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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." ~ Malcolm X, Human Rights Activist
Trending: Setting the tone for 2016; The Bears didn't want to be labeled quitters when their 2015 season was done. So instead of laying down on the road against Lovie Smith's Bucs, they showed resiliency and set the tone for next year. (See the football section for Bears updates).
Trending: Blackhawks offense quiet in loss to Hurricanes. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Have the Cardinals been rattled by fast-rising Cubs? (See the baseball section for details).
NFL Scoreboard, Sunday, 12/27/2015.
San Diego Chargers 20
Oakland Raiders 23 (OT)
Washington Redskins 38
Philadelphia Eagles 24
New England Patriots 20
New York Jets 26
Houston Texans 34
Tennessee Titans 6
Cleveland Browns 13
Kansas City Chiefs 17Indianapolis Colts 18
Miami Dolphins 12
San Francisco 49ers 17
Detroit Lions 32
Dallas Cowboys 6
Buffalo Bills 16
Chicago Bears 26
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21
Carolina Panthers 13
Atlanta Falcons 20
Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Baltimore Ravens 20
Jacksonville Jaguars 27
New Orleans Saints 38
St. Louis Rams 23
Seattle Seahawks 17
Green Bay Packers 8
Arizona Cardinals 38
New York Giants 17
Minnesota Vikings 49
Cincinnati Bengals Monday night's game
Denver Broncos 12/28/2015
Red denotes winning teams
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears' victory a late statement but a necessary one looking beyond.
By John Mullin
Maybe the game story from the Bears’ 26-21 victory Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is, as bard said through Macbeth, “a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
Maybe. But it more than likely does signify something. What exactly, will probably have to wait until next September to start becoming evident.
Beating Lovie Smith and Tampa Bay (6-9) doesn’t make the Bears good. It doesn’t even make them .500; they blew their three chances at that. But had the Bears come out Sunday and turned in the same sort of abysmal performance they did last Sunday in Minneapolis, or like the uninspired ones against San Francisco and Washington the two weeks before that, more than a few Bears would rightly have earned a label “quitters.” It doesn’t matter when someone quits; if they quit when they’re not supposed to, they’re quitters. Were that the case Sunday, GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox wouldn’t be looking at making changes next offseason; they’d be tasked with a fumigation or at the very least, a de-lousing.
The Bears decided they wouldn’t be quitters, inspired in part Saturday night when defensive end Willie Young had something to say to the team.
Young stood up and spoke of not necessarily ignoring each other’s mistakes, but likewise looking beyond them and to each other.
“I think it all goes back to Willie Young giving that speech last night,” said linebacker Pernell McPhee, “and if you know Willie Young, he’s got character. It was a serious speech about us coming together and having each other’s back no matter what. We just all played ball, had fun, high-fiving, jumping around.
“It was a funny reality check. It was funny but it was a reality check. Having your brother’s back.”
Young said he was declaring that he didn’t care about guys making mistakes; didn’t care when a mistake happens; irrelevant, it doesn’t matter.
“What matters is how you deal with adversity,” Young said. “There’s too much football left to play to be crying about what happened in the past.
“You prepare all week, we put the work in, so come out and have fun. We know what we’ve gotta do. We knew what they were going to do. Just fly around, hit guys as hard as you can and wrap ‘em up.”
The message was not lost, not on a defense that shut down the NFL’s No. 2 rusher, Doug Martin, with 49 yards and 2.9 per carry. It was not lost on an offense that mauled the NFL’s No. 2 rushing defense with 174 yards on the ground.
“I was fired up when Willie was talking last night,” said right tackle Kyle Long. “I know what kind of guy he is on the field and to be able to have that leadership capability off the field is even cooler.”
Talk doesn’t show up on scoreboards or stat sheets. And it doesn’t really matter in a season where the only question is six wins or seven.
But the Bears were rocked by the events of the past several weeks, hadn’t won a game in a month and seemed at times last week almost resigned to a finish all would rather forget.
But “I never had any doubts,” said coach John Fox. “This team has responded pretty well. Last week [at Minnesota] was not one of our better performances. [The players] knew it better than any of us standing here. I like the way they responded… I liked our toughness.”
Does toughness at 5-9 matter or is that just posturing for offseason decisions? Consider:
It was easy to scoff at any thought that Jay Cutler throwing zero interceptions through the first weeks of training camp might matter. It didn’t mean anything, being just practice. Although conversely, if he WERE throwing daily interceptions and in volume, those would have been “tells.”
In fact, what Cutler set out to do to redefine himself back then has played out. With Sunday’s 20-of-27 passing for a very modest 156 yards and a touchdown (and a rating of 100.7), with no interceptions, Cutler’s INT percentage dropped to 1.7, in line with Russell Wilson and better than Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger, to name a few. It was not too much of a stretch to think of the Bears seeking a little redefining on Sunday.
The numbers aren’t important, just like the numbers 6-9 aren’t, either. But setting a course can happen anytime and the sooner a direction is set, the better. Cutler set his in training camp.
The Bears may have started setting theirs on Sunday.
Jones-Quartey makes presence known with DBs.
By John Mullin
Among the unannounced position changes was Harold Jones-Quartey opening at safety in place of struggling Chris Prosinski. The switch may have seemed of only minor significance, but Jones-Quartey, who started the Kansas City and Detroit games when Antrel Rolle was injured, responded by forcing a fumble after Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin had gathered in a screen pass in the second quarter.
“I saw him run, I saw him cutting back,” said Jones-Quartey. ”You know he’s a tough runner, he’s very strong. [Sam Garnes, safeties coach] has been preaching on it all day, just to come out there and put it on the line for your brothers and your teammates and that’s what I tried to do out there.”
Quartey-Jones later saved a touchdown with a leaping interception of a Jameis Winston pass toward Sims in the end zone, returning it to the Chicago 24 to give the Bears a reset while trying to re-take the lead in the third quarter.
“I think there’s a big difference when you throw [a pass] like Cameron Brate’s [a 46-yard jump-ball completion] – when you throw it up,” said coach Lovie Smith. “That’s a good punt. It’s a little different when you are in the red zone and you have at least a field goal right there. Circumstances will allow you to be a little more aggressive. That wasn’t one of them.”
Tracy Porter was late reacting on a broken play on which running back Charles Sims got past hobbled linebacker Pernell McPhee. Porter arrived too late to break up Jameis Winston’s pass and, more significantly, failed to at least make a tackle, allowing the catch-and-run to cover 50 yards for a go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter.
That was followed a possession later by safety Adrian Amos mistiming a jump on a Winston heave toward third-string tight end Brate, who turned a broken play into a 46-yard conversion on a third down in the quarter.
Kyle Fuller was able to break up a 60-yard launch from Winston to wideout Donteea Dye in the fourth quarter, avoiding pass interference and preventing a pivotal third-down conversion with the Bears holding a six-point lead.
If there was a shortcoming it was in DB’s failures in run support, too slow reading run plays by Doug Martin and Charles Sims. Amos and Quartey-Jones took poor angles and were flat-footed on a fourth-quarter run by Sims that initially was stacked up but went for 34 yards when Sims found untended gaps with defensive backs nowhere in the area.
But the overall saw the defense shut down Martin overall, with Amos finishing with 5 tackles and pass breakup and Jones-Quartey break up two passes in addition to the interception and forced fumble.
“[Jones-Quartey] had zip. He was fresh,” said coach John Fox. “This part of the season, you get worn down a little bit. It’s a long season. But he had a great week of preparation. I saw him improve. He got better just in practice. We get to watch him every day. So I was proud of the young man and the way he performed. I know it was a great pick. He played the ball well on that one. He’ll just continue to get better.”
Bears show off their own three-headed monster.
By John Mullin
Bears running back Matt Forte runs the ball in the second quarter. (Photo/Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears running-back triad was the offensive story of the Bears’ 26-21 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We definitely showed that three backs is definitely better than one,” said Ka’Deem Carey. “Everybody did their job and we got the win.”
And the combo play of Carey and Jeremy Langford may have been something of a preview, or at least a snapshot, of what the Bears may be doing in their offensive future. More on that shortly.
Langford carried 19 times, his second-highest total for the year, for 83 yards. The Bears are now 3-0 when Langford carries 18 or more times in a game. Matt Forte carried 11 times for 54 yards and added three receptions for another 23. Carey caught one pass for one yard and one touchdown.
Carey, who scored on a one-yard plunge in the first half, lined up in front of Langford in an I-formation on a goal-to-go from the Tampa Bay one in the fourth quarter. Carey sprinted outside linebacker coverage to the Chicago left while Langford was over quickly to cut-block the closest rusher to Cutler, getting the rusher’s hands down and away from possibly interfering with a well-designed play.
“[Offensive coordinator] Adam Gase has a great mind, putting it all together,” Carey said. “We just go out there and run it for him. It was a great call.”
Running backs kept the Bears in the game during the first half when the Buccaneers took away any passing game down the field. Jeremy Langford (10 carries, 49 yards) and Matt Forte (8-45) kept chains moving. Carey powered into the end zone behind right guard Vladimir Ducasse and tackle Kyle Long for a much-needed first half touchdown from a yard out.
“It was a huge hole,” Carey said. “I knew my boys had my back so I just got on their backs and they took me for a ride.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks offense quiet in loss to Hurricanes.
By Tracey Myers
Brent Seabrook supplied the only offense – and that was with just three seconds remaining in regulation – as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Blackhawks 2-1 on Sunday night. It was too quiet a night for the Blackhawks, who hadn’t played since Tuesday and were just three seconds away from being shut out for their second consecutive game.
And for the second time in as many games, the team beating the Blackhawks was playing the second half of a back-to-back.
The Blackhawks had been finding more offense throughout their lineup in those last several games before Christmas. But they now have just one goal in their last two games. Marian Hossa said the problem was easy to identify on Sunday.
“I felt we played too much outside tonight,” Hossa said. “We had a few good chances but not enough. And when we did the goalie [Eddie Lack] saw everything. We got a goal at the end but it was too late.”
Coach Joel Quenneville agreed about the lack of traffic.
“Not ‘til late,” Quenneville said on when that net-front traffic finally surfaced. “We got a little bit more predictable and we were more effective. They blocked a lot of shots but we were looking to make too many plays either entering their zone or into the slot that were denied. We’ve got to get greasier goals; that’s how you score in our league. You've got to take it to the net. I counted about six chances that were either empty nets or potential empty nets that we either misfired or didn’t bear down or weren’t hungry enough. That might have had us in the lead; scoring first was important.”
Justin Faulk got that all-important first goal for the Hurricanes, scoring his 14th of the season with just 18.2 seconds remaining in the second period. Victor Rask’s 10th of the season, which he scored about five minutes into the third period, proved to be the game winner.
The Blackhawks’ third and fourth lines had some of the better chances. Not surprising, considering those six players are the ones usually playing that hard-driving game. At other times the Blackhawks seemed to get caught up in making one pass too many.
“I think maybe we’re a little bit of guilty of trying to be too pretty with the puck instead of just keeping it simple,” Duncan Keith said. “Throw it at the net and have one guy there and just do a better job of getting it to the net and guys going to the net.”
The Blackhawks wanted to come out of the Christmas break rested and playing with energy. They were certainly rested. But the energy, and the drive to get to the front of the net and make life difficult for Lack, wasn’t there.
“I think everyone was well rested so that should be to our advantage. Obviously we didn’t take advantage,” Hossa said. “This game, we should’ve played a little different. We didn’t have enough bodies going to the net and sacrificing to get the ugly goals.”
Five Things: Energy shortage dooms Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes.
By Tracey Myers
It wasn’t that long ago that the Blackhawks broke out of their scoring doldrums, finally getting production from more than just their second line.
Well, the offense has disappeared again, and it almost led to their second consecutive shutout loss on Sunday night. Brent Seabrook kept that from happening, scoring with three seconds remaining in regulation. But it was an otherwise quiet game for the Blackhawks in their 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Now the Blackhawks hit the road for their final two games of 2015. So before it’s wheels up, let’s look at the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ loss to Carolina.
1. The outside game was evident. And playing the outside game rarely wins anything. The Blackhawks certainly know that. Look back at their Dec. 20 victory against the San Jose Sharks: every goal the Blackhawks scored, including Jonathan Toews’ overtime winner, was within about five feet of the goal. Credit the Hurricanes for doing a good job of keeping the Blackhawks to the outside. But those are battles the Blackhawks have to be better at winning, especially because they weren’t the group playing for the second game in as many nights.
2. Energy lapse. The Blackhawks hadn’t played since Tuesday. Fatigue, which looked to be an issue by the third period of that game against Dallas, was not the issue on Sunday night. The Blackhawks had a relatively lethargic start to this one. If they come out with energy, perhaps they put the Hurricanes on their heels early. But that didn’t happen.
3. Fourth line playing well again. The Blackhawks had six shots on goal early against the Hurricanes. Fourth liners Andrew Desjardins, Phillip Danault and Ryan Garbutt combined for five of them (one for Desjardins, two each for the other two). That’s great for the fourth line, but that also showed how little the other lines were doing until later in the game. If only one of those guys could’ve scored an early one.
4. Power play goes quiet again. The Blackhawks had the advantage just once on Sunday but it was a forgettable effort. They barely spent any time in the Hurricanes’ zone. They didn’t get a shot on goal. Again, it’s just one opportunity. But even if the Blackhawks didn’t score on it, generating some zone time and shots may have led to some momentum moving forward.
5. Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom welcomed back at the UC. The two, who were honored on the video board during Sunday’s game, have gotten bigger opportunities with the Hurricanes, who acquired them from the Blackhawks in September. That’s been especially true of Nordstrom, who’s now a second liner with Carolina. These trades have become a regular part of the Blackhawks’ post-Cup summers. Here’s to two more who turned a trade into opportunity elsewhere.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Toronto Raptors-Chicago Bulls Preview.
By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo have played leading roles in helping the Toronto Raptors hold their own despite missing several players over the past five weeks.
Now the visiting Raptors should finally be at full strength with Jonas Valanciunas expected to return Monday night when they try to end a five-game skid against the Chicago Bulls.
Valanciunas was averaging career highs of 12.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in 14 starts before suffering a broken left hand in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 20. Toronto entered that contest 7-6 but has won 12 of 18 with Biyombo filling in at center.
Coach Dwane Casey reportedly said Valanciunas will be back in action Monday.
Biyombo has been particularly dominant on the boards of late, averaging 15.2 in the last six games to go along with 2.8 blocks. He finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in Saturday's 111-90 victory at Milwaukee.
DeMarre Carroll contributed seven points in 18 minutes off the bench in his return from a nine-game absence due to a bruised right knee. James Johnson was back after missing Tuesday's 103-99 home win over Dallas with an ankle injury, and Patrick Patterson returned after leaving the game against the Mavericks with flu-like symptoms.
"When I first got out there I got a little winded, but at the same time it was just a great feeling to be out there with my teammates," Carroll told the team's official website.
"When I first got out there I got a little winded, but at the same time it was just a great feeling to be out there with my teammates," Carroll told the team's official website.
DeRozan has carried the club, ranking second in the NBA behind James Harden (28.4) with 26.6 points per game since Dec. 9. He scored 22 with eight of the team's season-high 31 assists Saturday when the Raptors won for the sixth time in eight road games.
DeRozan, though, shot 36.0 percent in three games against Chicago last season. These teams haven't met since late March.
Poor defense has been a major part of Toronto's recent struggles against the Bulls, giving up 117.7 points per game on 55.9 percent shooting in the last three matchups. That's an area in which the Raptors have excelled in winning their last two games, allowing averages of 94.5 points and 42.8 percent shooting.
The Bulls (16-12) shot a season high-tying 53.8 percent Saturday but lost for the fourth time in five games, 118-111 at Dallas. Derrick Rose led the way with 25 points and Nikola Mirotic added 23 with seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Rose scored nine in the fourth quarter but had a key turnover before getting called for a 5-second violation when Chicago had a chance to tie in the final 11 seconds. Jimmy Butler, however, chose to see the positives in a split of the trip to Oklahoma City and Dallas.
"We'll learn from this tough one after playing like we did (in a 105-96 win over the Thunder), but that's why we have 82 of them," the All-Star guard said.
"We'll learn from this tough one after playing like we did (in a 105-96 win over the Thunder), but that's why we have 82 of them," the All-Star guard said.
Butler keyed last season's four-game sweep of Toronto, averaging 23.7 points on 61.8 percent shooting in the three games he played. Mirotic, who had averaged 4.8 points in his previous five games before Saturday's outburst, has totaled 44 in his last two in this series.
The Bulls hope to tighten things up defensively after allowing an average of 106.2 points in regulation over their last five games.
Rose scores 25, but Bulls come up short vs. Mavericks. (Saturday night's game, 12/26/2015).
Associated Press
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
J.J. Barea pulled up from a couple of feet behind the 3-point line just after returning to the game and hit the last of his five straight from long range in the first half.
The diminutive guard simply has that can't-miss feeling right now.
Barea made a career-high seven from beyond the arc and finished with 26 points coming off his first 30-point game, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls 118-111 Saturday night in a game delayed 30 minutes by tornadoes in the Dallas area.
Starting for the injured Deron Williams for the second straight game, Barea made his first seven from long range and is 12 of 15 going back to an overtime win against Brooklyn on Wednesday, when he had a career-high 32 points.
"When you're in a good rhythm, you basically try to look for more shots," Barea said. "But today they were good ones. With the ball screens on top, I just kept working until I was open, and it worked out."
Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 25 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, but had a key turnover before getting called for a 5-second violation when Chicago had a chance to tie in the final 11 seconds.
"I think I lost this game with the turnovers," Rose said. "We were down to such a critical point in the game. I feel bad. I feel like I lost this game for the team."
Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 points in his first home game since passing Shaquille O'Neal on the career scoring list, and Zaza Pachulia had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Barea was 7 for 8 from beyond the arc.
Nikola Mirotic had 23 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Bulls, who were trying for back-to-back wins a night after winning at Oklahoma City. The Mavericks had a mini two-day Christmas break.
Raymond Felton broke a late tie with two free throws after a strong drive to the basket, and then tipped a pass from Rose that Nowitzki grabbed and threw ahead to Chandler Parsons. After stopping at the basket, Parsons handed off to Wesley Matthews for a layup and a 112-108 lead.
After Rose missed a runner that he had success with earlier in the game, Felton made two more free throws for a 114-108 Dallas lead with 38 seconds left.
Jimmy Butler hit a 3-pointer that bounced around the rim, and the Bulls got another chance after a Dallas miss. But with Felton defending him, Rose couldn't get the ball in. Felton had six of his 13 points on free throws in the final 1:07.
"I just thought our guys' collective will carried them in this game," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We got great contributions from every position."
Chicago's Pau Gasol had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and Butler scored 17 points with a game-high eight assists.
Silent Night: Bulls quiet Thunder with impressive wire-to-wire victory. (Friday night's game, 12/25/2015).
Associated Press
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Bulls were angry and on edge after three straight losses. They channeled those emotions into one of their best wins of the season.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, and Pau Gasol had 21 points and 13 rebounds in the Bulls' 105-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
Have the Cardinals been rattled by fast-rising Cubs?
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, and Pau Gasol had 21 points and 13 rebounds in the Bulls' 105-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
In a game that featured several skirmishes, the Bulls outrebounded the NBA's No. 2 rebounding team 53-48.
"We've just got to go out there and attack," Chicago forward Taj Gibson, who got a double technical with Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka, said. "It's no time to be friends with anybody right now. We've got enough friends in here. We're with each other 24-7. We can't go out there and look to be nice to everybody."
Derrick Rose added 19 points, and Gibson had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Chicago held the Thunder to 38.5-percent shooting, Oklahoma City's third-worst showing of the season.
Kevin Durant had 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Oklahoma City, and Russell Westbrook added 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The Thunder had won three straight and nine of 10.
"I think we did a really good job of making sure we closed out to 3-point shooters," Rose said. "We trusted the game plan. We know K.D. is a great 3-point shooter, (Anthony) Morrow, and Westbrook when his feet are set, and you just can't let them get hot. Everybody else on the team, we forced them to make shots and make plays."
Durant said he didn't like the way the Thunder played at times when they got behind.
"If you try to get it all back in one play, try to get a steal, try to come down and shoot a pull-up 3 - just doing stupid stuff that we did all night, it will be tough to win," Durant said.
Chicago led 51-37 with 4:58 left in the first half, but the Thunder cut it to 54-52 at halftime. Durant scored 19 points in the half, and Westbrook had 12 points and five assists.
Gasol and Butler each scored 11 points in the first half for the Bulls.
Chicago scored the first eight points of the second half to go up 62-52 and force the Thunder to call a timeout. The Bulls led 86-68 at the end of the third quarter.
The Bulls led by 18 at the end of the third quarter. Oklahoma City changed things up and played Morrow and Enes Kanter with Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka for most of the fourth quarter. A pair of 3-pointers by Morrow cut Chicago's lead to 97-89 with just under 5 minutes to play, but the Bulls hung on.
"We withstood their run, which I think everyone knew they were going to go on in the fourth quarter, and they (the Bulls) made big plays down the stretch," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.
STAT LINES
The lineup that Oklahoma City started the fourth quarter with - Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Kanter and Morrow - outscored the Bulls 28-19. Morrow and Kanter don't start, in part, because of defensive shortcomings, but that group held the Bulls to 6-for-20 shooting.
KANTER'S SOCKS
Kanter wore Christmas socks with green stripes and red snowflakes. He is a Muslim, but he said he respects different cultures. "Well, I live in the U.S. now, and I'm just really cool with all of the holidays - Christmas, Thanksgiving," he said. "It's pretty cool."
QUOTABLE
Gibson, on defending Westbrook: "Russ is a hard opponent to go against, especially with the way he attacks," he said. "We just all wanted bodies in front of him. Put bodies in front of him and make sure somebody contested him at the rim, and compete."
TIP-INS
Bulls: Ran out to an 11-0 lead. ... Joakim Noah sat out with a left shoulder sprain. ... Beat the Thunder 104-98 at United Center on Nov. 5. ... Butler hit a 35-foot 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter. ... Rose fouled out.
Thunder: Missed their first five shots. ... Steven Adams picked up two fouls in the first 2 minutes. Kanter entered the game and had six points and seven rebounds in the first quarter. He finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. ... Had just one assist in the first quarter. ... ... Morrow made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Have the Cardinals been rattled by fast-rising Cubs?
By Mark Townsend
(Photo/AP)
In the days leading up to the signing, there had been signs of frustration coming from Cardinals fans, who year-in and year-out expect big things from their team. It wasn't supposed to take St. Louis this long to land a notable free agent. Not with the money they had to spend and the winning reputation they've built over the last two decades. And, quite frankly, the initial signing was expected to be a bigger name than Leake, who falls comfortably in the second tier.
Some of that frustration has been directed at the team. The rest has been taken out on the players who put pen to paper elsewhere. Most notably, they haven't been happy with Jason Heyward and John Lackey, both of whom left St. Louis to sign with the division rival Chicago Cubs. And it hasn't just stopped with the fans either. Manager Mike Matheny wasn't thrilled with Heyward's comments after leaving the Cardinals, and he didn't mind making them public record.
That brings us to Adam Wainwright, who was quite outspoken himself this week. The Cardinals ace made news on Tuesday for being critical of Heyward, suggesting he left St. Louis for Chicago for less money to avoid the pressure of being a franchise player.
Strong words. However, during the very same interview with 101 Sports in St. Louis, Wainwright went the complete opposite way, telling host Bernie Miklasz that he loved the Leake signing because of the all-around production he brings and the value involved.
“I think this is one of those patented, under-the-radar, great signings," Wainwright told Miklasz. "He doesn’t come with the $200 million price tag, but if you look at what he’s done … He is one of the best hitting and running pitchers in the game. Which people (listening) are scoffing at now, like who cares. But it does mean something, and it wins games."
“He’s solid, he’s a proven winner, he’s a proven innings eater and he’s a proven great athlete. and so when you take all of those intangibles and put them in a system like we have, with a team that is focused on winning, and in a good situation, I really think Mike Leake is going to take off."
There's a lot of truth in Wainwright's comments. Leake is certainly a value given the going rate for starting pitchers. There's also a lot of hope that once Leake puts that Cardinals uniform on, a switch will flip and he'll take another step forward to an All-Star pitcher.
That could be the case, and the Cardinals will probably need it to be true to keep up with Chicago.
Looking at the comments as a whole though, Wainwright didn't put himself in the best light by taking a parting shot at Heyward. The comments were dripping in bitterness and frustration, which lessened the impact of his seemingly genuine praise for Leake. That's not to suggest Wainwright is a bad or bitter guy either. He certainly is not. But it does seem indicative of some uneasiness or perhaps a sense of urgency on the Cardinals side as the division they've dominated continues to catch up and threatens to surpass them.
The Cardinals will need Mike Leake in top form to keep up with the Cubs. (Photo/AP)
When your own key players are going to the team best positioned to surpass you, it's human nature to speak out or attempt to justify why you're still the best. Maybe the Cardinals will be, too. There's a lot of offseason left and there's always a reason to believe they will succeed. But the reality that things could slip away is on their minds too. That much was made apparent by both Matheny and Wainwright's comments, and now it's out there for the Cubs to see and feed off of.
If nothing else, they have added fuel to one of baseball's greatest rivalries. A rivalry that may reach its most intense levels in decades over the next few years.
Cubs, White Sox hoping to make 2016 a special season.
If nothing else, they have added fuel to one of baseball's greatest rivalries. A rivalry that may reach its most intense levels in decades over the next few years.
Cubs, White Sox hoping to make 2016 a special season.
By Paul Sullivan
It's the seventh-inning stretch of the offseason, a time to take stock of where teams are and who's still out there waiting for someone to stuff a few million dollars in their stockings.
After binging by teams in early to mid-December, only crumbs typically remain on the free-agent market when Christmas rolls around and executives take a brief respite from their offseason maneuvering.
Even Alexei Ramirez is still out there in case the White Sox are interested in bringing back an enigmatic shortstop who is one year removed from an All-Star season.
"I don't think Alexei is totally out of the picture of where we're at," manager Robin Ventura said last week.
Whether the Sox or Cubs will be adding remains to be seen. Both have made significant moves, and it wouldn't be surprising if either stood pat or made minor moves the rest of the winter.
The Cubs have already filled holes with the signings of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey, while ending the Starlin Castro era by dealing the popular infielder for pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be released later, namely Brendan Ryan.
President Theo Epstein can now play wait-and-see with the raw and talented duo of Javier Baez and Jorge Soler, knowing either can always be dangled at the trade deadline in July if needed.
"None of us are smart enough to figure out exactly what our ball club is going to look like at the end of the season, let alone at the trade deadline," Epstein said. "But you learn and adjust as you go."
The White Sox's offseason got off to a slow start, and for a while it looked like their biggest move was going to be the $1,400 they received in the auction of Nancy Faust's organ.
They signed two new catchers in Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro, but it may be a minor upgrade over the old tandem of Tyler Flowers and Geovany Soto.
But then general manager Rick Hahn dipped into the old Sox playbook, snagging two players from teams that were looking to get prospects and dump some salary.
A's infielder Brett Lawrie and Reds third baseman Todd Frazier will immediately improve the lineup and add some fire to a clubhouse that desperately needed a wake-up call. And the Sox managed to keep their top prospects, Tim Anderson and Carson Fulmer, while once again putting the onus on Ventura to get it done.
Ventura had a similar focus on him last spring after Hahn added a new cast of characters that included Adam LaRoche, Melky Cabrera and David Robertson. All of them wound up struggling for various stretches. Asked if he was OK with having those same expectations on him, Ventura replied: "I'm just going to go with a blanket yes."
The Sox still have holes to fill and reportedly have shown interest in Gordon, who is said to be seeking around $20 million per year for three or four years. Gordon would be a nice addition and allow them to move Cabrera to DH, but would the Sox pony up that kind of money for a solid defensive outfielder who gets on base but lacks power?
One thing to remember is Jose Abreu can opt for arbitration after 2016 and probably will, knowing the $34 million he's guaranteed from 2017-19 will be chicken feed compared with what he'd get if he goes to arbitration those three years.
The Sox have to factor Abreu's likely salary increases into their future budgets, which could prevent them offering anyone a huge multiyear deal.
Of course, the Sox could follow the lead of the Cubs, who were able to get creative this offseason because of the TV network they're preparing to launch after 2019.
"We were able to push some of the (Heyward) money back to the years we're going to have a robust TV contract," Epstein said after the $184 million deal was announced last week.
The Sox's next TV deal, also set for 2020, isn't expected to be quite as robust as what the Cubs will get because their brand isn't as big as the North Siders.
Epstein credited the Cubs' business operations department for making this offseason happen, noting "how flexible they were working with us to pack as much talent as we could onto this year's roster this winter ... knowing we were probably going to be a lot more restrained next winter. It will be a different marketplace, when the supply-and demand dynamic will be much different."
No matter what else happens this winter, the Cubs will enter the 2016 season as one of the favorites to win it all, while the Sox should have enough talent, on paper, to at least compete for a wild-card spot in the American League, where the Astros made it last year with 86 wins.
Neither team is perfect, but both have made enough improvements to create optimism in a half-glass-full kind of town.
Now comes the hard part for Cubs and Sox fans — waiting for spring training to arrive.
Golf: I got a club for that..... McIlroy projects Spieth will have trouble backing up two-major 2015.
By Ryan Ballengee
(PHOTO CHARLIE RIEDEL, ARCHIVES AP)
Rory McIlroy thinks Jordan Spieth will have a tough time duplicating in 2016 anything resembling the season he enjoyed in 2015.
The Ulsterman is speaking from experience.
McIlroy closed 2014 with a stunning major double, winning his first British Open at Royal Liverpool, then taking his second PGA Championship in a squeaker over Phil Mickelson at Valhalla. This year, McIlroy notched four worldwide wins, including the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and the European Tour's DP World Tour Championship, but the four-time winner struck out in majors, influenced significantly by a July soccer injury that forced him to miss his Open title defense and come back rusty at the PGA Championship.
Even if the 22-year-old Spieth is fully healthy throughout next year, McIlroy suggests history has not been kind to players who win multiple majors in a year.
“It will feel completely different for Jordan,” McIlroy said in an interview with The Telegraph in the U.K. “If you look at the stats at how those who have had a double-major season have performed the next year -- well, it’s hard to back up. It just is. There's so much expectation, so much attention and focus. And I think it is more self-inflicted pressure really as your expectations are so high.
“This time last year mine were through the roof coming off a great season, winning those back-to-back majors and although I started well I never felt I really got into my stride with the injuries and stuff.”
Spieth's 2015 is the 32nd time a player has won at least two majors in a season. Of the prior 31 times that's happened, only one player has gone on to win multiple majors the next season: Tiger Woods won the 2005 Masters and British Open, then, after his father's death in 2006, defending the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool and won the PGA Championship.
That may sound daunting for Spieth, but there is some solace. Another 11 times a player has won multiple majors in a year, they've gone on to win another major the next year.
Mike Ditka thinks parents should suggest their kids play golf.
By Ryan Ballengee
When you hear Mike Ditka's name, you think toughness, fury and passion. He epitomizes football, both as a tight end at Pitt and as a pro for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears, as well as a Super Bowl-winning coach.
However, Ditka, 76, realizes attitudes toward football are changing quickly, particularly as parents try to reconcile what we're learning about concussions and what that could mean for their children is they choose to play the game.
"People ask me the question. I would never discourage my son from playing football or baseball or anything else, but I would probably say, 'Hey, listen, you ought to try golf,'" Ditka said to the Chicago Tribune.
"Seriously. And I think that's what's going to happen to a degree. And that's just the way it's going to be."
That's a powerful statement from one of the sport's all-time most important figures, with an influence spanning this day to ESPN's pre-game coverage. And he's likely right. Parents will look for safer alternatives for kids, and golf is right up there. However, for golf to truly attract and retain those curious parents bringing their kids to the game, the sport will have to expand opportunities to participate in programs like The First Tee, PGA of America Junior Leagues and in-school programs like TGA Premier Junior Golf.
MOTORS; Wolff: Formula 1 no longer a man’s world.
By Luke Smith
(Photo/Getty Images)
Former Williams test driver Susie Wolff believes that Formula 1 is no longer a man’s world thanks to the increasing numbers of women working in the paddock and enjoying high-profile roles.
Wolff became the first woman in 22 years to take part in a grand prix weekend when she represented Williams in practice for the 2014 British Grand Prix.
Wolff took part in a further three practice sessions before announcing last month that she would be retiring from motorsport at the end of 2015.
Despite never starting a grand prix, Wolff did a great deal to aid the profile of women in F1, as have the likes of Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn and Williams deputy boss Claire Williams.
Wolff believes that the increased presence of women in F1 will help to inspire future generations of women looking to work in motorsport.
“People tell me it’s a man’s world but it’s not any more,” Wolff told MotorSportsTalk. “There are many fantastic women working not only within Formula 1 but in many other different categories.
“I think we just need to celebrate them and make sure that we use them on the platform that we have now to inspire the next generation.
“I think we need more little girls starting at a young age so that the best rise to the top, and of course we just need to maybe give a little bit more attention and exposure to women who are doing a great job.
“There are some out there who are actually in lower categories very competitive. In my career, if I look back I was given two big chances: first with Mercedes-Benz in German touring car championship and then with Williams.
“We’ve got to get these girls getting chances and I will definitely dedicate some time and energy to helping them.”
Johansson: IndyCar the only series that makes sense for young drivers.
By Luke Smith
Wolff became the first woman in 22 years to take part in a grand prix weekend when she represented Williams in practice for the 2014 British Grand Prix.
Wolff took part in a further three practice sessions before announcing last month that she would be retiring from motorsport at the end of 2015.
Despite never starting a grand prix, Wolff did a great deal to aid the profile of women in F1, as have the likes of Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn and Williams deputy boss Claire Williams.
Wolff believes that the increased presence of women in F1 will help to inspire future generations of women looking to work in motorsport.
“People tell me it’s a man’s world but it’s not any more,” Wolff told MotorSportsTalk. “There are many fantastic women working not only within Formula 1 but in many other different categories.
“I think we just need to celebrate them and make sure that we use them on the platform that we have now to inspire the next generation.
“I think we need more little girls starting at a young age so that the best rise to the top, and of course we just need to maybe give a little bit more attention and exposure to women who are doing a great job.
“There are some out there who are actually in lower categories very competitive. In my career, if I look back I was given two big chances: first with Mercedes-Benz in German touring car championship and then with Williams.
“We’ve got to get these girls getting chances and I will definitely dedicate some time and energy to helping them.”
Johansson: IndyCar the only series that makes sense for young drivers.
By Luke Smith
(Photo/AP)
Veteran Swedish racer Stefan Johansson believes that the Verizon IndyCar Series is currently the only premier championship that makes sense for young drivers to work towards.
Johansson raced in Formula 1 between 1983 and 1991 before turning his attention to IndyCar, where he raced for the Bettenhausen team for five seasons until 1996, scoring four podium finishes.
Johansson was in Abu Dhabi for the final F1 race of the year, and stayed on at Yas Marina to watch the GP2 test at the beginning of December.
In an interview on his website, Johansson explained how he had spoken to a number of managers that were looking at alternatives to F1 for their young drivers due to the high costs and competition involved.
“It’s a big dilemma. I talked to several driver managers and F1 managers while in Abu Dhabi and it seems the general consensus is that most of them have in fact given up on the idea of pushing their drivers all the way to F1,” Johansson said.
“The path to get there is too expensive and it’s getting more and more difficult to find sponsorship for both the teams and the drivers.
“Instead people are starting to focus on DTM and sports cars as alternative routes for a career as a professional driver. It’s a sad situation when even the people in F1 admit that the best drivers don’t have a chance to ever drive an F1 car, or at least not race one.”
Johansson believes that IndyCar is the only single-seater series that is viable for young drivers to realistically aim for, and was full of praise for the racing.
“The only open wheel series that makes any sense in my opinion right now is IndyCar,” Johansson said.
“There is a good ladder system in place in America where the winner in the Indy Lights Championship will get a good portion of the budget towards an Indycar program plus a guaranteed drive in the Indy 500 as the reward for winning the series.
“The racing is outstanding in IndyCar. Every race goes down to the wire and you can never count out anyone until after the last pit-stop. Six drivers had a chance to win the championship going into the last round this year, I don’t know any other series that comes even close to that.
“But as I’ve said so many times, unfortunately the IndyCar people don’t seem know what a great product they have and they certainly don’t know how to market it.”
SOCCER: Top Premier League Storylines — First place up for grabs, LVG on his way out?
Johansson raced in Formula 1 between 1983 and 1991 before turning his attention to IndyCar, where he raced for the Bettenhausen team for five seasons until 1996, scoring four podium finishes.
Johansson was in Abu Dhabi for the final F1 race of the year, and stayed on at Yas Marina to watch the GP2 test at the beginning of December.
In an interview on his website, Johansson explained how he had spoken to a number of managers that were looking at alternatives to F1 for their young drivers due to the high costs and competition involved.
“It’s a big dilemma. I talked to several driver managers and F1 managers while in Abu Dhabi and it seems the general consensus is that most of them have in fact given up on the idea of pushing their drivers all the way to F1,” Johansson said.
“The path to get there is too expensive and it’s getting more and more difficult to find sponsorship for both the teams and the drivers.
“Instead people are starting to focus on DTM and sports cars as alternative routes for a career as a professional driver. It’s a sad situation when even the people in F1 admit that the best drivers don’t have a chance to ever drive an F1 car, or at least not race one.”
Johansson believes that IndyCar is the only single-seater series that is viable for young drivers to realistically aim for, and was full of praise for the racing.
“The only open wheel series that makes any sense in my opinion right now is IndyCar,” Johansson said.
“There is a good ladder system in place in America where the winner in the Indy Lights Championship will get a good portion of the budget towards an Indycar program plus a guaranteed drive in the Indy 500 as the reward for winning the series.
“The racing is outstanding in IndyCar. Every race goes down to the wire and you can never count out anyone until after the last pit-stop. Six drivers had a chance to win the championship going into the last round this year, I don’t know any other series that comes even close to that.
“But as I’ve said so many times, unfortunately the IndyCar people don’t seem know what a great product they have and they certainly don’t know how to market it.”
SOCCER: Top Premier League Storylines — First place up for grabs, LVG on his way out?
By Kyle Lynch
Week 19 officially marks the midway point of the Premier League season, as the final matches before 2016 kick off on Monday.
There are some big matchups across the league, as Leicester City and Manchester City battle at the top of the table, while Louis Van Gaal fights for his job at Manchester United.
Here are five things to look out for this week in the Premier League.
Leicester look to stay top against Manchester City
Leicester City sit top of the table, three points ahead of third-place Manchester City as the two sides meet on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at the King Power Stadium. Leicester suffered just their second defeat of the year to Liverpool on Boxing Day, held scoreless for the first time all season. On the other hand, Manchester City cruised to a 4-1 win over Sunderland in a dominant performance that saw the Citizens score three goals in the opening 25 minutes. Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has said he wants his side to relax and enjoy their football, although they will surely be thinking about their position on the table with this huge match.
Four straight losses and winless in seven, Manchester United needs a win against Chelsea or Louis van Gaal will likely be on his way out at Old Trafford. Following a defeat to Stoke on Boxing Day, LVG said that he could resign rather than get sacked, although to this point, the club has not made any statements on the manager’s future. There have been rumors that Jose Mourinho could take control should Van Gaal be fired, and it would be an ironic ending if Mourinho’s former club Chelsea was the team to push LVG out. Not only does United need the three points, but Guus Hiddink is in search of his first win back in charge at Chelsea as the Blues look to climb up the table.
Which Arsenal team will show up?
In Week 17, Arsenal beat Manchester City and looked like a team ready to win the title. In Week 18, Arsenal was thrashed 4-0 by a Southampton side that was winless in six. In Week 19, which Arsenal team will show up against Bournemouth? Supporters will be hoping it’s that of Week 17, as Bournemouth have been in great form, unbeaten in six and up to 14th on the table.
Premier League roundup: Boxing Day sees Man United, Arsenal, Leicester lose.
By Andy Edwards
Boxing Day brilliance, or Boxing Day insanity and incompetence? You be the judge.
As the Premier League season wears on, we’re supposed to gain more clarity, not a further sense of disarray and a complete lack of sense, over which club(s) are favorites to win the league title. Someone didn’t tell that to Boxing Day 2015, because Saturday’s slate of PL games left us far more unsure than we were when the day began.
For a complete recap and highlights of each game, click the link through to the full recap.
Stoke City 2-0 Manchester United — FULL RECAP
Louis, Louis, Louis, you’re gonna cry. Louis Van Gaal‘s time in England might just be up after Man United lost yet again (three straight in the league), this time away to Stoke City. Memphis Depay gifted the Potters their opening goal very early on, and Marko Arnautovic blasted home the second from outside the penalty area. Winless in seven games (all competitions) isn’t the best look for anyone involved, so Van Gaal says he might just walk away on his own accord.
Southampton 4-0 Arsenal — FULL RECAP
Southampton were winless in five league games (four losses) and Arsenal were flying high after beating Manchester City on Monday. So, of course Saints hammered the Gunners with four goals and blew the title race even further open. Cuco Martina scored a Goal of the Year candidate, which preceded a single tally from Jose Fonte and a brace from Shane Long. The Gunners miss a chance to go top of the league, while letting Man City right back into the title race.
Liverpool 1-0 Leicester City — FULL RECAP
Has Leicester City’s seemingly-inevitable regression finally begun? Kicking off a run of four league games that will see them face Liverpool, Manchester City, Bournemouth and Tottenham, the Foxes suffered their first league defeat since late September on Saturday. Despite the defeat, Claudio Ranieri‘s side stays top of the league, with many thanks to Arsenal’s capitulation away to Southampton a bit later on Boxing Day.
Manchester City 4-1 Sunderland — FULL RECAP
Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony and Kevin De Bruyne — a quartet of names that would strike fear in any opposing defensive unit anywhere in the world; also, the four goalscorers for Man City as the Blues hammered Sunderland to get their title challenge back on track after losing to Arsenal on Monday. The victory move Man City back to within three points of Leicester for the league lead, and a single point back of Arsenal for second.
Chelsea 2-2 Watford — FULL RECAP
Chelsea had turned a corner after the firing of Jose Mourinho, we thought. Instead, they reverted back to their old ways in Guus Hiddink’s re-debut as the club’s interim manager, in a 2-2 draw with Watford on Saturday. The Blues went up a goal, then fell behind by a goal, by which time a point didn’t seem so bad. Still, it’s a far cry from the levels which last season’s champions routinely hit. Now 13 points out of the top-four, it’s a long, long way into next year’s UEFA Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Norwich City — FULL RECAP
Tottenham look intent on keeping hold of a top-four place this season. Since coughing up a 1-0 lead against Newcastle United two weeks ago, Spurs have responded with a pair of clean sheets in beating Southampton and Norwich City by a combined score of 5-0. Harry Kane grabbed two more goals on Saturday (his 10th and 11th league goals of the season), thus putting to bed the “one-season wonder” narrative once and for all.
Newcastle United 0-1 Everton — FULL RECAP
Just when Newcastle look like they’ve turned over a new leaf, the old Newcastle pops right back up and reminds us all why they are, and will likely continue to be, threatened by relegation just about every year. On Saturday, it was Tom Cleverley‘s 92nd-minute winner that undid a mostly solid, draw-worthy performance from the Magpies.
Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham United — FULL RECAP
West Ham United are clutching for dear life at a place in the top half of the league table after failing to win for their eighth-straight league game. Aaron Cresswell put the Hammers ahead in first-half stoppage time, but Jordan Ayew equalized to rescue a point for 20th-place Villa for a second week in a row.
Swansea City 1-0 West Bromwich Albion — FULL RECAP
Swansea pulled themselves all the way out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory over West Brom on Saturday. Ki Sung-Yueng scored the game’s only goal in the 9th minute, and the Swans, under the watchful eye of interim manager Alan Curtis, snapped a seven-game winless streak (five losses), which greatly contributed to the firing of Garry Monk. Now in 16th place, Swansea are two places and a single point ahead of Newcastle, who fall back into the bottom-three.
Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace — FULL RECAP
Bournemouth moved to six games unbeaten in league play with a 0-0 draw against 5th-place Crystal Palace. The resulting point keeps Eddie Howe‘s Cherries a place and a point ahead of Chelsea in the race for 14th, while Palace fall two points back of Spurs for fourth.
By Andy Edwards
Boxing Day brilliance, or Boxing Day insanity and incompetence? You be the judge.
As the Premier League season wears on, we’re supposed to gain more clarity, not a further sense of disarray and a complete lack of sense, over which club(s) are favorites to win the league title. Someone didn’t tell that to Boxing Day 2015, because Saturday’s slate of PL games left us far more unsure than we were when the day began.
For a complete recap and highlights of each game, click the link through to the full recap.
Stoke City 2-0 Manchester United — FULL RECAP
Louis, Louis, Louis, you’re gonna cry. Louis Van Gaal‘s time in England might just be up after Man United lost yet again (three straight in the league), this time away to Stoke City. Memphis Depay gifted the Potters their opening goal very early on, and Marko Arnautovic blasted home the second from outside the penalty area. Winless in seven games (all competitions) isn’t the best look for anyone involved, so Van Gaal says he might just walk away on his own accord.
Southampton 4-0 Arsenal — FULL RECAP
Southampton were winless in five league games (four losses) and Arsenal were flying high after beating Manchester City on Monday. So, of course Saints hammered the Gunners with four goals and blew the title race even further open. Cuco Martina scored a Goal of the Year candidate, which preceded a single tally from Jose Fonte and a brace from Shane Long. The Gunners miss a chance to go top of the league, while letting Man City right back into the title race.
Liverpool 1-0 Leicester City — FULL RECAP
Has Leicester City’s seemingly-inevitable regression finally begun? Kicking off a run of four league games that will see them face Liverpool, Manchester City, Bournemouth and Tottenham, the Foxes suffered their first league defeat since late September on Saturday. Despite the defeat, Claudio Ranieri‘s side stays top of the league, with many thanks to Arsenal’s capitulation away to Southampton a bit later on Boxing Day.
Manchester City 4-1 Sunderland — FULL RECAP
Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony and Kevin De Bruyne — a quartet of names that would strike fear in any opposing defensive unit anywhere in the world; also, the four goalscorers for Man City as the Blues hammered Sunderland to get their title challenge back on track after losing to Arsenal on Monday. The victory move Man City back to within three points of Leicester for the league lead, and a single point back of Arsenal for second.
Chelsea 2-2 Watford — FULL RECAP
Chelsea had turned a corner after the firing of Jose Mourinho, we thought. Instead, they reverted back to their old ways in Guus Hiddink’s re-debut as the club’s interim manager, in a 2-2 draw with Watford on Saturday. The Blues went up a goal, then fell behind by a goal, by which time a point didn’t seem so bad. Still, it’s a far cry from the levels which last season’s champions routinely hit. Now 13 points out of the top-four, it’s a long, long way into next year’s UEFA Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Norwich City — FULL RECAP
Tottenham look intent on keeping hold of a top-four place this season. Since coughing up a 1-0 lead against Newcastle United two weeks ago, Spurs have responded with a pair of clean sheets in beating Southampton and Norwich City by a combined score of 5-0. Harry Kane grabbed two more goals on Saturday (his 10th and 11th league goals of the season), thus putting to bed the “one-season wonder” narrative once and for all.
Newcastle United 0-1 Everton — FULL RECAP
Just when Newcastle look like they’ve turned over a new leaf, the old Newcastle pops right back up and reminds us all why they are, and will likely continue to be, threatened by relegation just about every year. On Saturday, it was Tom Cleverley‘s 92nd-minute winner that undid a mostly solid, draw-worthy performance from the Magpies.
Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham United — FULL RECAP
West Ham United are clutching for dear life at a place in the top half of the league table after failing to win for their eighth-straight league game. Aaron Cresswell put the Hammers ahead in first-half stoppage time, but Jordan Ayew equalized to rescue a point for 20th-place Villa for a second week in a row.
Swansea City 1-0 West Bromwich Albion — FULL RECAP
Swansea pulled themselves all the way out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory over West Brom on Saturday. Ki Sung-Yueng scored the game’s only goal in the 9th minute, and the Swans, under the watchful eye of interim manager Alan Curtis, snapped a seven-game winless streak (five losses), which greatly contributed to the firing of Garry Monk. Now in 16th place, Swansea are two places and a single point ahead of Newcastle, who fall back into the bottom-three.
Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace — FULL RECAP
Bournemouth moved to six games unbeaten in league play with a 0-0 draw against 5th-place Crystal Palace. The resulting point keeps Eddie Howe‘s Cherries a place and a point ahead of Chelsea in the race for 14th, while Palace fall two points back of Spurs for fourth.
NCAAFB: Early bowl results suggest AAC may have been overhyped, but still time for redemption.
By Kevin McGuire
(Photo/Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
The American Athletic Conference has lost each of its four bowl games played to date. South Florida lost to Western Kentucky, 45-35, in the Miami Beach Bowl. Temple took a 32-17 loss in the Boca Raton Bowl against Toledo. Cincinnati was clobbered by San Diego State, 42-7, in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. On Saturday, Connecticut lost to Marshall in the St. Petersburg Bowl (16-10) and Tulsa was edged by Virginia Tech in a wild shootout in the Independence Bowl, 55-52. That is a record of 0-4 with losses to Conference USA, the MAC and Mountain West Conference included in the mix. When comparing Group of Five conferences against each other, those are not good results for the AAC. It is also strange, because the AAC was fairly good against other Group of Five conferences this season. The conference has already clinched a losing record in postseason play with three games left to play.
The question for the AAC now is whether or not three wins in the final three games can outweigh the weight of the four losses. There is no question the three games left to play are to be considered the most notable matchups for the conference, although Temple vs. Toledo was respectable as well. Navy will play Pittsburgh in the Military Bowl in Annapolis on Monday afternoon. Memphis will take on 6-6 Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl on Wednesday afternoon and Houston faces Florida State in the Peach Bowl on New Years Eve. If the AAC managed to go 3-0 in those games, the conference would regain some credibility among Group of Five conferences, but that will not come easily.
It is far from impossible to believe though. Navy is practically playing at home. Despite coaching changes ongoing, Memphis still has an offense that should give Auburn plenty of trouble (remember, Memphis beat Ole Miss, and Ole Miss beat Auburn). Houston may not be as deep as Florida State is, but its first team offense has potential to give Florida State some trouble. Can the AAC win all three? Sure, it’s possible. Is it expected? Probably not, but for a conference that was pumped up as much as it has been this season from multiple voices (myself included), the AAC needs to go 3-0 in their final games to regain its footing. The AAC is clearly not a power conference, but being the top of the Group of Five is not a bad place to sit either.
Happy to be back: Alabama and Michigan State return to Texas.
By RALPH D. RUSSO
Alabama started its season in North Texas with a goal of coming back. Michigan State ended last season at the Cotton Bowl and the plan for this season was to return to play for even higher stakes.
Mission accomplished for both the Crimson Tide and Spartans.
''Yeah, this is where we wanted to be,'' Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland said Saturday. ''We fought hard all year, and now we're where we want to be, and in a position to win it all.''
The teams were in place and started practicing Saturday in the Dallas area for the College Football Playoff's Cotton Bowl semifinal. The third-seeded Spartans and No. 2 Tide will ring in the new year Thursday night at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Michigan State (12-1) arrived Friday night. Alabama (12-1) got in Saturday morning, leaving behind the severe weather that brought flooding and tornadoes in its home state to find some more ominous weather brewing in North Texas. The entire area was on a tornado watch for most of the afternoon and into the evening. Tornado and flash flood warnings dotted the counties around Dallas.
A few Crimson Tide players who went home for Christmas were delayed getting back to Tuscaloosa on Christmas night, but all the players expected to be on Alabama's team plane made it.
''Certainly was a difficult circumstance last night, but we didn't have any issues at least with the group that came with us, which was probably 90 percent of the guys,'' Tide coach Nick Saban said. A few players from this part of the country were allowed to meet the team in Texas, Saban said.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth confirmed that a tornado touched down south of Dallas. An emergency management official in Ellis County reported damage to some homes in the area. The storm passed through downtown Dallas, leading to more tornado warnings.
''Certainly was a difficult circumstance last night, but we didn't have any issues at least with the group that came with us, which was probably 90 percent of the guys,'' Tide coach Nick Saban said. A few players from this part of the country were allowed to meet the team in Texas, Saban said.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth confirmed that a tornado touched down south of Dallas. An emergency management official in Ellis County reported damage to some homes in the area. The storm passed through downtown Dallas, leading to more tornado warnings.
Spokesmen for Michigan State and Alabama said the weather in North Texas did not affect either team.
The Spartans worked out at AT&T Stadium in Arlington as scheduled and the Crimson Tide got their work in at Coppell High School, a bit north of Dallas. Both teams then took part in a welcome party thrown by the Dallas Cowboys at the stadium.
A year ago, Michigan State faced Baylor in the Cotton Bowl and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to wipe out a 20-point deficit and beat the Bears 42-41.
''Our goals are always trying to go a little bit farther,'' Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said. ''And last year the way the season wrapped up, big win in the Cotton Bowl. But at the same time, we weren't in the College Football Playoff, which our goal is always to win the Big Ten championship, which I believe should put you in that playoff, if you are fortunate enough to do that.''
Alabama began this season with a 35-17 victory at AT&T Stadium against Wisconsin, and went on to become the only team to repeat as a playoff participant. Big Ten champion Ohio State upset the Tide 42-35 in last year's semifinals at the Sugar Bowl.
''Everybody on the team knew that the leadership wasn't the right way, some guys can't say nothing about it. But now I can say something about it because I'm a leader,'' Ragland said about last year's loss. ''If I feel like I don't like something, I'm going to say it. If we need to do this, I'm going to say it. The guys on the team know we need to do this the right way. The right way gets it done. You can tell my guys are ready already.''
Alabama began this season with a 35-17 victory at AT&T Stadium against Wisconsin, and went on to become the only team to repeat as a playoff participant. Big Ten champion Ohio State upset the Tide 42-35 in last year's semifinals at the Sugar Bowl.
''Everybody on the team knew that the leadership wasn't the right way, some guys can't say nothing about it. But now I can say something about it because I'm a leader,'' Ragland said about last year's loss. ''If I feel like I don't like something, I'm going to say it. If we need to do this, I'm going to say it. The guys on the team know we need to do this the right way. The right way gets it done. You can tell my guys are ready already.''
Alabama is a 10-point favorite against Michigan State this time, which works well for the Spartans.
''It's when we thrive,'' center Jack Allen said.
The teams were at one point scheduled to play and home-and-home series, starting in 2016 in Tuscaloosa. The Tide and former Michigan State coach Saban were to come to East Lansing, Michigan, in 2017. But in 2013, with the SEC considering adding a ninth conference game for future schedules, Alabama canceled the series.
'We wanted this since they were on our schedule,'' Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun said. ''Then they were no longer on our schedule. The game got canceled. I guess. So this opportunity came to fruition. We were happy to have it.''
'We wanted this since they were on our schedule,'' Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun said. ''Then they were no longer on our schedule. The game got canceled. I guess. So this opportunity came to fruition. We were happy to have it.''
NCAABKB: Tyler Ulis, No. 12 Kentucky outlast No. 16 Louisville in thriller.
By Rob Dauster
(AP Photo/James Crisp)
The game lived up to the hype, even if the execution down the stretch did not.
Damion Lee finished with 27 points for No. 16 Louisville, but his step-back jumper in the final seconds hit nothing but air as the Cardinals fell to No. 12 Kentucky in Rupp Arena, 75-73. On the previous possession, Kentucky passed up on a pair of open looks, committing a shot-clock violation that opened the door for the Cardinals to try and win the game on the final possession. That came after Louisville’s Trey Lewis traveled with 43 seconds left and a chance to tie the game.
The good news for Kentucky?
Box scores don’t include style points.
Tyler Ulis led the way for the Wildcats with 21 points and eight assists, turning the ball over just once completely taking control of Kentucky’s offensive attack on a day where Jamal Murray was a train wreck and Isaiah Briscoe rolled his ankle during warm-ups. Ulis was on fire early, hit a pair of massive threes in the second half and assisted on three more down the stretch as the Wildcats survived a furious rally from Louisville. (More on that in a second.)
Kentucky also didn’t get anything from Skal Labissiere on Saturday, amazingly enough. The heroes for the Wildcats were Alex Poythress, who played his best game of the season and arguably his most important in a Kentucky uniform, and Dominique Hawkins, who played the best game of his career. Poythress finished with 14 points, six boards and three blocks, scoring on three straight possessions near the end of the first half to bust Kentucky out of a slump offensively and to help them break down the Louisville zone. Those three buckets drew the attention of Louisville’s defense, which in turn created open looks from three for Derek Willis and Hawkins late in the half. Hawkins had a career-high 13 points, hitting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Kentucky, at one point early in the first half, opened up a 52-36 lead on the Cards, the end result of a 22-2 run that spanned both halves. Part of the issue for the Cardinals late in the first half is that all of their big men had two fouls. In the second half, when Chinanu Onuaku returned to the floor, the game changed. Kentucky was unable to handle Onuaku’s presence on the offensive glass, as he finished with six of Louisville’s 21 offensive rebounds. Kentucky, on the afternoon, had just 19 defensive boards.
The real difference-maker in the second half was Donovan Mitchell. He finished with just eight points, five boards and three assists, but his energy at the top of Louisville’s press changed the flow of the game. He didn’t get credited with any steals, but he did help to create a handful of turnovers and kept offensive rebounds alive on a number of possessions. He’s still not much more than an athlete at this point in his development, but his energy will be a nice boost for this team off of their bench.
For Kentucky, this win is a shot in the arm for a team that has been lacking for confidence at times this season. They’ve struggled against a handful of teams they probably shouldn’t be struggling against, but on Saturday, they knocked off their arch rival — a top 20 team — on a day where their two most-hyped freshmen did more for Louisville than they did for Kentucky.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, are now guaranteed to begin ACC play without having accomplished anything of note during the non-conference portion of their schedule. They certainly pass the eye test as far as being a tournament-caliber, top 25 basketball team, but that only matter so much for the NCAA tournament selection committee. I can’t envision a scenario where this team doesn’t do enough in ACC play to garner an at-large bid, but it is going to be interesting to see what happens with their seeding as a result.
Throwback look: seniors lead way to nation’s top-tier teams.
Associated Press
Damion Lee finished with 27 points for No. 16 Louisville, but his step-back jumper in the final seconds hit nothing but air as the Cardinals fell to No. 12 Kentucky in Rupp Arena, 75-73. On the previous possession, Kentucky passed up on a pair of open looks, committing a shot-clock violation that opened the door for the Cardinals to try and win the game on the final possession. That came after Louisville’s Trey Lewis traveled with 43 seconds left and a chance to tie the game.
The good news for Kentucky?
Box scores don’t include style points.
Tyler Ulis led the way for the Wildcats with 21 points and eight assists, turning the ball over just once completely taking control of Kentucky’s offensive attack on a day where Jamal Murray was a train wreck and Isaiah Briscoe rolled his ankle during warm-ups. Ulis was on fire early, hit a pair of massive threes in the second half and assisted on three more down the stretch as the Wildcats survived a furious rally from Louisville. (More on that in a second.)
Kentucky also didn’t get anything from Skal Labissiere on Saturday, amazingly enough. The heroes for the Wildcats were Alex Poythress, who played his best game of the season and arguably his most important in a Kentucky uniform, and Dominique Hawkins, who played the best game of his career. Poythress finished with 14 points, six boards and three blocks, scoring on three straight possessions near the end of the first half to bust Kentucky out of a slump offensively and to help them break down the Louisville zone. Those three buckets drew the attention of Louisville’s defense, which in turn created open looks from three for Derek Willis and Hawkins late in the half. Hawkins had a career-high 13 points, hitting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Kentucky, at one point early in the first half, opened up a 52-36 lead on the Cards, the end result of a 22-2 run that spanned both halves. Part of the issue for the Cardinals late in the first half is that all of their big men had two fouls. In the second half, when Chinanu Onuaku returned to the floor, the game changed. Kentucky was unable to handle Onuaku’s presence on the offensive glass, as he finished with six of Louisville’s 21 offensive rebounds. Kentucky, on the afternoon, had just 19 defensive boards.
The real difference-maker in the second half was Donovan Mitchell. He finished with just eight points, five boards and three assists, but his energy at the top of Louisville’s press changed the flow of the game. He didn’t get credited with any steals, but he did help to create a handful of turnovers and kept offensive rebounds alive on a number of possessions. He’s still not much more than an athlete at this point in his development, but his energy will be a nice boost for this team off of their bench.
For Kentucky, this win is a shot in the arm for a team that has been lacking for confidence at times this season. They’ve struggled against a handful of teams they probably shouldn’t be struggling against, but on Saturday, they knocked off their arch rival — a top 20 team — on a day where their two most-hyped freshmen did more for Louisville than they did for Kentucky.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, are now guaranteed to begin ACC play without having accomplished anything of note during the non-conference portion of their schedule. They certainly pass the eye test as far as being a tournament-caliber, top 25 basketball team, but that only matter so much for the NCAA tournament selection committee. I can’t envision a scenario where this team doesn’t do enough in ACC play to garner an at-large bid, but it is going to be interesting to see what happens with their seeding as a result.
Throwback look: seniors lead way to nation’s top-tier teams.
Associated Press
(Photo/Associated Press)
The old guys are back in charge in college basketball this season.
After recent years with the focus locked on one-and-done talent, it’s the seniors – guys like No. 1 Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine, No. 3 Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and No. 5 Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon – leading some of the nation’s best teams.
It’s created a throwback look to when upperclassmen stuck around elite programs instead of bolting early for the NBA, not to mention did more than just handle the dirty work behind some headline-grabbing youngsters.
Coaches are loving the dynamic.
“You’d always rather have experienced leadership than not, of course,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “Always, the message goes out when it goes from player to player as opposed to coach to player, it’s more effective.”
In this week’s Top 25, six top-10 teams and 14 teams in the poll have seniors as leading scorers – and in some cases there’s more than one in a leading role.
Compare that to last year’s final AP Top 25 of the season, when three top-10 teams and eight ranked squads had seniors as leading scorers. And this week’s totals are higher than for any of the final AP polls dating to at least the 2007-08 season, according to STATS.
The best example of that senior success has been Michigan State’s Valentine, who has grown from a complimentary scorer for a Final Four team to a candidate for national player of the year.
The 6-foot-5 guard, who will miss the next 2-3 weeks due to minor knee surgery announced Monday, is averaging 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists. He’s also had two triple-doubles this year, including a 29-point, 12-rebound, 12-assist performance to hand No. 2 Kansas its only loss.
“I can get a lot better,” Valentine said earlier this month. “I need to work on my defense. And, I need to make the most of every possession.”
This senior-led formula has worked well for coach Tom Izzo before. His 2000 national championship team had strong leadership with seniors Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson, while touted freshman Jason Richardson took a supporting role.
“I like the one-and-dones because they’re pretty talented,” Izzo said. “(Seniors), they bring a lot to your team. They really do.
“I won a championship with a couple of redshirt seniors. That’s very important, because you’ve always got someone to go to. And we go to `Zel a lot.”
The signs were there to start the year that seniors were poised for a big impact. Three – Hield, No. 11 Iowa State’s Georges Niang and Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer – were named to the five-man AP preseason all-America team, the most in five seasons.
Hield, a 6-4 guard, entered the week ninth nationally in scoring at 23.5 points per game, up about a half-dozen from last year.
Niang, a 6-8 forward, entered the week averaging 18.7 points and is one of three seniors averaging in double figures for the Cyclones – an experienced group together so long that new coach Steve Prohm has largely stuck with former coach Fred Hoiberg’s playbook.
Wiltjer, a 6-10 forward who spent a year at Kentucky, guided the Zags to the NCAA Elite Eight last year and entered the week averaging 20.6 points.
Then throw in guys like Brogdon, who has earned the nickname “Uncle Malcolm” from Virginia teammates. Or No. 7 North Carolina’s returning all-Atlantic Coast Conference senior duo of Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson – who are the top two scoring options for the preseason No. 1 Tar Heels.
Eighth-ranked Arizona added a No. 1 scorer in Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson, No. 9 Butler’s offense is at its best when high-scoring guard Kellen Dunham is hot and No. 13 Miami’s seniors have already led the Hurricanes on an impressive three-game romp through last month’s Puerto Rico Tipoff.
“When you look at our league this year, Kansas is a much older team, Iowa State’s a much older team, we’re a much older team,” Kruger said of the Big 12. “That’s kind of rare in teams that are ranked in the top 10 or top 15.”
NBA MVP Stephen Curry shoots way to AP Male Athlete of Year.
After recent years with the focus locked on one-and-done talent, it’s the seniors – guys like No. 1 Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine, No. 3 Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and No. 5 Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon – leading some of the nation’s best teams.
It’s created a throwback look to when upperclassmen stuck around elite programs instead of bolting early for the NBA, not to mention did more than just handle the dirty work behind some headline-grabbing youngsters.
Coaches are loving the dynamic.
“You’d always rather have experienced leadership than not, of course,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “Always, the message goes out when it goes from player to player as opposed to coach to player, it’s more effective.”
In this week’s Top 25, six top-10 teams and 14 teams in the poll have seniors as leading scorers – and in some cases there’s more than one in a leading role.
Compare that to last year’s final AP Top 25 of the season, when three top-10 teams and eight ranked squads had seniors as leading scorers. And this week’s totals are higher than for any of the final AP polls dating to at least the 2007-08 season, according to STATS.
The best example of that senior success has been Michigan State’s Valentine, who has grown from a complimentary scorer for a Final Four team to a candidate for national player of the year.
The 6-foot-5 guard, who will miss the next 2-3 weeks due to minor knee surgery announced Monday, is averaging 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists. He’s also had two triple-doubles this year, including a 29-point, 12-rebound, 12-assist performance to hand No. 2 Kansas its only loss.
“I can get a lot better,” Valentine said earlier this month. “I need to work on my defense. And, I need to make the most of every possession.”
This senior-led formula has worked well for coach Tom Izzo before. His 2000 national championship team had strong leadership with seniors Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson, while touted freshman Jason Richardson took a supporting role.
“I like the one-and-dones because they’re pretty talented,” Izzo said. “(Seniors), they bring a lot to your team. They really do.
“I won a championship with a couple of redshirt seniors. That’s very important, because you’ve always got someone to go to. And we go to `Zel a lot.”
The signs were there to start the year that seniors were poised for a big impact. Three – Hield, No. 11 Iowa State’s Georges Niang and Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer – were named to the five-man AP preseason all-America team, the most in five seasons.
Hield, a 6-4 guard, entered the week ninth nationally in scoring at 23.5 points per game, up about a half-dozen from last year.
Niang, a 6-8 forward, entered the week averaging 18.7 points and is one of three seniors averaging in double figures for the Cyclones – an experienced group together so long that new coach Steve Prohm has largely stuck with former coach Fred Hoiberg’s playbook.
Wiltjer, a 6-10 forward who spent a year at Kentucky, guided the Zags to the NCAA Elite Eight last year and entered the week averaging 20.6 points.
Then throw in guys like Brogdon, who has earned the nickname “Uncle Malcolm” from Virginia teammates. Or No. 7 North Carolina’s returning all-Atlantic Coast Conference senior duo of Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson – who are the top two scoring options for the preseason No. 1 Tar Heels.
Eighth-ranked Arizona added a No. 1 scorer in Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson, No. 9 Butler’s offense is at its best when high-scoring guard Kellen Dunham is hot and No. 13 Miami’s seniors have already led the Hurricanes on an impressive three-game romp through last month’s Puerto Rico Tipoff.
“When you look at our league this year, Kansas is a much older team, Iowa State’s a much older team, we’re a much older team,” Kruger said of the Big 12. “That’s kind of rare in teams that are ranked in the top 10 or top 15.”
NBA MVP Stephen Curry shoots way to AP Male Athlete of Year.
By JOSH DUBOW
Stephen Curry's greatness as a basketball player can be measured by his record-setting shooting numbers that are changing the game.
His immense popularity derives from something less tangible.
While many NBA greats rely on uncommon height and athletic ability that average fans can only dream of having, Curry's game relies on the traits that every casual player can work on: shoot, dribble and pass.
The difference is, perhaps nobody ever has put those three skills together the same way Curry has the past year as he has dominated on the court and made the once downtrodden Golden State Warriors the NBA's must-watch team.
''The way that I play has a lot of skill but is stuff that if you go to the YMCA or rec leagues or church leagues around the country, everybody wants to shoot, everybody wants to handle the ball, make creative passes and stuff like that,'' he said. ''You can work on that stuff. Not everybody has the vertical, or the physical gifts to be able to go out and do a windmill dunk and stuff like that. I can't even do it.''
That's about all Curry is unable to do on the basketball court. His amazing year, in which he won an MVP, led Golden State to its first title in 40 years and helped the Warriors get off to a record-setting start this season, earned him The Associated Press 2015 Male Athlete of the Year.
Curry finished first in a vote by U.S. editors and news directors, with the results released Saturday. He joined LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird as the only basketball players to win the honor in the 85 years of the award. Curry beat out golfer Jordan Spieth, who won two majors, and American Pharoah, who became the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown.
While American Pharoah got three more first-place votes than Curry's 24, Curry appeared on 86 percent of the 82 ballots that ranked the top five candidates. More than one-third of the voters left American Pharoah off their list.
''That's a real honor,'' Curry said. ''I'm appreciative of that acknowledgement because it's across all different sports. ... It's pretty cool.''
Curry has become the face of the NBA this past year. His jersey is the best-seller in the league, his team's games get record television ratings at home and in opposing markets and even his 3-year-old daughter Riley became a star by overshadowing her dad at playoff news conferences.
Even his intricate warmup routine has become a show for fans who get out early or even sometimes on TV pregame shows. He does an elaborate two-ball dribbling routine, works on passes and shots with both hands, takes jump shots from just inside half court and then caps it with a long-range shot from the tunnel on the way back to the locker room.
''Steph actually looks different,'' ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said. ''Like the best player in the league usually is also physically opposing - 6-6 plus, scowl on his face, menacing. With the attitude that we appreciated because like a Michael Jordan or Shaquille O'Neal, or Kobe Bryant, you know, just a cutthroat nature. Steph allows us into his living room. We see him on a national stage be a son, a dad, a husband, a father, a brother. And he does all of it while continuing to improve.''
Curry has improved his scoring from 23.8 points per game to 30.8 - the biggest one-year jump ever by an MVP - prompting Rose to say that Curry could be the most improved player and repeat as MVP this season in a remarkable tribute to the offseason work he put in even after winning a title.
He has become much more efficient scoring on drives and has amazingly added range to his already record-setting 3-point shooting. Curry can consistently make shots from 28 feet out as he is on pace to shatter his own record of 3-pointers made in a season.
The drive to succeed is fueled by the fact that Curry got no major scholarship offers coming out of high school, he was the third point guard taken in the 2009 draft and he settled for a below-market contract extension three years ago because people questioned his durability following ankle injuries.
''The thing I would say about Steph, what makes him who he is, is that nobody has to challenge him to get to the next level because he does it on his own,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''I didn't think he could get that much better from last year but I do think he's gotten considerably better, which is quite a feat when you're the reigning MVP.''
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1902 - The first professional indoor football game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Syracuse defeated the Philadelphia Nationals 6-0.
1918 - Georges Vezina (Montreal Canadiens) became the first NHL goalie to record an assist. The assist came on a goal by Newsy Lalonde.
1958 - The Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 23-17 in overtime in the NFL Championship.
1975 - The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC divisional playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings with a Hail Mary with only 24 seconds left.
2003 - New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was released from the hospital. The previous day he had fainted at a memorial service.
2003 - Jamal Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) became the fifth NFL player to run for 2,000 yards in a season. He ended the season with 2,029 yards.
2003 - Mike Vanderjagt (Indianapolis Colts) set a new NFL record when he kicked his 41st consecutive field goal.
2003 - James Holmes (Kansas City Chiefs) set an NFL record with his 27th touchdown of the season.
1918 - Georges Vezina (Montreal Canadiens) became the first NHL goalie to record an assist. The assist came on a goal by Newsy Lalonde.
1958 - The Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 23-17 in overtime in the NFL Championship.
1975 - The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC divisional playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings with a Hail Mary with only 24 seconds left.
2003 - New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was released from the hospital. The previous day he had fainted at a memorial service.
2003 - Jamal Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) became the fifth NFL player to run for 2,000 yards in a season. He ended the season with 2,029 yards.
2003 - Mike Vanderjagt (Indianapolis Colts) set a new NFL record when he kicked his 41st consecutive field goal.
2003 - James Holmes (Kansas City Chiefs) set an NFL record with his 27th touchdown of the season.
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