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"Sports Quote of the Day"
“There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go.” ~ Richard Bach, Writer
Trending: Duncan Keith’s return should boost Blackhawks. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Curry shoots Warriors to 73rd win, breaking Bulls' mark. (See the basketball section for NBA and Bulls updates).
Trending: NFL taps Bears to be major prime-time players in 2016. (See the football section for Bears updates and the 2016 schedule).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series". What a start for Chicago's two baseball teams during the first 18 games of the season, a combined 15-3. Don't stop now, don't stop.
Cubs 2016 Record: 8-1
White Sox 2016 Record: 7-2
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Chicago Blackhawks-St. Louis Blues Preview.
By Kevin Massoth
The St. Louis Blues have plenty of pieces still in place from their previous postseason failures.
Maybe goaltender Brian Elliott is the change that finally drives them into the second round.
After posting the Blues' first playoff shutout in four years, Elliott looks to lift them to a 2-0 lead Friday night over the Chicago Blackhawks - who will get top defenseman Duncan Keith back - in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
The Blues could be facing their final shot at a deep playoff run with coach Ken Hitchcock and the core of their current roster after first-round exits the previous three seasons.
Elliott, however, is the new face in goal as St. Louis tries to change its postseason fortunes. A strong regular season and dominant closing stretch - he went 12-1-1 with a 1.90 goals-against average in his last 16 games - earned Elliott the starting nod ahead of oft-injured Jake Allen, and he came through in Wednesday's opener.
Elliott made 35 saves in a 1-0 overtime win that ended when David Backes' pass deflected off Chicago defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk's skate and past goalie Corey Crawford.
The ugly goal gave the Blues their third straight victory over Chicago.
''You just try to get your emotions in check and try not to get too revved up, calm yourself down a little bit when needed,'' Elliott said. ''At this time of the year it's just about that next game. You're not looking at the past or the future.''
Elliott led the league with a .930 save percentage and posted a 1.76 GAA and three shutouts in his final eight starts.
He started all six games in a 2013 playoff loss to Los Angeles but made only his second postseason appearance since then in Game 1. Elliott logged the Blues' first playoff shutout since he shared one with Jaroslav Halak on April 14, 2012.
St. Louis, though, has little reason to be overly confident. The Blues appeared in control against the Blackhawks in 2014 after winning twice in overtime at home to start the series, then dropped four straight - two of which went to OT.
All three Blues wins in this regular season's five-game series required overtime, and they've played four straight OT playoff games against the Blackhawks in St. Louis. Chicago went 4-1 in overtime games in last season's playoffs en route to its third Stanley Cup in six seasons.
The well-tested Blackhawks felt they played well Wednesday, and the return of Keith should provide a big boost. The 2015 Conn Smythe winner served the final game of a six-game suspension for high-sticking Minnesota's Charlie Coyle on March 29.
''We're happy to have him back,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''He gives us some speed, he gives us a lot of different looks and a lot of other options.''
Crawford was sharp with 17 saves in just his second game back from nearly a month-long absence due to a head injury, but the Blackhawks went 0 for 5 on the power play.
Hitchcock called Backes' goal "fluky."
''That's the type of goal that gets scored in overtime,'' defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. ''But they deserved it too, and we've got to find a way to score.''
Duncan Keith’s return should boost Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Duncan Keith watched as the Blackhawks almost came away with the road victory without him.
The Blackhawks defenseman was wrapping up his six-game suspension, which included that first postseason game against the St. Louis Blues. Despite missing Keith’s minutes, Keith’s work on the power play and penalty kill, the Blackhawks still got to overtime before losing 1-0.
“You want to be out there helping the guys to try and win the hockey game. That in itself is frustrating especially it being as big a game as it was,” Keith said. “But I’m excited to get back and play again and try to do everything I can to help get a win.”
The Blackhawks were close to getting that first road playoff victory on Wednesday night. Heading into Friday they’re looking for a split, something they weren’t able to get against the Blues two postseasons ago. Getting Keith back certainly helps that possibility.
“It’s huge. Not much has to be said there,” Jonathan Toews said. “We know what Duncs means to our team: power play, penalty kill, all situations we could’ve used him in [Wednesday night]. But he’ll make all those parts of our game better the next one. We can all step it up and feed off that energy he’ll bring.”
Coach Joel Quenneville said he will probably pair Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson together again. Hjalmarsson has played with Trevor van Riemsdyk during Keith’s suspension. The Blackhawks’ defense was strong without Keith in Game 1, holding the Blues to just 18 shots through regulation and nine-plus minutes of overtime. Young guys such as van Riemsdyk and Erik Gustafsson gained more minutes and/or more responsibilities.
But at this time of year the experience is critical, so the onus was still on veterans Hjalmarsson and Brent Seabrook.
“Playing 30 minutes, speaking for myself, I’ve done it a lot of times in the playoffs and in big games. I like playing those kinds of minutes and being counted on. But having Duncan back to alleviate that pressure in some areas, whether it’s penalty killing or power play or even strength, he’s such a big part of our team,” Seabrook said. “Getting him back, the way he’s able to eat minutes and still be productive, is big.”
Keith knows the Blues will try to throw him off his game. The Blues went with their usual method of attack in Game 1 – hit the Blackhawks as often as possible, and they were credited with 41 hits. With Keith, they may even try to get him to lose his cool. Quenneville said he’s talked with Keith about keeping his composure – “the leash is a little tighter than it’s been. He has to be smarter in that area,” Quenneville said. And Keith knows he can’t let the opposition push his buttons.
“Guys have taken runs at me. You deal with it. [Patrick Kane] deals with it very well. Not the biggest guy, but try to find a way to get through that, do what you have to do and play your game. Don’t focus on those type of things. Focus is on the game, competing,” Keith said. “When it comes to the suspension, that’s something I can be in control of and need to do and be smart about that.”
The Blackhawks had everything but the finish on Wednesday night. Keith will be back on Friday, playing big minutes, helping on the power play and on the penalty kill. Keith had the Blackhawks’ first game-winning goal of the 2015 Cup run. He had the final game-winning goal, too. Could Keith’s return be the difference in Game 2? The Blackhawks hope it will be.
“You want to try to get one on the road. If we would’ve won [Wednesday] we would’ve tried to get two but now we have to look to get the split. Duncs getting back in the lineup and the things we did well we can build off and should give us energy with him returning,” Quenneville said. “Let’s look to get even.”
BRIEFLY
The Blackhawks defenseman was wrapping up his six-game suspension, which included that first postseason game against the St. Louis Blues. Despite missing Keith’s minutes, Keith’s work on the power play and penalty kill, the Blackhawks still got to overtime before losing 1-0.
“You want to be out there helping the guys to try and win the hockey game. That in itself is frustrating especially it being as big a game as it was,” Keith said. “But I’m excited to get back and play again and try to do everything I can to help get a win.”
The Blackhawks were close to getting that first road playoff victory on Wednesday night. Heading into Friday they’re looking for a split, something they weren’t able to get against the Blues two postseasons ago. Getting Keith back certainly helps that possibility.
“It’s huge. Not much has to be said there,” Jonathan Toews said. “We know what Duncs means to our team: power play, penalty kill, all situations we could’ve used him in [Wednesday night]. But he’ll make all those parts of our game better the next one. We can all step it up and feed off that energy he’ll bring.”
Coach Joel Quenneville said he will probably pair Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson together again. Hjalmarsson has played with Trevor van Riemsdyk during Keith’s suspension. The Blackhawks’ defense was strong without Keith in Game 1, holding the Blues to just 18 shots through regulation and nine-plus minutes of overtime. Young guys such as van Riemsdyk and Erik Gustafsson gained more minutes and/or more responsibilities.
But at this time of year the experience is critical, so the onus was still on veterans Hjalmarsson and Brent Seabrook.
“Playing 30 minutes, speaking for myself, I’ve done it a lot of times in the playoffs and in big games. I like playing those kinds of minutes and being counted on. But having Duncan back to alleviate that pressure in some areas, whether it’s penalty killing or power play or even strength, he’s such a big part of our team,” Seabrook said. “Getting him back, the way he’s able to eat minutes and still be productive, is big.”
Keith knows the Blues will try to throw him off his game. The Blues went with their usual method of attack in Game 1 – hit the Blackhawks as often as possible, and they were credited with 41 hits. With Keith, they may even try to get him to lose his cool. Quenneville said he’s talked with Keith about keeping his composure – “the leash is a little tighter than it’s been. He has to be smarter in that area,” Quenneville said. And Keith knows he can’t let the opposition push his buttons.
“Guys have taken runs at me. You deal with it. [Patrick Kane] deals with it very well. Not the biggest guy, but try to find a way to get through that, do what you have to do and play your game. Don’t focus on those type of things. Focus is on the game, competing,” Keith said. “When it comes to the suspension, that’s something I can be in control of and need to do and be smart about that.”
The Blackhawks had everything but the finish on Wednesday night. Keith will be back on Friday, playing big minutes, helping on the power play and on the penalty kill. Keith had the Blackhawks’ first game-winning goal of the 2015 Cup run. He had the final game-winning goal, too. Could Keith’s return be the difference in Game 2? The Blackhawks hope it will be.
“You want to try to get one on the road. If we would’ve won [Wednesday] we would’ve tried to get two but now we have to look to get the split. Duncs getting back in the lineup and the things we did well we can build off and should give us energy with him returning,” Quenneville said. “Let’s look to get even.”
BRIEFLY
- Andrew Ladd’s wife, Brandy, gave birth to their third child, a boy named Walker Gordon. Quenneville said Ladd is expected to be in the lineup for Game 2 on Friday night.
- The Blackhawks agreed to terms on a three-year contract with defenseman Carl Dahlstrom. The deal for Dahlstrom, who has played in three games with the Rockford IceHogs this season, begins at the start of the 2016-17 season.
Blues edge Blackhawks in overtime to take Game 1. (Wednesday night's game, 04/13/2016).
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/USA TODAY Sports Images)
It really shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone, right?
The Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues played close hockey games all regular season. Plus going to overtime in Game 1 seems to be a Blackhawks habit – this marked the fifth consecutive season their first game needed extra time.
But just like two years ago in their Game 1 matchup here, the Blackhawks came up short.
David Backes scored the deciding goal 9:04 into overtime and Brian Elliott stopped all 35 shots he saw as the St. Louis Blues beat the Blackhawks 1-0 in Game 1 of their first-round series on Wednesday night.
Corey Crawford stopped 17 of 18 shots in just his second game back from an upper-body injury. Backes’ shot, from an angle, hit off Trevor van Riemsdyk’s right skate and past Crawford.
“Yeah, obviously not what you want there. Tough break,” van Riemsdyk said afterward. “But we just have to come back ready for the next game.”
It was a tough ending for the Blackhawks but not a debilitating one. They didn’t allow much – the Blues had just 18 shots in the game, including 16 through regulation. Their defense, minus Duncan Keith for the final game of his six-game suspension, played well overall.
“Well there are a lot of positives. I thought we did some good things, certainly had some good looks in the third period, some quality rush chances,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was a tight game. But we played exactly the right way and what we’re looking to and didn’t take advantage of the chances we had.”
Yes, some of those chances were on 5-on-5 and others were on the power play. You could’ve looked at both teams’ power plays in two ways: either the power plays failed or the penalty kills were great. It was likely a mix. Quenneville was OK with most of the power plays but didn’t like the last one, when Blues defenseman Colton Parayko sent the puck into the stands just seven seconds into overtime. The Blackhawks barely broke into the Blues’ zone and created nothing.
“I mean I think we saw some pretty good penalty killing by bot teams. Give them credit. But we can move the puck quicker, take our shots and take our chances when we have them and try to generate off the second efforts. That’s how we’ll score goals in the series,” Jonathan Toews said. “When the pucks were lying around we didn’t find them. It’s about settling down and calming down on that power play and just playing with more composure and with our heads up. When we start making those plays things will start happening more.”
The Blackhawks liked a lot of what they did on Wednesday: except the ending. They realize they had ample opportunities to turn that finish to their favor. They wanted to try and sweep the Blues on the road these first two games. Now that opportunity is lost, they’ll go for the split. And to do that, they’ll need the finish in Game 2 that they didn’t have in Game 1.
“There’s not a big difference playing St. Louis (in Round 1) and playing Tampa in the finals. It’s so even nowadays — all eight playoff teams are so close to each other. It’s like a Stanley Cup Final right away,” Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “St. Louis is one of the best teams in the league. We’re up for a big task here.”
Curry shoots Warriors to 73rd win, breaking Bulls' mark.
By Associated Press
The Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues played close hockey games all regular season. Plus going to overtime in Game 1 seems to be a Blackhawks habit – this marked the fifth consecutive season their first game needed extra time.
But just like two years ago in their Game 1 matchup here, the Blackhawks came up short.
David Backes scored the deciding goal 9:04 into overtime and Brian Elliott stopped all 35 shots he saw as the St. Louis Blues beat the Blackhawks 1-0 in Game 1 of their first-round series on Wednesday night.
Corey Crawford stopped 17 of 18 shots in just his second game back from an upper-body injury. Backes’ shot, from an angle, hit off Trevor van Riemsdyk’s right skate and past Crawford.
“Yeah, obviously not what you want there. Tough break,” van Riemsdyk said afterward. “But we just have to come back ready for the next game.”
It was a tough ending for the Blackhawks but not a debilitating one. They didn’t allow much – the Blues had just 18 shots in the game, including 16 through regulation. Their defense, minus Duncan Keith for the final game of his six-game suspension, played well overall.
“Well there are a lot of positives. I thought we did some good things, certainly had some good looks in the third period, some quality rush chances,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was a tight game. But we played exactly the right way and what we’re looking to and didn’t take advantage of the chances we had.”
Yes, some of those chances were on 5-on-5 and others were on the power play. You could’ve looked at both teams’ power plays in two ways: either the power plays failed or the penalty kills were great. It was likely a mix. Quenneville was OK with most of the power plays but didn’t like the last one, when Blues defenseman Colton Parayko sent the puck into the stands just seven seconds into overtime. The Blackhawks barely broke into the Blues’ zone and created nothing.
“I mean I think we saw some pretty good penalty killing by bot teams. Give them credit. But we can move the puck quicker, take our shots and take our chances when we have them and try to generate off the second efforts. That’s how we’ll score goals in the series,” Jonathan Toews said. “When the pucks were lying around we didn’t find them. It’s about settling down and calming down on that power play and just playing with more composure and with our heads up. When we start making those plays things will start happening more.”
The Blackhawks liked a lot of what they did on Wednesday: except the ending. They realize they had ample opportunities to turn that finish to their favor. They wanted to try and sweep the Blues on the road these first two games. Now that opportunity is lost, they’ll go for the split. And to do that, they’ll need the finish in Game 2 that they didn’t have in Game 1.
“There’s not a big difference playing St. Louis (in Round 1) and playing Tampa in the finals. It’s so even nowadays — all eight playoff teams are so close to each other. It’s like a Stanley Cup Final right away,” Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “St. Louis is one of the best teams in the league. We’re up for a big task here.”
Curry shoots Warriors to 73rd win, breaking Bulls' mark.
By Associated Press
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors took their last shot at Michael Jordan and history and they swished it — for 73.
"I want to congratulate the Warriors on their amazing season," Jordan said in a statement. "The game of basketball is always evolving and records are made to be broken. The Warriors have been a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs."
Curry achieved yet one more shooting milestone, becoming the first player to make 400 3-pointers in a season by knocking down 10 from long range on the way to 46 points and 402 total 3s. Golden State saved one last record for the closing day of the regular season, and did it for a roaring, sellout home crowd at Oracle Arena. Yet these Warriors want nothing more than to build off their remarkable run so far and ride it to another title.
Draymond Green had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as defending champion Golden State (73-9) topped the Jordan-led 1995-96 Bulls who went 72-10.
"It's a great way to finish off what was an amazing regular season," Kerr said. "I just told our guys I never in a million years would have guessed that that record would ever be broken. I thought it was like DiMaggio's hit streak, really. I was wrong, but I will say the same thing now that I said 20 years ago, 'I don't think this one will ever be broken.' Somebody's got to go 74-8. I don't see it, and I hope our fans aren't expecting that next year."
When the final buzzer sounded, Green bounded onto the floor and grabbed the game ball as confetti streamed down and "73 WINS" appeared on the scoreboard.
"We were going to play 82 games, anyway," Green said. "We might as well try to win. It means that I'm on the best team ever. Not many people can say that — 15 guys can say that."
President Barack Obama sent a tweet that said: "Congrats to the @warriors, a great group of guys on and off the court. If somebody had to break the Bulls' record, I'm glad it's them."
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement, saying: "Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors on their 73rd win and the best regular-season record in NBA history. The team held itself to a high standard throughout the season, playing with purpose every night and captivating fans around the world with its free-flowing style, spectacular shooting and flair for the dramatic. Kudos to the entire Warriors organization."
The Warriors went for it, all right. They absolutely wanted this record, even when they could have been resting up for the next challenge: to repeat. And Curry? No doubt about it. He came out and did what he has all along during this sensational season: Let it fly from anywhere on the floor.
Curry had seven 3-pointers by halftime, then hit No. 400 just 43 seconds into the third.
Already the first player to make 300 3-pointers in a season, he knocked down six in the first quarter and three straight during one jaw-dropping stretch that included a 31-footer well behind the top of the arc. And Curry immediately began trending on Twitter.
Curry shattered his own single-season record of 286 from a year ago. When he hit his 400th, the reigning MVP raised his arms and patted his chest in celebration.
He made 10 of 19 3-pointers and shot 15 for 24 overall to go with six assists as fans chanted "M-V-P! M-V-P!" all evening. Klay Thompson added 16 points with four 3s of his own before Curry rested the fourth quarter and Thompson most of it.
For all of those so-called experts who doubted the Warriors' first championship in 40 years last June that didn't go through San Antonio, this season might have changed their tune.
Golden State not only won nearly every night with a cool swagger and new focus on the offensive end but with a determination to be far better than during that special season.
From Day 1, Kerr challenged the Warriors to make big strides.
Already the Western Conference's No. 1 seed heading into this weekend's playoffs, Golden State had to get past the very Memphis team the Warriors squeaked by 100-99 four days earlier on the Grizzlies' home floor to keep themselves in position to make history.
The Warriors whipped the Grizzlies 119-69 at home back on Nov. 2, with the 50-point win the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history.
No champagne celebrations were planned for this focused bunch.
"Absolutely not. You've got to save that 'til June. I mean you might have a glass of wine after the game but that's about it," Thompson said. "This record doesn't mean a thing if we don't take care of business in the postseason."
Kerr missed his team's 24-0 start and the first 43 games overall — Luke Walton led the Warriors to a 39-4 record in Kerr's absence — while dealing with complications following two back surgeries.
The Warriors had their NBA-record 54-game home winning streak in the regular season snapped in an April 1 loss to Boston at Oracle. Golden State finished 39-2 at home for the second straight year.
Zach Randolph scored 24 points to lead Memphis, which lost its fourth in a row to end the season.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Paxson addresses future after Bulls' disappointing season ends.
By Vincent Goodwill
Calling the season a “disappointment” and "unacceptable", Bulls executive vice president John Paxson addressed the media along with general manager Gar Forman after the Bulls’ season-ending win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
It marks the first time the Bulls have ended their season with a lottery appearance since 2008, as they’ve fallen well short of expectations that didn’t just revolve around qualifying for the playoffs but the belief they could contend for supremacy in the Eastern Conference.
“Gar and I understand accountability. And we are accountable for what this team did this year,” Paxson said. “We don’t run away from it. We accept it. That’s on us. And we get it. And we understand what’s at stake.”
What’s at stake could be the Bulls’ standing in the conference and league, as the franchise faces a crucial offseason where Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol will be unrestricted free agents, along with deciding the best course of action with several key players on their roster.
“We had a bad year, we are not running from that,” Paxson said. “Changes need to be made. I’ll go down with a group that fights more than a group that doesn’t.”
Paxson roundly disputed reports Forman’s job was in jeopardy, and made no bones about the expectations that were placed in front of new coach Fred Hoiberg, as they didn’t make significant changes to a roster that lost in the second round of the 2015 playoffs.
“This roster we brought back, we thought they had one more shot to make a real positive run in the Eastern Conference,” Paxson said. “It obviously didn’t play out that way. And that’s where our biggest disappointment comes from. I do think that anybody who watched us play this year saw a team that didn’t have the collective fight and toughness to fight through adversity.”
The adversity included the myriad injuries the Bulls suffered for another year, starting from the first days of training camp when Mike Dunleavy underwent back surgery and Derrick Rose broke his orbital bone in the first 30 minutes of the first practice.
Forman added the entire roster wasn’t together en masse all season, punctuated by the season-ending injury to Noah in January—but Paxson added he talked to the team after the game and said he felt they still had enough to make the playoffs.
“We did have a lot of significant injuries that hurt us,” Paxson said. “But we as well as anyone understand that’s not an excuse. In fact, I told our guys, given the injuries, we were good enough to make the playoffs.”
Paxson and Forman addressed the seemingly endless controversy surrounding the players and their adjustment to Hoiberg, admitting Hoiberg endured some growing pains.
Hoiberg had situations with Noah as well as Jimmy Butler—situations Paxson pointed to Hoiberg saying he wished he’d do some things over again as growth within a tumultuous season.
“We’re in this with Fred,” Paxson said. “I think the last few days Fred has an opportunity to express some things that are honest and candid about what he needs to do better. It’s our responsibility to help him along that way.”
“What I've heard him say the last week or so, he's gonna do everything he can to improve and grow. I'm very confident he'll grow. How can you not through experience?”
At 42-40, the Bulls finished ninth in the East, but even if they made the playoffs, Paxson said they would evaluate things as honestly as they say they are as a lottery team.
“Tex Winter used to have an old saying that, ‘Winning covers a multitude of sins.’,” Paxson said. “And even had we gotten to the playoffs – we wanted to, believe me, that was the goal, even with all the injuries and anything – it would not have covered up a lot of the things, the issues we’ve discussed here. Those would not have gone away. We’d still be addressing them.”
Bulls' John Paxson on trades: 'Everything is on the table'.
By Vincent Goodwill
It marks the first time the Bulls have ended their season with a lottery appearance since 2008, as they’ve fallen well short of expectations that didn’t just revolve around qualifying for the playoffs but the belief they could contend for supremacy in the Eastern Conference.
“Gar and I understand accountability. And we are accountable for what this team did this year,” Paxson said. “We don’t run away from it. We accept it. That’s on us. And we get it. And we understand what’s at stake.”
What’s at stake could be the Bulls’ standing in the conference and league, as the franchise faces a crucial offseason where Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol will be unrestricted free agents, along with deciding the best course of action with several key players on their roster.
“We had a bad year, we are not running from that,” Paxson said. “Changes need to be made. I’ll go down with a group that fights more than a group that doesn’t.”
Paxson roundly disputed reports Forman’s job was in jeopardy, and made no bones about the expectations that were placed in front of new coach Fred Hoiberg, as they didn’t make significant changes to a roster that lost in the second round of the 2015 playoffs.
“This roster we brought back, we thought they had one more shot to make a real positive run in the Eastern Conference,” Paxson said. “It obviously didn’t play out that way. And that’s where our biggest disappointment comes from. I do think that anybody who watched us play this year saw a team that didn’t have the collective fight and toughness to fight through adversity.”
The adversity included the myriad injuries the Bulls suffered for another year, starting from the first days of training camp when Mike Dunleavy underwent back surgery and Derrick Rose broke his orbital bone in the first 30 minutes of the first practice.
Forman added the entire roster wasn’t together en masse all season, punctuated by the season-ending injury to Noah in January—but Paxson added he talked to the team after the game and said he felt they still had enough to make the playoffs.
“We did have a lot of significant injuries that hurt us,” Paxson said. “But we as well as anyone understand that’s not an excuse. In fact, I told our guys, given the injuries, we were good enough to make the playoffs.”
Paxson and Forman addressed the seemingly endless controversy surrounding the players and their adjustment to Hoiberg, admitting Hoiberg endured some growing pains.
Hoiberg had situations with Noah as well as Jimmy Butler—situations Paxson pointed to Hoiberg saying he wished he’d do some things over again as growth within a tumultuous season.
“We’re in this with Fred,” Paxson said. “I think the last few days Fred has an opportunity to express some things that are honest and candid about what he needs to do better. It’s our responsibility to help him along that way.”
“What I've heard him say the last week or so, he's gonna do everything he can to improve and grow. I'm very confident he'll grow. How can you not through experience?”
At 42-40, the Bulls finished ninth in the East, but even if they made the playoffs, Paxson said they would evaluate things as honestly as they say they are as a lottery team.
“Tex Winter used to have an old saying that, ‘Winning covers a multitude of sins.’,” Paxson said. “And even had we gotten to the playoffs – we wanted to, believe me, that was the goal, even with all the injuries and anything – it would not have covered up a lot of the things, the issues we’ve discussed here. Those would not have gone away. We’d still be addressing them.”
Bulls' John Paxson on trades: 'Everything is on the table'.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Bulls went into this season with a roster largely unchanged from a 50-win campaign in 2015, but that’s likely to change in some form if John Paxson and Gar Forman are to be believed.
The Bulls’ Vice President of Basketball Operations (Paxson) and General Manager (Forman) said there are no untouchables and wouldn’t rule out a nuclear option of blowing up the team if the option is best, given their long run of consistent playoff appearances.
“Nuclear”, as in trading Derrick Rose or Jimmy Butler in the offseason, neither would rule out, although it’s hard to tell whether it was rhetoric or if there was real weight behind those words.
“There's one untouchable guy I've ever been around, Michael Jordan,” Paxson said. “So that's how I've always looked at it.”
Butler is coming off a second All-Star appearance and next season will be the second year of a four-year maximum contract deal he signed last summer. Rose is entering the last season of a deal and will hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
When given the opportunity to boldly declare Butler as the untouchable piece, they left the door open to other ideas.
“I would say, I think John made it pretty clear we’ve got to take a look at everything,” Forman said. “We’ve got to explore all options and I don’t think there’s anything that’s off the table when you have a disappointing year like this. With that said, obviously Jimmy has had a fantastic year. From where he was to where he’s gotten to, he’s become a very, vey valuable player for us.”
The Bulls entertained trade talks for Butler at the deadline, but nothing got too serious. It’s widely believed teams will come calling for Butler in the offseason but how serious will the Bulls take it is up for debate—as Wednesday could very well have been the brass using the media to send Butler a message about his standing in the franchise as he grows into a leader.
“Here’s how I feel about the whole leadership thing. When you’re talking too much about leadership you’re probably not getting what you need from the team leaders,” Paxson said. “And I always thought and I played with the greatest player in the game and you didn’t hear him talking about leadership. You heard him going out and showing leadership and showing that he was a winning player. I don’t think any of our guys need to talk about that anymore, about leadership, I think they need to show it.”
The Bulls’ Vice President of Basketball Operations (Paxson) and General Manager (Forman) said there are no untouchables and wouldn’t rule out a nuclear option of blowing up the team if the option is best, given their long run of consistent playoff appearances.
“Nuclear”, as in trading Derrick Rose or Jimmy Butler in the offseason, neither would rule out, although it’s hard to tell whether it was rhetoric or if there was real weight behind those words.
“There's one untouchable guy I've ever been around, Michael Jordan,” Paxson said. “So that's how I've always looked at it.”
Butler is coming off a second All-Star appearance and next season will be the second year of a four-year maximum contract deal he signed last summer. Rose is entering the last season of a deal and will hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
When given the opportunity to boldly declare Butler as the untouchable piece, they left the door open to other ideas.
“I would say, I think John made it pretty clear we’ve got to take a look at everything,” Forman said. “We’ve got to explore all options and I don’t think there’s anything that’s off the table when you have a disappointing year like this. With that said, obviously Jimmy has had a fantastic year. From where he was to where he’s gotten to, he’s become a very, vey valuable player for us.”
The Bulls entertained trade talks for Butler at the deadline, but nothing got too serious. It’s widely believed teams will come calling for Butler in the offseason but how serious will the Bulls take it is up for debate—as Wednesday could very well have been the brass using the media to send Butler a message about his standing in the franchise as he grows into a leader.
“Here’s how I feel about the whole leadership thing. When you’re talking too much about leadership you’re probably not getting what you need from the team leaders,” Paxson said. “And I always thought and I played with the greatest player in the game and you didn’t hear him talking about leadership. You heard him going out and showing leadership and showing that he was a winning player. I don’t think any of our guys need to talk about that anymore, about leadership, I think they need to show it.”
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! NFL taps Bears to be major prime-time players in 2016.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Bears may have stumbled down the closing stretch of their 2015 season but the NFL has tapped the Bears to be in four prime-time games in the first eight weeks of the 2016 season, four in seven weeks in fact.
After winning their two prime-time games last season (at San Diego, at Green Bay), the Bears will host Monday Night Football games against Philadelphia Week 2 (Sept. 19) and the Minnesota Vikings Week 8 (Oct. 31) before their off week. The Minnesota game will follow a 10-day break after a Thursday night game at Green Bay on Oct. 20.
The Bears go to Dallas to face the Cowboys Sunday night for game three on Sept. 25.
Subject to playing their way into flex-time scheduling, the Bears’ only non-noon-Sunday game in the second half of the season is set for Christmas Eve at home against Washington, when the NFL has slated all but three games for Saturday rather than Christmas Day.
It is a season that invites the Bears to make a run if they can take their three phases, all of which improved over the 2014 season if only incrementally, to a next level with myriad new pieces added. The Bears play six of their 16 games against teams with winning records, two each against the Packers and Vikings, plus the AFC South champion Houston Texans and NFC East Washington Redskins, both 9-7 finishers last season.
After winning their two prime-time games last season (at San Diego, at Green Bay), the Bears will host Monday Night Football games against Philadelphia Week 2 (Sept. 19) and the Minnesota Vikings Week 8 (Oct. 31) before their off week. The Minnesota game will follow a 10-day break after a Thursday night game at Green Bay on Oct. 20.
The Bears go to Dallas to face the Cowboys Sunday night for game three on Sept. 25.
Subject to playing their way into flex-time scheduling, the Bears’ only non-noon-Sunday game in the second half of the season is set for Christmas Eve at home against Washington, when the NFL has slated all but three games for Saturday rather than Christmas Day.
It is a season that invites the Bears to make a run if they can take their three phases, all of which improved over the 2014 season if only incrementally, to a next level with myriad new pieces added. The Bears play six of their 16 games against teams with winning records, two each against the Packers and Vikings, plus the AFC South champion Houston Texans and NFC East Washington Redskins, both 9-7 finishers last season.
2016 NFL Schedule Released. Moon's game-by-game predictions for Bears in 2016. What's Your Take?
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Week 1: at Houston Texans (9-7) Sun., Sept. 11 at 12 p.m.
Mediocre team slipped into playoffs for mauling by Chiefs, then went after Brock Osweiler to fix QB issues for (they hope) at least next four years and added offense with RB Lamar Miller from Miami, G Jeff Allen from KC and C Tony Bergstrom from Oakland. J.J. Watt says he’s beat-up but he’s more the beater than the beaten.
Moon's call: L
Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles (7-9) Mon., Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Iggles gambling that Doug Pederson can do what Chip Kelly couldn’t, which would surprise most of the NFL. Sam Bradford got a huge ($20M per) two-year extension and Eagles traded away DeMarco Murray, so what inexperienced coach who was once Brett Favre’s backup does with this offense will be interesting.
Moon’s call: W
Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys (4-12) Mon., Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Wheels and entire drivetrain fell off when Tony Romo hurt last season, and few teams capable of underachieving as well as Cowboys (one winning season since ’09). Still one of NFL’s elite OL’s but Jay Cutler has 118.0 career passer rating vs. Dallas.
Moon’s call: L
Week 4: Detroit Lions (7-9) Sun., Oct. 2 at 12 p.m.
Bears hemorrhaged yardage to lose in OT at Detroit and turned the ball and the game over in Soldier Field in game 16. Both of those problems should be fixed when Bears and Lions convene in ’16. Expect Bears to take both games this year from a Detroit team that loses Calvin Johnson, was NFL’s worst rushing team and has issues winning up front with either line.
Moon’s call: W
Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts (8-8) Sun., Oct. 9 at 12 p.m.
Andrew Luck had career-worst INT percentage (4.1) amid injury speckled year and starting just seven games, going just 2-5 in those. Colts settled organization with Grigson, Pagano extensions, don’t have WR Andre Johnson or TE Coby Fleener back for Luck targets, but Colts very good at home with healthy No. 1 QB.
Moon's call: L
Week 6: Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) Sun., Oct. 16 at 12 p.m.
Jags dumped Lovie Smith pal Bob Babich as D-coordinator and upgraded with Malik Jackson on DL and Tashaun Gipson at S. Getting RB Chris Ivory via FA will help offense but Jags were 1-7 on road last year and haven’t won more than 5 games since ’10 or had winning season since ’07. Their draft pick at No. 5 will help somewhere but too much needed.
Moon’s call: W
Week 7: at Green Bay Packers (10-6) Thurs., Oct. 20 at 7:25 p.m.
The Packers were the one NFC North opponent that the Bears managed a win against in 2015. Green Bay gets wideout Jordy Nelson back from a knee injury that cost them him for the year but the defense loses nose tackle B.J.Raji to retirement after Raji missed just five games total over six NFL seasons. But this is still the team to beat in the NFC North as long as No. 12 is in place. Aaron Rodgers had worst passing year in seven seasons as starter and Packers still won 10 games. Bears of John Fox should be beyond automatically losing both to Packers every year.
Moon’s call: L
Week 8: Minnesota Vikings (11-5) Mon., Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m.
When Green Bay stumbled even a little, the Vikings behind Teddy Bridgewater slipped ahead of them with a 5-1 division mark, including two W’s vs. Bears, who squandered multiple game-winning moments in meeting 1. Vikings still have OL issues with Bears ramping up their front-seven, and Bears won’t give up 10 points in final 1:49 of a game the way they did to lose in Soldier Field last November.
Moon’s call: L
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: at Tampa Bay (6-10) Sun., Nov. 13 at 12 p.m.
Slimy handling of Lovie Smith-to-Dirk Koetter coaching change unlikely to improve internal chemistry but Bucs aggressive in talent upgrades at all three levels of “D” plus adding G J.R. Sweezy to block for Jameis Winston and new-contract’ed RB Doug Martin. Bears needed four FGs to beat Bucs last year but should score more this time.
Moon's call: W
Week 11: at New York Giants (6-10) Sun., Nov. 20 at 12 p.m.
Do Giants get better replacing Tom Coughlin with Ben McAdoo, who’s never been HC at any level, including high school, and just last two years as O-coordinator? Or with losing 2/5 of starting OL? Not likely.
Moon’s call: W
Week 12: Tennessee Titans (3-13) Sun., Nov. 27 at 12 p.m.
Mike Mularkey has “interim” tag removed and Titans deal for RB DeMarco Murray to give QB Marcus Mariota some help. But only woeful Browns scored less among AFC teams last year. Titans’ draft trade-down with Rams gave them huge basket of picks, clearly looking beyond just ’16. Not good enough yet, though.
Moon’s call: W
Week 13: San Francisco 49ers (5-11) Sun., Dec. 4 at 12 p.m.
Jim Tomsula accomplished next to nothing in his one year as coach but he did manage the 49ers’ lone road win, at Chicago. Since Tomsula’s firing, Chip Kelly has been sorting through QB issues and there are major questions about 49ers’ scheme choices on defense. Bears cannot unravel vs. San Francisco again…can they?
Moon’s call: W
Week 14: at Detroit Lions, Sun., Dec. 11 at 12 p.m.
Moon's call: W
Week 15: Green Bay Packers, Sun., Dec. 18 at 12 p.m.
Moon's call: W
Week 16: Washington Redskins (9-7) Sun., Dec. 24 at 12 p.m.
Bears helped Kirk Cousins’ bid for franchise-tag money, allowing 24 completions in 31 attempts, and being annihilated by TE Jordan Reed (9-120-1). Defense allowed TD drives of 80, 83 yards on first two possessions in one of too many slow starts, and offense got 290 passing yards and 2 TD’s from Jay Cutler. Redskins stayed conservative in free agency with GM Scot McCloughan tilting toward draft.
Moon’s call: W
Week 17: Minnesota Vikings, Sun., Jan. 1 at 12 p.m.
Moon's call: L
Final Record: 10-6
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We saw the progress that the Bears made last year by bringing in a new general manager, a new head coach and a new coaching staff. They have made great strides in changing the culture in the locker room from the previous coaching staff. The general manager has made some very good moves and has a bevy of draft choices available. Also they have not ruled out a look at a couple of veteran free agents, not a big foray into free agency but a look for a diamond that's being overlooked. This question may be premature but just for fun, please give us your thoughts on the Bears 2016 record with the facts that you have observed or read about and the review listed above from a Bears beat reporter, John "Moon" Mullins, that has followed the team for years.
It will be interesting to see what our readers think and what's their take. We know that things are subject to change, (and we feel that they will for the better), however, we want to know what's your take? Go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We really appreciate them and value your opinion.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
Better than advertised: Cubs roll to 8-1 start.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It won’t be this easy all season. The torn ACL and LCL in Kyle Schwarber’s left knee is part of the game and not an outlier occurrence. The Cincinnati Reds are in the teardown/sell-off phase the Cubs found themselves in while writing off the 2012, 2013 and 2014 major-league seasons.
Still, the Cubs have looked even better than advertised after funneling almost $290 million into a team that won 97 games and two playoff rounds last year.
The Cubs are 8-1 for only the sixth time in franchise history after Thursday’s 8-1 win over the Reds, and off to their best start since 1969, when a Hall of Fame core built around Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins eventually faded down the stretch.
If that happens to the Cubs, you can probably point to injuries, underperformance and the back of the rotation. But Jason Hammel – who got booed in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series as the New York Mets rolled to a sweep at Wrigley Field – symbolizes the unfinished-business urgency.
After an offseason body makeover and mechanics breakdown, Hammel looks more like the guy who’s pitched at an All-Star level in the first half of the last two seasons (and not the one recovering from a leg injury that messed up his alignment last summer and had him running on fumes).
Hammel threw six scoreless innings against the Reds, lowering his ERA to 0.75 through two starts and chipping in with a key fifth-inning RBI double that sailed over the head of Reds rightfielder Jay Bruce.
Kris Bryant – who didn’t hit his first home run until the 21st game of his Rookie of the Year campaign last season – homered for the second night in a row to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the second inning. By now, you know this lineup goes for the jugular.
“The expectations narrative is kind of over,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “I know it’s going to come up from time to time, but that’s more of an offseason thing to have to answer those questions.
“Now it’s about: How are we winning games? And why aren’t we winning more games? Who’s doing what right on the field in order to get a W? How are we coming together as a team? What kind of adversity do we have to overcome?
“(It’s) what I need to do better, what we need to do better 162 times. If we stick with that process enough, keep focused on that night’s game enough, then we can maybe get where we want to go.
“But if we start trying to put everything in the context of the postseason or the World Series or things like that – it’s just not a way a team can operate.”
Except that’s how manager Joe Maddon has framed this season with his “Embrace The Target” T-shirts and the way free agents turned down bigger guarantees elsewhere and flocked here on a quest to end 1908.
“I don’t believe in pressure in April and May – I’ve been in October about 10 times,” pitcher John Lackey said. “We got too much talent for those things to not just handle themselves.
“Joe’s not going to allow any of that to get in here, man. Joe runs a really laid-back clubhouse, but business-like on the field. It’s a great mix. If you can’t play for him, you can’t play for anybody.”
Red Sox Way: How and why Cubs built American League lineup for Wrigley.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs studied the architectural blueprints, renovating Wrigley Field in phases and trying to turn it into the Midwest version of Fenway Park. After years of rebuilding, this team now might have the American League-style offense that once transformed the Boston Red Sox.
Get ready for more commercial breaks, games approaching the four-hour mark and all those managers and pitching coaches walking back and forth between the visiting dugout and the mound. With “Go Cubs Go” playing at the end of the night in Wrigleyville.
The punting-on-2016-and-2017 Cincinnati Reds definitely aren’t the end-of-the-dynasty New York Yankees. But Theo Epstein’s front office certainly had Boston’s 2004 and 2007 World Series teams in mind while assembling this roster.
This lineup buried the Reds during Wednesday’s 9-2 win, scoring five runs in the first inning and knocking out Cincinnati starter Alfredo Simon after 49 pitches. The Cubs are now 7-1, have the best record in the National League and still get 36 more games against the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, the division’s have-nots.
Simon – an All-Star in 2014 who put up a 5.05 ERA in 31 starts for the Detroit Tigers last year – got two outs before five Cincinnati relievers combined to throw 139 more pitches. Manny Ramirez is a hitting consultant for this organization, while Kevin Youkilis is an assistant in baseball operations, and that imprint of The Red Sox Way can now be seen in Chicago.
“Having a relentless lineup full of professional hitters works on so many different levels,” Epstein said. “It works in terms of just pure baseball reason: If you get on base, you’re going to score runs.
“It works psychologically, because you have a chance to become that team that no starting pitcher wants to draw. You saw the look on a couple of the pitchers’ faces (last week) when they had to face us as we got into the fourth, fifth inning.
“Their pitch counts go up and there’s a cumulative effect within the course of a game. You get second time through the lineup, third time through a lineup, then you get into their bullpen.
“There’s a cumulative effect during the course of a series. As you wear their bullpen down, they can’t go to their first options by the end of a series.
“And then there’s the cumulative effect over the course of a season, too, where you see so many pitches, have so many at-bats that you can wear down your opponents.”
The Cubs have outscored their opponents 56-20 this season, drawing 48 walks through eight games. That’s the cumulative effect of 286 losses between 2012 and 2014, a series of calculated decisions and some good fortune.
The Cubs traded for Anthony Rizzo – a former Red Sox prospect – before the 2012 season and helped him develop into a two-time All-Star first baseman who finished fourth in last year’s NL MVP voting.
The Cubs drafted Kris Bryant (homer, two walks on Wednesday) – whose dad had learned the science of hitting from Ted Williams as a minor-leaguer in the Red Sox system – with the No. 2 overall pick in 2013 and watched him emerge as last season’s NL Rookie of the Year.
The Cubs committed $253 million to the top three hitters in Wednesday’s lineup – Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist – after winning 97 games and two playoff rounds last year.
“You don’t want the pitcher to ever feel like he can take a break,” Heyward said.
Fowler – who has reached base safely in all eight games this season – is manager Joe Maddon’s you-go, we-go leadoff guy. Heyward won’t turn 27 until Aug. 9 – the day after Rizzo celebrates the same birthday. Zobrist waited to sign until the Cubs could make it work by trading Starlin Castro – a free-swinging hitter with unbelievable hand-eye coordination – to the Yankees at the winter meetings.
FanGraphs published an analysis piece on Wednesday that once would have sounded like a headline from The Onion: “This Cubs Lineup Might Be the Most Disciplined Lineup Ever.”
“Once you develop that reputation as a club, year after year, players come in and they tend to fit in with that profile,” Epstein said. “It’s been a process, because we were kind of on the other end of the spectrum as an offense for many years.
“We were pretty aggressive. We didn’t see a lot of pitches. We didn’t get on base a ton. It’s not something you can change overnight. But I feel like now it’s part of our culture.”
Get ready for more commercial breaks, games approaching the four-hour mark and all those managers and pitching coaches walking back and forth between the visiting dugout and the mound. With “Go Cubs Go” playing at the end of the night in Wrigleyville.
The punting-on-2016-and-2017 Cincinnati Reds definitely aren’t the end-of-the-dynasty New York Yankees. But Theo Epstein’s front office certainly had Boston’s 2004 and 2007 World Series teams in mind while assembling this roster.
This lineup buried the Reds during Wednesday’s 9-2 win, scoring five runs in the first inning and knocking out Cincinnati starter Alfredo Simon after 49 pitches. The Cubs are now 7-1, have the best record in the National League and still get 36 more games against the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, the division’s have-nots.
Simon – an All-Star in 2014 who put up a 5.05 ERA in 31 starts for the Detroit Tigers last year – got two outs before five Cincinnati relievers combined to throw 139 more pitches. Manny Ramirez is a hitting consultant for this organization, while Kevin Youkilis is an assistant in baseball operations, and that imprint of The Red Sox Way can now be seen in Chicago.
“Having a relentless lineup full of professional hitters works on so many different levels,” Epstein said. “It works in terms of just pure baseball reason: If you get on base, you’re going to score runs.
“It works psychologically, because you have a chance to become that team that no starting pitcher wants to draw. You saw the look on a couple of the pitchers’ faces (last week) when they had to face us as we got into the fourth, fifth inning.
“Their pitch counts go up and there’s a cumulative effect within the course of a game. You get second time through the lineup, third time through a lineup, then you get into their bullpen.
“There’s a cumulative effect during the course of a series. As you wear their bullpen down, they can’t go to their first options by the end of a series.
“And then there’s the cumulative effect over the course of a season, too, where you see so many pitches, have so many at-bats that you can wear down your opponents.”
The Cubs have outscored their opponents 56-20 this season, drawing 48 walks through eight games. That’s the cumulative effect of 286 losses between 2012 and 2014, a series of calculated decisions and some good fortune.
The Cubs traded for Anthony Rizzo – a former Red Sox prospect – before the 2012 season and helped him develop into a two-time All-Star first baseman who finished fourth in last year’s NL MVP voting.
The Cubs drafted Kris Bryant (homer, two walks on Wednesday) – whose dad had learned the science of hitting from Ted Williams as a minor-leaguer in the Red Sox system – with the No. 2 overall pick in 2013 and watched him emerge as last season’s NL Rookie of the Year.
The Cubs committed $253 million to the top three hitters in Wednesday’s lineup – Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist – after winning 97 games and two playoff rounds last year.
“You don’t want the pitcher to ever feel like he can take a break,” Heyward said.
Fowler – who has reached base safely in all eight games this season – is manager Joe Maddon’s you-go, we-go leadoff guy. Heyward won’t turn 27 until Aug. 9 – the day after Rizzo celebrates the same birthday. Zobrist waited to sign until the Cubs could make it work by trading Starlin Castro – a free-swinging hitter with unbelievable hand-eye coordination – to the Yankees at the winter meetings.
FanGraphs published an analysis piece on Wednesday that once would have sounded like a headline from The Onion: “This Cubs Lineup Might Be the Most Disciplined Lineup Ever.”
“Once you develop that reputation as a club, year after year, players come in and they tend to fit in with that profile,” Epstein said. “It’s been a process, because we were kind of on the other end of the spectrum as an offense for many years.
“We were pretty aggressive. We didn’t see a lot of pitches. We didn’t get on base a ton. It’s not something you can change overnight. But I feel like now it’s part of our culture.”
White Sox complete sweep of Twins behind another Mat Latos gem.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Don’t look now but the White Sox have produced a pretty good brand of baseball.
All those factors resulted in a 3-1 White Sox victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon at Target Field to complete their first series sweep in the Land of 10,000 Lakes since September 2012. Avisail Garcia homered and doubled and Mat Latos produced another strong effort as the White Sox improved to 7-2, their best nine-game start since they went 8-1 in 1982.
Todd Frazier also turned in a pair of nice defensive plays for the White Sox, who are 6-1 away from U.S. Cellular Field.
“It has been fantastic,” Latos said. “Everybody is loose. Everybody wants to win. Everybody is pulling for everybody and it doesn’t get no better than right now.”
Slow out of the gate after a fantastic spring, Garcia has begun to drive the ball again. He set the tone for his big day with a lengthy second-inning at-bat against Santana that resulted in a strikeout. Santana needed nine pitches to whiff Garcia, including four sliders.
So when Garcia saw a 1-0 slider the next time up, he destroyed it for a 424-foot solo homer to dead center and a 2-0 lead. Garcia made a park that played big in the series look small as his line drive banged off the back wall above the 411-foot sign.
Three innings later, Garcia tagged Santana again, ripping a first-pitch fastball high off the wall in right center for a leadoff double. Garcia advanced to third on J.B. Shuck’s sac bunt and slid in ahead of Miguel Sano’s throw on Tyler Saladino’s sac fly to make it 3-1.
Garcia is 4-for-12 with three extra-base hits after he started the season only 2-for-17 with a pair of singles.
Jose Abreu also singled in a run for the White Sox.
“Any time you have a nine-pitch at-bat, you start seeing more pitches,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “Your timing gets a little bit better. You’re seeing it out of his hand a little bit longer. Balls weren’t carrying very well today, but the one he got out front, he’s strong. Even in right-center, it ends up setting him up for some good at-bats later on that made a difference for us.”
Latos continues to look much different than he did in March.
He picked up right where he left off last week in Oakland and continued a nice trend by White Sox starters, who have produced seven quality starts in nine games.
The right-hander spotted his fastball just enough and mixed in a nasty curveball/slider combination to keep Twins hitters out of sorts.
Latos allowed a run and three hits in six innings. He struck out four, walked one batter and hit another. White Sox starters improved to 6-2 with a 2.75 ERA this season.
Only Joe Mauer gave Latos any real difficulty.
Mauer worked a first-inning walk after Latos got ahead 0-2 in the count, but couldn’t put him away. The veteran also produced Minnesota’s first hit off Latos in the fourth inning with a leadoff triple past a diving Melky Cabrera. Trevor Plouffe followed with an RBI groundout to make it a one-run game.
But Latos retired nine of his final 11 to keep his team ahead.
Mauer also went the opposite way again in the sixth inning with a man on second base. He appeared to be headed for an infield single on a cue shot to third base until Frazier faked a throw to first -- he had no chance -- and threw behind Eddie Rosario at second base to force him into a rundown. Latos retired Plouffe on a pop out and Miguel Sano on a fly ball to deep left center to end his day.
“Definitely gave me an added boost of adrenaline for sure,” Latos said of the Frazier play. “(Mauer) cued it off the end of the bat and the first thing that popped in my head there was ‘Oh no,’ because we kind of had a shift on him a little bit there. I didn’t know Frazier was that close to the bag, so it was just fortunate that he made that play.”
Latos has only allowed four hits in 12 innings. He’s the first pitcher to allow three or fewer hits in six innings in his first two starts in a White Sox uniform since Esteban Loaiza in 2003.
Frazier likes how the White Sox have found ways to win so far.
A former teammate in Cincinnati, Frazier said Latos is commanding pitches like he did with the Reds. But he also noted that Latos is calm, cool and collected.
While Frazier would prefer to make an impact with his bat, he’s done plenty with his glove, part of the collective effort. Beyond the rundown, Frazier also made a diving stop and long throw to first to record the final out for David Robertson, who has converted each of his first five save tries.
“It’s a new guy every day,” Frazier said. “Jerry (Sands) had the home run yesterday. Avi came up big today with a couple of hits. It seems like it’s somebody else and its fun to watch.
“There’s no way you can get down in the dumps when you are playing for a team like this because you know your time is going to come eventually.
“Once we start winning, and everybody starts getting hot, you never know what can happen.”
Rick Hahn: Miguel Gonzalez could help White Sox at some point.
By Dan Hayes
Miguel Gonzalez will make his second start at Triple-A Charlotte sometime this weekend. His first outing pleased the White Sox.
Gonzalez looked sharper than the White Sox expected when he pitched for the Knights on Monday after nearly a two-week layoff, general manager Rick Hahn said. The right-hander allowed two runs and three hits in five innings.
But even more important is that Gonzalez’s velocity appears to be making a comeback. Hahn said he reached 92 to 93 mph on the radar gun. That could be a pleasant development for the White Sox, who would love to boast depth for their starting rotation.
“There was expected to be a little bit of rust, but he really seemed to throw the ball well for those five innings, threw strikes,” Hahn said. “In that first start, he looked good, looked healthy and looked like the kind of guy who conceivably could help us at some point.”
The White Sox signed Gonzalez to a minor league deal on April 3, several days after he was released by the Baltimore Orioles.
With questions looming about whether or not Mat Latos or John Danks could be effective pitchers, the White Sox turned to Gonzalez, who went 30-21 with a 3.45 ERA from 2012 to 2014 before he struggled last season. Both Hahn and White Sox manager Robin Ventura said the team isn’t currently considering any personnel changes, especially with the White Sox off to a 6-2 start.
“We like the group that is here,” Ventura said. “Any move you make can affect the team one way or another.
“A kneejerk reaction is pretty difficult with the way this group is performing right now.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Donald, Grace share lead, ahead of Day at Heritage
Luke Donald of England plays his second shot on the first hole during the 2016 RBC Heritage on April 14, 2016 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (AFP Photo/Jared Tilton)
Former world number one Luke Donald, stung by his failure to qualify for this month's Masters, was pleased to produce a straightforward 66 on Thursday for a share of the RBC Heritage first-round lead.
"It was a pretty simple 66," said England's Donald, who had six birdies and a bogey in a five-under effort that left him tied with South Africa's Branden Grace at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
They had a one-shot lead over a quartet of players led by world number one Jason Day of Australia and including Sweden's David Lingmerth and Americans Matt Kuchar and Tony Finau.
"I didn’t have to scramble very hard and was able to just put it in good positions," added Donald, who rolled in birdie putts of 15 feet, 16 feet, six feet and five feet.
That's a step in the right direction for a player who said attempts to rebuild his swing had ultimately hurt his game, costing him sharpness in his short game and putting.
Harbour Town might be just the place for Donald to reverse his fortunes. He owns five runner-up finishes in the Heritage, the most heart-breaking a defeat to Matt Kuchar's chip-in from a bunker two years ago.
Grace, playing the Heritage for the second time, also fired six birdies and a bogey to grab his share of the lead in tricky, windy conditions.
"It was not the best ball-striking day, but nothing's easy on a day like today with the wind blowing all over the show," Grace said.
Day's five birdies included a 27-footer at the par-four 11th. He fell out of a share of the lead with his only bogey of the day at 18, where he took an unplayable lie in a greenside bunker.
"I played some nice golf," Day said. "Obviously that wasn't the finish I wanted. I shouldn't have been in the bunker in the first place. Today was the easiest day and now we got three tough days coming up."
Day is coming off a respectable finish where he contended in The Masters, the first of four major championships in 2016.
"It is always tough to play the week after a major championship," he said. "I wasn't pleased with how I hit it on Sunday (at Masters). So I came in here Monday to get in a good hitting session."
Reigning US Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau made his pro debut and hit a 70.
LPGA Takeaway: What LPGA Players Think of a Women's Masters.
By Marika Washchyshyn
LPGA Takeaway: What LPGA Players Think of a Women's Masters. (Photo/Golf.com)
For years, talk about a Women's Masters at Augusta National has been a topic of lively debate. But what do the women who play on the tour think of the prospective idea? We polled current LPGA players on their thoughts of hosting a women's version of the most revered tournament in golf.
Paula Creamer: Well, I came out last year and said that we should be able to play [at Augusta National]. Why not? Who wouldn’t want to have that — especially females? Why wouldn’t you want to be there and play for a green jacket?
Michelle Wie: I think it would be amazing if we could play Augusta. But at the same time, Mission Hills is kind of that same feeling for us. There’s so much history at that tournament, and there was a chance that we wouldn’t be able to play there. The fact that ANA came in and kind of saved the day, kind of allowed us to keep playing there. Just walking across the bridge, it’s very similar to Augusta where you can see the winners of all the past tournaments and it’s the same kind of feeling of tradition. Obviously, you can never compare the two — it’s like apples to oranges. To us, Mission Hills is very special.
Mo Martin: That’s a hard one for me to answer. I don’t think we should take the Masters and try to make that something for women. But having different special events that we do have…I mean we added Evian a couple of years ago as another major. I think what would be great is adding just a match play event — I think that would add a lot.
Anna Nordqvist: I think the LPGA has done a great job with the five majors we have. ANA and Evian are the two events that come back to the same courses every year. I do think with the British Open we’ve had an opportunity to play some great courses over the last few years and I know we’ve got a few good ones lined up. Even the U.S. Open, you want to challenge yourself on different courses. I feel like the traditions we have with ANA, that’s the one you can compare to the men’s Masters at Augusta. I think it’s really important for us to keep that event. It has such a unique history. I think if that’s the one tournament the LPGA will have forever, we’ll all be happy.
Lydia Ko: I think it would be awesome to have a Women’s Masters. I think that would be pretty cool. There’s so much talent out here so there’s no reason why not. The closest we have to the Masters is probably the ANA Inspiration.
Angela Stanford: I don’t think so. The Masters — and I’m saying this as a golfer, not a female or a male — the Masters is special in its own right. And I would hope that if the women had something like that, the men would respect that. I love watching the Masters, I love that tradition and history. And I think we do have that with the ANA. That’s stuff that happens over time and I don’t think you can force it. We’re two different products. It’s ok for the Masters to stay the Masters.
Ryann O’Toole: Of course. I don’t think I would turn down anything that could elevate women’s golf. I would honestly love to be able to play at Augusta — I’ve played before, just randomly, but I’d love to have a tournament there and be able to test our skills on that level. It doesn’t even have to be at Augusta, if can be somewhere else. But I’d love to have that history and the making of a stage that can be our Masters. Whether ANA can be that, I don’t know. Evian is our fifth major, which is great — if a sponsor wants to come up and provide that purse, for us it’s a stepping stone. We’re trying to elevate our purses, we’re trying to elevate our tour, and I think to take any opportunity would be great.
Gerina Piller: I think having a tournament like the Masters is kind of far-fetched, just because we’re two different tours. We are definitely on a trajectory that is awesome and we’ve had so many tournaments added to the schedule. I definitely think it’s possible, but [the Masters] is something that’s dear to the PGA Tour and I don’t want to take that away from them. It’s something that they hold dear to their hearts.
Brooke Henderson: I would love the opportunity to play Augusta National. My sister [Brittany] played a college event just down the road once, so we drove by it every single day. And then we got to Magnolia Lane and would have to turn around because of the security guard [laughs]. I think it would be amazing for the women’s game to have a chance to play there, but that’s really not up to me…we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Danielle Kang: I think we should definitely have a Women’s Masters. That’s not a question to me. It’s not a doubt that comes into my mind. Why shouldn’t we have a Women’s Masters?
Jessica Korda: In terms of tournaments one to one that we have, our ANA Inspiration…that’s our Masters. It has the history, you take the plunge into Poppy’s Pond at the end of your win…I mean, I think it would be awesome to play Augusta National. I walked the grounds last year, and it’s an incredible golf course. It’s really beautiful.
Stacy Lewis: You know, if the ANA continues to grow and keeps getting stronger, I mean, maybe we don’t even need a Women’s Masters. I think if we can get our own traditions and stay at a set number of majors, and create some history there, you don’t always need to kind of piggyback what the guys are doing. We can make our own thing there. I wouldn’t be pushing too hard for it right now.
NASCAR; Kyle Busch on Bristol: ‘Great chance’ to extend win streak to six.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(AP Photo/Larry Papke)
Having won each of his past four NASCAR starts — two Sprint Cup victories and triumphs in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series — Kyle Busch knows he’s on a roll.
As he prepares for this weekend’s Xfinity and Sprint Cup series races at Bristol Motor Speedway, the defending Cup champion has just one thing in mind: To keep that roll rolling.
Actually, make that two things in mind – as in wins in both races, thus extending his streak to six wins in six races — and potentially sweeping three straight race weekends in a row.
“I do feel like we’ve got a great chance this weekend of going for six in a row there,” Busch told NASCAR Talk in an exclusive interview.
The numbers certainly back up Busch’s contention. He and older brother Kurt are the winningest active drivers at Bristol, each having five Sprint Cup wins apiece on Bristol’s half-mile bullring.
Busch missed last spring’s Sprint Cup and Xfinity races at Bristol, recovering from the wreck two months earlier at Daytona that left him with a broken right leg and fractured left foot.
When he returned to BMS for the late summer Saturday night race, Busch started on the outside of the front row and finished eighth.
“We were really good there last fall, we had a really good car and were close, close enough that we probably had a good shot to win,” Busch said. “But we had a loose wheel, and I sped on pit road, so that kind of messed us up, and we didn’t finish as good as we wanted to.”
As good as his record is in Sprint Cup competition at Bristol, Busch has an even greater mark in Xfinity racing there. In 22 starts in NASCAR’s junior league at BMS, the younger Busch brother has eight wins, 15 top-fives and 18 top-10s.
That includes four wins and one runner-up in his last five Xfinity starts there and seven wins in his last 10 starts at BMS. He also has four wins in 10 Camping World Truck Series starts at Bristol, as well.
“I think we can,” Busch said of winning both the Xfinity and Cup races. “I think there’s a very good chance of that.”
One unique twist to this weekend’s race lineup is there will be two heat races prior to the Xfinity Series main event.
Busch is looking forward to the unique setting, as it reminds him of early in his career when he would take part in heat races on both dirt and pavement to set the field for the main event.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Busch said. “It’s going to be fine. I’m looking forward to that, for sure.
“Obviously, with the heat races and the way things are going to shape up with the Xfinity race, that may be a little bit different than typical Bristol races, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m looking forward to that.”
As he prepares for this weekend’s Xfinity and Sprint Cup series races at Bristol Motor Speedway, the defending Cup champion has just one thing in mind: To keep that roll rolling.
Actually, make that two things in mind – as in wins in both races, thus extending his streak to six wins in six races — and potentially sweeping three straight race weekends in a row.
“I do feel like we’ve got a great chance this weekend of going for six in a row there,” Busch told NASCAR Talk in an exclusive interview.
The numbers certainly back up Busch’s contention. He and older brother Kurt are the winningest active drivers at Bristol, each having five Sprint Cup wins apiece on Bristol’s half-mile bullring.
Busch missed last spring’s Sprint Cup and Xfinity races at Bristol, recovering from the wreck two months earlier at Daytona that left him with a broken right leg and fractured left foot.
When he returned to BMS for the late summer Saturday night race, Busch started on the outside of the front row and finished eighth.
“We were really good there last fall, we had a really good car and were close, close enough that we probably had a good shot to win,” Busch said. “But we had a loose wheel, and I sped on pit road, so that kind of messed us up, and we didn’t finish as good as we wanted to.”
As good as his record is in Sprint Cup competition at Bristol, Busch has an even greater mark in Xfinity racing there. In 22 starts in NASCAR’s junior league at BMS, the younger Busch brother has eight wins, 15 top-fives and 18 top-10s.
That includes four wins and one runner-up in his last five Xfinity starts there and seven wins in his last 10 starts at BMS. He also has four wins in 10 Camping World Truck Series starts at Bristol, as well.
“I think we can,” Busch said of winning both the Xfinity and Cup races. “I think there’s a very good chance of that.”
One unique twist to this weekend’s race lineup is there will be two heat races prior to the Xfinity Series main event.
Busch is looking forward to the unique setting, as it reminds him of early in his career when he would take part in heat races on both dirt and pavement to set the field for the main event.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Busch said. “It’s going to be fine. I’m looking forward to that, for sure.
“Obviously, with the heat races and the way things are going to shape up with the Xfinity race, that may be a little bit different than typical Bristol races, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m looking forward to that.”
Most unique Jeff Gordon souvenir ever: a Pop Tart for $10,000.
By Jerry Bonkowski
Just when we think we’ve seen it all, something else comes along that just boggles the imagination.
A listing on eBay caught our attention – and even got our stomach a bit hungry (or was it queasy).
If you’re a Jeff Gordon fan looking for arguably the most unique souvenir, you need look no further – provided you have $10,000 burning a hole in your wallet.
A seller in Sudbury, Massachusetts that goes by the name “LoneWolfTreasures” is offering a Gordon Pop Tart – yep, just like you eat at breakfast – with a simulated Gordon autograph set in the frosting. Oh yeah, the Pop Tart was produced in 2009 and is listed as not being edible.
“I know the $10,000 buy it now is off the charts crazy but hey, I figure if someone paid $28,000.00 for the Virgin Mary likeness in a grilled cheese sandwich then I am absolutely convinced someone will buy this Pop-Tart for 10 grand! LOL LOL (Although IMO, I believe NASCAR is pretty much a religion and this Pop Tart is probably worth far more than $28 grand. Again, just my opinion!)”
But if you want to buy the Pop Tart and stick it in a cabinet, in addition to the $10k you’ll have to pay, there’s an additional $10 shipping fee. Geez, you think the seller could have thrown in shipping for free. Then again, the seller says he’s selling the snack to finance his child’s college education.
The seller offers a great description – albeit quite lengthy and with a lot of social commentary on others who’ve written about what he’s selling.
In the interest of brevity, here’s a bit more of the ad description:
“Up for auction is an INTACT, limited edition printed Pop-Tart featuring retired NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports driver #24 Jeff Gordon. My son was a huge Jeff Gordon fan when he about 7 to 8 years old. For the 2009 NASCAR season, Kellogg’s made limited edition printed Pop-Tarts featuring Jeff Gordon and three other drivers.
“The Pop-Tart is probably about 7 years old now and NOT EDIBLE (duh!) It is INTACT. I’ve kept it wrapped in bubble wrap and separate from my son’s collection of Jeff Gordon items.
“I admit I am a bit whacky (okay – a LOT whacky) for putting this Pop Tart up for auction for 10 grand but I am NOT in the league with those creepy nutter butters who snag half eaten celebrity food right off of dirty plates and post same on ebay via their smartphones (I hope they wash their hands first!) or those hard core fans who acquire (ewww) sweaty, gross, stinky BO smelling shirts, nasty shorts, rotting foot smell shoes, etc. worn by famous god only knows who and daintily wrap those items in pink and yellow tissue so as to capture their (yuck) “essence” in all their photographic splendor for ebay auctions!”
He also says, “This is a steal at 10 grand LOL LOL.”
But there’s some good that will come about if the Pop Tart sells, according to the ad: “If someone buys this Pop Tart (this auction or 10 auctions in the future), I will donate $500 to JG’s favorite charity. Game on!
“Jeff Gordon knows about this auction and that makes all the negative comments bearable (and laughable) because in the end, even if someone doesn’t buy the Pop Tart, we know Jeff Gordon will forever be a part of our home – in a strawberry pop tart sort of way.”
Hey, we don’t make this stuff up!
SOCCER: Fire look to extend shutout streak to set club record.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Image courtesy eBay)
Just when we think we’ve seen it all, something else comes along that just boggles the imagination.
A listing on eBay caught our attention – and even got our stomach a bit hungry (or was it queasy).
If you’re a Jeff Gordon fan looking for arguably the most unique souvenir, you need look no further – provided you have $10,000 burning a hole in your wallet.
A seller in Sudbury, Massachusetts that goes by the name “LoneWolfTreasures” is offering a Gordon Pop Tart – yep, just like you eat at breakfast – with a simulated Gordon autograph set in the frosting. Oh yeah, the Pop Tart was produced in 2009 and is listed as not being edible.
“I know the $10,000 buy it now is off the charts crazy but hey, I figure if someone paid $28,000.00 for the Virgin Mary likeness in a grilled cheese sandwich then I am absolutely convinced someone will buy this Pop-Tart for 10 grand! LOL LOL (Although IMO, I believe NASCAR is pretty much a religion and this Pop Tart is probably worth far more than $28 grand. Again, just my opinion!)”
But if you want to buy the Pop Tart and stick it in a cabinet, in addition to the $10k you’ll have to pay, there’s an additional $10 shipping fee. Geez, you think the seller could have thrown in shipping for free. Then again, the seller says he’s selling the snack to finance his child’s college education.
The seller offers a great description – albeit quite lengthy and with a lot of social commentary on others who’ve written about what he’s selling.
In the interest of brevity, here’s a bit more of the ad description:
“Up for auction is an INTACT, limited edition printed Pop-Tart featuring retired NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports driver #24 Jeff Gordon. My son was a huge Jeff Gordon fan when he about 7 to 8 years old. For the 2009 NASCAR season, Kellogg’s made limited edition printed Pop-Tarts featuring Jeff Gordon and three other drivers.
“The Pop-Tart is probably about 7 years old now and NOT EDIBLE (duh!) It is INTACT. I’ve kept it wrapped in bubble wrap and separate from my son’s collection of Jeff Gordon items.
“I admit I am a bit whacky (okay – a LOT whacky) for putting this Pop Tart up for auction for 10 grand but I am NOT in the league with those creepy nutter butters who snag half eaten celebrity food right off of dirty plates and post same on ebay via their smartphones (I hope they wash their hands first!) or those hard core fans who acquire (ewww) sweaty, gross, stinky BO smelling shirts, nasty shorts, rotting foot smell shoes, etc. worn by famous god only knows who and daintily wrap those items in pink and yellow tissue so as to capture their (yuck) “essence” in all their photographic splendor for ebay auctions!”
He also says, “This is a steal at 10 grand LOL LOL.”
But there’s some good that will come about if the Pop Tart sells, according to the ad: “If someone buys this Pop Tart (this auction or 10 auctions in the future), I will donate $500 to JG’s favorite charity. Game on!
“Jeff Gordon knows about this auction and that makes all the negative comments bearable (and laughable) because in the end, even if someone doesn’t buy the Pop Tart, we know Jeff Gordon will forever be a part of our home – in a strawberry pop tart sort of way.”
Hey, we don’t make this stuff up!
SOCCER: Fire look to extend shutout streak to set club record.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Fire have a chance to set a defensive club record on Saturday.
After setting a new club record for most goals conceded in a season (58) just last season, it may be hard to believe it’s a positive defensive record the Fire are on the verge of setting.
After setting a new club record for most goals conceded in a season (58) just last season, it may be hard to believe it’s a positive defensive record the Fire are on the verge of setting.
Yet with 356 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, the Fire are just 39 minutes away from the longest streak in club history (395 minutes).
That’s a far cry from the moment the streak started. When Orlando’s Cyle Larin scored just four minutes into the Fire’s second match of the season, the Fire looked more likely to challenge last year’s defensive record than go on a long shutout streak. When Larin scored the Fire had allowed five goals in 94 minutes, but nothing has gotten past goalkeeper Matt Lampson since.
“I think it’s been consistency from our whole team and team defending,” Lampson said. “There’s been a serious passion for not letting goals in and you can see it in every game. The effort that every guy, particularly in the back four has put in to not let the other team score. No shots, no crosses. That’s the reason why we’ve been so successful and hopefully as we continue to grow we’re going to maintain the same mentality.”
It must be said that the Fire’s attack has gone into the tank the same time the defense has improved. That might not be completely coincidental. With David Accam injured coach Veljko Paunovic might be sending his team out slightly more conservatively in the hope of grinding out a low-scoring win.
However, the Fire are confident in the way they talk about this streak.
“I think it’s just individual accountability and taking pride in it,” Campbell said. “With everyone working to get back and doing their part in it, it makes it so much easier. Then the communication and everything falls into place, but with all the new guys having everyone work at the same rate and work to get back on defense it really helps collectively.”
After some shuffling in the first few matches, Paunovic has sent out the same defenders in front of Lampson for consecutive games. Rookie center back Jonathan Campbell has been paired with Johan Kappelhof, 20-year-old Brazilian Rodrigo Ramos has stepped in at right back and MLS veteran Michael Harrington has slid over to left back after starting at right back in the first two matches.
Those defenders, as well as Joao Meira and Brandon Vincent who have also received starts, and Lampson were all brought in during the offseason.
“We’ve all come in at the same time, we’ve all grown up together, we’ve all made mistakes together,” Lampson said. “Hopefully you want to make mistakes and win, but when that happens you’re going to grow and you’re going to be a successful defensive team and it starts from Gilberto (a forward) up top all the way down to me.”
Week 34: Top 5 Premier League storylines — Foxes, Spurs ready for title run-in.
By Andy Edwards
(AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
If you can believe it, the 2016 Premier League season is entering its final days, and someone is going to have to win this title…
Top-6 test for Leicester as they close in on glory
Leicester City vs. West Ham United — Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET (NBCSN)
Leicester may have a seven-point lead in the race for the title — they do, for math tells us so — but their remaining five games are going to be anything but a cakewalk: trips to Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, and visits from Everton and Swansea City, are to follow Sunday’s clash with West Ham at the King Power Stadium. Once again, Claudio Ranieri‘s Foxes will kick off before Tottenham Hotspur, their nearest rival in the title race, thus the opportunity to restore a 10-point lead by the end of day Sunday exists. Nine points is all Leicester need to clinch the title. Can Leicester make it six-straight clean sheets in PL play? The last goal Leicester conceded: 490 minutes ago, against West Bromwich Albion, on March 1.
Must-win for Spurs to stay in it
Stoke City vs. Tottenham Hotspur — Monday, 3 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
The math is simple: Tottenham have to keep winning and hope that Leicester will eventually slip up and drop points (three times). Spurs can only control one half of that equation, and they’ll be looking for a fourth win in five games Monday afternoon when they visit the Britannia Stadium to take on 9th-place Stoke. Harry Kane‘s lead in the race for the Golden Boot is just one goal (22 to 21) after Jamie Vardy‘s brace against Sunderland last weekend.
St. Totteringham’s Day might not come this year
Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace — Sunday, 11 a.m. ET (NBCSN)
Every season for the last 20 years, Arsenal have finished above Spurs, their north London rivals. The Gunners’ local dominance has become such an assumed outcome that in 2002 “St. Totteringham’s Day,” the day on which Arsenal mathematically guarantee themselves to finish above Spurs on the season, was invented. Only one problem for Arsenal fans: St. Totteringham’s Day might not come this year. Heading into the weekend, Spurs have a six-point lead on the Gunners (who have a game in hand). More worryingly for the red side of north London, Spurs have shown a total inability to “Spurs it up” this season, and they might just end their two decades of inferiority.
Monkey wrench in the race for Champions League?
Manchester United vs. Aston Villa — Saturday, 10 a.m. ET (NBCSN)
Chelsea vs. Manchester United — Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Chelsea are still Chelsea, right? We still think of them as “they could and/or should beat anyone on a given day,” right? Sure, it’s been a disastrous season — they’re 10th in the league table, and the month is April — but if you’re a Man City supporter, you’re still worried about Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge, if you’re just a little honest with yourself. If nothing else, you’re terrified Guus Hiddink will “pull a Jose Mourinho” and park the bus in playing for a 0-0 draw, thus opening the door for Man United, who will likely have just sewn up all three points against bottom-of-the-league Aston Villa and pulled to within a single point in Manchester’s very own race for fourth.
Relegation six-pointer at Carrow Road
Norwich City vs. Sunderland — Saturday, 7:45 a.m. ET (NBCSN)
One of Norwich and Sunderland will be playing in the Championship come August. With everyone else a minimum of 11 points clear of the relegation zone — currently occupied by Villa, Newcastle United and Sunderland, from bottom to top — only Norwich are in danger of being dragged into the bottom-three. This season’s relegation battle becomes extremely straightforward with a Norwich victory: they’ll be a minimum of six points clear, at which point only a miracle will be able to save one of the Black Cats or Magpies.
USMNT’s Klinsmann quashes Everton rumors. But what if he left?
By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/AP)
U.S. men’s national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has denied he is joining Everton as manager.
Klinsmann, 51, was linked with the Everton job on Wednesday but the German took to Twitter to deny any interest from either party.
“Rumors are wrong! Not going anywhere and Everton FC has a fantastic manager in Roberto Martinez!” Klinsmann said.
Everton is currently in a rough spot with Roberto Martinez, as the Toffees have gone five games without a win and are languishing in the bottom half of the table with fan and player unrest clear.
Klinsmann is currently contracted through 2018 with U.S. Soccer as both the head coach of the USMNT and as their technical director.
But, what if Klinsmann did leave in the not so distant future?
In all honesty, it is something fans of the U.S. national team should start preparing themselves for.
As we mentioned, Klinsmann’s deal isn’t up until 2018 but if the USMNT put in a poor showing at the 2016 Copa America Centenario this summer — a group stage exit wouldn’t be disastrous given their opponents, but it wouldn’t be great — then the pressure could topple Klinsmann.
Following the recent World Cup qualifying defeat in Guatemala huge fan unrest showed exactly how close the U.S. fanbase is to turning on Klinsmann and deeming it time for him to go.
Previously he looked untouchable but over the last 12 months a series of events has seen his tenure become shaky. First, the Gold Cup debacle last summer saw big questions arrive, then a 4-1 dismantling by Brazil in a friendly further exposed issues in the squad and then after a 0-0 draw at Trinidad and Tobago in 2018 World Cup qualifying, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati backed Klinsmann but admitted they’re going for a rough patch.
The USMNT’s head coach needs a big summer to cement his place between now and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
I don’t agree with those arguing that he doesn’t possess the quality of players to get results. The U.S., along with Mexico and Costa Rica, should be walking the CONCACAF region every single qualification period. That should be a minimum and we’ve seen in games away at T&T and Guatemala that it’s become a struggle. That’s mainly been down to tactical mistakes from Klinsmann with players like Geoff Cameron and DeAndre Yedlin played out of position. Now, at least after the Guatemala win at home, Klinsmann seems to have stopped experimenting with the lineup and has gone with the tried and tested players in their best positions.
He has to do that this summer, if possible, and at least guide the U.S. through to the knockout rounds of the Copa America. It will be tough to do that but if he doesn’t, many would feel it is time for a fresh start two years away from a World Cup. A pretty pivotal three months has arrived for the U.S.
If Klinsmann is fired or decides to leave for a bigger job if one of these so-called “interested” PL clubs — Liverpool, Aston Villa and Everton are just some mentioned and his name is always thrown in the mix due to his status in England — comes to fruition, then will the U.S. national team be in a better or worse place than when he arrived in 2011?
That’s a debate many have had time and time again and it is very tough to decide either way if progress has been made when it comes the USMNT’s performances and quality. There’s no doubt Klinsmann’s expertise and the amount of power he’s had on structuring the entire U.S. setup is working. The young players getting minutes in Europe has risen and youth teams (apart from the U-23 side) are improving. However, with a group of players far superior, at least on paper, to those Bob Bradley had before him, Klinsmann has only achieved the same results and has failed to reach a Confederations Cup, Olympics (twice) and his long-term goal of reaching the 2018 World Cup final seems to be a long way off.
If he left this summer, for another job or getting fired, many would argue that the USMNT would not be in turmoil and wouldn’t be better off than it was in 2011 when it fired Bradley. If U.S. Soccer felt it was time for a change, following the Copa America could be the last real opportunity to make one before the next World Cup cycle fully slots into place. A new manager would still have almost two years to ready a squad, create a new philosophy and that’s plenty of time to usher in a new era.
The feeling around many close to the U.S. national team camp is clear. Klinsmann needs a big summer to cement his role with the USMNT for the next few years.
NCAAFB: USC names Lynn Swann (!!!) as new athletic director.
By John Taylor
(Photo/USC Athletics)
Just like it did with his predecessor, USC has turned to a former Trojan football great to lead its athletics department. And, just like with that move, this one will certainly come with a little bit of controversy. And head-scratching. And WTF did they do???
In a press release, the university announced that it has hired Lynn Swann as its new athletic director, effective July 1 of this year. Swann was an All-American wide receiver with the Trojans in the early seventies, then went on to a career in the NFL that included a Super Bowl MVP trophy and ended with his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
While most know the non-football Swann as a sports reporter for ABC, he has also served as the president of the national board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Swann’s been a member of boards at companies such as the H. J. Heinz Company, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, the Fluor Corporation Board and PGA of America. He will remain on the latter two boards, one of which, the PGA, has a term that expires in November of this year.
“To his new role, Lynn Swann will bring the heart and soul of a Trojan,” said USC president C.L. Max Nikias. “He shares our profound dedication to combining academic excellence with athletic excellence.”
Swann will replace Pat Haden, the former Trojan quarterback who was forced to step down earlier this year because of health issues.
“I am excited about coming back to USC — its growth and success under President Nikias has been phenomenal and my family and I are looking forward to being a part of that,” said Swann. “As athletic director, my goals for the student-athletes will be to graduate, to win and to experience.”
Commish: SEC has no plans to follow B1G lead, ban scheduling of FCS cupcakes.
By John Taylor
In a press release, the university announced that it has hired Lynn Swann as its new athletic director, effective July 1 of this year. Swann was an All-American wide receiver with the Trojans in the early seventies, then went on to a career in the NFL that included a Super Bowl MVP trophy and ended with his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
While most know the non-football Swann as a sports reporter for ABC, he has also served as the president of the national board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Swann’s been a member of boards at companies such as the H. J. Heinz Company, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, the Fluor Corporation Board and PGA of America. He will remain on the latter two boards, one of which, the PGA, has a term that expires in November of this year.
“To his new role, Lynn Swann will bring the heart and soul of a Trojan,” said USC president C.L. Max Nikias. “He shares our profound dedication to combining academic excellence with athletic excellence.”
Swann will replace Pat Haden, the former Trojan quarterback who was forced to step down earlier this year because of health issues.
“I am excited about coming back to USC — its growth and success under President Nikias has been phenomenal and my family and I are looking forward to being a part of that,” said Swann. “As athletic director, my goals for the student-athletes will be to graduate, to win and to experience.”
Commish: SEC has no plans to follow B1G lead, ban scheduling of FCS cupcakes.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Getty Images)
If you’re looking for the SEC to follow the path blazed by its Midwest Power Five counterparts, you’re likely in for quite a bit of a wait.
Back in July of last year, the Big Ten announced that, moving forward, the conference has banned its member institutions from scheduling opponents who play at the FCS level.The SEC, of course, regularly schedules such creampuffs, and it appears it has no plans of changing that aspect of their scheduling for the foreseeable future.
“It’s a conversation piece, but we have not eliminated those,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said earlier this week according to the Opelika-Auburn News. “Our schedule is set up across the season, rather than toward the end, so each conference is allowed to have its scheduling philosophy. …
“There’s relatively speaking a limited number of those FCS games. Some of those are quite challenging opponents, relatively speaking. But we have not had a hard and fast discussion about eliminating those opportunities.”
The last five seasons (2011-15), 12 of the 14 current members of the SEC scheduled games against FCS foes each of those years, with the lone exceptions being Florida and Texas A&M. The Gators didn’t play an FCS team in 2015, but did the other four seasons, while the Aggies played one in four of the last five seasons. The lone season A&M didn’t in that span? 2011, the Aggies’ last season in the Big 12 before moving to the SEC for the 2012 season.
This season, all 14 SEC members will play a team from the FCS.
Arguably the only way the SEC will be moved to join the Big Ten in eliminating cupcakes from future schedules? When strength of schedule plays a role in the conference getting shut out of the College Football Playoff. Until then, the league looks like it will continue its annual feast of pastry lightweights.
NCAABKB: Memphis to hire Texas Tech’s Tubby Smith.
Back in July of last year, the Big Ten announced that, moving forward, the conference has banned its member institutions from scheduling opponents who play at the FCS level.The SEC, of course, regularly schedules such creampuffs, and it appears it has no plans of changing that aspect of their scheduling for the foreseeable future.
“It’s a conversation piece, but we have not eliminated those,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said earlier this week according to the Opelika-Auburn News. “Our schedule is set up across the season, rather than toward the end, so each conference is allowed to have its scheduling philosophy. …
“There’s relatively speaking a limited number of those FCS games. Some of those are quite challenging opponents, relatively speaking. But we have not had a hard and fast discussion about eliminating those opportunities.”
The last five seasons (2011-15), 12 of the 14 current members of the SEC scheduled games against FCS foes each of those years, with the lone exceptions being Florida and Texas A&M. The Gators didn’t play an FCS team in 2015, but did the other four seasons, while the Aggies played one in four of the last five seasons. The lone season A&M didn’t in that span? 2011, the Aggies’ last season in the Big 12 before moving to the SEC for the 2012 season.
This season, all 14 SEC members will play a team from the FCS.
Arguably the only way the SEC will be moved to join the Big Ten in eliminating cupcakes from future schedules? When strength of schedule plays a role in the conference getting shut out of the College Football Playoff. Until then, the league looks like it will continue its annual feast of pastry lightweights.
NCAABKB: Memphis to hire Texas Tech’s Tubby Smith.
By Raphielle Johnson
(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Just about a week after Josh Pastner made the decision to move from Memphis to Georgia Tech to take its head coaching position, Memphis has found the next leader of its program.
As first reported by CBSSports.com, Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith has agreed to become the next head coach at Memphis.
Smith’s move comes after three years in Lubbock, with the Red Raiders reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007 this past season. Smith has led five programs to the NCAA tournament as a head coach, and in 1998 won a national title at Kentucky.
He arrives in Memphis with some talent to work with, led by the American Athletic Conference’s top freshman in forward Dedric Lawson. Lawson’s brother K.J., who missed most of this season due to injury, will be back in the fold as well. But there are some holes to fill on the roster, most notably in the backcourt as four seniors have moved on and Avery Woodson decided to transfer. The first open evaluation period of the spring begins Friday, so getting this move done before then was important for Memphis from a recruiting standpoint.
Under Pastner Memphis reached the NCAA tournament four times, with the most recent trip coming in 2014. But they won just two games in those four trips, failing to get out of the first weekend. That’s the task for Smith, who moves to a league that while solid at the top does not have the depth that the Big 12 boasted. That should make the process of contending for (and winning) conference titles more manageable that it would have been had he remained in Lubbock.
Thon Maker being ruled draft-eligible highlights potential loophole.
By Jeff Eisenberg
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
Thon Maker just revealed a loophole that NBA and NCAA officials probably would have preferred remained closed.
The skilled 7-footer found a way to bypass the one-and-done rule and go straight from prep school to the NBA.
Under the current NBA collective bargaining agreement, draft-eligible prospects not defined as international players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and at least one year removed from graduating high school. With the exception of Brandon Jennings, Emmanuel Mudiay and a handful of other prospects who have spent a pre-draft season playing professionally overseas or in the D-League, most elite high school players opt to play a year or more of college basketball.
Maker opened another potential avenue on Thursday when the NBA ruled him eligible for this June's draft, a league spokesman confirmed to Yahoo Sports. Maker, 19, completed the requisite coursework to graduate from high school last spring, spent a post-graduate year in prep school and declared for the draft two weeks ago.
Part of the appeal that approach for Maker was potential eligibility issues that would have jeopardized his chances of playing in college had he tried to go that route. The other advantage is that the projected late first-round draft pick didn't have to risk exposing himself against college competition and damaging his stock in the process.
Spending time in college basketball is typically beneficial to prospects because of the quality of competition and coaching as well as the life skills gained, however, there are always guys each year who cost themselves boatloads of cash because their draft stock plummets. Last year, Kansas' Cliff Alexander struggled and went from surefire first-round pick to undrafted. This year, Kentucky's Skal Labissiere and Kansas' Cheick Diallo saw their stature take a hit after underwhelming freshman seasons.
If Maker were to perform well at the combine or in workouts or Labissiere or Diallo fall further than expected in the upcoming draft, you could see future prospects and their advisers take notice. A player who is already a projected first-round pick by the time he graduates high school might prefer to spend a post-graduate year "hiding" at an off-the-radar prep school rather than risk being exposed against college competition.
That's not a trend that would be beneficial for basketball either at the college or NBA level.
Prospects who skip college are more difficult for NBA scouts to assess because there are fewer chances to see them in meaningful games against top competition. It's also harder for those prospects to adjust to the NBA not only socially but also because the schemes more complex than high school basketball and the players are so much stronger and faster.
There was a time many thought that more prospects would follow in the footsteps of Jennings and choose to spend a year making money overseas rather than playing in college. Thus far Mudiay is the only other high-profile player to do that, and potential eligibility issues at SMU played a role in that decision.
Perhaps Maker will be viewed as an outlier in the future. Or maybe he'll turn out to be more of a trendsetter. Either way, it's a meaningful draft story that is worth watching moving forward.
2016 NFL schedule: Top 10 games we can't wait to watch.
By Shalise Manza Young
Now that we know the "when" in the who-what-when-where equation of the 2016 NFL regular-season schedule, here's a look at the top 10 games we can't wait to watch (all times listed are Eastern).
2016 NFL schedule: Top 10 games we can't wait to watch.
By Shalise Manza Young
Now that we know the "when" in the who-what-when-where equation of the 2016 NFL regular-season schedule, here's a look at the top 10 games we can't wait to watch (all times listed are Eastern).
8. New York Giants at Green Bay Packers, Week 5 (Oct. 9, 8:30 p.m.)
The Giants have spent a ton of money in free agency, loading up their defense with DE Olivier Vernon, CB Janoris Jenkins and DT Damon Harrison, at a whopping price tag of nearly $194 million. Is it money well spent? Playing against one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers, New York will get a sense of whether it was worth it. The game in Green Bay is the second of back-to-back, prime-time road games; the week before, the Giants are at Minnesota.
7. New England Patriots at Denver Broncos, Week 15 (Dec. 18, 4:25 p.m.)
These teams met twice last season, with Denver winning both; the first meeting, in November, marked the Patriots’ first loss of the season. The second, in the AFC title game, sent the Broncos to the Super Bowl. Denver looks quite different now, the biggest difference being at quarterback – Peyton Manning retired, Osweiler took Houston’s money and ran, and Colin Kaepernick rightfully told John Elway he wasn’t taking a $5 million pay cut to leave San Francisco. At the moment, Denver is starting its championship defense with Mark Sanchez at quarterback.
6. Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks, Week 1 (Sept. 11, 4:05 p.m.)
The Dolphins scooped up the hottest head-coaching name in the game in January, signing former Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase to a five-year deal. It’s the first head-coaching gig Gase has held at any level, and his tenure is starting off on the road – because of stadium construction, the Dolphins asked for their opening games to be away, and the NFL gave them Seattle and New England. Yikes.
5. Brock Osweiler’s first game as quarterback of the Houston Texans, vs. Chicago Bears, Week 1 (Sept. 11, 1 p.m. EST)
Osweiler has exactly seven NFL starts to his name, but that didn’t stop the Texans from giving him about $5 million per start in guaranteed money in his four-year, $72 million contract. He’s being paid like a franchise quarterback but will Osweiler play like one? His first two games in Texans blue are at home, starting with the Bears, and the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that shut out Houston in the wild-card round in January.
4. Patriots at San Francisco 49ers, Week 11 (Nov. 20, 4:25 p.m. EST)
If we assume the Patriots are still playing like the Patriots have for over a decade and the 49ers are still struggling as they’ve done in recent years, this game doesn’t look like an interesting one. But it piques the interest because it will be the first – and possibly only – time in his storied career that Tom Brady plays at “home”; when New England played in old Candlestick Park during the 2008 season, Brady was on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Brady played his high school ball about 18 miles from Candlestick (the Niners now play at Levi’s Stadium), and as a preschooler was in the stands for “The Catch” in the 1982 NFC championship game.
3. Los Angeles Rams’ first game in Los Angeles, vs. Seattle Seahawks, Week 2 (Sept. 18, 4:05 p.m.)
The Rams got their hype machine going on Thursday morning when they announced they’d acquired the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft from the Tennessee Titans. It remains to be seen who they’ll take with that selection, but it might not matter – at long last, the NFL is back in Los Angeles.
2. Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 2 (Sept. 18, 1 p.m.)
These two teams already hated one another, and that was before their wild wild-card round playoff meeting in January. In general we’re all in favor of the officials letting the players play, but this one might need famed boxing ref Mills Lane to come out of retirement to keep things from getting out of hand.
1. Panthers at Denver, Week 1 (Sept. 8, 8:30 p.m. EST)
Does this need an explanation? Cam Newton, Von Miller, and a rematch of Super Bowl 50 for the now-traditional Thursday night regular-season kickoff extravaganza. Oh, and the Broncos will likely be unveiling their championship banner with the Panthers looking on. Throw in the dog-riding monkeys and it's a perfect night.
On
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1947 - Jackie Robinson played his first major league baseball game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Previously he had only appeared in exhibition games.
1972 - The major league baseball season began following a players strike.
1976 - Yankee Stadium II opened.
1989 - In Sheffield, England, 96 people died at Hillsborough stadium during a semifinal soccer match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Most of the victims were crushed when a barrier collapsed on an overcrowded pen behind one of the goals.
2000 - Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) became the 24th major league player to reach 3,000 hits.
2002 - HSN began airing "The NHL Show" featuring Phil Esposito.
1972 - The major league baseball season began following a players strike.
1976 - Yankee Stadium II opened.
1989 - In Sheffield, England, 96 people died at Hillsborough stadium during a semifinal soccer match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Most of the victims were crushed when a barrier collapsed on an overcrowded pen behind one of the goals.
2000 - Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) became the 24th major league player to reach 3,000 hits.
2002 - HSN began airing "The NHL Show" featuring Phil Esposito.
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