Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"
We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing.
Because it's all about you!!!
"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions." ~ Harold S. Geneen, Architect of the International Conglomerate
Trending: Cutler, Bears dominant all around in thumping of Rams. (See the football section for Bears' updates).
Trending: Trio of quick goals gives Blackhawks win over Flames. (See hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Holly Holm stuns Ronda Rousey with head-kick KO at UFC 193. (See last article on this for details).
NFL Scoreboard 11/15/2015.
New York Jets 17
Detroit Lions 18
Green Bay Packers 16
Dallas Cowboys 6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
Carolina Panthers 27
Tennessee Titans 10
Chicago Bears 37
St. Louis Rams 13
New Orleans Saints 14
Washington Redskins 47
Miami Dolphins 20
Philadelphia Eagles 19
Cleveland Browns 9
Pittsburgh Steelers 30
Jacksonville Jaguars 22
Baltimore Ravens 20
Minnesota Vikings 30
Oakland Raiders 14
New England Patriots 27
New York Giants 26
Kansas City Chiefs 29
Denver Broncos 13
Arizona Cardinals 39
Seattle Seahawks 32
Houston Texans Monday Night's Game
Cincinnati Bengals 11/16/2015
Note: Red indicates winner
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Cutler, Bears dominant all around in thumping of Rams.
Associated Press
One defender slipped, two others whiffed and Zach Miller had clear sailing into the end zone, unusual for a tight end.
Jeremy Langford found some wide-open spaces, too, for a Chicago Bears offense that hit a high note against one of the NFL's better defenses.
Miller caught two touchdown passes, including an 87-yard score that was Chicago's longest play since 2010, and Langford also had two TDs, leading the Bears to a 37-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
The Bears (4-5) improved to 3-1 on the road. They brought thousands of fans to the Edward Jones Dome, which had a season-best 58,663 tickets distributed, about 8,000 shy of capacity.
Langford was untouched on an 83-yard TD on a screen and also had a 6-yard scoring run. The running back, filling in for the injured Matt Forte, had seven catches for 109 yards and 73 yards on 20 carries.
Todd Gurley had a 6-yard scoring run on the opening drive for the Rams (4-5), who have lost two straight since entering November with a winning record for the first time since 2006. Their defense entered ranked fifth overall.
Nick Foles, acquired from the Eagles for Sam Bradford in the winter, has just one TD pass the last four games. He was 17 for 36 for 200 yards with an interception.
Jay Cutler added a 26-yard scramble, the quarterback's longest since 2009, for Chicago. He could have had had more had he not made a safety-first slide in the third quarter.
Gurley was bottled up, rushing for 45 yards on 12 carries with a long of 9 yards, and led St. Louis with three catches for 44 yards.
Wes Welker had three catches for 32 yards, one for a first down, in his 2015 debut six days after signing with St. Louis. The Rams were 4 for 14 on third down, slightly improved from 4 for 37 the previous three games.
Linebacker Akeem Ayers slipped in coverage on Miller's long touchdown. Miler split two defenders and also outran cornerback Trumaine Johnson on his 87-yard score. He had totaled 58 yards receiving on five catches for an 11.6-yard average the first eight games.
Langford, a fourth-round pick who started for the second straight game in place of Forte, had 73 yards on 20 carries and 109 yards on seven receptions.
The Rams found lots of space on their opening 80-yard drive, which featured passes of 29 yards to Jared Cook and 1 yards to Gurley, setting up Gurley's 6-yard scoring run. They mustered 205 yards the rest of the way.
Surprising people or not, Bears don't feel they've arrived just yet.
John Mullin
Jay Cutler runs for a large gain against the Rams. (Photo/Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune)
The Bears have constantly talked about their need to play a “complete” football game. They have talked about “playoffs” in more than clichés, and they really didn’t care if people thought they were windbags or whistling past their own graveyard.
But if the 1-7 Detroit Lions can do unthinkable things to the Green Bay Packers, in Green Bay, and the Kansas City Chiefs, whom the Bears defeated in Kansas City, can hold Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos to 40 yards and zero points, in Denver ...
But Denver and Green Bay are down the road. In the meantime, with Sunday’s 37-13 dismantling of the St. Louis Rams — the Bears' third road win this season — the Bears stepped up to 4-5, which includes a 4-2 mark since the season-opening stretch of Green Bay-Arizona-Seattle.
A 4-5 record doesn’t win anything. Neither does winning four of your last six. But as far as they’re concerned, if you want to dismiss the Bears as afterthoughts in John Fox’s first year:
“I’m telling you, man,” defensive end Jarvis Jenkins said. “We’re going to stay the course, and it’s going to happen for us.”
It was without question the Bears’ most complete all-around game, the more remarkable because they were rocked backwards defensively on the first series of the game — an 80-yard drive for a St. Louis touchdown — and then slammed down hard on a team that was touted as one of the NFL’s elite defenses and possessed one of the NFL’s next great running backs.
Jay Cutler had arguably his finest game as an NFL quarterback. Rookie running back Jeremy Langford followed his 142-yard game at San Diego with 182 against the Rams, again following the Matt Forte template of all-around’ness: 73 rushing yards, 109 receiving, with 83 of the latter on a screen pass catch-and-run for a touchdown in the second quarter. Zach Miller followed his game-winning touchdown catch last week with a two more touchdown catches, one off a swing pass and covering 87 yards.
The “next Adrian Peterson” — Todd Gurley — finished with 45 rushing yards. After three quarters the Rams had exactly eight first downs.
After the St. Louis touchdown, the Bears trampled the Rams, 37-6. The Bears allowed no touchdowns and just two field goals the rest of the game and only 205 more yards over the final 57 minutes. Special teams got over some early problems, including a Marc Mariani lost fumble inside the Chicago 20, while allowing St. Louis return terror Tavon Austin a total of 16 yards on three punt returns, roughly half his 10.1-yard average.
“I think our football team’s growing,” was about as much as coach John Fox would allow, which is never very much in the NFL, certainly not after nine games.
But to pull the camera back for purposes of perspective: The Bears accomplished Sunday’s mauling without their best offensive player (Matt Forte) and best defensive player (Pernell McPhee), both back in Chicago with knee injuries.
As far as surprising people, which the Bears have done, again: “We don’t even really talk about it that much, to be honest with you,” Cutler said. “I think we do a good job of blocking the noise on the outside and concentrate on day in, day out.
“I don’t think this team believes it’s arrived, by any means.”
And that sort of attitude makes them dangerous.
'Dirty' Rams an exaggeration? Guess again, say Bears.
By John Mullin
The little tempest last week over whether Jeff Fisher and the St. Louis Rams were practitioners of dirty football subsided, and everything was fine going into Sunday’s meeting with the Bears, won by the Bears, 37-13.
He might have stayed to the high road during the week publicly, but players said that coach John Fox talked to the team — “preached,” according to one member of the defense — about maintaining composure and not getting drawn into shoving matches or other altercations with Rams players intent on inducing a bit of mayhem.
It wasn’t easy.
“They were trying to be a bully,” said running back Ka’Deem Carey as he was wrapped with an ice bag. “We knew that at the beginning. Man, they play so dirty. One guy was on top of me and started grinding his knee into my knee joint. I pushed him off, and the ref was looking hard at me!”
During the pregame introductions and warmups before the Bears’ destruction of the Rams (4-5), Rams players pointedly moved in the way of Bears players trying to get final work in.
“We knew what it was going to be,” said tight end Zach Miller, whose 87-yard catch-and-run with a swing pass in the first quarter was the Bears’ answer two plays after the Rams opened the scoring with a touchdown on the game's first drive. “We’re over there warming up, and they’re standing in the way of Jay and I and Alshon throwing the football.”
The Rams “did a lot of stuff,” said defensive end Jarvis Jenkins, who added that Sunday was nothing like the bloodbath between the Rams and Washington Redskins when Jenkins played for the latter in 2012. “They might do stuff in between downs, but we stayed away from that.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Trio of quick goals gives Blackhawks win over Flames.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
They had plenty of energy heading into Saturday’s game in St. Louis. They have a healthy roster for the first time all season, giving Quenneville more options. It’s just two days, but the Blackhawks have felt more like a complete team. And for the second consecutive night, they played like one.
Patrick Kane scored his 13th goal of the season, and Marian Hossa scored his first in nearly a month as the Blackhawks beat the Calgary Flames, 4-1, on Sunday night. It was the second consecutive victory and third in the last four games for the Blackhawks, who scored four unanswered goals to take this one.
Artemi Panarin scored his sixth of the season, as did Jonathan Toews, who got an empty-net goal with 37.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Scott Darling stopped 25 of 26 shots for the victory.
“I thought that was probably our best two games, back-to-back, and the consistency we always look for was right there,” Quenneville said. “We had more of a four-line rotation going where we had some predictability, timely goals, some nice pays. Across the board, everyone contributed.”
Again, it helps to have defensemen Duncan Keith and Michal Rozsival back in the mix. But the Blackhawks still were looking to get their all-around game going, and they’ve done that these past two games.
Nevertheless, they fell behind first in this one. David Jones put the Flames up, 1-0, just 3:41 into the second period. But about three minutes later, the Blackhawks went on a scoring barrage, recording three goals in 1:55. Kane was first, tying the game with a backhander to extend his point streak to 13 consecutive games, one game shy of his career high. It was Kane’s seventh goal in as many games.
“That whole line compliments each other well. Panarin and (Kane) have great chemistry, and don’t forget (Artem) Anisimov. He’s creating space and winning those loose puck battles,” Keith said. “It’s a full-line effort, and Kaner’s leading the way, for sure.”
Sixty-three seconds later Hossa scored his first since Oct. 17, a knuckleballer that gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. Panarin scored 52 seconds later for a 3-1 lead. Darling did the rest. After seeing just four Flames shots in the first period, Darling stopped 21 of 22 in the second and third.
“The last start I had I didn’t play well. When you’re dwelling on it for two weeks, you’re really excited to get back into the net and make the most of the opportunity,” said Darling, whose last start was in Minnesota on Oct. 30. “It was a long two weeks working hard with (goaltending coach Jimmy Waite), and I’m happy with the way it turned out tonight.”
The Blackhawks are happy with the way the last two nights have turned out. There’s still a long way to go, and the Circus Trip, their six-game jaunt through Western Canada and California, looms. But they’re starting to feel more like a team now, and it’s leading to results.
“We put ourselves in a good spot,” Quenneville said. “That Jersey game (on Thursday) still bothers me a little bit, but we did so many good things in that game it was, ‘OK, let’s not get frustrated,’ knowing we’re looking like we’re outside the playoffs and it’s still early in the year. We did put ourselves in a tough spot but had a great response here. We have to play well on this road trip and prove we can play the same way.”
Blackhawks rally to beat Blues in wild game. (Saturday night's game, 11/14/2015).
By Tracey Myers
On Saturday they got the start and the finish.
Patrick Kane scored his 12th goal of the season and Duncan Keith was his usual self in his first game after knee surgery as the Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 at Scottrade Center. It was the Blackhawks’ first road victory since Oct. 10, when they beat the New York Islanders in their first road game of the season.
Both Keith and Michal Rozsival, coming off a fractured left ankle, returned for the Blackhawks. Keith was a bundle of energy following Saturday morning’s skate, when coach Joel Quenneville said the Blackhawks would keep an eye on how their defenseman handled minutes.
Keith played 27 minutes, 34 seconds. So apparently, he was fine.
“I think so,” coach Joel Quenneville said with a grin. “I don’t know if we budgeted him for 27 [minutes] but I didn’t see a complaint.”
Corey Crawford stopped 29 of 31 shots in the victory and Artem Anisimov scored an empty-net goal with 47 seconds remaining in regulation. Rozsival, in his first game since fracturing his left ankle last May, played just over 13 minutes. Kane now has a 12-game point streak; his career long is 14 games, from Nov. 30-Dec. 28, 2013.
Keith said he felt just fine out there and doesn’t see any reason why he can’t play again on Sunday night, when the Blackhawks host the Calgary Flames.
“I felt good. It’s nice to get back in the swing of things,” Keith said. “Tough game, with a good crowd and good atmosphere. I thought we did a lot of good things and battled through some things and I think we can all do a better job of trying to stay out of the box and not getting caught up in the plays after the whistle.”
The Blackhawks did get caught up in the Blues’ style of play late in the first and early in the second period. They took a few penalties. Quenneville was fine with some, including Jonathan Toews fighting David Backes after Backes’ boarding on Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Blackhawks defenseman went to the locker room after that hit but soon returned.
“It was a dangerous hit,” Quenneville said of Backes’ hit on Hjalmarsson. “[Toews] is a captain, a great leader and it was great sticking up for your teammates.”
The Blackhawks certainly did more right than wrong in this game, which hasn’t been the case in most of their road games so far this season. Once they got out of their frustrating rut early in the second period – Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in those early minutes for the Blues – they played their brand of hockey again. They got more players on the score sheet – Andrew Shaw had his second goal of the season, as did Trevor van Riemsdyk.
The Blackhawks looked more complete on Saturday night. Certainly it helped to get Keith and Rozsival back, especially Keith’s massive minutes. The Blackhawks needed to start finding consistency, be it home or on the road. Saturday could be a start of that.
“It was a really big win,” Crawford said. “It’s a tough team to play against. Even when you’re playing at home they’re tough to play against. This building is even harder to play against them. I think we needed this sort of game to get back in the swing of things. This was a good test for us.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Indiana Pacers - Chicago Bulls Preview.
AP
Paul George's serious injury is a thing of the past, but Derrick Rose is still dealing with the lingering effects of his latest.
George looks to continue powering the red-hot Indiana Pacers against Rose and the Bulls on Monday night in the first of two meetings in 12 days.
The two-time All-Star missed all but the final six games last season after breaking his leg in a scrimmage while with Team USA in August 2014.
George has put the injury behind him and again looks every bit like the cornerstone of the Pacers (6-4), averaging 24.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. He's been even better over the past six, scoring 29.3 per game with 9.3 boards while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor, including 19 of 40 from 3-point range.
He was terrific again Friday with 29 points in a 107-103 win over Minnesota that marked Indiana's sixth in seven games since starting the season 0-3.
"Since training camp, this is the Paul George I expected to see coming back," coach Frank Vogel said. "It's my job to put him in position to have his best season ever and he's started off (looking) to have that type of year."
Things aren't going quite as well for Rose, who is averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 assists while still feeling the effects of a broken orbital bone suffered during training camp - his latest in a slew of injuries over the past four years.
The 2011 MVP and three-time All-Star is wearing a protective mask, but he's reportedly dealing with blurred vision that's prevented him from taking on more of the scoring load. The issue could linger for as long as three more months.
With Rose hampered, Jimmy Butler is picking up the slack and leads the Bulls (6-3) with 19.4 points per game. The guard scored a season-high 27 to help Chicago overcome Rose's 4-of-14 shooting performance in Friday's 102-97 win against Charlotte. Rose finished with 10 points and eight assists.
"We're a team with a lot of talent," said center Pau Gasol, who had 19 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. "When we play well and play hard and play together, we are tough to beat. We try to play up-tempo, try to play with pace, good offensively but I'm not sure there is identity per se."
Gasol at least gives the team a presence under the basket and is averaging 18.7 points, 12.0 boards and 3.0 blocks over the last three games. He's scored 19.0 points per contest while adding 9.3 rebounds over the past three matchups with Indiana.
Butler missed the previous two meetings with an elbow injury after totaling 59 points and sinking 18 of 37 shots in the two prior to that.
George was out for all four meetings between the Central Division rivals last season, which they split. He's averaged 22.2 points in his last five visits to Chicago.
Monta Ellis has scored 22.6 per game over his past seven at United Center after pouring in 38 in a double-overtime win with Dallas on Dec. 2. The guard had 24 points while hitting 11 of 17 from the field Friday.
The Bulls visit the Pacers on Nov. 27 to close a four-game trip that begins after this contest.
Bulls' show some character' in home victory over Hornets. (Friday night's game, 11/13/2013).
By Vincent Goodwill
Capitalizing after every turnover, the Hornets found themselves right at the precipice of another upset, even as the Bulls put forth the effort they claimed was missing in Charlotte.
But it wasn’t until Jeremy Lamb’s corner three bounced off the front rim with the Hornets trailing by three before the Bulls could exhale, slightly, and when Jimmy Butler’s perimeter jumper rolled around and down, a hearty breath was taken by the United Center crowd.
Butler’s jumper with 5.4 seconds left put the capper on a 102-97 win Friday, as he completed a 27-point night where he struggled early but finished making eight of 16 shots from the field and went to the line 14 times, including one trip where he fell on his left wrist and was shaking it on the subsequent free throws.
“I’m fine. If I would’ve dunked the basketball, I wouldn’t have fallen on my wrist,” he joked.
After his 2-7 start, he received necessary encouragement from Derrick Rose, who refused to let him be discouraged by the slow start.
“That’s my point guard telling me to stay aggressive and keep shooting,” Butler said.
As for the late jumper, which hit the glass before sliding in, Butler said, “Shooters’ touch. It’d better went in, that’s what I was thinking. Definitely (a relief).”
Butler finished what was started by Joakim Noah, who in his return from a one-game knee-induced sabbatical, grabbed 18 rebounds and passed out six assists in 23 minutes, including guarding Hornets center Al Jefferson and helping hold him to six points and five rebounds.
“Just wanted to bring some energy tonight,” said Noah, playing with a heavy heart on the heels of the attacks in Paris, where he lived for 10 years. He checked with family members before the game to ensure their safety.
“It was an important game for us, especially the last time we played this team. We showed some character tonight.”
Noah was part of a bench brigade that brought the energy, along with Taj Gibson and E’Twaun Moore after the starters weren’t producing. And now, especially with Nikola Mirotic back struggling, one has to wonder if Noah will make a return back to the starting lineup given his affect on the club.
“Taj I thought defended great. You always know you’ll get energy from those two guys (Noah and Gibson),” Hoiberg said. “(Noah) had great pop. He had bounce. He was out yelling and screaming at everybody.”
They had trouble tracking Hornets guard Nic Batum, who made his first five triples but missed one with less than a minute remaining in one of their final attempts to make the Bulls do more than sweat.
But the Bulls had to get out of their own way after a disastrous third-quarter where they shot just seven for 22, which accompanied their anemic night from the 3-point line where they hit just four of 16 while the Hornets made 15 of their own, single-handedly keeping the contenders within striking distance and giving them a slight lead at the start of the final stanza.
“Charlotte shot the 3-ball great,” Hoiberg said. “We tried to play tight D. A lot of them were contested. Just a few of them we got lost out there.”
They didn’t make things worse by getting pounded in the paint as they did in the first drubbing, and controlled the boards 57-47 to offset not creating many turnovers and giving up so many 3-pointers.
From there, Moore and Rose keyed a quick run to give them an 82-77 lead, as Moore finished with 11 points and five rebounds, playing key minutes as part of a defensive-minded unit.
Rose missed 10 of his 14 shots but had a key layup late and dished out eight assists, including one to Pau Gasol for a jumper late in the fourth, as Gasol had 19 points and 13 rebounds.
But another slow start almost derailed things until Noah entered midway through the first, and he immediately made an impact, tipping in a Butler miss and displaying his trademark emotion.
Led by Batum, Marvin Williams and Kemba Walker, the Hornets did more than keep things interesting down the stretch, refusing to turn the ball over and playing with poise until the jumpers finally stopped going down on the final possessions.
The Bulls some semblance of payback, but it came much harder than they anticipated.
Cubs looking at CF options with Dexter Fowler declining qualifying offer.
By Patrick Mooney
Fowler will get paid for his on-base skills (.363 career percentage), relative youth (30 next season) and passable defense at a premium position (center field), meaning the Cubs will likely have to replace the leadoff guy for a team that rolled into the National League Championship Series.
The Cubs met with Casey Close – the agent who also represents pitcher Zack Greinke and outfielder Alex Gordon – during this week’s general manager meetings at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.
“We’ve maintained dialogue with Casey Close about Dexter, but it’s really early in this process,” team president Theo Epstein said Wednesday in South Florida. “We’ve brainstormed a number of trade possibilities in center field, as well as other free agents and had some dialogue, but nothing that’s really moved down the field yet.”
The Cubs can see if Scott Boras is willing to do a “pillow contract” for Denard Span, who played only 61 games during an injury-plagued season and still put up a .796 OPS. But it’s also telling that the Washington Nationals didn’t make Span a qualifying offer.
Gerardo Parra is another player the Cubs have on their radar. Parra can play all three outfield positions and is coming off a season where he hit .291 with 14 homers and 51 RBI for the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles. Parra’s versatility, left-handed bat and age – he will be 29 next year – are appealing.
The Cubs appreciate Ben Zobrist’s overall game, but they don’t see Joe Maddon’s super-utility guy as an every-day option to play center field.
WEEI.com identified the Cubs and Kansas City Royals as possible fits for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., an outstanding defender who could be moved with new president Dave Dombrowski now running baseball operations at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox used a first-round pick on Bradley in 2011, Epstein’s final year as their general manager, and the Cubs have repeatedly picked up players and staffers who used to work in Boston. Dombrowski is also known as an aggressive executive who won’t have the same emotional attachment to homegrown Red Sox.
But any hopes the Cubs once had for Bradley being a buy-low candidate might have disappeared when he got hot in August and September (nine homers, 40 RBI), raising his overall OPS to .832 this year. Plus, the Red Sox appear to be set with middle infielders and in the market for pitching, and the Cubs don’t really have that currency to trade right now.
Ultimately, with so many of their young hitters already graduated to the big leagues and only so much financial flexibility, the Cubs don’t need a big name in center field, just someone who can play good defense and balance out what can be an all-or-nothing lineup.
The Cubs have varying degrees of interest in pitchers who turned down qualifying offers – including Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lackey and Jeff Samardzija – and the calculus of giving up a draft pick has changed for a franchise in win-now mode.
Jeff Samardzija rejects White Sox qualifying offer.
By Dan Hayes
The former White Sox and Cubs pitcher elected to remain a free agent instead of accepting a one-year, $15.8-million offer extended by the team last Friday. Prior to the 4 p.m. CST deadline, free agents Brett Anderson, Matt Wieters and Colby Rasmus elected to accept their team’s qualifying offers.
Samardzija, who went 11-13 with a 4.96 ERA in 32 starts for the White Sox in 2015, has already drawn significant interest on the free agent market. Once he signs with another team the White Sox will be awarded an extra pick in between the first and second rounds as compensation.
Earlier this week, general manager Rick Hahn discussed Samardzija’s season and how he believes it won’t affect the free agent’s market.
“It didn’t work,” Hahn said. “These things happen from time to time. A guy with a relatively solid proven track record occasionally has a year that ultimately when all is said and done looks like an aberration. That could well be what happens with Jeff. Obviously it’s unfortunate that it happened on our watch and we all had high expectations, including Jeff of himself. In terms of the impact on him going forward or us going forward, I think it’s relatively non-existent.
“He’s still very strong. Again, another guy who’s going to have a robust market I’d expect.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Swedish golfer Broberg edges Reed in dramatic BMW Masters finish.
By Daniel Hicks
Kristoffer Broberg sank a knee-knocking downhill 12-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole to win the BMW Masters and his first European Tour title in Shanghai Sunday.
The Swede carded a four-under final round of 68 to finish level on 17-under par 271 with American Patrick Reed who shot a 67, forcing the pair to go head-to-head back down the 18th at Lake Malaren.
Reed found the greenside bunker with his second to the long par four while Broberg carved a nine-iron perfectly to the right of the flag and saw it run down a slope to four paces from the hole.
Although Reed splashed out close, the stage was set for the 29-year-old from Stockholm who had won previously three times on the second-tier Challenge Tour but never among the top pros.
He had been faced with an almost identical putt minutes earlier on 18 to win outright but left it short.
This time he made no mistake, firmly rolling the ball down the slope and into the heart of the cup to roars from the packed galleries as he held both arms aloft in triumph.
Broberg was embraced by his caddie and soon after by fellow Swedish tour players Rikard Karlberg and Henrik Stenson who showered him in celebratory champagne.
Fighting back tears, Broberg was almost lost for words after picking up the biggest payday of his career -- $1,166,000 -- and shooting up the Race to Dubai rankings from 61st to 12th.
"That's a dream come true. I've worked so hard all my life for this. I have no words," said the tearful Swede, who started the week ranked 149th in the world but looks certain break the top 100 when the new rankings are released Monday.
"I hit a good swing with my driver, just hit a long one left side," he said off the playoff hole. "Hit a pure nine-iron into the green and made the putt."
He said he would be celebrating later over dinner with his Swedish colleagues on tour including world number seven Stenson, who finished just one shot behind Broberg in a tie for third with An Byeong-Hun of South Korea, Denmark's Lucas Bjerregaard and overnight leader Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand.
"Henrik paid the bill yesterday, so it's my turn today," Broberg laughed.
- McIlroy still ahead -
Reed, who only got into the playoff courtesy of an outrageous eagle two direct from a fairway bunker on the par-four 15th, was able to take the positives away from two weeks in Shanghai where he recorded strong finishes after a tied seventh place in the WGC-HSBC Champions a week ago.
"That's I think five of my last seven events I've finished inside the top 10," said Reed, one of the few Americans to play on both the US PGA and European Tours.
"Just need to keep on plugging along and hopefully close one out shortly."
Rory McIlroy sat out this week but will tee up on Thursday in the DP World Tour Championship, still leading the Race to Dubai by a thread after Danny Willett's tied 28th finish on seven-under was not enough to overtake the Northern Irish world number three.
McIlroy's lead in the standings has been cut to just 1,613 points by the Englishman with 1,333,330 points available to the winner of the season-ending championship next week.
Justin Rose could also have overtaken McIlroy with second place in Shanghai but finished tied seventh.
The English world number six did move to third in the standings, but he is still 650,999 points adrift of McIlroy.
McDowell, Knox tied in Mexico, head for Monday finish.
AP - Sports
AP - Sports
Inbee Park won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Sunday, holding off Carlota Ciganda for her fifth victory of the season and 17th LPGA Tour title.
The second-ranked South Korean star birdied the final two holes for a bogey-free 8-under 64 and a three-stroke victory over Ciganda in cloudy conditions at tree-lined Club de Golf Mexico.
''It was definitely the putter. It was really good this week,'' Park said. ''I made a lot of birdies this week. It was a lot of fun today, with Carlota playing so well. ... It was almost a perfect day today. I didn't make any mistakes, so I was able to focus on my game.''
Ciganda shot a 63. The Spaniard eagled the par-5 second hole and had eight birdies and a bogey.
''I did the best I could,'' Ciganda said. ''I putted really well today. I think that was the key. ... Inbee played unbelievable and she has lots of experience. She knows how to win.''
The former Arizona State player is winless on the LPGA Tour.
''It was birdies after birdies, so it was fun,'' Park said. ''Carlota really got me going.''
Park finished at 18-under 270. She was making her first start since withdrawing in China two weeks ago because of a cyst on her left middle finger.
Tournament host Ochoa won 27 LPGA Tour titles. She retired in 2010.
''Winning this tournament is such an honor. It's a thrill,'' Park said. ''Lorena has done so much for women's golf even after she retired. She's inspired so many professionals and we love to come here and play this tournament. We really miss Lorena as well. It's always fun to play this tournament.''
Park took the lead from top-ranked Lydia Ko in the Vare Trophy standings for season scoring average and moved within three points of Ko in the player of the year standings. Park earned $200,000 and is second on the money list with $2,570,096.
Ko skipped skipping the tournament to rest for her title defense next week in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.
South Korea's Sei Young Kim was third at 13 under after a 66.
So Yeon Ryu, also from South Korea, shot a 67 to finish fourth at 11 under.
NASCAR: Shortened race in Phoenix determines final 3 Chase spots.
By Jenna Fryer
NASCAR's championship field was set Sunday at rain-soaked Phoenix International Raceway when the race was called 93 laps from the scheduled finish - denying Joey Logano and three others a chance to race their way into the finale.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race when NASCAR pulled the plug after a frustrating day of trying to get a pivotal Chase for the Sprint Cup championship elimination round completed. Rain initially delayed the start almost seven hours and turned a day race into a showcase under the lights, and Earnhardt inherited the lead when Kevin Harvick made a routine pit stop.
''That's the way this game is played. That's the way this Chase is,'' Logano said. ''There's no doubt in my mind we're still the strongest team on the race track.''
Earnhardt was eliminated from the playoffs in the second round, though, so the victory had no championship implications. Advancing into the season finale next Sunday were reigning series champion Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. They joined Jeff Gordon, who had earned his spot in the final four two weeks ago with a win at Martinsville, in the winner-take-all showdown at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Eliminated Sunday were Logano and his teammate Brad Keselowski, as well as Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. All could have earned a spot in the finale with a victory at Phoenix, but the weather ruined their shot to race their way into the championship.
''I don't think it matters what's fair, it matters what entertains the fans and if the fans are happy then that's what it's all about,'' said Keselowski.
But the fans were likely left unsatisfied after the anti-climactic ending.
But the fans were likely left unsatisfied after the anti-climactic ending.
It was a bitter defeat for Team Penske, which nearly locked both drivers into the finale. Logano, the Daytona 500 winner who swept all three races of the second round of the Chase, was headed to the win at Martinsville until he was intentionally wrecked by Matt Kenseth and Keselowski nearly won last week at Texas but was chased down in the closing laps by Jimmie Johnson.
Logano finished a frustrating third and was denied a chance to race Earnhardt and Harvick on a restart because of the rain.
''You don't know if there's another restart if we're going to win,'' Logano said. ''You just want a chance. It's no one's fault. It's not NASCAR's fault. What are they supposed to do when it's pouring out?''
Also left wondering what might have been: Edwards, who missed advancing by just five points, and Kurt Busch, who had one of the strongest cars at Phoenix. Kurt Busch had to win the race to advance, and he might have had a shot had it gone to completion.
He was penalized minutes into the race for jumping the start - he grabbed the lead from pole-sitter Johnson - but fell to last in the field when he made his pass-through on pit road. But he still climbed to seventh and might have been able to challenge teammate Harvick for the win.
''I don't even think it was a penalty,'' Kurt Busch said after the race ended. ''It's not even a call in my mind.''
Meanwhile, Earnhardt had no guilt in celebrating the win. He was eliminated from the Chase after the second round when a caution prevented him from racing Logano to the checkered flag at Talladega.
He was penalized minutes into the race for jumping the start - he grabbed the lead from pole-sitter Johnson - but fell to last in the field when he made his pass-through on pit road. But he still climbed to seventh and might have been able to challenge teammate Harvick for the win.
''I don't even think it was a penalty,'' Kurt Busch said after the race ended. ''It's not even a call in my mind.''
Meanwhile, Earnhardt had no guilt in celebrating the win. He was eliminated from the Chase after the second round when a caution prevented him from racing Logano to the checkered flag at Talladega.
''A lot of guys would love to see this race continue and have an opportunity to race to the Chase,'' said Earnhardt. ''If I had four or six inches at Talladega, we would be going there to Homestead to race for a championship, too. It works out for some and some it doesn't.''
Earnhardt ended Harvick's streak of four consecutive wins at Phoenix, but the champion was the class of the field. He led 143 of the 219 laps and had just pitted when a wreck brought out the caution.
''It's kind of bittersweet,'' Harvick said. ''Just caution came out at the wrong time. I feel like I don't want to be greedy and be disappointed with how it went today when you look at the big picture.
Earnhardt ended Harvick's streak of four consecutive wins at Phoenix, but the champion was the class of the field. He led 143 of the 219 laps and had just pitted when a wreck brought out the caution.
''It's kind of bittersweet,'' Harvick said. ''Just caution came out at the wrong time. I feel like I don't want to be greedy and be disappointed with how it went today when you look at the big picture.
''You always want to win when you have a car like we did today, but I'll take it again next week.''
Harvick won at Homestead last year to clinch his first career championship. This time he'll be up against four-time champion Gordon, who will try to win the title in his final race before retirement, and Kyle Busch and Truex, who will both be racing for the championship for the first time in their career.
Kyle Busch has been a favorite to win the title at various times in his career, but he never made it far enough in the Chase to win a Cup title. It gives him the chance for a storybook ending to a season that began with a crash at Daytona that left him with a broken leg and broken foot.
Sidelined until late May, he was given a waiver by NASCAR to compete in the Chase.
''I'm playing with house money, so I've got the advantage,'' he said.
Sidelined until late May, he was given a waiver by NASCAR to compete in the Chase.
''I'm playing with house money, so I've got the advantage,'' he said.
SOCCER: HOT FOOTBALL GOSSIP: Mourinho, Falcao and Diego Costa 'to leave Chelsea' while Arjen Robben 'ready' for Manchester United move.
By Mark Lawford
Guest gossip columnist Stanley Accrington casts an eye over the Sunday papers - and there appears to be a lot of apparent activity at Chelsea as journalists struggle to fill the Premier League void.
In the absence of any real football, sports journalists and pundits are having to ‘earn their corn’ and go out and find some stories.
Or they can make them up. Or speculate. But try and involve Chelsea at the moment if possible and everyone seems to be reveling in the 2015-2016 season specialists of failure.
So step forward Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle legend David Ginola who has told BT Sport that he believes not only will Jose Mourinho quit Stamford Bridge and become Paris St-Germain boss but he will also sign Cristiano Ronaldo – in time for next season.
I wonder how current PSG manager Laurent Blanc feels about that?
Ginola insisted: “I know the Qatari investors would like to have Ronaldo at the club, no matter how much it will cost, they will pay for it.
"And I can also see Mourinho as the next manager of the team.
“So I think there’s going to be a lot of Portuguese in Paris.”
If all is to be believed, they might as well install revolving doors at Stamford Bridge.
According to the Sunday Express, the Blues will offer Atletico Madrid £40m for striker Antoine Griezmann, but two other Chelsea forwards could be bidding farewell to London.
There are, however, no quotes to back this 'exclusive' up…
The Sun on Sunday says Mourinho is ready to send Radamel Falcao back to parent club Monaco if an agreement can be reached to end his season-long loan from the Ligue 1 club.
There are, however, no quotes to back this one up…
And Diego Costa looks to have paid the price for a barren spell and on-pitch behavior. The Sunday Mirror reports Chelsea will sell him in January and pursue two other strikers.
There are, however, no quotes to back this one up…
The same paper claims former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben is up for grabs after falling out with Bayern Munich team mate Robert Lewandowski – Manchester United head that apparent queue for that apparently unhappy Dutchman who wants to link up once again with his former Holland boss Louis Van Gaal.
There are, however, no quotes to back this one up…
At least Nemanja Matic will be able to turn his full attention to Chelsea’s Premier League plight. The midfielder revealed to the Evening Standard that he is ready to quit the Serbian national team because he doesn’t like the attitude of his team mates.
Said Matic: “I told our coach there is no point in me carrying on with the national team if things don’t change.”
Tottenham’s plans to finally secure the signature of West Brom frontman Saido Berahino could be derailed by Newcastle who, according to the Sun on Sunday have £20m set aside for just such a bid in January but White Hart Lane fans could be welcoming Dinamo Kiev defender Domagoj Vida for £7m claims the Daily Star Sunday.
There are, however, no quotes to back these ones up…
Former Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor, linked with Aston Villa for so long when his ex-boss Tim Sherwood was in charge there, is now once again ready to put pen to paper for the Villa Park strugglers and new boss Remi Garde claims the Birmingham Mail.
There are, however, no quotes to back this one up but apparently SkyBet has Adebayor 6/4 favorite to do so “before February 3”, an odd random date, by which time Villa Park fans will already be planning for life in the Championship and possible trips to Burton, Gillingham and deadly local rivals Walsall.
Scholes aims more criticism at Van Gaal.
Ominsport.com
Paul Scholes is refusing to back down in his withering assessment of Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's methods.
Manchester United great Paul Scholes has continued his war of words with Louis van Gaal by stating the current crop need to stop focusing on philosophy and start playing attacking football.
Scholes, who won the Premier League title 11 times during his time at Old Trafford, last month hit out at what he perceives to be a negative approach under United boss Van Gaal.
That drew a terse response from the Dutchman, who criticized Scholes' comments and insisted his side do take risks. However, the former England international is sticking to his original assessment.
"It hasn't been great for 13 months, but I better not say too much because Louis might be listening," Scholes said at a charity event at Hotel Football.
"There's been talk of a philosophy, a process. For me, Manchester United don't need a philosophy.
"The fans want to see attacking football and goals - that's the Manchester United way."
However, Scholes did praise Van Gaal for bringing Jesse Lingard into the first team.
The 22-year-old has made seven appearances in all competitions for United this term and Scholes has been impressed by the midfielder.
"It's been good to see Jesse Lingard in the team. It's good to see a young lad come through the ranks and do well," he added.
"I thought he was United's best player against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League recently."
NCAAFB: Top 25 Ranking, 11/15/2015.
That drew a terse response from the Dutchman, who criticized Scholes' comments and insisted his side do take risks. However, the former England international is sticking to his original assessment.
"It hasn't been great for 13 months, but I better not say too much because Louis might be listening," Scholes said at a charity event at Hotel Football.
"There's been talk of a philosophy, a process. For me, Manchester United don't need a philosophy.
"The fans want to see attacking football and goals - that's the Manchester United way."
However, Scholes did praise Van Gaal for bringing Jesse Lingard into the first team.
The 22-year-old has made seven appearances in all competitions for United this term and Scholes has been impressed by the midfielder.
"It's been good to see Jesse Lingard in the team. It's good to see a young lad come through the ranks and do well," he added.
"I thought he was United's best player against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League recently."
NCAAFB: Top 25 Ranking, 11/15/2015.
sbnation.com
AP
|
Coaches
|
S&P+
|
Massey
| |
1
|
Clemson (34)
|
Clemson (28)
|
Clemson
|
Clemson
|
2
|
Ohio State (2)
|
Ohio State (32)
|
Alabama
|
Alabama
|
3
|
Alabama (4)
|
Alabama (4)
|
Ohio State
|
Ohio State
|
4
|
Oklahoma State
|
Oklahoma State
|
Oklahoma
|
Oklahoma
|
5
|
Notre Dame
|
Notre Dame
|
Michigan
|
Notre Dame
|
6
|
Iowa
|
Iowa
|
Notre Dame
|
Oklahoma State
|
7
|
Oklahoma
|
Oklahoma
|
Baylor
|
Florida
|
8
|
Florida
|
Florida
|
Florida State
|
Iowa
|
9
|
Michigan State
|
Michigan State
|
Ole Miss
|
Baylor
|
10
|
Baylor
|
Baylor
|
Florida
|
TCU
|
11
|
TCU
|
TCU
|
USC
|
Michigan State
|
12
|
North Carolina
|
North Carolina
|
Navy
|
Stanford
|
13
|
Houston
|
Michigan
|
LSU
|
Michigan
|
14
|
Michigan
|
Houston
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
15
|
Stanford
|
Stanford
|
Stanford
|
Houston
|
16
|
Florida State
|
Florida State
|
Bowling Green
|
Navy
|
17
|
LSU
|
LSU
|
UCLA
|
LSU
|
18
|
Utah
|
Utah
|
Wisconsin
|
Utah
|
19
|
Navy
|
Navy
|
NC State
|
Florida State
|
20
|
Northwestern
|
Wisconsin
|
Oklahoma State
|
USC
|
21
|
Wisconsin
|
Northwestern
|
Tennessee
|
Ole Miss
|
22
|
USC
|
Oregon
|
Western Kentucky
|
Memphis
|
23
|
Oregon
|
Washington State
|
Arkansas
|
Wisconsin
|
24
|
Washington State
|
USC
|
Mississippi State
|
Mississippi State
|
25
|
Ole Miss
|
Ole Miss (T-25)
|
Washington
|
Arkansas
|
25
|
Mississippi State (T-25)
|
Notes on the four rankings used here:
Bill Connelly's S&P+ ratings: Connelly's efficiency- and explosiveness-based metric parses each team's performance and adjusts it for strength of opposition. These ratings ultimately become part of each FBS team's advanced statistical profile. They're entirely computer-generated and don't signal an agenda against anybody's favorite team.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel to resign after season due to health issues.
By Sam Cooper
(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel will resign following the conclusion of the 2015 season, the school announced Friday.
According to a release from the school, the decision is due to health issues. Pinkel was diagnosed with lymphoma in May. The school said he received “multiple treatments” in May and June after doctors determined that treatment “wouldn’t interfere with his coaching duties.” Once that determination was made, Pinkel decided to coach the 2015 season.
“I made the decision in May, after visiting with my family, that I wanted to keep coaching, as long as I felt good and had the energy I needed,” Pinkel said in a statement. “I felt great going into the season, but also knew that I would need to re-assess things at some point, and I set our bye week as the time when I would take stock of the future. After we played Vanderbilt (Oct. 24), I had a scheduled PET scan on Oct. 26th for reassessment, and then visited with my family and came to the decision on October 27th that this would be my last year coaching.
“I still feel good physically, but I decided that I want to focus on enjoying my remaining years with my family and friends, and also have proper time to battle the disease and give full attention to that.”
The school said Pinkel will “remain as Mizzou’s coach through December 31, 2015, or until a new head coach is in place.” Additionally, Pinkel and athletic director Mack Rhoades are “discussing a role” to keep Pinkel involved with the athletic department.
Pinkel informed the team and staff of the decision on Friday.
It’s been an honor working with Gary since I joined the Mizzou family,” said Rhoades. “Gary is truly a coaching legend as the winningest coach at two Division I institutions while leaving a profound impact on a countless number of young men. We are extremely appreciative of all that he has done for Mizzou. It’s tough emotionally knowing that his fight with cancer is bringing his run to an end sooner than any of us thought.
The school said Pinkel will “remain as Mizzou’s coach through December 31, 2015, or until a new head coach is in place.” Additionally, Pinkel and athletic director Mack Rhoades are “discussing a role” to keep Pinkel involved with the athletic department.
Pinkel informed the team and staff of the decision on Friday.
It’s been an honor working with Gary since I joined the Mizzou family,” said Rhoades. “Gary is truly a coaching legend as the winningest coach at two Division I institutions while leaving a profound impact on a countless number of young men. We are extremely appreciative of all that he has done for Mizzou. It’s tough emotionally knowing that his fight with cancer is bringing his run to an end sooner than any of us thought.
"I want to commend Gary with how open he’s been with me the whole time, from the first day he came to my office in May and told me about his diagnosis, all the way to now and when he met with me personally on October 28th to tell me he’d made up his mind. He’s been nothing but first class in how he’s handled the situation the whole way.”
Pinkel clarified in his statement that he is “not doing poorly” health-wise and that the type of lymphoma he has is “manageable.”
“I want to make very clear that I’m not doing poorly, and that this is a manageable disease, but it’s one that will never go away,” Pinkel said. “So many people have bigger struggles with other forms of cancer and other serious diseases, and I feel blessed that I’ve got something I can fight and still enjoy a good quality of life. I don’t know how many years I have left, but I want to turn my focus to life outside of the daily grind of football.
“Words can’t express how grateful I am to the University of Missouri and all of the amazing people who make it up, from the administration to the students and our fans. Obviously, I’m so appreciative to all of my coaches and athletes. Leaving them makes this decision so tough, but I do so feeling good that the Mizzou Football program is in a better place than it was when we came in 15 years ago. I feel that Mizzou is a great job at a great school and has so much going for it that they’ll find an outstanding coach to move the program forward.”
Pinkel is in his 15th season at Mizzou after previously spending 10 years at Toledo and compiling a 73-37-3 record. At Missouri, Pinkel has a 117-71 record and has guided the Tigers to five division titles, 10 bowl game appearances and five Top 20 rankings. He also guided Missouri through its transition from the Big 12 to the SEC and won back-to-back SEC East titles in 2013 and 2014.
With 190 total wins, Pinkel is the 19th-winningest coach in FBS history.
This year’s team started 4-1 but is now 4-5 after dropping its last four contests in conference play. The Tigers play BYU on Saturday in Kansas City before finishing out the season at home against Tennessee on Nov. 21 and at Arkansas on Nov. 27.
Pinkel offered support for his players earlier this week when they decided to boycott football activities until graduate student Jonathan Butler, who was on a hunger strike until UM System President Tim Wolfe stepped down, resumed eating. The boycott and protests were in response to series of racist incidents on campus in recent months.
Wolfe resigned on Monday and Missouri returned to practice on Tuesday.
NCAABKB: Butler scores the most points in a D-I game in 18 years, wins 144-71.
By Matt Norlander
Butler became the first team this century to score more than 140 points against a D-I team. (Photo/USATSI)
The Butler Bulldogs infamously put up 41 points in a losing effort of the 2011 national championship game against UConn. It was the lowest point total for a team in a title game dating back to the 1940s.
This is not a program that has ever been synonymous with offense.
Yet something incredible and aberrational happened Saturday night in college hoops. Something historic. Butler helped produce another outrageous outcome in what has turned into college basketball's most unpredictable opening weekend in years: Butler more than tripled its offensive output from that gruesome 2011 title game, shooting 64 percent from the floor and setting a litany of school records in the process.
Butler scored 144 points. One-hundred-and-freaking-forty-freaking-four.
The Citadel, Butler's hapless victim, lost by more points (73) than it scored (71).
"I told the guys, 'This game you play against The Citadel will be the most unique game you ever play in,'" Butler coach Chris Holtmann told CBS Sports after the game Saturday night. "Afterwards, in the locker room, they were, like, 'Coach, you weren't lying.'"
The astonishing 144-71 outcome at hallowed Hinkle Fieldhouse signified the most points scored by a team in a men's college basketball game featuring two D-I schools since TCU beat Texas-Pan American 153-87 all the way back in 1997. It's a school record, obviously, and yet Butler did it despite making "just" eight 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs also did it by setting a school record for points in a half (71) ... then setting a record for points in a half (73) later in the evening.
The insanity continues: For perhaps the first time ever, a team singlehandedly came within three points of matching the total over/under for the game. Butler vs. The Citadel was estimated by oddsmakers to land in the neighborhood of 147 total points. It finished with 217.
Butler's previous school record for most points in a game? Try 128 -- in double OT. (A 136-128 loss back on Feb. 9, 1991, to Evansville.) Butler's 56 field goals set a school record, breaking the previous mark of 53 that was set against DePauw (Brad Stevens' alma mater) way back in 1965.
Speaking of Stevens, he spoke with Holtmann earlier this week. Holtmann told CBS Sports on Saturday night he expressed to Stevens his concerns about his team entering the season. Not even an hour after the game ended on Saturday night, Holtmann checked his phone to see a text from the former Butler coach who's now rebuilding the Boston Celtics.
"I hope you didn't lose a whole of lot of sleep," Stevens wrote.
The 73-point margin sets the new standard for Butler blowouts, besting that unforgettable 68-point smashing against -- get this -- Indiana Law School. You remember: It was an 82-14 drubbing back during the 1921-22 glory days. On Saturday, Bulldogs Jackson Davis (19), Tyler Wideman (18) and Tyler Lewis (17) all scored career highs. Butler's Andrew Chrabascz dished a career-best eight assists. Everyone able to play did, and all of them scored. Butler had an unthinkable 92 points in the paint.
So how did this happen, exactly? Well, The Citadel -- ranked 346th out of 351 teams at KenPom -- is coached by a guy named Duggar Baucom. Now in his first year with The Citadel, the former VMI coach commands a specific type of scheme. He loves to run. Rather: to sprint. His teams have often led the country in possessions per game. But The Citadel is in major rebuilding mode.
Despite this, Baucom ran his guys in traps, presses and double teams on every possession all night. Butler proceeded to break almost all of them, turning the ball over 11 times in 96 possessions. Holtmann is familiar with Baucom's system. When the former was coaching at Gardner Webb, his teams went 2-3 against Baucom's VMI squads.
"The difference that I did not anticipate in playing them this time was, we had no film no them, they trapped every pass all over the floor for 40 minutes," Holtmann told CBS Sports. "They were forcing you to play at a tempo and a pace, you could not run anything. They're flying around and trapping all over the floor, and it forced us to play basketball. But it's a major rebuild for him right now. He's a good coach."
Holtmann and his staff basically bailed on the team's gameplan within the first few minutes of the game, when it became clear The Citadel and its inferior players were going to press and trap on every possession. Holtmann didn't try to run up the score, either. He had walk-ins play the final eight minutes; Butler merely kept breaking the press and moving the ball near the hoop. Nearly all of Butler's points came off transition or fast-break situations.
"I don't know if this [game] tells us much," Holtmann said. "It's not like you could run offense. ... There's a point to where we're not trying to be disrespectful to the opposition in any way."
Again, of all the schools to do this ... it's Butler! Not exactly a program that built its rep on high-octane offense. But The Citadel continued to press, and so Butler's scrubs played it out. BU is far and away the highest-ranked team The Citadel will face this season, so it's unlikely anyone comes close to throwing up 144 on it again.
Holtmann insists this is by no means any indication of what's to come. He still has some worry about the team in the coming weeks.
"I think we have a long way to go," he said. "I don't think we're as far a long as we were at this point last year. Some of that is with new information and new pieces. Take tonight out of the equation, I just think we have a long ways to go."
Don't tell that to his daughter, Nora. The 5-year-old has been practicing her writing and penmanship at school. When Holtmann walked in the door late Saturday night, Nora ran up to him and slapped a sticky note against his dress shirt.
"144, Daddy!" she said, happily saying aloud what she wrote on the note.
Holtmann couldn't help but smile and say: "Trust me, Nora, they're not all going to be like that."
Holly Holm stuns Ronda Rousey with head-kick KO at UFC 193.
By Kevin Iole
Ronda Rousey receives medical treatment after being defeated by Holly Holm. (Photo/Getty)
Rousey, who blossomed into a superstar with a series of spectacular finishes, was never in the fight.
A multiple time boxing champion, Holm easily won the first round by picking apart Rousey with her hands. Rousey's coach, Edmond Tarverdyan, said before the bout that he felt Rousey could outbox Holm, but that battle wasn't even close.
Holm circled, moving in and out, firing both lefts and rights, landing with great accuracy. Rousey kept moving forward, but her defense was loose and she didn't have much of an answer for Holm's accurate, precise strikes.
"I'm trying to take it all in, but it's crazy," Holm said before breaking into tears.
"I'm trying to take it all in, but it's crazy," Holm said before breaking into tears.
Rousey got Holm down one time in the first round, and went after her famous arm bar. But Holm easily escaped and that was pretty much the extent of Rousey's offense.
At one point, Holm took Rousey down before immediately bouncing up.
When the first round ended, Rousey walked back to the corner and was clearly winded, bleeding from the nose and mouth. But she didn't do anything different in the second.
She attacked again when the bell range, but Holm again belted her from range. A Holm left badly hurt Rousey and spun her around. Holm put her arm on Rousey and turned her, then fired a kick to the head and Rousey went down hard, clearly out.
Holm went after her and landed a couple big punches from the top before Dean stopped it.
"I just had so much help with everything," Holm said, who was as high as an 18-to-1 underdog before getting a lot of late wagering action.
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1926 - The New York Rangers played their first game in the NHL. They beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0.
1957 - Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) set an NFL season rushing record of 1163 yards after only eight games.
1958 - Bill Russell (Boston Celtics) set a new NBA record when he got 32 rebounds in the first half of a game.
1969 - U.S. President Nixon became the first president to attend a regular season National Football League (NFL) game while in office. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins 41-28.
1982 - It was announced that the NFL and its players had a tentative agreement to end their 57 day strike.
1994 - Major League Soccer announced that it would start its inaugural season in 1996.
1997 - Morton Anderson (New Orleans Saints) became only the fifth player in NFL history to reach 1,600 career points when he kicked an extra point.
1998 - Roger Clemens (Toronto Blue Jays) became the first pitcher to win five Cy Young Awards.
*****************************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you.
No comments:
Post a Comment