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"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day." ~ Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur, Author and Motivational Speaker
Trending: Patrick Kane won't face charges as rape investigation comes to a close. (See the hockey section for update).
Trending: First Nations chief supports Blackhawks logo redesign with black hawk. What's Your Take? (See the last article in today's blog for our thoughts).
Trending: Derrick Rose's fourth-quarter takeover leads Bulls past Thunder. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trending: College athletes breaking records in graduation rates. (See the college football section for details).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears-Chargers Preview.
By ALAN FERGUSON
The San Diego Chargers won't have one of their top offensive players for the rest of the season. The Chicago Bears won't have two key ones for at least the near future.
Each team will try to overcome its absences while attempting to earn a much-needed win Monday night.
San Diego (2-6) won't have one of the league's leading receivers, Keenan Allen, because of a lacerated kidney suffered while scoring a touchdown in last week's 29-26 loss in Baltimore. Allen had 67 catches - tied for third-most in NFL history through eight games - for 725 yards and four TDs.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers expects that it will take more than one player to replace Allen's high-level production. Dontrelle Inman, who has 21 catches for 300 yards in 14 career games, is slated to take his starting spot.
"It's not going to be like, 'Hey, who's going to be the next guy who's going to catch 70 the next eight games?' I don't know that that'll happen. It could, but I think it will be more by committee effort," Rivers said.
San Diego also placed running back Branden Oliver (toe) and linebacker Tourek Williams (foot) on season-ending injured reserve. The Chargers might also have a retooled offensive line with Orlando Franklin, King Dunlap and Chris Watt potentially dealing with ailments.
Even with Allen in the lineup, San Diego has endured a four-game losing streak, its longest since 2012. The Chargers haven't dropped five in a row since a six-game slide Oct. 23-Nov. 27, 2011.
They'll get to host a Bears team that's 2-5 during an injury-plagued season and won't have stalwart running back Matt Forte available. Forte hurt his right knee in a 23-20 loss to Minnesota last Sunday, and wide receiver Eddie Royal injured his left.
Why the Bears stayed quiet at the NFL trade deadline.
By John Mullin
On this date in NFL history…nothing happened. At least not involving the Bears.
The 2015 NFL trading deadline passed Tuesday afternoon as most of those deadlines do, with the Bears and pretty much the rest of the NFL doing nothing beyond the de rigeur phone calls that happen every year around this time and the days leading up to the draft.
General manager Ryan Pace was reachable by cell or office phone if anyone had an actionable interest in players on his roster. Having traded Jared Allen to Carolina and Jonathan Bostic to New England earlier this season, Pace’s willingness to deal already was established before Tuesday.
Nothing happened, for obvious reasons.
Rush-linebackers Lamarr Houston and Willie Young were subjects of what-if scenarios, given their lack of playing time and apparent non-fit in the Bears’ defensive plans, present or future. But both are coming back from 2014 season-ending leg injuries and neither offered the kind of instant impact sought by contending teams at the midpoint of this season, the kind that Allen offered the 7-0 Panthers.
More to the point, with the Bears quite possibly prepared to cut ties with the two Phil Emery acquisitions sometime after this season, no reason existed for a team to deal away draft capital for limited-impact players who likely will be available next offseason anyway.
The 49ers have benched but not unloaded quarterback Colin Kaepernick, The Bears are expected to be in the market for a No. 2 quarterback for next season but the presumption around the league is that the 49ers will jettison Kaepernick next offseason so why give up something now for someone who’ll be on the street at some point?
If there was a surprise, in this case very slight, it was not that running back Matt Forte wasn’t a trade target before his knee injury Sunday, but rather that tight end Martellus Bennett was not dealt to a contending team.
Bennett sought a contract upgrade last offseason, impact tight ends are at a premium (Denver trading with San Francisco to acquire Vernon Davis). The Bears may face another holdout by Bennett next offseason but he is a valued offensive commodity in multiple systems, and the Bears do not plan to be 2-5 this time next season, so they were open to but not soliciting offers for their 2014 Pro Bowl tight end.
Pernell McPhee? Kyle Long? Jay Cutler? For Pace and the Bears to have dealt away potential elite players at their positions – the paucity of top quarterbacks makes Cutler “elite” relatively – would have been to be willing to part with linchpin players a team can win because of, not simply win with.
Gase's success with Cutler no surprise to McCoy.
By John Mullin
Under Adam Gase, his fifth offensive coordinator in seven seasons as a Chicago Bear, Jay Cutler is having a breakthrough at age 32, and having it in precisely the area of his game that has been his greatest career shortcoming.
Gase’s primary mission statement going into the season was to reduce the interceptions and other turnovers that had become Cutler’s signature. After an interception-free game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Cutler’s interception percentage stands at 1.9, lowest of his career and among the rarified air of the NFL’s top 10 with 200 or more pass attempts.
Cutler, whose interceptions were noticeably absent even through training camp, has a current stretch of 51 pass attempts without an interception, going back to the Bears’ first possession of the third quarter of the Detroit game.
The turnaround is no surprise whatsoever to the NFL coach who was part of Gase’s emergence when the two were part of John Fox’s staff with the Denver Broncos.
Mike McCoy, now head coach of the San Diego Chargers, was on the Denver staff in 2009 when the Broncos traded Cutler to the Bears for Kyle Orton. Gase was Denver’s receivers coach and moved to quarterbacks coach under McCoy, which meant working together with Orton, Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning before McCoy went to San Diego and Gase stepped up to offensive coordinator in Denver.
“I think Adam wants to do whatever it takes to win,” McCoy said. “And I think we’ve proven over the past couple of years that we were together, that we’ll make the change to do what our players do best. We started out with Kyle back in the day and then we went to Tim and we changed and then we went to Peyton.
“You kind of do what your players do best. So he’s going to figure out what Jay does best and let him roll with that.”
The only real meaningful quarterback stat is obviously wins. But Gase’s approach, developed with McCoy in Denver, also translates into efficiency gains elsewhere.
Despite the season of turmoil for the offensive line, Cutler has been among the least-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL (nine). He has gone from being sacked on 6.6 percent of his dropbacks for his career to just 4.2 through his six games this season – a drop of more than one-third.
Meaning that Cutler is using his head and legs to play quarterback, not simply his arm – also part of the Gase plan, which McCoy has seen develop.
“I think the big thing is his attention to detail, his preparation,” McCoy said. “He lives at the office. I mean now that he has the three kids, he’s getting away more. Which is good for him.
“But he’s very smart, a very good football coach. He’s a good communicator with the players. I think all the [Denver] players you’d talk to, all those guys loved working with him. And Peyton. His success with Adam speaks for itself.
“I think it’s about being a better person than coach. And he gives everybody an opportunity to help the team win.”
And that involves bringing to Chicago what Gase learned in Denver working with McCoy, Manning and others.
“When he first got here he went through his relationship with Peyton and how it worked throughout the week and in the offseason and what Peyton liked, what Peyton didn’t like,” Cutler said. “You’re talking about a lot of experience there and a lot of success. I think Adam had a good feel and picked his brain pretty clean over the last three years. That’s been able to help me too.”
Each team will try to overcome its absences while attempting to earn a much-needed win Monday night.
San Diego (2-6) won't have one of the league's leading receivers, Keenan Allen, because of a lacerated kidney suffered while scoring a touchdown in last week's 29-26 loss in Baltimore. Allen had 67 catches - tied for third-most in NFL history through eight games - for 725 yards and four TDs.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers expects that it will take more than one player to replace Allen's high-level production. Dontrelle Inman, who has 21 catches for 300 yards in 14 career games, is slated to take his starting spot.
"It's not going to be like, 'Hey, who's going to be the next guy who's going to catch 70 the next eight games?' I don't know that that'll happen. It could, but I think it will be more by committee effort," Rivers said.
San Diego also placed running back Branden Oliver (toe) and linebacker Tourek Williams (foot) on season-ending injured reserve. The Chargers might also have a retooled offensive line with Orlando Franklin, King Dunlap and Chris Watt potentially dealing with ailments.
Even with Allen in the lineup, San Diego has endured a four-game losing streak, its longest since 2012. The Chargers haven't dropped five in a row since a six-game slide Oct. 23-Nov. 27, 2011.
They'll get to host a Bears team that's 2-5 during an injury-plagued season and won't have stalwart running back Matt Forte available. Forte hurt his right knee in a 23-20 loss to Minnesota last Sunday, and wide receiver Eddie Royal injured his left.
Coach John Fox said neither player is expected to undergo surgery and could return some time this season. Fox's team has already dealt with injuries to receiver Alshon Jeffery (hamstring), left tackle Jermon Bushrod (shoulder) and safety Antrel Rolle (ankle) among others this season.
Center Will Montgomery (broken leg) hasn't played since Week 4 and No. 7 overall pick Kevin White (shin) has yet to make his NFL debut.
Center Will Montgomery (broken leg) hasn't played since Week 4 and No. 7 overall pick Kevin White (shin) has yet to make his NFL debut.
"Nobody comes and rescues you. You have to make do with what you have," Fox said.
Forte was the league's leading rusher through the first six weeks (507 yards) and has 767 all-purpose this season. Royal was second on the team with 26 catches and had 171 yards.
Rookie Jeremy Langford is slated to take over for Forte. The fourth-round draft pick had 46 yards on 12 carries in the loss to Minnesota.
"It's not too big for him. He's very willing; his mindset is to learn," Fox told the team's official website. "I think Stan Drayton, his position coach, has done a tremendous job with him. A lot of it is he's very receptive. I call it football character. He picks things up very well for a young player."
The Bears had opportunities to win each of their last two games but suffered back-to-back losses. They got their game in Detroit into overtime Oct. 18 but went three and out on each of their two possessions in a 37-34 loss.
They held a seven-point lead with 4:55 remaining in their latest defeat but gave up 10 points after that, including a 36-yard field goal as time expired.
They held a seven-point lead with 4:55 remaining in their latest defeat but gave up 10 points after that, including a 36-yard field goal as time expired.
The Chargers allowed Baltimore to drive for the game-winning field goal in the final 2:27 this past weekend and have suffered each of their past four losses by eight points or fewer.
"We've had a couple tough breaks that could have gone either way," Rivers said. "I think you've got to just keep believing and keep plugging along. As quickly as we've lost four in a row, we could win four in a row."
Rivers passed for 301 yards and topped 300 for a franchise-best fifth consecutive game. The NFL's leader with 2,753 yards has 13 touchdowns and three interceptions during that streak.
The Bears have yielded the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (214.3) but their 16 TDs allowed through the air are tied for fourth-most. They also have just four interceptions.
The Chargers lead the league with 423.2 total yards per game but are around the middle of the pack with 23.9 points per contest. The Bears are giving up the fourth-most points per game at 28.9.
Chicago has won five of the last six meetings and claimed a 31-20 victory in the most recent Nov. 20, 2011. Rivers and Jay Cutler threw for two touchdowns apiece in that game, but Rivers had two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
Why the Bears stayed quiet at the NFL trade deadline.
By John Mullin
On this date in NFL history…nothing happened. At least not involving the Bears.
The 2015 NFL trading deadline passed Tuesday afternoon as most of those deadlines do, with the Bears and pretty much the rest of the NFL doing nothing beyond the de rigeur phone calls that happen every year around this time and the days leading up to the draft.
General manager Ryan Pace was reachable by cell or office phone if anyone had an actionable interest in players on his roster. Having traded Jared Allen to Carolina and Jonathan Bostic to New England earlier this season, Pace’s willingness to deal already was established before Tuesday.
Nothing happened, for obvious reasons.
Rush-linebackers Lamarr Houston and Willie Young were subjects of what-if scenarios, given their lack of playing time and apparent non-fit in the Bears’ defensive plans, present or future. But both are coming back from 2014 season-ending leg injuries and neither offered the kind of instant impact sought by contending teams at the midpoint of this season, the kind that Allen offered the 7-0 Panthers.
More to the point, with the Bears quite possibly prepared to cut ties with the two Phil Emery acquisitions sometime after this season, no reason existed for a team to deal away draft capital for limited-impact players who likely will be available next offseason anyway.
The 49ers have benched but not unloaded quarterback Colin Kaepernick, The Bears are expected to be in the market for a No. 2 quarterback for next season but the presumption around the league is that the 49ers will jettison Kaepernick next offseason so why give up something now for someone who’ll be on the street at some point?
If there was a surprise, in this case very slight, it was not that running back Matt Forte wasn’t a trade target before his knee injury Sunday, but rather that tight end Martellus Bennett was not dealt to a contending team.
Bennett sought a contract upgrade last offseason, impact tight ends are at a premium (Denver trading with San Francisco to acquire Vernon Davis). The Bears may face another holdout by Bennett next offseason but he is a valued offensive commodity in multiple systems, and the Bears do not plan to be 2-5 this time next season, so they were open to but not soliciting offers for their 2014 Pro Bowl tight end.
Pernell McPhee? Kyle Long? Jay Cutler? For Pace and the Bears to have dealt away potential elite players at their positions – the paucity of top quarterbacks makes Cutler “elite” relatively – would have been to be willing to part with linchpin players a team can win because of, not simply win with.
Gase's success with Cutler no surprise to McCoy.
By John Mullin
Under Adam Gase, his fifth offensive coordinator in seven seasons as a Chicago Bear, Jay Cutler is having a breakthrough at age 32, and having it in precisely the area of his game that has been his greatest career shortcoming.
Gase’s primary mission statement going into the season was to reduce the interceptions and other turnovers that had become Cutler’s signature. After an interception-free game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Cutler’s interception percentage stands at 1.9, lowest of his career and among the rarified air of the NFL’s top 10 with 200 or more pass attempts.
Cutler, whose interceptions were noticeably absent even through training camp, has a current stretch of 51 pass attempts without an interception, going back to the Bears’ first possession of the third quarter of the Detroit game.
The turnaround is no surprise whatsoever to the NFL coach who was part of Gase’s emergence when the two were part of John Fox’s staff with the Denver Broncos.
Mike McCoy, now head coach of the San Diego Chargers, was on the Denver staff in 2009 when the Broncos traded Cutler to the Bears for Kyle Orton. Gase was Denver’s receivers coach and moved to quarterbacks coach under McCoy, which meant working together with Orton, Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning before McCoy went to San Diego and Gase stepped up to offensive coordinator in Denver.
“I think Adam wants to do whatever it takes to win,” McCoy said. “And I think we’ve proven over the past couple of years that we were together, that we’ll make the change to do what our players do best. We started out with Kyle back in the day and then we went to Tim and we changed and then we went to Peyton.
“You kind of do what your players do best. So he’s going to figure out what Jay does best and let him roll with that.”
The only real meaningful quarterback stat is obviously wins. But Gase’s approach, developed with McCoy in Denver, also translates into efficiency gains elsewhere.
Despite the season of turmoil for the offensive line, Cutler has been among the least-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL (nine). He has gone from being sacked on 6.6 percent of his dropbacks for his career to just 4.2 through his six games this season – a drop of more than one-third.
Meaning that Cutler is using his head and legs to play quarterback, not simply his arm – also part of the Gase plan, which McCoy has seen develop.
“I think the big thing is his attention to detail, his preparation,” McCoy said. “He lives at the office. I mean now that he has the three kids, he’s getting away more. Which is good for him.
“But he’s very smart, a very good football coach. He’s a good communicator with the players. I think all the [Denver] players you’d talk to, all those guys loved working with him. And Peyton. His success with Adam speaks for itself.
“I think it’s about being a better person than coach. And he gives everybody an opportunity to help the team win.”
And that involves bringing to Chicago what Gase learned in Denver working with McCoy, Manning and others.
“When he first got here he went through his relationship with Peyton and how it worked throughout the week and in the offseason and what Peyton liked, what Peyton didn’t like,” Cutler said. “You’re talking about a lot of experience there and a lot of success. I think Adam had a good feel and picked his brain pretty clean over the last three years. That’s been able to help me too.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks-Devils Preview.
By KEVIN CHROUST
After at first functioning admirably without their top defenseman, the absence of Duncan Keith seems to be catching up with the Chicago Blackhawks.
They're still weeks away from getting him back from a torn meniscus, so they'll need to seek out a different solution beginning Friday night in New Jersey as they prepare to face the Devils twice in the next seven days with another top player having been cleared from an off-ice investigation.
Five first-period goals weren't enough for Chicago (7-5-1) in Wednesday's 6-5 home overtime loss to St. Louis, and the Blackhawks have given up 16 goals over a 1-2-1 span after winning their first three without Keith with two goals allowed.
"We had a good first period," coach Joel Quenneville told the team's official website. "Everything went in the net both ways for 40 minutes. I still think we look at the chances at the end of the game, it was probably a normal chance game. But the pucks were definitely going in tonight."
Patrick Kane, who won't face charges after prosecutors dropped a three-month rape investigation Thursday due to a lack of credible evidence, continued to produce with a goal and an assist for a second straight game on an eight-game point streak. His 18 points are among the league leaders, but he's been limited to a goal in 10 career matchups against New Jersey (6-5-1).
Brent Seabrook, Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen also had a goal and an assist, giving Seabrook 10 points on a seven-game streak - he has nine points in his last six against the Devils. The 21-year-old Teravainen has goals in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
They also got one from Marko Dano in his second game with the club after being acquired in a June 30 trade that sent Brandon Saad to Columbus.
"We got off to the start we wanted, and it's a good lesson to learn, I think, early in the season," goaltender Corey Crawford said. "Can't let that happen, especially against a good team. We gave them too many goals and let them back in the game. There were still some chances to win that game, but we'll learn from this one."
"We got off to the start we wanted, and it's a good lesson to learn, I think, early in the season," goaltender Corey Crawford said. "Can't let that happen, especially against a good team. We gave them too many goals and let them back in the game. There were still some chances to win that game, but we'll learn from this one."
Crawford had been on a personal high prior to allowing six goals on 29 shots, posting a 1.34 goals-against average and .952 save percentage over a preceding 5-1-0 span.
Chicago has won four straight in this series, sweeping the last two seasons and averaging 3.11 goals over a 7-1-1 span. Crawford has had limited action against New Jersey but is 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and .958 save percentage.
The Blackhawks also have a four-game road losing streak to contend with, on which they've been outscored 15-6.
The Devils, who have gone 6-2-0 in their last eight, are opening a three-game homestand after falling 2-1 to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Travis Zajac tied it early in the third period with his third goal in as many games, giving him all eight of his points in the last seven.
"We played pretty well, we created some chances but ... have to find a way to get another one," Zajac said.
Cory Schneider hasn't required much support lately, posting a 1.63 GAA and .943 save percentage over a 2-1-0 span. He's 1-2-0 with a 2.68 GAA against the Blackhawks.
Chicago's Marian Hossa has missed two games with a lower-body injury, while New Jersey's Jiri Tlusty has sat out the last two with an upper-body injury.
Blackhawks blow three-goal lead, lose to Blues in OT. (Wednesday night's game, 11/4/2015).
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks headed into first intermission pretty happy with their first 20 minutes.
They had reason to be. After struggling to score goals for several games, the Blackhawks put up five goals on a St. Louis Blues team coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. But by the second period, the Blackhawks’ lead was gone. And near the end of 3-on-3, so was the chance at two points.
Teuvo Teravainen, Andrew Shaw and Brent Seabrook had a goal and an assist each, but Vladimir Tarasenko had the overtime winner in the Blues’ 6-5 comeback victory on Wednesday night. It was a disappointing end for the Blackhawks, who looked like they were in great shape after the first 20 minutes. But the Blues, who didn’t get into Chicago until 4 a.m. — dense fog forced them to land in Milwaukee and then take a bus here — had more answers.
Asked if this was one that got away from the Blackhawks, coach Joel Quenneville said, “Yeah, it certainly did.”
“You certainly want to put a team away,” he said. “You’re up 5-2, they played last night and you think we have a lot more hockey coming there. They got the momentum back. We slowed them down in the third and in overtime we had our turn. They got it.”
The Blackhawks had it in the first period, a bizarre 20 minutes that featured seven goals and St. Louis changing goaltenders twice — Brian Elliott started, was replaced by Jake Allen after Teravainen’s goal, came back in and then was replaced by Allen again after being part of a collision in the Blues net. Marko Dano scored his first goal with the Blackhawks and Shaw scored his first of the season on a penalty shot.
But the euphoria disappeared in the second period, when the Blues scored three times. David Backes’ goal with about 33 seconds remaining in the period tied the game 5-5 and quieted a once happy United Center crowd.
“I just think that we had those lapses where we gave up chances against that ended up in our net,” Jonathan Toews said. “Obviously, the players they had on the ice, they were getting those bounces and they made us pay. So it’s unfortunate that it kind of took the wind out of our sails a little bit in that second period and gave them life a little bit for that second 20 minutes.”
Corey Crawford, who has been strong through this early season, had a rough night.
“It seemed like it wasn’t as much urgency as there was at the beginning of the game. As a goalie too, when your team has a good start, especially five goals, you want to be able to shut it down,” said Crawford after allowing six goals on 29 shots. “It seemed like, no matter what was happening, everything seemed to find its way in.”
The Blackhawks managed a point in getting to overtime and had some chances there. But Tarasenko scored with 1:06 remaining in 3-on-3. It was the first overtime loss for the Blackhawks this season; they won the previous three.
“There [are] a lot of chances both ways. Anything can happen. Obviously at some point, if you’re caught on a bad change, kind of like I was tonight, you put your team in an awkward spot and it just takes one chance to lose the game like that,” Toews said. “I think that’s what obviously happened.”
The Blackhawks started the night with plenty of offense. It was they allowed, however, that hurt them.
“I never have to worry about offense. We didn’t score [in regulation] against two good teams who know how we play and are very familiar with us and both teams were content playing that type of style,” Quenneville said. “But we’ll measure our performance with how we play without the puck and knowing there are enough ways we can score.”
Blackhawks' Patrick Kane won't face charges as rape investigation comes to a close.
By Tracey Myers
For nearly three months, Patrick Kane has been the investigation of an alleged rape. On Thursday, that investigation officially came to a close.
No charges will be filed against Kane according to Erie County district attorney Frank Sedita III, who announced that his office has completed its investigation of the Blackhawks right wing. A woman had accused Kane of raping her at his Buffalo, N.Y.-area home in early August.
Sedita posted a statement on the Erie County D.A.’s website, saying Hamburg police and his office conducted an “exhaustive investigation over the course of the past three months.” The statement said that the case “is rife with reasonable doubt.”
Among their findings:
• There are significant material inconsistencies between the complainant’s accounts and those of other witnesses.
• The DNA results lend no corroboration whatsoever to the complainant’s claim of penetration, a required element of proof for a rape charge.
• The physical evidence and the forensic evidence, when viewed in tandem, tend to contradict the complainant’s claim that she was raped on Kane’s bed. Although Kane has exercised his constitutional right to remain silent (which prohibits questioning by law enforcement), he has made no known incriminating statements to any civilian, nor has he engaged in any conduct consistent with a consciousness of guilt.
The statement adds that the accuser has decided not to go forward with criminal prosecution.
Sedita will not be holding a press conference.
The Blackhawks were not practicing Thursday before leaving for New Jersey, where they’ll play the Devils on Friday night. Kane did issue a statement through the team, saying, “I have respected the legal process and I am glad that this matter has now been closed and I will have nothing further to say going forward.”
The team also released a statement saying it respected the announcement by the Erie County D.A. regarding the investigation.
“The Chicago Blackhawks organization has taken this matter very seriously, and has tried to navigate a very sensitive situation while continually respecting the legal proceedings,” the statement continued. “At this time we will have no further comment.”
Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, via email, said: “We knew all along that Patrick didn’t do anything wrong. We are pleased with the results from the investigation. It’s finally concluded.”
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly also issued a statement regarding the matter: “In light of the statement issued today by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, as an internal League matter, we intend to promptly review the information that may now be available to us. We will have no further comment until we have completed that review.”
The Buffalo News, citing sources, reported on Saturday night that Kane was unlikely to face charges; Kane didn’t want to comment much on the report out of Sunday’s practice. He did say he wasn’t frustrated that the investigation was taking a while.
The Buffalo News, citing sources, reported on Saturday night that Kane was unlikely to face charges; Kane didn’t want to comment much on the report out of Sunday’s practice. He did say he wasn’t frustrated that the investigation was taking a while.
“You understand the law and I’m not the only case that’s going on in that district. I’m sure there are other matters they’re attending to. It’s one of those situations where it seems like it’s been a long time but obviously I’ll be looking forward to any time of conclusion, whatever it may be,” Kane said on Sunday. “For me to comment on any thing sources say or any reports would be against what we’ve been saying this whole time. I’ll just stick to that plan: not saying much about it, just waiting for a conclusion.”
The investigation had its strange moments and in late September, Sedita held a press conference to clarify/correct some of them. The accuser’s attorney at the time, Tom Eoannou, claimed there was possible evidence tampering involving the rape kit and a bag allegedly left at the accuser’s mother’s home. Eoannou resigned from the case the next day, saying, “misrepresentations were made” regarding how that bag was found. Sedita, speaking on Sept. 25, said the rape-kit evidence bag was a “hoax” and that rape kits come in boxes, not bags.
When asked that day about where the case went from there, Sedita said, “the question in my mind is not when this case will go to a grand jury, it’s if this case will go to a grand jury.”
Coach Joel Quenneville talked recently of how Kane has dealt with the matter on the ice.
“As far as that situation, I commend Kaner and how he's handled it and the team,” he said last weekend. “We haven't ever mentioned it or talked about it. It's been business as usual. Our focus is trying to win the next game. He's gotten off to a great start to the season and it's basically business as usual.”
Kane was invited to training camp when it opened in mid-September. He made his first public comments – answering hockey questions and declining most others – during a bizarre news conference at the University of Notre Dame. He stated at that time, and reiterated several times after, that he had done nothing wrong.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Derrick Rose's fourth-quarter takeover leads Bulls past Thunder.
By Vincent Goodwill
A response was necessary after a submission led to embarrassment in Charlotte, and the Bulls put forth a requisite effort against perhaps the deepest team in the league.
Derrick Rose put his stamp on the game after Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah kept them in it early, with the Bulls winning, 104-98, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, quieting the calls for roster upheaval and sending a temporary shock.
Rose scored 29 with seven assists and five rebounds, his best performance of the season against the top competition in his physical equal, Russell Westbrook.
Ten straight for Rose came in the fourth when the Bulls needed it most, including jumpers off defensive switches that put him against Thunder center Enes Kanter, who’s not the most inclined on that end.
Taj Gibson had a crucial stretch in the fourth where he forced a travel on Nick Collison, caught an alley-oop dunk from Noah and hit a wing jumper, right when it appeared the Bulls energy was wearing off and the Thunder stalking.
Butler scored 21 of his 26 in the first half, when the Thunder came in intent on keeping the Bulls’ morale down.
But it was Noah’s energy that picked this team up off the mat, when it very well could’ve went the way of Tuesday’s disaster in Charlotte. Noah only scored two points in the half but grabbed six rebounds, including every loose ball, and his mere presence lifted the Bulls’ spirits.
Then Rose got going, blowing by his workout partner Westbrook for layups and going through a stretch where he made six of 11 shots after a tough-luck start. That combined with Butler’s 21 in the first half gave them a seven-point lead with 24 left to play.
When Durant seemed to stalk the Bulls with another long triple, Butler replied with one of his own to push the lead back to eight.
But Durant and the Thunder refused to acquiesce at the end of a three-game-in-four-night stretch. A fast break dunk for Durant after a Butler missed jumper brought the lead back to two for the Bulls with less than five minutes remaining.
They couldn’t stop Durant, the league’s most impossible cover, as he scored 33 but took 29 shots to get there, defended admirably by Butler. Westbrook had an off night by his standards, with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 39 minutes.
But when an early season gut-check was needed, the Bulls answered the call, as disaster was looming if they didn’t.
Derrick Rose put his stamp on the game after Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah kept them in it early, with the Bulls winning, 104-98, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, quieting the calls for roster upheaval and sending a temporary shock.
Rose scored 29 with seven assists and five rebounds, his best performance of the season against the top competition in his physical equal, Russell Westbrook.
Ten straight for Rose came in the fourth when the Bulls needed it most, including jumpers off defensive switches that put him against Thunder center Enes Kanter, who’s not the most inclined on that end.
Taj Gibson had a crucial stretch in the fourth where he forced a travel on Nick Collison, caught an alley-oop dunk from Noah and hit a wing jumper, right when it appeared the Bulls energy was wearing off and the Thunder stalking.
Butler scored 21 of his 26 in the first half, when the Thunder came in intent on keeping the Bulls’ morale down.
But it was Noah’s energy that picked this team up off the mat, when it very well could’ve went the way of Tuesday’s disaster in Charlotte. Noah only scored two points in the half but grabbed six rebounds, including every loose ball, and his mere presence lifted the Bulls’ spirits.
Then Rose got going, blowing by his workout partner Westbrook for layups and going through a stretch where he made six of 11 shots after a tough-luck start. That combined with Butler’s 21 in the first half gave them a seven-point lead with 24 left to play.
When Durant seemed to stalk the Bulls with another long triple, Butler replied with one of his own to push the lead back to eight.
But Durant and the Thunder refused to acquiesce at the end of a three-game-in-four-night stretch. A fast break dunk for Durant after a Butler missed jumper brought the lead back to two for the Bulls with less than five minutes remaining.
They couldn’t stop Durant, the league’s most impossible cover, as he scored 33 but took 29 shots to get there, defended admirably by Butler. Westbrook had an off night by his standards, with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 39 minutes.
But when an early season gut-check was needed, the Bulls answered the call, as disaster was looming if they didn’t.
Cubs unveil logo to celebrate playing 100 years at Wrigley Field.
By Tony Andracki
The Cubs unveiled a commemorative logo Thursday to celebrate playing at Wrigley Field for 100 years (the ballpark was originally home to the Chicago Whales or Federals for two years before the Cubs came along, hence the Wrigley100 celebration during the 2014 season).
The Cubs started playing at the corner of Clark and Addison in 1916, so next season will be their 100th year of game action at what is now known as "The Friendly Confines."
Here's a look at the logo:
The logo will show up as a patch on the Cubs' home uniforms throughout the 2016 season and fans can buy apparel and memorabilia with the logo on it as soon as this winter.
South Bend Cubs win minor league baseball's top honor.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Cubs may have had a 2015 for the ages, but it's one of their minor-league teams is taking home some serious hardware.
The South Bend Cubs - the Class-A affiliate in Indiana - was named the 42nd annual John H. Johnson President's Award, minor league baseball's top honor handed out to the most complete baseball franchise.
The criteria for the accolade takes into account financial stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community and promotion of the baseball industry, according to MiLB.com.
The SB Cubs will be honored at the Baseball Winter Meetings Banquet on Dec. 6 in Nashville, Tenn.
"On behalf of the entire South Bend Cubs organization, we are incredibly honored to accept the 2015 John H. Johnson President's Award," said South Bend Cubs President Joe Hart. "To be selected for this prestigious award over some of the best franchises across the nation is extremely humbling.
"The 2015 season broke a number of longstanding records in South Bend and would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our front office and gameday staffs. We pride ourselves on having the most passionate and customer service-focused people working for us. It is wonderful to see their hard work recognized."
The South Bend Cubs signed a player development contract with the Cubs before the 2015 season and agreed to change their name and logo to reflect the parent club. They set new franchise records in overall attendance, totaling 347,678 fans with an average of 5,039 a game.
"Through dedication to their community and commitment to making Four Winds Field a better place for fans, the South Bend Cubs broke attendance records and became a business leader in their area," said Pat O'Conner, Minor League Baseball President & CEO. "This award recognizes them for their pursuit in setting a higher standard for all of Minor League Baseball. On behalf of Minor League Baseball, I congratulate the South Bend Cubs on an outstanding season and wish them continued success in the future."
This is the first time South Bend has won the Johnson President's Award.
Rick Renteria would fit well as White Sox bench coach.
By Dan Hayes
Rick Renteria is reportedly set to meet again with the White Sox this week about their vacated bench coach position. One industry source thinks hiring Renteria would be a wise move.
Renteria, who managed the Cubs in 2014, previously served as the bench coach of the San Diego Padres from 2011-13. The White Sox have been searching for a new bench coach for manager Robin Ventura’s staff since Mark Parent was dismissed two days before the end of the 2015 season.
“He will never step on Ventura’s toes and will make him better and the players also,” the scout said.
Renteria, who managed the Cubs in 2014, previously served as the bench coach of the San Diego Padres from 2011-13. The White Sox have been searching for a new bench coach for manager Robin Ventura’s staff since Mark Parent was dismissed two days before the end of the 2015 season.
“He will never step on Ventura’s toes and will make him better and the players also,” the scout said.
Renteria, 53, is highly experienced, one of the top requirements general manager Rick Hahn has sought in a new coach. He also is bilingual, which Hahn said he wouldn’t mind given the team has a number of Spanish-speaking players.
Several young Cubs players flourished under Renteria, including infielder Starlin Castro.
Renteria received a strong endorsement from ex-Padres manager Bud Black in November 2013. Black said Renteria knew how to work with players while also maintaining a role as an authority figure.
“He’s got a very perceptive eye for players and a very good perspective,” Black said. "If something is not going how Ricky expects it, they’ll know where he stands.”
Black also praised Renteria because he “didn’t have any future agenda.”
A Score 670 report on Monday suggested Renteria is set for a second meeting with the White Sox this week.
MLB.com previously reported the White Sox have also spoken with ex-Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta and former Royals player Raul Ibanez about the position.
The White Sox also wanted to speak to Sandy Alomar for the opening, but he declined to be interviewed, a baseball source said.
White Sox decline 2016 option on Alexei Ramirez.
By Dan Hayes
Several young Cubs players flourished under Renteria, including infielder Starlin Castro.
Renteria received a strong endorsement from ex-Padres manager Bud Black in November 2013. Black said Renteria knew how to work with players while also maintaining a role as an authority figure.
“He’s got a very perceptive eye for players and a very good perspective,” Black said. "If something is not going how Ricky expects it, they’ll know where he stands.”
Black also praised Renteria because he “didn’t have any future agenda.”
A Score 670 report on Monday suggested Renteria is set for a second meeting with the White Sox this week.
MLB.com previously reported the White Sox have also spoken with ex-Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta and former Royals player Raul Ibanez about the position.
The White Sox also wanted to speak to Sandy Alomar for the opening, but he declined to be interviewed, a baseball source said.
White Sox decline 2016 option on Alexei Ramirez.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox declined to pick up a $10 million option for Alexei Ramirez on Wednesday.
Ramirez — a member of the White Sox for the last eight seasons — is set to become a free agent on Saturday morning after the club bought out his contract for $1 million. The move doesn’t entirely rule out a reunion as the White Sox could still re-sign Ramirez in free agency.
While Ramirez produced like a $10 million player in 2014, winning the Silver Slugger Award and being named a Gold Glove finalist, he was one of the worst players in the majors for the first three months last season as he struggled with the glove and at the plate.
Ramirez improved over the final three months and produced a .249/.285/.357 slash line with 10 homers and 62 RBIs in 622 plate appearances last season. Even so, he was only worth minus-0.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to fangraphs.com, down from 3.1 WAR the previous year.
“We’ve only had preliminary discussions about direction this offseason,” said executive vice president Kenny Williams. “Rick (Hahn) has to survey the landscape at the GM meetings and I’m sure once he’s comfortable will present Jerry (Reinsdorf) and I with his ideas. It’s not for me to comment on Alexei one way or another right now other than to sing his praises for what he’s done in a Sox uniform from the first day he put the hat on.”
If Ramirez doesn’t return, the White Sox would either turn to Tyler Saladino or perhaps look for a stopgap through free agency or trade as their future clearly lies in the hands of Tim Anderson.
But while Anderson has had a very good career so far, many observers both inside and out of the organization believe he would benefit from more time in the minors. Anderson, the 17th overall pick in the 2013 draft, hit .312/.350/.429 and stole 49 bases at Double-A Birmingham last season. But he also struck out 114 times, walked 24 and committed 25 errors.
Saladino impressed the White Sox with his glove when he seamlessly made the transition from shortstop to third base at the major league level. He produced 12 Defensive Runs Saved, which tied for fourth among all third baseman in the majors.
The club knows Saladino is a natural shortstop and would be comfortable with him from a defensive standpoint. But Saladino also finished with a .602 OPS in 254 plate appearances, including a .190/.242/.345 slash line in 16 games in September (62 PAs).
Golf: I got a club for that..... Branden Grace leads WGC-HSBC Champions with 9-under 63.
By Ryan Ballengee
Branden Grace continued his breakout 2015 on Thursday, shooting a first round of 9-under 63 to take the Day 1 lead at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
The South African, who finished T-4 at the U.S. Open and third at the PGA Championship, leads by a shot at Sheshan International in Shanghai, China, over American Kevin Kisner, who lost three sudden-death playoffs on the PGA Tour last season, Steven Bowditch and Thorbjorn Olesen.
Grace lauded the ideal scoring conditions.
"There was barely a breath of wind out there and the golf course is playing probably as easy as it could be playing," he said. "There's some low scores out there. The guys are playing some great golf, and when you play on greens like this, as well, it helps. You just have to get the ball on the right line and it goes in."
Patrick Reed, 2013 champion Dustin Johnson and Danny Willett are tied for fifth at 7 under par.
Rory McIlroy is a handful of shots off the lead, fortunate to play after having to deal with food poisoning thanks to a bad club sandwich he had earlier in the week. McIlroy admits he's still weak, but expects to improve on course with his health and appetite.
“I've lost ten pounds since being here," McIlroy said. "I can't remember the last time I was this light. But hopefully I’ll have a couple of good meals over the next couple days and rehydrate and I'll be feeling a lot better. I felt like I played okay. Tee-to-green was pretty good. I was disappointed I missed three good chances coming in there on the front nine and didn't quite capitalize on those. So it was a score that I thought could have been a lot better, but considering the position I was in this time yesterday, it's not a bad start.”
Jordan Spieth and defending champion Bubba Watson are tied with McIlroy in 16th place with 68. Branden Grace continued his breakout 2015 on Thursday, shooting a first round of 9-under 63 to take the Day 1 lead at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
The South African, who finished T-4 at the U.S. Open and third at the PGA Championship, leads by a shot at Sheshan International in Shanghai, China, over American Kevin Kisner, who lost three sudden-death playoffs on the PGA Tour last season, Steven Bowditch and Thorbjorn Olesen.
Grace lauded the ideal scoring conditions.
"There was barely a breath of wind out there and the golf course is playing probably as easy as it could be playing," he said. "There's some low scores out there. The guys are playing some great golf, and when you play on greens like this, as well, it helps. You just have to get the ball on the right line and it goes in."
Patrick Reed, 2013 champion Dustin Johnson and Danny Willett are tied for fifth at 7 under par.
Rory McIlroy is a handful of shots off the lead, fortunate to play after having to deal with food poisoning thanks to a bad club sandwich he had earlier in the week. McIlroy admits he's still weak, but expects to improve on course with his health and appetite.
“I've lost ten pounds since being here," McIlroy said. "I can't remember the last time I was this light. But hopefully I’ll have a couple of good meals over the next couple days and rehydrate and I'll be feeling a lot better. I felt like I played okay. Tee-to-green was pretty good. I was disappointed I missed three good chances coming in there on the front nine and didn't quite capitalize on those. So it was a score that I thought could have been a lot better, but considering the position I was in this time yesterday, it's not a bad start.”
Let's root for a Tiger Woods comeback.
By Terence Moore
As the son of a retired lieutenant colonel, Tiger Woods continues his love affair with a regimented schedule. Things are just different now. Instead of fretting over ways to improve his driving, chipping and putting, he is trying to roll left or right throughout the day without damaging something in his suddenly fragile, nearly 40-year-old body.
Such is life when you're bedridden after a third back surgery in slightly more than a year and a half. Not only that, we're talking about somebody who is used to functioning as one of the world's most famous athletes.
Woods wants to return. Despite those back issues and a slew of other ailments in recent years, he says he will return.
Good.
We need Tiger Woods. It doesn't matter if he isn't the guy anymore who dazzled us with shots that not even fiction writers could invent. Who cares if he never shrinks that four-victory gap between Jack Nicklaus and himself for most career wins in major tournaments? In particular, the Masters is his eternal obsession, especially since he has triumphed four times at Augusta National, and he has done so in spectacular ways.
Creaky backs don't translate into green jackets.
That said, when it comes to Woods and a possible comeback, he wishes to take things one step at a time. In fact, he can't wait to take any step around his expansive home in Jupiter Island, Fla., after undergoing a follow-up procedure in late October on his back to ease discomfort. The month before, he had the removal of a disc fragment that was pinching a nerve. Then there was his back disc surgery in April 2014.
The bottom line: Despite the coronation of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day as the next Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player -- or at least the Terrific Trio to replace the Big Four of Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Woods -- Tiger remains huge for golf's present and future.
"He's missed by the game of golf in general, although I'm not sure the players miss being beaten by him every week," McIlroy told reporters last week at the Turkish Airlines Open in Belek. "But the game of golf, we were so lucky and so privileged to have him spearheading our sport for so long and to have a global icon like that. The game of golf, I'm not saying it needs [Woods], but he definitely came along at the right time and did a lot for the game."
So McIlroy almost got it right. Yes, the son of the late Earl Woods did arrive on the scene when golf needed him most. No, it isn't correct to say the sport is just fine these days without Tiger, thank you.
As for the start of the Woods revolution, he went from a two-year-old golf sensation on Mike Douglas' nationally televised show to destroying opponents during his first Masters appearance in 1997. He turned golf into the national rage. He was young, he had an African-American father and an Asian mother, he was charismatic, and he was great. Just like that, he inspired more folks to play or to follow the sport than anybody in history, especially when you consider his appeal to minorities and youth.
Most of those Tiger folks haven't vanished. They've even added to their rank. For verification, consider what those who run the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., decided to do in August after Woods announced he would play in their tournament.
They printed 49,000 extra tickets.
Good thing. Even though the Wyndham Championship has been around since 1938, the event set attendance records on each of the four days Woods graced the fairways. The TV ratings also soared like crazy. "I think we saw, basically, everything up 30 to 50 percent, whether that was concessions … clothing was maybe 60 percent up," Wyndham tournament director Mark Brazil told reporters. He wasn't attributing the boost to the feel-good story of Davis Love III winning the tournament at 51.
This was Brazil hugging a golfer who struggled so badly this year that he now sits outside of the world's top 350.
The transformation of the old Woods into the old Woods happened in a flash, but only if you haven't been paying attention. Here's the worst of his aching body parts, in order since 2007: left knee (multiple), left fibula, right Achilles tendon, sore neck (courtesy of his accident on Thanksgiving night 2009 involving his former wife, an SUV and a fire hydrant), bulging disk, left Achilles tendon, lower back (multiple), left elbow, entire back.
No wonder Woods hasn't won a major since 2008, when he captured the U.S. Open on one leg along the way to more knee surgery. Even so, just two years ago, he won five times on the PGA Tour while finishing in the top 10 eight times. As recently as May 2014, he was the world's No. 1-ranked golfer, but that was a few weeks after the first of his trio of back surgeries.
Not coincidentally, the health-challenged Woods didn't win a PGA Tour tournament in 2014 or 2015. That's unfortunate, but his big picture hasn't changed. He still has more career victories on the tour than anybody not named Sam Snead (82 to 79), and according to Opendorse.com, he remains huge among advertisers. The website places his yearly endorsement earnings of $50 million behind only Roger Federer's $58 million.
Imagine Woods returning along the way to the kind of money and attention he'd receive if he is within a chip shot of his vintage self.
Imagine Woods returning, period.
NASCAR: Power Rankings: Did Joey Logano get punted from the top spot?
1. Joey Logano (LW: 1): There's no way to justify dropping Logano after what likely would have been a win disappeared when Matt Kenseth pile-drove him into the wall. If it wasn't for Kenseth, Logano would likely be locked in to run for the title for the second straight season. And no, it's not a situation where if it wasn't for Logano, Kenseth would still be in the Chase. There was a very good possibiity that Logano was going to pass Kenseth in the final five laps if there wasn't contact between the two.
2. Jeff Gordon (LW: 8): The driver already guaranteed a spot in the final four is this one. Gordon was perhaps the most expressive he's ever been in victory lane after Sunday's race and you have to wonder just how much of it was relief. While the four-time champion has been going after title No. 5 for quite some time, how much do you really think he'd want a shot at the fifth while being winless? Sure, he said he didn't care about being a winless champion, but does anyone want to be the subject of that discussion?
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 4): Hell of a recovery for Busch after that spin. He was forced to alter his driving style after it was clear that the inches of wet pavement in the corner at Martinsville wasn't going to go away. Busch got his left-side tires on that slick patch and went around. He fought back to finish fifth and he's got to be one of the favorites at Texas, right?
4. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 9): It's still two races from being reality, but the thought of Truex racing for a title the year before his team switches manufacturers for better performance seems a little surreal, doesn't it? Furniture Row has done as good a job as anyone of maximizing the 2015 rules package. Can it do the same with the 2016 rules in a Toyota? Eh, who cares now. Truex still has that title to go for. He finished sixth.
5. Kevin Harvick (LW: 6): The No. 4 team learned from its Chicago misfortune and had Harvick pit for a tire rub at Martinsville. The contact that caused the rub came from teammate Kurt Busch on pit road when drivers were stopping to try to restart on the inside line. Harvick did what he should have done at Chicago and the team took tires on the next caution to prevent any calamity. He finished eighth.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 7): Not a bad sequel to last year's fall race. After winning in 2014, Junior finished fourth on Sunday. He said his car was much faster at the end of the race and also had this to say: “I love Martinsville. But if we are going to run at night we need to put some damn lights up here.” Good point, Junior, the start time of Sunday's race needs to be up to an hour earlier.
7. Denny Hamlin (LW: 11): How much of Hamlin's comments about Kenseth's suspension are due to Hamlin's past history with Joey Logano and the fact that Kenseth is Hamlin's teammate? We can't help but wonder how the associations are coloring things. It's easy to see how Hamlin wants it both ways -- he said it was tough for drivers to act when no authority was laying down the law and is now speaking out against the authority -- but NASCAR deserves a lot of blame for letting that confusion happen.
8. Carl Edwards (LW: 2): Meanwhile, Edwards looks poised to be the only JGR driver who hasn't been replaced by Erik Jones in 2015. Jones will likely sub for Kenseth during his suspension and has already driven for Kyle Busch and Hamlin. Should Edwards watch his back? Nah. We still like his chances to get to the final four even after his tough Martinsville day.
9. Brad Keselowski (LW: 3): Keselowski explained Tuesday night that the initial contact with Matt Kenseth broke the right front suspension on his car. It's a very sensical explanation. The torque that Kenseth's rear wheels were generating was enough to knock Keselowski's car out of sorts, especially given the direct contact the wheels had. And no, Keselowski didn't crash Kenseth on purpose. That's a ludicrous proposition.
10. Kurt Busch (LW: 4): Kurt Busch, innocent bystander. The accident between Kenseth and Keselowski launched Busch's car up into the air and destroyed it significantly. A top five run had turned into a disaster day in the blink of an eye. Busch should be fast at Texas, assuming that he'll be able to have the same speed that Kevin Harvick has shown. But the issue in making the Chase may not be Busch's speed but rather the lack of separation between Chase drivers in the standings.
11. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): Newman keeps on chugging on. He finished seventh at Martinsville and is now in 10th in the points standings. Oh, that's right, only the final eight drivers are alive in the points. Keep trying, Newman! Maybe a year after missing the title by a spot Newman can win the coveted bonus for finishing fifth. How coveted is that bonus? Well, can you name who won it last year?
12. Matt Kenseth (LW: 10): When you get suspended for two races you are going to get dropped out of Power Rankings, so adios Matt. It was a good ride this year. We understand you felt the needed to dropkick Joey Logano in retaliation. But we also wonder just how much of your Logano punt was aimed towards NASCAR itself rather than Logano. We may never know. Hopefully you get to enjoy the Packers and Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday.
Lucky Dog: AJ Allmendinger, who had no shot of holding off Jeff Gordon for the win.
The DNF: Man, Greg Biffle had a rough day. Danica Patrick too.
Dropped Out: None
Kenseth loses final appeal to overturn NASCAR suspension.
By Jenna Fryer
His appeals rejected, Matt Kenseth defiantly vowed Thursday to race as he always has and accused NASCAR of ''unfairly'' making an example out of him with a two-race suspension for intentionally wrecking Joey Logano over the weekend at Martinsville.
Kenseth will miss the next two races, at Texas and Phoenix, and is eligible to return for the Nov. 22 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The national motorsports appeals panel denied Kenseth's appeal Thursday and a few hours later so did final appeals officer Bryan Moss, who did reduce Kenseth's probation from six months until the end of this year.
Kenseth said he was ''unfairly made the example'' because NASCAR had no clear rule on what the penalties are for intentionally wrecking another driver in an act of retaliation.
''I am not going to change who I am, I'm not going to change what I stand for, I'm not going to change how I race,'' Kenseth said. ''I've been in this business a long time, I feel I've had a pretty good career to this point and I feel like I'm going to continue to have the respect on the race track that I feel I deserve.''
NASCAR has not been consistent over the years in punishing drivers who exact revenge. Kenseth was spun out three races ago by Logano as both raced for the win at Kansas, ruining a chance to advance in NASCAR's championship playoffs. On Sunday, he deliberately crashed into Logano at Martinsville and Logano lost a shot at an automatic berth in the final four.
Danica Patrick was fined $50,000 for wrecking another driver in retaliation on Sunday, but it was Kenseth's penalty that raised eyebrows.
Kenseth was harshly punished to deter any driver from doing the same thing, NASCAR chairman Brian France told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday. France referenced the 2013 cheating scandal at Richmond, where Michael Waltrip Racing manipulated a series of events to ensure its driver made the playoffs.
France warned the entire industry after Richmond that manipulating races would not be tolerated - and he indicated what Kenseth did at Martinsville fit that category.
''Going back to Richmond, we've been very clear when anybody in the industry, any driver or participant, intentionally tries to alter the outcome of events or championships, that crosses a different line than a racing problem between two drivers,'' France said. ''So obviously the significance of what was on the line had to be taken into consideration.''
Jeff Gordon was fined $100,000 but avoided suspension for intentionally wrecking Clint Bowyer in a move that ended Bowyer's 2012 title chances. Reigning champion Kevin Harvick had no action taken against him two weeks ago at Talladega when he triggered a race-ending crash that preserved his spot in the playoffs.
France said the only difference between what Kenseth and Patrick did on Sunday were the stakes for Logano, who was on his way to a fourth straight victory and a berth in the championship finale for the second consecutive year.
Kenseth, the last series champion before the Chase was introduced in 2004, was uncharacteristically angry after he was wrecked at Kansas. It was no secret he was fuming, but NASCAR, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske all allowed the feud to simmer rather than intervene before Martinsville.
Kenseth passed on a chance to knock Logano out of his way earlier Sunday, but he finally snapped after he was wrecked while racing Logano and his Penske teammate Brad Keselowski for position. The teammates had been working together on restarts, strategy that angered other drivers who believed the Penske drivers were monkeying around.
Kenseth and Keselowski made contact that sent both cars to the garage, and Kenseth didn't buy the in-race explanation from Keselowski's camp that it was an accident.
Kenseth then returned to the track in a wrecked car, down nine laps, and drove Logano's car into the wall as Logano tried to lap him. Instead of winning the race and earning a spot in the finale, Logano is now last in the eight-driver field.
France argued that a deliberate wrecking of Logano's race, and perhaps his season, can't be tolerated.
''I know there's a lot of discussion about consistency in our penalties and there should be and that's part of the equation,'' France said. ''We issue penalties for two reasons: We've got to punish you for what we think you've done wrong, and we have to make sure that we deter somebody else from doing exactly what you did or worse. That's why we can't be consistent with every single penalty because sometimes we've got to up the ante with a penalty because we don't believe the current remedy is a deterrent.''
After he was spun out at Kansas, Kenseth argued that it was a cheap move by Logano, who was already assured of advancing to the next round. Other drivers seemed to believe that the arrogance shown by Logano after the spin - he was shoulder-shrug unapologetic - had shattered a driver code.
France, however, praised Logano for the shrewdness he showed in chasing a win that blocked one of his top competitors for the title, and the aggression Logano showed to move Kenseth after Kenseth blocked him several times.
''To not have to deal with Matt Kenseth, that's smart,'' France said. ''You can drive aggressively and if there's a little bit of contact, then we understand that. There's nothing new that went on at Kansas that doesn't go on all the time. Now it was very unfortunate with the circumstances Matt got dealt on that particular day because he needed to win, he was trying move on in the round, we understand that. What happened, frankly, as I said before, was quintessential NASCAR.''
SOCCER: U.S. Open Cup Dismisses MLS-Owned USL Clubs From 2016 Tournaments.
By Nicholas Mendola
The 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is going to look a lot different from the 2015 version, as Major League Soccer’s “B teams” will not be allowed in the tournament.
Regardless of how you want to view the MLS-owned sides in the USL, the move helps a great tournament avoid the tricky components of having two teams owned by the same business in one bracket.
So fans of Seattle Sounders 2, Portland Timbers 2, LA Galaxy 2, New York Red Bulls 2, Real Monarchs and 2016 expansion teams Orlando City B, Bethlehem Steel and Swope Park Rangers will not see their teams competing to knock off the giants of MLS.
Regardless of how you want to view the MLS-owned sides in the USL, the move helps a great tournament avoid the tricky components of having two teams owned by the same business in one bracket.
So fans of Seattle Sounders 2, Portland Timbers 2, LA Galaxy 2, New York Red Bulls 2, Real Monarchs and 2016 expansion teams Orlando City B, Bethlehem Steel and Swope Park Rangers will not see their teams competing to knock off the giants of MLS.
Thirteen other USL sides have affiliate relationships with MLS teams, which has presented lesser problems. In 2013, the Rochester Rhinos were matched up with the New England Revolution in tournament play, with the USL side unable to use its four players on loan from the Revs.
From TheCup.us:
“Any Outdoor Professional League Team that is majority owned by a higher-level Outdoor Professional League Team shall be ineligible to participate in the Open Cup. The Open Cup Committee shall review and determine team eligibility annually pursuant to this provision and report its decisions to the National Board of Directors.”
Ninety-one total teams competed in the 2015 USOC tournament, and it remains to be seen how many teams will be in the field given the changes.
Only two teams from outside MLS made the fifth round last season, the NASL’s New York Cosmos and the USL’s Charlotte Independence.
From TheCup.us:
“Any Outdoor Professional League Team that is majority owned by a higher-level Outdoor Professional League Team shall be ineligible to participate in the Open Cup. The Open Cup Committee shall review and determine team eligibility annually pursuant to this provision and report its decisions to the National Board of Directors.”
Ninety-one total teams competed in the 2015 USOC tournament, and it remains to be seen how many teams will be in the field given the changes.
Only two teams from outside MLS made the fifth round last season, the NASL’s New York Cosmos and the USL’s Charlotte Independence.
Europa League Round-Up: Liverpool, Spurs, Dortmund All Victorious.
By Andy Edwards
A roundup of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League group stage action:
Rubin Kazan 0-1 Liverpool
By Andy Edwards
A roundup of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League group stage action:
Rubin Kazan 0-1 Liverpool
Don’t look now, but it’s three straight wins for Liverpool (all competitions) under new manager Jurgen Klopp following a slow start (three straight draws, all competitions) to begin his tenure at Anfield. On Thursday, it was Jordan Ibe (52nd minute) who gave the Reds three key points in their quest to advance from the Europa League’s Group B. Ibe cut through the heart of Rubin’s midfield, received the ball from Roberto Firmino and fired low and hard past the goalkeeper for his first professional goal for Liverpool. Through four games played, Liverpool sit second in the group, two points behind Swiss side Sion, whom Klopp’s men will play away to on the final group stage matchday.
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Anderlecht
Harry Kane gave Tottenham their first lead with a pinpoint finish from the top of the penalty area just before the half-hour mark, but the Belgian powerhouse hit back at the Premier League side through Imoh Ezekiel’s 72nd-minute equalizer. That set the stage for Mousa Dembele‘s stunning strike to win it for Spurs, the Belgian midfielder’s third goal in three games (all competitions). Son Heung-Min laid the ball off to Dembele and the Belgian unleashed a right-footed blast that was always moving away from the goalkeeper and found the upper-90 in the 87th minute. Through four games played, Spurs lead Group J, a single point ahead of Monaco, who are set to visit White Hart Lane on the final day of the group stage.
Borussia Dortmund 4-0 FK Qabala
If there’s a favorite to win the Europa League this early, Dortmund have to be among those considered. Thomas Tuchel’s side continue to tear through Group C (10 goals scored – five more than the next highest) with a 4-0 hammering of Azerbaijani side Qabala on Thursday. Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored three of four goals for Dortmund, who got one more through a Qabala own goal. Dortmund are through to the knockout stage of the Europa League and will clinch top spot in the group with a win over FC Krasnodar next matchday.
Elsewhere in Europa League action
Dinamo Minsk 1-2 Villarreal
Athletic Bilbao 5-1 Partizan Belgrade
Napoli 5-0 FC Midtjylland
Lech Poznan 0-2 Fiorentina
Rosenborg 0-2 Lazio
FK Qarabag 1-1 Monaco
Marseille 1-0 Braga
Saint-Etienne 3-0 Dnipro
Sion 1-1 Bordeaux
Sparta Prague 1-1 Schalke
Augsburg 4-1 AZ Alkmaar
Besiktas 1-1 Lokomotiv Moscow
Club Brugge 1-0 Legia Warsaw
Groningen 0-1 Liberec
Viktoria Plzen 1-2 Rapid Wien
FC Krasnodar 2-1 PAOK
Belenenses 0-2 Basel
Astera Tripolis 2-0 APOEL Nicosia
Skenderbeu 3-0 Sporting CP
NCAAFB: 15 potential upsets that could shake up the College Football Playoff.
By Steven Lassan
The Big 12’s schedule is back-loaded this season. TCU faces the top three teams in the Big 12 in November, starting with a trip to Stillwater on Nov. 7. Oklahoma State (8-0) hasn’t faced the toughest of schedules, but the Cowboys will present problems for the Horned Frogs on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma State is 2-1 against TCU since it joined the Big 12.
Week 11
Arkansas at LSU
Alabama-LSU is usually a black-and-blue, heavyweight matchup. If LSU beats Alabama, matching up against Arkansas’ massive offensive line and running back Alex Collins will be a challenge.
Alabama-LSU is usually a black-and-blue, heavyweight matchup. If LSU beats Alabama, matching up against Arkansas’ massive offensive line and running back Alex Collins will be a challenge.
Alabama at Mississippi State
Same theory on Arkansas-LSU applies to Alabama-Mississippi State. Regardless of which team wins, both programs are going to have trouble matching the intensity and physical nature of the Week 10 matchup in Tuscaloosa. Last year’s meeting between Mississippi State and Alabama was decided by only five points. Starkville is a potential trap for the Crimson Tide.
Week 12
LSU at Ole Miss
Lost in the Alabama-LSU debate within the SEC West is Ole Miss. The Rebels control their own destiny within this division thanks to a victory over the Crimson Tide in September. Ole Miss won the last matchup in Oxford against the Tigers and lost by only three in Baton Rouge last season. With a defensive line led by Robert Nkemdiche and rising star Marquis Haynes off the edge, the Rebels have enough talent up front to slow LSU running back Leonard Fournette.
Baylor at Oklahoma State
The projected top three teams in the Big 12 – Oklahoma, TCU and Baylor – all visit Stillwater in November. The Bears’ last trip to Oklahoma State (2013) didn’t go so well in a 49-17 defeat. This matchup comes at bad time for Baylor too, as it's one week before the anticipated showdown at TCU.
California at Stanford
The Golden Bears have lost five consecutive matchups in this rivalry. But there’s plenty of hope for the Golden Bears. Stanford gave up 354 passing yards against Washington State, and its secondary will be tested by California quarterback Jared Goff. This matchup is also one week before the potential playoff elimination game against Notre Dame. The Cardinal can’t afford to look ahead.
The Golden Bears have lost five consecutive matchups in this rivalry. But there’s plenty of hope for the Golden Bears. Stanford gave up 354 passing yards against Washington State, and its secondary will be tested by California quarterback Jared Goff. This matchup is also one week before the potential playoff elimination game against Notre Dame. The Cardinal can’t afford to look ahead.
Week 13
Ole Miss at Mississippi State
If Ole Miss beats Arkansas and LSU, it will likely need a victory over rival Mississippi State to clinch the SEC West. It's the last home game for standout quarterback Dak Prescott. Don't count out the Bulldogs from defeating their in-state rival in the Egg Bowl.
Ohio State at Michigan
Urban Meyer versus Jim Harbaugh. That’s more than enough in terms of must-see value for this matchup. But there’s plenty of other intrigue with this game. Ohio State takes on Michigan State the week prior, making this matchup in Ann Arbor one of the toughest two-game stretches for any team in the nation. Is Michigan the team that ends Ohio State's unbeaten season?
Iowa at Nebraska
Barring a few major injuries, Iowa should be favored to win each of its last four games. Nebraska is in the midst of a disappointing debut under new coach Mike Riley, but the Cornhuskers could salvage some pride by playing spoiler with a win over Iowa on Nov. 27.
Notre Dame at Stanford
Both teams have tough opponents to overcome before this game, but the odds suggest Stanford and Notre Dame will enter their matchup on Nov. 28 at 10-1. But here’s the worst-case scenario for both teams: What happens if Notre Dame loses to Pittsburgh and then knocks off Stanford? It’s hard to see either team making the playoff in that scenario.
Week 14
ACC Championship: Clemson/Florida State vs. Coastal Champion
With a month of games remaining, it’s hard to project which teams will end up in the conference title game. However, it’s safe to assume either Clemson or Florida State will represent the Atlantic. The Coastal Division is a wide-open race, with North Carolina owning an edge over Pittsburgh and Duke. Let’s assume the winner of Florida State/Clemson wins out until this game. A loss to North Carolina/Duke/Pittsburgh would certainly knock that team out of the playoff picture.
SEC Championship: Florida vs. Ole Miss/Alabama/LSU
As mentioned above, it’s important to keep in mind Ole Miss controls its destiny in the SEC West. While the Rebels haven’t looked as strong as Alabama or LSU on a weekly basis, coach Hugh Freeze’s team has a shot to play in Atlanta. But here’s a nightmare scenario for the SEC. If Florida loses to Florida State and beats the SEC West champion in Atlanta, could the SEC get left out of the playoff picture? It sure seems that way.
Big Ten Championship: Iowa vs. Michigan State/Ohio State
The Hawkeyes could be 12-0 and out of the top four on the final Saturday of action. However, a win over Michigan State or Ohio State would be enough to vault coach Kirk Ferentz’s team into the top four. Iowa would be an underdog in this matchup. But anything can happen in a one-game scenario.
NCAA: College athletes breaking records in graduation rates.
By MICHAEL MAROT
Clemson jumped to the top of the class in the first College Football Playoff rankings.
The Tigers are also getting their work done in the classroom.
According to the latest Graduation Success Rates released Wednesday by the NCAA, TCU, Clemson and Ohio State have the best numbers of the still-unbeaten teams in the Bowl Subdivision. TCU came in at 83.8 percent, Clemson was next at 83.6 and defending national champion Ohio State was third at 81.3 percent.
This year's release covers incoming freshmen classes from 2005-08 and calculates the percentage of all athletes who earned a degree within six years of entering school.
''To me that's the true standard. It's nice to be No. 1 and win games but that's my true scorecard,'' Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said, noting that 115 of his 120 seniors have earned a degree. ''''We have a deep-rooted culture here so it's not a shock to players when they have to go to class. Not everyone is serious about it, but we are.''
Given the potential penalties, coaches must take academics seriously and it's showing.
Grad rates for the 2008-09 freshman class were up 2 percentage points to a record 86 percent over the 2007-08 freshmen class. The four-year numbers went up one point, reaching an all-time high of 83 percent.
The federal numbers, which some consider more accurate, reveal a similar trend. The overall grad rate among athletes was up one percentage point to a record 67 percent, compared with the overall student rate, which remained flat at 65 percent.
The feds exclude transfers, even if someone earns a diploma at another school. The NCAA includes players who switch schools if they leave in good academic standing.
Critics contend athletes should graduate at a higher rate since they can get more help, be steered to certain classes and professors, be clustered into majors that make it easier to excel in the classroom and they don't face the same financial obligations as other students.
NCAA officials insist athletes face additional obstacles because of their time commitments and that steady improvement over the past 14 years is a direct result of a more concerted academic push from school leaders.
Sweeney has gone even further - writing letters to each senior to find out their plan to earn a degree.
That's the kind of proactive stance the NCAA wanted to get from its academic reform movement.
''We are moving in the right direction,'' said Ohio University President Roderick McDavis, chairman of the Division I committee on academics. ''Ultimately, the real significance of this is that more student-athletes are graduating from college, and that's good news.''
Of the top 10 teams in the CFP rankings, only three schools - Michigan State (65.6), LSU (69.8) and Iowa (71) - had rates lower than 74 percent. Stanford (98) and Notre Dame (93.3) had the highest rates.
Five teams in the men's basketball preseason Top 25 had perfect marks: No. 4 Kansas, No. 5 Duke, No. 11 Villanova, No. 19 Notre Dame and No. 24 Butler. Top-ranked North Carolina (80) was the only team in the top five to finish under 90 percent.
Only three ranked team came in at less than 60 percent - LSU (58.3), California (54.5) and UConn (20). UConn has seen a 12-point increase over the past couple of years and California has seen its score jump 17 points since 2013.
''Moving a four-year average takes time,'' California athletic director Mike Williams said, noting the numbers don't represent any of basketball coach Cuonzo Martin's recruits. ''Because we are looking at lagging indicators with the graduation rates, the positive results we are seeing now in the APR will be reflected in our GSR in four to five years.''
Other findings in the report included:
- The overall one-year grad rate in men's basketball increased 3 percentage points to 77, an all-time high, while the grad rate in women's basketball was 89 percent.
- The rate among black men's and women's basketball players each jumped 5 percentage points to record highs of 72 percent and 84 percent, respectively.
- Seventy-five percent of FBS players received diplomas, a number that held steady, while those in the Football Championship Subdivision went from 72 percent last year to 76 percent this year.
- Grad rates among all white athletes went up one point to 90 percent, while black athletes saw a 3-point increase over 2014 to 73 percent.
- The NCAA says the improvements have translated into 16,565 more players earning degrees.
7 Big Ten teams bowl eligible, 3 others need 2 wins apiece.
By ERIC OLSON
While the matchups determining which teams make it to the conference championship game will draw most of the attention in the Big Ten this month, some of the less-appealing games will carry a lot of weight for the also-rans trying to achieve bowl eligibility.
Seven Big Ten teams already have hit the required six wins for postseason play. Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana each need two more wins, and Rutgers and Nebraska three apiece.
Interim coaches Tracy Claeys of Minnesota and Bill Cubit of Illinois would enhance their chances of landing the permanent jobs at their schools if their teams make bowls. Indiana coach Kevin Wilson would take another step in his rebuilding project if the Hoosiers get to the postseason for the first time since 2007.
The Big Ten had its best postseason in 2014, matching its record with 10 bowl teams and setting a record with six victories. Ohio State won twice on its way to the national championship.
Minnesota faces the toughest schedule the rest of the way. The Gophers play back-to-back road games against No. 1 Ohio State and No. 10 Iowa and host Illinois and rival Wisconsin.
Claeys surely would have strengthened his bid to be named Jerry Kill's permanent successor if the Gophers hadn't flubbed the end of last week's game against Michigan. The Gophers frittered away precious seconds getting set to run their second-to-last play from inside the 1-yard line and lost 29-26.
''I've said I want to be the next head football coach here. I think I can do it,'' Claeys said. ''But believe me, I'm not putting any pressure on myself as far as that goes. ... All I can do is make sure the football team is prepared as well as I can, and I'll live with the results.''
Illinois finishes with Purdue on the road, Ohio State at home, Minnesota on the road and Northwestern at home. Cubit, who took over for Tim Beckman the week of the season opener, said he's more concerned about his injury-riddled team than his own future.
''For me to really worry about that stuff would be useless,'' Cubit said. ''We've got great kids here and I want what's best for them. We'll go out there and we'll battle.''
Indiana is winless in the conference this season and 6-30 in Big Ten games in Wilson's five seasons. But the Hoosiers have become more competitive, recruited better and built some depth. They played Ohio State tough and lost 34-27, and were within 28-26 of Michigan State entering the fourth quarter before losing 52-26.
The Hoosiers have tough home games against Iowa and Michigan the next two weeks and finish with winnable road games against Maryland and Purdue.
Wilson said a bowl would be a reward for his seniors.
''I like a lot of things we have in place,'' he said. ''You have to have the victories on Saturday. We've gotten a little better, but not where we need to be. If we can get enough to be a bowl team, I want that for the seniors. It would be great for recruiting, great for player development. But it would be great for an awesome group of seniors. We're going to try to get that done.''
Nebraska, which has missed bowls only two seasons since 1969, would have to win out against Michigan State (home), Rutgers (road) and Iowa (home) to secure six victories.
Rutgers has four chances to get three wins, closing with Michigan (road), Nebraska (home), Army (road) and Maryland (home).
Rutgers receiver Leonte Carroo said bowl eligibility hasn't been discussed.
''We've got four games left and we're just going to attack each game individually, one by one,'' he said, ''and whatever happens at the end of the season happens.''
NCAA BASKETBALL: CBT Expert Picks.
By Rob Dauster
We are now less than two weeks away from the start of the college basketball season, which means that it is time for us to officially get our picks on the record.
Here, our three writers pick who we think will win each league, the national title and the major awards:
Inside College Hoops: Online courses continue to lead to academic fraud.
By Gary Parrish
And we now know the number is at least 21.
That's the result of Pacific acknowledging to CBS Sports that its men's basketball program is being investigated for academic misconduct. Unsurprisingly, the root of the issue is online courses -- specifically allegations that at least one Pacific assistant was doing online coursework for student-athletes, then instructing them to turn it in to remain eligible.
Clearly, if true, this is pretty egregious.
And it's the latest bit of evidence that suggests the growing prevalence of online courses is leading to more academic misconduct -- both inside and outside of college athletics. The NCAA's case against SMU, like its case against Pacific, was connected to online work. And a source who serves as an academic advisor for student-athletes at a high-major school told CBS Sports he believes "the majority of academic dishonesty is tied to online-courses."
"The system is set up for cheating," he said. "The system invites it."
Indeed, it does.
And for two reasons:
- Cheating via online courses is relatively easy.
- There's an obvious and undeniable incentive to cheat.
First Nations chief supports Blackhawks logo redesign with black hawk. What's Your Take?
By Josh Cooper
(Photo from the Tom and Larry show's Facebook page.)
A rendering of a new Chicago Blackhawks logo has the support of Quebec’s top First Nations chief according to a story by CBC.
Ghislain Picard, the head of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, approved a change of Chicago’s logo.
The above logo was created by Mike Ivall, a Toronto-based Ojibwa artist. It features an actual black hawk with the team’s similar color scheme. Ivall says he no longer owns the rights to the design. Ivall created the logo in 2008 according to Chi-Town Review.
From Chi-Town Review,
“Personally I have had no issue with the Hawks logo, nor has any of my family, which are all proud Ojibwas from southern Ontario,” Ivall told Chi-Town Review in an email.
The story says Ivall sold the design to the Maplesoft Hawks, an Ottawa based children's hockey team.
The bird would essentially replace the team’s current design, which is of an aboriginal warrior.
According to the piece Picard believes the team’s logo is just as offensive as that of the Washington Redskins. The Blackhawks name has not received the same level of scrutiny as the Redskins. For Washington, there have been multiple calls to change its name along with its logo.
The logo was recently posted on Facebook by Winnipeg radio hosts Tom and Larry.
The Winnipeg Jets banned headdresses at their games when the Blackhawks visit in part because of a complaint by longtime Jets fan Jordan Wheeler.
Wheeler is Cree, from the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We've addressed this subject on several occasions and our feelings remain the same. The Blackhawks logo is the most popular logo in all professional sports. It does not defame Native Americans or the Blackhawk tribe. The logo is honored and truly respected. In the Blackhawks locker room, It is forbidden to walk on the logo which is woven into the carpet. We feel it would be a terrible mistake to change this terrific logo.
If anyone reading this article can explain how or why this logo is considered disrespectful, we'd love to hear it. You know our opinion on this issue, please tell us what your thoughts are pro or con. Just go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and state your case. We truly value your opinion and really want to know, what's your take?
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1861 - The inventor of basketball, James Naismith, was born.
1869 - The first official intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick, NJ.
1958 - The American League announced that Kansas City would play a record 52 night games in 1959.
1966 - Tim Brown (Philadelphia Eagles) ran back two kick-offs for touchdowns in the same game against the Dallas Cowboys.
1969 - A tie for the Cy Young Award occurred for the first time. Detroit's Denny McLain and Baltimore's Mike Cuellar both won the award for best pitcher in the American League.
1974 - Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award.
1982 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the National Football League (NFL) could not dictate the home town of a team. The case resulted from the Oakland Raiders wanting to move to Los Angeles.
1989 - NFL Charities donated $1 million through the United Way to benefit the victims of the Bay Area earthquake.
1995 - ESPN announced a five-year contract extension with Major League Baseball. The contract represented the first time that baseball's post season would be on cable.
1995 - Art Modell, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to move his team to Baltimore.
1995 - It was announced that a contract had been signed, on October 27, that finalized the Cleveland Browns' move to Baltimore.
1995 - Mark Messier scored his 500th NHL goal.
1996 - Michael Jordan scored 50 points for the 29th time in his career.
2002 - Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) dropped the puck at a game between the Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks.
1869 - The first official intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick, NJ.
1958 - The American League announced that Kansas City would play a record 52 night games in 1959.
1966 - Tim Brown (Philadelphia Eagles) ran back two kick-offs for touchdowns in the same game against the Dallas Cowboys.
1969 - A tie for the Cy Young Award occurred for the first time. Detroit's Denny McLain and Baltimore's Mike Cuellar both won the award for best pitcher in the American League.
1974 - Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award.
1982 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the National Football League (NFL) could not dictate the home town of a team. The case resulted from the Oakland Raiders wanting to move to Los Angeles.
1989 - NFL Charities donated $1 million through the United Way to benefit the victims of the Bay Area earthquake.
1995 - ESPN announced a five-year contract extension with Major League Baseball. The contract represented the first time that baseball's post season would be on cable.
1995 - Art Modell, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to move his team to Baltimore.
1995 - It was announced that a contract had been signed, on October 27, that finalized the Cleveland Browns' move to Baltimore.
1995 - Mark Messier scored his 500th NHL goal.
1996 - Michael Jordan scored 50 points for the 29th time in his career.
2002 - Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) dropped the puck at a game between the Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks.
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