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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." ~ William Jennings Bryan, Orator and Politician
Trending: Blackhawks to face Blues in first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
(Photo/CBS)
Trending: Warriors match '96 Bulls with record win No. 72. (See the basketball section for details).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 5-1
White Sox 2016 Record: 4-2
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Cubs 2016 Record: 5-1
White Sox 2016 Record: 4-2
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks to face Blues in first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs.
By C. Roumeliotis
(Photo/AP)
The Dallas Stars clinched the Central Division — and home-ice advantage in the Western Conference — after beating the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, finishing the season with 109 points. The Blues fell to the league-leading Washington Capitals 5-1 to conclude the campaign with 107 points while the Blackhawks finished with 103 points following an overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in their regular-season finale.
The Blues, who won three of five meetings against the Blackhawks this season, will host Games 1 and 2.
The last time these two division rivals met in the postseason was 2014, when the Blackhawks overcame a 2-0 series deficit to beat the Blues in four straight games during the conference quarterfinals.
Full schedule for Blackhawks-Blues.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks and Blues will begin their first-round playoff series with Games 1 and 2 on Wednesday and Friday in St. Louis.
The NHL released postseason schedules on Sunday night, following the league’s final two regular-season games. The Blackhawks will host Games 3 and 4 next Sunday and Tuesday, April 19. Game 5 will be on April 21 in St. Louis, Game 6 on April 21 at the United Center and Game 7 on April 25 back at Scottrade Center, all three if necessary.
Unfortunately, some of those awful late start times are back. Game 1 will be at 8:30 p.m., as will Game 4. Game 2 is at 7 p.m., and Game 3 is at 2 p.m. The start times for Games 5 through 7 will be announced at a later date.
CSN will air Games 1, 2 and 4 of the opening-round series. Coverage will begin 30 minutes before puck drop on those nights with Blackhawks Pregame Live. Coverage of Games 5, 6 and 7 (if necessary) is to be determined.
Check out the full schedule below.
| Game | Date | Time (CT) | Broadcast |
| Game 1 | Wednesday, April 13 | 8:30 p.m. | CSN |
| Game 2 | Friday, April 15 | 7 p.m. | CSN |
| Game 3 | Sunday, April 17 | 2 p.m. | NBC |
| Game 4 | Tuesday, April 19 | 8:30 p.m. | CSN |
| Game 5 | Thursday, April 21 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 6 | Saturday, April 23 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 7 | Monday, April 25 | TBD | TBD |
*Home games in bold. Games 5, 6 and 7 are if necessary
Blackhawks close out regular season with OT loss to Blue Jackets.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin have made a dynamic duo throughout the Blackhawks’ season. On Saturday night, they enjoyed a couple of individual great moments.
Kane finalized his hold on the Art Ross Trophy and Panarin cashed in on performance bonuses during the Blackhawks’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. The Blackhawks will most likely face the St. Louis Blues.
Kane and Panarin each had two goals and an assist to cap their stellar individual seasons. Kane finishes the regular season with 106 points to win the Art Ross Trophy, becoming the first American to do so. Panarin, who collected $2.575 million in performance bonuses if he finished top 10 among forwards in at least one of several categories (goals, assists, points or points per game), did so.
Corey Crawford, playing in his first game since March 14, allowed five goals on 25 shots.
“Yeah, just get the speed [down]. That was a quick game,” said Crawford, who’s been out since mid-March with an upper-body injury. “It’s hard after missing some games to come in but… there are some things I thought I did well and obviously some other things that didn’t go too well. But it’s good to get in there and get a feel for it.”
For coach Joel Quenneville, getting Crawford back in this one was key, regardless of the outcome.
“He was fine. I think I didn’t mind some of the things we did out there today. But getting that game under his belt was the best thing for him and for us. It was a big step,” said Quenneville, who the turned attention to his second liners.
“There was some wow factor with the Bread Man and Kaner tonight that was fun to see,” he said. “They finished the year on an amazing note.”
The two ended the season much as they started it, feeding off each other and supplying plenty of points for the Blackhawks. Panarin finished with 30 goals; he’s the first Blackhawks rookie to do that since Eric Daze (1995-96). Kane said it was nice to see Panarin cash in — literally and figuratively.
“Yeah, excited for him. That’s a great feat. And to be in the top 10 in scoring your rookie season’s pretty special,” Kane said. “I think with him, he’s going to be doing some special things as a Blackhawk down the road hopefully for a long time. It’s been a lot of fun playing with him, getting to know him. He’s a great kid, great personality, and I think the fans will enjoy watching him for a long time to come.”
For Kane, knowing his name will be on this year’s Art Ross Trophy, given to the league’s top scorer, is also special — more so given his nationality.
“It’s something I’ll really enjoy, take pride in playing for the U.S. and being an American kid. It was fun to break the point streak this year, and now to be the first American player to win the scoring title is pretty special in itself, too,” he said. “It was an exciting year and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.”
The Blackhawks are through the regular season. Quenneville expects the team’s injured players — Marian Hossa (lower body), Andrew Shaw and Artem Anisimov (both upper) — to be ready for Game 1, whenever Game 1 is. Kane and Panarin have done some special things this season; now to see what they and the rest of the Blackhawks can do in the postseason.
Five Things: Kane, Panarin dazzle in Blackhawks' finale.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
With several guys missing from the lineup for various reasons, be it suspension or injury or rest, the Blackhawks still wanted to put their best foot forward in their regular-season finale vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.
But they weren’t going to lose sleep if they lost.
It start off well before the Blue Jackets came back to beat them in overtime. But this last regular-season hurrah was about the big picture and about getting a goaltender back, not the outcome of game No. 82. The Blackhawks now prep for the playoffs and the St. Louis Blues, who lost to Washington and will finish second in the Central Division.
So before we start writing those playoff preview stories, let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 5-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.
But they weren’t going to lose sleep if they lost.
It start off well before the Blue Jackets came back to beat them in overtime. But this last regular-season hurrah was about the big picture and about getting a goaltender back, not the outcome of game No. 82. The Blackhawks now prep for the playoffs and the St. Louis Blues, who lost to Washington and will finish second in the Central Division.
So before we start writing those playoff preview stories, let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 5-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.
1. Congratulations, Artemi Panarin. The 24-year-old earned those performance bonuses he’ll rake in, recording three more points, including his 30th goal of the season. Coach Joel Quenneville said there was “no chance” he was benching Panarin, who was on the cusp of collecting $2.575 million in bonuses entering game No. 82. Hey, if you give a guy incentive to record big numbers, you pay him when he reaches them. Good for him.
2. Patrick Kane will collect more hardware. It was looking likely for a while now, but Kane all but etched his name on the Art Ross Trophy on Saturday night. Kane had a goal and an assist against the Columbus Blue Jackets, capping a stellar regular season with career highs in goals (46), assists (60) and points (106). Oh, and Kane also has 251 goals for his career. The Blackhawks have had their ups and downs this season. Kane’s production, however, has been incredibly steady.
3. Corey Crawford’s return. Crawford had a busy first few minutes but came out of the first period unscathed. The second and third were tougher on him, and he ended up giving up five goals on the night. But after not playing for nearly a month there was bound to be some rust. That’s why the Blackhawks wanted his first game to be the regular-season finale instead of the playoff opener. Asked if he’ll be ready for Game 1 of the postseason, Crawford said, “Yeah, I’m ready.” On we go.
4. What comes next? Now we turn our attention to the postseason and the St. Louis Blues, who the Blackhawks will play this coming week. No, we don’t know when yet, although it seems likely this series will start on Wednesday. These two are familiar with each other so expect a very passionate, very physical series. And one more thing…
5. Injured players should be ready to go. The Blackhawks will still be without Duncan Keith, who has one game remaining on his suspension. But Quenneville said Marian Hossa (lower body), Artem Anisimov and Andrew Shaw (both upper body) should be ready for Game 1, whenever that is. The Blackhawks weren’t going to move much in the Central Division in the last few remaining games. Getting healthy again was more important, and it looks like they will be.
Blackhawks: Artemi Panarin to cash in on performance bonuses.
By Tracey Myers
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It’s been a very productive season for Blackhawks rookie Artemi Panarin. It’s about to be a very profitable one, too.
The 24-year-old has been on a hot streak lately, recording five goals and eight assists in his last four-plus games (including the first period of Saturday’s contest). Panarin had already earned $850,000 in Schedule A bonuses; to collect another $1.725 million, Panarin had to finish as a top-10 forward in one of the following: goals, assists, points or points per game. His performance on Saturday ensures he’ll do that.
Yes, that means the Blackhawks will be in salary-cap hell again next season.
According to generalfanager.com Panarin’s bonuses, as well as Michal Rozsival’s — $100,000 for 50 games played — means the Blackhawks will have $2.9 million in bonuses counting against next season’s cap. So the team that has had to say goodbye to many players over the years due to salary-cap constraints will probably be doing it again this offseason.
Coach Joel Quenneville said a few days ago that there was “no chance” he would sit Panarin if the Russian was close to achieving his bonuses.
“My perspective is, I like when players are successful and they meet their goals. We’ll do everything we can to help them be the best they can. That’s our motivation here. The other stuff sorts itself out,” Quenneville said Saturday morning. “It doesn’t help us, but at the same time, we don’t mind having to deal with those type of issues.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Warriors match '96 Bulls with record win No. 72.
CSN Staff
The 1995-96 Bulls are no longer the only team to win 72 games in a single season.
The Warriors matched the NBA's all-time record for wins in a regular season with their 72nd win of the year Sunday night, defeating the Spurs, 92-86, in San Antonio.
With one regular-season game remaining on their schedule, the Warriors can break the '96 Bulls' all-time record and set a new mark with 73 victories. Golden State takes on the Memphis Grizzlies in its regular-season finale on Wednesday in Oakland.
In Sunday's win, reigning league MVP Steph Curry scored a game-high 37 points. The Warriors also ended the Spurs' pursuit of another NBA record, with San Antonio losing for the first time at home this season.
The Warriors are looking not only to set a new record for regular-season wins but also to repeat as NBA champions.
Chicago Bulls-New Orleans Pelicans Preview.
CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The 1995-96 Bulls are no longer the only team to win 72 games in a single season.
The Warriors matched the NBA's all-time record for wins in a regular season with their 72nd win of the year Sunday night, defeating the Spurs, 92-86, in San Antonio.
With one regular-season game remaining on their schedule, the Warriors can break the '96 Bulls' all-time record and set a new mark with 73 victories. Golden State takes on the Memphis Grizzlies in its regular-season finale on Wednesday in Oakland.
In Sunday's win, reigning league MVP Steph Curry scored a game-high 37 points. The Warriors also ended the Spurs' pursuit of another NBA record, with San Antonio losing for the first time at home this season.
The Warriors are looking not only to set a new record for regular-season wins but also to repeat as NBA champions.
Chicago Bulls-New Orleans Pelicans Preview.
Jimmy Butler and the Chicago Bulls travel to play Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Action gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Apr. 11 and can be seen on CSC and FSN.
The Pelicans got blown out by the Suns 121-100 on Saturday. Toney Douglas finished with 23 points to lead the team. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 105-102 win over the Cavaliers on Saturday. Butler led the team in scoring with 21 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
New Orleans should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank fifth in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 13.2%). Meanwhile, the Bulls force the second-fewest turnovers in the league (11.4%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulls won the first game 98-94. In the loss, Tyreke Evans led all scorers on the team with 22 points.
The Pelicans enter the game with records of 30-50 Straight Up (SU) and 36-44 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 30-50 SU and 36-44 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
Across the court, Chicago has a SU record of 40-40 and an ATS record of 34-46. Chicago has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. Chicago is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, converting .367 of their shots from three-point range. The Bulls are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 46.4 rebounds per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Chicago beat New Orleans, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. However, the Pelicans lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chicago.
Notes:
Chicago ranks 21st in points per game with 101.2, while New Orleans ranks 25th in points allowed with an average of 105.9 given up.
New Orleans ranks 28th in points allowed per home game (106.2 PPG), while Chicago ranks 15th in points per away game with 101.0.
In its last game, Chicago won by a margin of three points. New Orleans is 5-5 in games decided by three points or less. Chicago has a 10-4 record in close games.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bulls are 24-4 on the season. When the Pelicans score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 1-36.
The Chicago Bulls have a subpar 16-36 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The New Orleans Pelicans are 29-14 when they hit the century mark.
Chicago’s offense and New Orleans’ defense both rank 26th this season. Chicago has an offensive rating of 102.2 and New Orleans has a defensive rating of 107.2.
The New Orleans Pelicans average a field goal percentage of 44.7% this season. The Chicago Bulls have a poor record of 10-26 when opponents have a FG% of 44.7% or greater.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Chicago Bulls attempt 21.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, New Orleans has a poor record of 12-20, while Chicago is 8-11.
New Orleans has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.69 this season (ranked 12th). Chicago ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.70 (ranked 11th).
With 46.4 per game, Chicago ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second. New Orleans ranks 21st with 42.9.
New Orleans is ranked 16th in defensive rebounds, while Chicago ranks ninth in offensive rebounds.
Chicago has forced an average turnover percentage of 11.4% this season. New Orleans has a poor 18-33 record when its TOV% is 11.4% or higher.
UPDATE: Bulls officially eliminated from playoff contention.
By Vincent Goodwill
They were hanging on by a thin thread, but the Bulls’ playoff hopes were officially dashed when the Indiana Pacers put a beatdown on the Brooklyn Nets, 129-105, on Sunday, the Bulls missing the postseason for the first time since 2008.
It’ll be the first time Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson have been on a lottery team in their careers, and Pau Gasol will miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2008.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said he was “praying for a miracle” after the Bulls’ exciting win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night, but faced with the prospect of having to be perfect in the final games along with the Pacers having to suffer a total meltdown was too much to ask, given the Pacers’ schedule.
The Bulls owned the tiebreaker with the Pacers and needed to lose out so they could potentially have matching 42-40 records.
But with the Bulls leaving fate in the hands of a team that had no business affecting real playoff business, one could surmise it was a fitting end to their season.
Bulls stave off elimination with emotional win over LeBron James' Cavaliers. (Saturday night's game, 04/09/2016).
By Vincent Goodwill
The Pelicans got blown out by the Suns 121-100 on Saturday. Toney Douglas finished with 23 points to lead the team. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 105-102 win over the Cavaliers on Saturday. Butler led the team in scoring with 21 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
New Orleans should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank fifth in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 13.2%). Meanwhile, the Bulls force the second-fewest turnovers in the league (11.4%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulls won the first game 98-94. In the loss, Tyreke Evans led all scorers on the team with 22 points.
The Pelicans enter the game with records of 30-50 Straight Up (SU) and 36-44 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 30-50 SU and 36-44 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
Across the court, Chicago has a SU record of 40-40 and an ATS record of 34-46. Chicago has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. Chicago is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, converting .367 of their shots from three-point range. The Bulls are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 46.4 rebounds per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Chicago beat New Orleans, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. However, the Pelicans lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chicago.
Notes:
Chicago ranks 21st in points per game with 101.2, while New Orleans ranks 25th in points allowed with an average of 105.9 given up.
New Orleans ranks 28th in points allowed per home game (106.2 PPG), while Chicago ranks 15th in points per away game with 101.0.
In its last game, Chicago won by a margin of three points. New Orleans is 5-5 in games decided by three points or less. Chicago has a 10-4 record in close games.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bulls are 24-4 on the season. When the Pelicans score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 1-36.
The Chicago Bulls have a subpar 16-36 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The New Orleans Pelicans are 29-14 when they hit the century mark.
Chicago’s offense and New Orleans’ defense both rank 26th this season. Chicago has an offensive rating of 102.2 and New Orleans has a defensive rating of 107.2.
The New Orleans Pelicans average a field goal percentage of 44.7% this season. The Chicago Bulls have a poor record of 10-26 when opponents have a FG% of 44.7% or greater.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Chicago Bulls attempt 21.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, New Orleans has a poor record of 12-20, while Chicago is 8-11.
New Orleans has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.69 this season (ranked 12th). Chicago ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.70 (ranked 11th).
With 46.4 per game, Chicago ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second. New Orleans ranks 21st with 42.9.
New Orleans is ranked 16th in defensive rebounds, while Chicago ranks ninth in offensive rebounds.
Chicago has forced an average turnover percentage of 11.4% this season. New Orleans has a poor 18-33 record when its TOV% is 11.4% or higher.
UPDATE: Bulls officially eliminated from playoff contention.
By Vincent Goodwill
They were hanging on by a thin thread, but the Bulls’ playoff hopes were officially dashed when the Indiana Pacers put a beatdown on the Brooklyn Nets, 129-105, on Sunday, the Bulls missing the postseason for the first time since 2008.
It’ll be the first time Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson have been on a lottery team in their careers, and Pau Gasol will miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2008.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said he was “praying for a miracle” after the Bulls’ exciting win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night, but faced with the prospect of having to be perfect in the final games along with the Pacers having to suffer a total meltdown was too much to ask, given the Pacers’ schedule.
The Bulls owned the tiebreaker with the Pacers and needed to lose out so they could potentially have matching 42-40 records.
But with the Bulls leaving fate in the hands of a team that had no business affecting real playoff business, one could surmise it was a fitting end to their season.
Bulls stave off elimination with emotional win over LeBron James' Cavaliers. (Saturday night's game, 04/09/2016).
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The atmosphere was emotional, nervous and unsure inside the United Center, as the Bulls were staring down playoff elimination of a different kind from a familiar and haunting face in LeBron James.
James has put the Bulls out of their misery more times than Bulls fans would care to remember and with the way the Bulls have played recently, James sending them throbbing into the offseason was not out of the realm of possibility.
But the Bulls decided to flip the script for the first time in awhile, although it seems to only delay the inevitable and enrage the desperate fan base in the meantime as they took the third of four meetings from the Cleveland Cavaliers with a rousing second half comeback, winning 105-102 Saturday night.
James did his part, hitting four triples on the way to 33 points, but was on the bench during the decisive 15-0 run in the fourth quarter that saw the Bulls take a 13-point lead.
When he returned, he orchestrated a comeback that made things more than scary for the Bulls, as old demons reappeared from this season. A scare turned into near-nightmare when J.R. Smith missed the second of two free throws, grabbed his own rebound and the ball wound up on the hands of one Matthew Dellavedova.
And with the chance to again put the Bulls out, he shortarmed a triple, missing the entire rim. With one final chance, Smith’s desperation triple came up short to secure the win.
It moves the Bulls to 7-1 against the top two teams in the East, and likely a summer of wondering “what if’s” should the Indiana Pacers win one more game to secure a postseason berth.
James has put the Bulls out of their misery more times than Bulls fans would care to remember and with the way the Bulls have played recently, James sending them throbbing into the offseason was not out of the realm of possibility.
But the Bulls decided to flip the script for the first time in awhile, although it seems to only delay the inevitable and enrage the desperate fan base in the meantime as they took the third of four meetings from the Cleveland Cavaliers with a rousing second half comeback, winning 105-102 Saturday night.
James did his part, hitting four triples on the way to 33 points, but was on the bench during the decisive 15-0 run in the fourth quarter that saw the Bulls take a 13-point lead.
When he returned, he orchestrated a comeback that made things more than scary for the Bulls, as old demons reappeared from this season. A scare turned into near-nightmare when J.R. Smith missed the second of two free throws, grabbed his own rebound and the ball wound up on the hands of one Matthew Dellavedova.
And with the chance to again put the Bulls out, he shortarmed a triple, missing the entire rim. With one final chance, Smith’s desperation triple came up short to secure the win.
It moves the Bulls to 7-1 against the top two teams in the East, and likely a summer of wondering “what if’s” should the Indiana Pacers win one more game to secure a postseason berth.
It wasn’t the stars who helped the Bulls pull away after trailing by 11. It was players who weren’t thought of on opening night, like Cristiano Felicio and Justin Holiday, who kept the Bulls’ slim hopes alive as games 81 and 82 await.
On the bench were Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol, with the latter staying there for the duration as Fred Hoiberg went with Felicio down the stretch and throughout.
Felicio had thunderous dunks, solid screens and active feet on defense, making all seven of his field goal attempts on the way to 16 points and five rebounds. The other catalyst was someone nobody even gave a thought to even upon his arrival at the trade deadline, one Justin Holiday.
Holiday played solid defense on Cavaliers’ wizardly point guard Kyrie Irving, forcing multiple turnovers when Irving was tasked with running the Cavaliers as James took his usual rest.
Instead, Holiday and Felicio unexpectedly ran the Cavaliers out of the building, despite the contributions from Kevin Love, who got the Cavaliers off to an early start with his 3-point shooting, scoring 20 with 13 rebounds. Smith, a resident Bulls irritant, scored 24 but missed the last opportunity to put the Bulls out of the playoff race for good in a stunning reversal of fortune.
Now the Bulls must be perfect and have to rely on real lottery teams to help them sneak into the postseason.
If nothing else, they didn’t give James the satisfaction of putting them out once more.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Kyle Long: Bears will have to ‘fight me’ to move from right guard.
By Patrick Finley
Bears guard Kyle Long said he is staying at right guard. (Photo/AP)
Kyle Long is back at the position he loves — and not going anywhere soon.
“They will have to literally fight me to move me from right guard,” he told the Sun-Times on Friday night, after participating in a downtown event for Brandon Marshall’s Project 375. “I don’t think John Fox wants to do that.”
The Bears entered the offseason having declared Long the starting right tackle — and then added one.
Long, though, actually recommended the Cardinals’ Bobby Massie to the front office, who signed him to a three-year deal. The two train together at LeCharles Bentley’s O-line Performance in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Long’s eyes lit up when describing the 6-6, 316 pounder’s mental and physical prowess. Working side-by-side this offseason, the two have already gained a chemistry that would have taken weeks worth of practice to achieve.
“You grind together, you shine together,” he said. “And Bobby Massie is one of those guys that pushes me.
“When I’ve got my hands on my knees after a rep, he’s like, ‘Cmon Kyle, get up.’ And I’m like, ‘O.K.’”
Some wondered whether Long could be considered for left tackle when the Bears signed two interior linemen — guard Ted Larsen and center/guard Manny Ramirez — last month.
That’s not the case; rather, Long said, the two provide the line with an improved depth. That same rationale could motivate the Bears to draft a lineman at the end of the month, too.
Larsen, who started seven times at right guard last year and three times at left guard, trains with Long in Scottsdale — as does Bears tackle Nick Becton and former teammate Patrick Omameh, among others.
“Depth and options are as important as talent in the first line,” Long said. “Because there’s a lot of reps, a lot of games and you never know what’s going to happen.”
Long spoke with Marshall on camera Friday as part of his charity’s “Real Chats” series, and later participated in a ping-pong tournament to help Project 375 raise money to add behavioral health teams to 25 Chicago schools. Running back Matt Forte, Marshall’s new Jets teammate, even made an appearance.
Marshall, who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, founded the charity to improve care and change the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
He flew to Chicago from New York, where on Friday a jury found that he was not liable for injuries sustained by a woman who alleged, in a civil suit, that Marshall hit her outside a nightclub in 2012.
Marshall did not speak to reporters at his event Friday, but conducted his own interview of Long surrounding mental health issues.
Long detailed his 2009 DUI and subsequent withdrawal from Florida State. He praised his family for helping him through the ordeal; his older brother, Chris, personally took him to a rehab facility.
“It’s a very important day — to show that even a three-time Pro Bowler can struggle with certain things,” Long said. “And there’s hope out there for people that struggle with things. You can wear it with pride. Because that’s what I did.”
Long, who thrives on structure, told the group he speaks with Jay Cutler every day, even if just to compare notes on a workout. If the quarterback calls Long and doesn’t hear back quickly enough, he’ll have wife Kristin Cavallari check in on Long.
When Long joked that he didn’t think Cutler liked him as a rookie, Marshall quipped that the quarterback “has a funny way of showing love.”
Long and Marshall remained friends after the Bears traded the receiver a year ago, and still talk on FaceTime frequently.
“Bear or not,” Long said, “he stands for something and he works very hard at this.”
Bears OL competition scenarios intensifying as draft approaches.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
This stems from a simple statement from Bears GM Ryan Pace that is being backed up by actions:
“[At] all these positions we’re going to keep trying create competition,” Pace said during last month’s owners meetings. “So that might be in the draft, that could be in the second or third wave of free agency.”
Coming from Pace, “in the draft” should be taken seriously. Over the past 11 years, with Pace in New Orleans for 10 and the Bears last year, his team has drafted at least one offensive lineman within the first six rounds, sometimes more than one, in nine of them. Five of those picks have come round-three or earlier.
Several major position points suggest themselves in the wake of the Bears’ offseason moves to this point:
Tackle
The main competitors: Kyle Long, Charles Leno Jr., Bobby Massie
And don’t forget: Nick Becton, Tayo Fabuluje
Coaching and personnel staffs may have been delighted with what Charles Leno Jr. gave them at left tackle last season, and with his year-one-to-year-two upside. But Leno no more played himself above competition than anyone outside of Kyle Long as far as a lock as a starter somewhere. And Long is his own story.
Long is effectively a huge wild card in the franchise’s overall, which bodes very well for both the organization as well as one of the NFL’s rising stars on the offensive line. Long will “compete,” but as he did last year, he represents a huge flex factor. One position “battle” last preseason was whether Vlad Ducasse was a better right guard than Jordan Mills was a right tackle; Long would play the other. When Ducasse proved better, Mills was cut and Long became a right tackle.
One scenario now is that Leno needs to demonstrate that he is a better left tackle than Bobby Massie is a right tackle. However that plays out, Long can project as the “other” tackle, again a big-picture Bears positive.
Think about it: Coaches have declared Long both a guard and a tackle over the past year-plus, meaning: Any conclusion that signing Massie from Arizona put in place the starting right tackle and allowed Long to return to right guard, scene of his two Pro Bowl years, may be premature.
Long will be at right guard, coach John Fox said, then held the door wide open. “He can play anything… . I just know he’s going to be real good somewhere and we’re going to put him where he can best help the team and I know he’d be open to that regardless.”
Doesn’t exactly sound like a lock clicking shut at right guard.
Will Long balk at a move? Not likely. Besides his team-first mentality, Long can read not only a defense, but also a spread sheet.
Kelechi Osemele signed a contract this offseason paying him $13.2 million per season; he is the only guard with an average annual tab more than $9.5 million. Nine left tackles — more than 25 percent of the position group league-wide — are at $9.5 million or more.
Tackle, where the adversaries are typically the edge rushers who are the fastest of front-sevens, requires not only a different skill set and body type, but also a different mindset than guard. That’s for another look closer to training camp. Best guess is that Long, a mauler but a true student of his craft, can do the required at both spots, including left tackle. In just three seasons, he already has.
Guard
The competitors: Ted Larsen, Manny Ramirez, Matt Slauson.
And don’t forget: The draft and late free agency
Veteran interior blockers Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez hardly agreed to one-year contracts in Chicago, with a team coming off a 6-10 season, without strong assurances that both had more than cursory opportunities to start. Both have started at center and guard in their NFL careers. In fact, both have double-digit starts at all three interior spots, meaning both guard positions are realistically in play.
Matt Slauson did not have a year that precluded the Bears from signing those two guard/centers. The message is that he needs to play better than he did in 2015, a year that saw him forced to flip between center and guard.
Center
The competitors: Hroniss Grasu, Ted Larsen, Manny Ramirez
And don’t forget: Matt Slauson
The Bears currently have four players with NFL starts at center. That defines “competition.”
Like Leno, coaches and the personnel department were pleased with what Grasu gave them as a mid-round draft pick in his rookie season. Like Leno, however, Grasu showed the normal need for adding NFL-grade strength that most rookies exhibit, and he did not play himself beyond the reach of real competition, particularly with three missed games due to a neck and one with a knee injury.
“The things that give me confidence in him is he’s a smart guy, he’s a hard worker,” Pace said. “So all the things that he needs to do, you’re going to see an improvement from Year 1 to Year 2.”
Slauson started 12 games at left guard and four at center and has started all 16 games in five of the last six seasons.
Larsen is expected to open at a guard spot but “expected” is a fluid notion this offseason.
That’s been Fox’s and Pace’s idea all along.
Bears have built up special teams this offseason.
By Sam Householder
(Photo/Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)
It's been overlooked, but general manager Ryan Pace has recommitted resources to the third phase.
While much of the offseason has been focused on the work being done to the Bears' defense, as well as the pieces that have been added and lost on offense, general manager Ryan Pace has been adding to the third unit as well.
Under former GM Phil Emery special teams slipped from the perch they had held for the better part of this century as one of the better units in the league to one of the worst.
How will the Cubs respond to the loss of Kyle Schwarber?
While much of the offseason has been focused on the work being done to the Bears' defense, as well as the pieces that have been added and lost on offense, general manager Ryan Pace has been adding to the third unit as well.
Under former GM Phil Emery special teams slipped from the perch they had held for the better part of this century as one of the better units in the league to one of the worst.
For years fans became accustomed to the stellar play that special teams coordinator Dave Toub got out of return and coverage unit players such as Devin Hester, Brandon Ayanbadejo, Craig Steltz and the immortal Patrick Mannelly, among others.
After the dismissal of Lovie Smith, Toub moved on to Kansas City and under Emery, the attention and emphasis once given to special teams, waned.
Suddenly young, practice squad-type players were filling out the return units and the back-end roster turnover caused poor play. New special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis didn't live up to the hype he received when he was hired and the result was some of the worst special teams play that many Bears fans could remember.
In the two years under Marc Trestman and DeCamillis, the Bears saw two kick returns against them, not to mention muffed returns and fumbles.
Last year things appeared to get even worse with three combined returns by opponents.
Fans should feel better though because this offseason Pace has shown that he is committed to the third phase of the game.
Pace has brought in Aaron Brewer, a more experienced long snapper and Omar Bolden, a solid punt return specialist and all-around special teamer. He also re-signed Deonte Thompson who took over kick return duties late last season and showed promise. Finally, Pace brought Marc Mariani back into the fold, while Mariani caused much frustration among fans last season as a returner, he is good on coverage unit and, for the most part, has solid hands on returns.
The GM also returned Sherrick McManis, Sam Acho and Chris Prosinski, who were also key contributors last season.
After a few seasons of instability and frustration, could the Bears see marked improvement on their special teams unit this year? It will still be months before that's determined but the fact alone that Pace has allocated resources to the unit is a promising start.
How will the Cubs respond to the loss of Kyle Schwarber?
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Life after Kyle Schwarber began with a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday at Chase Field, the Cubs bullpen unraveling late and manager Joe Maddon getting strategy questions during his postgame media session.
“You can’t be an oil painting every night,” Maddon said.
Schwarber personified the next-man-up philosophy last summer, giving the Cubs a shot of adrenaline that carried them to 97 wins and through two playoff rounds.
The legend grew as Schwarber’s left-handed power smashed balls into the Allegheny River, on top of a Wrigley Field video board and off a car windshield in the parking lot at the team’s spring-training complex.
During his first full season in professional baseball, Schwarber became a billboard for the youth movement on the North Side, all the unlimited possibilities ahead for a team that many preseason experts picked to win the World Series.
All that made the pregame diagnosis – season-ending knee surgery to repair Schwarber’s torn ACL and LCL – so disappointing inside the visiting clubhouse.
“He’s going to be missed,” catcher David Ross. “There’s no doubt about it. There’s no sugarcoating it. We love the guy. It’s a sad day here in our locker room.”
On a smaller scale, the Cubs missed the chance to go 4-0 for the first time since 1995, wasting Jason Hammel’s six innings of one-run ball. Trevor Cahill gave up Yasmany Tomas’ game-winning line-drive single into left field with two outs in the ninth, but the pivot point came with two outs in the eighth.
The Cubs had a one-run lead, lefty Travis Wood warming up in the bullpen and setup guy Pedro Strop on the mound with a runner on third. MVP-level performer Paul Goldschmidt hit a 2-2, 95-mph fastball back up the middle to tie the game.
“We were not trying to throw that pitch on that count,” Maddon said. “We had different strategies set up. It didn’t play out, and that’s the way it happens sometimes. He easily could have struck him out, hit a groundball at somebody, popped him up. The guy on deck’s a pretty good hitter, too (David Peralta).”
What about the idea of simply walking Goldschmidt?
“Stropy’s pretty good,” Maddon said. “He made (Goldschmidt) look pretty bad yesterday. I kind of like the matchup with the breaking ball. We just didn’t get to it and he got a hit.
“I’m good with everything. I felt really strongly about Stropy right there and we got a pitch in the wrong spot. The guy’s a good hitter.”
So is Schwarber. This group is still positioned to withstand that loss, even while missing a feared hitter in the middle of their lineup and the flexibility of having a third catcher who can also play the outfield. Theo Epstein’s front office gave a three-time Manager of the Year a roster stocked with blue-chip talent and mix-and-match pieces.
This is Jorge Soler’s time to show he belongs in left field as an everyday player. Ben Zobrist made a name for himself as the game’s preeminent super-utility guy, and Maddon said there could be times he moves from second base to the outfield. The same goes for All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant, who can handle all three spots in the outfield.
Javier Baez (left thumb contusion) may or may not be ready at some point during next week’s opening homestand at Wrigley Field. And where would the Cubs be if they hadn’t kept the door open for Dexter Fowler, signing him to a one-year, $13 million deal in late February?
“We’re going to have the ability to put a lineup full of really talented position players on the field every night,” Epstein said. “But Kyle is unique in a lot of ways. To begin with, he’s a big part of our identity, on the field and off the field. The unique skill set on the field – and then what he stands for and how he carries himself off the field.
“No one’s going to replace Kyle Schwarber. But we have a lot of talented players that now need to step up to the forefront.”
The Cubs understood Schwarber’s all-out style could lead to the crash that dropped him to the warning track on Thursday night, running into Fowler while trying to chase down a flyball headed toward the left-center field gap.
“He seemed ready for this year – to break out and become just a bigger star in the game,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “Everything happens for a reason. Why did this happen to him at this moment? What’s going on here? Who knows? But he’s going to attack it head on and do the best he can to come back next year stronger.”
Epstein and chairman Tom Ricketts have both said the money will be there at the trade deadline if – or when – the roster needs midseason upgrades. The Cubs also have what Baseball Prospectus ranked as the 12th-best farm system in baseball and a surplus of position-player prospects with so many hitters already established in Chicago.
“It’s part of the game,” Rizzo said. “No matter who it is, you got to be ready to keep going. At the end of the day, the sun is still going to rise.
“We got to go out there and do a job, no matter who goes down. We all understand that. This will be something that I think brings all of us closer.”
Another win over D-backs sends Cubs back to Wrigley riding wave of momentum.
By Patrick Mooney
The wall of sound will keep building and building once Cubs fans get their first Wrigley Field look at this team since last year’s National League Championship Series.
Any disappointment from that four-game sweep by the New York Mets quickly disappeared. It didn’t sting a franchise used to heartbreak because nobody predicted 97 wins — and everyone saw how much talent would be in place for years to come.
After being anointed as a preseason World Series favorite, the Cubs haven’t quite played 4 percent of their 2016 schedule yet, but the early returns make them look as good as advertised.
The Cubs headed toward Chicago after Sunday’s 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, riding a wave of momentum into their brand-new clubhouse and the 101st Wrigley Field home opener.
Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta punctuated a 5-1 road trip where the Cubs had a one-run lead with two outs in the eighth inning of the only game they lost.
After throwing seven scoreless innings against the Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day, Arrieta showed off a different kind of power by crushing a two-run homer off Shelby Miller in the second inning.
Arrieta set impossible standards after last year’s breakthrough season, and even if he didn’t throw a no-hitter or put together a complete-game shutout with surgical precision, he did manage to navigate a dangerous Arizona lineup, giving up three runs on eight hits across seven innings.
Maybe the Cubs will feel the pressure and expectations by September and play tight in October. But this is an extremely loose group that welcomes the hype.
Before the game, David Ross and Anthony Rizzo sung along with the Justin Bieber song (“Love Yourself”) playing on the clubhouse sound system. Hitting consultant Manny Ramirez bounced around the room, playfully tapping one reporter on the shoulder and hugging another. Justin Grimm asked who sings “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” (Whitney Houston) and explained how it would be an awesome walk-up song out of the bullpen.
The only what-if image would be Kyle Schwarber walking to his locker in crutches after suffering season-ending damage to his left knee.
But Jorge Soler — the talented-but-inconsistent player the Cubs hope will grab the left-field job and run with it — responded by hitting the go-ahead home run off Miller in the sixth inning and driving in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
The Cubs outscored the Angels and Diamondbacks, 42-15, and will be an attraction everywhere they go this season. By late Sunday afternoon, a crowd of 33,258 created a mixture of boos and “Let’s go Cubbies” chants.
The playing-for-tomorrow Cincinnati Reds have to know it will be loud on Monday night at Clark and Addison, with Jon Lester taking the ball and a dynamic lineup ready to get the bleachers rocking again.
“You can’t be an oil painting every night,” Maddon said.
Schwarber personified the next-man-up philosophy last summer, giving the Cubs a shot of adrenaline that carried them to 97 wins and through two playoff rounds.
The legend grew as Schwarber’s left-handed power smashed balls into the Allegheny River, on top of a Wrigley Field video board and off a car windshield in the parking lot at the team’s spring-training complex.
During his first full season in professional baseball, Schwarber became a billboard for the youth movement on the North Side, all the unlimited possibilities ahead for a team that many preseason experts picked to win the World Series.
All that made the pregame diagnosis – season-ending knee surgery to repair Schwarber’s torn ACL and LCL – so disappointing inside the visiting clubhouse.
“He’s going to be missed,” catcher David Ross. “There’s no doubt about it. There’s no sugarcoating it. We love the guy. It’s a sad day here in our locker room.”
On a smaller scale, the Cubs missed the chance to go 4-0 for the first time since 1995, wasting Jason Hammel’s six innings of one-run ball. Trevor Cahill gave up Yasmany Tomas’ game-winning line-drive single into left field with two outs in the ninth, but the pivot point came with two outs in the eighth.
The Cubs had a one-run lead, lefty Travis Wood warming up in the bullpen and setup guy Pedro Strop on the mound with a runner on third. MVP-level performer Paul Goldschmidt hit a 2-2, 95-mph fastball back up the middle to tie the game.
“We were not trying to throw that pitch on that count,” Maddon said. “We had different strategies set up. It didn’t play out, and that’s the way it happens sometimes. He easily could have struck him out, hit a groundball at somebody, popped him up. The guy on deck’s a pretty good hitter, too (David Peralta).”
What about the idea of simply walking Goldschmidt?
“Stropy’s pretty good,” Maddon said. “He made (Goldschmidt) look pretty bad yesterday. I kind of like the matchup with the breaking ball. We just didn’t get to it and he got a hit.
“I’m good with everything. I felt really strongly about Stropy right there and we got a pitch in the wrong spot. The guy’s a good hitter.”
So is Schwarber. This group is still positioned to withstand that loss, even while missing a feared hitter in the middle of their lineup and the flexibility of having a third catcher who can also play the outfield. Theo Epstein’s front office gave a three-time Manager of the Year a roster stocked with blue-chip talent and mix-and-match pieces.
This is Jorge Soler’s time to show he belongs in left field as an everyday player. Ben Zobrist made a name for himself as the game’s preeminent super-utility guy, and Maddon said there could be times he moves from second base to the outfield. The same goes for All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant, who can handle all three spots in the outfield.
Javier Baez (left thumb contusion) may or may not be ready at some point during next week’s opening homestand at Wrigley Field. And where would the Cubs be if they hadn’t kept the door open for Dexter Fowler, signing him to a one-year, $13 million deal in late February?
“We’re going to have the ability to put a lineup full of really talented position players on the field every night,” Epstein said. “But Kyle is unique in a lot of ways. To begin with, he’s a big part of our identity, on the field and off the field. The unique skill set on the field – and then what he stands for and how he carries himself off the field.
“No one’s going to replace Kyle Schwarber. But we have a lot of talented players that now need to step up to the forefront.”
The Cubs understood Schwarber’s all-out style could lead to the crash that dropped him to the warning track on Thursday night, running into Fowler while trying to chase down a flyball headed toward the left-center field gap.
“He seemed ready for this year – to break out and become just a bigger star in the game,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “Everything happens for a reason. Why did this happen to him at this moment? What’s going on here? Who knows? But he’s going to attack it head on and do the best he can to come back next year stronger.”
Epstein and chairman Tom Ricketts have both said the money will be there at the trade deadline if – or when – the roster needs midseason upgrades. The Cubs also have what Baseball Prospectus ranked as the 12th-best farm system in baseball and a surplus of position-player prospects with so many hitters already established in Chicago.
“It’s part of the game,” Rizzo said. “No matter who it is, you got to be ready to keep going. At the end of the day, the sun is still going to rise.
“We got to go out there and do a job, no matter who goes down. We all understand that. This will be something that I think brings all of us closer.”
Another win over D-backs sends Cubs back to Wrigley riding wave of momentum.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Any disappointment from that four-game sweep by the New York Mets quickly disappeared. It didn’t sting a franchise used to heartbreak because nobody predicted 97 wins — and everyone saw how much talent would be in place for years to come.
After being anointed as a preseason World Series favorite, the Cubs haven’t quite played 4 percent of their 2016 schedule yet, but the early returns make them look as good as advertised.
The Cubs headed toward Chicago after Sunday’s 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, riding a wave of momentum into their brand-new clubhouse and the 101st Wrigley Field home opener.
Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta punctuated a 5-1 road trip where the Cubs had a one-run lead with two outs in the eighth inning of the only game they lost.
After throwing seven scoreless innings against the Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day, Arrieta showed off a different kind of power by crushing a two-run homer off Shelby Miller in the second inning.
Arrieta set impossible standards after last year’s breakthrough season, and even if he didn’t throw a no-hitter or put together a complete-game shutout with surgical precision, he did manage to navigate a dangerous Arizona lineup, giving up three runs on eight hits across seven innings.
Maybe the Cubs will feel the pressure and expectations by September and play tight in October. But this is an extremely loose group that welcomes the hype.
Before the game, David Ross and Anthony Rizzo sung along with the Justin Bieber song (“Love Yourself”) playing on the clubhouse sound system. Hitting consultant Manny Ramirez bounced around the room, playfully tapping one reporter on the shoulder and hugging another. Justin Grimm asked who sings “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” (Whitney Houston) and explained how it would be an awesome walk-up song out of the bullpen.
The only what-if image would be Kyle Schwarber walking to his locker in crutches after suffering season-ending damage to his left knee.
But Jorge Soler — the talented-but-inconsistent player the Cubs hope will grab the left-field job and run with it — responded by hitting the go-ahead home run off Miller in the sixth inning and driving in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
The Cubs outscored the Angels and Diamondbacks, 42-15, and will be an attraction everywhere they go this season. By late Sunday afternoon, a crowd of 33,258 created a mixture of boos and “Let’s go Cubbies” chants.
The playing-for-tomorrow Cincinnati Reds have to know it will be loud on Monday night at Clark and Addison, with Jon Lester taking the ball and a dynamic lineup ready to get the bleachers rocking again.
White Sox-Indians postponed, will be made up May 23.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Sunday's White Sox-Indians game was postponed due to rain in the area and will be made up May 23 as part of a straight doubleheader.
The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 4:10 p.m. on May 23 and the second game will begin at 7:10, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Fans with tickets and parking coupons for Sunday's game must exchange them for tickets of equal or lesser value to a future game. Those with tickets to the May 23 game may attend both games of the doubleheader.
The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 4:10 p.m. on May 23 and the second game will begin at 7:10, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Fans with tickets and parking coupons for Sunday's game must exchange them for tickets of equal or lesser value to a future game. Those with tickets to the May 23 game may attend both games of the doubleheader.
With the rainout, Jose Quintana (who was scheduled to start Sunday) will pitch Monday against the Minnesota Twins. The rest of the rotation will also be pushed a day back.
The White Sox, Indians and umpires decided to postpone Sunday's game when they did so both starters -- Quintana and Josh Tomlin -- wouldn't begin warming up then not get to pitch.
"You start getting the reports of what it’s going to be, there’s a chance you lose both starters," manager Robin Ventura said. "It was going to be steady rain all day long. There wasn’t really good reports. You take that into consideration and move on and I think it’s in May they come back so we’ll end up probably having a doubleheader then."
The White Sox, Indians and umpires decided to postpone Sunday's game when they did so both starters -- Quintana and Josh Tomlin -- wouldn't begin warming up then not get to pitch.
"You start getting the reports of what it’s going to be, there’s a chance you lose both starters," manager Robin Ventura said. "It was going to be steady rain all day long. There wasn’t really good reports. You take that into consideration and move on and I think it’s in May they come back so we’ll end up probably having a doubleheader then."
White Sox adapting to new second base sliding rules.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox haven’t had to learn baseball’s new sliding rule the hard way, as was the case with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros in the first week of the season. But they’re still figuring out how best to adapt to the Rule 6.01(j), which prohibits blatant takeout slides on double play balls in which the runner doesn’t make an attempt to reach second base.
The rule, itself, is fairly clear. A runner must make a “bona fide slide” into second base, which means he begins his slide before reaching the bag, is able and makes an effort to reach the base with his hand or foot, is able to stay on the base after the slide and doesn’t change his path to initiate contact with the fielder.
Essentially, players have to break up double plays by sliding into the bag and not past it. The counterweight to the rule is that managers have the ability to challenge “in the neighborhood” plays in which the second baseman or shortstop drags his foot behind second base, but doesn’t touch the bag — a tactic commonly used in the past to avoid takeout slides.
Most believe the rule isn’t too difficult to understand. But the problem comes in forcing players to not rely on the instincts they’ve been taught to have since travel ball or high school — to break up a double play by any means necessary.
The rule, itself, is fairly clear. A runner must make a “bona fide slide” into second base, which means he begins his slide before reaching the bag, is able and makes an effort to reach the base with his hand or foot, is able to stay on the base after the slide and doesn’t change his path to initiate contact with the fielder.
Essentially, players have to break up double plays by sliding into the bag and not past it. The counterweight to the rule is that managers have the ability to challenge “in the neighborhood” plays in which the second baseman or shortstop drags his foot behind second base, but doesn’t touch the bag — a tactic commonly used in the past to avoid takeout slides.
Most believe the rule isn’t too difficult to understand. But the problem comes in forcing players to not rely on the instincts they’ve been taught to have since travel ball or high school — to break up a double play by any means necessary.
“It’s going to be tough on those bang-bang ones, instinctually, to make up your mind within five strides,” White Sox infielder Tyler Saladino said.
Severe injuries suffered by Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jung-Ho Kana and New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada put those takeout slides in an ugly spotlight last year, prompting the new rule. But its effects are felt beyond just changing how players slide into second base.
On Friday, Avisail Garcia — with a runner ahead of him on second base — was caught with too big a lead and was picked off first base by Indians catcher Yan Gomes. White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Garcia didn’t have to have that aggressive a lead given he and his linebacker-esque frame couldn’t barrel into second base to break up a double play chance anymore.
It may seem like players will become overly cautious leading off and going into second base due to the new rule, but Ventura said he’s not concerned about it.
“Seeing what’s happened the last few games, it looks like everybody is still — their instinct is to still slide in like they used to,” Ventura said. “It’s hard when guy have been playing for 10-20 some years knowing they’re supposed to go after that guy and try to break it up.”
Saladino said there’s another aspect to the rule that changes things: Having to avoid sliding through the bag. In the past, when a player knew he’d be out on a double play, he could slide past second base and into the fielder without worrying about holding on to the bag because there was no chance of him being safe. Now, Saladino said, he has to think about holding on to the bag every time he slides into it.
“The one that worries me is if it’s crunch time and you really need to do something to try to distract or whatever with that defender, and then you’re only option is to hold on to the base — (I’ve) never done that before,” Saladino said. “You just slide through there. So holding on to the base, I mean, that’s a whole new move that we’re counting on our bodies to handle. That’s the one area that I’m kind of concerned with.”
Saladino is on the other side of it as a shortstop, too. He never was a fan of being “in the neighborhood,” always choosing to tap second base as he moved to his left on double plays. He and other shortstops have to be more conscious of actually touching the base now, given replay can rule a runner safe if they don’t. But with that effort to hit the bag comes a knowledge that, if they are, a runner can’t slide late and past the bag to barrel into them.
Saladino is on the other side of it as a shortstop, too. He never was a fan of being “in the neighborhood,” always choosing to tap second base as he moved to his left on double plays. He and other shortstops have to be more conscious of actually touching the base now, given replay can rule a runner safe if they don’t. But with that effort to hit the bag comes a knowledge that, if they are, a runner can’t slide late and past the bag to barrel into them.
Contact at second base isn’t completely eliminated. Players can still slide to the left or right of the bag so long as they stick an arm or leg out to make an effort at being on the base. But through the season’s first week, there have already been two instances of games ending due to reviews of the new rule.
The Blue Jays lost to the Tampa Bay Rays when replay officials determined Jose Bautista intentionally reached his arm out and touched shortstop Logan Forsythe’s leg instead of going into the bag. A few days later, Colby Rasmus clearly slid late and beyond second base trying to break up a double play and was called for interference, handing the Milwaukee Brewers a win over the Astros.
There may be more high-profile instances of interference being called, some of which will inevitably come in a pennant race. And it may take a while for the White Sox and the rest of baseball to adapt to it.
“All in all, it’s not the worst rule,” Saladino said. “But at the same time, it always comes down to the fact that we’ve done it one way for so long. It’s just going to be an adjustment.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Willett wins Masters after Spieth collapses.
Danny Willett, 2016 Masters Champion (L), Jordan Spieth and caddie (R).
Jordan Spieth had one arm in the green jacket - and then Amen Corner took its toll. Here's how things ended up at the Masters, where Danny Willett surged to victory after a shocking collapse from the defending champ:
Leaderboard: Danny Willett (-5), Jordan Spieth (-2), Lee Westwood (-2), Dustin Johnson (-1), Paul Casey (-1), J.B. Holmes (-1)
What it means: Spieth began the day with a one-shot lead, but his advantage ballooned to five after Spieth rattled off four straight birdies on Nos. 6-9. But bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 narrowed the gap, and Spieth had a meltdown on No. 12 where two balls in the water led to a quadruple bogey. That opened the door for Willett, whose bogey-free 67 tied for the day's low round and gave the Englishman his first major title. It also marks the first Masters victory by a European since Jose Maria Olazabal took home his second green jacket in 1999.
Round of the day: Willett started five shots back, and he remained five back at the turn. But birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 coincided with Spieth's collapse, and Willett struck a crisp shot on No. 16 to set up another birdie. After pars on the closing two holes, he set the clubhouse mark that Spieth and others ultimately were unable to match.
Best of the rest: Willett wasn't the only Englishman playing well in the final round, as Matthew Fitzpatrick matched his 67 to close out his Masters debut. The 21-year-old was 4 over for the week standing on the 14th tee, but he rattled off four birdies over his final five holes to finish the week at even par, tied for seventh and good enough to earn an invite to next year's tournament.
Biggest disappointment: Make no mistake, this was a monumental collapse for Spieth and brought back images of Greg Norman's demise on the same track 20 years ago. After leading the entire week, he appeared to have the championship on ice before coming unraveled along Amen Corner. While he rebounded with a pair of birdies coming home, this tournament will be remembered as much as one that Willett won as one that Spieth lost.
Shot of the day: Willett birdied No. 15 as Spieth was coming undone on the par-3 12th, but his tee shot to 7 feet on No. 16 gave him a clear advantage over the chase pack. The subsequent birdie took him to 5 under for the week and gave him a two-shot lead he would not relinquish.
And now, for the rest of the story: Jordan Spieth hit 2 straight shots into the water to lose the Masters.
By Cork Gaines
(Photo/CBS)
For Jordan Spieth, it looked like the back-9 would be a coronation. Instead it was a complete meltdown and Danny Willett walked away with the Green Jacket.
After birdies on the final four holes of the front-9, Spieth moved to 7-under and opened up what looked like an insurmountable 4-stroke lead. Social media rejoiced what seemed like a foregone conclusion — Jordan Spieth had just won his second-straight Masters.
Not so fast.
Spieth then bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 to fall back to 5-over. At the same time, Willett birdied back-to-back holes to pull within one shot of the lead.
After birdies on the final four holes of the front-9, Spieth moved to 7-under and opened up what looked like an insurmountable 4-stroke lead. Social media rejoiced what seemed like a foregone conclusion — Jordan Spieth had just won his second-straight Masters.
Not so fast.
Spieth then bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 to fall back to 5-over. At the same time, Willett birdied back-to-back holes to pull within one shot of the lead.
And then the 12th hole happened.
Spieth hit his drive on the par-3 into the water.
Spieth then dropped for what would be his third shot. He moved back to 80-yards out so that he could take a full swing.
He chunked it and the ball barely even reached the water.
Unbelievable.
Spieth eventually needed seven strokes to finish the hole, a quadruple-bogey.
Here is the shot tracker.
(Photo/Masters.com)
In the span of about 45 minutes, Spieth went from 7-under and seemingly cruising to another major title, to 1-under and three strokes off the lead.
Spieth would make one last charge, with birdies on 13 and 15 to pull within two shots with just two strokes of the lead with three holes to play. But Spieth missed a makeable 5-foot birdie putt on No. 16. He eventually dropped one more stroke and finished in a tie for second place, three strokes behind Willett.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Spieth, as the defending champion, had to hand the green jacket to Willett.
Spieth would make one last charge, with birdies on 13 and 15 to pull within two shots with just two strokes of the lead with three holes to play. But Spieth missed a makeable 5-foot birdie putt on No. 16. He eventually dropped one more stroke and finished in a tie for second place, three strokes behind Willett.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Spieth, as the defending champion, had to hand the green jacket to Willett.
(Photo/CBS)
Not ideal.
(Photo/CBS)
NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins at Texas to complete another NASCAR sweep.
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
A broom was waiting for Kyle Busch in Victory Lane at Texas.
Busch took the lead after the final restart Saturday night, completing his second NASCAR weekend sweep in a row and becoming the first driver to do that since Harry Gant in 1991.
''It's pretty darn good, I'll tell you that,'' Busch said when asked what it's like to be him right now. ''I've got a great wife, a great son and I'm having a blast, living the dream.''
While completing his personal Texas two-step, Busch ended Jimmie Johnson's three-race winning streak at the high-banked, 1 1/2-mile Texas track. It was Busch's 36th Sprint Cup victory, a week after also winning at Martinsville.
Busch also won the Xfinity race at Texas on Friday night, his 80th win in that series that was coming off a two-week break. At Martinsville, he also got his 45th Camping World Truck Series victory. That's four consecutive NASCAR Series wins in a span of eight days.
Kyle Busch takes over lead in Sprint Cup standings after Texas win.
By Jerry Bonkowski
The Kyle Busch express not only won its fourth consecutive NASCAR race in eight days, the defending Sprint Cup champ also jumped two spots to take over the top spot in the Sprint Cup points standings.
Busch leads Jimmie Johnson by six points, while Kevin Harvick is in third place (seven points behind Busch). Carl Edwards (-18) and Joey Logano (-25) round out the top five in the points.
The standings after Texas:
Busch took the lead after the final restart Saturday night, completing his second NASCAR weekend sweep in a row and becoming the first driver to do that since Harry Gant in 1991.
''It's pretty darn good, I'll tell you that,'' Busch said when asked what it's like to be him right now. ''I've got a great wife, a great son and I'm having a blast, living the dream.''
While completing his personal Texas two-step, Busch ended Jimmie Johnson's three-race winning streak at the high-banked, 1 1/2-mile Texas track. It was Busch's 36th Sprint Cup victory, a week after also winning at Martinsville.
Busch also won the Xfinity race at Texas on Friday night, his 80th win in that series that was coming off a two-week break. At Martinsville, he also got his 45th Camping World Truck Series victory. That's four consecutive NASCAR Series wins in a span of eight days.
On the first lap after the final restart, lap 302 of 334, Busch went on the outside of Turn 4 to shoot around Martin Truex Jr. for the lead. Busch led the rest of the way in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, winning by nearly 4 seconds over Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Joey Logano third.
''The restart was going to be key. If I could just get out in front of him, I knew I could protect the rest of the race,'' Busch said. ''They had a good restart, but we got a better one.''
It was Busch's second Sprint Cup victory at Texas, where in 2013 he also swept both spring races.
Gant had consecutive sweeps at Richmond and Dover in 1991.
NASCAR's first night race of the season actually went into the next morning, ending a few minutes after midnight Texas time because the start was delayed for 1 hour, 50 minutes while drying the track after a couple of light rain showers during the afternoon.
Johnson, who had won five of the previous seven Texas races, finished fourth. When the Sprint Cup Series returns to Texas in November, he will be trying to win the fall race there for the fifth year in a row.
Chase Elliott, the rookie teammate of Earnhardt and Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports, finished fifth. Elliott has qualified fourth but had to start at the back of the 40-car field after a transmission change in the No. 24 Chevrolet.
The four Hendrick drivers finished in the top eight, with Kasey Kahne eighth.
All four Gibbs drivers finished in the top 12, with polesitter Carl Edwards seventh, Matt Kenseth 11th and Denny Hamlin 12th.
Edwards led 124 laps and was running second on a restart with 113 laps to go after pitting during a caution. Within a few laps after that, he had to go back in the pits because of a loose front right wheel and dropped all the way to 19th. He has won three Cup races at Texas, the last when sweeping the 2008 races.
Truex led six times for 141 laps.
The last restart followed an incident that involved 13 cars on the backstretch.
Austin Dillon, on older tires, got loose with 40 laps to go when Hamlin came under him going on the backstretch. Johnson was coming up behind him and tried to avoid contact before tapping into the back of Dillon's No. 3 that then spun.
Truex, who was not involved in the incident, and Dillon had stayed on the track running first and second when everyone else pitted during a caution five laps earlier.
Some other things from Texas:
POINTS RACE: Busch took over the season points lead, six ahead of Johnson and seven ahead of Kevin Harvick, the previous points leader. Harvick finished 10th at Texas, which is one of the four active tracks where he hasn't won. He's 0 for 27 there.
AFTER THE RAIN: The first five laps of the race were then run under caution while some jet dryers completed their work and the cars got some heat on the track with chilly temperatures in the upper 50s. There was also a scheduled competition caution 25 laps after that.
WITH HIS WIFE: Tony Gibson, crew chief for Kurt Busch's No. 41 Chevy, was there for Saturday night's race after missing the team's first two days in Texas to be with his wife, Beth, who was being treated for a colon infection in a North Carolina hospital. Gibson said he would be returning to the hospital after the race to be with his wife of 25 years.
UP NEXT: Bristol Motor Speedway next Sunday. Harvick won from the pole at the .533-mile last spring, when the first Bristol race was held before Texas.
Kyle Busch takes over lead in Sprint Cup standings after Texas win.
By Jerry Bonkowski
The Kyle Busch express not only won its fourth consecutive NASCAR race in eight days, the defending Sprint Cup champ also jumped two spots to take over the top spot in the Sprint Cup points standings.
Busch leads Jimmie Johnson by six points, while Kevin Harvick is in third place (seven points behind Busch). Carl Edwards (-18) and Joey Logano (-25) round out the top five in the points.
The standings after Texas:
SOCCER: Fire, NYCFC scoreless in Yankee Stadium.
By Dan Santaromita
After a 4-3 game was played between these two teams just over a month ago, it seems odd that it was a scoreless draw in the rematch.
Yet, that's exactly what happened on Sunday. The Chicago Fire traveled to Yankee Stadium to play New York City FC for the second time in the young 2016 season and came away with a 0-0 draw.
Yet, that's exactly what happened on Sunday. The Chicago Fire traveled to Yankee Stadium to play New York City FC for the second time in the young 2016 season and came away with a 0-0 draw.
From a recordkeeping standpoint the draw will go down as the match that extended the Fire's winless streak on the road to 27 matches, which equaled the league record set by the New York Red Bulls franchise in 2009. However, from a 2016 standpoint it extended the Fire's unbeaten run to four matches and was a second road draw in two trips away from Toyota Park.
Both the Fire and NYCFC have matching 1-1-3 records through five matches. The six points both clubs have keep them on the good side of the playoff line in the early part of the season.
From a tactical standpoint Fire coach Veljko Paunovic went with the same starting lineup he sent out in the 1-0 win against Philadelphia eight days ago. Arturo Alvarez showed some skill moves in the first half, but nothing led to a direct chance on goal. The Fire didn't even register a shot on goal through the 90 minutes.
In the second half the Fire appeared to score a goal in the 60th minute, but it was called back for offside. A long free kick was lobbed into the box and an initial header by the Fire kept the ball moving towards the goal and finally Jonathan Campbell headed in a goal. After a lengthy delay the players finally realized the goal had been called back for offside on the initial header. Replays showed that Johan Kappelhof appeared offside but Campbell appeared to be onside. Unless Kappelhof affected the play by getting a touch on the ball or affecting the goalkeeper, the goal should have stood.
Almost immediately after the goal was called back, NYCFC came right back with a shot on goal by Mix Diskerud.
Over the final 20 minutes the Fire were able to hold on for the draw and clearly had that in mind as a desirable result with some minor stalling tactics down the stretch. Goalkeeper Matt Lampson was able to deny David Villa in the 84th minute and the Fire survived some chaos in their own penalty box a minute later. Lampson was credited with eight saves.
Rookie Alex Morrell made his MLS debut as an 84th minute substitute for Gilberto. Defender Eric Gehrig, who has been out due to injury to start the season, was available on the substitute list for the first time this season.
The Fire return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. against the Montreal Impact, which will be aired on CSN Chicago.
Top four in doubt, Louis van Gaal’s future more fragile than ever.By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/Getty Images)
Manchester United’s shambolic, slumping season hit a new low on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 win — their first home victory against United in 15 years — showed us all just how little progress United has made under Louis Van Gaal.
On the first day of this season, Aug. 8 to be exact, Van Gaal’s United were outplayed by Spurs for vast swathes of their clash at Old Trafford.
They came away with a 1-0 win thanks to a fortuitous own goal but in a season where they’ve crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stage, suffered humiliating defeats and LVG’s played players out of position with injuries an issue, but not the biggest one, the Dutchman is now on borrowed time.
Someone should read him his last rights as United’s manager. This won’t last much longer and although there have been low points over the past two seasons this could be one of the final nails in his coffin.
Despite contrasting reports last week regarding his future at Old Trafford, if United fail to make the top four then his time must be up. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has kept the faith in Van Gaal when fans, pundits, former players and many others have doubted him. Two years into LVG’s three-year deal, it’s hard to see him lasting beyond this summer.
Four points off Manchester City with six games to go, United is in a last chance saloon to secure a top four finish. Van Gaal believes they’re still in the hunt but for most of his post-game comments he talked about just how good Tottenham is.
“We are still in the race but when you lose a game you have to close the gap again,” Van Gaal said. “I think Tottenham is a great team. I have said that in advance of this match. Until the first goal we were a good team who were playing good football in Tottenham and also had a big chance for a goal. The way that we played until the first goal, it was good.”He seemed happy enough with keeping Spurs at bay. Van Gaal was then asked about deciding to not manage Tottenham two years ago and instead joining United, with the clubs in vastly different situations as we head into the final weeks of this season.
“I think in the balance we are still ahead. You take one match as something I have to say the challenge is bigger?” Van Gaal said. “The challenge is always bigger in a bigger club. But I liked also to sign for Tottenham Hotspur and Daniel Levy knows that but the challenge was bigger for me at Manchester United and always shall be bigger. I am sorry for Tottenham but Manchester United is a bigger club. I think it is a little bit pathetic that you ask that because they have won 3-0. But okay, you enjoy yourself, I think.”No United fan would’ve enjoyed themselves watching their team play on Sunday. It would now take a miracle for this disjointed, patched up United to finish the season strong and for LVG to lead them to FA Cup glory and a top four finish.
On Sunday we saw a United side devoid of real attacking creativity — Anthony Martial‘s second half effort was their only real chance on goal — and a side who were hanging on at Tottenham for a 0-0 draw. Van Gaal was happy enough with that and therein lies the problem.
He pointed to a defensive collapse in five second half minutes when Spurs scored all three goals but he refused to admit his players are crumbling under the pressure of pushing for a top four finish.
“I do know the media wants to right that but you have to analyze the facts,” Van Gaal told ProSoccerTalk. “The facts is that the second goal is a set play. Tottenham has made the most goals from corner kicks and free kicks. We knew in advance it was very difficult. We had a very good organization because Rojo was on Alderweireld. We have seen it and analyzed it well but it happens in football. It cannot happen… but it happens. That was the second goal and then within three minutes and then I can imagine that you lose your head a minute maybe but still you have to give the credit to the attack of Tottenham. The third goal was a fantastic goal I think.”
Sure, Spurs are enjoying a great season and are just seven points off top spot but with the money they’ve spent, the huge fanbase they have and every other metric you want to use, Van Gaal’s words about United being a bigger club than Spurs are spot on. They just aren’t playing like it. Not even close.
LVG’s so-called “bigger team” are miles behind Tottenham and after scrapping a fourth place finish last season, the fact they are scrapping away for the same position this campaign shows just how much they are regressing.
This can’t go on much longer. Sunday showed just how far United has fallen under Van Gaal.
La Liga & Serie A: Villarreal close in on UCL; Napoli keep title race going.
(AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
A roundup of Sunday’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…
Villarreal 2-0 Getafe
Villarreal are eight points clear with six games to go in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification after knocking off Getafe at home on Sunday. Denis Suarez (15th minute) and Cedric Bakambu (84th) provided the goals for Marcelino García Toral’s side as they inched three points closer to locking up fourth place. Villarreal could also qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning this season’s UEFA Europa League (they hold a 2-1 lead over Sparta Prague after the first league of their quarterfinal tie).
Valencia 2-1 Sevilla
With Villarreal all but locking up fourth place, Sevilla’s only chance of getting into UCL next season is to win this season’s Europa League. Good news for them: they’re UEL ringers, having won the competition each of the last two seasons and currently holding a 2-1 lead over Athletic Bilbao in this year’s quarters. However, Sunday’s loss to Valencia puts them in danger of failing to even qualify for UEL next season, should they fail to win it this year. For 85 minutes, they looked like 1-0 losers (Daniel Parejo opened the scoring in the 41st minute), then from minutes 86-90 they looked certain for a 1-1 draw (Kevin Gameiro equalized on 86 minutes), then it was all undone by Alvaro Negredo’s 91st-minute winner.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Sporting Gijon 0-1 Celta Vigo
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Napoli 3-0 Hellas Verona
No Gonzalo Higuain — he of 30 goals scored in 31 league games this season — no problem for Napoli against bottom-of-the-league Hellas Verona. Manolo Gabbiadini, Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon each chipped in with a goal apiece (below videos). That’s four wins in five for Napoli, but nowhere near enough to keep pace with league leaders and champions-elect Juventus (21 wins in their last 22 league games) in the race for the title. With six games to go, Juve lead Napoil by six points. The gap between Napoli and third-place Roma, who play on Monday, is currently seven points.
Empoli 2-0 Fiorentina
At one point this season, Fiorentina looked legitimate contenders for the title. Now, with six games to go, they’re holding onto UEL qualification for dear life. Sunday’s loss away to Empoli makes it six games without a win for Paulo Sousa’s side. Manuel Pucciarelli and Piotr Zielinski bagged the goals that sentenced the Viola to yet another disappointing result, dropping them from fourth, where they began the weekend, to fifth, where they’re one spot away from falling all the way out of European competition next season.
Elsewhere in Serie A
Torino 2-1 Atalanta
Sampdoria 2-0 Udinese
Palermo 0-3 Lazio
NCAABKB: Oklahoma’s Hield and UConn’s Stewart win Wooden Awards.
Villarreal 2-0 Getafe
Villarreal are eight points clear with six games to go in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification after knocking off Getafe at home on Sunday. Denis Suarez (15th minute) and Cedric Bakambu (84th) provided the goals for Marcelino García Toral’s side as they inched three points closer to locking up fourth place. Villarreal could also qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning this season’s UEFA Europa League (they hold a 2-1 lead over Sparta Prague after the first league of their quarterfinal tie).
Valencia 2-1 Sevilla
With Villarreal all but locking up fourth place, Sevilla’s only chance of getting into UCL next season is to win this season’s Europa League. Good news for them: they’re UEL ringers, having won the competition each of the last two seasons and currently holding a 2-1 lead over Athletic Bilbao in this year’s quarters. However, Sunday’s loss to Valencia puts them in danger of failing to even qualify for UEL next season, should they fail to win it this year. For 85 minutes, they looked like 1-0 losers (Daniel Parejo opened the scoring in the 41st minute), then from minutes 86-90 they looked certain for a 1-1 draw (Kevin Gameiro equalized on 86 minutes), then it was all undone by Alvaro Negredo’s 91st-minute winner.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Sporting Gijon 0-1 Celta Vigo
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Barcelona | 32 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 87 | 27 | 60 | 14-1-1 | 10-3-3 | 76 |
| Atlético Madrid | 32 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 54 | 16 | 38 | 11-3-1 | 12-1-4 | 73 |
| Real Madrid | 32 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 93 | 29 | 64 | 14-1-2 | 8-5-2 | 72 |
| Villarreal | 32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 41 | 26 | 15 | 12-3-2 | 5-6-4 | 60 |
| Celta Vigo | 32 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 45 | 52 | -7 | 7-5-4 | 8-2-6 | 52 |
| Athletic | 32 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 50 | 40 | 10 | 9-4-3 | 6-2-8 | 51 |
| Sevilla | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 45 | 39 | 6 | 13-0-3 | 0-9-7 | 48 |
Napoli 3-0 Hellas Verona
No Gonzalo Higuain — he of 30 goals scored in 31 league games this season — no problem for Napoli against bottom-of-the-league Hellas Verona. Manolo Gabbiadini, Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon each chipped in with a goal apiece (below videos). That’s four wins in five for Napoli, but nowhere near enough to keep pace with league leaders and champions-elect Juventus (21 wins in their last 22 league games) in the race for the title. With six games to go, Juve lead Napoil by six points. The gap between Napoli and third-place Roma, who play on Monday, is currently seven points.
Empoli 2-0 Fiorentina
At one point this season, Fiorentina looked legitimate contenders for the title. Now, with six games to go, they’re holding onto UEL qualification for dear life. Sunday’s loss away to Empoli makes it six games without a win for Paulo Sousa’s side. Manuel Pucciarelli and Piotr Zielinski bagged the goals that sentenced the Viola to yet another disappointing result, dropping them from fourth, where they began the weekend, to fifth, where they’re one spot away from falling all the way out of European competition next season.
Elsewhere in Serie A
Torino 2-1 Atalanta
Sampdoria 2-0 Udinese
Palermo 0-3 Lazio
| Team |
GP
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Juventus | 32 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 58 | 17 | 41 | 12-2-1 | 12-2-3 | 76 |
| Napoli | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 66 | 27 | 39 | 13-3-0 | 8-4-4 | 70 |
| Roma | 31 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 66 | 32 | 34 | 10-4-1 | 8-5-3 | 63 |
| Inter Milan | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 42 | 30 | 12 | 10-2-4 | 7-5-4 | 58 |
| Fiorentina | 32 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 51 | 35 | 16 | 10-4-2 | 6-4-6 | 56 |
| AC Milan | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 42 | 35 | 7 | 9-4-3 | 4-6-6 | 49 |
NCAABKB: Oklahoma’s Hield and UConn’s Stewart win Wooden Awards.
Associated Press
(AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Buddy Hield of Oklahoma and Breanna Stewart of four-time national champion Connecticut won the John R. Wooden Award as national college basketball players of the year Friday night.
Hield also claimed the Jerry West shooting guard of the year award, having led Division I with 147 3-pointers made. He finished second in the nation in scoring, averaging 25.0 points, while taking his team to the Final Four in his senior year.
Stewart capped her college career with her second straight Wooden Award, to go with her four most outstanding player trophies from the Final Four.
They received their trophies during the second College Basketball Awards in a nationally televised show from The Novo in downtown Los Angeles.
Hield won the Wooden Award over Malcolm Brogdon of Virginia, Brice Johnson of North Carolina, Tyler Ulis of Kentucky and Denzel Valentine of Michigan State.
Hield hugged his mother before taking the stage to accept his second trophy of the night.
“It’s been fun and I can’t be more blessed to be around college basketball,” he said. “I can’t be prouder and I thank my family for supporting me through the whole journey.”
Hield explained how he built his own hoop in the Bahamas, where he grew up, using plywood and stolen nails.
“It was tough, but I got it up and asked my brother to help me,” he said.
Stewart claimed the women’s award over Rachel Banham of Minnesota, Moriah Jefferson of UConn, Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State and A’ja Wilson of South Carolina. She accepted the trophy from Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale as Wooden’s daughter, Nan, looked on.
Stewart lost just five games in her four-year career. As a freshman, she had predicted the Huskies would win four straight national titles.
“I don’t regret it, but it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure,” she said.
Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith received the Wooden Legends of Coaching award. He is one of two coaches to lead five different schools to the NCAA Tournament.
Other winners were:
– Ulis, Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year. The sophomore set a school record by averaging 7.0 assists in a single season.
– Valentine, Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year. The senior had 20 games with at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and led the Big Ten in double-doubles with 12.
– Georges Niang of Iowa State, Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year. He averaged 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds.
– Jakob Poeltl of Utah, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year. The 7-foot sophomore was the Pac-12 player of the year.
Hield also claimed the Jerry West shooting guard of the year award, having led Division I with 147 3-pointers made. He finished second in the nation in scoring, averaging 25.0 points, while taking his team to the Final Four in his senior year.
Stewart capped her college career with her second straight Wooden Award, to go with her four most outstanding player trophies from the Final Four.
They received their trophies during the second College Basketball Awards in a nationally televised show from The Novo in downtown Los Angeles.
Hield won the Wooden Award over Malcolm Brogdon of Virginia, Brice Johnson of North Carolina, Tyler Ulis of Kentucky and Denzel Valentine of Michigan State.
Hield hugged his mother before taking the stage to accept his second trophy of the night.
“It’s been fun and I can’t be more blessed to be around college basketball,” he said. “I can’t be prouder and I thank my family for supporting me through the whole journey.”
Hield explained how he built his own hoop in the Bahamas, where he grew up, using plywood and stolen nails.
“It was tough, but I got it up and asked my brother to help me,” he said.
Stewart claimed the women’s award over Rachel Banham of Minnesota, Moriah Jefferson of UConn, Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State and A’ja Wilson of South Carolina. She accepted the trophy from Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale as Wooden’s daughter, Nan, looked on.
Stewart lost just five games in her four-year career. As a freshman, she had predicted the Huskies would win four straight national titles.
“I don’t regret it, but it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure,” she said.
Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith received the Wooden Legends of Coaching award. He is one of two coaches to lead five different schools to the NCAA Tournament.
Other winners were:
– Ulis, Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year. The sophomore set a school record by averaging 7.0 assists in a single season.
– Valentine, Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year. The senior had 20 games with at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and led the Big Ten in double-doubles with 12.
– Georges Niang of Iowa State, Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year. He averaged 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds.
– Jakob Poeltl of Utah, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year. The 7-foot sophomore was the Pac-12 player of the year.
NCAAFB: NCAA votes to prohibit satellite camps.
By Sam Cooper
(Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
The great satellite camp debate has reached an end.
The NCAA announced Friday that its Division I council voted to put an end to the camps, effective immediately.
“The Council approved a proposal applicable to the Football Bowl Subdivision that would require those schools to conduct camps and clinics at their school’s facilities or at facilities regularly used for practice or competition,” the NCAA said in a release. “Additionally, FBS coaches and non-coaching staff members with responsibilities specific to football may be employed only at their school’s camps or clinics. This rule change is effective immediately.”
These camps have been a controversial subject over the past few off-seasons. The NCAA prohibited programs from hosting camps more than 50 miles from their own campus, but several Big Ten coaching staffs, especially Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, have taken advantage of a loophole and participated in camps (which were hosted by other schools) as guest coaches.
Most of these camps have taken place in the fertile recruiting grounds of the South.
The NCAA announced Friday that its Division I council voted to put an end to the camps, effective immediately.
“The Council approved a proposal applicable to the Football Bowl Subdivision that would require those schools to conduct camps and clinics at their school’s facilities or at facilities regularly used for practice or competition,” the NCAA said in a release. “Additionally, FBS coaches and non-coaching staff members with responsibilities specific to football may be employed only at their school’s camps or clinics. This rule change is effective immediately.”
These camps have been a controversial subject over the past few off-seasons. The NCAA prohibited programs from hosting camps more than 50 miles from their own campus, but several Big Ten coaching staffs, especially Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, have taken advantage of a loophole and participated in camps (which were hosted by other schools) as guest coaches.
Most of these camps have taken place in the fertile recruiting grounds of the South.
Predictably, coaches from the SEC and ACC – both of which banned its coaches from taking advantage of the loophole – have not been happy about it.
Penn State’s camps in Georgia and Florida in 2014 were among the first to raise the ire of SEC coaches, but Harbaugh took it to a new level when he arrived at Michigan. The Wolverines staff participated in nine camps across seven states last June.
Michigan, and several other schools (including Ohio State), had plans in place for additional camps this upcoming summer. Thusly, the SEC and ACC hoped to ban the practice, and that came to fruition on Friday after a vote took place Wednesday.
Penn State’s camps in Georgia and Florida in 2014 were among the first to raise the ire of SEC coaches, but Harbaugh took it to a new level when he arrived at Michigan. The Wolverines staff participated in nine camps across seven states last June.
Michigan, and several other schools (including Ohio State), had plans in place for additional camps this upcoming summer. Thusly, the SEC and ACC hoped to ban the practice, and that came to fruition on Friday after a vote took place Wednesday.
According to ESPN, the Big Ten was the only Power Five conference to vote in favor of the camps.
From ESPN:
The SEC, ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 conferences all voted to end satellite camps, a source said. Among the Group of 5 conferences, the Sun Belt and Mountain West voted against the satellite camps, while the Mid-American, Conference USA and American were in favor of continuing the camps.
From a student-athlete’s perspective, these camps provided a chance for exposure. Some of these prospects may have been overlooked in the many talent-rich areas down south; these camps allowed them to perform in front of coaching staffs who may have missed them otherwise – especially when coaches from smaller schools would coach alongside Power Five staffs.The vote to prohibit satellite camps was passed by a 10-5 margin. Each Power 5 conference vote counts as two votes, while each Group of 5 conference vote counts for one vote for a maximum of 15 votes.
Additionally, it’s not the easiest thing for a kid and his family to take an unofficial visit to places like Ann Arbor and State College. In these instances, coaches would come to them.
Alex Barbir, a kicker from Georgia who signed with Penn State in its 2016 class, said he would not have received a scholarship offer from PSU without attending a satellite camp.
"To me, the satellite camp I went to 45 minutes from my home is the reason I'm going to Penn State," Barbir told PennLive.com. "I wasn't able to attend a camp in Pennsylvania, but I wanted to have a chance to kick for the coaches and possibly get an offer. So they told me about this satellite camp down in Atlanta by me so I was all for it.
"Obviously who I am, game film and stats also played a factor, but seeing me perform in person how I did was the game changer for me, and that was made possible by this satellite camp."
Now, kids like Barbir won’t have the chance.
Electronic communication with recruits deregulated by NCAA.
By Nick Bromberg
If you're a top football recruit, your phone is about to have a lot more notifications on it.
While also banning satellite camps Friday, the NCAA Division I council voted to deregulate electronic communication between football coaches and recruits. The change is applicable in football, cross country, track and field and swimming and diving and includes texting and social media communication.
Previously, coaches were banned from texting players, a ban that's been in place since 2007. A player could text a coach, but the coach could not text back. Now, along with other forms of social media that coaches were using to communicate with recruits, texting is possible.
Texting between NCAA Division I basketball coaches and recruits was deregulated in 2012.
Here's what Ohio State coach Urban Meyer had to say about unlimited texting back in February from Cleveland.com:
I hear the stuff about texting," he said. "I want to make this clear why -- and this is a high school coach's and high school player perspective -- not college coaches. Who cares about college coaches? That's not what this is about. It's about them, and not screwing up a high school kid's senior year or junior year. If you text someone, you can't stop that, so you have a phone full of what? Text messages.
"If I don't want to hear from that school they'll keep hitting me because that's their job, and usually it's not them, it's maybe an intern doing it. So here's a kid in high school being bombarded with text messages sitting there doing this all day. If it's social media, you can determine who you want to hear from."
One of Ohio State's self-reported NCAA violations in 2014 was an accidental text from an assistant coach's son to a recruit. And yes, it is possible to block a phone number from texting you, similar to blocking a social media account, though Nevada coach Brian Polian took the same stance as Meyer did.
Kentucky Derby field taking shape after weekend prep races.
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
(Photo/Associated Press, yahoosports.com)
In just over an hour, in three races from coast to coast, the field for the Kentucky Derby mostly came into focus.
Outwork is in. So are Brody's Cause and Exaggerator.
''Anytime you've won one of these major preps, it puts you in the top area,'' trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday, a day after Outwork outlasted Trojan Nation in the $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and clinched a spot in the Derby field.
Over at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, about a half-hour later Saturday, Brody's Cause pulled off a come-from-behind victory in the Blue Grass and earned his spot in the Derby.
And out West a little later, Exaggerator capped the biggest day of Derby preps when he blew away the field in the stretch and won the Santa Anita Derby.
The results added 100 Derby qualifying points to each colt's total, guaranteeing them spots in what likely will be a full field of 20 3-year-olds running for the roses May 7.
Despite the results, unbeaten Nyquist remains the likely favorite for the Derby after his showdown win against Mohaymen in the Florida Derby on April 2. Nyquist - a son of Uncle Mo, as is Outwork - has 130 points, with Gun Runner the points leader at 151.
After Nyquist, though, it's anyone's guess who the second-leading contender might be.
''We haven't been able to beat him (Nyquist), what, five times?'' Exaggerator trainer Keith Desormeaux said - exaggerating since it's really three times. ''I don't know if we can or not.''
Added Pletcher, who also plans to send Tampa Bay Derby winner Destin to Churchill Downs: Nyquist ''certainly deserves that top seed right now. It seems to be a fairly consistent group. The horses in California are consistently doing well and Nyquist as well. It wasn't a big surprise that Brody's Cause came back and ran well, and then you have the Arkansas Derby to go.''
Nyquist will face no shortage of challengers, including a few who stormed into contention Saturday.
The biggest surprise came in the Wood, where 81-1 long shot Trojan Nation finished second by a head to Outwork. Winless in six starts, Trojan Nation earned 40 points to qualify for the Derby. The last maiden to win the Derby was Brokers Tip in 1933; the last to run was Nationalore in 1998, finishing ninth. Trainer Paddy Gallagher says the Derby is a go.
Adventist ran third in the Wood for 20 points and now totals 32 points - good for 20th and likely enough to make the field. Wood favorite Shagaf finished fifth in his first loss but already had 50 points and is Derby-bound.
Brody's Cause won the Blue Grass by 1 3/4 lengths over My Man Sam. Cherry Wine was third and Laoban fourth. Dale Romans trains Brody's Cause (114 points) and Cherry Wine (25 points) and is hoping his third-place finisher has enough points to make the Derby. My Man Sam could give Shagaf's trainer, Chad Brown, a second Derby starter. Laoban, like Trojan Nation, a maiden, has 32 points and is ranked 21st.
''This is home, this is the second-biggest race in Kentucky in my opinion, and it's great to win,'' Romans said. ''On to the Kentucky Derby with a real chance.''
At Santa Anita, Exaggerator (126 points) comes into the Derby with four wins in nine starts after his 6 1/4-length victory. Ridden by Desormeaux's brother, Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, the colt would attempt to become the third Santa Anita Derby winner in five years to win the Kentucky Derby. I'll Have Another did it in 2012, and California Chrome came through in 2014.
Don't feel too bad for Santa Anita Derby runner-up Mor Spirit. With an additional 40 points, the colt from Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert's barn moved up to 84 points. Baffert also trains Rebel winner Cupid (50 points), who is set to run next weekend in the Arkansas Derby.
Uncle Lino's third-place finish pushed his points total to 29, but trainer Gary Sherlock said the horse is off the Derby trail. Danzing Candy was fourth for 10 points and now has 60 points. Trainer Cliff Sise Jr. said Sunday his colt's Derby status is uncertain.
With two preps left, it looks as though at least 30 points will be needed to make the Derby field. In previous years, the number was about 20.
The Arkansas Derby offers 100-40-20-10 points, the Lexington Stakes 50-20-10-5 points.
For 3-year-old star filly Songbird, the answer is still no to the Derby. She ran her record to 7 for 7 with another cruise-control victory in the Santa Anita Oaks. Owner Rick Porter said once again his filly will run next in the Kentucky Oaks on the day before the Derby.
NOTES: Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza, who finished seventh aboard Smokey Image in the Santa Anita Derby, is looking for a Derby mount a year after riding American Pharoah to victory in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. ...
Nyquist, who missed a day of training last week with an elevated white blood cell count, jogged for a second day at Keeneland on Sunday, reported Jack Sisterson, trainer Doug O'Neill's assistant.
On
1907 - In New York, umpire Bill Klem called a forfeit in favor of the Phillies when Giants fans disrupted play with snowballs.
1921 - The first live sports event on radio took place this day on KDKA Radio. The event was a boxing match between Johnny Ray and Johnny Dundee.
1940 - Andrew Ponzi set a world's record in a New York pocket billiards tournament when he ran 127 balls straight.
1947 - Jackie Robinson became the first black player in major league baseball history. He played in an exhibition game for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1999 - Spain's José María Olazábal won the 63rd Master golf tournament.
2001 - In Johannesburg, South Africa, 43 people died during a stampede at a soccer match at Ellis Park stadium. Another 160 were injured.
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