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Trending: Wild complete season sweep of shorthanded Blackhawks. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Drained Bulls escape from Indiana after Jimmy Butler's game-winner. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) drives on Chicago Bulls' Pau Gasol during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 29, 2016. The Bulls defeated the Pacers 98-96. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Trending: USMNT 4-0 Guatemala: Dempsey, Cameron key dominant bit of revenge. (See the Soccer section for soccer updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Wild complete season sweep of shorthanded Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks were already without Brent Seabrook and, about 10 minutes later, they were without Duncan Keith.
Still, the Blackhawks kept things close with the Minnesota Wild, which had won the previous four regular-season contests between the two teams. By the third period, however, the Wild were once again sending the Blackhawks home disappointed.
Marian Hossa scored the 499th goal of his NHL career but the Wild scored three unanswered goals in the third period en route to their 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks remain in third in the Central Division with 95 points.
Keith was assessed a match penalty for “intent to injure” midway through the first period. Keith was tripped by Charlie Coyle and, while on his back, swung his stick at Coyle’s face. The Department of Player Safety will review the matter; whether or not Keith is suspended going forward is uncertain at this time.
Asked what he thought of the penalty, coach Joel Quenneville said, “I didn’t see it live because I was on the same side of the bench. I took a quick peek at it. We’ll see.”
Despite the Blackhawks being down two defensemen, Quenneville didn’t feel they were giving up too much defensively. They finished the second period tied 1-1 with the Wild thanks to Hossa, who scored a shorthanded goal during the five-minute Keith penalty kill.
By the third period, however, the Wild were exposing the Blackhawks’ shortcomings on defense. Jared Spurgeon scored what would be the game-winning goal 4:07 into the third and Erik Haula added his 13th of the season about seven minutes later.
“We did a good job recognizing the fact we were short staffed defensively. I think for the most part we played pretty well defensively. Just got caught and gave them those rush chances again,” Jonathan Toews said. “The first three goals were all rushes. I’m pretty sure they were, but that’s where they were getting their chances tonight.
Breakdowns, forwards weren’t coming back to help out. Gave a couple big ones away in the third period there.”
Scott Darling gave up three goals on 17 shots. Nino Niederreiter added an empty-net goal for the Wild with 1:19 remaining in regulation.
The Blackhawks have fared very well against the Wild in the postseason – three playoff series victories, two of which led to Stanley Cups. But this season has been completely in the Wild’s favor. The Blackhawks have had frustrations for various reasons this season. Being bested this much by a Central Division opponent was just one more.
“You know if we would’ve won tonight, we wouldn’t be satisfied with 1-4. It adds insult to injury to lose this one tonight. So I don’t know, at the end of the day, it’s unfortunate,” Toews said. “They were always ready for those games. There [were] a couple we didn’t really play well. We didn’t really deserve to win. It’s not fun to look back and have a record like that against a team in your division, especially a team like Minnesota. It’s not something we’re happy about."
Five Things from Blackhawks-Wild: Keith suspension coming?
By Tracey Myers
You know how the Minnesota Wild felt the past three postseasons? Well, the Blackhawks may have felt a smidge of that this season, considering the Wild pushed them around for five victories. It’s not easy taking a season series against the Blackhawks, but the Wild did it with authority, putting an exclamation point on it with a 4-1 victory on Tuesday night.
Yeah, that’s the way it goes some seasons. But the Blackhawks may have bigger concerns than their regular-season record vs. the Wild. So before we head home, let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ latest loss to Minnesota.
1. Duncan Keith could be out a bit. The defenseman’s stick-swing at Charlie Coyle was a costly one, as he was assessed a match penalty for “intent to injure.” Coyle was bloodied and Keith was gone for the night. Will Keith be suspended another game or two moving forward? It’s possible. The league will review the match penalty and Keith is suspended indefinitely as of now – the Blackhawks’ next game isn’t until Friday against Winnipeg. Keith’s last suspension was more than 18 months ago – the league deems repeat offenders as those whose most recent suspension came in that time frame. But it’s still another stick-swinging incident that could have Keith sitting longer.
2. A critical penalty kill. The Blackhawks went on a five-minute kill with Keith’s penalty and they passed the massive test well. Not only did they keep the Wild from scoring but Marian Hossa also scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game, 1-1, at the time. The Blackhawks, down 1-0 at the time, could have buckled during that kill. Instead, they made the first period end a lot better than it could have.
3. The Wild are too tough in the third. It didn’t help that the Blackhawks were down two defensemen (Keith and Brent Seabrook, who was ill) but the Wild weren’t messing around in the final period. Three unanswered goals gave the Wild their fifth regular-season victory over the Blackhawks. Yes, fifth. The Wild have turned things around under coach John Torchetti in recent weeks. But be it now or earlier this season, the Wild just had the Blackhawks’ number this season.
4. Hossa nears another milestone. His scoring numbers may not be as high as he’d like this season but Hossa is nevertheless closing in on 500 career NHL goals. “That was a nice goal, great play,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Pretty amazing career. That’s a big number, [and it’s] especially hard to score in today’s game. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
5. Missing Seabrook never helps. The Blackhawks were already in a tough spot entering this one with Seabrook out due to illness. The team hasn’t had the same depth on defense this season, and it’s that much more evident when the Blackhawks are missing a key player. The good news is, according to Quenneville, Seabrook should be fine for Friday’s game against Winnipeg. But the Wild were opportunistic in the third period against a Blackhawks defense that was missing two top defensemen by that time.
Still, the Blackhawks kept things close with the Minnesota Wild, which had won the previous four regular-season contests between the two teams. By the third period, however, the Wild were once again sending the Blackhawks home disappointed.
Marian Hossa scored the 499th goal of his NHL career but the Wild scored three unanswered goals in the third period en route to their 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks remain in third in the Central Division with 95 points.
Keith was assessed a match penalty for “intent to injure” midway through the first period. Keith was tripped by Charlie Coyle and, while on his back, swung his stick at Coyle’s face. The Department of Player Safety will review the matter; whether or not Keith is suspended going forward is uncertain at this time.
Asked what he thought of the penalty, coach Joel Quenneville said, “I didn’t see it live because I was on the same side of the bench. I took a quick peek at it. We’ll see.”
Despite the Blackhawks being down two defensemen, Quenneville didn’t feel they were giving up too much defensively. They finished the second period tied 1-1 with the Wild thanks to Hossa, who scored a shorthanded goal during the five-minute Keith penalty kill.
By the third period, however, the Wild were exposing the Blackhawks’ shortcomings on defense. Jared Spurgeon scored what would be the game-winning goal 4:07 into the third and Erik Haula added his 13th of the season about seven minutes later.
“We did a good job recognizing the fact we were short staffed defensively. I think for the most part we played pretty well defensively. Just got caught and gave them those rush chances again,” Jonathan Toews said. “The first three goals were all rushes. I’m pretty sure they were, but that’s where they were getting their chances tonight.
Breakdowns, forwards weren’t coming back to help out. Gave a couple big ones away in the third period there.”
Scott Darling gave up three goals on 17 shots. Nino Niederreiter added an empty-net goal for the Wild with 1:19 remaining in regulation.
The Blackhawks have fared very well against the Wild in the postseason – three playoff series victories, two of which led to Stanley Cups. But this season has been completely in the Wild’s favor. The Blackhawks have had frustrations for various reasons this season. Being bested this much by a Central Division opponent was just one more.
“You know if we would’ve won tonight, we wouldn’t be satisfied with 1-4. It adds insult to injury to lose this one tonight. So I don’t know, at the end of the day, it’s unfortunate,” Toews said. “They were always ready for those games. There [were] a couple we didn’t really play well. We didn’t really deserve to win. It’s not fun to look back and have a record like that against a team in your division, especially a team like Minnesota. It’s not something we’re happy about."
Five Things from Blackhawks-Wild: Keith suspension coming?
By Tracey Myers
You know how the Minnesota Wild felt the past three postseasons? Well, the Blackhawks may have felt a smidge of that this season, considering the Wild pushed them around for five victories. It’s not easy taking a season series against the Blackhawks, but the Wild did it with authority, putting an exclamation point on it with a 4-1 victory on Tuesday night.
Yeah, that’s the way it goes some seasons. But the Blackhawks may have bigger concerns than their regular-season record vs. the Wild. So before we head home, let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ latest loss to Minnesota.
1. Duncan Keith could be out a bit. The defenseman’s stick-swing at Charlie Coyle was a costly one, as he was assessed a match penalty for “intent to injure.” Coyle was bloodied and Keith was gone for the night. Will Keith be suspended another game or two moving forward? It’s possible. The league will review the match penalty and Keith is suspended indefinitely as of now – the Blackhawks’ next game isn’t until Friday against Winnipeg. Keith’s last suspension was more than 18 months ago – the league deems repeat offenders as those whose most recent suspension came in that time frame. But it’s still another stick-swinging incident that could have Keith sitting longer.
2. A critical penalty kill. The Blackhawks went on a five-minute kill with Keith’s penalty and they passed the massive test well. Not only did they keep the Wild from scoring but Marian Hossa also scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game, 1-1, at the time. The Blackhawks, down 1-0 at the time, could have buckled during that kill. Instead, they made the first period end a lot better than it could have.
3. The Wild are too tough in the third. It didn’t help that the Blackhawks were down two defensemen (Keith and Brent Seabrook, who was ill) but the Wild weren’t messing around in the final period. Three unanswered goals gave the Wild their fifth regular-season victory over the Blackhawks. Yes, fifth. The Wild have turned things around under coach John Torchetti in recent weeks. But be it now or earlier this season, the Wild just had the Blackhawks’ number this season.
4. Hossa nears another milestone. His scoring numbers may not be as high as he’d like this season but Hossa is nevertheless closing in on 500 career NHL goals. “That was a nice goal, great play,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Pretty amazing career. That’s a big number, [and it’s] especially hard to score in today’s game. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
5. Missing Seabrook never helps. The Blackhawks were already in a tough spot entering this one with Seabrook out due to illness. The team hasn’t had the same depth on defense this season, and it’s that much more evident when the Blackhawks are missing a key player. The good news is, according to Quenneville, Seabrook should be fine for Friday’s game against Winnipeg. But the Wild were opportunistic in the third period against a Blackhawks defense that was missing two top defensemen by that time.
Blackhawks: Michal Rozsival nominated for 2016 Masterton Trophy.
By C. Roumeliotis
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association nominated Michal Rozsival for the 2016 Masterton Trophy, annually awarded to a player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey."
The 37-year-old Blackhawks defenseman fractured his ankle in the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, and, instead of retiring, re-signed on a one-year deal over the offseason to prove that he still has something left in the tank.
And he does.
Rozsival returned to the ice last November, and has found himself to be a fixture on the bottom pairing of the blue line.
Only two other Blackhawks have won the award: Pit Martin in 1969-70 and Bryan Berard in 2003-04.
The top-three vote-getters, in a poll by PHWA members, will be named finalists, with the winner to be announced at the NHL Awards in June.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Drained Bulls escape from Indiana after Jimmy Butler's game-winner.
The 37-year-old Blackhawks defenseman fractured his ankle in the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, and, instead of retiring, re-signed on a one-year deal over the offseason to prove that he still has something left in the tank.
And he does.
Rozsival returned to the ice last November, and has found himself to be a fixture on the bottom pairing of the blue line.
Only two other Blackhawks have won the award: Pit Martin in 1969-70 and Bryan Berard in 2003-04.
The top-three vote-getters, in a poll by PHWA members, will be named finalists, with the winner to be announced at the NHL Awards in June.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Drained Bulls escape from Indiana after Jimmy Butler's game-winner.
By Vincent Goodwill
Exuberance on the bench, relief on the floor, and then…indifference in the locker room.
That was the way to best describe the aftermath of the Chicago Bulls’ heart-stopping 98-96 win over the Indiana Pacers, courtesy of Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic perfectly executing a drawn up play to leave Paul George and George Hill confused with 3.7 seconds left as Butler nailed a 14-foot jumper.
From heart-stopping to heart stopped, it could be said, as the Bulls had to make do without Taj Gibson for the second half of an ugly game with a rib contusion and Derrick Rose gamely playing with a bruised or hyperextended left elbow, which all but took away his ability to drive to the basket.
It was moments before the Detroit Pistons sealed a win against an Oklahoma City Thunder team without Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka, so the lack of buoyancy wasn’t due to the Bulls missing a chance to make up a half-game on the then-eighth seeded Pistons, although they won the season series with the Pacers if the two should have identical records after 82 games.
But after Game No. 74, the locker room was subdued, to say the least.
Perhaps two days of pushing it competitively after weeks of forgetting what the exercise felt like got to them—or it could be this team was worn out and drained after an escape they likely wouldn’t have come away with if not for an opponent intent on self-destruction.
“A lot of sore bodies out there, you could just see the way we were moving,” Hoiberg said. “We were slow motion going from defense to offense. You could tell with the shots, a couple shot clock violations, we weren’t moving well in that direction. Give our guys credit for making big plays when they had to.”
A fourth quarter Hoiberg admitted was “ugly,” featured 26 total points as the Bulls and Pacers combined to shoot 24 percent (11 for 45), with 10 turnovers, with the Bulls battling fatigue while the Pacers battled themselves.
“A really ugly fourth quarter, I thought, on the offensive end,” Hoiberg said. “I thought we stayed in it by guarding them. I thought our bench was terrific.”
If there was beauty, it came in the form of Mirotic’s decisive jumpers as he went on one of those team-saving runs in the second quarter, abandoning the pump fakes and hitting triples off passes from teammates who were looking for him wherever he was on the floor.
In fact, his second-quarter performance of 15 points was better than what any of his teammates could accomplish in four quarters, as the Bulls needed every one of Mirotic’s game-high 28 points, off seven 3-pointers.
“I felt great. Coach found me some open shots and I was able to hit them,” Mirotic said. “We’re playing with a different mentality since our meeting a couple days ago. Even with our loss to Atlanta, we played better than (before).”
His shooting essentially saved them before Butler could, as Butler was busy tracking George, who scored 20 with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals. Ian Mahinmi’s activity and Myles Turner’s energy was almost too much for the Bulls to handle, as they nearly negated Mirotic with an 8-0 run to end the first half after falling behind by 10.
Turner scored twice in a row in the midst of the Bulls’ nearly debilitating drought that gave the Pacers a 94-93 lead. The Bulls made just one field goal in nine minutes, but unlike Monday’s drought in Atlanta, the defense enabled them to stay within striking distance.
“Tonight when we weren’t scoring we were at least keeping ourselves in the game because we made them take contested shots and rebounded the ball,” Hoiberg said. “Half their baskets were off our turnovers and on the break.”
So with the game tied, the Bulls put the ball in the hands of the best of the wounded, a man whose recent performances hasn’t inspired the most confidence.
But considering Rose was a one-armed bandit (4 of 15 shooting) and Pau Gasol was only slightly better (4 of 13), Butler (6 of 10 shooting) was the only realistic choice.
“I’m just glad my teammates and coaches have faith in me, to still shoot the ball late when I haven’t been making shots,” Butler said. “I have confidence in myself. It’s a good feeling knowing they want me to take that shot.”
“Excited to get a win, to tell you the truth. I know everybody plays entirely hard every night. When you come up short, it hurts. It was big to get a win. Guys are nicked up, hurting and to pull out a win like this on the road against a team like this is huge for us.”
When deadpanned that was displaying the excitement was all over his face, Butler finally relented, but said, “I’m tired, boss. I’m tired man.”
Bulls rally, but come up short in do or die game vs. Hawks. (Monday night's game, 03/28/2016).
By Vincent Goodwill
It was termed “do or die” by the Bulls’ coaches and players, as the Atlanta Hawks were the first opponent in the season’s most critical week.
But as history has shown—and aptly pointed out by Pau Gasol, teams just can’t turn it on when they feel like it, especially 70 games in.
The Bulls’ race to the playoffs is turning into a race to the lottery, as they suffered yet another critical blow to their chances, falling below .500 with a 102-100 loss to the Hawks at the United Center, completing a season sweep from the Hawks and falling 2.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons, despite a rousing start and an inspired, desperate finish after falling behind by 15.
They had a chance to tie with 13.6 seconds left but while going for two, Mike Dunleavy’s layup rolled off the rim, a curious call considering they were down three with no timeouts remaining.
“We had a play drawn up to give us two looks at the three (point shot),” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Mike made a great cut to the basket, unfortunately it didn’t go in.”
But nevertheless, the Hawks finished the game at the free throw line as Jeff Teague completed his 26-point night and held off an emotional charge from the Bulls.
If the Bulls had carried that desperation throughout, they likely would’ve won the contest easy but it’s hard to play off emotion for 48 minutes when you’ve been devoid of it for the better part of three months.
“We need to go out and fight like that. We need to have that kind of spirit and energy,” Hoiberg said.
A Jimmy Butler triple followed by a full court pass to Gasol resulted in a dunk and United Center explosion as the Bulls had their first sign of hope with a 11-2 run, cutting the lead to 90-86.
Then a surge from Aaron Brooks, complete with circus shots and all, tied the game at 93. Brooks finished with 16 points, six assists and four rebounds in 22 minutes. Rose overcame a slow start to score 20 with five rebounds and five assists and Gasol scored 19 with 11 rebounds.
Things looked lost then the defibrillator worked again, as Butler converted on a four-point lay, hitting a triple while being fouled with 19.6 seconds left, cutting the lead to one.
It was a bright moment in a game where Butler again struggled, starting off 2-7 before finishing 5-16 with 15 points in 35 minutes.
He started off with a tip dunk after a fast break, during one of those high-emotion instances when the Bulls looked like they were capable of running the Hawks out of the building, taking a 39-26 lead before the second quarter obliterated any hope of comfort.
Those 12 minutes will likely play in Hoiberg’s nightmares this offseason when he wonders why this team didn’t make the playoffs. From the 9:45 mark of the second quarter, the Hawks outscored the Bulls 26-6, swarming them and forcing bad shots all the way to halftime.
Paul Millsap hit two triples in the last minute of the half to give the Hawks a 52-45 lead, sapping any momentum the Bulls dreamed of having as they shot 15 percent (4 of 26).
“Going into the second we were over 50 percent but we started settling a little too much,” Gasol said. “They played pretty well so we have to give them credit defensively.”
It was death by a thousand cuts—or backdoor cuts, as Teague didn’t reach double figures until the third quarter when he scored 14 of his 26, cutting into the teeth of the defense at will, and the most impactful player wasn’t a high man in the scoring department at all.
But Millsap was all over the floor defensively, with blocked shots at the rim and steals underneath the basket when the Bulls thought they had easy opportunities, as he often stripped players on the way up, leaving the Bulls complaining to the officials while the Hawks galloped down court.
Millsap scored 11 with 11 rebounds, but his versatility threw the Bulls off-balance early, and he hit a big jumper late when the Bulls were charging.
“The second quarter we hit a low and then let them take the lead at the half,” Hoiberg said. “We were able to recover from our poor second quarter and give ourselves a chance to win.”
Desperation was all over the Bulls early, doing things that had been missing for weeks: active defensively, crisp ball movement and definitive decisions on both ends of the floor.
Gasol was potent on the pick and pop, and if nothing else Rose was active with his playmaking as the energy flowed through the building and the team, leading to a 13-point lead.
But the Hawks knew that would only last but for so long, as the league’s best defensive team over the last three months lived up to its billing, weathering the storm.
They stayed patient while the Bulls’ emotion went from full to empty almost at the blink of an eye.
And that’s when the Hawks pounced and preceded to put distance between themselves and the Bulls, sending them to their fourth straight loss—and making the postseason look more and more like a mirage.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! NFL Draft: Bears have five of first 127 picks.
But as history has shown—and aptly pointed out by Pau Gasol, teams just can’t turn it on when they feel like it, especially 70 games in.
The Bulls’ race to the playoffs is turning into a race to the lottery, as they suffered yet another critical blow to their chances, falling below .500 with a 102-100 loss to the Hawks at the United Center, completing a season sweep from the Hawks and falling 2.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons, despite a rousing start and an inspired, desperate finish after falling behind by 15.
They had a chance to tie with 13.6 seconds left but while going for two, Mike Dunleavy’s layup rolled off the rim, a curious call considering they were down three with no timeouts remaining.
“We had a play drawn up to give us two looks at the three (point shot),” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Mike made a great cut to the basket, unfortunately it didn’t go in.”
But nevertheless, the Hawks finished the game at the free throw line as Jeff Teague completed his 26-point night and held off an emotional charge from the Bulls.
If the Bulls had carried that desperation throughout, they likely would’ve won the contest easy but it’s hard to play off emotion for 48 minutes when you’ve been devoid of it for the better part of three months.
“We need to go out and fight like that. We need to have that kind of spirit and energy,” Hoiberg said.
A Jimmy Butler triple followed by a full court pass to Gasol resulted in a dunk and United Center explosion as the Bulls had their first sign of hope with a 11-2 run, cutting the lead to 90-86.
Then a surge from Aaron Brooks, complete with circus shots and all, tied the game at 93. Brooks finished with 16 points, six assists and four rebounds in 22 minutes. Rose overcame a slow start to score 20 with five rebounds and five assists and Gasol scored 19 with 11 rebounds.
Things looked lost then the defibrillator worked again, as Butler converted on a four-point lay, hitting a triple while being fouled with 19.6 seconds left, cutting the lead to one.
It was a bright moment in a game where Butler again struggled, starting off 2-7 before finishing 5-16 with 15 points in 35 minutes.
He started off with a tip dunk after a fast break, during one of those high-emotion instances when the Bulls looked like they were capable of running the Hawks out of the building, taking a 39-26 lead before the second quarter obliterated any hope of comfort.
Those 12 minutes will likely play in Hoiberg’s nightmares this offseason when he wonders why this team didn’t make the playoffs. From the 9:45 mark of the second quarter, the Hawks outscored the Bulls 26-6, swarming them and forcing bad shots all the way to halftime.
Paul Millsap hit two triples in the last minute of the half to give the Hawks a 52-45 lead, sapping any momentum the Bulls dreamed of having as they shot 15 percent (4 of 26).
“Going into the second we were over 50 percent but we started settling a little too much,” Gasol said. “They played pretty well so we have to give them credit defensively.”
It was death by a thousand cuts—or backdoor cuts, as Teague didn’t reach double figures until the third quarter when he scored 14 of his 26, cutting into the teeth of the defense at will, and the most impactful player wasn’t a high man in the scoring department at all.
But Millsap was all over the floor defensively, with blocked shots at the rim and steals underneath the basket when the Bulls thought they had easy opportunities, as he often stripped players on the way up, leaving the Bulls complaining to the officials while the Hawks galloped down court.
Millsap scored 11 with 11 rebounds, but his versatility threw the Bulls off-balance early, and he hit a big jumper late when the Bulls were charging.
“The second quarter we hit a low and then let them take the lead at the half,” Hoiberg said. “We were able to recover from our poor second quarter and give ourselves a chance to win.”
Desperation was all over the Bulls early, doing things that had been missing for weeks: active defensively, crisp ball movement and definitive decisions on both ends of the floor.
Gasol was potent on the pick and pop, and if nothing else Rose was active with his playmaking as the energy flowed through the building and the team, leading to a 13-point lead.
But the Hawks knew that would only last but for so long, as the league’s best defensive team over the last three months lived up to its billing, weathering the storm.
They stayed patient while the Bulls’ emotion went from full to empty almost at the blink of an eye.
And that’s when the Hawks pounced and preceded to put distance between themselves and the Bulls, sending them to their fourth straight loss—and making the postseason look more and more like a mirage.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! NFL Draft: Bears have five of first 127 picks.
The Bears currently go on the clock with the 11th pick in the 2016 draft – not a position a franchise particularly wants to be in unless it’s traded up there, since you only earn that slot otherwise with a miserable season. But it’s a spot where elite and near-elite players live ( see Watt, J.J.; Marshall, Wilber; Cutler, Jay), which is a good thing for a team in need of a rookie-year difference-maker.
Not that No. 11 guarantees anything, of course. The Bears had No. 11 in 1994 and used it for pass rusher John Thierry when Larry Allen, Isaac Bruce and Aaron Glenn were still in the pool. They had No. 11 in 1997 and traded it to Seattle for Rick Mirer. And the Bears will have and will explore trade options this year like every year.
Whether the Bears move in round one or not, however, things get even a bit better as the draft goes on.
They hold nine total picks, including five in the first 127 selections by virtue of their trade of Martellus Bennett to New England that netted them a second pick in round four (where they landed Jeremy Langford, Ka’Deem Carey and Henry Melton in recent drafts).
Their second-rounder is 10th in the round; their third is ninth; and the first of their fourth’s is eighth in that round, all by virtue of the rotation of the teams holding 6-10 records.
Bears continue commitment to special teams, re-sign Sam Acho.
By John Mullin
Few teams struggled as badly on special teams last season as the Bears through the early games. But by the year’s end, those units had righted themselves, and the organization’s feelings about special-teams play has been reflected in retaining of all four top special-teams tacklers this offseason.
The latest was Sam Acho, who agreed to a one-year deal on Monday after finishing fourth on special teams with eight tackles in addition to starting seven games at outside linebacker and totaling 60 tackles, good for fifth among defensive players.
“We started off (2015) about as bad as you can start and realized that our guys out there on fourth down were slow people,” coach John Fox said at last week’s NFL owners meetings. “And those are the things that you figure out.
“So we made a lot changes in the season — guys that were covering kicks that were a whole lot faster than what we originally picked the team for. We actually pretty played pretty decent on special teams — I don’t know if anybody on the outside thinks that— and we will get better. But there’s a certain talent that it takes — and speed is one of them — to play fourth-down defensive players.”
So far this offseason that Bears have re-signed Sherrick McManis (No. 1 with 17 tackles) to a two-year deal and Chris Prosinski (No. 3, nine) for one year, in addition to tendering a qualifying offer to Josh Bellamy (No. 2, 10) earlier this month.
Acho signed a one-year Bears contract last year after four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He held one of the starting outside-linebacker spots through much of the offseason, lost his job to Jared Allen after becoming ill, then regained the position after Allen was traded to Carolina. The pass rushing of Lamarr Houston and Willie Young cut into Acho’s playing time but not his desire to return as a member of coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.
“I just love seeing things grow, and I love seeing change happen,” Acho said as last season concluded. “And especially change for the better. So I’d love to be a part of that change.”
Acho has started 39 of his 66 career games over five seasons with the Cardinals (2011 through 2014) and Bears (2015), producing 172 tackles, 13 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, three interceptions, nine pass breakups, eight forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries (two on defense and one of his own teammate’s on special teams). The University of Texas product has also collected 22 tackles on special teams. In one postseason contest with the Cardinals, Acho registered seven tackles, including a strip-sack that was recovered by Arizona’s defense.
Acho finished his first season in Chicago with three tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup in 15 games.
Why are Bears losing out in bids for offensive free agents?
By John Mullin
What is it about the Bears offense that people don’t want to come be part of it?
Within the early hours of free agency, the Bears landed a cluster of defensive players (linebackers Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, as well as D-lineman Akiem Hicks). But beyond former Arizona tackle Bobby Massie, the Bears have been spurned by a couple of targeted free agents where they appeared to be a preferred destination for playing-time opportunities.
Tight end has been a scratchy point for the Bears for more than a few years, with only the occasional Emery Moorehead or Greg Olsen or Martellus Bennett season or two to break the run of mediocrity since Mike Ditka. This offseason unfortunately hasn’t broken much from that pattern, with a couple of head-shakers thrown in.
Re-signing Zach Miller put a respectable 32-year-old band-aid in place before Bennett was traded to the New England Patriots. The Bears targeted New Orleans tight end Josh Hill with an offer sheet, only to have the Saints match their offer despite earlier signing Coby Fleener away from Indianapolis.
Now the Green Bay Packers have signed Jared Cook, who was on the Bears’ wish list not once but twice. He chose the then-St. Louis Rams in 2013 with a five-year deal. Now Cook has opted for a one-year deal with a Green Bay team that already has Richard Rodgers in place as the starter, rather than the Bears and a clear vacancy as either the No. 1 or 1A tight end.
This comes after running back C.J. Anderson opted to sign an offer sheet with the Miami Dolphins for less money than the Bears were offering the Denver Broncos tailback.
The Broncos matched the Miami offer, so likely Anderson wouldn’t have escaped Denver for Chicago even for a slightly higher offer anyway. But Anderson voiced a wish to get with the offense of Adam Gase, the Denver offensive coordinator before taking that post in Chicago last year and now the head coach in Miami — this in spite of knowing the offensive philosophy of John Fox, his initial coach in Denver, and Fox stating that the philosophy would remain in place as Dowell Loggains replaced Gase in Chicago.
Cubs see Opening Day roster come into focus.
By Patrick Mooney
“Today has been a ‘Godfather’ day.”
Joe Maddon had settled almost all the family business by the time he sat down in the Sloan Park complex’s media workroom on Tuesday, the Cubs manager making arrangements for what he needed from “The Cousin Eddie” RV, telling three bubble players they already made the team and seeing his Opening Day roster come into focus.
The Cubs confirmed Javier Baez will begin the season on the disabled list with a left thumb contusion, still needing more at-bats and time in the outfield and only one game left on their Cactus League schedule.
Maddon said he informed reliever Neil Ramirez, outfielder Matt Szczur and infielder Tommy La Stella that they are part of the projected 25-man group that will leave Arizona.
As insurance, the Cubs also released and re-signed infielder Munenori Kawasaki, outfielder Shane Victorino and left-hander Manny Parra to minor-league deals (which are cost-saving moves while facing $100,000 retention bonuses).
With less than a week to go until the season opener at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Cubs are planning to carry 12 position players and 13 pitchers:
Catchers: Miguel Montero, David Ross, Kyle Schwarber.
Infielders: Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, Kris Bryant, La Stella.
Outfielders: Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Jorge Soler, Szczur.
Rotation: Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel, Kyle Hendricks.
Bullpen: Trevor Cahill, Adam Warren, Clayton Richard, Travis Wood, Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon, Ramirez.
The Cubs constructed a deep, versatile roster beyond Zobrist, who made his reputation as the game’s premier super-utility player and will be considered the backup shortstop for now. When needed, Bryant can move from third base to any spot in the outfield. Schwarber can be Hammel’s personal catcher and will still get most of his playing time in the outfield.
But Baez – who’s been sidelined since March 20 after diving headfirst into first base – presents Maddon with so many in-game options as a good baserunner and a strong defender who can play all over the field.
“We don’t want it to linger,” Maddon said. “I had him in the office, talked to him, he’s kind of disappointed because he feels he can be ready. (But) he needs to play.
“We’re not comfortable that it is 100-percent well. So let’s just make it 100-percent well and then bring him back up.”
Around this time last year, the Cubs set an Opening Day roster that didn’t include Bryant, Russell, Schwarber or Baez and didn’t look like the beginning of a 97-win team.
While the Cubs probably won’t get that kind of jolt from their farm system again this year, Maddon knows it will take waves and waves of players to get through October. So the manager kept rolling with questions from the Japanese media about Kawasaki, who impressed with his karaoke skills and fundamental play.
“He gets a lot of publicity based on his personality, but this guy’s also a very good baseball player,” Maddon said. “He’s definitely an energy source. This guy is somebody you want to plug into. He provides that little motivation the whole group needs on a daily basis.
“We’re just talking about the beginning of the season, man. This is a long year and you definitely need more than 25 guys. He’s going to get his opportunity. He’s going to help us. He’s going to be a big part of our success this year. And he’s going to be one of the most popular athletes to ever play in Chicago when he finally arrives.”
Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant and how Cubs can help a 'tired' sport.
By Patrick Mooney
Kris Bryant had forgotten about the nickname Bryce Harper gave him as a kid until the Washington Nationals superstar reminded reporters at Wrigley Field last season: "Silk."
Where Bryant can be so smooth, Harper has some rougher edges to his game, that run-into-the-wall intensity, a say-whatever's-on-your-mind approach to the media and — above all — Cooperstown-level talent.
Even if he would never say it quite like this, Bryant understands where Harper is coming from when he tells ESPN The Magazine that baseball is a "tired" sport, sparking reaction stories from across the country.
Bryant is stationed at Camp Maddon, where Huey Lewis showed up at the Sloan Park complex over the weekend and took batting practice after the sound system blasted "I Want a New Drug," "The Heart of Rock & Roll" and "The Power of Love" during the team stretch. On Easter Sunday, the players and coaches dressed in tight shorts and knee-high socks, like they were auditioning for a "Dazed and Confused" sequel.
"Some of the stuff we do doesn't have to be backflips (or) showing anybody up," Bryant said. "I just think what fans see is really genuine from us. We're just out there having fun. A lot of it comes from Joe, too.
"There's a good combination of personalities here. Everybody brings something different to the table. And I think that's kind of what attracts some of the fans that we have."
Bryant and Harper both grew up in Las Vegas and signed on with Boras Corp. Together, they hosted an offseason charity golf tournament in Nevada on behalf of the Major League Baseball Players Association. They also bumped into each other in January during an epic blizzard that blanketed Manhattan, picking up their Rookie of the Year and MVP hardware from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
They aren't particularly close and don't train together during the winter. Bryant isn't quite in Harper's stratosphere, either, even as an All-Star third baseman coming off a 26-homer, 99-RBI season.
But Bryant is building his own marketing portfolio at a time when Harper wonders why baseball players don't have the same style and crossover appeal as NBA stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
"It's just fun," Bryant said. "You get these opportunities where I want to make memories for myself that I can look back on. Obviously, you make a lot of them on the field. But you can do stuff off the field, too, to kind of show your personality a little bit more and get the fans involved and give them something."
For a recent Red Bull spot, Bryant pretended to be a European transfer student at Mesa Community College and started crushing balls during batting practice. The Bryant disguise worked better last year while posing as an undercover Lyft driver in Chicago.
Bryant is now a "brand ambassador" for Express men's clothing and affiliated with Stouffer's frozen foods and a new baseball video-game app. You should also see the "Bryzzo" campaign — an MLB promotion shot with All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo — in the rotation around Opening Day.
"We're like a souvenir company selling home-run balls to fans," Bryant said. "Kind of like those used-car commercials on TV and they're super-cheesy — that was us."
Before it became a T-shirt this spring, Bryant embraced the target. Adidas put up that "WORTH THE WAIT" billboard on Addison Street before his big-league debut. He hung out with a goat and shot that "Down on the Farm" commercial for Red Bull during his service-time sentence with Triple-A Iowa.
Where Wrigley Field used to be a place for overhyped prospects to fade away, the Cubs are now selling legitimate stars.
"It was really good for a lot of young guys to come up all at once," Bryant said. "It was easy for us to adjust to it, just because there was more attention spread out amongst us rather than just one person.
"We've embraced it. I've definitely had a lot of fun with it — both on and off the field — in terms of the opportunities that I've been getting. And there's a lot of guys here who could be doing (the same things)."
If the Cubs might irritate the old-school crowd with some of their antics, then it's also entirely possible that this loose group could help attract the younger generation that baseball has so much trouble reaching now.
"Everybody talks about us and how they like our players," Maddon said. "There's a lot of youth involvement. And even the guys that aren't as young are still really engaging, charismatic kind of players.
"The city itself, the fan base, the ballpark, the year that we had last year - all the needles are going to be pointing in our direction."
Joe Maddon had settled almost all the family business by the time he sat down in the Sloan Park complex’s media workroom on Tuesday, the Cubs manager making arrangements for what he needed from “The Cousin Eddie” RV, telling three bubble players they already made the team and seeing his Opening Day roster come into focus.
The Cubs confirmed Javier Baez will begin the season on the disabled list with a left thumb contusion, still needing more at-bats and time in the outfield and only one game left on their Cactus League schedule.
Maddon said he informed reliever Neil Ramirez, outfielder Matt Szczur and infielder Tommy La Stella that they are part of the projected 25-man group that will leave Arizona.
As insurance, the Cubs also released and re-signed infielder Munenori Kawasaki, outfielder Shane Victorino and left-hander Manny Parra to minor-league deals (which are cost-saving moves while facing $100,000 retention bonuses).
With less than a week to go until the season opener at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Cubs are planning to carry 12 position players and 13 pitchers:
Catchers: Miguel Montero, David Ross, Kyle Schwarber.
Infielders: Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, Kris Bryant, La Stella.
Outfielders: Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Jorge Soler, Szczur.
Rotation: Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel, Kyle Hendricks.
Bullpen: Trevor Cahill, Adam Warren, Clayton Richard, Travis Wood, Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon, Ramirez.
The Cubs constructed a deep, versatile roster beyond Zobrist, who made his reputation as the game’s premier super-utility player and will be considered the backup shortstop for now. When needed, Bryant can move from third base to any spot in the outfield. Schwarber can be Hammel’s personal catcher and will still get most of his playing time in the outfield.
But Baez – who’s been sidelined since March 20 after diving headfirst into first base – presents Maddon with so many in-game options as a good baserunner and a strong defender who can play all over the field.
“We don’t want it to linger,” Maddon said. “I had him in the office, talked to him, he’s kind of disappointed because he feels he can be ready. (But) he needs to play.
“We’re not comfortable that it is 100-percent well. So let’s just make it 100-percent well and then bring him back up.”
Around this time last year, the Cubs set an Opening Day roster that didn’t include Bryant, Russell, Schwarber or Baez and didn’t look like the beginning of a 97-win team.
While the Cubs probably won’t get that kind of jolt from their farm system again this year, Maddon knows it will take waves and waves of players to get through October. So the manager kept rolling with questions from the Japanese media about Kawasaki, who impressed with his karaoke skills and fundamental play.
“He gets a lot of publicity based on his personality, but this guy’s also a very good baseball player,” Maddon said. “He’s definitely an energy source. This guy is somebody you want to plug into. He provides that little motivation the whole group needs on a daily basis.
“We’re just talking about the beginning of the season, man. This is a long year and you definitely need more than 25 guys. He’s going to get his opportunity. He’s going to help us. He’s going to be a big part of our success this year. And he’s going to be one of the most popular athletes to ever play in Chicago when he finally arrives.”
Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant and how Cubs can help a 'tired' sport.
By Patrick Mooney
Kris Bryant had forgotten about the nickname Bryce Harper gave him as a kid until the Washington Nationals superstar reminded reporters at Wrigley Field last season: "Silk."
Where Bryant can be so smooth, Harper has some rougher edges to his game, that run-into-the-wall intensity, a say-whatever's-on-your-mind approach to the media and — above all — Cooperstown-level talent.
Even if he would never say it quite like this, Bryant understands where Harper is coming from when he tells ESPN The Magazine that baseball is a "tired" sport, sparking reaction stories from across the country.
Bryant is stationed at Camp Maddon, where Huey Lewis showed up at the Sloan Park complex over the weekend and took batting practice after the sound system blasted "I Want a New Drug," "The Heart of Rock & Roll" and "The Power of Love" during the team stretch. On Easter Sunday, the players and coaches dressed in tight shorts and knee-high socks, like they were auditioning for a "Dazed and Confused" sequel.
"Some of the stuff we do doesn't have to be backflips (or) showing anybody up," Bryant said. "I just think what fans see is really genuine from us. We're just out there having fun. A lot of it comes from Joe, too.
"There's a good combination of personalities here. Everybody brings something different to the table. And I think that's kind of what attracts some of the fans that we have."
Bryant and Harper both grew up in Las Vegas and signed on with Boras Corp. Together, they hosted an offseason charity golf tournament in Nevada on behalf of the Major League Baseball Players Association. They also bumped into each other in January during an epic blizzard that blanketed Manhattan, picking up their Rookie of the Year and MVP hardware from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
They aren't particularly close and don't train together during the winter. Bryant isn't quite in Harper's stratosphere, either, even as an All-Star third baseman coming off a 26-homer, 99-RBI season.
But Bryant is building his own marketing portfolio at a time when Harper wonders why baseball players don't have the same style and crossover appeal as NBA stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
"It's just fun," Bryant said. "You get these opportunities where I want to make memories for myself that I can look back on. Obviously, you make a lot of them on the field. But you can do stuff off the field, too, to kind of show your personality a little bit more and get the fans involved and give them something."
For a recent Red Bull spot, Bryant pretended to be a European transfer student at Mesa Community College and started crushing balls during batting practice. The Bryant disguise worked better last year while posing as an undercover Lyft driver in Chicago.
Bryant is now a "brand ambassador" for Express men's clothing and affiliated with Stouffer's frozen foods and a new baseball video-game app. You should also see the "Bryzzo" campaign — an MLB promotion shot with All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo — in the rotation around Opening Day.
"We're like a souvenir company selling home-run balls to fans," Bryant said. "Kind of like those used-car commercials on TV and they're super-cheesy — that was us."
Before it became a T-shirt this spring, Bryant embraced the target. Adidas put up that "WORTH THE WAIT" billboard on Addison Street before his big-league debut. He hung out with a goat and shot that "Down on the Farm" commercial for Red Bull during his service-time sentence with Triple-A Iowa.
Where Wrigley Field used to be a place for overhyped prospects to fade away, the Cubs are now selling legitimate stars.
"It was really good for a lot of young guys to come up all at once," Bryant said. "It was easy for us to adjust to it, just because there was more attention spread out amongst us rather than just one person.
"We've embraced it. I've definitely had a lot of fun with it — both on and off the field — in terms of the opportunities that I've been getting. And there's a lot of guys here who could be doing (the same things)."
If the Cubs might irritate the old-school crowd with some of their antics, then it's also entirely possible that this loose group could help attract the younger generation that baseball has so much trouble reaching now.
"Everybody talks about us and how they like our players," Maddon said. "There's a lot of youth involvement. And even the guys that aren't as young are still really engaging, charismatic kind of players.
"The city itself, the fan base, the ballpark, the year that we had last year - all the needles are going to be pointing in our direction."
Chris Sale, White Sox 'rolling' as end of spring nears.
By Dan Hayes
Opening Day is around the corner and White Sox players feel as if they’re in a good place.
At least that’s the assessment of staff ace Chris Sale, who watched his offense produce yet again on Tuesday afternoon in a 6-2 victory over the Texas Rangers at Camelback Ranch.
Todd Frazier and Adam Eaton each homered and Sale struck out five in his final spring start as the club improved to 15-12-1. The win clinched the White Sox their first winning Cactus League record since 2004.
“We’re rolling,” Sale said. “We’ve been playing well. Today was a great indication. You’ve got Eaton, his first two at-bats and going up there in his third at-bat and drawing a walk. (Alex) Avila, with a really long at-bat, getting a knock in the end. Frazier doing what he does is fun. It’s things like that that get us closer together and get us as a unit to move forward and keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
The offense has been a pleasant surprise for the White Sox this spring. They hoped it would improve with a number of offseason additions and it has. While in reality spring success has no bearing upon the regular season, it can be an indicator.
Last spring, the White Sox produced only 143 runs in the spring, an average of 4.61 per contest. They homered 22 times.
The 2015 club only homered 136 times — their fewest since 1992 — and scored three runs or fewer in 82 games.
This spring, the White Sox have homered 48 times and have averaged 5.75 runs per contest.
Behind an Opening Day-esque lineup — “That’s going to be the guys,” manager Robin Ventura said — the White Sox scored in a variety of ways. Frazier blasted his second homer in as many games, a two-run shot in the first. Avila then worked a long at-bat before his two-out single drove in two runs to put the White Sox ahead 4-0. Jimmy Rollins also singled in a run after Eaton drew a two-out walk. And three innings later, the leadoff man blasted his second homer of the spring.
“We’ve been putting up runs early and often,” Sale said. “Guys are clicking. It’s fun to watch. I don’t mind sitting in the dugout for 5-10 extra minutes.”
Sale didn’t keep his offense out of the dugout for long with a nice crisp effort to end the spring. The left-hander retired the first five batters he faced. He struck out a pair in the fourth and limited Texas to four hits in his first four frames. Sale’s lone mistake resulted in a Hanser Alberto solo homer to start the fifth inning.
But he only allowed a run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings and walked none.
“He looked really good,” Avila said. “Missed the spot on one pitch and that was really it for the day. Other than that, worked his changeup pretty well. Fastballs in and out. Probably wasn’t as consistent on the opposite side of the plate, but as the game went on he got better there. His slider looked good.
“He’s ready.”
White Sox closer to finalized 25-man roster.
By Dan Hayes
J.B. Shuck is on the team and the White Sox intend to carry 12 pitchers.
Manager Robin Ventura made those announcements Tuesday shortly after the team sent five players, including Matt Davidson and Carlos Sanchez, to minor-league camp.
With Opening Day right around the corner, the White Sox have but one decision to make before the season gets underway. All that’s really left to decide is whether to take Jerry Sands, Travis Ishikawa or perhaps a player from outside as the 25th man. But the White Sox seem likely to take several more days to make up their minds.
“It’s not an easy, clear cut, we’re going to take this guy (decision),” Ventura said. “There’s still some stuff to be looked over, but we’ll get through it before we get to Oakland.”
Shuck has been on the roster the entire way, even after the White Sox signed Austin Jackson earlier this month. The White Sox love that Shuck is accepting of his reserve role, that he plays all three positions and plays with energy. Shuck had an .820 OPS off the bench last season and general manager Rick Hahn said three weeks ago there was still room on the roster for the Ohio-product after Jackson’s signing.
“He brings a lot of different things,” Ventura said. “He’s versatile and he could move around, he can play all three outfield positions, first base in a pinch if you need to. And he wants to pitch, but he won’t.”
There had been some thought the White Sox would take an extra pitcher when they head to California on Friday. Mat Latos has yet to complete five innings in a single start with only one more turn to go. The team also opens the season with eight straight games and then plays 19 straight from April 13-May 1. But Ventura confirmed a 12-man pitching staff and said it’s why the team has recently stretched out several of its relievers. Hahn said the team would adjust on the fly if needed.
“It’s important we have multiple guys who can give us some length if the need arises,” Hahn said. “We want to break camp with the right 25 guys. But at the same time, there are going to be roster moves over the course of the season.
“We may well have to make some alterations based on how the team is playing or what the needs are or how taxed the bullpen is at that point. We feel we have some options in house if we need to make some switches on the fly.”
At least that’s the assessment of staff ace Chris Sale, who watched his offense produce yet again on Tuesday afternoon in a 6-2 victory over the Texas Rangers at Camelback Ranch.
Todd Frazier and Adam Eaton each homered and Sale struck out five in his final spring start as the club improved to 15-12-1. The win clinched the White Sox their first winning Cactus League record since 2004.
“We’re rolling,” Sale said. “We’ve been playing well. Today was a great indication. You’ve got Eaton, his first two at-bats and going up there in his third at-bat and drawing a walk. (Alex) Avila, with a really long at-bat, getting a knock in the end. Frazier doing what he does is fun. It’s things like that that get us closer together and get us as a unit to move forward and keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
The offense has been a pleasant surprise for the White Sox this spring. They hoped it would improve with a number of offseason additions and it has. While in reality spring success has no bearing upon the regular season, it can be an indicator.
Last spring, the White Sox produced only 143 runs in the spring, an average of 4.61 per contest. They homered 22 times.
The 2015 club only homered 136 times — their fewest since 1992 — and scored three runs or fewer in 82 games.
This spring, the White Sox have homered 48 times and have averaged 5.75 runs per contest.
Behind an Opening Day-esque lineup — “That’s going to be the guys,” manager Robin Ventura said — the White Sox scored in a variety of ways. Frazier blasted his second homer in as many games, a two-run shot in the first. Avila then worked a long at-bat before his two-out single drove in two runs to put the White Sox ahead 4-0. Jimmy Rollins also singled in a run after Eaton drew a two-out walk. And three innings later, the leadoff man blasted his second homer of the spring.
“We’ve been putting up runs early and often,” Sale said. “Guys are clicking. It’s fun to watch. I don’t mind sitting in the dugout for 5-10 extra minutes.”
Sale didn’t keep his offense out of the dugout for long with a nice crisp effort to end the spring. The left-hander retired the first five batters he faced. He struck out a pair in the fourth and limited Texas to four hits in his first four frames. Sale’s lone mistake resulted in a Hanser Alberto solo homer to start the fifth inning.
But he only allowed a run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings and walked none.
“He looked really good,” Avila said. “Missed the spot on one pitch and that was really it for the day. Other than that, worked his changeup pretty well. Fastballs in and out. Probably wasn’t as consistent on the opposite side of the plate, but as the game went on he got better there. His slider looked good.
“He’s ready.”
White Sox closer to finalized 25-man roster.
By Dan Hayes
J.B. Shuck is on the team and the White Sox intend to carry 12 pitchers.
Manager Robin Ventura made those announcements Tuesday shortly after the team sent five players, including Matt Davidson and Carlos Sanchez, to minor-league camp.
With Opening Day right around the corner, the White Sox have but one decision to make before the season gets underway. All that’s really left to decide is whether to take Jerry Sands, Travis Ishikawa or perhaps a player from outside as the 25th man. But the White Sox seem likely to take several more days to make up their minds.
“It’s not an easy, clear cut, we’re going to take this guy (decision),” Ventura said. “There’s still some stuff to be looked over, but we’ll get through it before we get to Oakland.”
Shuck has been on the roster the entire way, even after the White Sox signed Austin Jackson earlier this month. The White Sox love that Shuck is accepting of his reserve role, that he plays all three positions and plays with energy. Shuck had an .820 OPS off the bench last season and general manager Rick Hahn said three weeks ago there was still room on the roster for the Ohio-product after Jackson’s signing.
“He brings a lot of different things,” Ventura said. “He’s versatile and he could move around, he can play all three outfield positions, first base in a pinch if you need to. And he wants to pitch, but he won’t.”
There had been some thought the White Sox would take an extra pitcher when they head to California on Friday. Mat Latos has yet to complete five innings in a single start with only one more turn to go. The team also opens the season with eight straight games and then plays 19 straight from April 13-May 1. But Ventura confirmed a 12-man pitching staff and said it’s why the team has recently stretched out several of its relievers. Hahn said the team would adjust on the fly if needed.
“It’s important we have multiple guys who can give us some length if the need arises,” Hahn said. “We want to break camp with the right 25 guys. But at the same time, there are going to be roster moves over the course of the season.
“We may well have to make some alterations based on how the team is playing or what the needs are or how taxed the bullpen is at that point. We feel we have some options in house if we need to make some switches on the fly.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: Shell Houston Open.
This is it. This week's Shell Houston Open is the final PGA Tour event before the Masters, and, for 110 players in the 144-person field, they're playing for the final Augusta National invite offered to this week's winner.
However, for the likes of Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, Dusitn Johnson and Rickie Fowler, this week is about playing a host course setup to mirror the home of the Masters and prepare them for the year's first men's major.
Here are our top five players for this week:
1. Henrik Stenson -- The best ball striker in the field with massive distance on a course that favors it. Was T-3 at Bay Hill and had a nice week off while skipping the Match Play.
2. Phil Mickelson -- Mickelson is pretty much automatic in the top 15 here and a winner in 2011. He's so much better to par here than any other player in the last five years.
3. J.B. Holmes -- The defending champion has three top-15 finishes here in the last five years. Wasn't great at the Match Play, but sometimes showing up to friendly turf is fix enough.
4. Louis Oosthuizen -- This may not be Louis' week (mortgage your home on him at Augusta), but a quality ball striker with length who got to the Match Play final deserves consideration this week.
5. Patrick Reed -- Reed buzz sawed his group at the Match Play before meeting his demise on the weekend in Austin. He's consistent from week to week, becoming the new Matt Kuchar of sorts.
Shell Houston Open is Last Chance Saloon for the Masters.
By Ryan Ballengee
There is only one more way to get into next week's Masters: win the Shell Houston Open.
The final PGA Tour event before the season's first major, the Shell Houston Open plays like a Masters Lite, with the host Golf Club of Houston set up to mimic expected conditions at Augusta National Golf Club. That's what makes the event an attractive stop on the road to Augusta for many players who are already in the Masters. A total of 34 players who are already in the Masters are in the field in Houston.
Were one of the 110 players in the field not already in the Masters to win in Houston this week, that player would bring the expected total number of players in the Augusta field to 90. (If Tiger Woods chooses to play, then that number would go up to 91.)
However, history has proven that's unlikely to happen, though Matt Jones, who won in 2014 in a playoff over Matt Kuchar, did punch his Masters ticket through this event.
Then again, winning the week before the Masters is typically a curse at Augusta National itself. Only Sandy Lyle in 1988 and Phil Mickelson in 2006 won the week prior the Masters and slipped on a green jacket the next Sunday.
What is likely is a playoff in Houston. In each of the last two years, the Shell Houston Open has gone to a sudden-death playoff, and the SHO has had more playoffs (23) in its history than any other PGA Tour event other than the U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods' foundation to run PGA Tour stop at Riviera near L.A.
By Ryan Ballengee
Tiger Woods is the new host of the PGA Tour's annual stop at Riviera Country Club.
The Tour announced Tuesday that Woods' foundation will also run the event. Hyundai Motors, whose American base in southern California, is taking over the title sponsorship of the event from financial services company Northern Trust, although the tournament's new name has not been formally announced.
The Tiger Woods Foundation also runs the Quicken Loans National, played in the Washington, D.C., area, the unofficial Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December and the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second of four FedEx Cup playoff events. Woods' foundation will not run the Boston-area playoff event after this year, however, with the PGA Tour's tournament management arm taking over the logistics.
The 40-year-old Woods has not played on the PGA Tour since last August, when he finished a season-best tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship in a last-ditch effort to make the FedEx Cup playoffs. Since then, Woods has faced two back surgeries, one in September and another in October, and his playing future is uncertain. However, when Woods does return to competition, he will play in the Riviera event. He hasn't competed in the old Los Angeles Open since 2006.
''This is a fantastic opportunity for my foundation,'' Woods said in a statement. ''This is the first PGA Tour event I ever played, and it means a lot to contribute to a community that has supported me and my foundation for more than 20 years. I'm committed to playing in my foundation's events, and it will be exciting to return to Riviera.''
Jordan Spieth's Texas Teammate: 'He's Going to Win the Masters'.
Golf; Sean Zak
2016 Masters Odds: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day the Favorites (Photo/Golf)
Ask one of Jordan Spieth's best friends, and the 2016 Masters is already a done deal. Spieth is going to win.
In the April 4 issue of Sports Illustrated, S.L. Price detailed Spieth's homecoming of sorts at the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas, in which there's a guarantee from Spieth's good friend, former teammate and current Web.com Tour player Cody Gribble.
"You can quote me: He's going to win the Masters," Gribble says. "Everyone thinks that his year has hit the skids. When he gets on the big stage and people are watching him, they expect him to win. The crazy thing is, he expects it more."
Spieth's expectations for himself are often proven spot on. Also within that story is a great anecdote from Gribble from a friendly round of Wolf they played recently. From the story:
“How far is that?” Gribble asked.
“Probably 15 feet,” Spieth replied. “And I’m the best in the world from that spot, so you should probably pick me.” Gribble laughs. He calls Spieth one of his best friends, “and I just want to wrap my f------ 7-iron around his f------ neck,” he says. “But the guy’s right. He backs it up better than anybody.” (Yes, Gribble picked him and, yes, Spieth drained the putt.)
NASCAR: Martinsville prez doesn't have issue using Kenseth punt to promote race.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/yahoo sports)
Any NASCAR fan with a pulse knows Matt Kenseth was suspended two races for his punt of Joey Logano at last year's Martinsville Chase race.
The crash effectively ended Logano's title hopes; he was leading the race when Kenseth crashed and didn't get a win at Texas or Phoenix to make it to the final round of the Chase. Kenseth was mad because Logano had ended up effectively ending his Chase chances with a bump at Kansas two weeks prior.
Kenseth's punt has been replayed over and over. And over. And over. Some of those replays have included marketing from Martinsville Speedway itself. Track president Clay Campbell said Tuesday that he didn't have a problem using the incident as a promotional tool.
“Yeah, it stirred up controversy but what do people want me to show, the pace lap? That would be like (the media), you write about the deal after it happened but you can’t do it anymore,” Campbell said on Tuesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame promoting this weekend’s race. “Is that going to sell newspapers? Is that going to sell what you do?
“I get paid to sell tickets. I don’t think that crossed over the line.”
Fox Sports 1 hasn't shied away from using the incident either. The network's commercial for Sunday's race telecast promotes the bumper-banging style of the Cup Series at the half-mile track and climaxes with Kenseth's pile drive of Logano into the wall. It's not subtle; but then again, Fox promotion rarely ever is.
It raises a promotional paradox; while it was the most-talked about event of the 2015 season, it was bad enough to result in a two-race suspension, the first time a driver was suspended for on-track actions since Kyle Busch at Texas in 2011. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but would the NFL be showing the actions New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. took in 2015 to earn a one-game suspension as a vehicle to hype the 2016 season?
Likely not. But NASCAR is a sport that came to the forefront of American sports culture because of a confrontation between drivers and tends to receive the most national attention when drivers are having at it amongst themselves. That's why there's no direct comparison available for another sport. And Martinsville isn't the first to use a controversial act as a promotional tool.
“No, I wouldn’t think twice about it. Unfortunately, somebody did get penalized on it, that was the bad part about it, but we didn’t make a highlight out of that incident. It was just a small blurb of it. Was it a difficult decision, no,” Campbell reiterated. “I wouldn’t be doing my job, and I don’t think anyone sitting in this room would have done anything any different if what I’m paid to do is sell tickets.
“The golden rule is that if there’s an injury or anything like that, certainly you don’t cross over that line. That was a different deal than what NASCAR did with the two drivers; that’s between them. It’s like people saying now you look at a history book and people want to take certain chapters out of it like it didn’t happen.
“That did happen. So you can’t ignore history.”
NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. plans to donate his brain to CTE research.
By Dustin Long
Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted that he plans to donate his brain to CTE research, following what other athletes, particularly football players, are doing.
Earnhardt tweeted a story Saturday about three former Oakland Raiders pledging their brains to the Boston-based Concussion Legacy Foundation, which is focused on the study, treatment and prevention of the effects of brain trauma in athletes and others.
In response to a fan’s comment on the story, Earnhardt tweeted “I’m gonna donate mine.’’
Earnhardt missed two races during the 2012 Chase after suffering concussion symptoms. He stated then that he suffered a concussion in a crash during testing at Kansas Speedway that wasn’t diagnosed. He suffered concussion symptoms after a last-lap crash at Talladega Superspeedway six weeks later. He wasn’t required to visit the infield care center after the Talladega incident because he drove away from the crash site.
During a press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Earnhardt announced he would not race because of concussion symptoms, he was asked about if long-term health concerns played a role in visiting a neurologist after his Talladega incident. He said: “I want to live a healthy life, so I’m going to make sure that I’m doing the right thing and that’s all I felt like I was doing here. I think if I give myself time to get healed up, I can race for as long as I want to race, and that’s my objective.”
Earnhardt sparked controversy in 2002 when he said he had driven with a concussion for several races that season. NASCAR changed its policy on clearing drivers after crashes after that.
Studies continue on the impact of repeated blows to the head on athletes. The former Raiders who announced plans to donate their brains made the pledge in honor of Ken Stabler, who was found to have the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is believed to cause debilitating memory or mood problems.
Stabler died of colon cancer in July 2015. On a scale of 1 to 4, Stabler had high Stage 3 CTE, the degenerative brain disease believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head, according to a New York Times story that cited Boston University researchers.
The story reported that Boston University researchers have found CTE in 90 of the 94 former NFL players it has examined. Only the brains of players who have requested to have their brains studied or whose families asked for the brains to be studied have been examined.
“The research is in its infancy,” Robert Stern, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the Boston University School of Medicine, told The New York Times.
Athletes who have pledged their brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation include Eric Winston, former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman who is president of the NFL Players Association, and soccer player Brandi Chastain, whose penalty kick in 1999 sealed the United States’ World Cup victory. And now Earnhardt.
By Dustin Long
Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted that he plans to donate his brain to CTE research, following what other athletes, particularly football players, are doing.
Earnhardt tweeted a story Saturday about three former Oakland Raiders pledging their brains to the Boston-based Concussion Legacy Foundation, which is focused on the study, treatment and prevention of the effects of brain trauma in athletes and others.
In response to a fan’s comment on the story, Earnhardt tweeted “I’m gonna donate mine.’’
Earnhardt missed two races during the 2012 Chase after suffering concussion symptoms. He stated then that he suffered a concussion in a crash during testing at Kansas Speedway that wasn’t diagnosed. He suffered concussion symptoms after a last-lap crash at Talladega Superspeedway six weeks later. He wasn’t required to visit the infield care center after the Talladega incident because he drove away from the crash site.
During a press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Earnhardt announced he would not race because of concussion symptoms, he was asked about if long-term health concerns played a role in visiting a neurologist after his Talladega incident. He said: “I want to live a healthy life, so I’m going to make sure that I’m doing the right thing and that’s all I felt like I was doing here. I think if I give myself time to get healed up, I can race for as long as I want to race, and that’s my objective.”
Earnhardt sparked controversy in 2002 when he said he had driven with a concussion for several races that season. NASCAR changed its policy on clearing drivers after crashes after that.
Studies continue on the impact of repeated blows to the head on athletes. The former Raiders who announced plans to donate their brains made the pledge in honor of Ken Stabler, who was found to have the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is believed to cause debilitating memory or mood problems.
Stabler died of colon cancer in July 2015. On a scale of 1 to 4, Stabler had high Stage 3 CTE, the degenerative brain disease believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head, according to a New York Times story that cited Boston University researchers.
The story reported that Boston University researchers have found CTE in 90 of the 94 former NFL players it has examined. Only the brains of players who have requested to have their brains studied or whose families asked for the brains to be studied have been examined.
“The research is in its infancy,” Robert Stern, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the Boston University School of Medicine, told The New York Times.
Athletes who have pledged their brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation include Eric Winston, former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman who is president of the NFL Players Association, and soccer player Brandi Chastain, whose penalty kick in 1999 sealed the United States’ World Cup victory. And now Earnhardt.
SOCCER: Fire hope to be healthier after off week.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
With a number of nagging injuries, the off week for the Chicago Fire may have come at a good time.
A week ago Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said he had only 14 players for a training session. The combination of injuries and players being away on international duty left the coach short-handed.
The biggest injury concern, of course, is David Accam. Accam missed the match against Columbus and his status remains up in the air.
“David is recovering well," Paunovic said in his weekly conference call with media. "We still don’t know if he will be able to be on time for Saturday’s game, but he is recovering well and we are happy with that. We have to check his status day-by-day and see how he will recover for the game. At this point we can’t say if he will be able to play the game against Philly.”
Two other injuries from last week were Arturo Alvarez and John Goossens. Paunovic said both trained with the full group today so it sounds like both will be available Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.
Paunovic said he expects Brandon Vincent and Matt Polster to be available Saturday upon returning from the U.S. U-23 team, but will have to see how they feel when they return to Chicago. The U-23s can qualify for the Olympics with a win Tuesday against Colombia in Frisco, Tex., after a 1-1 draw on the road.
In other news, Paunovic talked about the loans of Patrick Doody and Drew Conner to Saint Louis FC. Doody, in his second loan stint with the Fire's USL affiliate, started the season-opening 1-0 loss at the Real Monarchs on Saturday. He was subbed out in the 89th minute. Conner came on as a sub in the 84th minute.
Paunovic said the club had decided to loan out Doody and Conner "a long time ago."
Finally, the last nugget Paunovic gave was more of a hint than an actual piece of information. When asked about any potential player additions to the roster before the first MLS transfer window closes on May 11, Paunovic said, "We are working on that."
A week ago Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said he had only 14 players for a training session. The combination of injuries and players being away on international duty left the coach short-handed.
The biggest injury concern, of course, is David Accam. Accam missed the match against Columbus and his status remains up in the air.
“David is recovering well," Paunovic said in his weekly conference call with media. "We still don’t know if he will be able to be on time for Saturday’s game, but he is recovering well and we are happy with that. We have to check his status day-by-day and see how he will recover for the game. At this point we can’t say if he will be able to play the game against Philly.”
Paunovic said he expects Brandon Vincent and Matt Polster to be available Saturday upon returning from the U.S. U-23 team, but will have to see how they feel when they return to Chicago. The U-23s can qualify for the Olympics with a win Tuesday against Colombia in Frisco, Tex., after a 1-1 draw on the road.
In other news, Paunovic talked about the loans of Patrick Doody and Drew Conner to Saint Louis FC. Doody, in his second loan stint with the Fire's USL affiliate, started the season-opening 1-0 loss at the Real Monarchs on Saturday. He was subbed out in the 89th minute. Conner came on as a sub in the 84th minute.
Paunovic said the club had decided to loan out Doody and Conner "a long time ago."
“We believe that young players need to play," Paunovic said. "In order to develop well they have to have games, playing in real games with competition. That’s very important."
The two Fire Homegrown players will be joined by teammate Eric Gehrig when Saint Louis FC visits LA Galaxy II on Wednesday. Gehrig is fit after surgery last season, but needs game action.
"We expect that he can get some minutes in order so that he can be better prepared and eligible in the game against Philly or the next game," Paunovic said. "We are not putting any deadline in front of him or us. We just want Eric to recover well, build some minutes in the game and after that we can evaluate how he feels."
More temporary loans like Gehrig's could occur in 2016.
“In the future we are thinking about sending more players there back and forth in order to get more minutes," Paunovic said. "The last game a lot of players that we have, young players, the last game they played 90 minutes was maybe six or four months ago."
USMNT 4-0 Guatemala: Dempsey, Cameron key dominant bit of revenge.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Clint Dempsey and Geoff Cameron each had a goal and an assist, while Graham Zusi and Jozy Altidore added second half insurance tallies as the USMNT picked up a 4-0 win in a must-have CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match against Guatemala.
The win boosts the Yanks back over Guatemala in Group A of World Cup qualifying, three points behind Trinidad and Tobago with two matches to play in the fourth round.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s record in home World Cup qualifiers improved to 10-0 with the decisive victory.
The U.S. heads to St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sept. 2 before finishing with Trinidad and Tobago at home on Sept. 6.
The Yanks needed an early goal to feel good, and the former captain took care of that after 11 minutes.
Geoff Cameron played a long ball into the 18 and two Guatemalan defenders were sucked into covering a streaking Gyasi Zardes. The ball hit Zardes’ shoulder and dropped into the path of Dempsey, who buried his shot past Paulo Motta. 1-0.
It was Dempsey’s 14th goal of World Cup qualifying, moving him past Landon Donovan for the most in USMNT history.
— Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) March 29, 2016Guatemala got its first shot on goal, not a troubling one, in the 34th minute. It wasn’t a sign of things to come, as Bradley sent a gorgeous free kick into the 18 where Cameron nodded the ball past Motta.
— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) March 30, 2016It’s a good thing the score was 2-0 when Bobby Wood missed an absolute sitter just before halftime. The Hawaii-born striker burst past the Guatemala line to bring a chance down, beat the keeper but missed his shot in comical fashion (Not comical for Wood, mind you).
After halftime, Zusi reaped the rewards of a bad touch from Zardes, beating Dempsey to a loose ball in the six and belting it past Motta. 3-0. Game over.
Guatemala had some moments moving forward but no real trouble for Guzan, while the Yanks were just a few deft touches away from making it a real blowout. Jozy Altidore and Ethan Finlay were the first two U.S. subs, and added to the threat.
Guzan was finally tested by a low Marquez offering in the 79th minute, but was relatively comfortable in scooping it up.
Christian Pulisic subbed on for Zusi in the 81st minute, becoming the youngest USMNT player to appear in a World Cup qualifying at the ripe old age of 17.
Finlay was wrongly adjudged to be offside when he thought he had made it 4-0, but Altidore wasn’t denied on his goal.
The Toronto FC striker made it 4-0 when Dempsey found himself with loads of time in the 18 and both Pulisic and the goal scorer open. Altidore left no doubt.
Three things we learned from the USMNT’s 4-0 thumping of Guatemala.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Mostly, though, we learned that Jurgen Klinsmann isn’t completely bonkers and will put his players in good spots when his back is against the wall (but why not sooner?!?)
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN (AND POSITION)
Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey struggled in Friday’s loss to Guatemala, while Geoff Cameron started the game at right back. Dempsey’s been mercurial for the USMNT of late, but Bradley’s performance was surprising.
What wasn’t surprising was how strong Bradley rebounded after Friday’s embarrassment. Key tackles weren’t a problem, passing was on point, and the hustle and vigor were apparent and abundant.
Dempsey’s touch looked off again in the early stages, but he did what he failed to do on Friday when he finished a clear-cut goal scoring opportunity from the middle of the box.
As for Cameron, what can’t this guy do? The big man started at center back next to Steve Birnbaum, and marshaled the line. His resolute defense would’ve been enough, but the Stoke City veteran played the long ball that led to Dempsey’s opener and then nodded home Bradley’s free kick to make it 3-0.
MLS TO THE RESCUE
While Cameron’s move to the middle was a huge and smart — if obvious — move by Klinsmann, Tuesday night was a big night for fans of Major League Soccer.
Klinsmann removed Michael Orozco, Alejandro Bedoya (injured), Mix Diskerud, Tim Howard, and Omar Gonzalez from the Starting XI, replacing them with Steve Birnbaum, Kyle Beckerman, Graham Zusi, Brad Guzan and Gyasi Zardes.
Beckerman and Zusi were particularly effective and composed, aside from an early hiccup each. Zusi more than made up for his mistake with a goal and a fiery first half before making way for Christian Pulisic late in the game.
Birnbaum and Geoff Cameron may not be a long-term pairing given Cameron’s preference to play holding mid, the Yanks’ thin right back ranks and some interesting depth and/or prospects at center back (John Anthony Brooks, Tim Parker, Matt Miazga), but Tuesday should’ve earned Birnbaum “consistent call-up” status.
TACTICS? YES PLEASE
We won’t say Jurgen Klinsmann made up for Friday’s errors, because that’s just not possible. It was an utter failure and glaring embarrassment for U.S. Soccer.
But whoever talked Klinsmann into pressuring Guatemala’s lesser talent when they had the ball deserves a dinner on all of us. Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi and Gyasi Zardes were among the U.S. players chasing the ball with rampant attitude, and the States were well-placed to advance the ball once possession was one.
NCAABKB: Mike Krzyzewski and John Calipari are hypocrites in completely different ways.
By Tom Ziller
College basketball's two coaching titans may seem like opposites, but they really aren't that different from each other.
Mike Krzyzewski got himself into hot water late last week after Oregon trucked Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. After taking the loss, Coach K told the Ducks' Dillon Brooks that he's too good to be "showing off" like that. (Brooks had committed the crime of firing up a half-court shot as the shot clock was winding down at the end of the game instead of taking the violation.)
Brooks, when asked, told the media what Krzyzewski said to him. When asked about the incident, Coach K lied, saying he told Brooks nothing of the sort. The audio proving Brooks correct came the next day. When faced with evidence that he was full of it, Krzyzewski offered an apology to the Oregon coach, but claimed he just answered the media's question inaccurately, even though it's plainly clear he flat-out lied.
In a wide view, this is a minor thing. Coach K got a little sanctimonious in defeat and thought he could twist his way out of it. He couldn't and got caught. It would have been nice had he not criticized Brooks in the first place, or if he'd owned up to it in the press conference. Best of all, it would be have been refreshing if he came fully clean when caught in the lie and apologized for embarrassing his program. That'd set a nice example.
But hypocrisy in coaching, especially college coaching, where the participants take on self-appointed father roles? This is not out of the ordinary. While Coach K was busy being fake classy, his rival John Calipari was busy being fake cool.
The NCAA passed an exceedingly generous rule change allowing underclassmen to test the waters until mid-May and retain eligibility, so long as they don't receive improper gifts from agents, runners, teams and the like. In recent years, players had to withdraw their names from draft consideration by mid-April to preserve NCAA eligibility. That meant that basically no one truly tested the waters as NBA teams aren't working out underclass prospects until May in most cases.
Coach Cal has been the king of exploiting the NBA age minimum. He built his Kentucky program around landing one-and-done stars, using them and losing them.
He has, in fact, built a pipeline of such stars, and uses his success in luring players who leave for the NBA after one season into a grand recruiting pitch. That campaign culminated in Calipari's 2014 book Players First: Coaching From the Inside Out.
The thesis of the book is that the players' interests and needs are at the center of Cal's coaching philosophy and program. Cal teaches them how to play a pro-style game, is painfully honest with them (even if it hurts him to be!) and helps them understand how to give back to the world. In other words, Calipari gives five-star recruits what they need so that they will give him what he needs, which is one semester of classes and four months of wins.
So, when the NCAA debuted its new draft deadline this year, in the best interest of his players, Calipari announced that the entire Wildcats squad would be declaring for the draft, even the walk-ons. Laughs were had. The 12th man can go to the NBA Draft Combine! Only at Kentucky! He must really care about his players if he's pushing them all -- even the non-NBA prospects -- to get evaluated by NBA scouts. Just add it to Coach Cal's "players first" narrative: he's willing to turn over his entire team if the NBA wants everyone.
In actuality, what Cal is doing is totally self-serving. First, he's wasting everyone's time. NBA scouts aren't interested in prospects who played a couple dozen minutes for a squad that washed out in the tournament's first weekend. Second, he's bending the rule to its breaking point. You see, the NCAA rule change didn't just alter the deadline for dropping out of draft consideration. It also expanded the number of hours college players can work out with college coaching staffs during the spring period, provided those players are invited to the combine. The upshot is that players who do test the waters are more likely to stay on campus, under Calipari's watch, thus boosting the number of eyes on Lexington.
Before the rule changes, a sure one-and-done prospect who declared at the end of the season would sign with an agent and go to Vegas, Santa Monica or one of the other common NBA prep locales to get ready for the combine and individual workouts. Now Calipari can invite them to hold court in Lexington, where they'll have their entire college team around for workouts and scrimmages. In doing so, Calipari brings the NBA world to him. Those walk-ons aren't getting invited to the combine, so they won't be granted extra practice time with Cal and his staff. It's all a show.
Meanwhile, Calipari has long advocated for a higher NBA age minimum, like most of his contemporaries. There's nothing "players first" about requiring prospects to play for free for two years. In addition, there's also little that's "players first" about escaping a program before rules violations hurt future players and vacate Final Fours, as Calipari did at UMass and Memphis.
You can't say that about Coach K, at least. He's just a sore loser. Calipari's counterfeit philosophy is more nefarious than some whispered sanctimony.
In both cases, though, it'd be refreshing if the coaches would just own who they are: highly successful, highly selfish millionaires making money off selling dreams and playing time to teenagers. Stop pretending there's a higher morality to it.
Final Four matchup as much about scandals as baskets.
By TIM DAHLBERG
Coming to Houston this week with hopes of another national championship is North Carolina, a school embroiled in one of the biggest NCAA academic scandals ever for enrolling athletes in sham classes and having tutors write their papers to keep them eligible.
There to meet them will be the scrappy team from Syracuse, fresh off a postseason ban and coaching suspension for breaking a smorgasbord of NCAA rules.
The oddsmakers favor North Carolina, which seems fitting. There are some people, cynical as they might be, who believe the university found a way to delay upcoming NCAA penalties because the Tar Heels were loaded with talent this year and had a good chance to make the Final Four.
Don't sell Syracuse short, though. If the Orange aren't on a mission, their coach seems to be as he tries to stick it to the same NCAA that he believes unfairly forced him to watch on TV as his team played nearly a third of its games without him this season.
Not since the NCAA had to deal uncomfortably with UNLV's Jerry Tarkanian in two back-to-back Final Fours have we seen one like this. About the only thing that will be missing in Houston is Louisville and its retinue of strippers and hookers.
The NCAA had to tolerate Tarkanian when he coached the Runnin' Rebels to the national semifinals in 1990 and 1991, winning the first and getting upset by Duke in the second. It wasn't long, though, before investigators bent on catching the towel-chewing coach doing something, anything, that was against the rules ended a potential dynasty in the desert by forcing him out.
This one is a bit different because they already had the goods on Jim Boeheim, who in a scathing NCAA report last year was hit with a number of violations that resulted in a nine-game coaching suspension, the loss of scholarships and the vacating of 108 wins. The report cited academic misconduct, payment to athletes for ''volunteer'' work at a YMCA and violations of the university's drug-testing policy.
At the time, Boeheim protested that the penalties were ''unduly harsh,'' especially since Syracuse had already voluntarily imposed a one season postseason ban for the basketball program. The longtime coach modified his words some on Monday, but still seems to believe he was singled out for punishment for things he had no control over.
''There's certain words that I object to. 'Clean' is one of them,'' Boeheim said Monday. ''Things can happen in a program. That doesn't mean it's something dirty. It just means something happened that shouldn't have happened, and you try to correct it. You face your punishment and you move on. That's what you do.''
The coaches, it seems, never know. Not Boeheim, or Rick Pitino at Louisville.
And certainly not Roy Williams.
The Carolina coach will tell anyone who will listen that the basketball program is clean, and that most of the problems with the sham classes over a span of 18 years were with football and other athletic programs.
''There were mistakes made. We said that freely,'' Williams said in what he surely hopes will be the last comments on the subject this week. ''We're discouraged about it, sad about it. You can put any description there you want. I don't think my integrity and credibility should have been in need of validating.''
Left unsaid by Williams was that a university investigation showed 167 enrollments by basketball players into the African and Afro-American Studies program at the center of the scandal since he was named coach in 2003.
Players didn't need to go to classes in most cases because there weren't any. All they had to do was write a paper - or have someone write a paper for them - to get credits to remain eligible.
Former player Rashad McCants is on record saying he took a number of the classes in his three years at Chapel Hill, including four during the 2005 national championship season. McCants said tutors wrote his papers for him, and claimed Williams was ''100 percent aware of the 'paper class' system,'' something the coach denies.
Some might say the NCAA is committing a violation itself by hosting a tournament that brings in some $800 million while giving athletes little more than tuition and room and board. But this is the system Boeheim and Williams coach under, the same system that allows them to make millions of dollars a year on the backs of their teenage charges.
One of their teams may win the national championship. Indeed, the Tar Heels are the odds-on favorite to cut down the nets Monday night.
For those who care about real student-athletes, though, it just won't feel right to celebrate.
Ex-NBA coach Dunleavy Sr. takes first college job at Tulane.
By BRETT MARTEL
Former long-time NBA coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. is taking his first college coaching job at Tulane, joining a program that has languished at or below .500 for most of the past two decades since last appearing in the NCAA tournament in 1995.
The 62-year-old Dunleavy, whose hiring was announced Monday, is a Brooklyn, New York, native who played for South Carolina before a lengthy career as an NBA player and coach. He's been the head coach of four NBA teams, most recently the Los Angeles Clippers from 2003 to 2010. He previously coached the Los Angeles Lakers (1990-92), Milwaukee Bucks (1992-96) and Portland Trail Blazers (1997-2001).
His six-year hiatus from coaching ends as he replaces Ed Conroy, who was fired after six seasons. Tulane finished this season 12-22.
Dunleavey's ''reputation as a great evaluator of talent, master of strategy and teacher of the game define him today as one of the top basketball minds in the country at any level,'' Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen said. ''His commitment to Tulane athletics is a game-changer for our program.''
This marks the second major hire at Tulane for Dannen, who took over as Green Wave athletic director in December. He has also hired new football coach Willie Fritz.
Tulane has scheduled Dunleavy's formal introduction for Tuesday at the Green Wave's on-campus basketball arena, Devlin Fieldhouse.
Dunleavy played in all or part or 11 seasons in the NBA between 1976 and 1990 for Philadelphia, Houston, San Antonio and Milwaukee, briefly coming out of a three-year retirement from 1989 to 1990.
As a 17-year NBA coach, Dunleavy won 613 regular season games, which ranks 24th all-time. He has also won 38 playoff games as a coach. He was named the 1999 NBA Coach of the Year with Portland.
A number of his former assistants have gone on to become head coaches in the NBA and in college, including current Nevada head coach Eric Musselman.
''I am delighted to have the opportunity to coach the Green Wave and excited to help develop the students-athletes at Tulane into champions,'' Dunleavy said in a statement released by Tulane.
NCAAFB: New Illinois staff heavy on experience with NFL, Smith.
By DAVID MERCER
The new staff Illinois coach Lovie Smith introduced Tuesday is heavy on experience in the NFL, and on experience with Smith.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears coach said that is what he had in mind when he hired them during an unusual time to put together a staff. Smith was hired March 7 after the surprise firing of Bill Cubit two days earlier.
''Yes, I wanted an NFL mix,'' Smith said. ''I think in your mind you always have your ideal staff in play, if I'm in position, this is who I would like to have with me.''
As he worked his way through the list of coaches he has hired the past few weeks, most coached with Smith at some point or were connected to him in some way.
After a long NFL career and several seasons coaching high school football, defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson was part of Smith's staff at Tampa Bay after being a star linebacker as a player. Nickerson had just joined the San Francisco 49ers staff as linebackers coach when Smith talked him into coming to Illinois.
''The pitch for him was, we're trying to do something special here at the University of Illinois,'' Smith said. ''Who wouldn't want him on the staff?''
Former Louisville offensive coordinator Garrick McGee will be in charge of the offense at Illinois. He and Smith have known each other since Smith recruited McGee at Arizona State. Smith said he and McGee plan to run a pro-style offense.
Other staff members include special teams and tight ends coach Bob Ligashesky, whom Smith has known since the two worked at Arizona State in the 1980s; offensive line coach Luke Butkus, who spent three seasons on Smith's Bears staff, in addition to a season at Illinois; receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker, who coached with the Bears for several seasons; and defensive line coach Mike Phair, a veteran of both the Bears and Buccaneers.
Running backs coach Thad Ward and defensive backs coach Paul Williams have not worked with Smith.
Illinois will start spring football Friday.
AP Derby Top 10: Japan-based Lani headed to Kentucky Derby.
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
Lani is about to embark on a 7,380-mile journey back to his old Kentucky home for a chance to Run for the Roses.
The gray colt earned the trip to the Kentucky Derby with a come-from-way-behind victory in the UAE Derby on Saturday in Dubai. The win was worth 100 Derby qualifying points, and Lani will be on his way to America in the next few days.
''Of course, we will go to the Kentucky Derby,'' said Koki Maeda, the son of Lani's owner, Yoko Maeda, ''and I'd like to get the first prize.''
Lani moves into the AP's latest Run to the Roses Top 10 Derby contenders at No. 9. The biggest jump was made by Gun Runner, who won the Louisiana Derby by 4 1/2 lengths and is up to No. 6.
Unbeatens Nyquist and Mohaymen remain 1-2 heading into their showdown in the Florida Derby on Saturday.
Lani was bred in Kentucky out of the Sunday Silence mare Heavenly Romance but is based in Japan. A son of Tapit, Lani won two of five starts in Japan before his victory in Dubai.
Ski Captain is the only Japan-based horse to run in the Derby, finishing 14th in 1995. As fate would have it, the jockey who rode Ski Captain - Yutaka Take - is also the rider for Lani.
Take nearly fell off when Lani stumbled at the start and dropped well back in the field. But the colt regained his balance, raced on the outside and began making up ground. In the stretch, Lani pulled ahead of the leaders with about 100 yards to go and won the nearly 1 1/4-mile race by a half-length.
Trainer Steve Asmussen has himself a strong Derby contender in Gun Runner, who now has wins in the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds and sits atop the points standings with 151.
''The good thing is he's very easy to manage,'' said Gun Runner's jockey, Florence Geroux. ''He has so many gears.''
To have a Derby horse, ''it's great,'' he added. ''I was in the Derby last year (with Stanford), but my horse was scratched. Hopefully we can make a nice run the first Saturday in May.''
- In addition to Nyquist and Mohaymen, others set for the Florida Derby include Fashionable Freddy, Fellowship, Majesto, Sawyers Mickeys and Takeittotheedge. Entries are drawn on Wednesday.
- The other Derby prep is the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park. Among the probables are Ralis, Two Step Time and Strike Up The Band.
- Last week, there were nine late Triple Crown nominations, including John Battaglia Memorial winner Surgical Strike. The fee for each horse was $6,000.
Here's our Top 10:
1. Nyquist (Doug O'Neill, trainer; Mario Gutierrez, jockey): Unbeaten 2-year-old champ on way to South Florida for showdown with Mohaymen. ... Worked 5 furlongs in 1:03 at Santa Anita on Friday. ... Next start: Florida Derby, Gulfstream Park, Saturday. ... Derby odds (pool 3): 7-1.
2. Mohaymen (Kiaran McLaughlin, Junior Alvarado): Trainer back from Dubai to get unbeaten colt set for toughest test yet. ... Fountain of Youth winner worked 4 furlongs in 48.80 at Palm Meadows last week. ... Next start: Florida Derby. ... Odds: 7-2.
3. Cupid (Bob Baffert, Martin Garcia): Rebel winner back at Santa Anita prepping for one more start before trip to Louisville. ... Next start: Arkansas Derby, April 16, Oaklawn Park. ... Odds: 36-1.
4. Danzing Candy (Cliff Sise Jr., Mike Smith): San Felipe winner worked 5 furlongs in speedy 58.60 at Santa Anita on Saturday. ... Winner of three straight after running eighth in first race. ... Next start: Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita, April 9. ... Odds: 17-1.
5. Mor Spirit (Baffert, Gary Stevens): Baffert looking for eighth Santa Anita Derby win. ... San Felipe runner-up worked 4 furlongs in 47.80 at Santa Anita last week. ... Next start: Santa Anita Derby. ... Odds: 12-1.
6. Gun Runner (Steve Asmussen, Florent Geroux): Overpowered field to win Louisiana Derby. ... Comes into Derby with four wins in five races. ... Leads in Derby qualifying points with 151. ... Next start: Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, May 7. ... Odds: 25-1.
7. Shagaf (Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz Jr.): Gotham winner worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.10 at Belmont on Saturday. ... Like top 2, colt is also unbeaten. ... Next start: Wood Memorial, Aqueduct, April 9. ... Odds: 14-1.
8. Destin (Todd Pletcher, Javier Castellano): Could run one more time before Derby. ... Options still Blue Grass, Wood or Arkansas Derby for final prep. ... Next start: Undecided. ... Odds: 15-1.
9. Lani (Mikio Matsunaga, Yutaka Take): Won UAE Derby to clinch trip back home to Kentucky. ... Bred in Kentucky, races in Japan. ... Has three wins in last four races. ... Next start: Kentucky Derby. ... Odds: 5-1 (mutual field).
10. Zulu (Pletcher, John Velazquez): Fountain of Youth runner-up worked 4 furlongs in 49.43 at Palm Beach Downs on Saturday. ... Next start: Florida Derby. ... Odds: 26-1.
Keep an eye on: Brody's Cause, Exaggerator, Mo Tom, Uncle Lino, Whitmore.
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1925 - The Victoria Cougars of the WCHL became the last non-NHL team to win the Stanley Cup.
1946 - Maurice "The Rocket" Richard scored his first of three overtime goals in the Stanley Cup Finals.
1980 - George Gervin (San Antonio) became the fifth NBA player to win at least three consecutive scoring titles.
1993 - The Ottawa Senators lost their 37th consecutive road game to tie the NHL record that had been set in 1975.
1997 - Golfer John Daly checked into the Betty Ford Clinic after a drinking binge a few days earlier.
2002 - The Dallas Stars lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers. The game ended the Stars' streak of 50 straight wins when leading after 2 periods.
2004 - NFL owners approved a modified version of the instant replay system for five years. They added a third coaches' challenge if the first two were successful.
1946 - Maurice "The Rocket" Richard scored his first of three overtime goals in the Stanley Cup Finals.
1980 - George Gervin (San Antonio) became the fifth NBA player to win at least three consecutive scoring titles.
1993 - The Ottawa Senators lost their 37th consecutive road game to tie the NHL record that had been set in 1975.
1997 - Golfer John Daly checked into the Betty Ford Clinic after a drinking binge a few days earlier.
2002 - The Dallas Stars lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers. The game ended the Stars' streak of 50 straight wins when leading after 2 periods.
2004 - NFL owners approved a modified version of the instant replay system for five years. They added a third coaches' challenge if the first two were successful.
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