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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Henry Ford, Industrialist and Developer of the Assembly Line Technique of Mass Production
Trending: John Fox's four core values will decide who stays, who goes. (See the football section for Bears updates).
Trending: Patrick Sharp leads Stars to shutout victory over Blackhawks. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Can Jason Heyward handle the pressure of largest contract in Cubs history? (See the baseball section for Cubs updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! John Fox's four core values will decide who stays, who goes.
(AP Photo/ Matt Marton)
John Fox has worked at rooting out some of the negative culture left over from the two years under Marc Trestman pretty much since he arrived from Denver to succeed Trestman. That involved winning football games as well as personnel changes within the locker room and above.
Some of that has worked, a lot hasn’t, all summarized in a 5-9 record.
Fox sent a decidedly pointed message in his remarks following the loss at Minnesota. It’s been a message amply evident before that embarrassing performance but
became more pointed in the waning days of a formative season.
“We are going to be marching forward,” Fox said, “and we will find guys that will be part of our core.”
Meaning that the core is far from in place and also in formative stages.
Fox and staff together with the personnel staff of general manager Ryan Pace have their templates for what they want. But as much as any physical traits, Fox’s template stands on what he considers core values:
“Focus, Intensity, Preparation and then really the Mental Toughness to create all those things on a consistent basis,” Fox said, acknowledging, “so we’re not there yet.”
Fox has had favorite axioms framed and hung on Halas Hall walls, things like, “Ability is good but dependability is critical.”
The message has been sent and heard, even if not entirely or consistently acted upon.
“Those words always come up,” said defensive end Willie Young. “Obviously those are some topics that we could talk about all day, but those are some key components to us getting this thing turned around.
“I think truthfully it’s something that every individual, whether it’s football or life in general, you go down that list and you ask yourself are you staying true to those principles? If your answer is yes to every one of them, then you’re doing the right thing. You’ll come out on top.”
As much as the losses, the way of the losses has bothered Fox. Lack of focus. Lack of intensity. Lack of preparation. Lack of mental toughness.
Some decisions have been made for 2016. Some are still to play out over the remaining 120 football minutes over the next two weekends. But as to who has or how many have been disappointing in the search of a core, Fox still uses one standard.
“I’m not good at the blame game,” Fox said. “To me, it’s all of ‘us.’ It’s coaching, it’s playing, it’s executing. Ultimately, we’re all in it together. I would say I’m disappointed in our record and kinda really leave it at that. Because that’s kinda what we’re measured on.”
No Bears named to Pro Bowl.
By Rich Campbell
There are many ways to measure how the Bears’ roster-building project stands under first-year general manager Ryan Pace, starting with their 5-9 record. Another came into focus Tuesday night when the NFL announced selections for the 2016 Pro Bowl and no Bears were among them.
If the club has no alternates added to the rosters in the coming weeks, it would be the first time the Bears aren’t represented in the league’s annual all-star game since the 1998-99 season.
The Bears were one of six teams without anyone included on the Pro Bowl rosters Tuesday night. The others were the Chargers, Colts, Jaguars, Saints and Titans. The undefeated Panthers led all clubs with 10 Pro Bowlers.
As bad as the Bears were a year ago, they still had two Pro Bowlers despite a 5-11 finish that triggered a house cleaning of the football operation. Offensive lineman Kyle Long was nominated and tight end Martellus Bennett made it as an alternate.
This year, however, the team switched Long to right tackle seven days before the regular-season opener, moving him from the right guard spot at which he made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two NFL seasons.
And Bennett this season failed to approach his career-high totals from 2014. He landed on injured reserve after 11 games with a fractured rib.
Other Bears with Pro Bowls on their resumes were either beset by injuries, didn’t play to that level or both.
Most notably, running back Matt Forte missed three games with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, and he has split touches with rookie Jeremy Langford since returning in Week 12. Receiver Alshon Jeffery has missed five games with different leg muscle injuries and has not been at full health in other games.
Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee made a case for his first career Pro Bowl with five sacks and an interception through seven games, but a left knee injury in early November has limited his playing time and production.
The Bears declined to say whether anyone from the team was named an alternate.
In the Pro Bowl selection process, fan balloting counts for one-third, as do player voting and coaches’ voting. The game is Jan. 31 in Honolulu.
Another leg issue casts cloud over Bears WR Alshon Jeffery.
By John Mullin
Some of that has worked, a lot hasn’t, all summarized in a 5-9 record.
Fox sent a decidedly pointed message in his remarks following the loss at Minnesota. It’s been a message amply evident before that embarrassing performance but
became more pointed in the waning days of a formative season.
“We are going to be marching forward,” Fox said, “and we will find guys that will be part of our core.”
Meaning that the core is far from in place and also in formative stages.
Fox and staff together with the personnel staff of general manager Ryan Pace have their templates for what they want. But as much as any physical traits, Fox’s template stands on what he considers core values:
“Focus, Intensity, Preparation and then really the Mental Toughness to create all those things on a consistent basis,” Fox said, acknowledging, “so we’re not there yet.”
Fox has had favorite axioms framed and hung on Halas Hall walls, things like, “Ability is good but dependability is critical.”
The message has been sent and heard, even if not entirely or consistently acted upon.
“Those words always come up,” said defensive end Willie Young. “Obviously those are some topics that we could talk about all day, but those are some key components to us getting this thing turned around.
“I think truthfully it’s something that every individual, whether it’s football or life in general, you go down that list and you ask yourself are you staying true to those principles? If your answer is yes to every one of them, then you’re doing the right thing. You’ll come out on top.”
As much as the losses, the way of the losses has bothered Fox. Lack of focus. Lack of intensity. Lack of preparation. Lack of mental toughness.
Some decisions have been made for 2016. Some are still to play out over the remaining 120 football minutes over the next two weekends. But as to who has or how many have been disappointing in the search of a core, Fox still uses one standard.
“I’m not good at the blame game,” Fox said. “To me, it’s all of ‘us.’ It’s coaching, it’s playing, it’s executing. Ultimately, we’re all in it together. I would say I’m disappointed in our record and kinda really leave it at that. Because that’s kinda what we’re measured on.”
No Bears named to Pro Bowl.
By Rich Campbell
There are many ways to measure how the Bears’ roster-building project stands under first-year general manager Ryan Pace, starting with their 5-9 record. Another came into focus Tuesday night when the NFL announced selections for the 2016 Pro Bowl and no Bears were among them.
If the club has no alternates added to the rosters in the coming weeks, it would be the first time the Bears aren’t represented in the league’s annual all-star game since the 1998-99 season.
As bad as the Bears were a year ago, they still had two Pro Bowlers despite a 5-11 finish that triggered a house cleaning of the football operation. Offensive lineman Kyle Long was nominated and tight end Martellus Bennett made it as an alternate.
This year, however, the team switched Long to right tackle seven days before the regular-season opener, moving him from the right guard spot at which he made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two NFL seasons.
And Bennett this season failed to approach his career-high totals from 2014. He landed on injured reserve after 11 games with a fractured rib.
Other Bears with Pro Bowls on their resumes were either beset by injuries, didn’t play to that level or both.
Most notably, running back Matt Forte missed three games with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, and he has split touches with rookie Jeremy Langford since returning in Week 12. Receiver Alshon Jeffery has missed five games with different leg muscle injuries and has not been at full health in other games.
Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee made a case for his first career Pro Bowl with five sacks and an interception through seven games, but a left knee injury in early November has limited his playing time and production.
The Bears declined to say whether anyone from the team was named an alternate.
In the Pro Bowl selection process, fan balloting counts for one-third, as do player voting and coaches’ voting. The game is Jan. 31 in Honolulu.
Another leg issue casts cloud over Bears WR Alshon Jeffery.
By John Mullin
(Photo/therichest.com)
When Alshon Jeffery left Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings with hamstring tightness, the problem did not enhance the Bears’ offensive situation in the short term.
“It’s definitely not ‘inflating,’" quarterback Jay Cutler said as to how deflating the loss of Jeffery was. It only adds to questions about what the Bears will feel comfortable doing with Jeffery when his contract expires after this season.
Jeffery’s availability has been a near-weekly issue going back to a calf injury in preseason and continuing into the season with hamstring, groin and shoulder injuries. Whether the fourth-year receiver is able to practice this week or play next Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We’ll evaluate him,” said coach John Fox. “He got treatment today, I’m sure will get treatment tomorrow and we’ll evaluate him and see what his availability is Wednesday.”
But the bigger question for a team just eliminated from playoff possibilities is how Jeffery’s recent injury history factors into the risk involved in a franchise tag, long-term contract or risking seeing Jeffery reach open free agency.
A franchise tag placed on a wide receiver in the 2015 season committed his team to $12.8 million guaranteed for one season. That show-me option appears at this point more likely than multi-year contract with its typically massive guaranteed money. The five-year pact the Dallas Cowboys gave Dez Bryant last July included $45 million guaranteed.
“We’re evaluating everything all the time whether it’s injuries, whether it’s execution, whether it’s starting fast, starting slow,” Fox said. “There’s really not much that we don’t look into. It’s a very analytical type of game, so it’s no different with injuries, we look at everything from how we stretch to how we warm up. You name it, we look at it.”
Linebacker Shea McClellin, also coming out of his rookie contract after this season, came out of the Minnesota game with concussion symptoms and has been placed in the NFL's concussion protocol for this week.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Patrick Sharp leads Stars to shutout victory over Blackhawks.
“It’s definitely not ‘inflating,’" quarterback Jay Cutler said as to how deflating the loss of Jeffery was. It only adds to questions about what the Bears will feel comfortable doing with Jeffery when his contract expires after this season.
Jeffery’s availability has been a near-weekly issue going back to a calf injury in preseason and continuing into the season with hamstring, groin and shoulder injuries. Whether the fourth-year receiver is able to practice this week or play next Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We’ll evaluate him,” said coach John Fox. “He got treatment today, I’m sure will get treatment tomorrow and we’ll evaluate him and see what his availability is Wednesday.”
But the bigger question for a team just eliminated from playoff possibilities is how Jeffery’s recent injury history factors into the risk involved in a franchise tag, long-term contract or risking seeing Jeffery reach open free agency.
A franchise tag placed on a wide receiver in the 2015 season committed his team to $12.8 million guaranteed for one season. That show-me option appears at this point more likely than multi-year contract with its typically massive guaranteed money. The five-year pact the Dallas Cowboys gave Dez Bryant last July included $45 million guaranteed.
“We’re evaluating everything all the time whether it’s injuries, whether it’s execution, whether it’s starting fast, starting slow,” Fox said. “There’s really not much that we don’t look into. It’s a very analytical type of game, so it’s no different with injuries, we look at everything from how we stretch to how we warm up. You name it, we look at it.”
Linebacker Shea McClellin, also coming out of his rookie contract after this season, came out of the Minnesota game with concussion symptoms and has been placed in the NFL's concussion protocol for this week.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Patrick Sharp leads Stars to shutout victory over Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
Patrick Sharp scored plenty of goals during his time with the Blackhawks. On Tuesday he got a one against them.Sharp scored his 12th goal of the season against his former team and added an assist as the Dallas Stars beat the Blackhawks 4-0 at American Airlines Center. It was just the Blackhawks’ third loss in their last 10 games, and they’ll head into the Christmas break at 20-12-4.
Jason Spezza and Colton Sceviour also scored for the Stars, who head into the break atop the Central Division with 54 points. Johnny Oduya added a secondary assist for the Stars.
Corey Crawford allowed four goals on 32 shots.
The Blackhawks and Stars were locked in a close game through the first two periods, with Spezza’s power-play goal midway through the second being the difference. But in the third period, the Stars broke things open. Sharp’s goal came just 11 seconds into that period and it seemed to ignite the Stars.
“It was a tough way to start the third period,” Brent Seabrook said. “They have a good team over there. They have a lot of explosive players and a lot of guys who can make plays quick.”
At the same time, the Blackhawks suddenly looked deflated. They were outshot 17-3 in the third, putting up no fight against a Stars team that scored three in the third period. Colton Sceviour scored less than three minutes after Sharp and Mattias Janmark added another late in the third to make what was once a close game a lopsided one.
“They scored right off the bat [in the third.] Then, whether [or not] they opened us up, all of a sudden we were trying to press,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We didn’t have the puck much at all. We chased it around the whole period.”
Considering how this one started, it looked like it would be a low-scoring one despite the offense both teams possess. The Blackhawks had two power plays early, and while the advantage has been a boon to them most of this season, it was not on Tuesday night. They didn’t get a shot on either power play.
“Yeah, I think if you create more offense early in the game, it at least gives your team confidence, it gives you momentum, it gives you energy, and we didn’t quite get it the way we needed it after those power plays,” Jonathan Toews said. “Even if you don’t score, if you generate some chances, some shots, it still gives your team some energy. We didn’t get a whole lot of that off those two power plays.”
The Blackhawks didn’t get much of anything on Tuesday night, especially in that third period. They’ve wrapped up a pretty decent first portion of their schedule heading into the Christmas break. They’re starting to get some chemistry in their lines. Crawford, outside of Tuesday’s outing, has been strong. But a lot of the good things they’ve been building up were missing on Tuesday against some of their former teammates.
“There have been a lot of points and found ourselves moving up some spots in the standings,” Seabrook said. “But this is a tough one to start the break with.”
Five Things from Blackhawks-Stars: Power play goes quiet.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks were looking pretty good for two periods. They were holding a very offensive-minded Dallas Stars team in check and they were getting some decent scoring opportunities themselves.
And then it all went bye-bye in the third period, when the Stars, led by Patrick Sharp, went on a three-goal tear for a 4-0 victory. The Blackhawks weren’t too happy with the way this one ended, whether it was the score or just the way the played – or didn’t play – that third period.
But sometimes, that’s the way the cookie-left-for-Santa crumbles. So before we call it a break – Christmas, that is – let’s look at the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ loss to the Stars.
1. The power play goes quiet. The Blackhawks have found much success with their advantage this season. But when they got two early power plays against the Stars on Tuesday, they didn’t get a shot. On either power play. Against a team like Dallas, you have to take advantage of every opportunity you get. The Blackhawks didn’t on those.
2. Dallas can score in bunches. That was evident last year and it’s looking that way against this season. And on Tuesday, the Stars made the third period their own highlight reel. The Stars got two quick goals in the first three minutes of the third and then added another late in the period. Speaking of that…
3. Sharp with the finish. Sharp wasn’t making much noise for the Stars through the first two periods (we’ll get to that below) but he certainly did to start the third. His 12th goal of the season came just 11 seconds into the third period and fellow former Blackhawk Johnny Oduya was one of the first to come over and help celebrate the goal with him. The night overall, however, was bittersweet for Sharp. “It really wasn't that fun of a game,” he said. “It's tough to play against your friends. Hockey's a game you play with a lot of intensity, and that's hard to do against your buddies.”
4. Fourth line has the tough job. Andrew Desjardins, Phillip Danault and former Stars forward Ryan Garbutt went up against the Stars’ top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Sharp. They did a good job on the evening, holding the trio off the score sheet through the first two periods. Patrick Sharp – whose assist earlier in the game came on the power play – finally broke through in the third, but that wasn’t against the fourth line.
5. The Blackhawks enter the break at 20-12-4. You know, that’s really not a bad record for a team that entered this season with a lot of uncertainty. Obviously their recent outings helped better that record; they’ve gone 7-4-1 so far this month. It was going to take time for the Blackhawks to get some chemistry and balance. It looks like they may be getting that now.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Jimmy Butler isn't backing down from his self-proclaimed leadership role.
By K.C. Johnson
(Photo/Chicago Tribune)
Jimmy Butler continued his emboldened season Monday morning, making a beeline to a waiting group of reporters within one minute of the Bulls' shoot-around concluding.
This is a departure from normal procedure as the coach typically talks first.
But Butler had plenty to say about "the elephant in the room," his comment after Saturday's loss to the Knicks in New York that Fred Hoiberg needs to "coach harder."
Butler and Hoiberg met for over an hour Sunday. Both claimed the incident can be a growing experience, though the first step proved faulty as the Bulls fell 105-102 to the woeful Nets.
One thing is certain: Butler isn't backing down from his self-proclaimed leadership role, saying he doesn't regret what he said and that his first foray into such a role has a learning curve.
"People want me to lead, you take my leadership for what it is," Butler said. "Some people may like it, some people don't."
Butler did admit unleashing his frustration in the media probably wasn't the best route. But he doubled down on his stance and said Hoiberg even agreed with some of his sentiments in a team meeting held in lieu of a film session.
"He said that he does have to hold everybody accountable. I have to help him with that," Butler said. "I took the easy way out with my frustration. But I was never calling out my coach. I think he's a hell of a coach. I think he's done great through these 25 games."
Butler said he met individually with players about his comments and that Hoiberg did the majority of the talking in Monday's team meeting.
"I think it will all turn around for the better," Butler said. "(Hoiberg) doesn't have to change as a person. Now that we've addressed it, everybody knows what they have to do. Before it wasn't addressed, everybody was maybe going through the motions.
"I know every play at every position because I study the playbook like that. I watch enough film to know how teams will guard this or that play. So I've got to let them know what they're supposed to be doing."
"I explained my opinion and what I'm going to do to change things here. Everybody accepted what I had to say," Butler said. "Pau, Jo, Derrick, they're telling me I have to lead more."
That's strong stuff for a veteran team that features two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol, an emotional presence in Joakim Noah and a former league MVP in Derrick Rose.
"I don't mind those comments," said Gasol, who did say it should've been kept indoors. "I think those comments are positive. It doesn't raise my eyebrows. I think it's good that certain guys want to take ownership and say, 'Hey, let's go.' But that also comes with responsibility, not just on the floor but off it with everything you do."
Hoiberg said he wasn't hurt by Butler's comments and that he understands frustration because of his days as player and an executive.
"Are there some things I can do better? Sure," Hoiberg said. "Are there some things that all of us can do better? Absolutely. Are there some things I need to demand probably a little bit more? Sure. Look, there are plenty of times in this gym behind closed doors where we have some pretty heated talks. It goes on with every coach. I don't care what their personality or demeanor is. It's part of being in the position that I'm in. It's about accepting that and moving forward.
"I look at this as an opportunity for growth for our team. I think we took a step in the right direction, Jimmy and I meeting for a long time (Sunday) and our team (Monday)."
Hoiberg also said leadership has to extend beyond the coach.
"You can have all the talent you want, but you have to have guys in the locker room who can lead," he said. "Those players are with each other a lot throughout the day. They're together nights on road trips. And they have to be able to talk to each other and sort some things out without the coach. Our guys, I think, are good with that.
"You can't take offense. When Kevin Garnett used to foam at the mouth at me, I knew how to take it because he was a great leader. This team, it's leadership by committee. You have so many older guys, veteran guys who have been around this game a long time. Those guys like each other."
Butler's reluctance to fully embrace Hoiberg's pace-and-space offense is just as big an issue as his comments. After the Tribune reported Butler has gone to Hoiberg to ask for more play calls and isolations, Butler didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement when asked if he feels he fits into the scheme.
"I think so," he said. "I have to be because he signed here for five years, I signed here for five years. We're going to be here, so I think we have to make it work. We have to make it work within this team. But I know that we will. It's a learning curve for everybody. We'll be all right."
Asked what he'd like to see from Butler offensively, Hoiberg didn't hesitate.
"A big thing is to get out and run," he said. "We talked a lot about that, getting to the corner and spacing the floor, allowing us to have that initial burst. He's so good in attack mode when he can catch on the run."
Butler admitted he has never been a team leader before. There will be growing pains. Hoiberg took the brunt of one.
"I know how passionate Jimmy Butler is," Hoiberg said. "That's what makes him a great player, his passion, his work ethic. I'm not concerned."
Joakim Noah out at least two weeks after MRI on shoulder.
By Vincent Goodwill
It’s not as bad as it could be, but the near future is still a bit uncertain for Joakim Noah, as he’ll be out for the next two weeks with a sprained shoulder after his MRI Tuesday morning.
Noah reached in to defend an Andrea Bargnani shot in the third quarter of Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets and the shoulder “popped out."
“It’s a sprained shoulder. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He’s obviously very sore today. It popped out of joint for a brief second. He’ll be sore and stiff. So it’s rehabbing for a couple weeks then re-evaluating from there.”
Noah seemed to be in good spirits from afar, laughing and joking with teammates at the end of practice. But it’s certainly a blow of considerable proportions, to which Derrick Rose called the specter of losing Noah for a length of time “devastating.”
“It’s always huge when you lose a player like Jo, just the energy he brings,” Rose said after the game. “It’s devastating. Even though people talk about his (lack of) scoring, his presence on the floor means a lot to this team.”
The time frame could be wide-ranging, because the two-week period doesn’t guarantee Noah will be back around that time.
Noah is in the last year of his contract with the Bulls and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He scored a season-high 21 in Saturday night’s loss to the Knicks and is averaging 4.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 22.3 minutes off the bench.
“The initial diagnosis, the shoulder sprain and the initial recovery is two weeks or rehab, then he'll be reevaluated. That's what I've been told,” Hoiberg said. “Maybe two, maybe four. I just don't know yet.”
The Bulls will have to make more modifications to the rotation, even after inserting Nikola Mirotic as a starter in order to clear the deck for Bobby Portis to get some playing time.
Now without a backup center, Mirotic could wind up back on the bench for Tony Snell, who didn’t play at all Monday night.
“Sure, those are the decisions and those are the things we’ll talk about the next few days, and again, we’ll experiment with them some at practice, and then make that determination,” Hoiberg said.
Noah, Rose and Pau Gasol declined to talk to media after Tuesday’s practice, as the storm clouds around the team continue to form.
“He’s an important player, brings a lot of energy to what we do,” said Gasol Monday night. “If he misses games it’ll be harder. When a guy goes down there’s an opportunity for another guy to step up and do what he can to help us win.”
Bulls drop third straight in lethargic loss to hapless Nets. Monday night's game, 12/21/2015).
By Vincent Goodwill
Joakim Noah yelled for Aaron Brooks to locate him wide open off an inbounds pass but all looked to be well once Taj Gibson had an easy floater inside, and an easier tip in.
But both shots went awry as the Brooklyn Nets danced downcourt after the ball bounced out of bounds.
After all the feel-good rhetoric of Monday morning made everyone believe an easy win over the Eastern Conference’s second-worst team was upcoming, the Bulls’ most recent history and bad habits suggested otherwise.
They played with fire at home yet again and got burned, this time a 105-102 loss at the United Center for their third straight loss.
“It’s a bad, bad loss,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said, in the understatement of the night.
Suddenly the four-game winning streak looks worlds away and what’s worse, they could be without Joakim Noah for a considerable amount of time after he hurt his left shoulder reaching in on an Andrea Bargnani shot in the third quarter.
What’s more, the issue isn’t about offense or pace or embracing Hoiberg’s system. The Bulls were bullied on their home floor by a team that didn’t seem intent on winning, but the more the night went on the more confident the woeful Brooklyn Nets became.
“It was defense. We had no togetherness at all,” Hoiberg said. “We had no toughness. When we finally did get some stops they would get the rebound.”
The Nets grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, including nine from Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez. Without Noah on the floor, the Nets feasted on the glass late, even after the Bulls rebounded from an 81-69 deficit midway through the third quarter.
The energy was great when he was on the floor but without him it seemed non-existent, as the Bulls only led one time during the evening, late in the second quarter when they woke up and made a run.
But they went back to the snooze button soon as halftime ended, allowing the Nets to dictate tempo and barely put any pressure on the visitors defensively on the way to giving up more than 100 points for the 11th time, and they’re 1-10 in such matters.
“The biggest thing was we would help and we wouldn’t be there for the next guy,” Hoiberg said. “We were good at that for awhile. We’ll get back to it tomorrow and make improvements. If not it could get ugly, Oklahoma City on Christmas.”
Jimmy Butler scored 24 and Pau Gasol 20, as the former made biting comments following Saturday night’s loss in New York to the Knicks about needing to be coached harder.
“We were missing a lot of parts of the game tonight,” Gasol said. “A sense of urgency. We cruised for most of the game. That’s when we have our back against the wall, we turn it up and try to give ourselves a chance. But sometimes it’s too late.”
Apparently, they’re in need of plenty of things across the board as the energy lacked and they couldn’t put together quality possessions even as the Nets tried to donate them the ballgame.
The Nets grabbed six offensive rebounds in the fourth after shooting 25 percent, making just six field goals, clearly leaving the door open for a comeback. The Bulls only scored four more points in the fourth, with Butler scoring 10.
Derrick Rose scored eight with five assists on just three of 11 shooting, and Taj Gibson scored 10 with nine rebounds and four assists.
The lineup change putting Nikola Mirotic at small forward in place of Tony Snell in order to free up time for rookie Bobby Portis had mixed results as Portis scored 11 with five rebounds while Mirotic again struggled to find a rhythm offensively, unable to hit open shots with the floor spread.
But Mirotic’s struggles only mirror the Bulls’ overall issues at this point, as the team tumbles closer and closer to the .500 mark as we get closer to the new year.
This is a departure from normal procedure as the coach typically talks first.
Butler and Hoiberg met for over an hour Sunday. Both claimed the incident can be a growing experience, though the first step proved faulty as the Bulls fell 105-102 to the woeful Nets.
One thing is certain: Butler isn't backing down from his self-proclaimed leadership role, saying he doesn't regret what he said and that his first foray into such a role has a learning curve.
"People want me to lead, you take my leadership for what it is," Butler said. "Some people may like it, some people don't."
Butler did admit unleashing his frustration in the media probably wasn't the best route. But he doubled down on his stance and said Hoiberg even agreed with some of his sentiments in a team meeting held in lieu of a film session.
"He said that he does have to hold everybody accountable. I have to help him with that," Butler said. "I took the easy way out with my frustration. But I was never calling out my coach. I think he's a hell of a coach. I think he's done great through these 25 games."
Butler said he met individually with players about his comments and that Hoiberg did the majority of the talking in Monday's team meeting.
"I think it will all turn around for the better," Butler said. "(Hoiberg) doesn't have to change as a person. Now that we've addressed it, everybody knows what they have to do. Before it wasn't addressed, everybody was maybe going through the motions.
"I know every play at every position because I study the playbook like that. I watch enough film to know how teams will guard this or that play. So I've got to let them know what they're supposed to be doing."
"I explained my opinion and what I'm going to do to change things here. Everybody accepted what I had to say," Butler said. "Pau, Jo, Derrick, they're telling me I have to lead more."
That's strong stuff for a veteran team that features two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol, an emotional presence in Joakim Noah and a former league MVP in Derrick Rose.
"I don't mind those comments," said Gasol, who did say it should've been kept indoors. "I think those comments are positive. It doesn't raise my eyebrows. I think it's good that certain guys want to take ownership and say, 'Hey, let's go.' But that also comes with responsibility, not just on the floor but off it with everything you do."
Hoiberg said he wasn't hurt by Butler's comments and that he understands frustration because of his days as player and an executive.
"Are there some things I can do better? Sure," Hoiberg said. "Are there some things that all of us can do better? Absolutely. Are there some things I need to demand probably a little bit more? Sure. Look, there are plenty of times in this gym behind closed doors where we have some pretty heated talks. It goes on with every coach. I don't care what their personality or demeanor is. It's part of being in the position that I'm in. It's about accepting that and moving forward.
"I look at this as an opportunity for growth for our team. I think we took a step in the right direction, Jimmy and I meeting for a long time (Sunday) and our team (Monday)."
Hoiberg also said leadership has to extend beyond the coach.
"You can have all the talent you want, but you have to have guys in the locker room who can lead," he said. "Those players are with each other a lot throughout the day. They're together nights on road trips. And they have to be able to talk to each other and sort some things out without the coach. Our guys, I think, are good with that.
"You can't take offense. When Kevin Garnett used to foam at the mouth at me, I knew how to take it because he was a great leader. This team, it's leadership by committee. You have so many older guys, veteran guys who have been around this game a long time. Those guys like each other."
Butler's reluctance to fully embrace Hoiberg's pace-and-space offense is just as big an issue as his comments. After the Tribune reported Butler has gone to Hoiberg to ask for more play calls and isolations, Butler didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement when asked if he feels he fits into the scheme.
"I think so," he said. "I have to be because he signed here for five years, I signed here for five years. We're going to be here, so I think we have to make it work. We have to make it work within this team. But I know that we will. It's a learning curve for everybody. We'll be all right."
Asked what he'd like to see from Butler offensively, Hoiberg didn't hesitate.
"A big thing is to get out and run," he said. "We talked a lot about that, getting to the corner and spacing the floor, allowing us to have that initial burst. He's so good in attack mode when he can catch on the run."
Butler admitted he has never been a team leader before. There will be growing pains. Hoiberg took the brunt of one.
"I know how passionate Jimmy Butler is," Hoiberg said. "That's what makes him a great player, his passion, his work ethic. I'm not concerned."
Joakim Noah out at least two weeks after MRI on shoulder.
By Vincent Goodwill
It’s not as bad as it could be, but the near future is still a bit uncertain for Joakim Noah, as he’ll be out for the next two weeks with a sprained shoulder after his MRI Tuesday morning.
Noah reached in to defend an Andrea Bargnani shot in the third quarter of Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets and the shoulder “popped out."
“It’s a sprained shoulder. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He’s obviously very sore today. It popped out of joint for a brief second. He’ll be sore and stiff. So it’s rehabbing for a couple weeks then re-evaluating from there.”
Noah seemed to be in good spirits from afar, laughing and joking with teammates at the end of practice. But it’s certainly a blow of considerable proportions, to which Derrick Rose called the specter of losing Noah for a length of time “devastating.”
“It’s always huge when you lose a player like Jo, just the energy he brings,” Rose said after the game. “It’s devastating. Even though people talk about his (lack of) scoring, his presence on the floor means a lot to this team.”
The time frame could be wide-ranging, because the two-week period doesn’t guarantee Noah will be back around that time.
Noah is in the last year of his contract with the Bulls and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He scored a season-high 21 in Saturday night’s loss to the Knicks and is averaging 4.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 22.3 minutes off the bench.
“The initial diagnosis, the shoulder sprain and the initial recovery is two weeks or rehab, then he'll be reevaluated. That's what I've been told,” Hoiberg said. “Maybe two, maybe four. I just don't know yet.”
The Bulls will have to make more modifications to the rotation, even after inserting Nikola Mirotic as a starter in order to clear the deck for Bobby Portis to get some playing time.
Now without a backup center, Mirotic could wind up back on the bench for Tony Snell, who didn’t play at all Monday night.
“Sure, those are the decisions and those are the things we’ll talk about the next few days, and again, we’ll experiment with them some at practice, and then make that determination,” Hoiberg said.
Noah, Rose and Pau Gasol declined to talk to media after Tuesday’s practice, as the storm clouds around the team continue to form.
“He’s an important player, brings a lot of energy to what we do,” said Gasol Monday night. “If he misses games it’ll be harder. When a guy goes down there’s an opportunity for another guy to step up and do what he can to help us win.”
Bulls drop third straight in lethargic loss to hapless Nets. Monday night's game, 12/21/2015).
By Vincent Goodwill
Chicago Bulls Joakim Noah (#13) (Photo/Bill Smith/Chicago Bulls)
Joakim Noah yelled for Aaron Brooks to locate him wide open off an inbounds pass but all looked to be well once Taj Gibson had an easy floater inside, and an easier tip in.
But both shots went awry as the Brooklyn Nets danced downcourt after the ball bounced out of bounds.
After all the feel-good rhetoric of Monday morning made everyone believe an easy win over the Eastern Conference’s second-worst team was upcoming, the Bulls’ most recent history and bad habits suggested otherwise.
They played with fire at home yet again and got burned, this time a 105-102 loss at the United Center for their third straight loss.
“It’s a bad, bad loss,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said, in the understatement of the night.
Suddenly the four-game winning streak looks worlds away and what’s worse, they could be without Joakim Noah for a considerable amount of time after he hurt his left shoulder reaching in on an Andrea Bargnani shot in the third quarter.
What’s more, the issue isn’t about offense or pace or embracing Hoiberg’s system. The Bulls were bullied on their home floor by a team that didn’t seem intent on winning, but the more the night went on the more confident the woeful Brooklyn Nets became.
“It was defense. We had no togetherness at all,” Hoiberg said. “We had no toughness. When we finally did get some stops they would get the rebound.”
The Nets grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, including nine from Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez. Without Noah on the floor, the Nets feasted on the glass late, even after the Bulls rebounded from an 81-69 deficit midway through the third quarter.
The energy was great when he was on the floor but without him it seemed non-existent, as the Bulls only led one time during the evening, late in the second quarter when they woke up and made a run.
But they went back to the snooze button soon as halftime ended, allowing the Nets to dictate tempo and barely put any pressure on the visitors defensively on the way to giving up more than 100 points for the 11th time, and they’re 1-10 in such matters.
“The biggest thing was we would help and we wouldn’t be there for the next guy,” Hoiberg said. “We were good at that for awhile. We’ll get back to it tomorrow and make improvements. If not it could get ugly, Oklahoma City on Christmas.”
Jimmy Butler scored 24 and Pau Gasol 20, as the former made biting comments following Saturday night’s loss in New York to the Knicks about needing to be coached harder.
“We were missing a lot of parts of the game tonight,” Gasol said. “A sense of urgency. We cruised for most of the game. That’s when we have our back against the wall, we turn it up and try to give ourselves a chance. But sometimes it’s too late.”
Apparently, they’re in need of plenty of things across the board as the energy lacked and they couldn’t put together quality possessions even as the Nets tried to donate them the ballgame.
The Nets grabbed six offensive rebounds in the fourth after shooting 25 percent, making just six field goals, clearly leaving the door open for a comeback. The Bulls only scored four more points in the fourth, with Butler scoring 10.
Derrick Rose scored eight with five assists on just three of 11 shooting, and Taj Gibson scored 10 with nine rebounds and four assists.
The lineup change putting Nikola Mirotic at small forward in place of Tony Snell in order to free up time for rookie Bobby Portis had mixed results as Portis scored 11 with five rebounds while Mirotic again struggled to find a rhythm offensively, unable to hit open shots with the floor spread.
But Mirotic’s struggles only mirror the Bulls’ overall issues at this point, as the team tumbles closer and closer to the .500 mark as we get closer to the new year.
Can Jason Heyward handle the pressure of largest contract in Cubs history?
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
There's no question Jason Heyward makes the Cubs a better team.
But is he worth $184 million?
It's a question plenty of people will try to answer throughout the length of Heyward's eight-year, $184 million deal - the largest contract in Cubs history.
There's plenty of pressure for Heyward to "live up" to that megadeal, but he's not focusing on the dollars and cents.
"Every time money comes up, I feel like the media talks about it way more than I'm thinking about it," Heyward said at his introductory press conference in Chicago last week. "I'm just happy to have the opportunity to play this game for at least eight more years, hopefully more than that.
"That's the most important thing for me. There's the business side that as players, we don't like at times. But that's also the side that rewards you for staying healthy and being a good person in the clubhouse and bringing things to the game on a daily basis.
"You just want to be appreciated for that at the end of the day. ... For me, nothing's going to change."
The Cubs haven't yet cashed in on the ridiculous sum of money coming from all the new TV deals around Major League Baseball, but it was clear this was a move Theo Epstein's front office wanted to make, regardless of the contract.
The Cubs know all about what Heyward can do after seeing him up close and personal on a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in both the regular season and postseason in 2015.
"Every game after we played the Cardinals," Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said, "I'd go down to talk to [Cubs manager Joe Maddon] and he was always just buzzing about Jason after the game and how much he impacted the game.
"Every time you looked at something on the field, Jason was a part of it. That's the kind of player we want."
Epstein also spoke highly of how the 26-year-old fits in so well with a young Cubs core that is expected to mature and grow together.
The Cubs believe he personifies their brand of baseball and even though Heyward is getting paid like a middle-of-the order hitter, in reality, he doesn't have to become anything more than what he already is as a player.
Heyward may never develop 30-homer power or drive in 100 runs or become the most feared bat on the North Side of Chicago. But he does just about everything on the diamond really well and takes particular pride in his work in the outfield.
"On defense, I can affect the game every pitch," he said. "But on offense, I only get one at-bat or the at-bat comes around only so many times a game. On defense, there's 27 outs you need to make in nine innings to win a ballgame and I'm not asleep for any of those.
"I try and do what I can to help my team, whether it's cutting a ball off, throwing somebody out, making a nice diving play. You can score 10 runs, but if you can't stop somebody from scoring 11, you're not going to win."
Heyward is a natural right fielder - probably the best defensive right fielder in the game right now - but he's all for moving to center field for 2016, allowing the Cubs to keep the bats of Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler in the lineup at the corner outfield spots.
Heyward said his final contract would not just be about money and he proved it when he left offers of at least $200 million on the table to sign with the Cubs for less overall money.
But part of the reason why Heyward chose the Cubs as a destination was not just because of the young core, but the opportunity to do something historic, the chance to go down forever in baseball lore.
Whoever is on the Cubs team that finally ends the championship drought will never be forgotten and that kind of glory is enticing for any competitive person.
However, being a Cub also comes with a different kind of pressure - that of curses and Billy Goats and black cats and Steve Bartmans.
Heyward knows that history, but he doesn't seem to care, immediately brushing off the "curse" talk when a Chicago reporter asked him about it following the opening press conference.
"I'm going to blame you for keeping that going," Heyward said to the reporter before moving on to discuss how he believes this is a franchise that can now move past all the talk of curses. "You see changes in the culture here.
"You see them getting younger. You see them spending a lot of time and detail in the young players coming up as well as the players that you bring in via free agency. Taking those strides, I feel like, go a long way.
"That's how you change a culture within a team. You see the Dodgers, Royals, Giants do it. ... I feel like Theo and Jed and the Ricketts family have done an outstanding job of being hungry in the sense of they want to take those strides to go win.
"They're not just talking about it; they're doing it."
Cardinals move on from Lackey, Heyward by signing pitcher Mike Leake.
By Tony Andracki
But is he worth $184 million?
It's a question plenty of people will try to answer throughout the length of Heyward's eight-year, $184 million deal - the largest contract in Cubs history.
There's plenty of pressure for Heyward to "live up" to that megadeal, but he's not focusing on the dollars and cents.
"Every time money comes up, I feel like the media talks about it way more than I'm thinking about it," Heyward said at his introductory press conference in Chicago last week. "I'm just happy to have the opportunity to play this game for at least eight more years, hopefully more than that.
"That's the most important thing for me. There's the business side that as players, we don't like at times. But that's also the side that rewards you for staying healthy and being a good person in the clubhouse and bringing things to the game on a daily basis.
"You just want to be appreciated for that at the end of the day. ... For me, nothing's going to change."
The Cubs haven't yet cashed in on the ridiculous sum of money coming from all the new TV deals around Major League Baseball, but it was clear this was a move Theo Epstein's front office wanted to make, regardless of the contract.
The Cubs know all about what Heyward can do after seeing him up close and personal on a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in both the regular season and postseason in 2015.
"Every game after we played the Cardinals," Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said, "I'd go down to talk to [Cubs manager Joe Maddon] and he was always just buzzing about Jason after the game and how much he impacted the game.
"Every time you looked at something on the field, Jason was a part of it. That's the kind of player we want."
Epstein also spoke highly of how the 26-year-old fits in so well with a young Cubs core that is expected to mature and grow together.
The Cubs believe he personifies their brand of baseball and even though Heyward is getting paid like a middle-of-the order hitter, in reality, he doesn't have to become anything more than what he already is as a player.
Heyward may never develop 30-homer power or drive in 100 runs or become the most feared bat on the North Side of Chicago. But he does just about everything on the diamond really well and takes particular pride in his work in the outfield.
"On defense, I can affect the game every pitch," he said. "But on offense, I only get one at-bat or the at-bat comes around only so many times a game. On defense, there's 27 outs you need to make in nine innings to win a ballgame and I'm not asleep for any of those.
"I try and do what I can to help my team, whether it's cutting a ball off, throwing somebody out, making a nice diving play. You can score 10 runs, but if you can't stop somebody from scoring 11, you're not going to win."
Heyward is a natural right fielder - probably the best defensive right fielder in the game right now - but he's all for moving to center field for 2016, allowing the Cubs to keep the bats of Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler in the lineup at the corner outfield spots.
Heyward said his final contract would not just be about money and he proved it when he left offers of at least $200 million on the table to sign with the Cubs for less overall money.
But part of the reason why Heyward chose the Cubs as a destination was not just because of the young core, but the opportunity to do something historic, the chance to go down forever in baseball lore.
Whoever is on the Cubs team that finally ends the championship drought will never be forgotten and that kind of glory is enticing for any competitive person.
However, being a Cub also comes with a different kind of pressure - that of curses and Billy Goats and black cats and Steve Bartmans.
Heyward knows that history, but he doesn't seem to care, immediately brushing off the "curse" talk when a Chicago reporter asked him about it following the opening press conference.
"I'm going to blame you for keeping that going," Heyward said to the reporter before moving on to discuss how he believes this is a franchise that can now move past all the talk of curses. "You see changes in the culture here.
"You see them getting younger. You see them spending a lot of time and detail in the young players coming up as well as the players that you bring in via free agency. Taking those strides, I feel like, go a long way.
"That's how you change a culture within a team. You see the Dodgers, Royals, Giants do it. ... I feel like Theo and Jed and the Ricketts family have done an outstanding job of being hungry in the sense of they want to take those strides to go win.
"They're not just talking about it; they're doing it."
Cardinals move on from Lackey, Heyward by signing pitcher Mike Leake.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs not only bolstered areas of need on their own team by signing John Lackey and Jason Heyward this winter, but it was a combo punch in that it also took the best starting pitcher and position player away from the rival St. Louis Cardinals.
The offseason hasn't gone the way the Cardinals would have liked, but they're now moving forward by signing starting pitcher Mike Leake to a reported five-year, $80 million deal that could be worth up to $94 million with a mutual option.
That's an average of $16 million a year for a pitcher with a 3.88 ERA and 1.271 WHIP over his career, further illustrating the price of pitching nowadays.
Leake, 28, is a solid pitcher, having made at least 30 starts in four straight seasons and posting a 36-30 record and 3.59 ERA over the last three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. And the Cardinals have a knack for getting the most out of pitchers.
The Cardinals also needed help in their rotation with Lackey gone, Lance Lynn slated to miss the 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and veteran Adam Wainwright returning from an Achilles injury.
Wainwright pitched out of the bullpen toward the end of the 2015 season, but should be ready to resume his role atop the Cardinals rotation at the start of 2016. Beyond him, manager Mike Matheny can slot in Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia, with Leake filling out the rotation.
Young left-handers Tyler Lyons and Marco Gonzales provide rotation depth for the Cardinals.
Leake has had success against the Cubs in his career, going 9-2 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.135 WHIP in 19 starts.
White Sox hope to improve upon AL-worst home run total.
The offseason hasn't gone the way the Cardinals would have liked, but they're now moving forward by signing starting pitcher Mike Leake to a reported five-year, $80 million deal that could be worth up to $94 million with a mutual option.
That's an average of $16 million a year for a pitcher with a 3.88 ERA and 1.271 WHIP over his career, further illustrating the price of pitching nowadays.
Leake, 28, is a solid pitcher, having made at least 30 starts in four straight seasons and posting a 36-30 record and 3.59 ERA over the last three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. And the Cardinals have a knack for getting the most out of pitchers.
The Cardinals also needed help in their rotation with Lackey gone, Lance Lynn slated to miss the 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and veteran Adam Wainwright returning from an Achilles injury.
Wainwright pitched out of the bullpen toward the end of the 2015 season, but should be ready to resume his role atop the Cardinals rotation at the start of 2016. Beyond him, manager Mike Matheny can slot in Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia, with Leake filling out the rotation.
Young left-handers Tyler Lyons and Marco Gonzales provide rotation depth for the Cardinals.
Leake has had success against the Cubs in his career, going 9-2 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.135 WHIP in 19 starts.
White Sox hope to improve upon AL-worst home run total.
By Dan Hayes
The White Sox are on a quest for power this offseason after their offense finished last in the American League in runs, home runs and slugging percentage in 2015.
Not counting the strike-shortened 1994 campaign, last season’s 136 round-trippers represented the fewest by a White Sox offense in a full season since 1992, when they hit 110. Over the past 20 seasons, the White Sox have averaged 192.4 home runs per season.
While general manager Rick Hahn wants to improve upon an offense that averaged 3.89 runs a game in any way possible, it’s clear that power has been a priority with the additions of Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie. The White Sox could be in the market for even more as recent reports have suggested they have shown interest in high-profile outfielders Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes.
“Honestly, it’s about getting better any way we can, whether it’s scoring more runs or preventing the other club from scoring as many as they have,” Hahn said. “We’re not going to close off any avenue from a run-scoring standpoint, whether it’s power, on-base capabilities or speed or from a defense, pitching or run-prevention standpoint. In the end, we have to outscore the other club, and there’s multiple ways to do that. We’re going to continue to look at ways to address that.”
Frazier and Lawrie should present immediate help.
Frazier, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds last week in a three-team deal, hit 35 homers last season and has 64 over the past two campaigns. Last season, White Sox third basemen belted 16 homers en route to a .612 OPS, the worst production from the hot corner of any team in baseball.
The two-time All-Star, who turns 30 this season, is projected to hit 25 homers with a .767 OPS for the White Sox next season, according to fangraphs.com.
At second base, Lawrie is projected by fangraphs.com to hit 15 homers with a .716 OPS for the White Sox in 2016.
The White Sox are hopeful a change of scenery for Lawrie (who hit 16 homers in 2015) means those projections are low. But even if they’re correct, it would be a vast improvement as White Sox second baseman hit five homers and had a .564 OPS that ranked 30th among 30 teams last season.
While catchers Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro might not match the 18 home runs hit by Geovany Soto and Tyler Flowers in 2015, the White Sox expect contributions in the form of a higher on-base percentage by the new duo and tougher plate appearances.
The club is also hopeful Adam LaRoche can return to form after he finished with a disappointing 12 homers and a .634 OPS in 2015. LaRoche averaged 26.3 homers in the previous three seasons and has reached 20 on 10 occasions. They’d also like for Avisail Garcia to tap into the pull power that Paul Konerko once predicted could result in 40-home run seasons. Garcia hit 13 homers last season and his .108 isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average) ranked 115th among 141 qualified batters in the majors last season.
Of course, the addition of either Cespedes or Upton would provide a major upgrade.
Hahn never gets into specifics, and with the payroll already in the neighborhood of $114.5 million, a major signing would come as a surprise. But Hahn didn’t rule anything out when he last spoke Wednesday.
“We shall see,” Hahn said. “We’re going to continue to be aggressive on numerous fronts and certainly continue to talk to various free agents as well as other clubs about trades, and we’ll have to see how the coming weeks unfold.”
Manager Robin Ventura wouldn’t mind another big bat in the lineup.
Currently, the 2016 White Sox lineup features a combination of Jose Abreu and Frazier in the middle backed by Garcia and LaRoche. But the lineup would become much more of a threat with the addition of Upton — who has averaged 23.5 homers with a .354 on-base percentage since 2008 — or Cespedes, who has averaged 26.5 homers with a .319 on-base percentage in four seasons.
“I don’t think you ever not want another power bat in your lineup,” Ventura said Thursday. “Right now you’re dealing with what you have and, you know, again, we knew we had some spots in there in the last couple years that might not have power or certain things. Now you’re trading that off and bringing in Frazier. That different bat, that different element having that guy go out — a true all-around player — that becomes a different thing. But you dare say no to more power or better players, adding a quality player.”
Not counting the strike-shortened 1994 campaign, last season’s 136 round-trippers represented the fewest by a White Sox offense in a full season since 1992, when they hit 110. Over the past 20 seasons, the White Sox have averaged 192.4 home runs per season.
While general manager Rick Hahn wants to improve upon an offense that averaged 3.89 runs a game in any way possible, it’s clear that power has been a priority with the additions of Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie. The White Sox could be in the market for even more as recent reports have suggested they have shown interest in high-profile outfielders Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes.
“Honestly, it’s about getting better any way we can, whether it’s scoring more runs or preventing the other club from scoring as many as they have,” Hahn said. “We’re not going to close off any avenue from a run-scoring standpoint, whether it’s power, on-base capabilities or speed or from a defense, pitching or run-prevention standpoint. In the end, we have to outscore the other club, and there’s multiple ways to do that. We’re going to continue to look at ways to address that.”
Frazier and Lawrie should present immediate help.
Frazier, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds last week in a three-team deal, hit 35 homers last season and has 64 over the past two campaigns. Last season, White Sox third basemen belted 16 homers en route to a .612 OPS, the worst production from the hot corner of any team in baseball.
The two-time All-Star, who turns 30 this season, is projected to hit 25 homers with a .767 OPS for the White Sox next season, according to fangraphs.com.
At second base, Lawrie is projected by fangraphs.com to hit 15 homers with a .716 OPS for the White Sox in 2016.
The White Sox are hopeful a change of scenery for Lawrie (who hit 16 homers in 2015) means those projections are low. But even if they’re correct, it would be a vast improvement as White Sox second baseman hit five homers and had a .564 OPS that ranked 30th among 30 teams last season.
While catchers Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro might not match the 18 home runs hit by Geovany Soto and Tyler Flowers in 2015, the White Sox expect contributions in the form of a higher on-base percentage by the new duo and tougher plate appearances.
The club is also hopeful Adam LaRoche can return to form after he finished with a disappointing 12 homers and a .634 OPS in 2015. LaRoche averaged 26.3 homers in the previous three seasons and has reached 20 on 10 occasions. They’d also like for Avisail Garcia to tap into the pull power that Paul Konerko once predicted could result in 40-home run seasons. Garcia hit 13 homers last season and his .108 isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average) ranked 115th among 141 qualified batters in the majors last season.
Of course, the addition of either Cespedes or Upton would provide a major upgrade.
Hahn never gets into specifics, and with the payroll already in the neighborhood of $114.5 million, a major signing would come as a surprise. But Hahn didn’t rule anything out when he last spoke Wednesday.
“We shall see,” Hahn said. “We’re going to continue to be aggressive on numerous fronts and certainly continue to talk to various free agents as well as other clubs about trades, and we’ll have to see how the coming weeks unfold.”
Manager Robin Ventura wouldn’t mind another big bat in the lineup.
Currently, the 2016 White Sox lineup features a combination of Jose Abreu and Frazier in the middle backed by Garcia and LaRoche. But the lineup would become much more of a threat with the addition of Upton — who has averaged 23.5 homers with a .354 on-base percentage since 2008 — or Cespedes, who has averaged 26.5 homers with a .319 on-base percentage in four seasons.
“I don’t think you ever not want another power bat in your lineup,” Ventura said Thursday. “Right now you’re dealing with what you have and, you know, again, we knew we had some spots in there in the last couple years that might not have power or certain things. Now you’re trading that off and bringing in Frazier. That different bat, that different element having that guy go out — a true all-around player — that becomes a different thing. But you dare say no to more power or better players, adding a quality player.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Masters field at 89 going into next year.
By Doug Ferguson
Lee Westwood did his part in Thailand. The math took care of the rest, and he's going to the Masters.
Westwood, who tied for second two weeks ago in the Thailand Golf Championship, will move up one spot to No. 50 next week in the final world ranking of the year, assuring him a place in the field at Augusta National in April.
Westwood is No. 51 this week, but with gradual reductions in points, he will go back to no. 50 in the last ranking of 2015. Chris Kirk, who will fall to No. 51, already is in the Masters from winning Colonial.
Among the 12 criteria for pros to qualify, Augusta National takes the top 50 in the world at the end of the year, and again one week before the Masters.
The addition of 15 players from the top 50 brings the number of active players to 89 going into the new year. The Masters has the smallest field of the four majors and prefers it to be under 100. It has not exceeded 100 players since 1966.
A year ago, 90 players had qualified at the end of the year.
Still to be determined before April is if the field will include four-time champion Tiger Woods, who has not played since Aug. 23 and has gone through two procedures in the same spot in his back since then. Woods said earlier this month he can only walk and has received no indication when the nerve damage will heal.
A year ago, 90 players had qualified at the end of the year.
Still to be determined before April is if the field will include four-time champion Tiger Woods, who has not played since Aug. 23 and has gone through two procedures in the same spot in his back since then. Woods said earlier this month he can only walk and has received no indication when the nerve damage will heal.
The only way for players to qualify for the Masters is to win a PGA Tour event (except for the Puerto Rico Open). There are 13 chances, starting with Hyundai Tournament of Championship in Kapalua. Five players in the winners-only field are not in Augusta National because they won before last year's Masters or won opposite-field events, which do not count toward an invitation - James Hahn, Padraig Harrington, Alex Cejka, Matt Every and J.J. Henry.
Of the 15 who qualified through the top 50, Sergio Garcia and Billy Horschel were the only ones to play a full PGA Tour schedule last year.
Australian Open winner Matt Jones (No. 54) and Ryan Palmer (No. 58) will end the year outside the top 50. Palmer, who father died in a traffic accident in West Texas in August, was No. 40 when he played his final event in Las Vegas in October.
Among those who will be playing the Masters for the first time are Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger and Emiliano Grillo from the high school class of 2011, along with HSBC Champions winner Russell Knox and Kevin Kisner, who had four runner-up finishes before winning the RSM Classic at Sea Island in final PGA Tour event of the year.
Tiger Woods looking forward to 'pain-free' 2016, more major titles.
Omnisport
Turning 40 can make anyone sit back and reflect, and Tiger Woods has ample reason to reassess as his milestone birthday looms next week.
Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have all done it, now Jordan Spieth is desperate to retain The Masters. (Photo/Omnisport)
After a 2015 to remember for Jordan Spieth, the world number one is already setting targets for 2016 including joining three of the golf's luminaries in defending The Masters.
Spieth won two majors, the Tour Championship, amassed the most money ever made in a single season and climbed to the top of the world rankings in a stunning 2015.
The amiable American has no intention of resting on his laurels, though, and is targeting winning a second green jacket having won the first major of his career at Augusta last April.
Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have achieved such a feat, and Spieth says joining such esteemed company is what motivates him to chase history.
"That's [adding to the list of players to defend the Masters] is certainly something that motivates me," Spieth told the official Augusta website.
"When asked, I was pretty constant in my response to that throughout the year and at the Open Championship and the PGA. When you have a chance to chase history, that's what we're doing it for.
"It's rare to get a chance to chase history at anything you can do. But when you get a chance to do it you may as well work as hard as you can for it. That's how your legacy is left.
"When I come back to my favorite tournament as a defending champion, sure there's a lot that goes with that but I certainly hope I'm healthy and coming in as confident as I was this past year and that will be on my mind to try and be that next history maker."
Last week, Spieth returned to Augusta for the first time since his victory and found out that his locker in the Champions Locker room is shared by the legendary Arnold Palmer, a four-time Masters champion.
"To share a locker with Mr. Palmer, that's historic and something I'll be able to tell my kids of kids of kids passed down," Spieth added.
"I knew I'd be with somebody. It doesn't matter who you’re with in there, it's special. It just seems to be with 'The King', a pretty special moment."
NASCAR: By the numbers: 2015 NASCAR season.
Staff Report, NASCAR.com
By Dustin Long
(Photo/Getty Images)
Don’t be surprised if NASCAR announces in January that the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series champions will be determined by a Chase format similar to what is used in the Sprint Cup Series.
It’s about time.
Both the Xfinity and Trucks have determined their champions by season-long points standings. There have been some close points races in that format but not every year as a Chase format would provide.
It makes no sense for NASCAR to have its Sprint Cup champion determined one way and its champions in its next two highest-profile series another way.
Frankly, a Chase for the Xfinity and Truck series would create the drama NASCAR Chairman Brian France seeks.
Gimmicky? Absolutely, but so are all forms of playoffs, so don’t give me that argument.
And don’t tell me that because NASCAR isn’t like other sports it should have its own way of determining a champion. NASCAR competes against other sports – NFL, college football, college basketball, NBA, NHL, etc. – and other forms of entertainment for attention. If there is less drama, there’s less chance casual fans will pay attention.
Should the sport be made for the casual fan? No way, but the sport also shouldn’t be made just for the longtime fan. Any sport that caters solely to its longtime fans will die when it does so.
SOCCER: Fire to open 2016 season at home against NYCFC on March 6.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Mark your calendars, Fire fans. For the first time since 2007, the Chicago Fire will open the season at home.
Major League Soccer announced the home openers for all 20 clubs on Tuesday, and the Fire will be kicking off the 2016 season against New York City FC on Sunday, March 6. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet at 1 p.m.
The last time the Fire hosted a season opener came against the New England Revolution in 2007, and the Men in Red came away with a 1-0 victory. Since that year, the Fire have been on the road for season openers with a record of 1-4-3 in those matches. The last three years the Fire have started at StubHub Center, formerly known as the Home Depot Center when the Fire played there in 2013, with two shutout losses to the Los Angeles Galaxy and a 3-2 loss to Chivas USA in 2014.
Premier League Playback: Guardiola to Chelsea, Mourinho to United?
By Joe Prince-Wright
MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND
With Jose Mourinho out at Chelsea, he seems to be the first domino in the pack to fall.
Manchester United’s Louis Van Gaal is looking over his shoulder nervously with the Red Devils now winless in six, while Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini will also be nervous as his team is six points off the top spot on Christmas Day.
With several perennial Premier League giants struggling, the buck has to stop with the managers. Even more concerning for those in the hot seats is that Pep Guardiola, and now Mourinho, are lurking with intent in the background.
Reports suggest Guardiola could be lined up by Chelsea — Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail reports the Blues are willing to grab the outgoing Bayern Munich coach at any cost — and his wife favors living in London to Manchester but City remain the favorites to secure his signature. Bayern’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated that he believes Guardiola’s mind is already made up as to his next destination, as it seems like an all-out battle between City and Chelsea will take place.
As for Mourinho coming in at United, the Portuguese coach is looking to rebound quick and despite being fired by Chelsea following a dismal start to this season — nine defeats in their opening 16 games for the reigning champs — and reports of a player revolt, he is still the most successful coach in Premier League history in terms of his points per game ratio.
It was said that Sir Alex Ferguson favored Mourinho to replace him at Old Trafford when he retired in 2013 but the directors at United didn’t want to deal with Mourinho’s antics and instead plumped for David Moyes.
With performances dipping under van Gaal and the Dutchman spending over $400 million on new players in his opening 18 months in charge, the pressure is on. Despite finishing fourth last season United are out of the top four as things stand and crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stage.
Mourinho would, as he always has done, bring short-term success and right now that’s exactly what United need.
With some of the greatest managers of this generation now available on the open market, expect to hear plenty more managerial chatter between now and the summer as the incredible merry-go-round among the top clubs in the PL and Europe keeps turning.
WATFORD FOUR-MIDABLE
In Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney that have a destructive partnership who will cause any defense in the Premier League problems. Ighalo, 26, has scored 28 goals in 2015 and 32 league goals in 52 league outings for the Hertfordshire club.
Major League Soccer announced the home openers for all 20 clubs on Tuesday, and the Fire will be kicking off the 2016 season against New York City FC on Sunday, March 6. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet at 1 p.m.
The last time the Fire hosted a season opener came against the New England Revolution in 2007, and the Men in Red came away with a 1-0 victory. Since that year, the Fire have been on the road for season openers with a record of 1-4-3 in those matches. The last three years the Fire have started at StubHub Center, formerly known as the Home Depot Center when the Fire played there in 2013, with two shutout losses to the Los Angeles Galaxy and a 3-2 loss to Chivas USA in 2014.
Premier League Playback: Guardiola to Chelsea, Mourinho to United?
By Joe Prince-Wright
MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND
With Jose Mourinho out at Chelsea, he seems to be the first domino in the pack to fall.
Manchester United’s Louis Van Gaal is looking over his shoulder nervously with the Red Devils now winless in six, while Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini will also be nervous as his team is six points off the top spot on Christmas Day.
With several perennial Premier League giants struggling, the buck has to stop with the managers. Even more concerning for those in the hot seats is that Pep Guardiola, and now Mourinho, are lurking with intent in the background.
Reports suggest Guardiola could be lined up by Chelsea — Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail reports the Blues are willing to grab the outgoing Bayern Munich coach at any cost — and his wife favors living in London to Manchester but City remain the favorites to secure his signature. Bayern’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated that he believes Guardiola’s mind is already made up as to his next destination, as it seems like an all-out battle between City and Chelsea will take place.
As for Mourinho coming in at United, the Portuguese coach is looking to rebound quick and despite being fired by Chelsea following a dismal start to this season — nine defeats in their opening 16 games for the reigning champs — and reports of a player revolt, he is still the most successful coach in Premier League history in terms of his points per game ratio.
It was said that Sir Alex Ferguson favored Mourinho to replace him at Old Trafford when he retired in 2013 but the directors at United didn’t want to deal with Mourinho’s antics and instead plumped for David Moyes.
With performances dipping under van Gaal and the Dutchman spending over $400 million on new players in his opening 18 months in charge, the pressure is on. Despite finishing fourth last season United are out of the top four as things stand and crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stage.
Mourinho would, as he always has done, bring short-term success and right now that’s exactly what United need.
With some of the greatest managers of this generation now available on the open market, expect to hear plenty more managerial chatter between now and the summer as the incredible merry-go-round among the top clubs in the PL and Europe keeps turning.
WATFORD FOUR-MIDABLE
Premier League Schedule – Week 17
Watford beat Liverpool 3-0 on Sunday to secure their fourth-straight Premier League win. The Hornets could have won by more.| Result | Recap & Highlights |
|---|---|
| Arsenal 2-1 Man City | Recap, watch here |
| Chelsea 3-1 S’land | Recap, watch here |
| Everton 2-3 Leicester | Recap, watch here |
| Man Utd 1-2 Norwich | Recap, watch here |
| N’castle 1-1 A. Villa | Recap, watch here |
| Saints 0-2 Tottenham | Recap, watch here |
| Stoke 1-2 C. Palace | Recap, watch here |
| Swansea 0-0 W. Ham | Recap, watch here |
| Watford 3-0 L’pool | Recap, watch here |
| WBA 1-2 B’mouth | Recap, watch here |
In Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney that have a destructive partnership who will cause any defense in the Premier League problems. Ighalo, 26, has scored 28 goals in 2015 and 32 league goals in 52 league outings for the Hertfordshire club.
The powerful Nigerian striker has 12 goals in his debut PL season — five in his last four games — and the way he bullied Liverpool’s backline on Sunday on his way to two of Watford’s three goals typified his importance to the Hornets.
Ighalo is adored by Watford’s fans but the fact of the matter is, if he keeps scoring at this rate then a bigger PL team could come in for him in January or the summer.
Both he and Deeney are spoken to regularly by manager Quique Sanchez Flores — who, by the way, in his first season coaching in England has built a very impressive squad more than capable of holding its own in the PL — and he has already expressed his wishes for both to remain past this season.
Watford’s only two previous forays into the PL have both ended in immediate relegation but after making one of the best starts by a newly-promoted team in Premier League history (see below) they find themselves one point off the top four heading into Christmas Day.
Ighalo is adored by Watford’s fans but the fact of the matter is, if he keeps scoring at this rate then a bigger PL team could come in for him in January or the summer.
Both he and Deeney are spoken to regularly by manager Quique Sanchez Flores — who, by the way, in his first season coaching in England has built a very impressive squad more than capable of holding its own in the PL — and he has already expressed his wishes for both to remain past this season.
Watford’s only two previous forays into the PL have both ended in immediate relegation but after making one of the best starts by a newly-promoted team in Premier League history (see below) they find themselves one point off the top four heading into Christmas Day.
There are Hornets fans dreaming. Most of the dreamers are middle-aged and will remember the days of John Barnes and Luther Blissett in the early 1980’s when they finished second in the top-flight and FA Cup runners up, plus played in Europe.
Those heady days aren’t too far away from returning to Vicarage Road and if the Pozzo family — who own both Udinese in Serie A and Granada in Spain — are serious about turning the Hornets into the jewel in their crown then spending big in January is key. Barring a monumental collapse in the second half of the season, Watford won’t be relegated this season and for the first time in the PL era they’ll be sticking around for at least back-to-back seasons.
I’m fine with that, and if Ighalo stays, because it means their incredible ode to Ighalo — inspired by 80s band Spandau Ballet and their hit tune “Gold” — will be sung loud and proud many more times. Check out the video below from the Rookery Stand for a taster.
With Watford and plenty of other PL minnows unexpectedly excelling this season, the stench of nostalgia is strong in the air as we head into the holiday season.
LEICESTER LEAD UNDERDOG’S FEEL-GOOD FACTOR
Leicester City are leading the charge of the Premier League underdogs as Claudio Ranieri‘s side continue to defy belief and sit on top of the Premier League table at Christmas.
Dazzling like a star on top of the tree, Leicester’s duo of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez led them to a 3-2 win at Everton this time out — Mahrez scored two PKs, with Vardy having a hand in winning both and also setting up Shinji Okazaki‘s clincher — as suddenly the Foxes have won three on the spin and eight of their last 10 to rack up 38 points and lead second-place Arsenal by two points. That horrendous six-game run they had coming up that everyone was talking about… yeah, they’ve won the opening three of those.
Danny Drinkwater (who has one of the best names in soccer) has been an unsung hero of their success but on Saturday the midfielder was out injured for the win at Everton. However, he perhaps typified one of the main reasons why teams like Leicester, Bournemouth, Watford and even Norwich are being lauded.
The down-to-earth midfielder sat in the sway end with Leicester’s fans to watch the game and celebrated as his teammates secured the win. Take a look at the photo below. Brilliant. Also, Leicester’s Thai owners have announced they will be supplying a bottle of beer to every Foxes’ fans during their final game of 2015 against Manchester City at the King Power as they want to celebrate a stunning year with the fans.
The rise of the underdogs is the overriding theme of the PL so far this season as injury-hit Bournemouth followed up wins against Chelsea and Manchester United by beating West Brom away to rise to 14th, while Norwich beat Man United at Old Trafford for the first time since 1989 and even Crystal Palace made it three wins from the last four to rise to sixth and are only out of the top four on goal difference.
This season is unlike any other. Now, can the underdogs threaten the household names in the second half of the season?
GET READY FOR BOXING DAY
The Boxing Day extravaganza is almost here folks. That’s right, an entire day of Premier League game with all 20 teams in action.
The first game, Stoke City vs. Manchester United, starts at 7:45 a.m. ET and the final game kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET, with Southampton hosting Arsenal. You can find all of the details here as, like always, every single game is available online or via your TVs.
Below is the full schedule for all 10 games on Boxing Day, with a Premier League doubleheader coming to the main NBC channel for the first-time ever.
7:45 a.m. ET: Stoke City vs. Manchester United – NBCSN [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Chelsea vs. Watford – USA [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Liverpool vs. Leicester City – NBCSN [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Manchester City vs. Sunderland – Premier League Extratime [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Aston Villa vs. West Ham United – Premier League Extratime [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace – Premier League Extratime [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Swansea City vs. West Brom – Premier League Extratime [STREAM]
10 a.m. ET: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Norwich – Premier League Extratime [STREAM]
12:30 p.m. ET: Newcastle United vs. Everton – NBC [STREAM]
2:45 p.m. ET: Southampton vs. Arsenal – NBC [STREAM]
World Cup votes sparked probes which downed Blatter, Platini.
Associated Press
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
After five years of tumult, the far-reaching fallout from FIFA’s decision to send the World Cup to Russia and Qatar has brought down another two voters – Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini – but not the hosts themselves.
No FIFA executive has been directly punished over how and why they voted in December 2010. And investigators have failed to unearth anything that warrants stripping Russia and Qatar of soccer’s showpiece tournaments in 2018 and 2022 respectively.
But the vote had a big part to play in the eight-year bans handed out Monday to FIFA president Blatter and Platini, a FIFA vice president and head of European soccer’s ruling body, UEFA.
The punishments given by FIFA’s ethics committee stemmed from financial inquiries that were sparked by suspicions about the 2010 vote, when two host countries were selected concurrently for the first time.
For Blatter, Monday’s verdicts also contained a bitter irony.
Blatter himself had initiated the phase in the investigation that ultimately led to him being exiled by FIFA’s ethics judge from the organization he had run for 17 years.
Facing a fresh wave of pressure and suspicion around FIFA in November 2014, Blatter lodged a criminal complaint with Swiss authorities, authorizing them to receive the full secret World Cup bidding investigation he claims to have never seen.
“If we had anything to hide, we would hardly be taking this matter to the Office of the Attorney General … (it) shows that FIFA is not opposed to transparency,” Blatter said at the time with typical bravado.
It’s a decision Blatter will be regretting, even if he had little control over a move requested by FIFA judge Hans-Joachim Eckert.
As federal prosecutors started to trawl through some 900 pages of FIFA evidence amassed by American attorney Michael Garcia they switched their focus to bank accounts linked to the 2010 voters.
In May, on the day Zurich police arrested FIFA officials on behalf of their American counterparts investigating soccer corruption, Swiss authorities also seized data from the governing body’s headquarters across town. By that point, Swiss financial institutions had already handed over bank documents to the attorney general, who was building a case against FIFA officials.
As bank accounts were frozen, forensic software flagged up as suspicious a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2 million) Platini received from Blatter in early 2011.
“How they found out? This is not a secret because Swiss banks are obliged to notify the Swiss authorities for six years now since all these financial controls through a Swiss organization called FINMA,” was Blatter’s assessment on Monday about the discovery of the payment that remained a public secret until recently.
“They are obliged if they feel a payment is something high in a personal account they have to (inform). So in 2011, Michel Platini received in his personal account by FIFA this 2 million Swiss francs and then they have given this information to the Swiss authorities.”
As an executive committee was concluding in September, prosecutors pounced on FIFA HQ and immediately questioned Blatter and Platini about the payment. Blatter was declared a suspect while Platini was considered “between a witness and an accused person.”
The seriousness of the allegations meant FIFA had to suspend two of its most powerful officials – Platini serves as a vice president, alongside his UEFA presidency – as a full ethics investigation was conducted in parallel to the criminal case.
FIFA’s ethics process concluded on Monday when Blatter and Platini received eight-year soccer bans for the payment. The judge described as “not convincing” their claim that the transaction was settling salary owed to the former France captain for work carried out as Blatter’s adviser up to 2002.
As Blatter stepped up his fight against his humiliating removal from FIFA, the 79-year-old Swiss was left to rue how differently the last five years would have unfolded had the World Cup vote go his way.
According to Blatter: No Qatar; no investigations delving into FIFA.
Blatter’s vision of delivering the 2018 World Cup to Russia for the first time was accepted by the now-tainted executive committee, but then – rather than going to a more familiar powerhouse in the United States as he wanted – the 2022 vote was astonishingly won by Qatar. Platini was among those who voted for the tiny desert nation.
“Can you imagine if this (Russia-U.S.) had worked out? We wouldn’t be here today,” Blatter said Monday as he digested being banned by the institution he helped to grow into a commercial giant. “But it didn’t work for different reasons.”
And the domino effect is not over. Being banished from soccer is the immediate humiliation, but Blatter and Platini could yet face criminal prosecutions with the attorney general in no hurry to rush the case.
NCAAFB: Why are the playoff semifinals on New Year's Eve again?
By Dan Wetzel
Yes, New Year’s Eve.
This is confusing to everyone because New Year’s Day is a great time for a couple big games and New Year’s Eve is a horrible one – at least if you are one of the many people who A) have to work, or B) have other plans that night. In other words, tens of millions of you.
So why is this happening? Why is college football staging its semifinals at a time that everyone predicts will cause fewer people to watch?
Here’s the honest answer: the people who run college football don’t care about you. At all. Like, not one single bit.
It may not make sense, but that’s the answer.
“We’re establishing a new tradition,” playoff executive director Bill Hancock said. “We're going to change the paradigm of New Year’s Eve.”
Except, no one is trying to establish a new tradition here. They are honoring two of the oldest traditions in America … self-indulgence and cronyism.
The conference commissioners who run the sport may not care about or even consider you, the fan, but they do care deeply about bowl executives, usually old friends who have been plying them with free everything – golf, gifts, booze, hotels, Caribbean cruises, you name it – for decades.
They really, really love those guys. Love them so much that when they designed the playoff they made sure, out of the goodness of their hearts, to continue outsourcing their most profitable games to them.
They love all bowl games but they love none quite like the Rose Bowl.
As such, they would never dare make the Rose Bowl move its kickoff time from 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 – you know, that perfect time to watch a big game. That’s when the start of the semifinal doubleheader should always be played. One out of every three years, when the Rose Bowl is a host, it is.
Yet in the other two years the Rose Bowl still gets the best time slot even if the game, such as this year, can only be considered “big” if you’re from Iowa. Meanwhile, the Sugar Bowl has somehow been granted exclusivity to the equally coveted primetime slot on New Year’s Day, even if it’s hosting Ole Miss-Oklahoma State and the five losses between them.
Oklahoma-Clemson and Michigan State-Alabama, the games that actually matter, get the less desirable times the day before.
Again, this makes no sense. It’s the reality though. In college football the Rose Bowl gets to call the shots. It just does. In any other sport, or any other business, executives would either tell them to move or just crush them with counter programming.
Instead, college football decision-makers tell the fans to get lost while gleefully allowing the bowls to lead them around by the nose.
Conference commissioners are like that desperate guy in every Cialis commercial, blithely going for boring hikes through the foliage or freezing while holding hands in his and her tubs overlooking a valley ("You want me to take a bath in the damn woods?"). It’s all in the pitiful hope that their favorite bowl executive will give them that look that says the time is right.
Oh Rose Bowl, of course I’ll kick off a semifinal at 1 p.m. on a workday on the West Coast. And yes, I’ll absolutely not care about people, mostly younger, who have long-established plans or work that evening – in restaurants or transportation or staffed-up hospitals or wherever. I know you're not a school, a conference or in any way part of the NCAA, but let's go have a long, meaningful talk over a hot cup of tea.
The other option would be to just grant the Rose and Sugar Bowl permanent semifinal hosting status, maintaining New Year’s Day as the day for the semifinals. That would be true love, but it would also prevent spreading the graft out to four other bowl sites.
Extra palms. Extra grease.
Don’t blame ESPN. It knows its ratings will drop. The network fought this originally – literally stunned it was even a consideration. Later it lobbied to move, for this year only, the semifinals to Saturday, Jan. 2.
The NFL is staging all its Week 17 games on Sunday, Jan. 3, so Saturday is wide open. It's absolutely perfect if you care about, say, trying to make it as convenient as possible for fans to either watch on TV or travel to a game.
"We understand and appreciate their interest in this," Hancock said in a statement last January. “The fact is that we have started a new tradition … we're not interested in changing.”
Don't worry, Saturday night they'll give you the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl instead. So there's that.
Look, these guys aren’t really in tune with anything but the hardest core segment of their fan base – the fanatical booster that will find a way. And, yes, many people will still watch. I'm one of them. It’s easy for me to be there though because this is my job. Most really big-time fans will find time too. Some others will – those who usually stay in on New Year’s Eve (then again, if you stay in on New Year’s Eve, you also stay in on New Year’s Day too).
Many won’t though and that’s rough for them. Some will try and fail to carve out eight hours of football viewing under relationship duress. Some will be stuck at nightclubs or weddings or a couples' function. Others just have to earn an honest living. These people are a mystery to the commissioners, whose work entails watching college football and therefore seem to assume everyone can watch while on the job. Look, Mr. Police Officer, just stream it on your tablet. Those drunk drivers can handle themselves.
As for entertainment options, for these guys, New Year’s Eve has long been about whatever bowl director is springing for the single malts and medium rares. Conceptually, a party is being at some other old person’s house where the TV can easily show the game, especially since they can’t seem to figure out what channel Dick Clark is on anyway.
“It might be a great way to bring more women to college football,” Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany reasoned to the Chicago Tribune. “We can build our audience.”
OK, then. Delany is the same guy who runs a Midwest-based league but didn’t want any semifinals played in the Midwest because he has too much love for the old bowls and old bowl directors in the South and West. Forget seeking a competitive advantage for his teams or bringing big-event revenue to the region or caring about how costly the travel is for his own league’s fans.
Really, this is your fault. You should have planned accordingly. They warned you by running that commercial with Jimmy Kimmel and a host of characters sadly singing "Auld Lang Syne" at a New Year’s Eve party.
Really, this is your fault. You should have planned accordingly. They warned you by running that commercial with Jimmy Kimmel and a host of characters sadly singing "Auld Lang Syne" at a New Year’s Eve party.
It’s a weird spot and not just because, as SB Nation pointed out, the UCLA mascot, Joe Bruin, tries to pick up a blonde party-goer while also having his arm wrapped around his steady, Josephine Bruin (now this is an adventurous way to ring in 2016).
Stranger is there are no TVs at the party in the commercial. In an effort to get you to watch the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve, no one is watching the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve.
Stranger is there are no TVs at the party in the commercial. In an effort to get you to watch the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve, no one is watching the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve.
Apparently Jimmy Kimmel has other things to do, too.
Northwestern-Tennessee Preview.
By Jeff Bartl
Pat Fitzgerald won his second straight Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik awards as the nation's defensive player of the year in 1996 before Northwestern lost to Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl in his final collegiate game.
The Wildcats didn't match that nine-win season again until Fitzgerald took over as coach in 2006, part of a string of coaching accomplishments that includes Northwestern's only bowl victory since 1949.
NCAABKB: NCAA Top 25 Basketball Poll, December 21, 2015.
The Wildcats didn't match that nine-win season again until Fitzgerald took over as coach in 2006, part of a string of coaching accomplishments that includes Northwestern's only bowl victory since 1949.
Fittingly, the Wildcats' defense is a major reason Fitzgerald can become the first coach in school history to win 11 games, a mark he can set New Year's Day in the Outback Bowl in Northwestern's first meeting with the Volunteers since Fitzgerald last wore the uniform.
Fitzgerald's passion for Northwestern football in part earned him the head job as a 31-year-old following the unexpected death of coach Randy Walker after the 2005 season. He often concludes interviews by saying "Go Cats!" and is one of the most animated coaches in the country on the sidelines.
He guided Northwestern to its first postseason victory in 63 years by beating Mississippi State in the TaxSlayer Bowl after the 2012 campaign to match the school record of 10 wins, but the 12th-ranked Wildcats haven't been back to a bowl until this season.
They finished 10-2 and 6-2 in the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation in total defense, allowing 310.5 yards per game. Northwestern held seven opponents to fewer than 100 on the ground.
It had a pair of shutouts and limited two more opponents to fewer than eight points, including wins over now-No. 5 Stanford and then-No. 21 Wisconsin.
"We've worked so hard all season to get to this point," cornerback Matthew Harris said. "We're really embracing going out on the field with each other just because it's been such a great season for us.
"To be the first team to win 11 games, it's something about just leaving a legacy. It's something this program has never done before."
Fitzgerald hopes for a better result than the last time Northwestern faced Tennessee, when Peyton Manning carved up the Wildcats for 408 yards and four touchdown passes in the Volunteers' 48-28 victory 19 years ago.
"To be the first team to win 11 games, it's something about just leaving a legacy. It's something this program has never done before."
Fitzgerald hopes for a better result than the last time Northwestern faced Tennessee, when Peyton Manning carved up the Wildcats for 408 yards and four touchdown passes in the Volunteers' 48-28 victory 19 years ago.
Tennessee won the national championship two years later, but it eventually went through some difficult seasons like Northwestern and has gone through multiple coaches to find a solution.
Butch Jones has improved the Volunteers (8-4) in each of his three seasons and has them in a bowl game for the second straight year after guiding the program to its most victories since going 10-4 in 2007.
Tennessee beat Iowa in last year's TaxSlayer Bowl in its first postseason game since 2010.
"I think we have accomplished a lot," Jones said. "The players have come each and every day. They have had a high level of intensity. We've seen that and every practice has been with competitiveness, but also attention to details.
"Now it's being able to go down to the bowl site, put all of your focus, your energy and your preparation down there and be ready to go."
Both teams enter riding five-game winning streaks, with Tennessee overcoming a rough start. The Vols lost four of their first seven - all by seven points or fewer - and led now-No. 2 Alabama in the fourth quarter before allowing a late touchdown.
Joshua Dobbs has excelled in his first full season as a starter, throwing 15 touchdown passes and running for nine more. He also caught a TD pass.
Joshua Dobbs has excelled in his first full season as a starter, throwing 15 touchdown passes and running for nine more. He also caught a TD pass.
"I think that the experiences that he has gained over time has helped in the maturation process as a leader, as a quarterback," Jones said. "This year, he has continued to progress and get better and better. He defines what a student-athlete is all about."
The Vols finished second in the SEC with 223.5 rushing yards per game, as Jalen Hurd had 1,158 and 11 touchdowns. Alvin Kamara averaged 6.7 yards per rush and scored six times.
"They have two spectacular backs. They're really powerful, real explosive," Harris said. "Their quarterback makes plays, so it's going to be a really tough challenge."
Northwestern also relies heavily on the run, with freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson rushing for five touchdowns and throwing for fewer than 100 yards four times. Justin Jackson led the Big Ten with 298 rushing attempts and finished second with 1,344 yards.
"I feel like we got a lot accomplished and really installed our game plan for how we want to play Northwestern," Tennessee freshman linebacker Darrin Kirkland said. "We've really studied them and their personnel does a really good job. We are looking forward to playing them in Tampa."
This will be the last game at Tennessee for tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Mark Elder, who has accepted the coaching job at Eastern Kentucky.
NCAABKB: NCAA Top 25 Basketball Poll, December 21, 2015.
AP
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan St (64) | 12-0 | 1623 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Kansas (1) | 9-1 | 1537 | 2 | ||
| 3 | Oklahoma | 8-0 | 1495 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Maryland | 10-1 | 1428 | 4 | ||
| 5 | Virginia | 9-1 | 1350 | 5 | ||
| 6 | Xavier | 11-0 | 1287 | 6 | ||
| 7 | North Carolina | 9-2 | 1215 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Arizona | 11-1 | 1056 | 8 | ||
| 9 | Butler | 9-1 | 947 | 9 | ||
| 10 | Providence | 11-1 | 911 | 10 | ||
| 11 | Iowa St. | 9-1 | 907 | 11 | ||
| 12 | Kentucky | 9-2 | 856 | 12 | ||
| 13 | Miami (FL) | 9-1 | 851 | 13 | ||
| 14 | Purdue | 11-1 | 833 | 14 | ||
| 15 | Duke | 9-2 | 809 | 15 | ||
| 16 | Louisville | 9-1 | 652 | 16 | ||
| 17 | Villanova | 8-2 | 649 | 17 | ||
| 18 | SMU | 9-0 | 628 | 18 | ||
| 19 | West Virginia | 9-1 | 470 | 19 | ||
| 20 | George Washington | 10-1 | 366 | 20 | ||
| 21 | Texas A&M | 9-2 | 327 | 21 | ||
| 22 | Cincinnati | 10-2 | 315 | 22 | ||
| 23 | Baylor | 8-2 | 141 | 23 | ||
| 24 | Utah | 9-2 | 107 | 24 | ||
| 25 | South Carolina | 10-0 | 87 | 25 | ||
Others Receiving Votes: UCLA 49, Connecticut 46, Oregon 34, Gonzaga 33, Colorado 27, Dayton 17, Pittsburgh 16, Northern Iowa 15, AR Little Rock 14, Vanderbilt 8, Monmouth 6, Iowa 5, Texas 3, Florida 3, Northwestern 2
By Jeff Eisenberg
In Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's ideal world, his team's first game without injured star Denzel Valentine would have come against an overmatched small-conference pushover.
No such luck.
Oakland was a classic dangerous underdog, a successful in-state mid-major with an overlooked star, an experienced supporting cast and a chip on its shoulder. That proved to be a scary combination as the Golden Grizzlies stormed to a 14-point second-half lead, withstood a ferocious Michigan State rally and regrouped to force overtime before falling 99-93.
The Spartans only managed to preserve their undefeated record and No. 1 ranking because they found a way to get Oakland's dynamic guard Kay Felder out of the game. Eron Harris drew a charge on Felder with 49 seconds to go in overtime and Michigan State clinging to a two-point lead, a controversial fifth foul that relegated the nation's second-leading scorer and leader in assists to the bench.
Until that moment, Felder had been virtually unstoppable off the dribble, whether by finishing at the rim, drawing contact or sinking pull-up jumpers. The 5-foot-9 junior dished out nine assists and erupted for 37 points, none bigger than the five he scored in the final minute of regulation to force overtime.
First came a scintillating step-back corner 3-pointer over Lourawls Nairn with 21 seconds to go and Oakland down four. Then, after Michigan State's Matt Costello split a pair of foul shots, Felder answered with a lethal crossover dribble that enabled him to draw a foul and sink the game-tying free throws.
Michigan State only survived Felder's onslaught because it stopped giving the ball away as frequently as it did during a turnover-plagued first half and found ways to score without Valentine.
Bryn Forbes was deadly on dribble pull-ups or catch-and-shoot jumpers, sinking 7 of 9 threes on his way to 32 points. Harris entered the starting lineup in place of Valentine and was sensational off the dribble, scoring 27 points and dishing out five assists. Deyonta Davis and Matt Costello both took advantage of their edge in size and athleticism in the paint, combining for 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Bryn Forbes was deadly on dribble pull-ups or catch-and-shoot jumpers, sinking 7 of 9 threes on his way to 32 points. Harris entered the starting lineup in place of Valentine and was sensational off the dribble, scoring 27 points and dishing out five assists. Deyonta Davis and Matt Costello both took advantage of their edge in size and athleticism in the paint, combining for 21 points and 14 rebounds.
That Michigan State was able to survive Oakland's upset bid was impressive considering how important Valentine is to the Spartans. Valentine, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday and will miss the next 2-3 weeks, has established himself as a national player of the year candidate by averaging 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists.
Oakland entered Tuesday's game with a 7-3 record after winning at Washington over the weekend. The Golden Grizzlies nearly pulled off a second straight upset behind Felder's heroics, but instead they had to settle for a heartbreaking near miss.
Leading candidates for AP Male Athlete of the Year: American Pharoah, Curry and Spieth.
By The Associated Press
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, NBA MVP Stephen Curry and Masters and U.S. Open champ Jordan Spieth are the leading candidates for The Associated Press 2015 Male Athlete of the Year award.
The AP announced the top three vote-getters Monday, and the winner will be announced Saturday.
The AP sports writers who cover the athletes wrote summaries of their 2015 achievements.
— American Pharoah was the first in nearly 40 years to capture the most coveted prize in his sport. He earned $8.3 million in less than eight months, and he's currently worth about $20 million. He could wind up as the most valuable athlete in the history of his sport. He also packed the house everywhere he showed up and put on performances that had sports fans in awe, standing and cheering, knowing they might never see another athlete like him. His game was breathtaking, his style overpowering, and he carried a sport on his shoulders for nearly the entire year. He drew record crowds even when he trained, or just walked around. He won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes — the first to pull off the feat since 1978. And in a glorious farewell run for the ages, he blew away the field in the Breeders' Cup Classic. — AP Racing Writer Richard Rosenblatt
— Stephen Curry captured the MVP and the hearts and minds of basketball fans around the globe, who were captivated by the Golden State star and his toddler daughter, Riley, as the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years. And Curry has only gotten better. Even his coach, Steve Kerr, had no idea Curry — with that meticulous shooting routine — could take it to another level as Golden State set an NBA record for the best start to a season at 24-0. — AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley
— Jordan Spieth's accomplishments stand alone, and they are accentuated by context. The combined winning score in all four major championships this year was 58-under par. Spieth was 54-under par. He was the first wire-to-wire winner at the Masters in 39 years. He won the U.S. Open to join Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to get halfway to the Grand Slam since 1960. He was tied for the lead at the British Open with two holes to play. He played in the final group of the PGA Championship. He earned a record $22 million this year — $1 million for each of his 22 years. — AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1951 - A NFL championship game was televised nationally for the first time. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cleveland Browns 24-17. The DuMont Network had paid $75,000 for the rights to the game.
1972 - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in an NFL playoff game on a last-second play that was dubbed the "Immaculate Reception." Pittsburgh's Franco Harris caught a deflected pass and ran it in for the winning touchdown.
1991 - Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired after 23 seasons. He was the only coach to win four Super Bowls.
1995 - Tonya Harding and Mike Smith were married.
1997 - Jari Kurri (Colorado Avalanche) became the 8th NHL player to score 600 goals.
1972 - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in an NFL playoff game on a last-second play that was dubbed the "Immaculate Reception." Pittsburgh's Franco Harris caught a deflected pass and ran it in for the winning touchdown.
1991 - Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired after 23 seasons. He was the only coach to win four Super Bowls.
1995 - Tonya Harding and Mike Smith were married.
1997 - Jari Kurri (Colorado Avalanche) became the 8th NHL player to score 600 goals.
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