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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Chicago is the greatest of all baseball cities. I make no exception, although I have been treated well wherever I have been. It is the greatest city because the fans will stick to a loser season after season. I have had my share of defeats, so I should know." ~ Charles Comiskey, Major League Baseball Player, Manager and Team Owner (White Sox).
CS&T/AA Opinion: The Cubs or the White Sox will win it all this year!!!!!
CS&T/AA Opinion: The Cubs or the White Sox will win it all this year!!!!!
Trending: Opening night for Chicago Baseball. Chicago Cubs @ Los Angeles Angels, Monday, April 4, 10:05 p.m. ET, Chicago White Sox @ Oakland Athletics, Monday, April 4, 10:05 p.m. ET.
Trending: National Title Game Preview: Everything you need to know about Villanova-vs-North Carolina. (See the college basketball section for NCAA March Madness Tournament updates).
Trending: Patrick Kane's hat trick powers Blackhawks past Bruins. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates)
Trending: Jimmy Butler carries Bulls late, keeping playoff chances alive. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Patrick Kane's hat trick powers Blackhawks past Bruins.
By Tracey Myers
When Patrick Kane recorded his hat trick in the second period, it completed his four-point night, gave him 100 points for the season and gave the Blackhawks a 6-0 lead at the time.
While Kane’s point total was a statement, the Blackhawks’ lead was almost erased.
Fortunately for them, they held on in a game that got a little too exciting for their taste.
Kane hit another milestone and Artemi Panarin also had a four-point game as the Blackhawks held on to beat the Boston Bruins 6-4 on Sunday afternoon. The victory was also Joel Quenneville’s 800th as a head coach and solidified the Blackhawks’ hold on third place in the Central Division (99 points). Claiming second isn’t entirely out of the question.
The Blackhawks are just two points behind the Blues, who play Colorado later tonight and who face the Blackhawks here on Thursday.
Marian Hossa left the game in the third period with what looked to be a left-leg injury but Quenneville said Hossa could play Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes.
“He seemed to be OK,” Quenneville said. “We’ll know more tomorrow but we don’t think it’s much. Hopefully he’ll be fine and ready to go on Tuesday.”
As for Kane, who entered this game with 96 points, achieving 100 points, especially with his second career regular-season hat trick, made for a great Sunday.
“It’s special,” Kane said. “I think that’s kind of a mark you always kind of dream of hitting. For it to happen this year in front of the home crowd with a few games left is pretty special. Just one of those nights where things were going in, our line was creating a lot. We had a lot of chances, so it was just a fun night overall.”
It was a fun night if you were a Blackhawks second liner. Kane, Panarin and Artem Anisimov, who had three points including the Blackhawks’ opening goal (power play), were clicking like they were most of the regular season. Panarin now has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last two games. So why the sudden outburst for Panarin, who had two assists in the nine games prior to Friday’s game?
“Kane woke up. And we start to play together,” Panarin said through interpreter Stan Stiopkin. “I cannot say it was my best game, but it was a good result. Sometimes you play well, sometimes you play better, but [you get] less points. Just happens.”
And just as the Blackhawks were en route to what they thought was an easy victory, the Bruins had their say. Boston scored two goals within 11 seconds late in the second period (David Pastrnak’s breakaway with 15.6 seconds remaining and Patrice Bergeron’s first of two with 4.5 seconds remaining) and another two in the third (Bergeron and Brad Marchand) to cut the Blackhawks’ lead to 6-4 with more than 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
“We had a perfect 39 [minutes] and change there, then we had a self-inflicted wound at the end of the second and then bingo, right after,” Quenneville said. “Way more exciting than we needed it to be.”
The Blackhawks stopped the bleeding at that point, but it was a valuable lesson.
“They got four goals pretty quickly and it was a new game,” Teuvo Teravainen said. “We had a good start. We were rolling pretty good 6-0. We just have to stay focused, play simple.”
The Blackhawks had reasons to celebrate on Sunday, from Kane’s 100 points to Quenneville’s 800th victory to their team victory, which still gives them a chance at second place and home ice vs. the Blues. It was just a little too close for their comfort at the end.
“A little nerve-wracking,” Quenneville said. “They’re playing that type of game to risk all-out offense [late]. Trying to stop it, we didn’t do a good enough job for our liking. But certainly, you talk about the positives, there were a lot of good things that happened today.”
Duncan Keith suspended six games, will miss first postseason game.
By Tracey Myers
Duncan Keith was suspended six games by the Department of Player Safety on Friday for high-sticking Charlie Coyle in the Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
The defenseman will miss the Blackhawks’ final five regular-season games — including Friday’s game at Winnipeg — as well as their first two postseason games. He’s eligible to return in Game 2 of the first round.
In their video explanation of the suspension, the department said:
“As Keith pivots to play the puck, Coyle works to establish body position with his free hand. During this, Coyle’s stick gets entangled with a teammate’s skates. The combination of a shove and the entangled stick causes Keith to lose his balance and fall to the ice. While on his back, Keith looks at Coyle, winds his arm back then slashes his stick dangerously and violently directly into the face of Coyle. It’s important to note that Keith is in perfect control of his stick at all times, and this motion is made intentionally, not recklessly.
“This is not a case where two players are battling for position or puck control and a stick rides up suddenly,” the explanation continued. “This is not a defensive high stick. It is also not a case in which a player that is off balance recklessly swings his stick in an uncontrolled manner with an unexpected result. Keith looks directly at his opponent winds his arm back and then whips [the stick] forward in a chopping motion aimed at Coyle’s face.”
The video further explained that, even if Coyle had intentionally tripped Keith “it would not excuse a response of this kind.” The department compared this high stick to the one Keith had on Jeff Carter in the 2013 Western Conference final, for which he was suspended a game – “This is an intentional and retaliatory act of violence by a player with a history of using his stick as a weapon.”
Keith, who waived his in-person hearing, had his phone hearing with the department this afternoon. It’s the third suspension of Keith’s NHL career. Keith forfeits $148,883.35 in salary that goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Artemi Panarin's four-point night lifts Blackhawks past Jets in OT. (Friday night's game, 03/31/2016).
HAWKSTALK; By Jeff Hamiltin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
After the morning skate, hours before puck drop against the Winnipeg Jets Friday night at the MTS Centre, Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville warned about the dangers of the Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Patrick Kane line.
In this case, what sparked the conversation was the trio’s lack of explosiveness over the last stretch of games. Kane, who despite being the NHL’s leading scorer with 39 goals and 94 points heading into the night, had just two assists in his last five games. Panarin, who will surely be a finalist for top rookie come season’s end, had just two points in his last nine.
“They still get looks in games, they’re still dangerous,” insisted Quenneville. “They get a lot of attention from our opponents but I still think every time they hit the ice they’re a threat to score and there’s a lot of danger in their game.”
That “danger” was on full display Friday, as Panarin finished with a season-high four points to lead the Hawks — the eighth time this season Panarin has recorded at least three points in a game.
He opened the scoring for the Hawks in the first period, set up Patrick Kane for his 40th of the year in the second, evened the score at 4-4 in the third and capped off a 2-on-1 play with a nifty pass to Brent Seabrook for the game-winning goal at the 1:02 mark of overtime.
As for Kane, he finished with a two-point night with an assist on Panarin’s first-period goal, extending his NHL-leading point-total to 96.
“When they get some speed through the middle of the ice they kind of have a pretty good idea of where the other guy is going to end up," said Quenneville after the game. "They find lanes and seams like they did on the power play and on 5-on-5 and they get through some nights and their finish is excellent."
As impressive as the Hawks’ top line was, the victory was far from a thing of beauty. The Hawks surrendered two separate leads in the game, and were trailing 4-3 late in the third period. They were also short a few guys in the second period, losing Jonathan Toews, who took a Niklas Hjalmarsson shot to the side of the head, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, both of who returned for the third. Andrew Shaw had just one shift in the second period but had to leave the game.
Blake Wheeler scored twice, and Dustin Byfuglien and rookie Nic Petan each added a goal to keep the game close for the Jets.
“I definitely think it’s a confidence booster looking forward knowing we can be down and get a big goal, get it to overtime, do whatever we need to do to get the two points,” said Seabrook, who’s OT winner was his 14th of the season.
Seabrook’s late heroics were a high note for the Blackhawks, who started the evening on a low one.
Just before puck drop, news broke that Duncan Keith had been suspended six games for his high-stick on Minnesota forward Charlie Coyle in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Wild. With Friday’s game included in the suspension, Keith will miss just one playoff game.
As for the rest of the team, the Hawks return home from the four-game trip with a 3-1 record, improving to 45-26-7 on the season. The win also extends their lead to six points on the idle Nashville Predators for third spot in the Central Division and just four points short of St. Louis, who lost 6-5 to Boston.
Scott Darling allowed four goals on 32 shots to improve to 10-8-3.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Jimmy Butler carries Bulls late, keeping playoff chances alive.
The Milwaukee Bucks are the only team on the Bulls' schedule not playing for anything in a 14-day span, and they wanted to make sure the Bulls have nothing to play for with a handful of games remaining, as time is rapidly running out on any type of playoff push.
And the Bulls did everything they could to finish themselves off after doing everything they could to prove they would be a tough official out in the season’s final two weeks, but they pulled themselves back to above .500 with a 102-98 win Sunday at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Jimmy Butler, returning to the place that helped him become a first-round draft pick, again put the Bulls on his back, particularly late as he tried to set up teammates for open 3s they couldn’t convert.
It was then he put matters in his own hands, first with a spin and baseline dunk, then a semi-explosive reverse layup after helping force a turnover, putting the Bulls up five with 3:04 left.
Butler’s 25 points weren’t the statistical masterpiece of Saturday night’s triple-double variety, but all of his contributions were necessary, as the Bulls got production from the bench — as Nikola Mirotic hit a late basket and Justin Holiday nailed a corner jumper with less than a minute remaining to put the Bulls up four.
Mirotic and McDermott got going in the second quarter with triples and backdoor cuts, signifying the Bulls’ pace. At one point, when McDermott scored on a fast break using some dexterity on the way to a three-point play, Pau Gasol ran off the bench and halfway down the baseline to congratulate him.
The 18-point lead was 16 at the half, but things started to get too close for comfort as the Bucks came roaring back. But they never took the lead, leaving the Bulls’ playoff chances at critical, with a pulse on the wrist.
Bulls suffer critical loss to Pistons despite Jimmy Butler's triple-double. (Saturday night's game, 04/02/2016).
By Vincent Goodwill
Bulls vs Pistons 4/2/16. (Photo/Bill Smith/Chicago Bulls)
It didn’t feel like last rites, although the Pistons putting the Bulls on life support for the right to earn a playoff spot probably felt like a cruel reminder of days long passed.
There was no sugarcoating it from Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, a man who has the experience and panache to declare the Pistons-Bulls tilt “the biggest game of the season”, and his team backed it up with a 94-90 win at the United Center Saturday night.
Flagrant fouls that weren’t really flagrant were given, and the Hack-a-Shenanigans were employed from Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg to stop Andre Drummond from dominating inside—or just to get his group to regroup in the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler played out of his mind and probably his body with his first-career triple-double, tallying 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists (both career-highs) in 39 sweat-soaked minutes as the Bulls were without Derrick Rose (elbow) and Taj Gibson (ribs).
But in the end, the Bulls dropped back to .500, the Pistons continued their rise to a playoff spot, as one team played the night before and the other had Friday night to rest.
It was hard to tell given the fourth quarter, as the Bulls’ looked gassed all around, leading to a 5-for-20 start to the fourth quarter that turned a seesaw game to a 90-83 Pistons lead with 44.3 seconds left.
That stretch will likely haunt them all spring if they have to sit at home for the first round as opposed to playing.
“We missed a couple shots that seemed to hit every part of the rim but still did not go in,” Hoiberg said. “They just seemed to keep bouncing out. We missed a couple threes and layups and that will have you chasing the lead.”
Now they’re chasing the Pistons, whose magic number is three (any combination of three Pistons wins or Bulls losses will clinch a playoff spot for Detroit), along with the Indiana Pacers, as the Bulls are two games back with six to play.
If there’s a glimmer of hope for the last two weeks, the Bulls’ defense looked like it did early in the season, holding the explosive Pistons to 42 percent shooting—but led to more lament than optimism.
“If we defended like this all year, we would not be in this position to begin with,” said center Pau Gasol, who along with Butler was the only starter to score in double figures with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Butler, despite his physical limitations with his left knee, played point guard essentially and was choosy on offense as his jump shot hasn't been working in awhile, willed himself to 10 of 25 shooting.
“Jimmy did everything for us,” Hoiberg said. “He rebounded the heck out of the ball and was playing the role of facilitator. He was the guy who had it going for us.”
Butler was exhausted afterwards, well-aware of the circumstances surrounding the contest.
“It’s just tough. I just feel like I could’ve done more,” Butler said. “Made some more shots, play better defense. There’s always room for improvement. All I want to do is win, triple-double or no triple double. I didn’t do my job, we as a whole didn’t do our job.”
He gave some temporary optimism, as the Pistons nearly gave it away after their 90-83 lead.
In a span of less than five seconds, a three-possession game went to a one-possession game as Butler hit a triple, followed by Pistons guard Reggie Jackson pushing off on Mike Dunleavy for the ensuing inbounds pass for an offensive foul.
Butler hit two more free throws and the game was 90-88 with 38.9 seconds left. Then Butler took what Bulls fans felt was a charge on a Jackson drive but his heels were above the line on the restricted area line, making it a blocking foul upon review.
Almost everyone who witnessed the review agreed with the assessment.
“Jimmy gave up his body to make that play,” Gasol said. “Unfortunately for an inch or two, that call didn’t go our way.”
Butler, who took a shot to the ribs on that play, was straightforward saying, “"It wasn’t a charge, it was a block. Not too much to say about it.”
Butler couldn’t hit a triple on the next possession with the Bulls down four, as the fourth devolved into a lack of movement offense from the Bulls—perhaps due to the lack of options Hoiberg had at his disposal.
Nikola Mirotic reverted back to form, hitting just two of seven shots. And Doug McDermott followed suit, going 1-for-5 from the field. Meanwhile, the Pistons had five starters in double figures as they unleashed the forward tandem of Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris on the Bulls.
They combined for 14 of 28 shooting with 37 points, keeping the Bulls occupied and frustrated, if not flustered.
Butler kept them occupied on the other end, nearly achieving a triple-double before halftime and realized the feat minutes into the third quarter, as he played de facto point guard—the best position for him considering his physical state.
Butler’s inside score against Marcus Morris pulled the Bulls to within 80-77, and once Van Gundy pulled Drummond following his eighth and ninth missed free throws of the night (on 10 attempts), the Bulls waltzed to the lane for two layups on subsequent possessions.
But things dried up from there, allowing the Pistons to pull away and all but secure a playoff berth to end a six-year drought, limiting the Bulls to just 38.6 percent shooting.
“Unfortunately we have nights like that and it came to us in a very important game of the year,” Hoiberg said.
The Aaron Brooks experience activated in the third, as Van Gundy’s worst fears started to come true, hitting a couple wild floaters and a walk-up triple, igniting the offense. Then one of Hoiberg’s many fears came to life, as the Bulls lost track of some Pistons shooters, leading to a 70-65 Pistons lead after three quarters.
“We defended well,” Hoiberg said. “Our pace got slow and we struggled by not having someone put pressure on the rim.”
Neither team could get separation all night, and finally it was the Pistons who achieved it on the scoreboard and then in the standings, perhaps knocking down the Bulls for a count they can’t emerge from.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! The Ultimate Plan for the NFL to Regain the High Ground.
There was no sugarcoating it from Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, a man who has the experience and panache to declare the Pistons-Bulls tilt “the biggest game of the season”, and his team backed it up with a 94-90 win at the United Center Saturday night.
Flagrant fouls that weren’t really flagrant were given, and the Hack-a-Shenanigans were employed from Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg to stop Andre Drummond from dominating inside—or just to get his group to regroup in the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler played out of his mind and probably his body with his first-career triple-double, tallying 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists (both career-highs) in 39 sweat-soaked minutes as the Bulls were without Derrick Rose (elbow) and Taj Gibson (ribs).
But in the end, the Bulls dropped back to .500, the Pistons continued their rise to a playoff spot, as one team played the night before and the other had Friday night to rest.
It was hard to tell given the fourth quarter, as the Bulls’ looked gassed all around, leading to a 5-for-20 start to the fourth quarter that turned a seesaw game to a 90-83 Pistons lead with 44.3 seconds left.
That stretch will likely haunt them all spring if they have to sit at home for the first round as opposed to playing.
“We missed a couple shots that seemed to hit every part of the rim but still did not go in,” Hoiberg said. “They just seemed to keep bouncing out. We missed a couple threes and layups and that will have you chasing the lead.”
Now they’re chasing the Pistons, whose magic number is three (any combination of three Pistons wins or Bulls losses will clinch a playoff spot for Detroit), along with the Indiana Pacers, as the Bulls are two games back with six to play.
If there’s a glimmer of hope for the last two weeks, the Bulls’ defense looked like it did early in the season, holding the explosive Pistons to 42 percent shooting—but led to more lament than optimism.
“If we defended like this all year, we would not be in this position to begin with,” said center Pau Gasol, who along with Butler was the only starter to score in double figures with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Butler, despite his physical limitations with his left knee, played point guard essentially and was choosy on offense as his jump shot hasn't been working in awhile, willed himself to 10 of 25 shooting.
“Jimmy did everything for us,” Hoiberg said. “He rebounded the heck out of the ball and was playing the role of facilitator. He was the guy who had it going for us.”
Butler was exhausted afterwards, well-aware of the circumstances surrounding the contest.
“It’s just tough. I just feel like I could’ve done more,” Butler said. “Made some more shots, play better defense. There’s always room for improvement. All I want to do is win, triple-double or no triple double. I didn’t do my job, we as a whole didn’t do our job.”
He gave some temporary optimism, as the Pistons nearly gave it away after their 90-83 lead.
In a span of less than five seconds, a three-possession game went to a one-possession game as Butler hit a triple, followed by Pistons guard Reggie Jackson pushing off on Mike Dunleavy for the ensuing inbounds pass for an offensive foul.
Butler hit two more free throws and the game was 90-88 with 38.9 seconds left. Then Butler took what Bulls fans felt was a charge on a Jackson drive but his heels were above the line on the restricted area line, making it a blocking foul upon review.
Almost everyone who witnessed the review agreed with the assessment.
“Jimmy gave up his body to make that play,” Gasol said. “Unfortunately for an inch or two, that call didn’t go our way.”
Butler, who took a shot to the ribs on that play, was straightforward saying, “"It wasn’t a charge, it was a block. Not too much to say about it.”
Butler couldn’t hit a triple on the next possession with the Bulls down four, as the fourth devolved into a lack of movement offense from the Bulls—perhaps due to the lack of options Hoiberg had at his disposal.
Nikola Mirotic reverted back to form, hitting just two of seven shots. And Doug McDermott followed suit, going 1-for-5 from the field. Meanwhile, the Pistons had five starters in double figures as they unleashed the forward tandem of Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris on the Bulls.
They combined for 14 of 28 shooting with 37 points, keeping the Bulls occupied and frustrated, if not flustered.
Butler kept them occupied on the other end, nearly achieving a triple-double before halftime and realized the feat minutes into the third quarter, as he played de facto point guard—the best position for him considering his physical state.
Butler’s inside score against Marcus Morris pulled the Bulls to within 80-77, and once Van Gundy pulled Drummond following his eighth and ninth missed free throws of the night (on 10 attempts), the Bulls waltzed to the lane for two layups on subsequent possessions.
But things dried up from there, allowing the Pistons to pull away and all but secure a playoff berth to end a six-year drought, limiting the Bulls to just 38.6 percent shooting.
“Unfortunately we have nights like that and it came to us in a very important game of the year,” Hoiberg said.
The Aaron Brooks experience activated in the third, as Van Gundy’s worst fears started to come true, hitting a couple wild floaters and a walk-up triple, igniting the offense. Then one of Hoiberg’s many fears came to life, as the Bulls lost track of some Pistons shooters, leading to a 70-65 Pistons lead after three quarters.
“We defended well,” Hoiberg said. “Our pace got slow and we struggled by not having someone put pressure on the rim.”
Neither team could get separation all night, and finally it was the Pistons who achieved it on the scoreboard and then in the standings, perhaps knocking down the Bulls for a count they can’t emerge from.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! The Ultimate Plan for the NFL to Regain the High Ground.
By Mike Freeman
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. (Photo/Luis M. Alvarez/Associated Press)
The league has also recently shown a Trump-ian ability to be tone-deaf. Goodell said you could get hurt sitting on the couch. Jerry Jones went truther on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Jim Irsay compared the dangers of football to aspirin. His daughter said something just as baffling in 2015.
There's another CTE lawsuit. We still don't know exactly what a catch is. There were the Bountygate rulings, where former commissioner Paul Tagliabue threw out Goodell's discipline of players (h/t CBS Sports). There was the incredible misstep with Ray Rice. The NFL has gone after the New York Times over its concussion report, and the newspaper offered a stinging rebuttal. On and on it goes.
When does the tipping point come as a result of all these mistakes? Maybe soon. Maybe never. What's certain is that nothing is immune from the withering effects of a series of serious missteps. Not even professional football.
This isn't a column bashing the NFL. The league does a lot of things right. But when it gets something wrong, holy cow, it goes all the way.
But it can fix things. The NFL can, on a superficial level, and also on a substantive one, repair the damage to its image and its soul.
It can do it in 10 steps...
1. Apologize
At best—and that's being generous—the NFL has mishandled the CTE and concussion issue for decades. Yes, that's like saying Bozo the Clown mishandled his makeup, but, again, I'm being generous.
Goodell needs to hold a press conference and make a grand statement, apologizing for how the NFL has acted on this. Or, since he is radioactive to some, an owner with a great deal of credibility, such as John Mara or Art Rooney, can give the apology. Make it specific. Make it sincere.
I know what you're thinking: Won't that be an admission of guilt? Let people interpret it any way they like, and if former players file more lawsuits after the apology, then so be it.
It cannot be stressed enough how much players distrust management on this issue, and as players have gotten more information, mostly on their own, they've walked away from football earlier in greater numbers. ESPN's Hannah Storm reported this week on SportsCenter that the percentage of NFL players retiring at 30 years old or younger has been steadily increasing since 2011. There were 19 of those players in 2015.
There have been three such retirements this offseason, including Calvin Johnson and Husain Abdullah. The latter told Storm that he and other players feel that head trauma information was "kept hidden from us."
That's probably because it was, and it's time now for the NFL to come clean and apologize.
2. Give $100 million to a completely independent neurologist
The NFL has vehemently denied that the money it's given for brain research only goes to doctors who will give the conclusions it wants.
While the NFL has given millions for research, it's not enough. How can the NFL dramatically change its image? Give $100 million for brain research to a totally neutral entity or, even better, a critic. This is the only way to remove all doubt about the league's genuineness in trying to fully understand brain trauma and football.
Plus, for the NFL, $100 million isn't that much cash.
3. Focus less on controlling the message
The NFL, obviously, is within its right to protect itself. But its use of quantum torpedoes against the Times signals a shift in how it is going to handle the media. In nearly three decades of covering the NFL, I can't remember a time the NFL threatened to sue a mainstream news organization.
This is, well, startling. It makes one of the most powerful entities in the country look thin-skinned. What the NFL is truly doing is trying to intimidate the next journalistic entity that does a deep dive into the league's concussion history, making it clear that "We, the billion-dollar bear that's the NFL, will sue your ass into the Stone Age."
This is not a position a great sports league should take. If there's nothing to hide, why the bluster?
(Having said all of that, please don't sue me, NFL.)
4. Shut the owners up
Some of them, frankly, don't seem to have a clue about concussions or head trauma.
(And please don't sue me, NFL.)
5. The league makes cazillions, so stop caring so much about money
This quote from Tagliabue to GQ remains one of the more damning quotes about the NFL ever. He was speaking on how Goodell seems more concerned about making money for the NFL than building relationships with the players.
"If they see you making decisions only in economic terms, they start to understand that and question what you're all about," Tagliabue said. "There's a huge intangible value in peace. There's a huge intangible value in having allies."
Can't say it much better than that.
6. Guarantee all player salaries
Maybe this cuts the NFL's profits from eight cazillion to six cazillion. Or five to four. Or whatever. The lack of fully guaranteed salaries remains one of the NFL's greatest issues. Other than money, there is no reason, none, not a one, to not do it. And (see: Point 5), the league needs to stop making decisions only based on money. It makes plenty.
Guaranteeing salaries would go a long way toward securing players' long-term financial and physical health.
7. Make amends with the union.
Again, see: No. 5.
The key ingredient missing from the relationship between the union and the players is trust. The players feel the NFL doesn't truly care about them as human beings and equal partners. That was Tagliabue's point, and he was right.
8. Have a five-person committee of ex-players and league officials dispense discipline
Take discipline out of Goodell's hands and give the responsibilities to former players and team executives. My panel would be former player Scott Fujita, former team executive Louis Riddick, former team executive Amy Trask, former head coach John Madden and former player Maurice Jones-Drew.
They would have their own budget, supplied by the union and league, as well as their own investigatory force. They would have the final say on all discipline matters.
9. When you hire investigators, make them truly independent
If you really want to discover the truth about something like, say, a certain GOAT quarterback who may or may not have deflated footballs, you need to hire truly independent investigators.
10. Cease seeing the world in absolutist terms
This one is more abstract. What I've noticed in the past perhaps five to 10 years is the NFL taking increasingly hard-line stances on almost everything—particularly when it comes to money and power. This transformation has been palpable and perplexing, since the NFL has plenty of both. I guess it wants it all.
There are so many smart people in the league office—brilliant, actually—but they have a blind spot when it comes to the power and how it should be wielded. The NFL is utilizing the stick more than the carrot, especially now, as evidenced by its threats against the New York Times.
(And please don't sue me, NFL.)
Bears meeting schedules point to preparing for QB draft grab.
By John Mullin
That the Bears would address their thin depth chart at quarterback with some youth will surprise no one. Only David Fales stood behind Jay Cutler last season and the question this offseason has not been whether the Bears will strike for a quarterback in the draft later this month, but rather how soon.
And while activity does not necessarily equate to productivity, the level of Bears activity suggests productivity at some point before the end of April.
“It’s a good position in the draft,” Bears GM Ryan Pace stated last month at the NFL owners meetings. “We’ve gotta be smart.”
That starts with being thorough and the Bears used considerable chunks of their available interview times at the NFL Scouting Combine alone to meet with quarterbacks: per various sources, Brandon Allen of Arkansas; North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett; Connor Cook from Michigan State; Christian Hackenberg from Penn State; Stanford’s Kevin Hogan; USC’s Cody Kessler; Dak Prescott from Mississippi State; and Carson Wentz from North Dakota State.
This in addition to an invitation for a meeting with Southern Illinois’ Mark Iannotti.
“It’s a good [quarterback] class,” Pace said during the Combine. “I don’t want to get into the specifics, but there are a handful of guys up near the top. There are also a handful of quarterbacks in the middle part of the draft that I feel good about and that we’ve got to make sure we’ve accurately graded, and that’s where our scouts really earn their money.”
Bears roster moves send myriad signals along OL.
By John Mullin
Within the span of just a couple of days the Bears effectively scrambled their offensive line, with the possible effect that only one position of the five is set in stone.
And it is not necessarily Kyle Long at right guard. More on that in a moment.
The moves, headlined by bringing in Manny Ramirez from the Detroit Lions and Ted Larsen from the Arizona Cardinals, both guard/center options, were not without a broader plan. A couple of plans, actually.
The attention paid to the offensive line is a clear statement that the Bears intend to run the football, and insiders say it will be even more under new coordinator Dowell Loggains than the nearly 47 percent that the Bears run under Adam Gase last season.
The moves create the most competitive climate in recent memory. And that points to the possibilities of sweeping additional changes as the offseason plays out.
Bobby Massie was signed away from the Cardinals to play right tackle. His right now appears to be the only reasonably assured position in place. The Bears had four years of tape on Massie, including games in 2012 and 2015 that he started against them, to know exactly what they were getting.
Beyond that, and in keeping with the mantra that the best five linemen will start, little else is a given.
The Bears were delighted by the development of Charles Leno at left tackle. But “good for a seventh-round pick” is not good enough, and Leno did not play his way out of competition and into job security.
Meaning: If Larsen and Ramirez, both veterans signed for now rather as futures, are better than Hroniss Grasu at center or Matt Slauson at left guard, those positions will turn over.
And with those interior positions upgraded, a franchise question then becomes Long, who played well enough to merit Pro Bowl-alternate status after a bumpy transition to right tackle. Long is temperamentally and physically suited for guard, but if he is a better left tackle than Leno, with interior spots secure, absolutely nothing should rule out Long shooting for Pro Bowl status at a third different position in four NFL seasons.
The question for Bears coaches is how soon to make that decision, because being forced to make the switch from guard to tackle one week before the opener vs. the Green Bay Packers did no one any good.
Having Kevin White on the outside as a field-stretcher projects as a huge asset to the run game. For the Bears, having seven operational offensive linemen competing for jobs, and all but Leno and possibly Grasu established as able to play more than one spot at the NFL level, the offseason just became exponentially more interesting.
And this is before the draft, which is expected to net the Bears at least one more candidate for the offensive line.
How Cubs broke down Anthony Rizzo and built him back up.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/chicitysports.com)
On the final day of the 2013 season, Anthony Rizzo walked to the middle of the airplane, sat down next to coach Mike Borzello and started asking questions during the short flight from St. Louis to Chicago.
The Cubs had just absorbed their 96th loss, finishing 31 games behind the Cardinals in the National League Central and putting manager Dale Sveum on the hot seat. Rizzo doesn’t remember an exact moment or a specific conversation with Borzello, more of a growing curiosity during the final weeks of that lost season.
What do all these numbers mean? How would you pitch me? Could you break me down and put together a scouting report?
Rizzo won’t admit it now, but he must have felt like his head was spinning. That April saw Sveum mangle an answer about the accountability of the team’s core young players, casually threatening to send Rizzo and All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro to Triple-A Iowa.
This happened 22 days before the Cubs announced a seven-year, $41 million extension that cemented Rizzo as a face-of-the-franchise first baseman (and could grow to around $70 million with club options through 2021).
Once the Cubs landed at O’Hare Airport after Game 162, Sveum would meet Theo Epstein at Newport Bar & Grill, a dark, quiet spot along the Southport Corridor, and get fired over beers with the president of baseball operations.
The next day, Epstein sat in the old Wrigley Field interview room/dungeon and talked about a manager needing to show “love” before “tough love” and telling reporters: “We know what we’re doing here.”
Now that Las Vegas has the Cubs as a World Series favorite and Sports Illustrated put their star players on a baseball-preview cover, it’s easy to forget just how risky The Plan felt, all the anxieties and uncertainties in building The Foundation of Sustained Success.
This was sink-or-swim time for the front office’s golden boy, a player who probably felt untouchable and sometimes gave away at-bats, showing bad body language at the plate. But asking for help also showed a new level of maturity and self-awareness.
Breaking down Rizzo — to build him back up as a hitter — began with that in-flight moment somewhere high above Cubs-Cardinals territory.
Big Data
Borzello, a Sveum hire, didn’t even know if he still had a job when he started to analyze Rizzo. The process took about two hours, one on Rizzo against right-handed pitchers and another looking at production versus lefties. They sat down together in a Wrigley Field clubhouse that had already been cleared out for winter.
Borzello — who’s worked for Sveum, Rick Renteria and Joe Maddon and now carries the title of catching/strategy coach — presented Rizzo with the one-page template the Cubs use in their scouting reports. There are no heat maps or spray charts or visual cues. Just a few quick-hit boxes highlighting what the video analysis and the numbers show.
“He saw all of his tendencies, his holes, his strengths, his weaknesses,” Borzello said. “A lot of hitters always wonder: ‘How is this team going to attack me?’ But it’s more than that: ‘Why are they going to attack you that way?’
“I can show you the way. I can show you why a team would do this, because this is what I would do to you. I showed him what options I have to get ahead. I showed him what options I have to finish him. I showed him where I’m going to stay away from.”
As bad as the Cubs were during those rebuilding years (286 losses and three fifth-place finishes between 2012 and 2014), Sveum’s gym-rat mentality and pitching coach Chris Bosio’s forceful personality had helped create a sophisticated game-planning system that gave the team a real edge.
Without it, the team you see on Monday night at Angel Stadium of Anaheim could have looked completely different. The Cubs constructed parts of the 2016 Opening Day roster through flip deals involving pitchers like Ryan Dempster, Scott Feldman, Matt Garza and Jeff Samardzija.
Building up and selling high on those assets yielded Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta, promising shortstop Addison Russell and pitchers Kyle Hendricks, Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm and Neil Ramirez.
Until Rizzo, Borzello never had a hitter ask for this kind of insight.
“There were some things he saw that he thought he was good at, but statistically they didn’t translate,” Borzello said. “I asked him questions about a certain pitch: ‘What do you think about this pitch? This is something I would use against you.’
“He says: ‘I feel like I see that pitch pretty good.’ I (told him): ‘Yeah, you do, but you don’t hit it. You don’t do anything with it. You may make contact. But it’s not enough hard-hit rate and there’s no damage.’
“He kind of saw who he was as a hitter.”
Borzello’s godfather is Joe Torre, and that Hall of Fame connection guided his career. His dad grew up with Torre in Brooklyn, and Borzello wound up winning four World Series rings as a staffer with the New York Yankees between 1996 and 2000.
Borzello followed Torre to the Los Angeles Dodgers and worked four seasons as their bullpen catcher. Borzello saw how Manny Ramirez would sequester himself in the video room and change the dynamic of the 2008 team that swept the Cubs out of the playoffs. This entire system is rooted in that West Coast experience, when Borzello studied closely with Brad Ausmus, the veteran catcher and future Detroit Tigers manager.
Borzello debriefed Rizzo after each of the last three seasons, and it’s grown to the point where he broke down almost all of the team’s hitters at the end of 2015.
Where Borzello and Mike Mussina used to review homemade scouting reports in The Bronx, the game is now flooded with Big Data. As Maddon likes to say, all the shiny new toys benefit pitching and defense. The Cubs feel like they should know the answers before they ever take the test.
“We know what you’re good at and what you aren’t good at,” Borzello said. “Now if we can execute and attack your weaknesses — and you make adjustments to close those holes — then I got to adjust again. It’s a cat-and-mouse game. There are some hitters where the BATS (video) system gets them.
“They come up — and they come up hot — and we don’t know them yet. But once we figure them out, they come, and then they go. They’re gone.”
Looking in the mirror
There is a mythology surrounding Rizzo and the executives who drafted him for the Boston Red Sox, engineered the Adrian Gonzalez trade with the San Diego Padres and re-acquired him in the Andrew Cashner deal before the 2012 season.
Rizzo and his family did develop a strong bond with Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod as a Red Sox prospect who got such good care at Massachusetts General Hospital and beat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. That experience drives Rizzo to make so many appearances at Lurie Children’s Hospital off Michigan Avenue, the kind of regular visitor who still remembers a patient’s name when the kid throws out the first pitch at Wrigley Field.
The narrative also ignores a far more complex person and the real questions inside the organization about how Rizzo would respond after a down year in 2013, whether he would feel hungry or entitled.
“He’s a human being,” Epstein said. “There’s always been things that weren’t perfect that we figured would evolve as he grew older and go one direction or another.
“Just like with everybody else. It’s not like the guy’s perfect. None of us are.
“There’s been a real transition with him going from someone who was super-talented — and that was good enough to let the talent carry him and being comfortable with being good — to someone who’s now very intentional, both individually and as a team, about going from good to great.”
Rizzo doesn’t think he had a bad year in 2013, pointing out how his extra-base hits that year (65) measure up to what he produced during his All-Star seasons in 2014 (61) and 2015 (72).
As Sveum likes to say, the numbers don’t lie. Rizzo’s OPS against left-handers has surged from .624 to .928 to .881 across the last three years. Where the on-base percentage dipped to .323 in 2013, Rizzo’s gotten on base almost 39 percent of the time in each of the last two seasons.
The data confirmed what Rizzo already noticed — that teams kept pounding him inside and getting ahead 0-1. Borzello freely admits he is not a hitting coach — and that it takes an elite talent to be able to apply what you see in a scouting report — and points to Eric Hinske adding another piece to the puzzle.
Rizzo gravitated toward Hinske when he joined the coaching staff for the 2014 season. This was another big left-handed hitter who played on World Series winners with the 2007 Red Sox and 2009 Yankees and wasn’t far removed from the action.
Hinske suggested crowding the plate — to turn the count 1-0 in your favor and start taking control of the at-bat. That led to Rizzo getting hit by 30 pitches last season, leading the majors in that category and ultimately becoming a far more dangerous hitter.
Sveum — who felt like the Cubs kept watching the same at-bat over and over again in 2013 — credited Rizzo for looking in the mirror and growing up into a 31-homer, 101-RBI force.
“You have to have the player evaluate himself,” said Sveum, the Kansas City Royals hitting coach now credited with helping that homegrown core become World Series champions. “Go on the BATS machine: ‘Look, how would you pitch yourself?’
“Learn from that. Obviously, Rizzo made some huge adjustments. Even that first year I was there, he lowered his hands and he lowered his swing path.
“But he was able to do it. Hey, you suggest a lot of things to people and they can’t do it. So you have to give credit.”
'Relentless'
This became the wacky sing-along moment from Camp Maddon: Rizzo playing the piano — Adele’s “Hello” and Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” — in front of his teammates near the end of spring training.
That postcard from Arizona missed the larger point, because the Cubs had just walked out of a meeting with Michael Jordan’s personal trainer in the theater room of their Mesa complex.
Rizzo read Tim Grover’s book — “Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable” — and started communicating with him on Twitter. Rizzo asked Epstein if the Cubs could arrange for Grover — a longtime NBA figure who runs the Attack Athletics facility on Chicago’s West Side — to address the team.
“Rizz has already finished (fourth) in the MVP (voting),” Epstein said. “But he wants to get to the next level. And more importantly, he really wants to (take us) to the next level: Show up every single day. Don’t play .500 for three months and then turn it on.
“Three years ago, I think he would have been good enough saying: ‘Hey, I’m going to get my hits, be part of a good team, let’s see how things go this year.’
“Now I think he’s really aware of that next step and being intentional about how to — as a leader — help bring the group there.”
Rizzo is not a natural born leader. But he stood up for his team in 2014, looking into the dugout and basically challenging the Cincinnati Reds to a fight after Aroldis Chapman buzzed two 100-mph pitches near the head of Nate Schierholtz.
Rizzo also changed the attitude around this team by guaranteeing a division title leading into last year’s Cubs Convention. Winning 97 games and two playoff rounds validated what he saw coming through the darkness.
“He is growing into that position,” Maddon said. “I thought there was a lot of undue expectation put on him last year about being a team leader (when) he (was) 25 going on 26. Let the guy grow up a little bit. Let him get his feet underneath him and he will grow into that position.
“He’s being nurtured properly. He’s being raised properly. We have the right pack of wolves out there to bring him on up.”
Rizzo is kind of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He might be the last guy to show up at the ballpark, wearing sweatpants and looking like he just woke up from a nap. But that’s because he’s already finished his workouts that day, either at Chicago’s East Bank Club or a gym on the road with strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss.
The same DJ who turns the postgame clubhouse into a Miami nightclub is willing to dive anywhere to catch a foul ball.
“He’s a super-casual, easy-going guy,” Epstein said. “The evolution is now he knows how and when to be intense in an intentional way to help pull guys to the next level.”
Rizzo is clearly a deeper thinker than some of his “it’s just baseball” answers to postgame questions from the reporters surrounding his locker. But he also has a unique ability to block out all the voices in his head suggesting mechanical adjustments — and simply focus on the next pitch instead of where to hold his hands in the batter’s box.
“When you’re going through ruts, it’s not easy,” Rizzo said. “But, really, at the end of the day, I always tell myself that I’ve been able to hit my entire life.
“It doesn’t matter how I’m standing. If I’m standing with my back towards the pitcher, once he’s ready to throw the ball, then I’m ready to hit.”
That’s Rizzo at his core, supremely confident and ferociously competitive, not content to put up pretty good numbers for an OK team, expecting to be a great player when the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908.
“No doubt,” Rizzo said.
Theo Epstein ready to make the big deal when Cubs need pitching.
By Patrick Mooney
What do you get for the roster that already has everything?
The Cubs have too much emotional scar tissue, too many trade chips and enough computer simulations to know that what you see on Opening Night at Angel Stadium of Anaheim won’t be a finished product.
The Cubs will find out the cost of Jake Arrieta throwing almost 250 innings during a Cy Young Award season, with his encore performance beginning Monday in Orange County. The trade-off in getting Jon Lester and John Lackey’s big-game experience is the breakdown risk involved with two 30-something pitchers who have more than 4,500 innings on their odometers combined.
As versatile as that bullpen looks in early April, remember that essentially all relievers are failed starters on some level. Plus, spending so much capital on hitters during the rebuilding years helps explain why a farm system doesn’t have any obvious candidates to step into a playoff-caliber rotation right now.
President of baseball operations Theo Epstein should be right in the middle of the action at the trade deadline, which this season falls on Aug. 1, meaning 24 more potential hours to see if the San Diego Padres pick a lane with Tyson Ross (who’s positioned to become a free agent after the 2017 season).
Maybe the Oakland A’s realize they can’t keep going for it every year and ask for a Sonny Gray offer they can’t refuse. Or the Cleveland Indians get a better idea of where they stand in the American League Central and what happens with Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco. Or the Atlanta Braves — already loaded with young pitching and playing for their new ballpark in 2017 — decide to flip Julio Teheran.
“It has to be the right opportunity,” Epstein said near the end of spring training in Arizona. “It’s not going to be a deal where we just sell out for the moment.
“It has to be someone that fits — both for now and probably for the long-term if it’s going to be a bigger deal. But we’re very open to it. We understand we’re a little bit deeper, a little bit better positioned with our position players and with our pitchers.
“It’s certainly something that we talk about every day.”
The Cubs have too much emotional scar tissue, too many trade chips and enough computer simulations to know that what you see on Opening Night at Angel Stadium of Anaheim won’t be a finished product.
The Cubs will find out the cost of Jake Arrieta throwing almost 250 innings during a Cy Young Award season, with his encore performance beginning Monday in Orange County. The trade-off in getting Jon Lester and John Lackey’s big-game experience is the breakdown risk involved with two 30-something pitchers who have more than 4,500 innings on their odometers combined.
As versatile as that bullpen looks in early April, remember that essentially all relievers are failed starters on some level. Plus, spending so much capital on hitters during the rebuilding years helps explain why a farm system doesn’t have any obvious candidates to step into a playoff-caliber rotation right now.
President of baseball operations Theo Epstein should be right in the middle of the action at the trade deadline, which this season falls on Aug. 1, meaning 24 more potential hours to see if the San Diego Padres pick a lane with Tyson Ross (who’s positioned to become a free agent after the 2017 season).
Maybe the Oakland A’s realize they can’t keep going for it every year and ask for a Sonny Gray offer they can’t refuse. Or the Cleveland Indians get a better idea of where they stand in the American League Central and what happens with Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco. Or the Atlanta Braves — already loaded with young pitching and playing for their new ballpark in 2017 — decide to flip Julio Teheran.
“It has to be the right opportunity,” Epstein said near the end of spring training in Arizona. “It’s not going to be a deal where we just sell out for the moment.
“It has to be someone that fits — both for now and probably for the long-term if it’s going to be a bigger deal. But we’re very open to it. We understand we’re a little bit deeper, a little bit better positioned with our position players and with our pitchers.
“It’s certainly something that we talk about every day.”
Epstein already built the uber-team that is now seen as the cautionary tale for offseason winners. The 2011 Red Sox experienced an epic collapse that led to sweeping changes at Fenway Park and would be memorialized with four words from a Boston Globe clubhouse autopsy (fried chicken and beer).
Epstein jumped for the chance to make history at Wrigley Field and run a department the way he wanted, without day-to-day interference or second-guessing from above. By Year 5, The Cubs Way has become the biggest story in baseball, a blueprint for copycat teams in tank mode and a trendy pick to win the World Series.
But even as the Cubs pushed their major-league payroll into the franchise-record range of $150 million, Epstein kept sticking to a logical plan — and not worrying about making a splash — and thinking about what could go wrong.
“We built in a little bit of room for in-season,” Epstein said. “We built in some (budget) flexibility, but I wouldn’t expect a very aggressive winter next year. I think we’ve been open about the fact that we really did two off-seasons worth of spending and acquisitions in one winter, knowing that we like the players available this winter more than next winter.”
Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer traveled to Nashville, Tenn., this offseason to meet with David Price and agent Bo McKinnis at The Southern, the restaurant where the Cy Young Award winner wanted to hear free-agent pitches.
The Cubs were blown away by Boston’s offer — a seven-year, $217 million guarantee — and then pivoted by spending more money on free agents than anyone else in baseball this offseason.
The Cubs poured almost $290 million into a 97-win team, taking Lackey and Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward away from the St. Louis Cardinals and adding All-Star super-utility guy Ben Zobrist to play second base and deliver the clutch hitting that helped the Kansas City Royals win the World Series last year.
The farm system probably isn’t as good as ESPN thinks (fourth-best in baseball) — or as bad as the Baseball America rankings (No. 20 overall) — but there could be a generation of players blocked by Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Heyward.
The Cubs have top international players (Gleyber Torres, Eloy Jimenez), first-round pick outfielders (Albert Almora, Billy McKinney, Ian Happ) and an Arizona Fall League All-Star (Jeimer Candelario) — not to mention Jorge Soler and Javier Baez, two players involved in trade talks leading up to last summer’s deadline.
“That time may or may not come,” Epstein said. “We haven’t made a big trade for a pitcher yet, (which) we’ve figured to make at some point. Whether it happens or not, I don’t know. But I think we feel well-prepared to make that kind of a move with some of the depth that we’ve built up — not only in our farm system — but our big-league team.”
Translation: The young unproven GM who once traded Nomar Garciaparra out of Boston — to help put the 2004 Red Sox over the top — won’t be afraid to make another blockbuster deal if it means a better chance of ending the 1908 drought.
What Cubs learned from playoff loss to Mets.
By Patrick Mooney
The Cubs and New York Mets endured the kind of slow, painful rebuilds that once would have been unthinkable for a big-market team.
But both franchises collected enough blue-chip talent that last year’s National League Championship Series felt more like the beginning than the end.
This is exactly the kind of potential rivalry Major League Baseball and its TV partners dream about – young stars, the world’s biggest media market and Wrigley Field as one of the backdrops.
So with the Cubs and Mets getting an Opening Day tune-up on Friday in Las Vegas, here are four takeaways from that four-game sweep last October:
• Don’t take it for granted: In the immediate aftermath of Game 4, Miguel Montero stood at his locker in the old Wrigley Field clubhouse and remembered being a rookie catcher on the 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks team that swept the Cubs, advanced to the NLCS and assumed that young core in the desert would be back for more.
“You can’t take it for granted,” Montero said. “You have to perform on the field. Obviously, for a lot of young guys, they thought it was easy to get there. Because they got to the big leagues and immediately they were there. So it’s like: ‘Well, how hard could it be?’ Especially now with this team: ‘How hard could it be?’
“You can’t take it for granted because it’s harder than it looked last year. So with that being said, my biggest advice is go out and play, take one game at a time and don’t take any other team like they’re not as good as you are. You got to play every team at your highest level in order to get to where you want to go.
“It’s easy to play a team with a (bad record) and you (show up) and they whip your ass. Because they’re all big-league players.”
• Get hot at the right time: The Cubs didn’t overreact to a four-game sample size. But the NLCS clearly highlighted some of the softer areas within a strong foundation.
The Cubs spent almost $290 million this offseason trying to upgrade the outfield defense (Jason Heyward), diversify the lineup (Ben Zobrist) and strengthen the rotation (John Lackey). The Mets also exposed those nagging issues with controlling the running game. Theo Epstein’s front office understands the coin-flip nature of the wild-card game.
“I thought the Mets played almost four perfect games against us,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “I can’t imagine they could play a better four games – in all phases of the game. Their starting pitching was fantastic. They kept us off-balance. They scored in the first inning of four straight games to sort of put us on the defensive. Their defense played great. Their bullpen threw great.
“We didn’t play our best. But certainly we ran up against a team sort of playing as well as they could. And that happens. To me, it just underscores the value of winning your division.”
The Mets didn’t stay hot against the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. But the Cubs can’t just bank on the hottest pitcher in the world shutting down the Pittsburgh Pirates again, so they built a stronger, deeper team around Jake Arrieta.
“We won the one-game playoff,” Hoyer said. “But I think we’re realistic enough to realize that you go up against a great team like that on the road, you’re not going to win every one of those. The nature of that game makes you want to win the division.
“What you really want to be is the hot team. You make it every year, and you have much better odds of being that hot team that can sustain three straight series and win the title.”
• Xs and Os matter: The Cubs have built a strong scouting system that combines video, raw data and human intelligence. But Cubs officials credited the Mets for knowing the 2015 team inside and out, identifying and preying upon weaknesses.
“It still blows my mind,” pitcher Jon Lester said, “the game plan they (followed), attacking our guys soft so much and surprising us with the heater. We’re such a good fastball-hitting team that it’s hard to surprise us with heaters. They did an unbelievable job.
“Sometimes, you have to sit back and you have to just tip your hat. We got beat. They beat us. They had a better game plan – and they executed a little bit better than we did.”
The Cubs hit .164 as a team, struck out 37 times and never led at any point during the NLCS. The Mets didn’t build their lineup around speed, but they still saw opportunities and stole seven bases. New York’s power pitchers – Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom – allowed five runs in 20-plus innings while closer Jeurys Familia finished all four games.
“They’re an exciting pitching staff,” Lester said. “They’re young, which is a little bit scary. The fact that those guys are going to be around for a long time – that’s exciting, too.
“They’re obviously going to be in it probably every year. And probably the team that we’re going to have to go through to get where we want to go.”
• The Undercover Boss is not a fan of The Dark Knight of Gotham: Board member Todd Ricketts – who’s probably best known for his right-wing politics and going on that reality TV show – used a Cubs Convention stage to say “Mets fans are really, really obnoxious” during a Q-and-A session with ownership.
That wound up becoming the main story on the New York Post’s website in the middle of January, showing the crossover appeal of these two teams and how much heat this could generate if really becomes a rivalry again.
Ricketts explained how his French-Canadian wife, Sylvie, is a huge hockey fan who rooted for the Blackhawks and viewed the Cubs as more of a family business until that playoff ride.
“We continued to watch baseball,” Ricketts said, setting the scene for World Series Game 5 and the Mets leading Kansas City in the ninth inning. “My wife and I are sitting in our living room. It’s 10:30 at night. We’re in our pajamas. I don’t know if you guys remember – Matt Harvey refused to come out of the game.
“He did a show on TV. He did his own little drama on TV to show that he was the tough guy and he was going to win this game for the Mets. He went back out on the mound – and I think three batters later the Royals had scored two runs.”
Kansas City tied the game when Eric Hosmer alertly hustled on a groundball, and then scored five runs in the 12th inning to win its first World Series in 30 years.
“When Hosmer’s left hand went across home plate,” Ricketts said, “my wife jumped up, pointed at the TV and she said: ‘Screw you, Matt Harvey! Screw you, Mets fans!’
“So I’m not certain that she’s adopted baseball as her favorite sport. And I’m not certain that she still would say that the Cubs are her favorite team, because she loves the Blackhawks so much. But I know this for sure: She really, really hates the Mets.”
So with the Cubs and Mets getting an Opening Day tune-up on Friday in Las Vegas, here are four takeaways from that four-game sweep last October:
• Don’t take it for granted: In the immediate aftermath of Game 4, Miguel Montero stood at his locker in the old Wrigley Field clubhouse and remembered being a rookie catcher on the 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks team that swept the Cubs, advanced to the NLCS and assumed that young core in the desert would be back for more.
“You can’t take it for granted,” Montero said. “You have to perform on the field. Obviously, for a lot of young guys, they thought it was easy to get there. Because they got to the big leagues and immediately they were there. So it’s like: ‘Well, how hard could it be?’ Especially now with this team: ‘How hard could it be?’
“You can’t take it for granted because it’s harder than it looked last year. So with that being said, my biggest advice is go out and play, take one game at a time and don’t take any other team like they’re not as good as you are. You got to play every team at your highest level in order to get to where you want to go.
“It’s easy to play a team with a (bad record) and you (show up) and they whip your ass. Because they’re all big-league players.”
• Get hot at the right time: The Cubs didn’t overreact to a four-game sample size. But the NLCS clearly highlighted some of the softer areas within a strong foundation.
The Cubs spent almost $290 million this offseason trying to upgrade the outfield defense (Jason Heyward), diversify the lineup (Ben Zobrist) and strengthen the rotation (John Lackey). The Mets also exposed those nagging issues with controlling the running game. Theo Epstein’s front office understands the coin-flip nature of the wild-card game.
“I thought the Mets played almost four perfect games against us,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “I can’t imagine they could play a better four games – in all phases of the game. Their starting pitching was fantastic. They kept us off-balance. They scored in the first inning of four straight games to sort of put us on the defensive. Their defense played great. Their bullpen threw great.
“We didn’t play our best. But certainly we ran up against a team sort of playing as well as they could. And that happens. To me, it just underscores the value of winning your division.”
The Mets didn’t stay hot against the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. But the Cubs can’t just bank on the hottest pitcher in the world shutting down the Pittsburgh Pirates again, so they built a stronger, deeper team around Jake Arrieta.
“We won the one-game playoff,” Hoyer said. “But I think we’re realistic enough to realize that you go up against a great team like that on the road, you’re not going to win every one of those. The nature of that game makes you want to win the division.
“What you really want to be is the hot team. You make it every year, and you have much better odds of being that hot team that can sustain three straight series and win the title.”
• Xs and Os matter: The Cubs have built a strong scouting system that combines video, raw data and human intelligence. But Cubs officials credited the Mets for knowing the 2015 team inside and out, identifying and preying upon weaknesses.
“It still blows my mind,” pitcher Jon Lester said, “the game plan they (followed), attacking our guys soft so much and surprising us with the heater. We’re such a good fastball-hitting team that it’s hard to surprise us with heaters. They did an unbelievable job.
“Sometimes, you have to sit back and you have to just tip your hat. We got beat. They beat us. They had a better game plan – and they executed a little bit better than we did.”
The Cubs hit .164 as a team, struck out 37 times and never led at any point during the NLCS. The Mets didn’t build their lineup around speed, but they still saw opportunities and stole seven bases. New York’s power pitchers – Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom – allowed five runs in 20-plus innings while closer Jeurys Familia finished all four games.
“They’re an exciting pitching staff,” Lester said. “They’re young, which is a little bit scary. The fact that those guys are going to be around for a long time – that’s exciting, too.
“They’re obviously going to be in it probably every year. And probably the team that we’re going to have to go through to get where we want to go.”
• The Undercover Boss is not a fan of The Dark Knight of Gotham: Board member Todd Ricketts – who’s probably best known for his right-wing politics and going on that reality TV show – used a Cubs Convention stage to say “Mets fans are really, really obnoxious” during a Q-and-A session with ownership.
That wound up becoming the main story on the New York Post’s website in the middle of January, showing the crossover appeal of these two teams and how much heat this could generate if really becomes a rivalry again.
Ricketts explained how his French-Canadian wife, Sylvie, is a huge hockey fan who rooted for the Blackhawks and viewed the Cubs as more of a family business until that playoff ride.
“We continued to watch baseball,” Ricketts said, setting the scene for World Series Game 5 and the Mets leading Kansas City in the ninth inning. “My wife and I are sitting in our living room. It’s 10:30 at night. We’re in our pajamas. I don’t know if you guys remember – Matt Harvey refused to come out of the game.
“He did a show on TV. He did his own little drama on TV to show that he was the tough guy and he was going to win this game for the Mets. He went back out on the mound – and I think three batters later the Royals had scored two runs.”
Kansas City tied the game when Eric Hosmer alertly hustled on a groundball, and then scored five runs in the 12th inning to win its first World Series in 30 years.
“When Hosmer’s left hand went across home plate,” Ricketts said, “my wife jumped up, pointed at the TV and she said: ‘Screw you, Matt Harvey! Screw you, Mets fans!’
“So I’m not certain that she’s adopted baseball as her favorite sport. And I’m not certain that she still would say that the Cubs are her favorite team, because she loves the Blackhawks so much. But I know this for sure: She really, really hates the Mets.”
White Sox: It doesn't get any better than Sale vs. Gray.
The first step toward making 2016 a better season than the last will be taken by the White Sox and Athletics on Monday night, when the two American League clubs meet on Opening Day at the Coliseum.
White Sox left-hander Chris Sale and A's right-hander Sonny Gray -- two big reasons both clubs hope for an upturn in fortunes this year -- will square off in one of the better mound matchups around, a 7:05 p.m. PT start that will help finish off the first full day of baseball of the regular season.
White Sox left-hander Chris Sale and A's right-hander Sonny Gray -- two big reasons both clubs hope for an upturn in fortunes this year -- will square off in one of the better mound matchups around, a 7:05 p.m. PT start that will help finish off the first full day of baseball of the regular season.
The White Sox head in with their sights set on bouncing back and contending in the AL Central, home to the defending World Series champion Royals. After a 76-86 season that was short of expectations in the Windy City, the Sox added more offense to the mix this offseason.
While Sale, who set a White Sox franchise record with 274 strikeouts last season, leads a solid returning staff as a leading AL Cy Young Award candidate, the White Sox ranked last in the Junior Circuit in runs scored and OPS last season. First baseman Jose Abreu remains a force in the middle of the lineup, but the White Sox had to upgrade offensively, adding veterans Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie, Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro. Fifth-year manager Robin Ventura likes the mix he saw this Spring Training.
"There's just a better understanding from these guys. They are confident in what they can do and what they've done in the past," Ventura said. "They work hard and know how to work."
The A's, coming off a 68-94 season that marked a 20-game dip from the previous year, have several players they received from the White Sox prior to 2015 who are contributors heading into '16. At the top of the list is Marcus Semien, who made an MLB-high 35 errors in his first season at shortstop, but he improved as the season went along, batting .283 with seven home runs in his final 52 games. Starter Chris Bassitt and backup catcher Josh Phegley also came from that deal.
Billy Burns, who impressed in center field and at leadoff during his rookie season, heads a lineup of veterans who could manufacture more runs than a year ago, but the A's will lean on their pitching staff to improve. Gray leads the rotation after a third-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting, and the A's revamped their bullpen. With closer Sean Doolittle back and healthy again, the A's added veterans Ryan Madson and Jon Axford to the mix.
"The guys that we brought in, they're veteran guys, they've been on winning teams, they've pitched in the postseason, they've all pitched in some kind of setup or closing capacity, so they have that experience in high-level situations," Doolittle said. "That can help not just the bullpen but the whole team, having those types of veteran guys with playoff experience. That goes a long way for a young team that's trying to bounce back and turn things around."
The four-game set in Oakland to start the season will be followed for the White Sox by their home opener against the AL Central-rival Indians on Friday. The A's head north to Seattle for a three-game weekend set before returning home as they open the 2016 season with 10 of their first 13 at Oakland.
White Sox projected Opening Day lineup
Adam Eaton, RF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Jose Abreu, 1B
Todd Frazier, 3B
Melky Cabrera, LF
Avisail Garcia, DH
Brett Lawrie, 2B
Austin Jackson, CF
Alex Avila, C
Chris Sale, LHP
A's projected Opening Day lineup
Billy Burns, CF
Jed Lowrie, 2B
Danny Valencia, 3B
Khris Davis, LF
Billy Butler, DH
Josh Reddick, RF
Josh Phegley, C
Yonder Alonso, 1B
Marcus Semien, SS
Sonny Gray, RHP
While Sale, who set a White Sox franchise record with 274 strikeouts last season, leads a solid returning staff as a leading AL Cy Young Award candidate, the White Sox ranked last in the Junior Circuit in runs scored and OPS last season. First baseman Jose Abreu remains a force in the middle of the lineup, but the White Sox had to upgrade offensively, adding veterans Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie, Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro. Fifth-year manager Robin Ventura likes the mix he saw this Spring Training.
"There's just a better understanding from these guys. They are confident in what they can do and what they've done in the past," Ventura said. "They work hard and know how to work."
The A's, coming off a 68-94 season that marked a 20-game dip from the previous year, have several players they received from the White Sox prior to 2015 who are contributors heading into '16. At the top of the list is Marcus Semien, who made an MLB-high 35 errors in his first season at shortstop, but he improved as the season went along, batting .283 with seven home runs in his final 52 games. Starter Chris Bassitt and backup catcher Josh Phegley also came from that deal.
Billy Burns, who impressed in center field and at leadoff during his rookie season, heads a lineup of veterans who could manufacture more runs than a year ago, but the A's will lean on their pitching staff to improve. Gray leads the rotation after a third-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting, and the A's revamped their bullpen. With closer Sean Doolittle back and healthy again, the A's added veterans Ryan Madson and Jon Axford to the mix.
"The guys that we brought in, they're veteran guys, they've been on winning teams, they've pitched in the postseason, they've all pitched in some kind of setup or closing capacity, so they have that experience in high-level situations," Doolittle said. "That can help not just the bullpen but the whole team, having those types of veteran guys with playoff experience. That goes a long way for a young team that's trying to bounce back and turn things around."
The four-game set in Oakland to start the season will be followed for the White Sox by their home opener against the AL Central-rival Indians on Friday. The A's head north to Seattle for a three-game weekend set before returning home as they open the 2016 season with 10 of their first 13 at Oakland.
White Sox projected Opening Day lineup
Adam Eaton, RF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Jose Abreu, 1B
Todd Frazier, 3B
Melky Cabrera, LF
Avisail Garcia, DH
Brett Lawrie, 2B
Austin Jackson, CF
Alex Avila, C
Chris Sale, LHP
A's projected Opening Day lineup
Billy Burns, CF
Jed Lowrie, 2B
Danny Valencia, 3B
Khris Davis, LF
Billy Butler, DH
Josh Reddick, RF
Josh Phegley, C
Yonder Alonso, 1B
Marcus Semien, SS
Sonny Gray, RHP
White Sox announce four moves to finalize 25-man roster.
CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The team announced they had reassigned RHP Phillippe Aumont, first baseman Travis Ishikawa, centerfielder Jacob May and catcher Hector Sanchez to minor league camp.
The White Sox, who defeated the Giants 10-2 on Saturday, finished their spring training 17-13-1.
The White Sox will carry 12 pitchers and 13 position players on their Opening Day roster. The White Sox begin the regular season with a four-game series in Oakland.
Here's a look at the team's Opening Day roster:
Pitchers: Matt Albers, John Danks, Zach Duke, Dan Jennings, Nate Jones, Mat Latos, Jake Petricka, Zach Putnam, Jose Quintana, David Robertson, Carlos Rodon, Chris Sale
Infielders: Jose Abreu, Alex Avila, Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie, Dioner Navarro, Jimmy Rollins, Tyler Saladino
Outfielders: Melky Cabrera, Adam Eaton, Avisail Garcia, Austin Jackson, Jerry Sands, J.B. Shuck
Golf: I got a club for that..... Herman earns SHO win, spot in Masters.
By Al Tays
(Photo/Golf Channel.com)
Jim Herman, who has bounced back and forth between the PGA and Web.com tours, earned his first PGA Tour win on Sunday, collecting a check, a trophy and - most significant - a berth in this week's Masters. Here's how things panned out at the Shell Houston Open.
Leaderboard: Jim Herman (-15), Henrik Stenson (-14), Dustin Johnson (-13), Rafa Cabrera Bello (-12)
What it means: Herman, 38, got his first PGA Tour win in his 106th start. He also has made 118 starts on various incarnations of the Web.com Tour with one win - the 2010 Moonah Classic. The Masters will be only his fourth start in a major; he has played in three U.S. Opens.
Round of the day: Although four players shot lower numbers, we have to give the nod to Herman's 4-under 68. He started Sunday as the 54-hole co-leader with Jamie Lovemark. After sharing the lead down the stretch with Stenson, Herman took the lead by himself on the par-3 16th when he chipped in from the rough surrounding the left-hand bunker. He made a knee-knocking 3-foot par save on 17, then rifled a 316-yard drive down the middle of the 18th fairway, hit the middle of the 18th green and easily two-putted for the win.
Best of the rest: Cabrera Bello had the day's low round, a bogey-free, 7-under 65. He made four birdies on the front nine, then added an eagle (on the drivable par-4 12th) and another birdie coming in.
Biggest disappointment: As previously noted, Lovemark shared the 54-hole lead. But he was no factor on Sunday, closing with a 76. Lovemark bogeyed the second and third holes, doubled the sixth and never recovered.
Shot of the day: At first it appeared that Herman's tee shot on the 198-yard 16th hole had found the left-hand bunker, but the ball stopped in the rough beside the sand. With an uphill lie, he chipped in for birdie and sole possession of the lead.
Quote of the day: "Sorry for the tears, but I'm pretty happy." - Jim Herman
2016 Masters: Get ready for spring golf celebration at Augusta.
Sporting News
Golf's first major tournament of the year takes place amid the park-like serenity of an exclusive club in Georgia. Is it little wonder the Masters has trademarked the phrase, a tradition unlike any other?
Beginning April 7 and culminating April 10, the Masters blends the splendor of spring with the spirit of competition with the smallest field of any of golf's four grand slam events.
This is the 80th edition of the Masters.
Augusta National Golf Club is not without its detractors, notably for its membership requirements.
There wasn't a black club member until 1990. The first woman was admitted in 2012.
Few can argue the facility's beauty. The Masters takes place while trees and flowers are in spring bloom, making it the most colorful championship course. It is also the only major tournament that takes place on the same course every year.
Here's what you need to know about the 2016 Masters.
When is the 2016 Masters?
Competition begins early on Thursday, April 7. Ceremonial first shots will be made by golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Arnold Palmer, a four-time Masters winner, will be present but not make a ceremonial drive.
The 2016 champion will be crowned the afternoon of April 10 after at least 72 holes of competition.
Practice rounds will be held April 4 and 5. The final practice round is April 6, the same day as the annual par-3 contest. Gates open at 8 a.m. ET every day except April 7, when admission to the club begins at 7:50 a.m. ET.
What is the TV schedule for the 2016 Masters?
Only the fortunate few are admitted to Augusta National to witness practices and competition. The rest of us will see events take place on television.
The schedule (all times ET):
— April 4: Practice; on the range, noon-2 p.m.; holes 6 and 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Master.com, CBS Sports Net
— April 5: Practice; on the range, 9-11 a.m.; holes 6 and 16, 9-11 a.m.; Master.com, CBS Sports Net
— April 6: Practice; on the range, 9-11 a.m.; holes 6 and 16, noon-2 p.m.; Master.com, CBS Sports Net | Par-3 competition, 3-5 p.m., ESPN
— April 7: First round live, 3-5 p.m.; replay, 8-11 p.m., ESPN; highlights, 11:30-11:45 p.m., CBS | Live coverage online via Masters.com: featured groups, 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Amen Corner, 10:45 a.m.-6 p.m.; on the range, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; holes 15 and 16, 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m.
— April 8: Second round, live coverage, 3-7:30 p.m., ESPN; replay, 8-11 p.m., CBS; highlights, 11:30-11:45 p.m., CBS | Live coverage online via Masters.com: featured groups, 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Amen Corner, 10:45 a.m.-6 p.m.; on the range, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; holes 15 and 16, 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m.
— April 9: Live coverage, 3-7 p.m.; replay, 8-11 p.m.; highlights, 11:30-11:45 p.m., CBS | Live coverage online via Masters.com: featured groups, 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m.; Amen Corner, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; on the range, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; holes 15 and 16, 12:30-6:30 p.m.
— April 10: Live coverage, 2-7 p.m., CBS | Live coverage online via Masters.com: featured groups, 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m.; Amen Corner, 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m.; on the range, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; holes 15 and 16, 12:30-6:30 p.m.; green jacket ceremony, 7 p.m.
You can watch the Masters Live online at the official website. The Golf Channel will have daily programming as well.
Who takes part in the 2016 Masters?
There are 18 categories for entry into the field, starting with Masters champions. Here are the players as of March 16:
Masters champions: Angel Cabrera, Fred Couples, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Phil Mickelson, Larry Mize, Mark O'Meara, Jose Maria Olazabal (will not play), Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott, Vijay Singh, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Tom Watson, Mike Weir, Tiger Woods (will not play), Ian Woosnam
U.S. Open champions (five-year exemption): Rory McIlroy, Webb Simpson, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer
British Open champions (five-year exemption): Darren Clarke, Ernie Els
PGA champions (five-year exemption): Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Jason Day
Players Championship winners (three-year exemption): Rickie Fowler
Current U.S. Amateur champion and runner-up: Bryson DeChambeau, Derek Bard
Current British Amateur champion: Romain Langasque
Current Asia-Pacific Amateur champion: Jin Cheng
Current Latin America Amateur champion: Paul Chaplet
Current U.S. Mid-Amateur champion: Sammy Schmitz
First 12 players (including ties) in previous year's Masters: Paul Casey, Bill Haas, Charley Hoffman, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, Ian Poulter, Kevin Streelman
First four players not otherwise eligible (including ties) in previous year's U.S. Open: Cameron Smith, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace
First four players not otherwise eligible (including ties) in previous year's British Open: Marc Leishman
First four players not otherwise eligible (including ties) in previous year's PGA Championship: No additional qualifiers
Reuters; Reporting by Frank Pingue, Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes
Five players to watch at the Masters, which starts on Thursday at Augusta National:
JASON DAY
The 28-year-old Australian will arrive at Augusta National as the hottest player in the game having followed his victory at last month's Arnold Palmer Invitational with a win at the WGC-Dell Match Play event seven days later.
Day, whose best Masters finish was a tie for second in 2011, will likely be under less pressure than previous appearances having already secured his long-awaited first major title at last year's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
That maiden major triumph for the current world number one came during a remarkable stretch that included four tournament wins in six starts on the PGA Tour last season.
BUBBA WATSON
Like fellow Americans Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, Watson is one of a handful of players who can head into the Masters without playing their best golf but still find a way to get into contention.
Watson, who won at Augusta in 2012 and 2014, sent an early-season reminder that he remains a threat when he triumphed at February's Northern Trust Open over a field that included Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott.
The 37-year-old American left-hander enjoys a huge comfort factor on the heavily contoured Augusta National layout and he can count on plenty of support as his do-or-die approach has made him a perennial fan favorite at the Masters.
ADAM SCOTT
At 35, the Australian may be in the advanced stage of his career but Scott has been historically good at Augusta National and as a former Masters champion knows what it takes to handle the pressure of a major.
Scott, the only Australian to clinch the Masters following his triumph in 2013, this season emulated Tiger Woods by becoming just the second player to win back-to-back events on the PGA Tour's Florida swing, despite having his anchored putter technique banned at the start of the year.
If history is any indication then Scott, who finished inside the top 10 in three of the other seven events he has entered this season, will be a force to be reckoned with as he is one of only five golfers to have made nine of the last 10 Masters cuts.
CHARL SCHWARTZEL
The 31-year-old South African, who made birdies on each of the last four holes to win the Masters by two shots in 2011, has struggled in his last four starts at Augusta National but is enjoying a resurgence this season.
Schwartzel has enjoyed a brilliant campaign so far, having won a pair of tournaments on the European Tour and one on the PGA Tour during a red-hot stretch that gave him three victories in six starts.
His playoff victory over Bill Haas at last month's Valspar Championship could not have come at a better time as it marked the South African's first triumph in the United States since his 2011 Masters triumph.
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
Matsuyama, 24, may be considered a longshot heading into the year's first major but he will surely beg to differ having shot up the world rankings after successful seasons in 2014 and 2015, the latter highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the Masters.
The rising Japanese talent displayed supreme poise in the clutch earlier this year when he earned a playoff victory over Rickie Fowler at the Phoenix Open in February to claim his second PGA Tour victory.
Matsuyama, who has made no secret that he yearns to be the first Asian golfer to win at Augusta National, posted all four rounds under par at last year's Masters, including a 66 that tied Rory McIlroy for the lowest score in the final round.
Tiger Woods 'absolutely' will return to golf this year, agent says.
Sporting News
(Photo/sportingnews.com)
Tiger Woods, recuperating from back surgeries, will "absolutely" play tournament golf this year, his longtime agent says.
Woods has not played a round of tournament golf since last August. He has his second operation in September had a follow-up procedure a month later to relieve discomfort.
Woods agent Mark Steinberg told ESPN: "I do expect him back on the golf course this year. Absolutely. But there's no timetable."
Woods, a 14-time major winner, has been putting, chipping and hitting short irons as he works his way back into tournament shape.
On his website, Woods noted that he planned to attend Tuesday's champions dinner at Augusta National Golf Club, but said he is "not physically ready" to play in the tournament. Woods is a four-time Masters winner, the most recent in 2005.
This will mark the second time Woods has missed the Masters in the past three years.
"After assessing the present condition of my back, and consulting with my medical team, I've decided it's prudent to miss this year's Masters," Woods wrote on his website. "I've been hitting balls and training daily, but I'm not physically ready. I've said all along that this time I need to be cautious and do what's best for my long-term health and career.
"Unfortunately, playing Augusta next week wouldn't be the right decision. I'm absolutely making progress, and I'm really happy with how far I've come, but I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf. I'd like to express my disappointment to Billy Payne, the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I won't be competing."
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
Once was not enough for Kyle Busch.
One day after earning his first and long-desired grandfather’s clock at Martinsville Speedway for winning Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race, Busch went 2-for-2 by winning Sunday’s STP 500 Sprint Cup race.
Prior to Saturday’s Truck series win, Busch had gone winless in his first 30 career starts in Sprint Cup (21), Xfinity (one) and Truck Series (eight) competition at NASCAR’s oldest track.
Now Busch, who dominated by leading 352 of the 500-lap event, has matching grandfather clocks, courtesy of the half-mile bullring.
AJ Allmendinger finished second, followed by Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski.
HOW BUSCH WON: It was second verse, same as the first for Busch. He dominated in Saturday’s Truck Series race en route to victory and followed the same game-plan to win Sunday’s STP 500. It was Busch’s first win of the 2016 season and his 35th career Cup win. Now in 22 Cup starts at Martinsville, his record includes one win, 10 top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Allmendinger (second) had his best finish since winning at Watkins Glen in 2014, Larson (third) almost cashed in on his first career Cup win, Dillon (fourth) continued his strong season by earning his second top-five finish and Vickers (seventh) earned his and the No. 14’s season-best finish … The top-finishing rookie was Ryan Blaney, who wound up 19th, one spot in front of fellow rookie Chase Elliott … Danica Patrick closed in on the top-five before being shuffled back late in the race to a 16th-place finish.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Denny Hamlin, who won this race last year, saw his day end when he wrecked on Lap 221. Hamlin, who has won five times in his Sprint Cup career at Martinsville, suffered his worst career finish there ever in 21 starts … Aric Almirola made an early exit due to engine problems and finished last in the 40-car field … Josh Wise took his car to the garage and bowed out about two-thirds of the way through the race due to electrical problems, ending up 38th.
NOTABLE: Busch becomes the fifth different winner this season, following Jimmie Johnson (two wins at Atlanta and Fontana), Denny Hamlin (Daytona), Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas) and Kevin Harvick (Phoenix).
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “To win here at Martinsville is cool. I finally get to take a (grandfather’s) clock home. A lot of people said I didn’t deserve (to win) yesterday (in the Truck Series race). Maybe I didn’t. But I got one today.” – Kyle Busch
WHAT’S NEXT: The Cup series moves to Texas Motor Speedway and a race under the lights on Saturday night, April 9.
Fiery Austin Dillon leads RCR to strong day at Martinsville.
By Dustin Long
(Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
Austin Dillon is learning about all that goes with running near the leaders more often.
“You guys listen to me a lot more now that we’re up front,’’ Dillon told media members after his fourth-place finish — tying a career best — Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
What many heard was Dillon’s brief expletive-laced rant on the radio after a bump from teammate Paul Menard moved Dillon out of the way and allowed five cars by. Dillon fell to 14th with 160 laps left.
“I’ll have to explain myself on that one,’’ Dillon admitted about his radio rage. “I probably should keep my mouth shut.’’
Menard chatted briefly with Dillon after the race and they shook hands.
“We worked it out on the track,’’ Dillon said, noting each gave the other more room afterward and passed without incident.
Dillon’s fourth-place finish led Richard Childress Racing, which placed all three of its cars in the top 10 for the first time since Oct. 2014 at Kansas Speedway — 47 races ago. Menard placed eighth Sunday with Ryan Newman 10th.
Dillon’s top five gives him multiple top-five finishes in a season for the first time in his Sprint Cup career.
Despite the strong language during the race, Dillon had kind words for Menard afterward. Dillon’s team used Menard’s setup after struggling in qualifying.
“I was pretty much distraught Friday, qualifying 29th,’’ Dillon said. “We hadn’t been that bad all year. We put a lot of focus into qualifying here and talked about where I had messed up previous races. I backed it up and messed it up again. I came back Saturday and regrouped and we did that as a team and decided to work on our car and work on me.’’
A key also was Dillon not pitting on the final caution. He was eighth on the caution but moved to fifth on the restart when three drivers ahead of him pitted. He scored his fourth top-10 finish of the season.
“Good job guys,’’ Childress said on the radio to Dillon’s team. “Heullva job. Great call.’’
Menard, who led 10 laps to equal his total from 2015, did not pit on the final restart and maintained his eighth-place spot.
“We had a really fast car all weekend,’’ said Menard, who had not finished better than 15th this season before Sunday. “We just gave up too much. Kind of got backwards and then had a set of tires that had a loose wheel, it was back in the middle part of the race and just battled back.’’
Newman, whose best finish this season was 11th in the Daytona 500 before Sunday, gained seven spots after the final restart after pitting for four tires.
“Coming into this race, I told the team that they had given me the best car I’ve ever had at Martinsville Speedway,’’ he said. “The opening laps we were a top-five car despite a tight-handling condition. Our lap times especially held up during the longer green flag runs.
“With about 50 to go, we got the break we needed and raced our way back onto the lead lap. We worked hard this off-season and to see all three cars end up in the top 10 says a lot about our organization.’’
What many heard was Dillon’s brief expletive-laced rant on the radio after a bump from teammate Paul Menard moved Dillon out of the way and allowed five cars by. Dillon fell to 14th with 160 laps left.
“I’ll have to explain myself on that one,’’ Dillon admitted about his radio rage. “I probably should keep my mouth shut.’’
Menard chatted briefly with Dillon after the race and they shook hands.
“We worked it out on the track,’’ Dillon said, noting each gave the other more room afterward and passed without incident.
Dillon’s fourth-place finish led Richard Childress Racing, which placed all three of its cars in the top 10 for the first time since Oct. 2014 at Kansas Speedway — 47 races ago. Menard placed eighth Sunday with Ryan Newman 10th.
Dillon’s top five gives him multiple top-five finishes in a season for the first time in his Sprint Cup career.
Despite the strong language during the race, Dillon had kind words for Menard afterward. Dillon’s team used Menard’s setup after struggling in qualifying.
“I was pretty much distraught Friday, qualifying 29th,’’ Dillon said. “We hadn’t been that bad all year. We put a lot of focus into qualifying here and talked about where I had messed up previous races. I backed it up and messed it up again. I came back Saturday and regrouped and we did that as a team and decided to work on our car and work on me.’’
A key also was Dillon not pitting on the final caution. He was eighth on the caution but moved to fifth on the restart when three drivers ahead of him pitted. He scored his fourth top-10 finish of the season.
“Good job guys,’’ Childress said on the radio to Dillon’s team. “Heullva job. Great call.’’
Menard, who led 10 laps to equal his total from 2015, did not pit on the final restart and maintained his eighth-place spot.
“We had a really fast car all weekend,’’ said Menard, who had not finished better than 15th this season before Sunday. “We just gave up too much. Kind of got backwards and then had a set of tires that had a loose wheel, it was back in the middle part of the race and just battled back.’’
Newman, whose best finish this season was 11th in the Daytona 500 before Sunday, gained seven spots after the final restart after pitting for four tires.
“Coming into this race, I told the team that they had given me the best car I’ve ever had at Martinsville Speedway,’’ he said. “The opening laps we were a top-five car despite a tight-handling condition. Our lap times especially held up during the longer green flag runs.
“With about 50 to go, we got the break we needed and raced our way back onto the lead lap. We worked hard this off-season and to see all three cars end up in the top 10 says a lot about our organization.’’
SOCCER: Kennedy Igboananike goal leads Fire to first win of season.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Fire beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Saturday at Toyota Park. It was the Fire's first win of the season.
Kennedy Igboananike scored the match's only goal in the 51st minute, just a few minutes after Philadelphia's Warren Creavalle was sent off for a harsh tackle from behind on Razvan Cocis.
With strong wind, occasional snow and cold temperatures, some fans from Section 8 started singing "Let It Snow" with some help from a trumpeter. The conditions definitely impacted the fans in the stands, but the field remained in decent shape when the snow wasn't swirling over the field.
The win gave the Fire (1-1-2, 5 points) the first win under first-year coach Veljko Paunovic.
“It means a lot for me and for this locker room, who works very hard so far," Paunovic said. "I think winning this game gave us more confidence now and believe we are on a good path, which we always knew that we were."
The game could have gone very differently with the Union (2-2, 6 points) hitting the goal frame three times in the match. Union forward C.J. Sapong headed off the crossbar in the 29th minute and drilled a shot off the post in the 41st minute.
Meanwhile, the Fire were unable to put a shot on goal in the first half.
Early in the second half a long shot from Ilsinho went through goalkeeper Matt Lampson's hands and ricocheted off the bar. A minute later Creavalle was sent off with a red card and the match changed almost immediately. Creavalle had picked up a yellow card in the first half.
“The sending off obviously changes the game," Union coach Jim Curtin said. “We talked about to Warren about being careful and not leaving his feet so a little bit silly in the area of the field. I think he should just let him turn there and we live to fight another day.”
It took less than five minutes for the Fire to turn the man-advantage into a lead. Michael Harrington slotted a pass in the box to Igboananike, who was able to quickly turn and slide a low shot just inside the far post.
“That’s a really, really good finish to turn and quickly shoot it like that," Fire midfielder Michael Stephens said. "It was a good team goal and it came off a big sequence of passing, which is something we worked on this week.”
“That’s a really, really good finish to turn and quickly shoot it like that," Fire midfielder Michael Stephens said. "It was a good team goal and it came off a big sequence of passing, which is something we worked on this week.”
The Fire held on for a second straight shutout at home while returning to a four-man back line. Harrington returned from his red card suspension to take Brandon Vincent's spot at left back. Rodrigo Ramos earned his second straight start at right back and Jonathan Campbell paired with Johan Kappelhof at centerback. Campbell's start is a sign that he may have passed up Joao Meira, who played every minute of the Fire's first three matches, on the depth chart in Paunovic's mind.
“I think it’s gotten better every week," Kappelhof said. "We train hard and we communicate good. It’s getting better. We are improving. We are not there yet, but we are working hard.”
Next up for the Fire is an April 10 match at New York City FC, who beat the Fire 4-3 in the season opener at Toyota Park.
Leicester City 1-0 Southampton: Fairytale Foxes closing in on coronation.
By Nicholas Mendola
The win was Leicester’s fifth 1-0 win in six matches, the outlier being a 2-2 draw with West Brom, and has Claudio Ranieri‘s men seven points ahead of Spurs with six matches to play.
Southampton failed in its quest to keep pressure on the Top Four, and is now four back of fifth-place West Ham and seven back of Man City.
Saints did what they could to keep Leicester on the flanks, but the Foxes eventually forced a series of corners and throws deep in Southampton territory after 10 minutes.
As the half wore on, the match saw more half-chances than chances until Sadio Mane found himself on a break. Kasper Schmeichel flew to cut off the angle, but Mane rounded him and chipped a shot that Danny Simpson elbowed down. No call.
Southampton kept the ball in Leicester’s half, as Jose Fonte surprised with a 30-yard shot that Schmeichel flew to push over the bar.
It was, though, Leicester that would break through. Christian Fuchs swept in a left-footed cross and Morgan barreled into a header that left Fraser Forster helpless. 1-0 to the leaders.
The second half saw Leicester’s lead nearly doubled through an own goal when Fraser Foster had to fly back to tap Jose Fonte’s mishit clearance over the bar.
That was around the time a wildly anticipatory King Power was growing in energy, not that it was lacking at any point beforehand.
Danny Simpson looked set to be the second Foxes defender to score, only to be parried by Forster’s two hands. At the other end, Fuchs blocked a Charlie Austin cross with his hand to no call.
Leicester’s remaining schedule
April 10 at Sunderland
April 17 vs. West Ham United
April 24 vs. Swansea City
May 1 at Manchester United
May 7 vs. Everton
May 15 at Chelsea
Championship focus: Automatic promotion spots far from settled.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
This week will go a long way toward deciding the field for the promotion playoffs, as well a perhaps the automatic promotion berths, as the Championship contests three April match days.
With matches looming between Burnley and Cardiff and Derby and Hull, there’s plenty to like about Tuesday and next weekend, though Saturday provided us plenty to chew on.
Burnley and Brighton’s high-profile draw allowed Middlesbrough to pull into second, three points shy of first with a match-in-hand on the Clarets. All that and more in focus, here:
Brighton 2-2 Burnley
The host Seagulls looked set to leap to the top of the table after carrying a 2-1 lead from halftime deep into stoppage time. But Michael Keane headed in an 93rd minute equalizer to keep the Clarets atop the table. Andre Gray scored his 23rd goal of the year for Burnley, and he could be a joy to watch in the Premier League next season should the Clarets keep hold of their promotion pace.
QPR 2-3 Middlesbrough
With Sunderland and Newcastle favored for Premier League relegation, Boro could be the only PL side in Northeast England next year. Grant Leadbitter missed a penalty in this one, but Gaston Ramirez scored off the ensuing corner to put in a silver lining.
Hull City 4-0 Bristol City
Four Premier League veterans helped Steve Bruce‘s Tigers move 7 points back of first place and 7 points clear of 7th place, with Charlie Davies, Robert Snodgrass, Mohamed Diame and Sone Aluko all scoring in the blowout.
Cardiff City 2-1 Derby County
Watch out! Cardiff has moved to within two points of the final playoff spot, currently held by Saturday’s visitors. Bruno Ecuele Manga and Stuart O'Keefe scored for Vincent Tan’s Bluebirds.
Elsewhere
Wolverhampton 0-0 Ipswich Town
Bolton 0-1 Reading
Rotherham 2-1 Leeds United
Fulham 2-1 MK Dons
Huddersfield Town 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest 0-3 Brentford
Blackburn 1-2 Preston North End
Charlton 2-1 Birmingham City
NCAABKB: National Title Game Preview: Everything you need to know about Villanova-vs-North Carolina.
With matches looming between Burnley and Cardiff and Derby and Hull, there’s plenty to like about Tuesday and next weekend, though Saturday provided us plenty to chew on.
Burnley and Brighton’s high-profile draw allowed Middlesbrough to pull into second, three points shy of first with a match-in-hand on the Clarets. All that and more in focus, here:
Brighton 2-2 Burnley
The host Seagulls looked set to leap to the top of the table after carrying a 2-1 lead from halftime deep into stoppage time. But Michael Keane headed in an 93rd minute equalizer to keep the Clarets atop the table. Andre Gray scored his 23rd goal of the year for Burnley, and he could be a joy to watch in the Premier League next season should the Clarets keep hold of their promotion pace.
QPR 2-3 Middlesbrough
With Sunderland and Newcastle favored for Premier League relegation, Boro could be the only PL side in Northeast England next year. Grant Leadbitter missed a penalty in this one, but Gaston Ramirez scored off the ensuing corner to put in a silver lining.
Hull City 4-0 Bristol City
Four Premier League veterans helped Steve Bruce‘s Tigers move 7 points back of first place and 7 points clear of 7th place, with Charlie Davies, Robert Snodgrass, Mohamed Diame and Sone Aluko all scoring in the blowout.
Cardiff City 2-1 Derby County
Watch out! Cardiff has moved to within two points of the final playoff spot, currently held by Saturday’s visitors. Bruno Ecuele Manga and Stuart O'Keefe scored for Vincent Tan’s Bluebirds.
Elsewhere
Wolverhampton 0-0 Ipswich Town
Bolton 0-1 Reading
Rotherham 2-1 Leeds United
Fulham 2-1 MK Dons
Huddersfield Town 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest 0-3 Brentford
Blackburn 1-2 Preston North End
Charlton 2-1 Birmingham City
NCAABKB: National Title Game Preview: Everything you need to know about Villanova-vs-North Carolina.
By Rob Dauster
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
WHEN: Monday, 9:19 p.m. ET
MAJOR STORYLINES: The question that everyone wants an answer to is whether or not this is going to be the last time that we see Roy Williams on a college sideline, and if there is anything that Ol’ Roy has made clear this week, it’s that this is not going to be the end of his tenure with the Tar Heels. What it may be, however, is his third national title, which will put him on par with some of the legends of the coaching profession: the only other coaches that have at least three national titles are John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Calhoun.
That’s mighty fine company to be in, particularly for a head coach like Williams, who has dealt with his fair share of criticism throughout the years. Where as the others on that list tend to be guys that are giants in the profession, Williams is never thought out as or mentioned in the same breath with the best of all-time. This would be his third time in the last 12 years. Would that be enough to make him considered one of the very best ever?
Jay Wright is in a different situation. He’s looking for that first national title, for that piece of evidence that he’s one of the greats — a guy that will deserve a look from the Hall of Fame — as opposed to just another really good coach that sustained a program for a long, long time. Beating the Heels in the title game would be quite the feather in his cap.
But it would also make him one of the most unique national title winners, as he’s not doing it with a team that is loaded with future NBA stars. Josh Hart will probably play in the NBA, and I would bet that Mikal Bridges will end up there as well. I’m not sure either of them are destined to be stars at that level, however, and I don’t think that there is another pro on the roster. It’s not often that teams without an abundance of NBA talent win the whole thing, and while that probably says something about the year in which Villanova is winning the title, it should also tell you a thing or two about the guy that is coaching them along the way.
KEY MATCHUP: Kris Jenkins and whoever the Tar Heels decide they are going to use to try and slow him down. Jenkins has gone from a recruiting afterthought to an undersized, under-athletic gunner … to the guy that has been the most dangerous offensive weapon for the Wildcats. Perhaps more relevantly, he’s become the matchup problem for Villanova. He’s a skilled scorer with a lethal three-point stroke and the best pump fake in college basketball. He draws more fouls on three-point shots than anyone in the country.
He’s also now able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, which creates a bit of an issue: Who’s checking Jenkins? Will they put the slower-footed Meeks on him and allow Brice Johnson to act as a rim protector or will they do the opposite and let the stronger Meeks try to battle Ochefu in the post?
And just as important: How will Jenkins handle post defense and defensive rebounding against the Tar Heel big men?
X-FACTOR: Who will guard Daniel Ochefu, who has suddenly turned into arguably the most irreplaceable offensive piece for the Wildcats. Ochefu is a 6-foot-11 center who developed into one of the most consistent and reliable post scorers in the country this season. That’s relevant because he is going to get quite a few chances to go one-on-one against UNC’s big men on Monday night. The Wildcats put four shooters on the floor, making it really difficult for opponents to double-team any post touch. If Ochefu can find a way to be effective on the block, it would for the Tar Heels to make a change on the defensive end.
POINT SPREAD: North Carolina -2.5
THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR
- Can North Carolina run offense against Villanova? The Wildcats do not get the credit they should for how good they’ve been defensively. They don’t have many great individual defenders — Mikal Bridges is a problem, and Josh Hart did the heaviest-lifting in slowing down Buddy Hield — but this is a team that plays tough, physical and, most importantly, disciplined team defense while constantly changing the looks that they use on that end of the floor. It’s tough to execute against, and we saw that in full effect on Saturday night. Will UNC have an easier time of it than Oklahoma did?
- Which Josh Hart shows up on Monday night, and just how physical will UNC wings be willing to be with him. Hart is a nightmare to play against. He’s annoying to play against, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. He’s a junkyard dog in every sense of the word, and UNC hasn’t always dealt with guys like that in an effective manner.
- What position does Theo Pinson play? Personally I think that he is going to play a big role on Monday night just because he matches up well with Villanova’s personal. UNC needs him to play the majority of his minutes at the three, which will mean that their size is effective. If he’s playing at the four, it means that Jenkins won the battle of the bigs and UNC had to adjust.
North Carolina beats Syracuse for third time this season to advance to national title game.
By Scott Phillips
(Chris Steppig/NCAA Photos via AP, Pool)
North Carolina struggled to make perimeter shots and took some time to figure out the 2-3 zone, but the Tar Heels still put together a strong effort in an 83-66 win over ACC-rival Syracuse in the second national semifinal on Saturday night.
The Tar Heels started 0-for-13 from 3-point range and only mustered 12 fast-break points but led for the final 28 minutes of the game despite the Orange’s best efforts for another comeback tournament win.
Syracuse went on a 10-0 run to cut North Carolina’s lead to seven on a Malachi Richardson 3-pointer with 9:51 left but the Tar Heels responded with their first 3-pointer of the game as senior Marcus Paige’s jumper pushed North Carolina’s lead back to 10.
“You’ve gotta keep shooting sometimes; you can’t just stop shooting,” North Carolina sophomore guard Joel Berry II said. “That’s what Marcus kept on doing.”
On the ensuing North Carolina possession, senior Brice Johnson established deep post position on Syracuse freshman Tyler Lydon and hammered a two-handed dunk off a feed from Theo Pinson, letting out a huge scream and igniting the final North Carolina push. After a Pinson 3-pointer on the next possession, North Carolina was back ahead by 12 as the quick flurry of points finished off the Orange for good.
“A little run like that can hurt,” North Carolina sophomore Justin Jackson said. “I think we did a good job of not turning down [our intensity].”
Johnson (16 points, nine rebounds) and junior Kennedy Meeks (15 points, eight rebounds) combined to go 13-for-20 from the field as they had an easy time scoring on the interior for North Carolina while Paige (13 points) buried three crucial second-half 3-pointers to help the Tar Heels advance to their 10th NCAA title game in program history.
At halftime, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams encouraged his team to keep shooting from the perimeter, but also stressed how much damage the Tar Heels were doing inside.
“Coach said, ‘You know what, we’re 0-for-10 from the 3-point line,’ when we came in a halftime,” Berry said. “And I think we were shooting 50 or 60 percent from inside the arc. He gave us that stat line just to get in our head. If we can continue to get it inside, we have more success in there.”
Jackson also added 16 points for North Carolina (33-6) as the Tar Heels have now won 10 consecutive games. Berry II finished with eight points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.
Syracuse (23-14) struggled to 11-for-31 shooting (35 percent) from the field and 3-for-10 shooting from the free-throw line in the first half as North Carolina jumped out to a 39-28 halftime lead.
The Orange tried to utilize a full-court press to get back in the game with just over six minutes left, but the Tar Heel press break didn’t fold like when the Orange had comeback wins over Gonzaga and Virginia the previous weekend in Chicago.
“Honestly, we thought that they weren’t going to press at all,” Jackson said. “But I guess once we were up quite a bit, you figure they’re going to try to get some type of pressure. But we do a good job of getting the ball up the floor.”
“We had that [Virginia comeback] in the back of our heads. I know I did,” Berry said. “I was like, you know, we can’t let that happen. They got on that roll and it was tough for Virginia to stop them. The difference is that we want to play an uptempo game.”
Senior Trevor Cooney led the Orange with 22 points while Richardson finished with 17 points. Michael Gbinije also added 12 points for Syracuse, as the senior struggled to a 5-for-18 shooting night.
The Orange were the first 10 seed to ever make the Final Four, and many believed that they didn’t belong in the tournament in the first place, but Jim Boeheim’s team put together a great few weeks of play by stepping up on the defensive end and getting timely shooting.
The Syracuse comeback wins over Gonzaga and Virginia will certainly be memorable. For the Orange to make the Final Four a year after their self-imposed postseason ban shows how determined this team was to put that in the past.
“Obviously it’s tough right now. But I’m still proud of these guys,” Cooney said. “I mean, coming into the tournament, we weren’t even supposed to be in there, what you guys said. We just kept battling, fighting. We were down in so many games throughout this tournament.
“You have to give credit to North Carolina, they’re a hell of a team. They played really well today. For us to beat them, we would have had to have played perfect and we just didn’t today.”
These two teams matched up twice during ACC play with the Tar Heels sweeping the season series. Although it’s always difficult to beat any team three times in one season, North Carolina was never seriously threatened in the second half.
Much like Syracuse, the looming threat of NCAA sanctions is hanging over the North Carolina program, but the Tar Heels have been able to come out focused during the NCAA tournament and they’re playing some of their best ball of the season. Although the hot perimeter shooting didn’t continue for North Carolina on Saturday, they still shot 53 percent from the field on offense and they really seem to be clicking at the right time.
“It took a lot of ups-and-downs but we’re finally here,” Berry said. “We’re finally in the game we want to be in and we have to be ready to play.”
North Carolina now advances to face Villanova in Monday night’s championship game in Houston. With the Wildcats coming off of the largest victory in Final Four history over Oklahoma in the first national semifinal, it’ll be intriguing to see if Villanova continues their hot shooting in the title game. The Wildcats would appear to have a better feel for shooting in NRG Stadium after their blistering 71 percent shooting against Oklahoma, but North Carolina can also put up points with the best of them.
“Those guys are a very good team. They’re really hot right now,” Johnson said. “They held one of the best players in the country to little or nothing today. They all play together. They space the floor. We’ve just got to go out there and play.”
The win on Saturday gives North Carolina a chance to win their first national championship since 2009. Villanova and North Carolina also played during that 2009 Final Four, in the national semifinals, as the Tar Heels took home an 83-69 win.
Villanova eviscerates Oklahoma, advances to the title game with 44-point win.
By Rob Dauster
(AP Photo/David J. Phillips)
It started exactly the way you would have expected it to.
It started with Hield isolated top of the key. It started with two hard dribbles to his left. It started with a step-back jumper, a rhythm three, a bucket and a 3-0 lead for the Sooners.
“I could have killed Ryan,” Villanova assistant coach Ashley Howard said, chuckling, of star guard Ryan Arcidiacono. “When you get out there in the game you’ve got to get a feel for him. He adjusted. All our guys adjusted.”
That would be the last time that Hield, one of just four players in the last 40 years to enter the Final Four averaging more than 25 points, would look comfortable on the NRG Stadium court, as Villanova put on the single-most dominating Final Four performance in the history of the sport.
They won 95-51, the 44-point margin the largest in the history of the Final Four. Those 95 points are the most anyone’s scored in the Final Four in 13 years. They shot 71.4 percent from the floor, as Villanova became just the second team in Final Four history to shoot better than 70 percent from the floor, although their 35-for-49 performance paled in comparison to the 22-for-28 shooting (78.6%) that the 1985 iteration of the Wildcats posted in their title game win over Georgetown. As a team, Villanova shot 11-for-18 from three. They scored 1.484 points-per-possession.
Oklahoma's last lead was at 17-16. Villanova went on a 12-0 run then, pushed their lead to 16 points in the first half and, after Oklahoma got to within 54-41 early in the second half, used a 25-0 run to push their lead to 38 points. In total, the Sooners were outscored 68-27 over a 26-minute stretch.
Man, what?
Is this real life?
A performance like that is impressive when the top teams in the country are squaring off with their buy game opponents. In a game like this? In the Final Four? Against a top ten team that rosters the nation’s best scorer? That’s quite literally never happened before, and it very well may never happen again.
It was the totality of the beat-down that was striking, and not just because it was the exact opposite of what happened in Hawai’i back in December, when Oklahoma beat the Wildcats by 23 points.
Villanova ripped Oklahoma’s soul out of their chest, chewed it up and spit it out in a bag that they put on Old Man Clemons porch and lit on fire. They broke Oklahoma. The Sooners were done midway through the second half.
“With 12 minutes left, Coach told us to quit looking at the score and keep playing,” Oklahoma’s Ryan Spangler said. “That’s not a good sign right there.”
I’m sure someone is going to criticize Oklahoma for that, but can you really blame them? It was quite evident at that point that Villanova wasn’t going to be blowing that lead. Hield, Spangler, Isaiah Cousins. Those three guys are seniors. They knew their career was over, that this was the last time that they’d be playing with this group of guys, that their final college basketball memory would be playing out the clock of a humiliating molly-whopping in what may be the biggest game that they’ll ever play in.
You can only fight but so hard for a lost cause.
“I feel bad for Oklahoma,” Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. “We’ve all had those nights.”
Josh Hart led six players in double-figures for the Wildcats, finishing with 23 points, eight boards and four assists. He was 10-for-12 from the floor and had a series of back-breaking buckets early in the second half that helped to put the game away. Kris Jenkins chipped in with 18 points while Ryan Arcidiacono added 15 points and three assists.
The most impressive part of the win, however, was the work that Villanova did against Hield. He finished the night shooting 4-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three, scoring nine points. Before the first TV timeout, four different Villanova defenders had been matched up with Hield. By the 13-minute mark, Kris Jenkins and Phil Booth had gotten their shot as well.
Villanova was constantly changing looks defensively, and not just with the guys they had guarding Hield. Villanova cycled through all of their different defensive looks at least twice in the first half, using everything from a 2-3 matchup zone and a 1-2-2 zone press to a switching man-to-man and a straight man-to-man with a guard denying Hield the ball.
“Just credit to them, what they was doing,” Hield said. “Made it tough on me. Throwing a bunch of bodies at me. Just couldn’t get it going.”
It wasn’t all on Hield, either. Combined, Hield, Cousins and Jordan Woodard scored 36 points — fewer than Hield had on his own in the Elite 8 — on 10-for-36 shooting while hitting just 5-for-22 from three. Villanova’s team defense was just too much for the Sooners guards to handle. Cousins couldn’t get any penetration, Woodard didn’t get any clean looks outside of a four-minute stretch early in the second half.
We’ve said it all season long: Oklahoma doesn’t have a way to win games when their guards aren’t hitting shots, and while the severity of the loss is striking, the fact that it played out the way that it did shouldn’t be overly surprising.
“They just dictated on both ends of the floor,” Lon Kruger said. ‘They were great. We didn’t respond very well to it.”
“We got whipped in every way.”
Man, what?
Is this real life?
A performance like that is impressive when the top teams in the country are squaring off with their buy game opponents. In a game like this? In the Final Four? Against a top ten team that rosters the nation’s best scorer? That’s quite literally never happened before, and it very well may never happen again.
It was the totality of the beat-down that was striking, and not just because it was the exact opposite of what happened in Hawai’i back in December, when Oklahoma beat the Wildcats by 23 points.
Villanova ripped Oklahoma’s soul out of their chest, chewed it up and spit it out in a bag that they put on Old Man Clemons porch and lit on fire. They broke Oklahoma. The Sooners were done midway through the second half.
“With 12 minutes left, Coach told us to quit looking at the score and keep playing,” Oklahoma’s Ryan Spangler said. “That’s not a good sign right there.”
I’m sure someone is going to criticize Oklahoma for that, but can you really blame them? It was quite evident at that point that Villanova wasn’t going to be blowing that lead. Hield, Spangler, Isaiah Cousins. Those three guys are seniors. They knew their career was over, that this was the last time that they’d be playing with this group of guys, that their final college basketball memory would be playing out the clock of a humiliating molly-whopping in what may be the biggest game that they’ll ever play in.
You can only fight but so hard for a lost cause.
“I feel bad for Oklahoma,” Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. “We’ve all had those nights.”
Josh Hart led six players in double-figures for the Wildcats, finishing with 23 points, eight boards and four assists. He was 10-for-12 from the floor and had a series of back-breaking buckets early in the second half that helped to put the game away. Kris Jenkins chipped in with 18 points while Ryan Arcidiacono added 15 points and three assists.
The most impressive part of the win, however, was the work that Villanova did against Hield. He finished the night shooting 4-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three, scoring nine points. Before the first TV timeout, four different Villanova defenders had been matched up with Hield. By the 13-minute mark, Kris Jenkins and Phil Booth had gotten their shot as well.
Villanova was constantly changing looks defensively, and not just with the guys they had guarding Hield. Villanova cycled through all of their different defensive looks at least twice in the first half, using everything from a 2-3 matchup zone and a 1-2-2 zone press to a switching man-to-man and a straight man-to-man with a guard denying Hield the ball.
“Just credit to them, what they was doing,” Hield said. “Made it tough on me. Throwing a bunch of bodies at me. Just couldn’t get it going.”
It wasn’t all on Hield, either. Combined, Hield, Cousins and Jordan Woodard scored 36 points — fewer than Hield had on his own in the Elite 8 — on 10-for-36 shooting while hitting just 5-for-22 from three. Villanova’s team defense was just too much for the Sooners guards to handle. Cousins couldn’t get any penetration, Woodard didn’t get any clean looks outside of a four-minute stretch early in the second half.
We’ve said it all season long: Oklahoma doesn’t have a way to win games when their guards aren’t hitting shots, and while the severity of the loss is striking, the fact that it played out the way that it did shouldn’t be overly surprising.
“They just dictated on both ends of the floor,” Lon Kruger said. ‘They were great. We didn’t respond very well to it.”
“We got whipped in every way.”
NCAAFB: Boise State won’t be punished by NCAA for using ineligible player.
By John Taylor
(Getty Images)
In a shocking turn of events, the NCAA has displayed some benevolence. And (gasp!) some common sense. For once.
A little bit of a kerfuffle arose back in May of 2014 when it was reported that the NCAA would not allow Boise State to provide assistance to Antoine Turner, a Broncos defensive tackle who was essentially homeless when not enrolled in classes. The Association reversed course a short time later, ruling that BSU could “provide immediate assistance to [the] football student-athlete.”
Turner went on to play in 13 games in the 2014 season. Shortly before the start of the 2015 season, however, a potential eligibility issue in regards to Turner was discovered and the player sat out the year while the situation was investigated. Just what the specific eligibility issue was that caused the probe wasn’t detailed.
That investigation found that, because of what was described only as a “transfer eligibility matter stemming from his time in junior college,” Turner never should have been eligible to play in that 2014 season. However, because there was, as determined by the NCAA, no way for BSU to have prior knowledge of the issue, The Association decided that the university would face no sanctions, including no forfeiture of games in which Turner played.
Turner, though, was “rendered permanently ineligible” by the NCAA.
That said, Turner remains on scholarship and is expected to graduate from Boise in the summer of this year. He also took part in Boise’s Pro Day this past week.
A little bit of a kerfuffle arose back in May of 2014 when it was reported that the NCAA would not allow Boise State to provide assistance to Antoine Turner, a Broncos defensive tackle who was essentially homeless when not enrolled in classes. The Association reversed course a short time later, ruling that BSU could “provide immediate assistance to [the] football student-athlete.”
Turner went on to play in 13 games in the 2014 season. Shortly before the start of the 2015 season, however, a potential eligibility issue in regards to Turner was discovered and the player sat out the year while the situation was investigated. Just what the specific eligibility issue was that caused the probe wasn’t detailed.
That investigation found that, because of what was described only as a “transfer eligibility matter stemming from his time in junior college,” Turner never should have been eligible to play in that 2014 season. However, because there was, as determined by the NCAA, no way for BSU to have prior knowledge of the issue, The Association decided that the university would face no sanctions, including no forfeiture of games in which Turner played.
Turner, though, was “rendered permanently ineligible” by the NCAA.
That said, Turner remains on scholarship and is expected to graduate from Boise in the summer of this year. He also took part in Boise’s Pro Day this past week.
Nyquist still perfect, wins Florida Derby with ease.
By TIM REYNOLDS
Nyquist and Mohaymen were nearly eye-to-eye as they turned for home in the $1 million Florida Derby, making it appear for a moment like an epic stretch duel awaited between the horses who've long been considered the favorites for Triple Crown season.
Not even close.
In a flash, Nyquist was gone - to a win, to a $1.6 million payday and almost certainly to the favorite's role for the Kentucky Derby in five weeks. Just as Mohaymen looked poised to start his challenge Nyquist pulled away, leaving no doubt in the battle of colts who came in unbeaten and touted as the favorites for Triple Crown season who was better.
''We're high as a kite right now,'' trainer Doug O'Neill said.
Nyquist shipped in from California earlier in the week, a day behind schedule because of some flight issues. That was the only thing that didn't go according to plan. He got to the lead right out of the gate, stayed there the whole way and wound up beating Majesto by about three lengths after finishing the 1 1-8 miles in 1 minute, 49.11 seconds.
''Coming out of the gate, I broke so clean and so fast, I had to take the lead,'' jockey Mario Gutierrez said.
Nyquist took care of the rest. He's now 7-0, six of those wins coming in graded stakes, four of them now of the Grade 1 variety - including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last year. Nyquist returned $4.40 for the win, sent off as the second choice behind now-once-beaten Mohaymen, a two-time winner at Gulfstream earlier this year but a colt with no answers Saturday.
''Congratulations to the winner,'' Mohaymen trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. ''He ran big. We were awfully wide throughout and with the track you never know. We'll regroup.''
If there's no health issues over the next five weeks, Mohaymen will see Nyquist again in the Kentucky Derby.
''I didn't really have much excuse,'' Mohaymen jockey Junior Alvarado said. ''I was where I wanted to be the whole race and he didn't fire this time. That's all I can really tell you.''
Gutierrez, O'Neill and owner Paul Reddam are the same team that had I'll Have Another to the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2012 - never getting a chance at the Triple Crown because of an injury that ended that colt's career just before the Belmont Stakes.
Here they go again.
''Loyalty has been rewarded, all the way around,'' Reddam said. ''You don't see it that much in racing.''
There were two brief bursts of rain around midday, followed by another shower about an hour before the gate opened for the Florida Derby. The track was listed as good, meaning it was the first time that either Mohaymen or Nyquist raced on anything other than a fast surface.
Nyquist wasn't bothered. In fact, his connections were hoping for some rain - O'Neill's son even did a rain dance, Reddam said, immediately before one of the quick downpours.
''It looked like Mohaymen wasn't handling the track well,'' O'Neill said.
Majesto was second, Fellowship was third and Mohaymen finished just over eight lengths back of the winner. Mohaymen went off as the 4-5 favorite, Nyquist went off at 6-5 - and four of the eight other horses in the field carried odds of 103-1 or higher. The longest of longshots was Copingaway, 180-1.
''Everything just went right,'' O'Neill said.
The plan for Nyquist since winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile was to have only two prep races before the Kentucky Derby, and coming to Gulfstream made sense for many reasons - a million of them, at least.
He was purchased at a Fasig-Tipton sale at Gulfstream, which meant he was eligible for a $1 million bonus by returning to the track and winning the Florida Derby.
So with $600,000 for the win, then the $1 million check, everyone in Nyquist's camp was all smiles.
''He's got the mindset of a champion,'' O'Neill said.
There were six other graded stakes races at Gulfstream on Saturday.
Celestine ($12.60) dug deep in the stretch to win the Grade 2, $300,000 Honey Fox; Go Maggie Go ($10) won the Grade 2, $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks; Kaigun ($7.60) rallied to take the Grade 2, $200,000 Pan American; Reporting Star ($19) recorded an upset in the Grade 3, $200,000 Appleton; Photo Call ($4) prevailed in the Grade 3, $200,000 Orchid and Valid ($2.80) won the Grade 3, $150,000 Skip Away.
emoriesofhistory.com
1921 - The Ottawa Senators beat the Vancouver Millionaires in the 1921 Stanley Cup Finals. The Senators became the first NHL team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
1971 - Veterans stadium in Philadelphia, PA, was dedicated.
1974 - Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's major league baseball home-run record with 714.
1986 - Wayne Gretzky set an NHL record with his 213th point of the season.
1987 - Denis Potvin (New York Islanders) became the first defenseman in NHL history to score 1,000 career points. His career total was 1,052.
1994 - Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes (Chicago Cubs) became the first player in the National League to hit three home runs on Opening Day.
1996 - The Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 100-98. The loss was the Magic's first loss to an Eastern Conference team at home since April of 1994. The streak was 51 games long.
1996 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) became the fourth player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career steals.
1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) became the second National League player to hit a home run in the first four games of a season. Willie Mays (San Francisco) had hit home runs in the first four games of the 1971 season.
1999 - The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres played the first major league season opener to be held in Mexico. The Rockies beat the Padres 8-2. The game was also the first season opener to be held in a country other than the United States or Canada.
1971 - Veterans stadium in Philadelphia, PA, was dedicated.
1974 - Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's major league baseball home-run record with 714.
1986 - Wayne Gretzky set an NHL record with his 213th point of the season.
1987 - Denis Potvin (New York Islanders) became the first defenseman in NHL history to score 1,000 career points. His career total was 1,052.
1994 - Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes (Chicago Cubs) became the first player in the National League to hit three home runs on Opening Day.
1996 - The Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 100-98. The loss was the Magic's first loss to an Eastern Conference team at home since April of 1994. The streak was 51 games long.
1996 - Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) became the fourth player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career steals.
1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) became the second National League player to hit a home run in the first four games of a season. Willie Mays (San Francisco) had hit home runs in the first four games of the 1971 season.
1999 - The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres played the first major league season opener to be held in Mexico. The Rockies beat the Padres 8-2. The game was also the first season opener to be held in a country other than the United States or Canada.
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