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"Sports Quote of the Day"
Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for reaping. Self-discipline helps you know which is which. ~ Gary Ryan Blair, Author, Speaker, Coach and Consultant
Notice: We have two What's Your Take? articles today, (a first). Please read our opinion on both articles and share your thoughts with us in the comments section at the bottom of this blog.
Notice: We have two What's Your Take? articles today, (a first). Please read our opinion on both articles and share your thoughts with us in the comments section at the bottom of this blog.
Trending: Chicago, arguably the best sports city in America. (See the first story on this blog and share What's Your Take? (1) thoughts with us.)
Trending: Kentucky’s entire basketball team is declaring for the NBA Draft thanks to a loophole in the NCAA's eligibility rules. (See the last story on this blog and share What's Your Take? (2) thoughts with us.)
Trending: Kentucky’s entire basketball team is declaring for the NBA Draft thanks to a loophole in the NCAA's eligibility rules. (See the last story on this blog and share What's Your Take? (2) thoughts with us.)
Trending: Is the Blackhawks’ 'unshakable confidence' shaken? (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Hoiberg 'not going to sugarcoat' Bulls' loss to Knicks. (Back to back losses!!!!!!!!!!) (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Chicago, Illinois: The Best Sports Town in America. What's Your Take? (1)
By Jake Karmel (Bleacher Report Article dated March 31, 2011)
There is a lot that makes a city, a great sports city. There is a lot that makes Chicago the best sports town in America. It's more than championships. It's more than the length a franchise has been in a city.
It's the atmosphere of the city. It's the attitude of the fans in the city. It's the love and passion the fans share for the teams in their city. It's the revenue these teams create for the city.
Let's take a look into what makes Chicago great.
Atmosphere
If you walk through downtown Chicago any day of the year, you will never fail to see someone wearing any Bears, Bulls, Hawks, Cubs or Sox apparel. The citizens of "The Windy City" live and die by their teams.
For example, go to the United Center for a Blackhawks home game. The atmosphere you will experience during this game is unlike any other NHL game. I've been to quite a few games and none compares to a Blackhawks game at the "Madhouse on Madison."
At the Madhouse you have 20,000 nutcases on their feet screaming bloody murder and cheering for their country during the national anthem. Not to forget about everyone singing, "duh-duh" after every Blackhawks' goal. This atmosphere is unlike any other.
Don't forget about the afternoons and evenings you could spend with 40,000 other drunk idiots at Wrigley Field. With the skyline beyond the fence and the rooftops in view, nothing compares to a summer night at Wrigley Field. Win or lose they still booze.
Chicago, Illinois: The Best Sports Town in America. What's Your Take? (1)
By Jake Karmel (Bleacher Report Article dated March 31, 2011)
A million + Chicago fans. That's team support from the best sports fans in America. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
There is a lot that makes a city, a great sports city. There is a lot that makes Chicago the best sports town in America. It's more than championships. It's more than the length a franchise has been in a city.
It's the atmosphere of the city. It's the attitude of the fans in the city. It's the love and passion the fans share for the teams in their city. It's the revenue these teams create for the city.
Let's take a look into what makes Chicago great.
Atmosphere
If you walk through downtown Chicago any day of the year, you will never fail to see someone wearing any Bears, Bulls, Hawks, Cubs or Sox apparel. The citizens of "The Windy City" live and die by their teams.
For example, go to the United Center for a Blackhawks home game. The atmosphere you will experience during this game is unlike any other NHL game. I've been to quite a few games and none compares to a Blackhawks game at the "Madhouse on Madison."
At the Madhouse you have 20,000 nutcases on their feet screaming bloody murder and cheering for their country during the national anthem. Not to forget about everyone singing, "duh-duh" after every Blackhawks' goal. This atmosphere is unlike any other.
Don't forget about the afternoons and evenings you could spend with 40,000 other drunk idiots at Wrigley Field. With the skyline beyond the fence and the rooftops in view, nothing compares to a summer night at Wrigley Field. Win or lose they still booze.
U.S. Cellular Field on the South Side is no slouch either. All the theme nights at "The Cell" or the fireworks after a White Sox home run make these games a memory of a lifetime.
Sports Radio
I understand sports radio is good in any big city. But does your town have Dan Boers and Terry Bernstein? How about Jason Goff or Laurence Holmes? I am a radio major in college and the enthusiasm and emotion these guys put into their broadcasts are unlike any other.
They exemplify the true Chicago fan.
These radio hosts do not hide their bias towards one team or another. It is known Boers and Bernstein are both big Cubs fans. It is known Goff hates the Cubs. They burn with passion over their Chicago teams.
The Fans
I don't even think an explanation is needed. Chicago fans burn with passion. We're ignorant, cocky, know-it-alls and everything in between. Some of us, admittedly so, are fair-weather fans. Some of us grow up and die by one team.
Arguments can be made about New York, Boston or LA. But nothing, and I mean nothing can compare to the passion, the fire and the enthusiasm of Chicago.
Lack of Winning
Yes. You read right. The lack of winning makes Chicago the greatest sports city. Baseball hasn't seen a championship in 11 years. Football hasn't seen a championship in over 20 years. Basketball hasn't seen one in 13 years. Yeah, yeah. Hockey did last year but prior to that they hadn't seen one for over 35 years!
The Chicago Cubs, widely considered by some, is America's team. This team has been the laughing stock of the entire MLB for the past 20 to 30 years. They haven't seen a championship in over 100 years!
Through all this futility, the fire burns. Look to other cities.
LA won a championship last year in basketball. The Lakers are always the top team in the west.
Boston won a championship two years ago in basketball, within the last decade two in baseball and a top team in hockey.
New York is home to the evil empire. Enough said.
Chicago? Home to futility yet fandom.
History
Even through this futility of the last decade, Chicago has a rich history in sports.
The Bulls were the best team in the NBA through the 90s. They also arguably had the best team in NBA history in their 72 win season.
The Bears are home to the Super Bowl Shuffle and one of the most dominant Super Bowl performances in 1985.
The White Sox recently won in 2005. They have a rich history of being a great baseball team. Their fans bleed black and white.
The Cubs are the Cubs. They haven't won a title in over 100 years. Yet, they are home to the most beautiful gem in Wrigley Field. They also have some of the most passionate fans in all of baseball.
The Blackhawks have had some of the best players in NHL history: Pierre Pilotte, Bobby "Golden Jet" Hull, Denis Savard, Glen Hall, Keith Magnuson, Stan Mikita and Tony "O" Esposito are enshrined in the rafters. All are arguably some of the best players to ever lace up skates in the NHL.
This goes without mentioning a 2010 title. (2013 & 2015, also)
Why This Is Important
Cities live and die by their team. I will concede to that. No one does it like Chicago. No one lives through this futility, survives a great fire, a flood, blizzards, summer heat, winter cold, the hawk of the lake and still continues to be considered one of the greatest, and in my opinion, THE GREATEST, sports town in America.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: Competition does in fact breed excellence and that's one of our favorite quotes. That's one of the things so great about America: the passion, the pride, the confidence, the dedication, the determination, the tremendous support and the competitive nature the fans have for their teams. All of the cities have that but Chicago has a little more. We're right in the top of all sports statistical categories, i.e. traveling, merchandise & ticket sales, attendance, and on and on. Besides, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, AHL and WNBA, we also host PGA Golf Tournaments, Horse Racing, NASCAR Racing, Marathons, Collegiate Sports and even a national high school event, the McDonald's High School All-American Basketball Game. We have something for everyone. Other cities can brag and say, they're better but as Paul Harvey says, "And now you know the rest of the story." The Bears have only won one Super Bowl (and that will be changing in the near future), who hasn't danced to or heard of "The Super Bowl Shuffle"? The Bulls of the 90's decade, six championships. The Blackhawks, three championships in the last six years, the White Sox, won the World Series ten years ago and we saved the best for last, the Cubs. They haven't won the World Series in 107 years, however, this is the year, it's going to happen in 2016 and who knows how many after that? As much as things change, they remain the same and in Chicago, that's undying reverence, loyalty and commitment to our sports teams. We may get angry and frustrated at our teams but when it all comes down, we'll still be around to support them. That's why we're THE GREATEST sports town in America.
One last note, this article was written five years ago and as we stated previously, as much as things change, they remain the same especially in Chicago sports. One last shot, come and celebrate the Cubs World Series victory with us in October. As James Brown said, "We're going to have a funky good time."
As usual, I've shared our opinion with you. We know fans from other cities will read this and disagree, so share your thoughts with us, defend your city (if you can) and let us know, what's your take? Just go to the comments section at the bottom of this blog and humor us.
Thanks in advance for your comments as we truly love hearing from you. We sincerely value your thoughts and your opinion.
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Is the Blackhawks’ 'unshakable confidence' shaken?
By Tracey Myers
Jonathan Toews was addressing another frustrating loss, one that had the Blackhawks aggravated and losing ground in the Central Division.
“We just have to have that unshakable confidence that good teams go through moments like this where, doesn’t matter what you do, things don’t go your way,” Toews said.
The Blackhawks have shown that unshakable confidence plenty the last few seasons. Very few teams have shown the mental toughness they have, especially in the playoffs. But the Blackhawks have struggled mightily lately, and after Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars they have just one victory in their last seven games (1-4-2).
Recent results beg the question: Is the Blackhawks’ usually unshakable confidence shaken?
“I don’t know if it’s confidence or whatever, but I think we have to find a way to rectify the way we play and play with more urgency,” coach Joel Quenneville said on Tuesday night. “It’s hard to measure confidence to me. If you play hard you find your way through it.”
The Blackhawks have shown glimpses of that, be it their victory in Winnipeg or their comeback in a shootout loss against Minnesota that earned them a point. But other recent games have been alarming. The Blackhawks have gotten behind more often than not, and once they’ve gone down they’ve usually been out.
When the Blackhawks claimed their 12th consecutive victory on Jan. 19, they were atop the Central Division with a five-point lead over the Stars. Since then the Blackhawks have gone 10-12-3. They’ve given up 74 goals in these last 25 games (2.96 per game) and have been shut out four times. The Blackhawks are now six points out of first place and have a precarious hold on third – please see the Nashville Predators, who are four points back.
It’s been a troubling stretch, but the Blackhawks are trying to look at it in as positive a light as possible.
“It’s a group that’s kind of been down the road before; we’ve seen everything. I think hopefully we can look back on this and say, ‘It’s better it happened now than in a month or so.’ But obviously we have to shake out of it,” Kane said. “We have to work our way into winning some games and, even if we don’t have our best, try to find ways to keep [ourselves] in the games and get points out of them.”
Andrew Desjardins said it’s also about how the team handles adversity, be it a stretch of games or in one – for example, how quickly the Blackhawks let things get away from them on Tuesday.
“It’s unfortunate to get a few bounces like we did last night but that’s part of the game. We have to respond a little bit better. It could have been better last night,” he said. “There are certain things we could’ve done a little bit better.”
The Blackhawks have eight regular-season games remaining, eight games in which they need to gain some points, keep pace in the Central. They also need to regain some self-assurance because right now, the Blackhawks’ usually unshakable confidence looks very shaky.
“We know we’re a good team, we know what we’re capable of,” Toews said. “We’ll remind ourselves of that, look at the big picture and try to take it shift by shift and get out of this funk that we’re in.”
BRIEFLY
-- Corey Crawford (upper body) did not skate on Wednesday. His status remains day-to-day. Quenneville was uncertain if Crawford would go on the Blackhawks’ upcoming trip.
-- Marcus Kruger (wrist) will go on the trip. Quenneville said he’ll know more on Thursday on if Kruger can play vs. Calgary, which is the hope.
Follow-up: Blackhawks looking to 'dig deep' on the road.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks’ losses have piled up lately, their once seemingly secure place among the Central Division’s best now tenuous.
For Niklas Hjalmarsson, the reason for recent issues wasn’t difficult to figure out.
“I just think the competitiveness hasn’t really been there the last couple of games, and there’s no real excuse for that,” Hjalmarsson said. “You can be tired physically and mentally but you can still go out there and battle hard. I just think we haven’t done that well enough, me included. I feel I have to be much better in my game, so I’m looking forward to the trip to get together with the team and try to find a way back here to get some more wins.”
The Blackhawks hope to take advantage of this current respite, rest and refocus before hitting the road and facing Calgary on Saturday night. It’s been a tough stretch, but the Blackhawks say they can come out of it.
“I think as individuals we all have to dig deep. That’s the only way to get out of situations like this. Whatever you have to do, process it in your own mind, just dig deep,” Andrew Desjardins said. “It comes down to puck battles, the rawness of the game. It goes back to the basics. A lot of it is just playing smart, playing hard and winning those puck battles. That’s what the key is here. We have to be a little pissed off, too, to be honest.”
The Blackhawks aren’t too happy that they’ve made up little ground in the Central, where they’re currently third. In fact their losses, coupled with fourth-place Nashville’s surge, means they’re close to losing ground.
Instead of practicing on Wednesday the Blackhawks had off-ice workouts and “met,” as coach Joel Quenneville put it.
“I don't think we can be happy with the way we’re going along here, so we want to make sure we rectify it,” he said. “Whether we’re angry or how we want to channel it, but let’s make sure that [this is] not good enough or not acceptable.”
The Blackhawks’ offense has been hit-and-miss lately but as Hjalmarsson pointed out, what’s happening on the other side is the bigger problem.
“As long as we play well defensively, which we haven’t done lately, we usually find a way to win games,” Hjalmarsson said. “We create [scoring] chances by playing good defense: counter attack and creating chances, breaking out plays defensively. We have to find a way to be better defensively and the offense will come automatically.”
That defense hasn’t been good lately. Overall this season, the Blackhawks have allowed 2.47 goals per game, which isn't bad at all. But in the 25 games since their franchise-record, 12-game winning streak, that number has increased to 2.96 goals per game. Part of that is defense and part of that is goaltending not being as strong as it was earlier this season. Corey Crawford, who’s been very good most of this season, struggled in recent starts before being sidelined with an upper-body injury.
The Blackhawks have time to turn things around before the postseason begins. They say they can come out of their doldrums by getting their competitiveness back. Perhaps the road rekindles that.
“You know it’s one of those things that’s up and down. Hopefully going on the road, guys will be together and spark something,” Desjardins said. “I mean it goes back to everybody having to focus a little bit more. We have to stop this and start winning, start playing the right way.”
For Niklas Hjalmarsson, the reason for recent issues wasn’t difficult to figure out.
“I just think the competitiveness hasn’t really been there the last couple of games, and there’s no real excuse for that,” Hjalmarsson said. “You can be tired physically and mentally but you can still go out there and battle hard. I just think we haven’t done that well enough, me included. I feel I have to be much better in my game, so I’m looking forward to the trip to get together with the team and try to find a way back here to get some more wins.”
The Blackhawks hope to take advantage of this current respite, rest and refocus before hitting the road and facing Calgary on Saturday night. It’s been a tough stretch, but the Blackhawks say they can come out of it.
“I think as individuals we all have to dig deep. That’s the only way to get out of situations like this. Whatever you have to do, process it in your own mind, just dig deep,” Andrew Desjardins said. “It comes down to puck battles, the rawness of the game. It goes back to the basics. A lot of it is just playing smart, playing hard and winning those puck battles. That’s what the key is here. We have to be a little pissed off, too, to be honest.”
The Blackhawks aren’t too happy that they’ve made up little ground in the Central, where they’re currently third. In fact their losses, coupled with fourth-place Nashville’s surge, means they’re close to losing ground.
Instead of practicing on Wednesday the Blackhawks had off-ice workouts and “met,” as coach Joel Quenneville put it.
“I don't think we can be happy with the way we’re going along here, so we want to make sure we rectify it,” he said. “Whether we’re angry or how we want to channel it, but let’s make sure that [this is] not good enough or not acceptable.”
The Blackhawks’ offense has been hit-and-miss lately but as Hjalmarsson pointed out, what’s happening on the other side is the bigger problem.
“As long as we play well defensively, which we haven’t done lately, we usually find a way to win games,” Hjalmarsson said. “We create [scoring] chances by playing good defense: counter attack and creating chances, breaking out plays defensively. We have to find a way to be better defensively and the offense will come automatically.”
That defense hasn’t been good lately. Overall this season, the Blackhawks have allowed 2.47 goals per game, which isn't bad at all. But in the 25 games since their franchise-record, 12-game winning streak, that number has increased to 2.96 goals per game. Part of that is defense and part of that is goaltending not being as strong as it was earlier this season. Corey Crawford, who’s been very good most of this season, struggled in recent starts before being sidelined with an upper-body injury.
The Blackhawks have time to turn things around before the postseason begins. They say they can come out of their doldrums by getting their competitiveness back. Perhaps the road rekindles that.
“You know it’s one of those things that’s up and down. Hopefully going on the road, guys will be together and spark something,” Desjardins said. “I mean it goes back to everybody having to focus a little bit more. We have to stop this and start winning, start playing the right way.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Hoiberg 'not going to sugarcoat' Bulls' loss to Knicks.
By Mark Strorman
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Bulls' playoff chances took a substantial hit for the second straight night.
Playing the latter end of a home-and-home with the lottery-bound New York Knicks, the Bulls suffered their second straight loss, 106-94, Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. It came on the heels of Wednesday's surprising home loss to those same Knicks, now 30-43, that has dropped Fred Hoiberg's group 1.5 games behind the idle Detroit Pistons for the No. 8 seed in the East.
Derrick Rose continued his stellar play with 30 points and three assists, while Jimmy Butler added 19 points and three steals. But for the Bulls, playing without Pau Gasol, a sluggish start and another lack of defensive energy doomed them against a team in which they should have handled.
Instead, the Knicks raced out to a nine-point lead, shot better than 51 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Bulls, 45-34. Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting and rookie Kristaps Porzingis again torched the Bulls for 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Knicks, ranked 23rd in offensive efficiency, hadn't scored 100 or more points in consecutive games since March 5.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's two extremely tough losses. And for me, looking at the winning streak we had when we won three and won four out of five, we came out with a defensive mindset in the first quarter and we set the tone. And the last two nights that hasn't happened."
The Knicks came out firing, hitting 58 percent and connecting on five 3-pointers to take a four-point first quarter lead. Anthony scored 10 of his points in the opening stanza while Porzingis, who torched the Bulls for 29 points on Wednesday, added five. The Bulls managed to keep New York at bay in the second quarter but couldn't capitalize, shooting just 30 percent while missing nine of their 10 3-point attempts in the quarter.
The offense was stagnant, minus Rose, most of the night without their facilitator in Gasol. The 7-footer missed the game with swelling in the right knee that caused him to miss four games earlier in the month. Hoiberg said before the game he doesn't expect Gasol to miss any more games, but his absence was noticeable.
The Bulls were forced to start little-used Cristiano Felicio, who grabbed just a single rebound in 21 ineffective minutes. The Bulls had just 15 assists on their 37 made field goals, as Rose was forced to go into attack mode early with the Bulls trailing; Rose's three assists were his fewest since March 1.
The lack of ball movement compounded when the lack of defensive pressure reared its head in the second half. New York outscored the Bulls in the third quarter for a second straight night, and the Knicks capped off their offensive outburst when point guard Jose Calderon threw an alley-oop from the opposite free throw line to Derrick Williams for a two-handed slam. The Bulls' lone glimmer of hope was when they cut the deficit to 11 with a little more than four minutes remaining.
But out of a timeout, Calderon and Anthony his consecutive 3-pointers that pushed the lead back out to 17 and end any hope of a Bulls' comeback.
The Bulls finished their last real easy portion of the season - in which they played six straight games against teams with sub-.500 records - with a disappointing 3-3 record. They'll now play six of their next eight on the road, with six of those games coming against teams currently in the playoff picture.
"The big thing is to keep swinging. We've got a lot of basketball left to be played. And you can't walk out of here with your head down and feel sorry for yourself or it's going to compound these last 11 games," Hoiberg said. "You've got to come out together. I told them to look in the mirror, what they can do to help this team find its way out of this two-game tough stretch that we've had and bring it the rest of the season.
"That's all we can do right now is control what we have in front of us."
Bulls fall asleep at the wheel in loss to Knicks. (Wednesday night's game, 03/23/2016).
By Vincent Goodwill
If there was any doubt about the Bulls’ sincerity to keep things interesting this season, the stage was set to fulfill such beliefs.
And true to their character, or the guys in red uniforms playing like characters in a bad movie, they played down to expectations.
They continued their Mendoza-line like performances, against a team that is drenched in so much turmoil the Kardashians are jealous of the New York Knicks.
And over the course of 24 hours, the woebegone Knicks can put the Bulls out of their misery with two wins on back-to-back nights, as the Bulls will head to Manhattan on Thursday night.
The Knicks took care of Part 1 with a 115-107 win Wednesday at the United Center, as the Bulls put together a showing they swore was behind them, a performance that was allegedly beneath their competitive character.
The Knicks treated the Bulls as if they were a D-League team, dominating them on the glass, running the so-called archaic triangle offense to perfection and embarrassing them on national TV — on a night where playoff tickets were announced to be on sale.
“I told our guys they have two choices: They can tuck their tails between their legs and walk out of here with their head down. Or they can tough it out, suck it up and find a way to win tomorrow,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.
The Bulls had a choice to close out a four-game home stand with a 4-0 mark but came out flat against a Knicks team with seemingly nothing to gain with a win, as the Knicks outworked them statistically and intangibly.
“They won every loose ball, battled the rebounds, they got all of those tonight,” Hoiberg said.
The Knicks blitzed the Bulls with 14 3-pointers, hitting them at a 56-percent rate. One couldn’t tell if the Knicks were having a night for the ages or if it was non-existent defense from the Bulls, but given the Bulls’ recent track record of allowing anything and everything to opposing teams, one wouldn’t be wrong to assume the latter.
Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 with 10 boards, torching the Bulls in every way possible: from the pinch post, from long range and with devastating dunks in transition.
A 35-point third quarter for the Knicks, where they stretched a seven-point lead to 19 in the last six minutes of the quarter, scoring virtually on every play, silenced the hopefuls and sent out the detractors who believe the Bulls don’t possess the consistency necessary to make a legit run at the playoffs.
“At halftime we talked about how we need to come out and take control of the game. We did the opposite,” Hoiberg said. “They got control and built their lead up, and we dug ourselves too deep a hole to get out of.”
Nikola Mirotic hit triple after triple in the fourth on the way to a career-high 35 points on nine 3-pointers to try to bring the Bulls back, as the Bulls hit 15 3s in total.
“I had a good game, but I’m not happy because we lost this really important game at home,” Mirotic said. “We need to come with a different mindset. We cannot give up 115 points.”
Mirotic’s 20 in the fourth led to a modest run that brought the score to 109-101 but was ultimately silenced when Carmelo Anthony’s 9-1-1 shot with the clock running down sent fans scrambling for the exits.
Anthony scored 24 on 10-for-22 shooting with four triples and five assists in 39 minutes.
“They got confidence, and Porzingis and Anthony really rose up and made shots in the fourth because of the confidence they had (earlier),” Hoiberg said.
Derrick Rose scored seven of his 21 early in the fourth, but offense wasn’t the problem, though the Bulls clearly believe they can win playing one end of the floor.
Allowing that point total on 52-percent shooting, nearly being doubled up on the boards (53-34) while playing with a willful aversion to defense — an action not uncommon this season.
Again, offense wasn’t the problem, though Pau Gasol scored just four points and Jimmy Butler (seven points, 3-for-11 shooting) continued to struggle on his way back from a knee injury that’s assuredly bothering him more than he’s willing to let on.
The Bulls didn’t turn the ball over at all before the half, yet trailed by two, with the belief a little defense could go a long way.
It was offset with the Knicks going 9-for-11 from 3 early, as the Bulls’ defense again became spotty as the Knicks shot 52 percent from the field. Porzingis was having his way with 17 and six boards.
But that desperation didn’t show up until it was much too late, as they panicked when things started to get away and were forced to play recklessly to get back in it before it proved futile.
“We hit some shots,” Hoiberg said. “That’s the thing that gets us going. We didn’t give (ourselves) a chance at the fourth because we let them control the game.”
Sounds like a microcosm for the season.
Too little, too late.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! John Fox sees one main, doable route to Bears rise in 2016.
By John Mullin
While myriad pundits and critics nodded knowingly that they knew how bad the ultimately 6-10 Bears were (whether they were proclaiming that when the Bears were 5-6 and Robbie Gould lining up a potentially game-winning FG vs. San Francisco isn’t clear), John Fox wasn’t among them.
Fox’s expectations were not for a Lombardi trophy in 2015. But he saw the core of a team, particularly on offense, that could be good but didn’t quite know how to stay good. Notably, that involves something that lies within players' control.
That, more than any individual skill level, personnel situation or other specific, lies at the root of his Bears mission statement.
“We were good in spots,” Fox said this week at the NFL owners meetings. “We have to learn how to be good consistently. That’s individually, as a group, as a football team. We’d be pretty good one week but we didn’t have that much margin for error. Really none of us do because of how competitive everything is.”
It was his theme in thoughts about cornerback Kyle Fuller, who had streaks of both good and bad; about wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, nagged by injuries; even defensive lineman Ego Ferguson, lauded by Fox as perhaps the most consistent Bear this offseason and that was just in his rehab after knee surgery.
It was the first thing cited by GM Ryan Pace regarding linebacker Jerrell Freeman, signed by the Bears away from the Indianapolis Colts. Besides instincts and production, “He’s just a consistent producer wherever he’s been,” Pace said.
Said Fox: “It can’t be a three-week stretch, four-week stretch. It’s got to be consistent. Teams in this league that are consistent are generally the ones still playing at the end.”
Because consistency requires a commitment level beyond just selected moments or periods, some Bears roster moves involved exactly that issue.
Sometimes the route to that improvement involves addition by subtraction. A consistent theme from Fox and through the organization now is the premium not only on talent, but also on passion for football. The abilities of Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett were never in question; their priorities were, whether football was the passion or simply a stepping stone to post-football endeavors.
Foremost in Fox’s comments about linebacker Danny Trevathan, for example, was that “he loves football; that’s No. 1.”
Fox is a proponent of many tenets for success espoused by former UCLA coaching legend John Wooden, beginning with two linchpins.
“Basically the cornerstones of success are hard work and enthusiasm,” Fox said. “And I think sometimes the enthusiasm part gets lost in the shuffle.
“We talk about guys being ‘above the line.’ And it’s every day. Just keep it simple, how to progress and get better every day, build a building that can produce that. I think that takes a lot of work and a lot of good people. And I’m not just about coaches. I’m talking about trainers, talking about equipment men, our strength and conditioning staff, because all their hands are on these players every day. And really creating that environment is important…"
Fox lauds Pace for adding youth, speed.
Bears GM Ryan Pace (L) and Head Coach John Fox (R). (Photo chicagobears.com)
Coach John Fox told reporters Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings in Florida that he's impressed with what the Bears have accomplished in free agency.
In signing inside linebackers
"Ryan and his staff did a good job of getting what was probably the oldest roster in football now [to where] we're probably in the top three youngest, if not the youngest," Fox said.
Trevathan (26), Freeman (29) and Hicks (26) are all ascending players entering their fifth NFL seasons. They'll bring playmaking ability and much-needed speed to the Bears defense.
"[Team speed] is something we need to improve," Fox said. "That's been part of the characteristics we've tried to create. If you look at inside linebacker, I think we've improved. It's hard to just look at the 40-time with a guy like Akiem Hicks. But he does have length, so in [some] ways that creates speed because he gets there faster just by reaching."
Trevathan and Freeman are both three-down linebackers who excel against both the run and the pass. Over the past four seasons, Trevathan recorded 282 tackles, three sacks, five interceptions and three forced fumbles, while Freeman amassed 478 tackles, 12 sacks, four picks and eight forced fumbles.
"They're still young and yet been proven to be productive players in the National Football League," Fox said. "And that's what we targeted in free agency; not going too crazy [as far as the] financial aspect and yet improving your team."
Trevathan was selected by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 2012 draft and spent his first three NFL seasons playing for Fox in Denver.
"Coming out [of college] he was the leading tackler in the SEC at the University of Kentucky," Fox said. "He had the speed, quickness and explosion measurables that we liked."
Fox is just as impressed with Trevathan's intangibles.
"He loves football," Fox said. "The thing we do is a blue-collar job. We don't pay them to play [games]. Most guys would play for nothing. But you pay them to practice and prepare, and it is hard. It's very hard, so it takes the right kind of mindset to do that day-in and day-out at a high level."
Fox shared his thoughts on several other issues concerning the Bears at the owners meetings:
• The veteran coach said that the Bears improved on special teams midway through last season after they put faster players on their coverage units.
"We started off about as bad as you could start and realized that our guys out there on fourth down were slow people," Fox said. "We made a lot of changes in-season, [installing] guys that were covering kicks that were a whole lot faster than what we picked the original team for. We got faster."
• Fox seems to think there's a better chance of adding quality pass rushers in the draft than in the second or third waves of free agency.
"A lot of times in free agency you still do measure and evaluate the draft, and we think that's a deep spot in the draft," Fox said. "I don't know about elite pass rushers, but defensive front help is a deep area. Those elite pass rushers are hard to find. They don't come around that often. We'll still be looking to improve any way we can."
• Asked about Dowell Loggains replacing Adam Gase as offensive coordinator, Fox said that the scheme will be similar to last year and that he has high expectations for the unit.
"The foundation of it will be exactly the same," Fox said. "That's one of the reasons [teams] promote from within. We did that [in Denver] when Mike McCoy left. We elevated Adam Gase, and he wasn't exactly a household name. It'll be a lot of the same. The foundation of it will be the same and we'll tweak and try to improve; look at things we can do better. We didn't set the world on fire a year ago offensively, and I think we can improve tremendously from that."
• Fox has complete confidence in
"I saw a humble guy, a mature guy that would listen to a guy like Matt Forte," Fox said. "Not all rookies do that. He listened to his coach, Stan Drayton, who I think is a fabulous coach, and he as a young guy brought it every day. So I saw great maturity, and then I thought he had good production for us at a young age."
Update: NFL essentially eliminates need to return kickoffs with rule change.
The Sporting News
The first rule is something that has been covered extensively and was expected to pass — automatic ejection of a player who receives two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a game. Coaches were opposed to the automatic ejection penalty, but owners seem to like the idea.
The second rule that passed will essentially eliminate the need for teams to return kickoffs. The league has moved the touchback from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line. Making kickoff returns safer is something the league has been focused on for a while, and this is perhaps the biggest change.
The second rule that passed will essentially eliminate the need for teams to return kickoffs. The league has moved the touchback from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line. Making kickoff returns safer is something the league has been focused on for a while, and this is perhaps the biggest change.
In 2012, the NCAA moved the kickoff to the 35-yard line instead of the 30-yard line (something the NFL did in 2011) and made the same 25-yard line touchback rule. It's difficult to compare the NCAA to the NFL considering the wide range of talent among kickers and returners, but after one year touchbacks increased from 15.2 percent to 34.8 percent.
Injuries on kickoffs remain a big concern for the NFL, especially since the numbers on them rose last season. The exact figures weren't released, but it's something Falcons president Rich McKay said earlier this week at the owners' meetings.
Last season the NFL saw 41.1 percent of kickoffs returned. Expect that number to increase with the touchback being moved five yards forward.
Bears hope they aren't a part of 2018 NFL game in China.
By John Mullin
The NFL is on course to roll out its first game in China in 2018. The Bears would just prefer to watch it, not play in it.
“My understanding is that we’re going to play a game in China in 2018,” said Bears Chairman George McCaskey, a member of the NFL’s International Committee.
“My understanding is that we’re going to play a game in China in 2018,” said Bears Chairman George McCaskey, a member of the NFL’s International Committee.
How open would he be to have the Bears take one of their home games to China?
“Not very.”
Because? "We want to play home games in Chicago and we think Bears fans deserve that."
He’ll have no quarrel from his head coach on that one.
“I’m gonna tell you how I referenced it,” said John Fox. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me?
We’re going to go to China and we can’t get full-time officials?’ That was a little bit more for how I was pushing another area.”
The NFL will have three games this year in London and one in Mexico City. And the push to globalize the product is unmistakable.
“We had a great presentation about how we need to take the game global,” McCaskey said. “It’s an ambitious undertaking. You’re seeing it in London, a very measured approach, seeing if we can build fan avidity. China, specifically, and Asia, generally, is a huge market, and something we feel we can tap into.
“We’re playing three games in London this year. We’re playing a game in Mexico City this year, and committed to playing a game in China in 2018.”
Why Cubs might see Ben Zobrist as their No. 3 hitter.
If Theo Epstein’s front office didn’t have an Ivy League pedigree and a research-and-development wing, the Twitter experts would laugh at the Cubs for calling Ben Zobrist a winning ballplayer.
But the Cubs are a blend of analytics and the eye test, striking the balance between numbers geeks and old-school scouts and putting Joe Maddon in the middle of it all.
The manager will keep experimenting with the lineup throughout the season. But get used to seeing this Cactus League look with Zobrist as the No. 3 hitter in front of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.
Maddon pointed out how the Cubs used a Zobrist Light in the second half of last season. Beginning July 30, the Cubs won 12 straight games with Chris Coghlan batting third. So many factors went into that hot streak, but the Cubs did go 27-9 with Coghlan as their unconventional No. 3 hitter.
“I would imagine that nobody wanted us to do that,” Maddon said Wednesday at Sloan Park. “But it played pretty well.”
Zobrist is a Maddon favorite after their time together with the data-driven Tampa Bay Rays. The Cubs felt comfortable enough to give a supporting player a four-year, $56 million contract heading into his age-35 season. And Zobrist turned down bigger guarantees elsewhere because he wanted to play for Maddon again.
“I’m getting all this different information,” Maddon said. “The human component (is) in this whole thing. Because it’s easy to say: ‘Oh yeah, you want Bryant to get more at-bats, you want Rizzo (to get more at-bats).’ Of course, that’s an easy thought. But I like to feed these guys, too, and you like to protect them.
“And then you don’t always know that KB is going to feel good. Or what state of mind is Rizzo in right now? And where’s Zobrist at? And if Zobrist is hitting behind Rizzo, how does that effect the other team’s approach?
“All this stuff matters. I don’t care what anybody says – it matters. And if you can’t quantify it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there. It’s there. It’s in the dugout on both sides. When the lineup’s presented before the game, it’s there. It’s absolutely there.”
Zobrist has been there before, putting up a .751 OPS in 148 postseason plate appearances and helping the Kansas City Royals win the World Series last year. The switch-hitter lengthened a Kansas City lineup that beat the New York Mets and the power pitching that shut down the Cubs in the National League Championship Series.
But the Cubs are a blend of analytics and the eye test, striking the balance between numbers geeks and old-school scouts and putting Joe Maddon in the middle of it all.
The manager will keep experimenting with the lineup throughout the season. But get used to seeing this Cactus League look with Zobrist as the No. 3 hitter in front of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.
Maddon pointed out how the Cubs used a Zobrist Light in the second half of last season. Beginning July 30, the Cubs won 12 straight games with Chris Coghlan batting third. So many factors went into that hot streak, but the Cubs did go 27-9 with Coghlan as their unconventional No. 3 hitter.
“I would imagine that nobody wanted us to do that,” Maddon said Wednesday at Sloan Park. “But it played pretty well.”
Zobrist is a Maddon favorite after their time together with the data-driven Tampa Bay Rays. The Cubs felt comfortable enough to give a supporting player a four-year, $56 million contract heading into his age-35 season. And Zobrist turned down bigger guarantees elsewhere because he wanted to play for Maddon again.
“I’m getting all this different information,” Maddon said. “The human component (is) in this whole thing. Because it’s easy to say: ‘Oh yeah, you want Bryant to get more at-bats, you want Rizzo (to get more at-bats).’ Of course, that’s an easy thought. But I like to feed these guys, too, and you like to protect them.
“And then you don’t always know that KB is going to feel good. Or what state of mind is Rizzo in right now? And where’s Zobrist at? And if Zobrist is hitting behind Rizzo, how does that effect the other team’s approach?
“All this stuff matters. I don’t care what anybody says – it matters. And if you can’t quantify it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there. It’s there. It’s in the dugout on both sides. When the lineup’s presented before the game, it’s there. It’s absolutely there.”
Zobrist has been there before, putting up a .751 OPS in 148 postseason plate appearances and helping the Kansas City Royals win the World Series last year. The switch-hitter lengthened a Kansas City lineup that beat the New York Mets and the power pitching that shut down the Cubs in the National League Championship Series.
“And then the theory of hitting your best hitter third,” Maddon said. “The one thing that I do believe in – and what I’m finding out a lot about – is the third-hole hitter comes up a lot with two outs and nobody on. So why would you want to put your best hitter there?
“And then the supposed best hitter’s going to complain about hitting fourth because he comes up a lot with nobody on base leading off an inning. What would you rather have?
“These are the kind of conversations where people just sit and talk about where to place somebody in a batting order and ‘Well, so-and-so wants to hit…’ He has no idea why he wants to hit there: ‘I’m the best hitter in the lineup, so I want to hit third.’ Big deal. That’s not going to benefit us.”
The Cubs want Zobrist in the middle of everything, as a clubhouse leader-by-example, a second baseman with the ability to play all over the field and, perhaps, their No. 3 hitter.
Buzz building around Cubs as Forbes values franchise at $2.2 billion.
By Patrick Mooney
Wrigley Field marquee entrance. (Photo courtesy of Chicago Cubs. All rights reserved.)
You don’t need a degree from Trump University to know that the Cubs are a booming business.
Forbes valued the franchise at $2.2 billion for the magazine’s annual Major League Baseball survey released Wednesday, ranking the Cubs fifth behind the New York Yankees ($3.4 billion), Los Angeles Dodgers ($2.5 billion), Boston Red Sox ($2.3 billion) and San Francisco Giants ($2.25 billion).
That represents a 160-percent increase from October 2009, when the Ricketts family finalized the details of a leveraged partnership with Sam Zell’s Tribune Co. and acquired a piece of Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Not bad for an ownership group that’s done such a “rotten job,” as Donald Trump told The Washington Post editorial board this week, whining about how the Ricketts family is spending millions of dollars trying to stop the Republican presidential frontrunner.
The Forbes valuations — which represent a 22-percent increase for the Cubs from last year — can be viewed as an overall outline and not taken as gospel.
But last spring the Cubs were said to be valued at north of $2 billion — including future real-estate development in Wrigleyville and the potential for a new cable network — while accounting for the sale of non-controlling shares to a group of minority investors.
Coming off five straight fifth-place finishes, the Cubs went out and won 97 games, advancing to the National League Championship Series and making Wrigley Field a destination again. That playoff surge fueled a spending spree that pushed the major-league payroll into the neighborhood of $150 million, a franchise record (or slightly higher than what it had been on Opening Day 2010).
The spending restrictions imposed by Zell as a condition of sale — and accepted by the Ricketts family — run through the 2019 season. With CSN Chicago holding exclusive cable rights through that same year — at a time of cord-cutting and uncertainty after the Dodgers’ boondoggle with SportsNet LA — president of business operations Crane Kenney is on deck and expected to deliver the next TV deal.
While Trump barks about the Super PAC stuff, chairman Tom Ricketts tries to avoid controversy and focus on the organization’s long-range plans. The Wrigley Field renovations are in full swing (after anti-Obama attack ads proposed to the family during the last presidential election cycle were leaked to the media, sidetracking the project).
This team is loaded with star power — Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta, All-Star first-baseman Anthony Rizzo and Manager of the Year Joe Maddon. Plus championship-tested veterans like Jon Lester, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist. A sturdy farm system built by Theo Epstein’s front office hasn’t been mortgaged yet, either.
Sports Illustrated just put the Cubs on a regional cover of the baseball-preview issue. The team reported a 98-percent renewal rate for season tickets and is averaging 14,924 fans per Cactus League game this spring at Sloan Park, the publicly financed complex in Mesa.
All this speaks for itself. So the Cubs will let Trump do all the talking and focus on trying to win their first World Series since the Theodore Roosevelt administration.
Chris Sale likes atmosphere in White Sox dugout.
Forbes valued the franchise at $2.2 billion for the magazine’s annual Major League Baseball survey released Wednesday, ranking the Cubs fifth behind the New York Yankees ($3.4 billion), Los Angeles Dodgers ($2.5 billion), Boston Red Sox ($2.3 billion) and San Francisco Giants ($2.25 billion).
That represents a 160-percent increase from October 2009, when the Ricketts family finalized the details of a leveraged partnership with Sam Zell’s Tribune Co. and acquired a piece of Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Not bad for an ownership group that’s done such a “rotten job,” as Donald Trump told The Washington Post editorial board this week, whining about how the Ricketts family is spending millions of dollars trying to stop the Republican presidential frontrunner.
The Forbes valuations — which represent a 22-percent increase for the Cubs from last year — can be viewed as an overall outline and not taken as gospel.
But last spring the Cubs were said to be valued at north of $2 billion — including future real-estate development in Wrigleyville and the potential for a new cable network — while accounting for the sale of non-controlling shares to a group of minority investors.
Coming off five straight fifth-place finishes, the Cubs went out and won 97 games, advancing to the National League Championship Series and making Wrigley Field a destination again. That playoff surge fueled a spending spree that pushed the major-league payroll into the neighborhood of $150 million, a franchise record (or slightly higher than what it had been on Opening Day 2010).
The spending restrictions imposed by Zell as a condition of sale — and accepted by the Ricketts family — run through the 2019 season. With CSN Chicago holding exclusive cable rights through that same year — at a time of cord-cutting and uncertainty after the Dodgers’ boondoggle with SportsNet LA — president of business operations Crane Kenney is on deck and expected to deliver the next TV deal.
While Trump barks about the Super PAC stuff, chairman Tom Ricketts tries to avoid controversy and focus on the organization’s long-range plans. The Wrigley Field renovations are in full swing (after anti-Obama attack ads proposed to the family during the last presidential election cycle were leaked to the media, sidetracking the project).
This team is loaded with star power — Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta, All-Star first-baseman Anthony Rizzo and Manager of the Year Joe Maddon. Plus championship-tested veterans like Jon Lester, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist. A sturdy farm system built by Theo Epstein’s front office hasn’t been mortgaged yet, either.
Sports Illustrated just put the Cubs on a regional cover of the baseball-preview issue. The team reported a 98-percent renewal rate for season tickets and is averaging 14,924 fans per Cactus League game this spring at Sloan Park, the publicly financed complex in Mesa.
All this speaks for itself. So the Cubs will let Trump do all the talking and focus on trying to win their first World Series since the Theodore Roosevelt administration.
Chris Sale likes atmosphere in White Sox dugout.
Chris Sale likes how he feels as well as the atmosphere in the White Sox dugout.
The left-hander allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings on Thursday as he made his second-to-last start of the spring. Sale earned a no decision as the White Sox lost to the Los Angeles Angels 6-5. Sale began his outing with five scoreless innings before yielding a three-run homer to Mike Trout and a solo shot to C.J. Cron in the sixth.
Sale said he feels great after he threw 88 pitches in the game and another 17 in the bullpen. He’s even happier with the dugout.
“Just the chatter in the dugout, not only from players, but from coaches, too,” Sale said. “Sometimes you can get in the dugout and it’s quiet and kind of stagnant. I haven’t really felt that. Especially in spring training, this can get kind of tough on guys and mentally draining. To be able to carry that energy in spring, it’s nice and it shows definitely.”
The left-hander allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings on Thursday as he made his second-to-last start of the spring. Sale earned a no decision as the White Sox lost to the Los Angeles Angels 6-5. Sale began his outing with five scoreless innings before yielding a three-run homer to Mike Trout and a solo shot to C.J. Cron in the sixth.
Sale said he feels great after he threw 88 pitches in the game and another 17 in the bullpen. He’s even happier with the dugout.
“Just the chatter in the dugout, not only from players, but from coaches, too,” Sale said. “Sometimes you can get in the dugout and it’s quiet and kind of stagnant. I haven’t really felt that. Especially in spring training, this can get kind of tough on guys and mentally draining. To be able to carry that energy in spring, it’s nice and it shows definitely.”
Sale intended to make Thursday’s start like a real game with a higher pitch count. Facing Trout and Albert Pujols ensured it would be for Sale, who pitched in simulated game and B games before he made his Cactus League debut on Saturday.
Sale retired both batters in their first two plate appearances, including a strikeout of Trout to start the fourth inning. He had only faced three over the minimum before the Angels started the sixth inning with three straight hits, the last being Trout’s homer to left field.
“My body feels good,” Sale said. “My arm feels great. That’s half the battle down here so with that and moving forward, I think we will all be prepared.
“All in all, it was a good day. The sixth inning got away a little bit, but that’s what we’re here for, to build up and use that as fuel.”
Jimmy Rollins had a first-inning solo homer, his fourth of the spring. Brett Lawrie belted a two-run shot in the sixth inning, his third. The White Sox have blasted 36 homers in 22 games this spring.
The White Sox only hit 136 home runs in 2015, their fewest in a full season since 1992. They only hit 22 in camp last spring.
“It’s been a good sign,” manager Robin Ventura said. “You’re hopeful guys hit homers because you need to hit them to be able to compete in our division. I like the way it’s gone so far. But you never can tell.”
Joe Garagiola, Baseball Player Turned Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Dies at 90.
By Duane Byrge
Sale retired both batters in their first two plate appearances, including a strikeout of Trout to start the fourth inning. He had only faced three over the minimum before the Angels started the sixth inning with three straight hits, the last being Trout’s homer to left field.
“My body feels good,” Sale said. “My arm feels great. That’s half the battle down here so with that and moving forward, I think we will all be prepared.
“All in all, it was a good day. The sixth inning got away a little bit, but that’s what we’re here for, to build up and use that as fuel.”
Jimmy Rollins had a first-inning solo homer, his fourth of the spring. Brett Lawrie belted a two-run shot in the sixth inning, his third. The White Sox have blasted 36 homers in 22 games this spring.
The White Sox only hit 136 home runs in 2015, their fewest in a full season since 1992. They only hit 22 in camp last spring.
“It’s been a good sign,” manager Robin Ventura said. “You’re hopeful guys hit homers because you need to hit them to be able to compete in our division. I like the way it’s gone so far. But you never can tell.”
Joe Garagiola, Baseball Player Turned Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Dies at 90.
By Duane Byrge
(Photo/The Hollywood Reporter)
Joe Garagiola, who turned a stint as a light-hitting catcher in the late 1940s and mid &lsquo50s into a bounteous television career as a baseball announcer and TV host, died Wednesday, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced. He was 90.
Garagiola called games at NBC for a quarter-century and served as a host on the Today show from 1967-73 and 1991-92. The likable St. Louis native sat in at times for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and hosted a number of game shows, including Joe Garagiola’s Memory Game, Sale of the Century, To Tell the Truth and Strike It Rich.
Garagiola called games at NBC for a quarter-century and served as a host on the Today show from 1967-73 and 1991-92. The likable St. Louis native sat in at times for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and hosted a number of game shows, including Joe Garagiola’s Memory Game, Sale of the Century, To Tell the Truth and Strike It Rich.
His book Baseball Is a Funny Game, a collection of humorous anecdotes told in his neighborly fashion, was first published in 1960 and was perhaps the first New York Times best-seller with baseball as its subject. He said sales took off after he made an appearance on The Jack Paar Show, and the book gave him a huge career boost and put him on the national stage.
Garagiola did games for NBC starting in 1961 and worked on New York Yankees telecasts from 1965-68 before returning to the Peacock network. In 1976, he succeeded Curt Gowdy as NBC’s No. 1 play-by-play announcer to partner with former Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek. His folksy, comic style helped spur ratings for The Game of the Week each Saturday afternoon.
In the '80s, Garagiola shifted to the analyst chair to team with legendary play-by-play man Vin Scully. He resigned from NBC Sports after calling the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win in the 1988 World Series, did a brief tour as a commentator with the California Angels and spent 15 years analyzing games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, where his son, Joe Garagiola Jr., had served as the team’s GM.
He won a Peabody Award in 1973, was inducted into the broadcasters wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 and later hosted the televised Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden.
In the '80s, Garagiola shifted to the analyst chair to team with legendary play-by-play man Vin Scully. He resigned from NBC Sports after calling the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win in the 1988 World Series, did a brief tour as a commentator with the California Angels and spent 15 years analyzing games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, where his son, Joe Garagiola Jr., had served as the team’s GM.
He won a Peabody Award in 1973, was inducted into the broadcasters wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 and later hosted the televised Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden.
Through the years, the energetic Garagiola was a popular TV guest, appearing on such programs as Late Night With David Letterman, often making fun of how bad a ballplayer he was.
“Each year I don’t play,” he once said, “I get better. The first year on the banquet trail, I was a former ballplayer, the second year I was great, the third year one of baseball’s stars, and just last year I was introduced as one of baseball’s immortals. The older I get, the more I realize that the worst break I had was playing.”
Tweeted Matt Lauer of the Today show: "God I'll miss Joe Garagiola. Was part of the soul of our show, and told me stories that made me laugh till I cried. Hall of fame person."
Joseph Henry Garagiola was born on Feb. 12, 1926. He was boyhood pals with another future big-league catcher, Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees.
A .257 lifetime hitter over nine seasons, Garagiola played with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and New York Giants. His Pirates in 1952 went 42-112, one of the worst records in baseball history.
His interest in broadcasting was spurred during the 1950 season when he listened to games on the radio while sidelined with a separated shoulder. After his playing career ended in 1954, he joined St. Louis radio station KMOX and called Cardinals games. His wife Audrie was the organist at the stadium.
Garagiola was active in a campaign against spit tobacco, a favorite avocation of big leaguers, and was president emeritus of the Baseball Assistance Team, the charitable organization that helps ex-players who have fallen on hard times.
On Opening Day in 2014, the Diamondbacks honored Garagiola for having received the 2014 Buck O’Neill Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The award is presented for “extraordinary efforts to enhance baseball's positive impact on society.”
The broadcast wing and TV booth at the team's Chase Field in Phoenix in 2009 was named in Garagiola's honor.
"Joe was so special to everyone at the D-backs and had an aura about him that you could feel the moment you met him," Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement.
"Joe was so special to everyone at the D-backs and had an aura about him that you could feel the moment you met him," Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement.
"Those of us who were lucky enough to know him personally were profoundly aware that the lovable personality that fans saw on TV was only surpassed by who he was in person and the way he treated everyone around him."
In addition to his wife and son, Garagiola is survived by his daughter Gina; another son Steve; and eight grandchildren.
In addition to his wife and son, Garagiola is survived by his daughter Gina; another son Steve; and eight grandchildren.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Group standings at WGC-Dell Match Play.
By Golf Channel Digital
Here are the group standings for pool play at the 2016 WGC-Dell Match Play Championship in Austin, Texas. The player with the most points in each pool will advance to Saturday's Round of 16 in Austin, Texas. Click here for scoring and click here for the bracket.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
| (1) J. Spieth: 2-0-0 | (2) J. Day: 2-0-0 | (3) R. McIlroy: 2-0-0 | (4) B. Watson: 1-0-1 |
| (31) J. Thomas: 0-2-0 | (23) P. Casey: 0-1-1 | (26) K. Na: 2-0-0 | (21) J.B. Holmes: 0-1-1 |
| (39) V. Dubuisson: 1-1-0 | (36) T. Jaidee: 1-1-0 | (46) S. Kaufman: 0-2-0 | (33) E. Grillo: 1-1-0 |
| (51) J. Donaldson: 1-1-0 | (62) G. McDowell: 0-1-1 | (64) T. Olesen: 0-2-0 | (63) P. Kizzire: 0-0-2 |
| Group 5 | Group 6 | Group 7 | Group 8 |
| (5) R. Fowler: 0-1-1 | (6) A. Scott: 1-0-1 | (7) J. Rose: 1-0-1 | (8) D. Johnson: 1-1-0 |
| (27) B.H. An: 1-0-1 | (30) B. Haas: 2-0-0 | (28) M. Kuchar: 1-0-1 | (22) J. Walker: 1-1-0 |
| (47) S. Piercy: 0-0-2 | (41) C. Wood: 0-2-0 | (48) A. Lahiri: 0-1-1 | (37) K. Aphibarnrat: 1-1-0 |
| (58) J. Dufner: 1-1-0 | (55) T. Pieters: 0-1-1 | (57) F. Gomez: 0-1-1 | (49) R. Streb: 1-1-0 |
| Group 9 | Group 10 | Group 11 | Group 12 |
| (9) P. Reed: 2-0-0 | (10) D. Willett: 0-1-1 | (11) B. Grace: 1-1-0 | (12) H. Matsuyama: 1-1-0 |
| (17) P. Mickelson: 2-0-0 | (18) B. Koepka: 2-0-0 | (32) R. Knox: 1-0-1 | (20) K. Kisner: 1-1-0 |
| (42) M. Fitzpatrick: 0-2-0 | (40) B. Horschel: 1-1-0 | (38) D. Lingmerth: 0-1-1 | (43) S. Kjeldsen: 0-2-0 |
| (53) D. Berger: 0-2-0 | (50) J. Van Zyl: 0-1-1 | (54) C. Kirk: 1-1-0 | (52) R. Cabrera-Bello: 2-0-0 |
| Group 13 | Group 14 | Group 15 | Group 16 |
| (13) S. Garcia: 1-1-0 | (14) Z. Johnson: 2-0-0 | (15) B. Snedeker: 1-0-1 | (16) L. Oosthuizen: 2-0-0 |
| (25) M. Leishman: 0-1-1 | (24) S. Lowry: 0-1-1 | (19) C. Schwartzel: 2-0-0 | (29) A. Sullivan: 2-0-0 |
| (45) R. Moore: 1-0-1 | (44) M. Kaymer: 1-1-0 | (34) D. Lee: 0-1-1 | (35) B. Wiesberger: 0-2-0 |
| (59) L. Westwood: 1-1-0 | (60) M. Fraser: 0-1-1 | (56) C. Hoffman: 0-2-0 | (61) M. Jones: 0-2-0 |
Spieth cruises to second WGC Match Play win.
World number one Jordan Spieth cruised to his second WGC Match Play win of the week on Thursday, downing France's Victor Dubuisson 5 and 4.
As in his 3 and 2 triumph over Jamie Donaldson at Austin Country Club on Wednesday, Spieth got off to a quick start and never trailed.
He went 3 up after birdies at the third and fifth, maintaining that cushion until his lone setback of the day, a double bogey at the par-three 11th.
It proved only a hiccup, as Dubuisson failed to notch a single birdie and lost the final three holes of the contest.
"Been able to flight the ball nicely," Spieth said. "I had one bad swing on 11, but really played solid golf.
"Really thought I'd be five or six up at the turn, and Victor made a couple of long putts to tie the holes.
"But that's what he does best. Very pleased to get today done with."
Eighth-seeded Dustin Johnson bounced back from an opening day defeat to beat Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat 5 and 4.
Johnson birdied two of the first four holes and led after every hole.
"Today I drove it a little bit better," Johnson said. "I holed a couple of putts, just really had a lot of putts to win holes whereas yesterday I had a lot of putts to tie."
Kiradech was slow out of the blocks with bogeys at the first two holes. After taking the seventh hole with a par he was just 1 down, but Johnson won the next four.
World number two Jason Day, who hurt his back in a 3 and 2 victory over Graeme McDowell on Wednesday, teed off on schedule and was 2 up through nine against Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee.
British Open champion Zach Johnson notched a big win, downing former world number one Martin Kaymer of Germany 8 and 6.
"In match play, momentum is always nice," said Johnson, who won five of the first eight holes and the first three holes of the back nine with birdies at 10 and 11 and a concession on 12.
"Today I got up early and just never let go," said Johnson, who with his 4 and 3 victory over Marcus Fraser on Wednesday has played just 27 holes in his first two matches.
Mickelson 2-0 after Berger concedes because of injury.
By JIM VERTUNO
Daniel Berger had fought back against Phil Mickelson all day, only to find himself settled up close to a rock retaining wall just off the 18th fairway, needing a big shot in a must-win situation at the Dell Match Play.
Painfully close, it turned out.
After measuring and re-measuring his swing perhaps a dozen times, Berger hit the wall on his downswing, missed his ball, let go of his club and grabbed his left wrist in pain.
Seconds later, he waved to Mickelson and conceded the match that had been all-square off the 18th tee. The loss dropped the 22-year-old 2015 rookie of the year to 0-2 in the round-robin portion of the tournament, knocking him out even if he returns to play Friday.
''I wouldn't play if my wrist doesn't feel good with the Masters coming up. We'll see, I don't know. It doesn't feel that great right now,'' said Berger, who was still grabbing his wrist and flexing his fingers five minutes after the match. ''I've never had an injury in my life. We'll see. Hopefully, I'll be all right.''
Berger's withdrawal pushed Mickelson to 2-0, a position he considered himself a bit lucky to be in after a ragged round that saw him spray tee shots and made only two birdies.
''We both struggled today, neither one of us really 'won' any holes. We handed each other holes back-and-forth,'' Mickelson said. ''It wasn't the match either of us hoped for.''
Mickelson was watching from about 100 yards when Berger struck the rock. From that far away, he could see the dust fly and Berger drop his club before he could hear the ''crack'' of the club striking the rock.
''I thought there was a good chance he wouldn't make contact,'' Mickelson said. ''Hopefully, his wrist is OK.''
Mickelson is back in the match play tournament after skipping it the last four years to spend time with his family. His best finish was in 2004 when he reached the quarterfinals.
''I've always enjoyed the event. It was never the event that held me back, it was that my kids were on vacation all the time,'' Mickelson said. ''I'm excited to be back and playing.''
At 45, Mickelson is the second-oldest player in the tournament and he and England's Lee Westwood are the only two players in the field who competed in the inaugural match play championship in 1999. Mickelson's playing partners in the first two rounds - Berger and England's Matthew Fitzpatrick - weren't even born when Mickelson won his first PGA Tour title in 1991.
Mickelson will face 24-year-old Patrick Reed on Friday, with the winner advancing to the knockout stage. They were teammates in the last Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
''There are a lot of good young players,'' Mickelson said. ''They are fun to watch. They hit the ball hard and can play.''
Berger said he enjoyed the round with one of his boyhood idols. But he also made it clear early on he wasn't going to give anything easy to the five-time major championship winner when he made Mickelson putt out from less than a foot to halve the second hole. But any potential for tension quickly disappeared as the players chatted with each other walking up the next fairway.
Berger leaves disappointed with his two losses in a Ryder Cup year. That's a big reason he wants to play Friday if his wrist allows, and hopes U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III will be watching.
''I've got to get better if I want to win these matches,'' Berger said. ''I knew I had to win today. Tomorrow I just go try to have some fun to show captain Love that I'm good enough to be on that team. I know I am.''
By Ryan Lavner
Jason Day surprised even himself Thursday with his dominant 5-and-3 victory over Thongchai Jaidee at the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Questionable for the second round because of what he later described as an inflamed disk in his back, Day eagled his opening hole and made five birdies around the turn to improve to 2-0 this week.
“I was actually quite surprised that I got to the golf course and hit the shots without really protecting it,” he said.
Day will play Paul Casey on Friday, needing only a half point to advance to the weekend.
After limping off the course Wednesday and receiving treatment, Day said he considered undergoing an MRI to see if there was any structural damage. He decided to test his back before the round, going through a half-hour warmup session, swinging fully and aggressively, like he would on the course.
Day, who has battled back issues since he was 13, knew he’d be able to play after his very first tee shot – a 372-yard blast that settled 12 feet away, leading to an opening eagle.
A winner last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Day can return to No. 1 in the world with a deep run this weekend at the Match Play.
“I was so disappointed and so angry last night that I was injured because I have been doing the right things with my body,” he said. “These things just pop up out of the blue and you can’t do anything about it. It’s so frustrating because I am playing really good golf right now. I know that if I can keep playing this way, I can win.
“Once again, I’m just trying to stay focused on the positive side of things, that I have recovered pretty good from it. I’ll try and stay on top of it and be disciplined with the protocols and go from there.”
NASCAR: Danica Patrick and Kyle Busch fined after Auto Club races.
Cole Pearn, Martin Truex's crew chief, was not penalized for his tweet regarding Joey Logano's appearance following the race. Pearn apologized for the tweet, which has since been deleted. Logano got into Truex during the race and Truex hit the wall. Truex finished 32nd and Logano took responsibility for the wreck afterwards.
Hildebrand returning to Indy 500 with Ed Carpenter Racing.
By Jenna Fryer
Kyle Larson looks on from the garage area before NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
J.R. Hildebrand will get another shot at winning the Indianapolis 500 through Ed Carpenter Racing, which is expanding its team to three cars at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hildebrand was leading on the final lap of the Indy 500 in 2011 when he wrecked in the final turn. His last full season in IndyCar was in 2012, but Carpenter has hired the Californian for the Indy 500 the last three years.
Carpenter will actually field a car for Hildebrand in both the 100th running of the Indy 500 and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the IMS road course. The car will be sponsored by Preferred Freezer Services for the third consecutive year.
''Especially going into this year's 100th running of the 500, you know everyone is bringing their absolute best to the fight,'' Hildebrand said. ''After the experience I've had over the last two years with this team, I know that we're going to be bringing a race-winning effort ourselves.''
Hildebrand finished eighth in the Indy 500 last year for Carpenter, and 10th in 2014. This year will be his sixth Indy 500.
The deal with Preferred Freezer Services also includes primary sponsorship of Josef Newgarden's car at the Grand Prix of Boston and Honda Indy Toronto. PFS will also be an associate sponsor for Newgarden in all remaining races.
Meanwhile, AJ Foyt Racing has committed to running a third entry in the Indianapolis 500 with sponsor Alfe Heat Treating. Foyt has hired Alex Tagliani to drive the No. 35 Honda in both the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the 500.
The number 35 was chosen to honor Foyt's record 35 straight starts in the Indianapolis 500 from 1958 through 1992. The car's colors will be a nod to the No. 14 Copenhagen cars that Foyt drove in the latter part of his career.
''We chose the number 35 because it is the number of consecutive starts A.J. had at the Brickyard as well as being A.J.'s birth year, a lucky number,'' said Kurt Westman, CEO of Alfe Heat Treating.
This year will be the third straight year that Alfe Heat Treating has focused on a design that has meaning beyond the traditional sponsor-centric livery. The sponsor in 2014 featured a ''Foyt Poppy Red'' paint scheme in honor of Foyt's record-setting Indy 500 victory in 1977.
Last year, Dan Gurney's No. 48 All American Eagle was selected as the design and Tagliani drove the car to a 17th-place finish.
LARSON OUT
LARSON OUT
Kyle Larson skipped Wednesday night's World of Outlaws race at Placerville Speedway in California because he's still sore from a hard crash at Auto Club Speedway.
Larson hit head-on into a SAFER barrier at high speed in the Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. He said after the accident his left rear tire was cut and it probably ripped the brake line.
''I went to push the pedal and it went straight to the floor board. I couldn't slow down,'' he said. ''It was definitely a hard hit there, probably one of the harder ones of my career.''
Larson was scheduled to race in the WoO event - Brad Sweet's Placerville Showdown - but said Wednesday morning he will only be a spectator. Sweet is the brother of Larson's longtime girlfriend.
''After the wreck I had in Sunday's Cup race my body us still too sore to compete,'' Larson posted on Twitter. ''With the NASCAR off weekend coming up I feel it is best to use that time to let my body recover and not risk anything else.''
DW ON JJ
With his win Sunday at California, Jimmie Johnson passed the late Dale Earnhardt for sole possession of seventh on NASCAR's list of all-time victories.
Standing immediately ahead of the six-time champion now is Hall of Famers Cale Yarborough (83 wins) and Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison (84 wins) and both marks are realistically reachable this year for Johnson. His win Sunday was the 77th of his career, and Johnson has been known to reel off multiple-win seasons. He won a career-high 10 races in 2007.
Waltrip, a FOX NASCAR analyst and three-time champion, is tied with Allison for fourth on the all-time wins list and is impressed with the speed in which Johnson has amassed his victories. Johnson has done it in 15 years.
''He hasn't been in the sport all that long, so the amount of time it took him to break Dale Earnhardt's record is remarkable,'' Waltrip said. ''Johnson is a phenomenon like Jeff Gordon, his mentor. What's most impressive is the amount of time it took him to hit this mark - not so much the mark itself.''
Now Waltrip believes Johnson is focused on climbing up the leaderboard and winning a seventh title, which would tie him for most in NASCAR history with Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
''When you break a record like Jimmie did and are reaching milestones, you realize those next goals are not too lofty or unattainable,'' Waltrip said. ''It's not just catching Cale in race wins now, though. Jimmie also wants to win seven or eight championships. And Jimmie probably would like to win 100 races.''
SOCCER; USMNT vs. Guatemala preview: On to the next WCQ for Klinsmann’s crew.
By Nicholas Mendola
(AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo)
It’s been a long time since Guatemala defeated the United States men’s national team, a feat they’ll need to achieve if Walter Claveri is to lead La Azul y Blanco into the Hexagonal for the first time since 2006.
The more likely chance for Guatemala to pull three points from this week’s pair of matches against the highly favored USMNT comes Friday in Guatemala City.
Home-field advantage for these smaller CONCACAF sides can be a massive benefit, whether it be in the form of poor pitches, fervent crowds or intimidated officials (or all three).
Build-up to USMNT-Guatemala
Guatemala enters Friday’s third qualifier with a 1W-1L record, having cruised to a road win at St. Vincent and the Grenadines before losing a 2-1 decision at home to Trinidad and Tobago.
That home loss means three points against the States on either Friday or Tuesday is imperative given that T&T will be expected to pull six points from its home-and-home with St. Vincent. Should that happen and the Yanks even take four of six from Guatemala — they’ll be expected to do so — T&T would have 10 points and the U.S. 7 to Guatemala’s four, with the Yanks hosting T&T and traveling to St. Vincent over the final two matches.
How would Guatemala go about finding a win against the States, besides shifty referees or sloppy field conditions? Team captain and MLS veteran Carlos Ruiz knows a thing or two about plucking points, and he’ll turn to a cagey squad that includes Colorado Rapids attacker Marco Pappa and late-blooming forward Gerson Tinoco.
That said, the Yanks have Hertha Berlin defender John Anthony Brooks (above), who is in UEFA Champions League form along with his club, and a collection of talent that outclasses Guatemala on paper and on the pitch.
If the Yanks are who we hope they are, Jurgen Klinsmann’s crew should ease to a minimum four points over the pair of matches. Actually, they should take both. In doing so, they’d clinch a spot in the Hex.
Predictions
Friday: Guatemala 1-2 USMNT
Tuesday: USMNT 2-0 Guatemala
Chelsea-Real Madrid exhibition to be at Michigan Stadium.
The Associated Press
Chelsea's preseason exhibition game against Real Madrid on July 30 will be played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
The game was announced Tuesday, and the site was made public on Thursday.
A 2014 exhibition between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium drew 109,318, a record for soccer in the United States.
NCAABKB: 2016 NCAA "March Madness" Tournament Scores. Thursday, March 24 (Sweet Sixteen) (Advances to the Elite Eight).
SB Nation
No. 2 Villanova 92, No. 3 Miami 69
No. 2 Oklahoma 77, No. 3 Texas A&M 63
No. 1 Kansas 79, No. 5 Maryland 63
No. 1 Oregon 82, No. 4 Duke 68
Kansas, Oregon march on to Elite Eight.
By Andy Hutchins
After a first week of the 2016 NCAA Tournament shot through with chaos, Thursday's first games of the Sweet Sixteen were marked by the dominance of chalk — including the Rock Chalk variety.
No. 1 Kansas pulled away in the second half for a 79-63 victory over No. 5 Maryland in the South Region, and No. 1 Oregon followed that with a 82-68 win of its own against No. 4 Duke in the West Region.
The Jayhawks got 27 points from senior Perry Ellis and 14 points and 11 rebounds from Landen Lucas in a bludgeoning effort inside that overwhelmed the Terrapins' talented front line. Kansas came into the game as one of the nation's most accurate teams from the perimeter, but largely eschewed the long ball in Louisville, taking just nine threes on the evening, a season low.
But Maryland never even managed to knot up the game in the second half, and so Kansas is in its first regional final since 2012, when the Jayhawks made the national championship game and lost to Kentucky. Kansas will meet No. 2 Villanova on Saturday.
Oregon, meanwhile, is in its first regional final since 2007, when it fell to Florida's defending national champions. The Ducks got 22 points and six assists from do-everything Dillon Brooks and had six players score at least seven points.
Freshman sensation Brandon Ingram poured in 24 points for Duke, but had a banking three rim out with just over a minute left, and Grayson Allen punctuated a disappointing 15-point night with a missed free throw shortly afterward to scuttle the Blue Devils' comeback attempt.
Oregon has not made the Final Four since 1939, when the then-Tall Firs had to win just one game to get there — then went on to win the inaugural NCAA Tournament. To make another one, the Ducks will have to get past No. 2 Oklahoma and sharpshooter Buddy Hield in Anaheim.
3 things we learned from Villanova's 92-69 drubbing of Miami.
By Jim Lohmar
The NCAA Tournament has its first Elite Eight team. The Villanova Wildcats wrecked the Miami Hurricanes Thursday night, 92-69, to punch their tickets to Saturday's regional finals in Louisville. The Wildcats' win sends them to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009, finally quieting the doubters who've watched them flunk out of the opening weekend five times since 2010.
Miami fought off an initial first-half shellacking from Villanova to pull back within six at halftime, but the Wildcats and Ryan Arcidiacono soon pulled out to a 12-point advantage early in the second period. Villanova's relentless defense through the midcourt contributed to 12 'Canes turnovers, which set them at a severe disadvantage early on. The beating continued through the last 20 minutes, with 'Nova steadily hitting shots and disrupting Miami's attack until the final buzzer.
Here are three things we learned from the Wildcats' first Sweet 16 win since 2009.
1. Villanova has exorcised its March Madness demons.
The Wildcats' last trip to the Final Four in 2009 ended at the hands of North Carolina, an 83-69 loss that sure still stings for a program that's earned not unfounded "flop" name calling from without. In the 2015 Big Dance, Villanova was the first No. 1 seed bounced from the field in a close 71-68 loss to NC State in the second round.
With dominating wins over UNC-Asheville (86-56), Iowa (87-68), and now Miami, Jay Wright's club is playing some lights-out basketball right when they need to, and a Saturday matchup against No. 1 Kansas or No. 5 Maryland now stands between then and a trip to Houston.
2. The Wildcats' balanced scoring overwhelmed Miami all over the court.
2. The Wildcats' balanced scoring overwhelmed Miami all over the court.
Villanova doesn't enjoy the standout services of a Buddy Hield or Denzel Valentine, but they're by no means less dangerous on the offensive side of the court. In Thursday's win, a full four Wildcat scorers finished with double-digit points, and as a team they shot 62.7 percent in the game. Arcidiacono and Kris Jenkins led all Villanova scorers with 21 points apiece, and Daniel Ochefu racked up 17 of his own.
3. Miami just couldn't handle Villanova's stifling defense.
Twelve turnovers by Miami prevented any sort of offensive rhythm, especially when many of those turnovers occurred right at half court. The Wildcats just refused to allow Miami to pass themselves out of the Wildcat press. With their attack tentative through the build-up phase, then, whatever shots the 'Canes did manage to pull needed to be accurate, and they were. Miami shot a respectable 53.2 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from three land Thursday night, but Villanova was just more accurate more consistently.
Miami thus remains without a tournament appearance lasting beyond the Sweet 16, but this year's squad showed a lot of promise and an equal amount of fight. Jim Larranaga's guys are pointed in the right direction for next season, and a three seed and Sweet 16 appearance is nothing to sneer at.
OU Defeats Texas A&M 77-63; Advances To Elite 8.
CBSDFW.COM
Jordan Woodard scored 22 points and Buddy Hield had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the second-seeded Oklahoma Sooners to a 77-63 romp over third-seeded and cold-shooting Texas A&M in the NCAA West Regional on Thursday.
The Sooners blew open a close game by going on a 19-4 run during the last 7:42 of the first half to take a 45-26 lead. The Sooners forced the Aggies into bad shots and turnovers, and Woodard was the catalyst on the offensive end.
Tyler Davis scored 17 for A&M (28-9), which reached the Sweet 16 with a thrilling double-overtime victory against Northern Iowa after rallying from 12 points down in the final 44 seconds of regulation.
The Sooners advanced to the regional finals for the first time since 2009, when they lost to North Carolina in the South Regional. Oklahoma is trying to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2002, when it lost to Indiana in the national semifinals.
Oklahoma shot 49.2 percent while holding the Aggies to 34.2 percent. Texas A&M added to its misery by making only six of 28 3-pointers and just 13 of 24 free throws.
Woodard started the decisive first half run with a 3-pointer and had another shot from behind the arc with 3:15 to go. He also fed Khadeem Lattin for a slam dunk and then hit a sweet, off-balance bank shot as the shot clock was close to expiring with about 20 seconds left.
Oklahoma plays Saturday against No. 1 Oregon.
NCAAFB: Nick Saban named one of Fortune’s ‘World’s Greatest Leaders’.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Associated Press)
It’s not often you can put a college football coach and the leader of Catholicism in one post and it make sense, but this is one of those situations.
Thursday, Fortune magazine announced its third annual, 50-person-strong list of “World’s Greatest Leaders.” Just one college football head coach made the exclusive list:
Alabama’s Nick Saban at No. 11, ahead of the likes of U2 front man and philanthropist Bono (No. 14), Blackrock CEO Larry Fink (No. 21), Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chavez (No. 24), Argentine president Maurizio Macri (No. 26), the first women to graduate from Ranger School (No. 34), the heads of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (No. 41) and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau (No. 48).
Not only is Saban the only college coach to make the exclusive list — there’s at least one other SEC connection, though: Auburn grad and Apple CEO Tim Cook — he’s one of only three associated with any type of sports, period. The other two? The Golden State Warriors duo of Steve Kerr and Steph Curry at No. 15.
“In business, government, philanthropy and the arts, and all over the globe, these men and women are transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same,” the magazine wrote in describing its endeavor. Below is the blurb attached to Saban’s selection:
The dynasty was over. That was the consensus of the pundits after Alabama’s 43–37 loss to Ole Miss in its third game of the season last September. The famed “process” that Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, 64, had used to win three national titles in football at Bama—while boosting graduation rates—and one at LSU had run its course, and the competition had caught up. Saban challenged his team: “How are you going to respond?” When Alabama defeated Clemson 45–40 for another title on Jan. 11, 2016, he had his answer, and the dynasty—and Saban’s legacy as a leader—remained intact.As for the 10 individuals who merited spots above Saban? Here you go…
1. Jeff Bezos (CEO, Amazon)
2. Angela Merkel (Chancellor, Germany)
3. Aung San Suu Kyi (Leader, National League for Democracy)
4. Pope Francis (Pontiff, Roman Catholic Church)
5. Cook
6. John Legend (Recording artist and activist, The Show Me Campaign)
7. Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change)
8. Paul Ryan (Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives)
9. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court)
10. Sheikh Hasina (Prime Minister, Bangladesh)
Kentucky’s entire basketball team is declaring for the NBA Draft thanks to a loophole in the NCAA's eligibility rules. What's Your Take? (2)
Kentucky Basketball (Photo/Andy Lyons/Getty)
Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari announced on Wednesday that every member of his basketball team that is eligible — including the walk-ons — will declare for this year's NBA Draft.
The announcement sounds shocking, even by the much-maligned Kentucky coach's standards. But in actuality, Calipari is simply taking advantage of the NCAA's new NBA Draft rules, which now permits collegiate players to "test the NBA waters" and see if professional teams are interested before deciding whether or not to hire an agent, forfeit their eligibility, and officially turn pro.
Here's how Calipari described it:
When the season’s over, it’s about each individual player and what’s right for them and their families. With that being said, every player who is eligible for the draft, including our walk-ons, will submit their names for the NBA Draft in hopes of being invited to the combine in May.
The new rule states they can submit their name a total of three times. If they choose to withdraw, they have until 10 days after the combine. It’s a true win-win for the student-athlete.
In other words, all the members of the Kentucky program will submit their name and enter the NBA Combine, and only those who are invited to work out, and those who then learn from scouts that they will likely be drafted, will actually go pro.
The rest can go through the process, withdraw their names from consideration, and return to Kentucky with their eligibility completely in tact. No harm, no foul.
While Calipari is right to call it a win-win for his players, as Kentucky Sports Radio's Matt Jones also explained, Calipari's decision will assuredly be used in recruiting for years to come:
Calipari as always ahead of the curve...will be able to use the "we tell everyone to declare" as a recruiting advantage. ~ MattJones@KySportsRadio
And, even more than simply being a recruiting advantage, this move allows the group of Kentucky players that end up not gaining any draft traction to return to campus without feeling like they've failed the Kentucky one-and-done system of going pro as soon as possible:
One added benefit of having every player declare...less embarrassment for the ones that come back as they do in group rather than individual. ~ MattJones@KySportsRadio
Calipari has always taken full advantage of the NCAA's one-and-done rule, which has caused the top high school talent come to college with every intention of turning pro after just one year. Kentucky's current roster of blue-chip prospects will likely have at least three players taken in the first round, as they do every year.
Calipari has the top recruiting class for next year, too, and after their season ends they will all turn pro, too. The McDonald's All-Americans that Calipari recruits each season elect to play at Kentucky because they know Calipari will prepare them for the NBA without expecting them to stick around longer than they have to, or feeling slighted when they do.
Neither Calipari nor the players on Kentucky have tried to fool anyone otherwise. The team is a gap-year program for future NBA players, completely legal under NCAA regulations. Calipari's announcement on Friday is nothing more than this program's logical extension.
When the season’s over, it’s about each individual player and what’s right for them and their families. With that being said, every player who is eligible for the draft, including our walk-ons, will submit their names for the NBA Draft in hopes of being invited to the combine in May.
The new rule states they can submit their name a total of three times. If they choose to withdraw, they have until 10 days after the combine. It’s a true win-win for the student-athlete.
In other words, all the members of the Kentucky program will submit their name and enter the NBA Combine, and only those who are invited to work out, and those who then learn from scouts that they will likely be drafted, will actually go pro.
The rest can go through the process, withdraw their names from consideration, and return to Kentucky with their eligibility completely in tact. No harm, no foul.
While Calipari is right to call it a win-win for his players, as Kentucky Sports Radio's Matt Jones also explained, Calipari's decision will assuredly be used in recruiting for years to come:
Calipari as always ahead of the curve...will be able to use the "we tell everyone to declare" as a recruiting advantage. ~ MattJones@KySportsRadio
And, even more than simply being a recruiting advantage, this move allows the group of Kentucky players that end up not gaining any draft traction to return to campus without feeling like they've failed the Kentucky one-and-done system of going pro as soon as possible:
One added benefit of having every player declare...less embarrassment for the ones that come back as they do in group rather than individual. ~ MattJones@KySportsRadio
Calipari has always taken full advantage of the NCAA's one-and-done rule, which has caused the top high school talent come to college with every intention of turning pro after just one year. Kentucky's current roster of blue-chip prospects will likely have at least three players taken in the first round, as they do every year.
Calipari has the top recruiting class for next year, too, and after their season ends they will all turn pro, too. The McDonald's All-Americans that Calipari recruits each season elect to play at Kentucky because they know Calipari will prepare them for the NBA without expecting them to stick around longer than they have to, or feeling slighted when they do.
Neither Calipari nor the players on Kentucky have tried to fool anyone otherwise. The team is a gap-year program for future NBA players, completely legal under NCAA regulations. Calipari's announcement on Friday is nothing more than this program's logical extension.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: Power 5 Conferences, good luck with that one-and-done philosophy. As you have seen from this year's NCAA "March Madness" Basketball Tournament, the mid-major and smaller college conference teams do not fear you anymore. Two factors are starting to lean in their favor, (1) the parity in college basketball and (2) the mid-major and smaller college conference teams will play together longer (three to four years), become very familiar how each other plays and have a burning desire to upset their Power Conference rivals. This is a great thing, again, it addresses one our favorite quotes, ''Competition breeds excellence." It's tremendous for the smaller schools and solidifies and fortifies the essence of pride and accomplishment. For them, now hope springs eternal, they can compete.
This year's tournament is no fluke, it's just a precursor of what's to come. Yes, talent does reign supreme, however, five or more guys committed to a common purpose, that have played together for more than two to three years, have a common objective and an absolute desire to win are a team to be reckoned with. The future of college is just going to get better. You got to love it and the fans deserve it. We're so excited!!!
We've shared our thoughts with you and want you to share your opinion with us. What's Your Take? Please go to the comments section at the bottom of this blog and share your assessment with us.
We truly love hearing from you and value your opinions tremendously.
The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
On
Memoriesofhistory.com
1936 - The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Maroons in the longest hockey game to date. The game lasted for 2 hours and 56 minutes. 1
958 - Sugar Ray Robinson regained his middleweight title for the fifth time when he defeated Carmen Basilio in a 12-round decision.
1972 - Bobby Hull joined Gordie Howe to become only the second National Hockey League player to score 600 career goals.
1982 - Wayne Gretzky became the first player in the NHL to score 200 points in a season.
1995 - Boxer Mike Tyson was released from jail after serving 3 years.
1997 - Hartford Whalers announced that they would move from Connecticut following the 1996-97 season. In 1997-98 they became the Carolina Hurricanes.
2002 - The NHL suspended Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis Blues) for slashing Lyle Odelein (Chicago Blackhawks) during a game on March 23, 2002.
2002 - Bobby Holik (New Jersey Devils) was suspended by the NHL for slashing Rod Brind'Amour (Carolina Hurricanes) in the face. Brind'Amour needed seven stitches to close the cut around his left eye.
2004 - The NHL suspended Marty Turco (Dallas Stars) for four games for a high-sticking incident the night before against Ryan Smith (Edmonton Oilers). Turco forfeited more than $195,000 in salary.
958 - Sugar Ray Robinson regained his middleweight title for the fifth time when he defeated Carmen Basilio in a 12-round decision.
1972 - Bobby Hull joined Gordie Howe to become only the second National Hockey League player to score 600 career goals.
1982 - Wayne Gretzky became the first player in the NHL to score 200 points in a season.
1995 - Boxer Mike Tyson was released from jail after serving 3 years.
1997 - Hartford Whalers announced that they would move from Connecticut following the 1996-97 season. In 1997-98 they became the Carolina Hurricanes.
2002 - The NHL suspended Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis Blues) for slashing Lyle Odelein (Chicago Blackhawks) during a game on March 23, 2002.
2002 - Bobby Holik (New Jersey Devils) was suspended by the NHL for slashing Rod Brind'Amour (Carolina Hurricanes) in the face. Brind'Amour needed seven stitches to close the cut around his left eye.
2004 - The NHL suspended Marty Turco (Dallas Stars) for four games for a high-sticking incident the night before against Ryan Smith (Edmonton Oilers). Turco forfeited more than $195,000 in salary.
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