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Sports Quote of the Day:
"The mind is a powerful force. It can enslave us or empower us. It can plunge us into the depths of misery or take us to the heights of ecstasy. Learn to use the power wisely.” ~ David, Cuschieri
"The mind is a powerful force. It can enslave us or empower us. It can plunge us into the depths of misery or take us to the heights of ecstasy. Learn to use the power wisely.” ~ David, Cuschieri
Trending: President Obama takes in Bulls-Cavs, optimistic about Bulls' chances. (See the basketball section for details).
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Trending: Royals win instant classic Game 1 of the World Series in 14th inning. (See the baseball section for details).
Trending: Abby Wambach announces retirement. (See the soccer section for details).
Trending: Abby Wambach announces retirement. (See the soccer section for details).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears problems at wide receiver producing 'better' Jay Cutler.
By John Mullin
The health travails of Bears wide receivers — Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and, before that, Kevin White — have undercut some measure of the hoped-for development of an offense under coordinator Adam Gase that ideally would do some of the heavy lifting for a transitioning defense. What those problems did do, however, was quietly provide a forum and venue for a next step in the NFL life of one Jay Cutler.
From an apparent problem might have emerged a “solution.” Cutler has not completely exorcised all of his interception demons, but even those are showing signs of losing their death grip on his game. Significantly and perhaps coincidentally, certainly ironically, that might trace to what Cutler has had to do with a sometimes-makeshift receiver corps.
Put another way: Without the security-blanket catch radiuses of Brandon Marshall this season and Jeffery for most of the season, Cutler has had to raise his game. And he has.
He hasn’t always. For arguably too much of his early time in Chicago, Cutler was accorded considerable slack for performance lapses based on the perceived lack of “weapons” he had to work with in offenses under a succession of offensive coordinators and position coaches. “When you’re No. 1 receiver is Devin Hester/Johnny Knox, how can anyone expect you to do anything?” was the annual narrative.
(Remember Devin Aromashadu? Dane Sanzenbacher? Roy Williams?)
Without Jeffery and Royal for extended stretches, Cutler has won games with Josh Bellamy, Marc Mariani and Cameron Meredith taking as many as 75 percent of Bears offensive snaps in those games.
“It probably was a blessing in disguise,” quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains said.
Cutler is completing 60.9 percent of his passes this season, inadequate by NFL standards. But that is a completion rate better than any of Cutler’s Bears seasons from 2009-2012. And that is without Jeffery, Marshall and Matt Forte on track to each average 85 passes as they did the past two seasons.
Even more importantly, Cutler’s interception percentage stands at 2.3 percent. Only in his injury shortened 2011 season (2.2 percent) saw Cutler as protective of the football.
Whether Cutler was not as careful when he had catch-machines Jeffery and Marshall operating together, or he wasn’t as confident with Hester, Knox, et al., is difficult to analyze. And not really as important as the effects of a depleted receiver group on Cutler.
“It’s made Jay step up, be a bigger part, bigger voice,” Loggains said. “He’s run meetings, been very vocal on what he expects from each individual and I think guys have responded well to him.”
Where the Cutler of five or so years ago routinely grew visibly frustrated and his throws more errant with lesser receivers running imprecise/outright wrong routes, the current iteration has been demanding yet patient, almost as if he were the father of two, soon-to-be-three young children (Wait. He is. Probably just coincidence).
The situation “probably made him a little more dialed-in,” Loggains said. “You take having veterans out there — with Alshon and Eddie and those guys — and he has to tell those guys, be more vocal with what he expects, his expectations of where those guys are supposed to be.”
For his part, Cutler does not dismiss or make light of the difficulties involved for everyone, from coordinator Gase on down the depth chart.
“It's hard,” Cutler admitted. “It's hard as a play-caller, especially when you don't know who you're going to have Sunday, who you're going to have available on a Wednesday and Thursday putting in plays, who's going to be up who's not going to be (active).
“But we're making do, (Gase) does a good job of kind of making these plays friendly for everybody and just moving pieces around.”
Kevin White 'not closing any doors' to Bears return in 2015.
By John Mullin
A frustrating year marked by a stress fracture and the accompanying rehab have not squelched the hope of rookie wide receiver Kevin White that the No. 7 pick of the 2015 draft will see the field in a Bears uniform this season.
“If I can get on the field this year and we can make a run for it, I would like to help my teammates and this organization out, as planned,” White said on Tuesday. “If not this year, then try my best and do what I can for next year.
“But [I am] not closing any doors, not saying that I’m not coming back or anything this year. There’s a chance, so do my best to try to make a comeback.”
White admitted he has “a ways to go” and that he was not doing a lot beyond jogging, last week and this. But as far as moving on to thinking about next year, no. “It’s like giving up,” White scoffed. “I would never give up. There’s a chance. I would like it. Everybody else would like it. But if not, then I’ll look forward to next year.”
Rookies White, Eddie Goldman, Khari Lee, Cameron Meredith and Gannon Sinclair volunteered time on Tuesday to help with “Hometown Huddle” work at Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, and the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center, both in Gurnee.
“It really opens your eyes to things going on around you throughout the world,” said Lee. “So it’s good to be able to do something to help out, because it’s really important.”
White was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform lost at the end of training camp. The designation allowed the Bears some latitude in assessing his progress back from the stress fracture, which occurred during the team’s offseason program.
The Bears have several weeks to activate White from reserve/PUP and until the end of Week 11 to decide on whether to activate him as part of the 53-man roster or close him out for 2015 and look forward to 2016.
GM Ryan Pace, coach John Fox and the organization have put zero pressure on White to rush back from the surgery, something not lost on the rookie.
“Even though it’s a business,” White said, shaking his head, “just to see that side of those guys, not rushing me back for selfish reasons, made me go harder, give it my all each and every day, even though I would do that for myself.
“But just to have those guys behind me, it means a lot.”
The fracture is the first significant injury and first surgery White has endured, and it was difficult for him beyond just the injury itself. White wasn’t able to walk and take care of making meals for himself immediately following surgery, so his mother Tammy stayed with him for several weeks.
“She did a lot of the dirty work, fed me, made sure I was comfortable, made sure I was taking the pills,” White said. “Mom had a lot to do with it.”
White will need to show marked improvement over the next several weeks in order to convince the organization that a return this season makes any sense.
“Sometimes it’s tough and some days are better than others, but there’s progress,” White said. “Slow and steady wins the race so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Rookies White, Eddie Goldman, Khari Lee, Cameron Meredith and Gannon Sinclair volunteered time on Tuesday to help with “Hometown Huddle” work at Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, and the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center, both in Gurnee.
“It really opens your eyes to things going on around you throughout the world,” said Lee. “So it’s good to be able to do something to help out, because it’s really important.”
White was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform lost at the end of training camp. The designation allowed the Bears some latitude in assessing his progress back from the stress fracture, which occurred during the team’s offseason program.
The Bears have several weeks to activate White from reserve/PUP and until the end of Week 11 to decide on whether to activate him as part of the 53-man roster or close him out for 2015 and look forward to 2016.
GM Ryan Pace, coach John Fox and the organization have put zero pressure on White to rush back from the surgery, something not lost on the rookie.
“Even though it’s a business,” White said, shaking his head, “just to see that side of those guys, not rushing me back for selfish reasons, made me go harder, give it my all each and every day, even though I would do that for myself.
“But just to have those guys behind me, it means a lot.”
The fracture is the first significant injury and first surgery White has endured, and it was difficult for him beyond just the injury itself. White wasn’t able to walk and take care of making meals for himself immediately following surgery, so his mother Tammy stayed with him for several weeks.
“She did a lot of the dirty work, fed me, made sure I was comfortable, made sure I was taking the pills,” White said. “Mom had a lot to do with it.”
White will need to show marked improvement over the next several weeks in order to convince the organization that a return this season makes any sense.
“Sometimes it’s tough and some days are better than others, but there’s progress,” White said. “Slow and steady wins the race so that’s what I’m going to do.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Toews gives Blackhawks win over Ducks with second straight OT goal.
By Tracey Myers
Jonathan Toews scores the winning goal in overtime. (Photo/Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
When Duncan Keith was sidelined following right-knee surgery, the Blackhawks talked of everyone having to help more on defense.
Defensemen had to do a little more. Forwards had to help, too. But ultimately, the best line of defense is still the goaltender. And Corey Crawford has been doing is part.
Crawford stopped all 39 shots he faced for his second consecutive shutout, and Jonathan Toews scored the overtime winner for the second consecutive game as the Blackhawks beat the Anaheim Ducks 1-0 on Monday night.
The Blackhawks’ last two victories are ones for the record books. Per Elias, since overtime was reintroduced in the NHL in the 1983-84 season, the Blackhawks are the first team to post consecutive overtime shutout victories.
Not bad for a team still working through changes and minus their top defenseman. And on Monday, much of the victory credit went to Crawford.
“He was excellent tonight,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “The tests the last couple of games haven’t been as dramatic as it was tonight. It was one game when, especially as it was going on, they started coming at the end. Rebound control was in order and [he] challenged at the right times; big in those tight plays. They go to the net hard, so it was a dominating performance by him and very instrumental in why we got two points.”
Crawford, coming off a 21-stop outing against Tampa Bay was busier against the Ducks, especially late. Anaheim, which had scored just six goals in seven games entering tonight’s contest, outshot the Blackhawks 19-6 in the third period.
“Yeah, when I’m more involved I can definitely stay in the game easier. But you don’t want too much action,” Crawford said with a smile. “This one was a fun hockey game to play in. It was a tough test for us and told ourselves we had to stick with it after the second, be patient. It was a good, hard-fought win.”
The Blackhawks thought they had the regulation winner when Artemi Panarin put one past Ducks goaltender Frederick Andersen. But Andersen pushed the net off its moorings and the goal was waved off. Review confirmed the call and the NHL’s situation room released the official explanation:
At 14:25 of the third period in the Ducks/Blackhawks game, the Situation Room initiated a video review to further examine a play at the Anaheim net. Video review confirmed the referee's call on the ice that the Anaheim net was displaced before the puck crossed the goal line. According to Rule 78.5 (x) "Apparent goals shall be disallowed by the referee when the net becomes displaced accidentally. The goal frame is considered to be displaced if either or both goal pegs are no longer in their respective holes in the ice, or the net has come completely off one or both pegs, prior to or as the puck enters the net". Therefore the call on the ice stands: no goal Chicago.
The Blackhawks, however, got past that, getting a quick overtime winner again from the captain again.
“I think our puck carriers have done a good job trying to draw two players toward them and you just try and get speed going the other way. As you saw tonight, things are going to open up,” Toews said. “Sometimes that first shift, you’re waiting to tire out the other line and you get your one chance and it goes in. So we’ve been getting the bounces, getting the luck there so hopefully that keeps going for us if it goes down to 3-on-3.”
The Blackhawks got the necessary bounce in overtime. They got the necessary goaltending all night.
“They're big, they're strong, they're good at kind of being heavy on the puck down low and wearing you down,” Toews said. “You’re going to give up some scoring chances and Crow has really built that confidence early in the season that he can steal games for us and make a difference for us when it's a tight one, like it was tonight."
Blackhawks' PK stays strong through changes.
By Tracey Myers
When the Blackhawks went through their salary-cap changes last summer, they knew their roster would change. They would have to reconfigure lines and defensive pairs.
The same was true for their penalty kill, which has been ranked in the league’s top 10 since the 2012-13 season. Gone were Johnny Oduya and Brandon Saad, two key parts of the kill, and the Blackhawks had to find players to fill those voids. But in this early portion of the season the Blackhawks’ kill, thanks to young guys who were already here or acquisitions, has done just fine.
In nine games the Blackhawks have killed off 22 of 25 power plays, including three vs. the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. They’ve allowed just one power-play goal in their last 13 kills, and that was with 10 seconds remaining on a 5-on-3 against the Florida Panthers. The Blackhawks have had a rather smooth transition despite losing some good killers to trades and free agency, and being without defenseman Duncan Keith. Acquisitions Artem Anisimov and Ryan Garbutt, as well as young players like Trevor van Riemsdyk and Viktor Svedberg, have helped the Blackhawks’ established penalty killers continue strong work.
“I think they’ve adjusted well,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “They’re all getting more in tuned to where they need to go, when to pressure, when to be patient. But it’s nice when you’ve got four groups – [Marcus Kruger and Andrew Desjardins] usually go one and three, but some nights those guys take penalties, as well. You can never have enough guys up front that can be utilized in that situation, so we know the importance at the end of it.”
Jonathan Toews was especially complimentary of how Garbutt and Anisimov have helped the kill.
“Him and Arty, they’re obviously two great skaters. It’s nice to have those two extra guys who can skate and play smart defensively in the rotation,” Toews said. “It keeps a few more guys involved in the game and obviously in a game like [Saturday vs. Tampa Bay] or even against Florida, where we run into some penalty trouble, we keep our legs fresh when we’re killing and we go back to 5-on-5, too.”
Garbutt, who came to Chicago from Dallas last summer, said the Stars tried to mimic the Blackhawks’ penalty kill. Since joining it, he’s been learning from Kruger and Desjardins.
“They kill penalties so well; you just try to follow their lead,” said Garbutt. “It’s instinct but also being patient, not running out of position, taking away the passes you don’t want them to make in zone and pressuring when you can. You don’t want to give away too much.”
Instinct, system and patience are big factors in a successful penalty kill. So is communication. No matter who’s on the kill, everyone makes a vocal effort to be on the same page.
“We talk a lot. We talk before games, scout out other teams. But after every shift we talk about something we can do a little bit better, or if we did something good there,” Kruger said. “That’s a big part, communication on the PK.”
The Blackhawks’ penalty kill has been strong for several years now, and they wanted it to stay way through the personnel changes. So far, they’ve done that.
“I think it’s been all right. We gave up a few goals, a 5-on-3 goal and stuff like that, but overall it’s been an OK start,” Kruger said. “That’s the process of getting better and better all year. It’s a good start and we try to get better here every day.”
Blackhawks recall Tanner Kero, assign Vincent Hinostroza to Rockford.
By C. Roumeliotis
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Blackhawks recalled forward Tanner Kero and sent Chicago native Vincent Hinostroza back to Rockford, the team announced Tuesday.
Kero, 23, has six goals and two assists in five games with the IceHogs this season, and was recently named AHL's Player of the Week after potting three goals, an assist and a plus-5 rating over his last three contests.
Kero, 23, has six goals and two assists in five games with the IceHogs this season, and was recently named AHL's Player of the Week after potting three goals, an assist and a plus-5 rating over his last three contests.
Kero also appeared in six playoff games for Rockford last season, where he scored two goals and an assist. The Hancock, Mich. native signed a two-year contract in April after finishing his senior season at Michigan Tech with 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 41 games, good enough to be nominated for the Hobey Baker Award.
Hinostroza appeared in four games with the Blackhawks, and was held without a point.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Bulls hold on for opening-night win against rival Cavaliers.
Hinostroza appeared in four games with the Blackhawks, and was held without a point.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Bulls hold on for opening-night win against rival Cavaliers.
By Vincent Goodwill
President Barack Obama watches in the first half. (Photo/Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
It was tailor-made for an instant replay, another chance for LeBron James to quiet a crazed Bulls crowd and break hearts, albeit on a night in October rather than one in May.
But Jimmy Butler refused to give James even a sliver of space as Mo Williams tried to inbound the ball underneath the rim with 3.6 seconds left, tipping it away and chasing it downcourt to secure the Bulls’ opening-night 97-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center.
“To tell you the truth I thought it would be the same play he made over me in the playoffs last year,” Butler said. “Stay on his body and threw the ball over the top, I got a piece of it.”
It came after Pau Gasol blocked a James drive mano a mano, his sixth of the night in a surprising defensive showing.
“I made myself very small in my finish,” James said. “Pau was having a great game, and he made a great play.”
Everybody remembers James’ fadeaway jumper over Butler’s outstretched arms in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series, preventing the Bulls from going up 3-1 in that series and possibly to the NBA Finals, starting the chain of events that led to Fred Hoiberg’s debut as head coach.
He knew the play well enough to prepare his players for what could occur and didn’t see any panic from his team late.
“I thought when LeBron lined up in front of the ball, similar to the play (in last year’s playoffs) when he hit the 3, and they had a good counter to it,” Hoiberg said. “But Jimmy stayed right into his body and just jumped up there and got the deflection, defended it very well.”
Hoiberg’s first official game featured as much drama as some of Tom Thibodeau’s final games on this very floor, as Kevin Love scored eight straight in the last minute to pull the Cavaliers within striking distance after the Bulls seemingly pulled away, making President Barack Obama feel secure enough with 1:38 left and the Bulls leading 95-87.
It took awhile for the Bulls’ offense to get in gear, as they only shot 42 percent overall but got better looks down the stretch with their ball movement leading to opportunities for Nikola Mirotic, Derrick Rose and Butler.
James’ runner with 5:31 left gave the Cavaliers a 83-82 lead after they trailed for all of the second half, but Mirotic had a three-point play which was followed by Butler dunk and Rose layup to give the Bulls a little breathing room.
Mirotic led the Bulls with 19 points, as he helped the Bulls break out of some early lethargy with 11 in the first, including two of his three triples on the night.
Butler’s thievery completed a night where he didn’t do much offensively for the better part of three quarters but he finished with 17 points on six of 17 shooting in 36 minutes, five rebounds and of course, that key steal that sealed the win.
They withstood James’ night of 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes as Butler had to play his shadow, knowing he would give up some spectacular plays from the game’s best player but getting deterred wasn’t an option.
“All I know is try to stop 23 (James) from going off,” Butler said. “End of the day, I think I did a decent job of that at the end of the game.”
Rose, who’s still suffering from double vision in his surgically repaired left eye, played 32 minutes after playing just 10 in one preseason game, scoring 18 points with five assists on six of 22 shooting.
The double vision hits hardest when he’s driving closer to the basket, affecting his depth perception. So the fact he missed so many shots at the rim is more of a good sign than anything else, evidenced by only taking two 3-pointers.
In the 14 games where Rose took more than 20 shots last season, he took two 3-pointers or fewer just twice and had 10 games of six or more 3-pointers attempted.
“When we catch the ball, we are going downhill,” Rose said. “We’re not catching the ball with teams knowing exactly what we’re doing. It’s a new wrinkle to us. Coach doesn’t call many plays. It’s more a read-type offense.”
It certainly had its choppy moments, but with five players in double figures and playing 10 players, the effort was able to drown out the lack of efficiency.
Pretty it was not, but the Bulls showed they still have the ability to get their hands dirty in this new era.
But Jimmy Butler refused to give James even a sliver of space as Mo Williams tried to inbound the ball underneath the rim with 3.6 seconds left, tipping it away and chasing it downcourt to secure the Bulls’ opening-night 97-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center.
“To tell you the truth I thought it would be the same play he made over me in the playoffs last year,” Butler said. “Stay on his body and threw the ball over the top, I got a piece of it.”
It came after Pau Gasol blocked a James drive mano a mano, his sixth of the night in a surprising defensive showing.
“I made myself very small in my finish,” James said. “Pau was having a great game, and he made a great play.”
Everybody remembers James’ fadeaway jumper over Butler’s outstretched arms in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series, preventing the Bulls from going up 3-1 in that series and possibly to the NBA Finals, starting the chain of events that led to Fred Hoiberg’s debut as head coach.
He knew the play well enough to prepare his players for what could occur and didn’t see any panic from his team late.
“I thought when LeBron lined up in front of the ball, similar to the play (in last year’s playoffs) when he hit the 3, and they had a good counter to it,” Hoiberg said. “But Jimmy stayed right into his body and just jumped up there and got the deflection, defended it very well.”
Hoiberg’s first official game featured as much drama as some of Tom Thibodeau’s final games on this very floor, as Kevin Love scored eight straight in the last minute to pull the Cavaliers within striking distance after the Bulls seemingly pulled away, making President Barack Obama feel secure enough with 1:38 left and the Bulls leading 95-87.
It took awhile for the Bulls’ offense to get in gear, as they only shot 42 percent overall but got better looks down the stretch with their ball movement leading to opportunities for Nikola Mirotic, Derrick Rose and Butler.
James’ runner with 5:31 left gave the Cavaliers a 83-82 lead after they trailed for all of the second half, but Mirotic had a three-point play which was followed by Butler dunk and Rose layup to give the Bulls a little breathing room.
Mirotic led the Bulls with 19 points, as he helped the Bulls break out of some early lethargy with 11 in the first, including two of his three triples on the night.
Butler’s thievery completed a night where he didn’t do much offensively for the better part of three quarters but he finished with 17 points on six of 17 shooting in 36 minutes, five rebounds and of course, that key steal that sealed the win.
They withstood James’ night of 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes as Butler had to play his shadow, knowing he would give up some spectacular plays from the game’s best player but getting deterred wasn’t an option.
“All I know is try to stop 23 (James) from going off,” Butler said. “End of the day, I think I did a decent job of that at the end of the game.”
Rose, who’s still suffering from double vision in his surgically repaired left eye, played 32 minutes after playing just 10 in one preseason game, scoring 18 points with five assists on six of 22 shooting.
The double vision hits hardest when he’s driving closer to the basket, affecting his depth perception. So the fact he missed so many shots at the rim is more of a good sign than anything else, evidenced by only taking two 3-pointers.
In the 14 games where Rose took more than 20 shots last season, he took two 3-pointers or fewer just twice and had 10 games of six or more 3-pointers attempted.
“When we catch the ball, we are going downhill,” Rose said. “We’re not catching the ball with teams knowing exactly what we’re doing. It’s a new wrinkle to us. Coach doesn’t call many plays. It’s more a read-type offense.”
It certainly had its choppy moments, but with five players in double figures and playing 10 players, the effort was able to drown out the lack of efficiency.
Pretty it was not, but the Bulls showed they still have the ability to get their hands dirty in this new era.
Will Cubs double down with another Jon Lester-level megadeal?
By Patrick Mooney
When the Jordan Zimmermann trade rumors surfaced last offseason, there was a thought that he would set the meter at whatever Jon Lester got and leave it running.
The Washington Nationals talked extension and also took out an insurance policy against Zimmermann leaving, investing $210 million in Max Scherzer and preparing for their homegrown starter to sign somewhere else as a free agent.
Since the Cubs are big Zimmermann fans, do they double down on that six-year, $155 million contract and offer something in Lester’s neighborhood?
Does it make sense to go to the top of the market and try to put together a Scherzer-level megadeal for David Price?
And with all the uncertainty surrounding the team’s financial picture — at least in terms of how much of those new/postseason revenue streams will flow into baseball operations — it’s at least worth asking: Should the Cubs diversify their roster and not have such a top-heavy feel?
The Cubs know they can’t stay this healthy or be that lucky in 2016. Realistically, there are no ready-for-impact pitchers in the minor-league pipeline, the biggest arms years away from potentially contributing.
This is also the time to be aggressive, because that window to contend will slam shut faster than you think. That win-now mentality could also mean building a trade for pitching around someone like Starlin Castro, Javier Baez or Jorge Soler.
Theo Epstein seemed to leave all options on the table during last week’s end-of-season news conference at Wrigley Field, where the team president looked ahead to a winter that could define his administration.
“The topic sentence is we would like to add more quality pitching,” Epstein said after watching Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammel start Games 3 and 4 of a National League Championship Series the New York Mets led from start to finish.
Money talks, but the Cubs won’t have to sell a marquee free agent like Zimmermann or Price on a hope-and-change message, the blueprints for a renovated Wrigley Field and that group of blue-chip prospects.
Wrigleyville is under construction, guys want to play for Joe Maddon (though the manager’s pajama trips aren’t for everyone) and Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell are now playoff-tested.
“Nobody expected us to be here,” Lester said after the Cubs got swept out of the NLCS. “Everybody just expected us to compete and be a part of something that was a step in the right direction. Now we’ve kind of put a stamp on that step (and) we’ve made believers out of people.”
The Cubs won 101 games after Opening Night, when the Cubs had bathroom issues, the Wrigley Field bleachers hadn’t opened yet, Lester still felt the aftereffects from a “dead arm” in spring training and ESPN highlighted the lefty’s issues throwing to first base and controlling the running game.
Whoever joins the Cubs in 2016 won’t have the benefit of a training-wheels season or the goodwill generated during an out-of-nowhere playoff run.
“Now these guys (in the clubhouse) know,” Lester said. “These guys have seen it. They’ve been there. I don’t know if they ever knew they could do it. Now they know they can. I think stuff like this makes you want it more. You get to this point and (the Mets) pushed us aside.
“Maybe that means next year we’ll show up with the belief of winning and not the what-ifs of winning. Guys (should) have a little more swagger and go out and try to do the exact same thing. Hopefully, we’re not short at this point.”
Coming off two straight All-Star seasons where he showed up in the Cy Young Award voting, Zimmermann (13-10, 3.66 ERA) didn’t have the greatest walk year for an underachieving Nationals team that won only 83 games and got manager Matt Williams fired.
But Zimmermann still made 33 starts and topped 200 innings — showing the headstrong attitude the Cubs would appreciate — and he won’t turn 30 until the middle of next season.
Zimmermann is a self-made pitcher who came out of a Division III program — the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point — and still keeps a home in Wisconsin.
The Nationals actually drafted Zimmermann with the 67th overall pick in the 2007 draft — a selection that had been part of the compensation package for the Cubs signing Alfonso Soriano.
Zimmermann is right-handed and had Tommy John surgery near the end of the 2009 season. The Cubs believe lefties typically age better and Lester (two World Series rings) also has more playoff experience than Zimmermann (12-plus postseason innings).
Lester wants another chance to show he’s a big-game pitcher after losing both of his playoff starts this October. But the Cubs have no regrets after Year 1 — 11-12, 3.34 ERA, 207 strikeouts in 205 innings — and would do the Lester deal all over again. Epstein said the Cubs would be fishing in those waters again this winter.
“You can fool people through the season and win games,” Lester said. “This is where you get exposed. And this is where you figure out how to truly win. We did it (through two rounds). We came up a little short (in the NLCS). But that’s only going to make us better.
“Hopefully, we get another chance at this and guys will come into spring training even more hungry. They know how to win now. They know how to compete, day in and day out. Guys will come in now and expect to be in this position.”
Kris Bryant named Sporting News' NL Rookie of the Year.
By Mark Strotman
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The accolades are about to begin pouring in for Kris Bryant, and Monday he earned his first of what should be a few postseason awards.
The Sporting News named Bryant the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year, as voted on by a panel of 167 National League players.
Bryant received a whopping 127 votes, beating out San Francisco's Matt Duffy (22) and Pittsburgh's Jung Ho Kang (5) for the award.
Fellow Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber received two votes.
Bryant is the sixth Cubs rookie to earn the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year, joining Billy Williams (1961), Ken Hubbs (1962), Mark Grace (1988), Kerry Wood (1998) and Geovany Soto (2008).
The No. 2 pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Bryant hit .275 with 26 homers and 99 RBI's in his first year with the Cubs.
He hit just .176 in the postseason, but did hit two home runs and drive in five RBI's.
MLB: Can the Cardinals Keep Up With the Cubs?
By Ryan Davis
But that’s not necessarily the case, for a few reasons. They have a roster of older players, with Matt Holliday, Jhonny Peralta, Adam Wainwright, Matt Carpenter, and Yadier Molina all on the wrong side of 30 heading into 2016. Jason Heyward, John Lackey, and Jaime Garcia all have a decent chance of leaving via free agency.
The Cardinals’ division also carried the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs, owners of the second and third-best records in baseball, respectively. The Pirates have a good core of young talent that should keep the Cardinals on their heels, but they certainly have some questions about their pitching and small-market budget.
The Cubs, on the other hand, have the benefit of young talent and a big-market payroll. The Cubs already have spent $155 million on signing Jon Lester last offseason, and they appear to be gearing up for a run at another big-time starting pitcher. The Cardinals don’t even find themselves just fending off the Cubs, but trying to keep up with them. The Cubs are the team that eliminated the Cards from the playoffs in the NLDS, three-games-to-one.
The question, of course, is how do the Cardinals keep up? It’s not easy. Young players such as Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty are talented but flawed, with questions about both on defense and whether Piscotty is a full-time player or merely a platoon candidate. Even worse, the Cardinals’ best young hitting talent is already on the Major League roster. Who replaces Peralta or Molina when they inevitably are past their prime?
The most simple solution would first be for them to add a little bit more to the team payroll and be active in the free agent market. With the 27-year-old Heyward hitting the market, they’d do well to lock him up long-term, even if it costs them over $150 million to do so. With Wainwright, Lance Lynn, and young pitchers Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez in the rotation, there is certainly concern over the depth and injury history.
There are several starting pitching options, such as Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija, Johnny Cueto, and Mike Leake, that could be worth exploring. St. Louis could also look to deal wither Wacha or Martinez for a package of good, young prospects if they’re able to sign a big free agent pitcher. There’s reason to believe that, even with an expanded payroll, they may not be able to do that.
The current projected payroll for the Cardinals sits at about $92 million for eight players. Of course, they have many arbitration eligible and pre-arbitration players that would make up, roughly, an estimated $15 million. The 2015 payroll was around $132 million, and with a 2016 payroll that would already be around $125 million with current obligations, projected obligations, and a projected multi-year contract for Heyward, that doesn’t leave a lot to spend on a free agent pitcher.
That could mean that the Cards might want to shop Wacha or Martinez for a package led by an established starting pitcher such as Anibal Sanchez, Tom Koehler, or Ian Kennedy. That could add a reliable pitcher in the short-term while bringing back some young prospects to keep the farm system stocked for the near future.
The goal, either way, is to be able to become more competitive in the short and long-term. Both Wacha and Martinez have had shoulder issues, first Wacha in 2014 and then Martinez at the very end of this last season. Shoulder problems are a big red flag, especially in young starting pitchers, and the concerns over Martinez’s frame might make now the best time to sell high on him.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Cardinals made such a bold move, having dealt Shelby Miller to Atlanta for Heyward last season. It was a “win now” move, knowing that a great season from Heyward would benefit them on the field but possibly price him out of their comfort zone. The same logic works with dealing one of their young starters now; keeping them competitive and restocking the farm system, while taking a risk down the road if the young players don’t work out.
Taking risks like that is never fun for an organization, just like how signing free agents to nine-figure contracts don’t make anyone comfortable. But the Cardinals are in a position to need to do these things, because Chicago could dominate the NL Central for years if they don’t. It’s no longer good enough for them just to be the St. Louis Cardinals — now they need to keep up with the Cubs.
Royals win instant classic Game 1 of the World Series in 14th inning.
The Sporting News named Bryant the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year, as voted on by a panel of 167 National League players.
Bryant received a whopping 127 votes, beating out San Francisco's Matt Duffy (22) and Pittsburgh's Jung Ho Kang (5) for the award.
Fellow Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber received two votes.
Bryant is the sixth Cubs rookie to earn the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year, joining Billy Williams (1961), Ken Hubbs (1962), Mark Grace (1988), Kerry Wood (1998) and Geovany Soto (2008).
The No. 2 pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Bryant hit .275 with 26 homers and 99 RBI's in his first year with the Cubs.
He hit just .176 in the postseason, but did hit two home runs and drive in five RBI's.
MLB: Can the Cardinals Keep Up With the Cubs?
By Ryan Davis
The St. Louis Cardinals won 100 games in 2015, good for the best record in Major League Baseball. That should be good enough to appease the fans and the caretakers of the organization, knowing they have foundation of players and that they’d be favorites to win the National League Central division again next season.
But that’s not necessarily the case, for a few reasons. They have a roster of older players, with Matt Holliday, Jhonny Peralta, Adam Wainwright, Matt Carpenter, and Yadier Molina all on the wrong side of 30 heading into 2016. Jason Heyward, John Lackey, and Jaime Garcia all have a decent chance of leaving via free agency.
The Cardinals’ division also carried the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs, owners of the second and third-best records in baseball, respectively. The Pirates have a good core of young talent that should keep the Cardinals on their heels, but they certainly have some questions about their pitching and small-market budget.
The Cubs, on the other hand, have the benefit of young talent and a big-market payroll. The Cubs already have spent $155 million on signing Jon Lester last offseason, and they appear to be gearing up for a run at another big-time starting pitcher. The Cardinals don’t even find themselves just fending off the Cubs, but trying to keep up with them. The Cubs are the team that eliminated the Cards from the playoffs in the NLDS, three-games-to-one.
The question, of course, is how do the Cardinals keep up? It’s not easy. Young players such as Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty are talented but flawed, with questions about both on defense and whether Piscotty is a full-time player or merely a platoon candidate. Even worse, the Cardinals’ best young hitting talent is already on the Major League roster. Who replaces Peralta or Molina when they inevitably are past their prime?
The most simple solution would first be for them to add a little bit more to the team payroll and be active in the free agent market. With the 27-year-old Heyward hitting the market, they’d do well to lock him up long-term, even if it costs them over $150 million to do so. With Wainwright, Lance Lynn, and young pitchers Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez in the rotation, there is certainly concern over the depth and injury history.
There are several starting pitching options, such as Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija, Johnny Cueto, and Mike Leake, that could be worth exploring. St. Louis could also look to deal wither Wacha or Martinez for a package of good, young prospects if they’re able to sign a big free agent pitcher. There’s reason to believe that, even with an expanded payroll, they may not be able to do that.
The current projected payroll for the Cardinals sits at about $92 million for eight players. Of course, they have many arbitration eligible and pre-arbitration players that would make up, roughly, an estimated $15 million. The 2015 payroll was around $132 million, and with a 2016 payroll that would already be around $125 million with current obligations, projected obligations, and a projected multi-year contract for Heyward, that doesn’t leave a lot to spend on a free agent pitcher.
That could mean that the Cards might want to shop Wacha or Martinez for a package led by an established starting pitcher such as Anibal Sanchez, Tom Koehler, or Ian Kennedy. That could add a reliable pitcher in the short-term while bringing back some young prospects to keep the farm system stocked for the near future.
The goal, either way, is to be able to become more competitive in the short and long-term. Both Wacha and Martinez have had shoulder issues, first Wacha in 2014 and then Martinez at the very end of this last season. Shoulder problems are a big red flag, especially in young starting pitchers, and the concerns over Martinez’s frame might make now the best time to sell high on him.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Cardinals made such a bold move, having dealt Shelby Miller to Atlanta for Heyward last season. It was a “win now” move, knowing that a great season from Heyward would benefit them on the field but possibly price him out of their comfort zone. The same logic works with dealing one of their young starters now; keeping them competitive and restocking the farm system, while taking a risk down the road if the young players don’t work out.
Taking risks like that is never fun for an organization, just like how signing free agents to nine-figure contracts don’t make anyone comfortable. But the Cardinals are in a position to need to do these things, because Chicago could dominate the NL Central for years if they don’t. It’s no longer good enough for them just to be the St. Louis Cardinals — now they need to keep up with the Cubs.
Royals win instant classic Game 1 of the World Series in 14th inning.
By Jeff Passan
Game 1 of the World Series featured a leadoff inside-the-park home run, a starting pitcher whose father had died earlier in the day, an egregious error reminiscent of the most famous in baseball history, a game-tying, bottom-of-the-ninth-inning home run and an extra-innings, walk-off celebration in a game that tied for the lengthiest in World Series history.
After cruising through the first two innings, Volquez worked out of a jam in the third before the Mets touched him up for a run on three singles in the fourth. They tacked on another run with a Granderson home run in the fifth and one more in the sixth on a Michael Conforto sacrifice fly to push the Mets ahead, 3-1.
At the time, two runs looked like enough for Matt Harvey. The Mets right-hander, one of the team's four standout starting pitchers, had cruised after a bumpy start. On the first pitch the Royals saw, Escobar blasted a dead-red 95-mph fastball from Harvey to left-center field. As Conforto and center fielder Yoenis Cespedes converged, Conforto peeled away and Cespedes didn't reach for the ball. It ricocheted off his left foot, kicked away from both and rolled far enough that Escobar scored without a throw home. It was the first World Series inside-the-park home run since Philadelphia A's center fielder Mule Haas hit one Oct. 12, 1929.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: CIMB Classic.
If the rest of the 111th World Series is anything like the first game that started Tuesday and bled into early Wednesday, baseball is in for one hell of a week.
The Kansas City Royals, baseball's comeback kids, saved their most dramatic moments yet for the New York Mets. Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that scored Alcides Escobar after he reached on a David Wright error in the bottom of the 14th inning, propelling the Royals to a frenetic 5-4 victory in front of 40,320 at Kauffman Stadium.
They braved five hours, nine minutes of baseball to witness Hosmer's redemption. It came six innings after his brutal error and five innings after Alex Gordon saved him with a 438-foot shot off impregnable closer Jeurys Familia with one out in the bottom of the ninth and Kansas City trailing, 4-3. Familia, who hadn't blown a save since July 30, watched his 97-mph sinker fly into the night and become the first game-tying or go-ahead home run that late in Game 1 of the World Series since Kirk Gibson took Dennis Eckersley deep in 1988.
It wasn't the only time the game mimicked a historic World Series moment. The Mets owned the one-run lead because of a play familiar to them: an error at first base. Hosmer botched an in-between hop on a Wilmer Flores groundball in the eighth inning that scored Juan Lagares and drained the Kauffman crowd. In a play reminiscent of Bill Buckner's infamous error in the 1986 World Series, Hosmer, a two-time Gold Glove winner, was handcuffed by Flores' bouncer and watched it leak into right field. It was the first go-ahead run on an error that late in a World Series game since Buckner's gaffe.
New York had squelched a rally in the bottom of the eighth when, with Ben Zobrist on second base, Lorenzo Cain inexplicably tried to bunt twice and struck out. Hosmer followed with a strikeout, and Familia locked down the final out of the eighth inning before returning in the ninth and looking to squelch Kansas City's home-field advantage.
Then Gordon stepped in. And Wright booted a ball. And Zobrist singled him to third. And the Mets walked the bases loaded. And Hosmer, the face of the franchise, delivered with a fly ball deep enough to right field that even a great throw from Curtis Granderson couldn't cut down Escobar.
And the can't-kill-'em Royals were as alive as ever.
The matchup between Kansas City and New York pitted teams with championship droughts of 30 and 29 years, respectively, and they looked every bit the equal until the uncharacteristic Royals defensive miscue. Kansas City prides itself on its fielding prowess, and it was thought to be a strong advantage going into the series.
New York managed to flip multiple storylines on their heads. While the Royals' ability to make contact is obvious, the Mets swung and missed at just two pitches from Royals starter Edinson Volquez. About 20 minutes before the first pitch, reports from the Dominican Republic said Daniel Volquez, Edinson's father, had died at 63. Whether Volquez was aware of his father's passing was unclear; the Royals said he did not know, while an ESPN report said Volquez learned of it on the way to the stadium.
After cruising through the first two innings, Volquez worked out of a jam in the third before the Mets touched him up for a run on three singles in the fourth. They tacked on another run with a Granderson home run in the fifth and one more in the sixth on a Michael Conforto sacrifice fly to push the Mets ahead, 3-1.
At the time, two runs looked like enough for Matt Harvey. The Mets right-hander, one of the team's four standout starting pitchers, had cruised after a bumpy start. On the first pitch the Royals saw, Escobar blasted a dead-red 95-mph fastball from Harvey to left-center field. As Conforto and center fielder Yoenis Cespedes converged, Conforto peeled away and Cespedes didn't reach for the ball. It ricocheted off his left foot, kicked away from both and rolled far enough that Escobar scored without a throw home. It was the first World Series inside-the-park home run since Philadelphia A's center fielder Mule Haas hit one Oct. 12, 1929.
Kansas City scratched back with two runs in the sixth inning. Hosmer's sacrifice fly plated Zobrist, who was on after a leadoff double, and Mike Moustakas laced a two-out single to score Cain and tie the score at 3-3.
All of it set up the antics in the eighth and beyond. The Mets strung together strikeout after strikeout, with Wade Davis, Ryan Madson and Chris Young combining for nine punchouts in the 10th through 13th innings. The Royals, meanwhile, loaded the bases in the 12th inning and put a runner on second in the 13th but couldn't capitalize until Hosmer's heroics.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: CIMB Classic.
By Ryan Ballengee
The PGA Tour is two events into its new season, and now it's taking a two-week Asian detour for a pair of limited-field events, starting this week in Malaysia with the CIMB Classic at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
Ryan Moore is the two-time defending champion in the 78-player event, but he isn't the best player in the field this week.
Here are our top five players for this week:
1. Henrik Stenson -- The Swede has never played in this event, but that doesn't mean a whole lot considering his recent form, including three runner-up finishes in the four FedEx Cup playoff events. He's hot.
2. Kevin Na -- At some point, Na has to nod off, but he's been second in his last two starts. It's hard to argue with the results. The time change could be an issue coming from Las Vegas, but he was T-2 here last year.
3. Patrick Reed -- We like Reed here for a couple of reasons. He finished T-3 at the Hong Kong Open last week on the European Tour, so he's also already on time. He was T-26 here last year.
4. Ryan Moore -- The two-time defending champion here is off to an OK start on the new season, with a T-10 at Frys on the back of a solid weekend and a T-43 in a home game in Vegas.
5. Branden Grace -- Now a PGA Tour member, Grace makes his debut after a historic, undefeated performance at the Presidents Cup. Seems likely to continue the good play.
Updated rules eliminate DQs for some scorecard errors.
Reuters; Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes, Editing by Tony Jimenez
Golfers will no longer be disqualified for failing to include penalty strokes on their scorecards, when unaware of the violation, in one of a number of rule changes announced on Monday by the sport's governing bodies.
This limited exception to the 'disqualification penalty for submission of incorrect scorecard' would have saved Padraig Harrington and Camilo Villegas from being disqualified from events during the 2011 season had it applied at the time.
Golfers will no longer be disqualified for failing to include penalty strokes on their scorecards, when unaware of the violation, in one of a number of rule changes announced on Monday by the sport's governing bodies.
This limited exception to the 'disqualification penalty for submission of incorrect scorecard' would have saved Padraig Harrington and Camilo Villegas from being disqualified from events during the 2011 season had it applied at the time.
"A player is not disqualified for returning a lower score for a hole than actually taken as a result of failing to include penalty strokes that the player did not know were incurred before returning the scorecard," the game's rulemakers said in a joint statement.
"Instead, the player incurs the penalty under the rule that was breached and must add an additional penalty of two strokes for the scorecard error.
"In all other cases in which a player returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken, the penalty will continue to be disqualification."
This exception was announced by the United States Golf Association and the R&A as part of the updated rules to be ushered in on Jan. 1 as the culmination of a standard four-year review cycle.
ABU DHABI
If this rule had applied four years ago, Harrington would not have been disqualified from the Abu Dhabi Championship for signing an incorrect scorecard when a television viewer noticed he had moved his ball a fraction on the seventh green.
The viewer contacted European Tour officials to explain that Harrington had marginally knocked his ball forward on a par-three hole while replacing his marker during the opening round.
The Irishman was therefore considered guilty of signing an incorrect score as he should have called a two-stroke penalty on himself for moving the ball.
"(Under the new rules) Harrington would have received the original penalty, plus an additional two-stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard, but he would still be in the competition and playing golf," Thomas Pagel, the USGA's senior director of the rules of golf, said on a conference call.
In a similar fashion, Colombian Villegas would have escaped disqualification from the PGA Tour's season-opening Tournament of Champions in 2011 when he was spotted by a viewer to have breached the rules.
Among other changes, a golfer will no longer be automatically deemed to have caused the ball to move after address while the long-awaited ban on anchoring long putters to the body will also take effect from Jan. 1.
Sans Tiger Woods, Kuchar claims America's Golf Cup with Hueber.
By Ryan Ballengee
Who needs Tiger Woods? Not Matt Kuchar, at least at the America's Golf Cup.
Kuchar, who teamed with Justin Hueber instead of the originally planed Woods in the two-man team event, to chalk up a win for the United States in the PGA Tour Latinoamerica event by four shots over the Puerto Rican duo of Rafael Campos and Edward Figueroa. The Americans won with a four-round total of 34-under 250, including an 11-under 60 in the final round, played under the best ball (or foursomes) format.
The U.S. duo shot 60 in both best-ball rounds of the competition, playing the alternate-shot rounds at the Club Campestre de la Ciudad de Mexico in 12 under par.
Woods has been scheduled to play with Kuchar in each of the last two years of this event but has been unable to uphold his commitment each year, sidelined with back issues. On Sept. 18, Woods underwent a second microdiscectomy procedure on his back in the last 18 months, forcing him to withdraw from the event for a second year in a row.
The 14-time major champion appeared at the event in support, suggesting a "long and tedious" recovery from the surgery.
Hueber, Kuchar's substitute partner, is a 28-year-old University of Indianapolis product who is fifth on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica money list. The top five finishers at the end of the season earn status on the Web.com Tour.
NASCAR; Power Rankings: It's all Joey Logano all the time.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Joey Logano (LW: 1): Six wins including the Daytona 500. The first driver to win three-straight Chase races since Jimmie Johnson. Not a bad season, eh? But with the way that Joey Logano is performing right now, it's title or bust. He was the best overall driver through the Chase's 10 races last year. He is once again this year. One more win gets him automatically to Homestead, where he hopes to avoid late-pit stop disaster.
2. Everyone else, err, uh, Carl Edwards (LW: 5): Seriously, who would you put at No. 2 right now? You could argue that it should be Dale Earnhardt Jr. based off the strength of his Talladega performance. Instead we'll go with Edwards, who successfully orchestrated a "ride in the back and finish in the top five" strategy for part of the race. A lot of times the patience doesn't pay off. It worked for Edwards and he's in the next round.
3. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8): Logano had a choice on the final restart(s). He could have taken the bottom lane and had Keselowski behind him or he could have taken the top side and separated Junior and Jeff Gordon. He chose the latter option. We'll never know how it would have worked out -- Junior said he was happy to have the bottom lane -- but it's easy to understand Logano's line of thinking.
3. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8): Logano had a choice on the final restart(s). He could have taken the bottom lane and had Keselowski behind him or he could have taken the top side and separated Junior and Jeff Gordon. He chose the latter option. We'll never know how it would have worked out -- Junior said he was happy to have the bottom lane -- but it's easy to understand Logano's line of thinking.
4. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): Hey, Kyle Busch is still alive in the Chase! Given his performance this season it's not a surprise. But given his historical Chase performance, it's a bit of one. Busch was lamenting his Chase predicament after Charlotte. And while those words were largely out of frustration, one has to wonder how much of a confidence boost it is that he's still around. We think he'll get to the final round too.
5. Kurt Busch (LW: 6): How much of an upset would it be if Busch was in the final round of the Chase while his teammate Kevin Harvick was not? His points-per-race pace is only two points off Harvick's throughout the entirety of the season. So, not much. Busch's car will have a different look this weekend too. It'll be sponsored by Monster Energy for the first time. The company will be on his car's hood for half of the season next year.
6. Kevin Harvick (LW: 4): NASCAR's announcement that it didn't find anything to penalize at Talladega won't calm those who feel Harvick acted purposefully on the final restart of the race. And again, we say that if he did, he was doing so to help his own self-interests and advance in the Chase. Perhaps nothing signifies the survival instinct necessary in the Chase than purposefully causing a crash or moving a driver for your own personal advancement. It's kind of like the circus, really. We watch for people to survive the crazy tricks and avoid mistakes.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 11): If it wasn't for the wild ending Sunday, the overwhelming story would be Junior's drive. Not only did he lead 61 laps he was back to the front in a blink after he was at the back of the pack because of a pit road penalty. His average finish at the four restrictor plate races this year is a whopping 1.75. How nutty is that? It'd be 1.5 if he had won the race.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 11): If it wasn't for the wild ending Sunday, the overwhelming story would be Junior's drive. Not only did he lead 61 laps he was back to the front in a blink after he was at the back of the pack because of a pit road penalty. His average finish at the four restrictor plate races this year is a whopping 1.75. How nutty is that? It'd be 1.5 if he had won the race.
8. Jeff Gordon (LW: 10): Speaking of survival, here's a guy doing just that in his final Sprint Cup Series season? Is Gordon a title threat? Sure. Ryan Newman was at Homestead when he was chasing Kevin Harvick, right? While Gordon winning the championship would be a great storyline to cap his career, NASCAR better hope he wins a race over these next four. Otherwise it's going to be bigger than Newman.
9. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 9): Martinsville is going to be a good barometer of Truex's title chances. His average finish of 22.2 there is second-worst among all tracks on the schedule. He did get his fifth top 10 in 19 starts in the spring there, so there's reason for optimism. A repeat of that, and he's sitting pretty. If he finishes 28th like he did last fall, well...
10. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7): First Kenseth was threatening to kick Logano's butt after the two made contact while heading to pit road and then he was saying this after the race: “Well, at the end, [Harvick] knew he was blew up and we had the first attempt, but I guess they said it wasn’t an attempt ... So then they tried it again and the 4 knew he was blew up, so he said he was going to stay in his lane, so the [Trevor Bayne] then went up and outside and he clipped him and caused a wreck because he knew he’d make the Chase that way, so it’s – I got wrecked out two weeks in a row from people doing what they had to do to make the Chase, but call it what you want. But I just feel like they lost total control of this whole thing. It’s not what racing is all about. [Logano] last week wrecks us for the win to get in, to keep us out and get him in and then today we’ve got a chance, he’s lined up behind, he’s dragging the brakes, he’s trying not to go. He’s doing everything he can to make it worse for you, so he’s standing there in victory lane and he’s happy, but the racing is just – it’s just kind of out of control.”
11. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2): Hamlin seemed set to overcome the roof hatch craziness he had during the race to sneak into the Chase. And then the final crash happened. Hamlin was out of the Chase. How crazy is it that Hamlin has had issues with his hood flying up and his roof hatch popping open in the same year? At least with the hood at Indianapolis it didn't happen during the race.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): Goodbye, sweet Newman. We will miss your relentless borderline top-10ing for Chase advancement. Newman finished 12th at Talladega but it wasn't enough after Harvick finished 15th. Had NASCAR found intent and penalized Harvick, Newman would have been the beneficiary. How weird would it have been if he had gotten in/advanced in the Chase twice because of penalties to others?
Lucky Dog: Well done Paul Menard.
The DNF: The race itself.
Dropped out: No one. We're going to start having fun with the four non-Chase spots next week.
NASCAR reaches 5-year sanctioning agreements with tracks.
AP - Sports
NASCAR on Monday said it has signed five-year sanctioning agreements with 23 tracks that host Sprint Cup Series races.The sanctioning body reached the same agreement with 24 tracks that host Xfinity Series races. The deals mean the tracks will host their events through the 2020 seasons, although the actual race dates can change.
NASCAR made very few changes to the 2016 schedules announced Monday. The differences:
- The spring race at Richmond will be moved from its traditional Saturday night date to Sunday, April 24.
- Dover's first race of the year was moved up before the Charlotte Motor Speedway races in May.
- Michigan's second race will be later in August than usual.
- Pocono Raceway will host its first Xfinity Series event in June.
NASCAR Announce 2016 Sprint Cup Schedule.
By Dustin Long
NASCAR announced the 2016 Sprint Cup schedule Monday and agreements with 23 tracks to host Cup races for the next five years.
NASCAR also announced that 24 tracks will host NASCAR Xfinity races through 2020.
NASCAR will release the 2016 Camping World Truck Series schedule at a later date.
There are few changes in the Sprint Cup schedule compared to this season.
Richmond International Raceway’s spring race moves from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. That race this year was held on a Sunday after it was rained out Saturday night.
Dover International Speedway’s first race moves to May 15 before the series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600.
The July Daytona race returns to its traditional Saturday night date after the event was held on Sunday night this year to mark NBC’s return to broadcasting NASCAR.
As for the long-term agreements with tracks to host races, NASCAR states it will help fans and the sport.
“Among the goals that we set out to accomplish with our track partners was to provide consistency for race fans and the industry stakeholders,’’ said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR vice president and chief racing development officer, in a statement. “We feel like we have a nice balance of that for 2016. The stability of five-year agreements positions us well to deliver fans with schedules as early as possible over the next several years.
2016 Sprint Cup Schedule
Feb. 13 – Sprint Unlimited (Daytona International Speedway)
Feb. 14 – Daytona 500 qualifying
Feb. 18 – Duel qualifying races at Daytona
Feb. 21 — Daytona 500
Feb. 28 – Atlanta
March 6 — Las Vegas
March 13 — Phoenix
March 20 — Auto Club Speedway
March 27 – Easter (off weekend)
April 3 – Martinsville
April 9 – Texas
April 17 – Bristol
April 24 – Richmond
May 1- Talladega
May 7 – Kansas
May 15 – Dover
May 21 – Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte
May 29 – Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
June 5 – Pocono
June 12 – Michigan
June 19 – Father’s Day (off weekend)
June 26 – Sonoma
July 2 — Daytona
July 9 – Kentucky
July 17 – New Hampshire
July 24 – Indianapolis
July 31 – Pocono
Aug. 7 – Watkins Glen
Aug. 14 – Off weekend
Aug. 20 – Bristol
Aug. 28 – Michigan
Sept. 4 – Darlington
Sept. 10 – Richmond
Sept. 18 – Chicagoland (first race in Chase)
Sept. 25 – New Hampshire
Oct. 2 – Dover
Oct. 8 – Charlotte
Oct.16 – Kansas
Oct. 23 – Talladega
Oct. 30 – Martinsville
Nov. 6 – Texas
Nov. 13 – Phoenix
Nov. 20 – Homestead
SOCCER: Who could replace Jurgen Klinsmann?
Feb. 14 – Daytona 500 qualifying
Feb. 18 – Duel qualifying races at Daytona
Feb. 21 — Daytona 500
Feb. 28 – Atlanta
March 6 — Las Vegas
March 13 — Phoenix
March 20 — Auto Club Speedway
March 27 – Easter (off weekend)
April 3 – Martinsville
April 9 – Texas
April 17 – Bristol
April 24 – Richmond
May 1- Talladega
May 7 – Kansas
May 15 – Dover
May 21 – Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte
May 29 – Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
June 5 – Pocono
June 12 – Michigan
June 19 – Father’s Day (off weekend)
June 26 – Sonoma
July 2 — Daytona
July 9 – Kentucky
July 17 – New Hampshire
July 24 – Indianapolis
July 31 – Pocono
Aug. 7 – Watkins Glen
Aug. 14 – Off weekend
Aug. 20 – Bristol
Aug. 28 – Michigan
Sept. 4 – Darlington
Sept. 10 – Richmond
Sept. 18 – Chicagoland (first race in Chase)
Sept. 25 – New Hampshire
Oct. 2 – Dover
Oct. 8 – Charlotte
Oct.16 – Kansas
Oct. 23 – Talladega
Oct. 30 – Martinsville
Nov. 6 – Texas
Nov. 13 – Phoenix
Nov. 20 – Homestead
SOCCER: Who could replace Jurgen Klinsmann?
By Leander Schaerlaeckens
Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann of the United States looks on against Costa Rica during the first half at Red Bull Arena on October 13, 2015 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
If not Jurgen Klinsmann, then who?
Pressure continues to mount on the embattled United States men's national team head coach-cum-U.S. Soccer technical director in the face of poor results and dreary performances, at all levels. His dismissal, once unimaginable, and never more so than when he signed an extension to his contract through the 2018 World Cup in December 2013, has become increasingly easy to foresee. Last week, word emerged that his grip on the considerable power he wielded at U.S. Soccer is loosening in something of a power struggle.
But it's no use getting rid of a manager, or a technical director, or both, without someone else lined up, or at least likely to accept the job, who can present solutions to the many issues – presently being the lack of wins in key games, the insipid playing style, the total absence of character and unity, or indeed meaningful development at the youth levels.
And this is where all the speculation and conjecture hits a snag. Because the list of feasible replacements is short. And the list of likely ones even shorter. It's fairly telling, after all, that the first names that tend to come up as a successor for the national team job are those of men who have already held the national team job. Or coaches who perhaps declined or were passed over for the job in the past.
Let's take a look at some possible candidates, how they might fit it, and how plausible they are.
Pressure continues to mount on the embattled United States men's national team head coach-cum-U.S. Soccer technical director in the face of poor results and dreary performances, at all levels. His dismissal, once unimaginable, and never more so than when he signed an extension to his contract through the 2018 World Cup in December 2013, has become increasingly easy to foresee. Last week, word emerged that his grip on the considerable power he wielded at U.S. Soccer is loosening in something of a power struggle.
But it's no use getting rid of a manager, or a technical director, or both, without someone else lined up, or at least likely to accept the job, who can present solutions to the many issues – presently being the lack of wins in key games, the insipid playing style, the total absence of character and unity, or indeed meaningful development at the youth levels.
And this is where all the speculation and conjecture hits a snag. Because the list of feasible replacements is short. And the list of likely ones even shorter. It's fairly telling, after all, that the first names that tend to come up as a successor for the national team job are those of men who have already held the national team job. Or coaches who perhaps declined or were passed over for the job in the past.
Let's take a look at some possible candidates, how they might fit it, and how plausible they are.
Bruce Arena
The New Yorker held the job from 1998 through 2006. In that time, he led the team to its best modern-day performance in South Korea and Japan in 2002 by reaching the World Cup quarterfinals, and very nearly the semis. But he oversaw a disastrous campaign in Germany 2006, when the Americans went winless. He was nevertheless dismayed that his contract wasn't renewed and instead set about building Major League Soccer's best-ever dynasty with the Los Angeles Galaxy, winning three of the last four MLS Cups – eclipsing the dynasty he built with D.C. United that won the first two MLS Cups in league history and reached the final in the two years after he left.
Arena told FOX Sports's Alexi Lalas that he would take the job again "under the right circumstances," but for an organization like U.S. Soccer that says it's doing everything in the name of progress, it would be strange to reinstall the old regime.
Bob Bradley
It says a lot about the state of the national team that some yearn for the days of the man who was fired to make way for Klinsmann and the great leap forward he was supposed to represent. After a solid performance at the 2010 World Cup, Bradley was dismissed in the wake of an underwhelming 2011 Gold Cup – in which the Americans, to be honest, weren't as weak as in the 2015 edition under Klinsmann and didn't place as badly.
Since then, Bradley has gone on to very nearly reach the 2014 World Cup with an Egyptian national team beset by political instability and a lack of talent. Then he took a job in Norway with Stabaek, which was expected to be relegated from the top division. Instead, he steered them to a mid-table finish and currently has them in third place towards the end of his sophomore season.
It's unlikely that Bradley would be asked to return or would even want to. He has been linked with other jobs in Europe, in more prestigious leagues, and will likely see how far he can take his career on the continent.
Tab Ramos
One of America's finest midfielders of all time is still early in his coaching career. He has done a nice job of guiding the Under-20 team since its failure to qualify for the U-20 World Cup in 2011, reaching the World Cup quarterfinals in 2015 before going out to eventual champions Serbia on penalties. His teams have mostly played the sort of stylish, up-tempo soccer Klinsmann envisions but can't seem to coax from the senior side.
Although Ramos has served as Klinsmann's assistant with the senior national team as well, he lacks experience in charge of a fully fledged senior team.
Peter Vermes
The former national teamer has built Sporting Kansas City into an MLS powerhouse, not to mention an elite franchise whose teams can be relied upon to play pretty, proactive soccer. He has won the U.S. Open Cup and the MLS Cup in the last few years and launched the careers of several national teamers. Vermes has also been close with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati for a long time, impressing him with his two decades of work on U.S. Soccer's Board of Directors.
Vermes, however, has no experience managing at the international level and so might not be the right guy to solve the issues afflicting a troubled national team. What's more, he may not have the right players there to execute his generally attacking system.
Jason Kreis
Long regarded the best young American manager, Kreis has had a disappointing debut campaign with the expansion New York City FC. While expectations were overinflated – a functional and competitive expansion team is rarely seen in nature, no matter how much money is spent – he was supposed to deliver all the same. He is now apparently on the hot seat and could soon be available.
That said, his shortcomings are the same as those of Vermes. Kreis may not be a stylistic fit and he lacks experience at the next level.
Sigi Schmid
One of the titans of American soccer coaching has somehow never gotten a crack at managing the national team – perhaps because just five men have held the job over the last 24 years. He has built several strong teams in MLS and twice managed the U.S. Under-20s. But at 62, time is winding down on the German-born coach.
If the Americans need a stop-gap solution and Seattle lets him go, he might be a candidate.
Dominic Kinnear
We've come to the less probable end of this list. And while Kinnear has consistently turned modest talent into strong MLS teams – two separate back-to-back MLS Cup appearances with the Houston Dynamo underscore this – there is no real chatter linking him to the national team job. But if the federation needs someone to mold its ramshackle team into something sturdy, even if it may not look the prettiest, it could do an awful lot worse than Kinnear.
That's if he could be convinced to leave San Jose just a year after returning to the Earthquakes.
Caleb Porter
This is a tricky one. Porter is only 40 and has just three seasons of professional experience. He managed the Under-23 national team during its Olympic qualifying tournament in 2011, but failed to get a talented team out of the group stage. At times, Porter's Portland Timbers have dazzled – just as his University of Akron teams did – but there have been plenty of swoons.
While he's one of the great young minds in the American game, he probably won't be a candidate until the job opens up a half decade or so down the line.
Marcelo Bielsa
Wait – before you click away, let us explain. In 2011, before it hired Klinsmann, U.S. Soccer actually spoke to Bielsa about joining the federation as technical director. Those talks went nowhere. But now that the eccentric and unpredictable Argentine ideologue has walked out on Olympique Marseille, he could be available for the head coaching job.
That's if Gulati is willing to cede so much power again, that is, since Bielsa famously demands total control. The obvious downside is that Bielsa presumably has little knowledge of the American player pool, to say nothing of the byzantine amateur soccer scene.
Guus Hiddink
His name gets bandied about whenever unfancied countries that nevertheless reach the World Cup have a vacancy. The big-time manager has previously managed South Korea, Australia, Russia and Turkey, after all. After taking the Netherlands job for a second time, he stepped aside with four games to go in its disastrous and ultimately unsuccessful qualifying campaign for Euro 2016, meaning he is available.
But Hiddink isn't the sort to enjoin disparate pieces with savvy tactics and a talent for organization, which is what the Americans need. His strength is forging brotherhood and pushing a disbelieving team to reach above its ability with a whole that exceeds its parts in number. That isn't really what the USA requires at present. And it's unclear if U.S. Soccer could afford his typically towering salary anyway.
Abby Wambach announces retirement.
By Leander Schaerlaeckens
In women's soccer, there was nobody bigger than Abby Wambach.
Not merely physically, although at almost 6-foot her muscle-bound body towered over most of her overpowered peers. And not just in terms of her large personality, because sometimes it was hard to get the youngest of seven children from a tight-knit family in upstate New York to stop talking.
It wasn't just the scope of her legacy and importance to the national team program, becoming its face after Mia Hamm retired. Or her trophy haul – the NCAA title and the WUSA title and the two Olympic gold medals and the FIFA World Player of the year and, finally and cathartically, the 2015 Women's World Cup this past summer.
She was the biggest because she scored the most goals. Because with Wambach, as in the entire sport of soccer, it always boiled down to the goals. In her first three competitive games, back when she was five years old up in Rochester, she scored 27 times. She played with the boys from then on.
Wambach scored more goals since then. From high school onwards, she bagged just over 500 of them.
Now, she has 184 international goals for the U.S. women's national team and counting – a number that got so high that it required its own Wikipedia page. That's a record for both the U.S. women's and men's national teams. And for any other national team in the world as well. Nobody in the history of the sport has scored as many international goals, woman or man. Wambach has 26 more than Hamm got and has so far done it in 23 fewer games.
Wambach will probably play in four more matches in December as part of the women's national team's Victory Tour. And then, at 35, after 15 years on the national team and in the spotlight, she will retire from a sport she helped build.
"After much deliberation and talking with my friends, family, teammates and our coaching staff, I've decided to finally bring my soccer career to an end," Wambach said in a statement. "While we still have more work to do for women's soccer, after bringing the World Cup back to the United States this summer, I'm feeling extremely optimistic about the future of our sport. It's been an amazing, wonderful ride and I can't wait to see what the next chapter of my life brings."
She has spoken in the past about having children with her wife and perhaps flipping and designing houses for a living. Somewhere away from the game that gobbled up so much from her life, but to which she gave so generously in return. With her highlights, hard-nosed play and her famous intensity. And with her unceasing willingness to promote and grow the game, speaking to anybody, giving endless interviews, answering the same old questions thoughtfully and usually with a smile.
With her World Cup finally won on her fourth attempt, after an obsessive pursuit, she can walk away. She doesn't feel the need to hang around for next year's Olympics and a potential third gold medal. She has nothing left to prove.
"Abby is a player who has transcended our sport and her legacy as one of the world's greatest players is set forever," said U.S. head coach Jill Ellis. "What she has done for women's soccer and women's sports overall with her amazing talents on the field and her personality off it has been inspiring to watch. I am just extremely happy that she could end her career with that elusive World Cup title and go out on top, right where she deserves to be."
Wambach will be remembered as one of the greatest women to ever play soccer. Along with Hamm. Along with Michelle Akers. Along with Brazil's Marta. She'll be remembered as a forward who could do just about anything on the field, who was an unmatched aerial threat with her hammered headers, but whose soft feet were just as remarkable if they lacked that same recognition.
But most of all, Wambach will be remembered for those goals. For the 45 times she scored at least one of them in a game for the USA. For the five hat-tricks. For the two four-goal games. For that five-goal game against Ireland back in 2004.
And then there's this to remember her by: When Wambach scored for her national team, the U.S. won 116 times, tied eight games, and lost just twice.
NCAAFB: No. 15 Michigan building reputation for tough lines.
AP - Sports
One thing has become clear about the Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan: The Wolverines are playing tougher on both sides of the ball.
A stingy defense and an improved running game have become Michigan's calling cards through the first six games of the season heading into Saturday night's game at Minnesota.
Although the 15th-ranked Wolverines fell nearly 140 yards below their average rushing total in a loss to Michigan State, Harbaugh said he ''wouldn't categorize it as regressing.''
Although the 15th-ranked Wolverines fell nearly 140 yards below their average rushing total in a loss to Michigan State, Harbaugh said he ''wouldn't categorize it as regressing.''
Defensively, the Wolverines (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) maintained their ranking as the second-best run defense in the nation by limiting the Spartans to 58 yards and they remain the top scoring defense at 9.3 points per game after three shutouts earlier this season. Safety Dymonte Thomas said the Spartans' passing success (328 yards by Connor Cook) was due to a very good quarterback making throws where only his receiver could catch them.
''We are really eager to get back out there,'' Thomas said. ''We're not going to let one game define us, just like we didn't allow those three shutouts to define us.''
Thomas said the defensive line stopping the run and making opponents one dimensional has been a key to the defense's success.
Willie Henry leads a rotation of players along the defensive line with six sacks, 19 tackles and nine tackles-for-loss. Chris Wormley (19 tackles), Ryan Glasgow (18), Maurice Hurst (15) and Matt Godin (14) have also played key roles.
''I think the defensive line as a whole has been executing a lot better than the last few years,'' Henry said. ''Coaches tell us we don't have one first team, we have two first teams. There can't be a dropoff from the first guy to the second guy, you have to practice like a starter if you're a rotation guy.''
Henry's counterparts on the offensive line has shown even more improvement in 2015. Last year, the Wolverines were among the nation's worst units in terms of sacks allowed (2.8 per game) and tackles for loss allowed (8.8 per game). This season, Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock -- less mobile than last year's starter, Devin Gardner -- has been sacked 11 times in seven games and opponents are averaging 5.3 tackles for loss.
Wide receiver Amara Darboh said limiting negative yardage plays has been a big point of emphasis with the team, a task more easily attained with a veteran offensive line that took its lumps the past two seasons as underclassmen.
''A lot of them looked at last year and tried to improve from that,'' Darboh said. ''Football is a game of inches, so it helps tremendously if we keep moving forward. With the o-line doing what they've been doing, it helps the offense as a whole.''
Asked to assess his team's line play on both sides of the ball, Harbaugh said ''play has improved, the prologue has been written.''
''Now, if we're going to have a great book, we're going to have to have one heckuva conclusion,'' Harbaugh continued. ''We're looking for that from our team and each unit.''
Asked to assess his team's line play on both sides of the ball, Harbaugh said ''play has improved, the prologue has been written.''
''Now, if we're going to have a great book, we're going to have to have one heckuva conclusion,'' Harbaugh continued. ''We're looking for that from our team and each unit.''
Hey Miami, Ed Reed wants to be your next football coach.
By Graham Watson
Hey Miami, Ed Reed wants to be your next football coach (Photo/YahooSports.com)
It’s been less than 24 hours since Al Golden was fired at Miami, but already some unexpected people are trying to throw their names into the coaching ring.
One of those is former star defensive back Ed Reed, who retired from a 12-year NFL career this past summer and is looking for a new gig.
“I was like, man, maybe put my name in the mix for a coaching job,” Reed told the Rich Eisen Show. “’Cause it seems like the head coach seems to just manage everybody, manage the game, you know, and try to help the offensive and defensive coordinators make the best decisions.”
“I haven’t received a call from a 305 number just so you know,” Reed added laughing.
Other than being able to relate to former players, not sure Reed is the ideal candidate to replace Golden and bring the program back to prominence.“I haven’t received a call from a 305 number just so you know,” Reed added laughing.
The entire conversation between Reed and Eisen was started when Eisen remarked that unlike basketball, former football players rarely came back to coach their alma maters.
Reed, who owns Miami records for career interceptions (21), career interception return yards (389) and interceptions returned for touchdowns (5), said he’d listen if athletic director Blake James did reach out.
“I would definitely listen,” Reed said. “Definitely would go and talk and want to know where they’re trying to go, what they’re trying to do. What they’re looking to do. I would entertain it, yes.”
Nothing against Reed, but here's hoping Miami doesn't have to make this call.
Nothing against Reed, but here's hoping Miami doesn't have to make this call.
Notre Dame-Temple Preview.
AP - Sports
Notre Dame's trio of players from the Philadelphia area will be the center of attention this weekend.
There's no guarantee of a happy homecoming for Mike McGlinchey, Will Fuller and Josh Adams since they'll be facing an unbeaten Temple team off to the best start in school history.
The No. 21 Owls will try to improve to 8-0 and ruin Saturday night for the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish's returning stars at a sold-out Lincoln Financial Field.
Matt Rhule's first game as Temple coach was a 28-6 loss at Notre Dame to open 2013. His squad went 2-10 that year and 6-6 a season ago before emerging in 2015 with the program's first national ranking since 1979.
Saturday's contest represents another chance to gauge the Owls' progress.
"Obviously we're excited about this week, as I know everybody is," Rhule said. "A tremendous opportunity to play a great team in Notre Dame, a team we had a chance to play two years ago. They're probably still a national title contender even though they lost one game by a point or two points. They're loaded, they're absolutely fantastic."
The Fighting Irish (6-1) bring in three key players from the area. They will practice at Philadelphia's William Penn Charter School, where McGlinchey - a starter on the offensive line - went to high school.
"They will have to settle into the game and they will," coach Brian Kelly said. "They have played in some big venues. They understand that there's going to be some excitement about it. And I'm sure they will be excited, but they are going to have to settle into the game."
Fuller is averaging 100.3 receiving yards to rank 14th in the nation with eight touchdowns. His big-play potential has been evident with an average of 21.9 yards per catch for the seventh-best mark in the FBS.
"I don't know that anybody has slowed down Will Fuller," Rhule said. "It's just every game, you see him over and over again."
"I don't know that anybody has slowed down Will Fuller," Rhule said. "It's just every game, you see him over and over again."
Adams will see the least action among the trio since the freshman running back is second on the team with 265 rushing yards. C.J. Prosise has a team-high 922 yards on the ground with 11 scores, with his five 100-yard efforts the most by a Notre Dame player since Darius Walker had six in 2006.
DeShone Kizer has thrown for 10 scores and ran for three more since taking over at quarterback when Malik Zaire was injured in a 34-27 win at Virginia on Sept. 12.
He'll be up against a stout Owls defense that is yielding 307.0 yards per game for the 14th-best mark in the country. Temple is allowing 14.6 points to rank eighth in the FBS and is tied for fifth with 12 interceptions.
DeShone Kizer has thrown for 10 scores and ran for three more since taking over at quarterback when Malik Zaire was injured in a 34-27 win at Virginia on Sept. 12.
He'll be up against a stout Owls defense that is yielding 307.0 yards per game for the 14th-best mark in the country. Temple is allowing 14.6 points to rank eighth in the FBS and is tied for fifth with 12 interceptions.
"They have a really good offensive line, really solid up front, they have a really strong tailback and our defense is going to match up well against them," Temple defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis said. "We're excited to play."
The Irish rank 50th in total defense, giving up 370.3 yards a game, and 39th in scoring defense (22.6 points per game). They allowed 590 yards to Southern California in their last game, a 41-31 win Oct. 17.
That unit may not be challenged much by an Owls team ranked 108th in total offense (345.9 ypg) and 51st in points scored (32.3).
Temple's P.J. Walker ranks fifth on the school's all-time list with 5,715 passing yards, throwing for 1,314 this year with nine TDs and three interceptions. His play is a major reason why the Owls are 13th in the nation in average time of possession at 33:11.
"I think from my perspective, somebody that manages their offense extremely well, can run the football, has the ability to push the ball down the field, athleticism, and you know, he doesn't turn the ball over," Kelly said.
Jahad Thomas leads the American Athletic Conference with 822 yards rushing with 12 scores. Robby Anderson has half of the Owls' 10 TD catches.
Anderson and Thomas scored fourth-quarter TDs for the final points of the Owls' last contest, a 24-14 win at East Carolina on Oct. 22.
A frenzied atmosphere is expected with ESPN's "College Gameday" taking place in downtown Philadelphia during the day before a pro-Irish crowd shows up at Lincoln Financial Field, the fourth city venue to host Notre Dame along with Franklin Field, JFK Stadium and Veterans Stadium.
"I think it will be an outstanding environment to play in," Kelly said. "It won't take much to get our guys excited about it."
Notre Dame is 15-0 on Halloween.
NCAABKB: Northwestern at a glance.
AP - Sports
Northwestern
Last season: 15-17, lost in second round of Big Ten Tournament.
Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: Chris Collins.
Last season: 15-17, lost in second round of Big Ten Tournament.
Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: Chris Collins.
Conference: Big Ten.
Key returners: G Bryant McIntosh, Wildcats are counting on him to build on a freshman season in which he averaged 11.4 points; G Tre Demps, led the team in scoring at 12.5 as a junior but the Wildcats will need more from him; C Alex Olah, was second in scoring as a junior at 11.7 points and led the team in rebounding (6.9 per game) and blocks (1.8).
Who left: G JerShon Cobb and G Dave Sobolewski. Cobb, who started 16 of 21 games, was one of Northwestern's more reliable 3-point shooters at 36.4 percent. Sobolewski only played about 11 minutes per game with McIntosh starting but was a team leader.
The Skinny: The school that hosted the first Final Four still has not made the NCAA Tournament. But with some promising talent as they enter their third year under Collins, the Wildcats hope to shoo away that familiar old albatross.
Michigan State aiming for national championship under Izzo.
By LARRY LAGE
By LARRY LAGE
Tom Izzo has led Michigan State to seven Final Fours over 17 seasons, earning a spot in college basketball's showcase more frequently than any other program during the stretch.
He isn't satisfied with that. The Spartans aren't, either.
The hard-driving coach and his players, who were humbled by a 20-point loss to Duke in the 2015 NCAA Tournament semifinals, are openly talking about aiming for a national title.
Izzo hasn't won it all since 2000 and that fact is consuming him going into his 21st season in charge of the team he took over from mentor Jud Heathcote.
''The mission now is to try to take it back to one more level,'' he said.
The talented and deep Spartans seem to have a shot with nine of their top 11 players back from last season, four of whom started at least 17 games. Here are some things to watch as they strive toward a third NCAA championship in program history:
SENIOR SENDOFF
Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes, Matt Costello and Colby Wollenman give Izzo plenty of experience as seniors. Valentine's all-around skills helped him average more than 14 points, six rebounds and four assists last season, leading returning players in those categories. This season, he will be counted on to play point guard more than he has in the past.
Izzo said Forbes was ''MVP of the summer,'' which included a trip to Italy to play national teams from Russia, Italy and Georgia. The shooting guard added muscle without affecting his shooting stroke. Costello's career has been relatively disappointing because of the expectations generated by him winning Michigan's Mr. Basketball award in 2012. If the 6-foot-9 forward plays close to his potential consistently, he can help Michigan State reach its lofty goals. Wollenman may have a key role early in the season because forward Marvin Clark is recovering from surgery on his left foot.
NEW FACES
Eron Harris is eligible to play after sitting out a season following his transfer from West Virginia, where he averaged 17 points per game two years ago as a sophomore.
''I'm very hungry,'' Harris said. ''I've never sat out a year of basketball.''
Freshman forward Deyonta Davis and guard Matt McQuaid will get a chance to contribute right away. The 6-10, 240-pound Davis has a chance to start at power forward.
''He could be one of the most talented big men we've ever had,'' Izzo said.
SWEET STROKES
Michigan State will miss Travis Trice, who graduated along with Branden Dawson, and his 3-point shooting. It should have plenty of players to make up for the loss. Valentine, Forbes, Harris and McQuaid are all capable of taking and making a lot of shots beyond the arc.
''Potentially, this is the best shooting team we've had,'' Izzo said.
STOP HACKING
The Spartans struggled during stretches last season in part because Costello and Gavin Schilling could not stay out of foul trouble. If that happens again, they could struggle again because of a lack of depth in the post.
''Costello and Schilling have been two- and three-year hatchet men,'' Izzo said. ''That would be a concern.''
STIFF SCHEDULE
Izzo hasn't won it all since 2000 and that fact is consuming him going into his 21st season in charge of the team he took over from mentor Jud Heathcote.
''The mission now is to try to take it back to one more level,'' he said.
The talented and deep Spartans seem to have a shot with nine of their top 11 players back from last season, four of whom started at least 17 games. Here are some things to watch as they strive toward a third NCAA championship in program history:
SENIOR SENDOFF
Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes, Matt Costello and Colby Wollenman give Izzo plenty of experience as seniors. Valentine's all-around skills helped him average more than 14 points, six rebounds and four assists last season, leading returning players in those categories. This season, he will be counted on to play point guard more than he has in the past.
Izzo said Forbes was ''MVP of the summer,'' which included a trip to Italy to play national teams from Russia, Italy and Georgia. The shooting guard added muscle without affecting his shooting stroke. Costello's career has been relatively disappointing because of the expectations generated by him winning Michigan's Mr. Basketball award in 2012. If the 6-foot-9 forward plays close to his potential consistently, he can help Michigan State reach its lofty goals. Wollenman may have a key role early in the season because forward Marvin Clark is recovering from surgery on his left foot.
NEW FACES
Eron Harris is eligible to play after sitting out a season following his transfer from West Virginia, where he averaged 17 points per game two years ago as a sophomore.
''I'm very hungry,'' Harris said. ''I've never sat out a year of basketball.''
Freshman forward Deyonta Davis and guard Matt McQuaid will get a chance to contribute right away. The 6-10, 240-pound Davis has a chance to start at power forward.
''He could be one of the most talented big men we've ever had,'' Izzo said.
SWEET STROKES
Michigan State will miss Travis Trice, who graduated along with Branden Dawson, and his 3-point shooting. It should have plenty of players to make up for the loss. Valentine, Forbes, Harris and McQuaid are all capable of taking and making a lot of shots beyond the arc.
''Potentially, this is the best shooting team we've had,'' Izzo said.
STOP HACKING
The Spartans struggled during stretches last season in part because Costello and Gavin Schilling could not stay out of foul trouble. If that happens again, they could struggle again because of a lack of depth in the post.
''Costello and Schilling have been two- and three-year hatchet men,'' Izzo said. ''That would be a concern.''
STIFF SCHEDULE
Michigan State opens the regular season Nov. 13 at home against Florida Atlantic in what should be a tune-up for a highly anticipated game four days later against Kansas in Chicago. The Spartans can potentially play Arizona in the Wooden Legacy tournament, and will host Louisville and Florida.
''The schedule is going to be brutal again,'' Izzo said. ''It's going to be great for us again to see where we're at.''
American Pharaoh tipped to bow out on top at Breeders' Cup.
''The schedule is going to be brutal again,'' Izzo said. ''It's going to be great for us again to see where we're at.''
American Pharaoh tipped to bow out on top at Breeders' Cup.
Omnisport
American Pharaoh is the favorite to take out the richest event in American horse racing on Saturday.
All eyes will be on American Pharaoh when the Breeders' Cup gets underway in Keeneland, Kentucky for the first time.
The 31st Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday - one of 13 races across the weekend - will be a farewell for Triple Crown champion American Pharaoh, who is set to race for one final time in his career.
American Pharaoh is attempting to become the first horse to win a 'grand slam' - the three Triple Crown races and the Breeders' Cup Classic - the richest event in American horse racing, with $5million up for grabs out of a total of $24.5m in prize money over the two days in Keeneland.
The 31st Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday - one of 13 races across the weekend - will be a farewell for Triple Crown champion American Pharaoh, who is set to race for one final time in his career.
American Pharaoh is attempting to become the first horse to win a 'grand slam' - the three Triple Crown races and the Breeders' Cup Classic - the richest event in American horse racing, with $5million up for grabs out of a total of $24.5m in prize money over the two days in Keeneland.
The three-year-old horse will be retired to Coolmore Stud in Kentucky next year, and owner Ahmed Zayat is hoping to bow out on a high.
"It's sad but it's exciting," Zayat said. "He's a happy, healthy horse, look at him. He knows us. His unbelievable persona, it's grand.
"He is so kind; he's a beautiful horse. We're happy that he's healthy, and that he goes off in his grand finale."
Zayat added: "It's a Cinderella story. For us it's the horse of a lifetime, and the one thing I'm most proud of is that he excited all of us, he changed this sport, and he changed all our lives, hopefully for the better."
European top miler Gleneagles will be Pharaoh's main challenger, with Honor Code, Keen Ice and Tonalist also set to be competitive.
Golden Horn, the Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, will be lining up in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Turf and is odds on to become the first horse to complete the double.
Five Arc winners have competed in the Turf a few weeks later but none have tasted victory with only one, Trempolino in 1987, finishing in the first three.
Rain has been forecast during the week but there is little or no rain expected on Saturday.
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1961 - Construction began on Municipal (Shea) Stadium for the New York Mets.
1923 - Fats Henry was credited with a 94-yard punt. Research later indicated that it was an 83-yard punt.
1984 - The New York City Marathon was marred by its first fatality when a French runner collapsed and died.
1993 - Ron Francis (Pittsburgh Penguins) became only the 38th player in NHL history to achieve 1,000 career points.
1994 - The NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association announced an agreement for the formulation and implementation of the most comprehensive drug and alcohol policy in sports.
1996 - Members of the New York Yankees and their manager appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.
1997 - The NBA announced that they had hired the first women to officiate a major-league all-male sport. The women were Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer.
1923 - Fats Henry was credited with a 94-yard punt. Research later indicated that it was an 83-yard punt.
1984 - The New York City Marathon was marred by its first fatality when a French runner collapsed and died.
1993 - Ron Francis (Pittsburgh Penguins) became only the 38th player in NHL history to achieve 1,000 career points.
1994 - The NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association announced an agreement for the formulation and implementation of the most comprehensive drug and alcohol policy in sports.
1996 - Members of the New York Yankees and their manager appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.
1997 - The NBA announced that they had hired the first women to officiate a major-league all-male sport. The women were Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer.
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