 12 athletic directors are scheduled to review the new policy at a meeting on September 22. It will then be presented to the Big 12 board of directors on October 26.
Texas Athletics Directors Steve Patterson and Chris Plonsky have expressed a desire to adopt a stronger version of the SEC model. What that would entail remains unknown, although it may extend the reach of what falls under the category of misconduct.
The timing may make it seem the Big 12 is simply reacting to the Baylor story, but the topic had previously been discussed before. Given the sensitive nature of the story that unfolded at Baylor though, the Big 12 would be silly to hold up approving this new policy at this point. Now it will be up to the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 (and any other conference) to follow up with similar policy changes.
Big 12 athletic directors have voted in support of a policy following the script drafted by the SEC with regard to players with conduct problems and transfers. The policy must still be formally approved by a joint council, according to Kirk Bohls, but everybody appears to be on board with the new policy, and it may even be made stronger before it is added to the Big 12 policies. Big 12 athletic directors are scheduled to review the new policy at a meeting on September 22. It will then be presented to the Big 12 board of directors on October 26.
Texas Athletics Directors Steve Patterson and Chris Plonsky have expressed a desire to adopt a stronger version of the SEC model. What that would entail remains unknown, although it may extend the reach of what falls under the category of misconduct.
The timing may make it seem the Big 12 is simply reacting to the Baylor story, but the topic had previously been discussed before. Given the sensitive nature of the story that unfolded at Baylor though, the Big 12 would be silly to hold up approving this new policy at this point. Now it will be up to the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 (and any other conference) to follow up with similar policy changes.
Injuries already causing problems for plenty of Top 25 teams.
By STEVE MEGARGEE
Tennessee offensive lineman Marcus Jackson (75) provides pass protection during an NCAA college football game against Utah State in Knoxville, Tenn. Senior guard Marcus Jackson, the Vols' most experienced offensive lineman, likely will miss the entire season with a biceps injury. (AP Photo/Knoxville News Sentinel, Michael Patrick, File)
Tennessee has no time to celebrate its first Top 25 appearance in three years.
The 25th-ranked Volunteers are too busy adjusting their depth chart after three of their players suffered likely season-ending injuries in training camp.
Senior guard Marcus Jackson, the Vols' most experienced offensive lineman, likely will miss the entire season with a biceps injury. A similar injury has knocked out reserve guard Austin Sanders for the season.
Rashaan Gaulden, who had been working as Tennessee's first-team nickel back, also was lost for the season with a broken foot.
''It's unfortunate, but it's also a part of the game,'' said Tennessee coach Butch Jones, whose team is in the rankings for the first time since September 2012. ''It's (going on) across the country.''
Indeed, Tennessee isn't the only Top 25 program dealing with major injuries just before the start of the season.
Senior guard Marcus Jackson, the Vols' most experienced offensive lineman, likely will miss the entire season with a biceps injury. A similar injury has knocked out reserve guard Austin Sanders for the season.
Rashaan Gaulden, who had been working as Tennessee's first-team nickel back, also was lost for the season with a broken foot.
''It's unfortunate, but it's also a part of the game,'' said Tennessee coach Butch Jones, whose team is in the rankings for the first time since September 2012. ''It's (going on) across the country.''
Indeed, Tennessee isn't the only Top 25 program dealing with major injuries just before the start of the season.
Here's a look at some other players from Top 25 teams with potential season-ending injuries.
1. Notre Dame DB Shaun Crawford and DT Jarron Jones. Notre Dame's 2014 season came unraveled largely due to injuries that decimated its defense. Now the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish are losing defensive players even before the season has started. Jones, a returning starter who made 40 tackles last season, tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The loss of Jones likely results in bigger roles for freshman Jerry Tillery and sophomore Daniel Cage. Crawford, a freshman competing for playing time at nickel back, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in practice.
1. Notre Dame DB Shaun Crawford and DT Jarron Jones. Notre Dame's 2014 season came unraveled largely due to injuries that decimated its defense. Now the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish are losing defensive players even before the season has started. Jones, a returning starter who made 40 tackles last season, tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The loss of Jones likely results in bigger roles for freshman Jerry Tillery and sophomore Daniel Cage. Crawford, a freshman competing for playing time at nickel back, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in practice.
2. Michigan State linebacker Ed Davis. This fifth-year senior injured his knee in an Aug. 12 practice for the fifth-ranked Spartans. Davis had 58 tackles - including 12 for loss - and seven sacks to earn honorable mention all-Big Ten honors last season. ''It was very unfortunate,'' Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. ''Things happen when people are running and cutting and things of that nature on the field. It just happened.''
3. Oregon running back Thomas Tyner. After coming on strong during last season's College Football Playoff, Tyner has undergone offseason surgery on his left shoulder. Although the seventh-ranked Ducks don't announce injuries as a policy, players have indicated Tyner's return this season is doubtful. Tyner ran for 573 yards last season. He rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a Rose Bowl victory over Florida State. Oregon still returns Royce Freeman, who rushed for 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
4. Clemson linebacker Korrin Wiggins. No. 12 Clemson's young defense took a major hit when Wiggins tore an anterior cruciate ligament while trying to recover a fumble during an Aug. 12 scrimmage. Wiggins, who has played defensive back as well as linebacker, would have been one of only four returning players who started at least six games for a Clemson defense that allowed the fewest yards per game of any Football Bowl Subdivision team last season.
5. Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams. The 18th-ranked Razorbacks lost half of their dynamic duo at running back when Williams hurt his left foot during an Aug. 15 scrimmage. The injury will knock Williams out for the regular season, though Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has indicated there's a slight chance the senior could play in a bowl game. Williams rushed for 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns last season after running for 900 yards in 2013. The Razorbacks still have Alex Collins, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons.
6. Arizona center Carter Wood. The offensive line figured to be one of the major issues facing No. 22 Arizona even before a chronic foot injury knocked Wood out for the season. Wood made his first career start in last season's Fiesta Bowl and was projected to open this season as the Wildcats' starting center. Arizona likely will move Cayman Bundage over from left guard to center.
5. Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams. The 18th-ranked Razorbacks lost half of their dynamic duo at running back when Williams hurt his left foot during an Aug. 15 scrimmage. The injury will knock Williams out for the regular season, though Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has indicated there's a slight chance the senior could play in a bowl game. Williams rushed for 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns last season after running for 900 yards in 2013. The Razorbacks still have Alex Collins, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons.
6. Arizona center Carter Wood. The offensive line figured to be one of the major issues facing No. 22 Arizona even before a chronic foot injury knocked Wood out for the season. Wood made his first career start in last season's Fiesta Bowl and was projected to open this season as the Wildcats' starting center. Arizona likely will move Cayman Bundage over from left guard to center.
By Sam Vecenie
Virginia's Tony Bennett has turned the Cavaliers into one of the nation's top defensive teams. (Photo/USATSI)
We already asked the coaches about who the best offensive coach in the country was, and the results were varied with Michigan's John Beilein getting the most responses. In fact, that poll was most marked by the fact that no one got one-fifth of the vote, and 22 separate coaches were named.
On defense, things couldn't have been more different. There was a clear winner, with three other coaches being the clear runners-up. Those four accounted for about 90 percent of the vote in total, which means there seems to be a bit more of a consensus on the best coaches on this side of the ball.
We asked the following...
Who is the best defensive coach in all of college basketball?
- Tony Bennett, Virginia: 55 percent
- Rick Pitino, Louisville: 15 percent
- Tom Izzo, Michigan State: 12.5 percent
- Bo Ryan, Wisconsin: 7.5 percent
FIVE QUOTES THAT STOOD OUT
On Bennett: "Tony Bennett is an unbelievable teacher. His teams won't physically overwhelm you like last season's Kentucky team could. But they make everything difficult. Fun to watch. But it's not fun to play against."
“You know what's funny, he's going to win in a landslide — and he hardly ever changes what he does. Tactically, when you watch him, it's kind of boring. They don't deviate from the script at all. They guard ball screens ONE WAY. We study it. I think it's also too, like, Princeton's always in the top of defensive points per game and it has nothing to do with their defense. It's holding the ball. There may be some of that which people don't talk about much with UVa.”
On Pitino: "Pitino's pressure system is really hard to implement and the matchup zone is a bitch. I really respect coaches that stick to their pressure defense because at times you can get exposed and give up easy ones but he does a great job of recruiting to his system and sticking with it."
On Izzo: "Nothing easy is ever given up. They are so solid at what they do and so good at it, and what's most impressive is you go back to his teams with Mateen (Cleaves) and (Morris Peterson) and today, it's the same: blue collar, in the paint, nothing easy, go-at-you mentality. That's 16, 17 years now. Izzo's teams, I don't really know if he's had a bad one. Some kids love to press, and it's fun, but I say this as a compliment: Izzo's way is not a fun way to play."
On Fisher: "Year in, year out his team plays a tough, nasty style of defense. They are always well-coached and extremely difficult to score on in the half court. They do the best job in the country with pick-and-roll defense. They ice the pick-and-roll so your team can't get to the pick. They press with length and athleticism."
MY TAKEAWAY
It's pretty hard to argue with something that a legitimate majority of coaches answer, so I'm certainly not about to do that.
Tony Bennett would be my answer to this question, and it's not particularly difficult to see why. Despite many coaches utilizing similar defensive principles as it refers to limiting penetration from opposing guards, he's the coach that has made "pack-line" a publicly accessible term. His teams also have always done a terrific job of blitzing post players with double teams, making it extremely difficult to score on them that way as well. However, that mobile backline on defense hasn't limited their rebounding ability, as they consistently rank near the top of the nation in defensive rebounding rates. Really, the best way that you can score on them is to drive and kick and get hot from 3, and good luck with that because they are one of the best teams in the country at closing out on shooters and harassing them off the line.
I also don't buy the argument that Bennett's defenses are a creation of slow pace. Certainly, their pace helps them limit transition points, where they're about as good as anyone in the country. But their points-per-possession against averages match up well with their pure points-per-game against stats. In the last four years, Bennett's defenses have finished No. 1, No. 5, No. 24, and No. 6 in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency. Only Louisville has a better track record over that period of time on a per-possession basis, which is why Pitino comes in at No. 2 here.
One other major takeaway here is the one coach who polled over 7 percent in both the offensive and defensive categories: Bo Ryan. That's a testament to Ryan being known as one of the best teachers in the game, as he's able to coach up just about anyone into his system and make it work on both ends. He's the only active coach since 2003 to have coached both a No. 1 offense and a No. 1 defense in the country, which makes this a very well-deserved recognition.
Who is the best offensive coach in college basketball?
By Sam Vecenie
John Beilein is 166-110 in eight seasons as Michigan's coach. (Photo/USATSI)
Because it's always interesting to hear coaches rate their peers' acumen, we decided to ask about who they found to be elite on each side of the ball. Today, we'll be talking about the best offensive coaches and what they do that makes them so effective.
Is it a coach with a set system that seems to simply recycle players in and out? Or is it a coach that can adjust and create a new system each year based upon his players' skills.
We asked ...
Who is the best offensive coach in all of college basketball?
- John Beilein, Michigan: 16.9 percent
- Bob McKillop, Davidson: 13.4 percent
- Bo Ryan, Wisconsin: 12.4 percent
- Mark Few, Gonzaga: 11.3 percent
- Mike Krzyzewski, Duke: 7.9 percent
- Dave Rose, BYU: 6.8 percent
- Mike Brey, Notre Dame and Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt: 5.6 percent
FIVE QUOTES THAT STOOD OUT
On John Beilein: "Very unique, runs a lot of hybrid stuff and variation and sped-up Princeton. Who he wants to get a shot for, when he wants to get a shot for, he's like a surgeon."
On Bob McKillop: “Nobody is better at teaching a flowing offense that goes from fast break basketball to secondary looks right into motion that allows individual freedom.”
On Mike Brey: "He's very good at putting his guys in position with where they could succeed. I had a conversation with him at a camp and told him you're one of our favorite coaches to watch. He said one of the things he thought he did a really good job of was meeting with Pat Connaugton and Jerian Grant and dictating what the team was going to do in practice. They were seniors, four-year guys, and knew what he wanted. They always were in the right position at the right time. They were very close to beating Kentucky with only a rotation of seven guys."
On Mike Krzyzewski: "Coach K has won a title with no great post presence and also won another when his best player was a true center. He changes everything on offense to maximize his personnel. Calipari does that too. But Coach K is the best at it."
On Kevin Stallings: “His in-game adjustments and adjustments at the halftime are probably the best I've ever seen — and out of timeouts. Plays that, when you scout teams, you watch them play and play and see so many games, but he can draw something out of a timeout that they've never run before, and you've never seen before, and it looks like the same play, but he's never done it.”
MY TAKEAWAY
The thing that stands out here -- and it's something you won't see when the best defensive coaches list comes out -- is the sheer wide breadth of responses. No one garnered even one-fifth of the vote, and 22 separate coaches were mentioned. This is basically the Republican Presidential primary race.
Having said that, Beilein is as good a choice as any to take this mantle. Prior to the 2014-15 season -- when Ryan's Wisconsin team set the all-time KenPom record with a 127.9 adjusted offensive rating -- Beilein had been coming off of back-to-back seasons where his Wolverines were statistically the best offense in the nation.
His Two Guard offense is basically a four-out, one-in system. that is reliant upon jacking up heavy amounts of 3-pointers as well as having smart players who can all pass and make smart decisions. It uses a lot of Princeton aspects, while also having its own flair. His teams (even going back to his days at West Virginia and Richmond) have never finished outside of the top-100 in the country in turnover percentage, and have only once finished outside of the top-50 in 3-point attempt percentage.
Any of the other top choices could have taken this crown, and you wouldn't have heard an argument from me. The creativity of the off-ball screens in McKillop's offense to get guys free for 3s are incredible, Ryan might be the best teacher in the college game, and both Coach K and Few are among the best at adjusting their systems to the personnel they have on their teams.
For what has been made of the lack of great offensive play in college basketball over the course of the last few years, it's refreshing to know that there are still so many bright, creative lights trying to innovate ways to put the ball in the basket.
Serena Williams carries momentum of Cincinnati title into New York.
By Greg Garber
Order has been restored. After winning the title Sunday in Cincinnati, Serena Williams will be ranked No. 1 for the 256th week of her career heading into next week's U.S. Open.
The rest of the women's game? Well, it's a little bit unsettled. Here's our take on who's up and who's down.
No. 1 Serena Williams: She's 48-2 on the year, but that comes with an asterisk -- three walkovers when she withdrew from Bastad, Rome and Indian Wells with injuries. Serena took down the WTA's new No. 2, Simona Halep, in the final and is now 15-for-15 in finals -- and 30 for her last 32.
No. 2 Simona Halep: A good tournament in Cincinnati for the 23-year-old Romanian, Halep is riding some serious momentum after making the finals at both Cincinnati and Toronto; last year, looking spent, she lost her third match in Cincy and fell in the first round at New Haven.
No. 3 Maria Sharapova: The 28-year-old Russian hasn't played a match since Wimbledon because of a right leg injury. When she pulled out of Cincinnati, she admitted it wasn't exactly ideal preparation for the U.S. Open.
No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki: She's had some tough luck with draws, but Wozniacki managed to lose her first matches in both Toronto (Belinda Bencic) and Cincinnati (Victoria Azarenka). Perhaps she will gain equilibrium playing in New Haven, where she is a four-time champion.
No. 5 Petra Kvitova: The two-time Wimbledon champion is having a dreadful summer. She lost her third match at the All England Club and then went 0-for-2 at the North American events, losing to Azarenkla in Toronto and Caroline Garcia in Cincinnati. She will also play in New Haven.
No. 12 Belinda Bencic: Hey, finally someone with a rising trajectory. The 18-year-old from Switzerland beat Serena Williams in the Toronto semifinals before taking down a retiring Halep in the final. Bencic impressively handled Angelique Kerber in her first Cincinnati match, but she eventually lost to French Open finalist Lucie Safarova.
No. 19 Madison Keys: The product of Rock Island, Illinois, is actually ranked better than her age -- which is still only 20. That's the good news. The bad: After withdrawing from Toronto with a left wrist injury, she lost her second match at Stanford (badly) and also Cincinnati, to Jelena Jankovic. Another New Haven participant.
No. 20 Victoria Azarenka: It's been a long, hard climb for the 26-year-old from Belarus. After a series of injuries left her outside the top 30, she's slowly regaining form. She won two of three matches in both Toronto and Cincinnati and will arrive in New York confident because she's played in two of the previous three finals.
No. 1 Serena Williams: She's 48-2 on the year, but that comes with an asterisk -- three walkovers when she withdrew from Bastad, Rome and Indian Wells with injuries. Serena took down the WTA's new No. 2, Simona Halep, in the final and is now 15-for-15 in finals -- and 30 for her last 32.No. 2 Simona Halep: A good tournament in Cincinnati for the 23-year-old Romanian, Halep is riding some serious momentum after making the finals at both Cincinnati and Toronto; last year, looking spent, she lost her third match in Cincy and fell in the first round at New Haven.No. 3 Maria Sharapova: The 28-year-old Russian hasn't played a match since Wimbledon because of a right leg injury. When she pulled out of Cincinnati, she admitted it wasn't exactly ideal preparation for the U.S. Open.No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki: She's had some tough luck with draws, but Wozniacki managed to lose her first matches in both Toronto (Belinda Bencic) and Cincinnati (Victoria Azarenka). Perhaps she will gain equilibrium playing in New Haven, where she is a four-time champion.No. 5 Petra Kvitova: The two-time Wimbledon champion is having a dreadful summer. She lost her third match at the All England Club and then went 0-for-2 at the North American events, losing to Azarenkla in Toronto and Caroline Garcia in Cincinnati. She will also play in New Haven. No. 12 Belinda Bencic: Hey, finally someone with a rising trajectory. The 18-year-old from Switzerland beat Serena Williams in the Toronto semifinals before taking down a retiring Halep in the final. Bencic impressively handled Angelique Kerber in her first Cincinnati match, but she eventually lost to French Open finalist Lucie Safarova. No. 19 Madison Keys: The product of Rock Island, Illinois, is actually ranked better than her age -- which is still only 20. That's the good news. The bad: After withdrawing from Toronto with a left wrist injury, she lost her second match at Stanford (badly) and also Cincinnati, to Jelena Jankovic. Another New Haven participant.No. 20 Victoria Azarenka: It's been a long, hard climb for the 26-year-old from Belarus. After a series of injuries left her outside the top 30, she's slowly regaining form. She won two of three matches in both Toronto and Cincinnati and will arrive in New York confident because she's played in two of the previous three finals.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1939 - The first televised major league baseball games were shown. The event was a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1947 - Don Bankhead became the first black pitcher in major league baseball.
1961 - The International Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto opened. The project had been approved on September 11, 1943.
1998 - In east Bohemia, Buffalo Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek was fined $30 for speeding when he ran his Ferrari off the road and hit a tree.
1947 - Don Bankhead became the first black pitcher in major league baseball.
1961 - The International Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto opened. The project had been approved on September 11, 1943.
1998 - In east Bohemia, Buffalo Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek was fined $30 for speeding when he ran his Ferrari off the road and hit a tree.
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