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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time." ~ Malcolm X, Muslim Minister and Human Rights Activist
Trending: Blackhawks lose third period lead, game vs. Blues in Game 3. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Alshon Jeffery Loves Opening In Houston For Best Reason Ever. (See the football section for Bears updates).
Trending: NCAA says no new bowls until at least 2019. (See the college football section for NCAA football updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 9-3
White Sox 2016 Record: 8-4
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks lose third period lead, game vs. Blues in Game 3.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
A dominating second and a lead after 40 minutes: that’s usually been a great sign for the Blackhawks, who hadn’t lost a game in regulation with a lead after two periods since 2014.
But all streaks must end and the St. Louis Blues, who came back twice to beat the Blackhawks here in this regular season, did it to them again on Sunday.
Jaden Schwartz scored the game-winning power-play goal and Brian Elliott stopped 44 of 46 shots as the Blues upended the Blackhawks 3-2 in Game 3 of their first-round series on Sunday afternoon. The Blues take a 2-1 lead in the series, which continues Tuesday here at the United Center.
Corey Crawford stopped 33 of 36 in the loss.
The Blackhawks were 71-0-5 when leading after two since the 2014 postseason. So they felt pretty good after a very strong second period in which they peppered Elliott with 24 shots and took a 2-1 lead on Artem Anisimov’s goal.
But this Blues team wasn’t going away and thanks to another goal deflected off a Blackhawks player and taking advantage of Patrick Kane’s double-minor high-sticking, the Blues have put the Blackhawks back in a series hole.
“We’re in a great spot, probably had more chances in the second period than we had all year. Still a one-goal game, though. We tried to make a play and it ended up in our net, fortunate bounce by them. Then trying to get through a four-minute kill and they scored right off the bat,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We had a couple of looks that could have been close but that was a tough loss.”
It was tough for Kane, too, who was frustrated and took responsibility for that high-sticking that led to Schwartz’s game winner.
“Just got to be smarter in that situation. Can’t take a penalty at that time of the game, especially when the game’s 2-2,” Kane said. “Still didn’t mind the way we were playing. Just a couple of bad bounces and a bad penalty.”
The Blackhawks couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. After Blues coach Ken Hitchcock warned his team about staying out of the penalty box, the Blues put the Blackhawks on three early power plays. The Blackhawks capitalized on their first advantage when Brent Seabrook laced a power-play goal through Elliott for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead just 2:18 into the game.
Colton Parayko tied the game with his power-play goal later in the first.
Then Anisimov got his first of the postseason, scoring after Artemi Panarin forced a Parayko turnover along the boards. That lead would remain until early in the third Patrik Berglund’s shot went off Michal Rozsival’s leg and past Crawford to tie it. Then came Kane’s penalty and Schwartz’s winner.
“Unfortunate turn of events in the third,” Jonathan Toews said. “But offensively, I think we can keep creating the way we have with the puck down low and working for those second chances and those rebounds around the net and just finding those ugly goals. At the other end of the rink we obviously have some improvements to make in managing the puck a little bit better.”
The Blackhawks were in a good and familiar position through two periods on Sunday. The Blues, however, had other ideas. The Blackhawks are familiar with being down in a series, including being down in a series to the Blues. They had a chance to finish the Blues off but couldn’t. Now they have to forget about this one and make sure the finish is there on Tuesday.
“All that’s important right now is the next game,” Crawford said. “It was loud in here. We had so [much] good momentum, good shifts and good plays in the offensive zone. We had some good looks. We’ve just got to carry those things into the next game.”
Five Things from Game 3: Penalties cost Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
But all streaks must end and the St. Louis Blues, who came back twice to beat the Blackhawks here in this regular season, did it to them again on Sunday.
Jaden Schwartz scored the game-winning power-play goal and Brian Elliott stopped 44 of 46 shots as the Blues upended the Blackhawks 3-2 in Game 3 of their first-round series on Sunday afternoon. The Blues take a 2-1 lead in the series, which continues Tuesday here at the United Center.
Corey Crawford stopped 33 of 36 in the loss.
The Blackhawks were 71-0-5 when leading after two since the 2014 postseason. So they felt pretty good after a very strong second period in which they peppered Elliott with 24 shots and took a 2-1 lead on Artem Anisimov’s goal.
But this Blues team wasn’t going away and thanks to another goal deflected off a Blackhawks player and taking advantage of Patrick Kane’s double-minor high-sticking, the Blues have put the Blackhawks back in a series hole.
“We’re in a great spot, probably had more chances in the second period than we had all year. Still a one-goal game, though. We tried to make a play and it ended up in our net, fortunate bounce by them. Then trying to get through a four-minute kill and they scored right off the bat,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We had a couple of looks that could have been close but that was a tough loss.”
It was tough for Kane, too, who was frustrated and took responsibility for that high-sticking that led to Schwartz’s game winner.
“Just got to be smarter in that situation. Can’t take a penalty at that time of the game, especially when the game’s 2-2,” Kane said. “Still didn’t mind the way we were playing. Just a couple of bad bounces and a bad penalty.”
The Blackhawks couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. After Blues coach Ken Hitchcock warned his team about staying out of the penalty box, the Blues put the Blackhawks on three early power plays. The Blackhawks capitalized on their first advantage when Brent Seabrook laced a power-play goal through Elliott for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead just 2:18 into the game.
Colton Parayko tied the game with his power-play goal later in the first.
Then Anisimov got his first of the postseason, scoring after Artemi Panarin forced a Parayko turnover along the boards. That lead would remain until early in the third Patrik Berglund’s shot went off Michal Rozsival’s leg and past Crawford to tie it. Then came Kane’s penalty and Schwartz’s winner.
“Unfortunate turn of events in the third,” Jonathan Toews said. “But offensively, I think we can keep creating the way we have with the puck down low and working for those second chances and those rebounds around the net and just finding those ugly goals. At the other end of the rink we obviously have some improvements to make in managing the puck a little bit better.”
The Blackhawks were in a good and familiar position through two periods on Sunday. The Blues, however, had other ideas. The Blackhawks are familiar with being down in a series, including being down in a series to the Blues. They had a chance to finish the Blues off but couldn’t. Now they have to forget about this one and make sure the finish is there on Tuesday.
“All that’s important right now is the next game,” Crawford said. “It was loud in here. We had so [much] good momentum, good shifts and good plays in the offensive zone. We had some good looks. We’ve just got to carry those things into the next game.”
Five Things from Game 3: Penalties cost Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks were used to writing the script when leading after two periods, and it usually included a very positive ending.
Well, on Sunday it didn’t. And with that, things have gotten very interesting in their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. Are the Blues a different team this season? Do the Blackhawks have what it takes to come back in another playoff series? We’ll just focus on this game for now. So as we head out into what remains daylight, let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 3-2 loss to the Blues.
1. Costly penalties. The Blackhawks still haven’t taken many of them, but the Blues made them pay for two on Sunday. The first was Viktor Svedberg’s high-sticking, after which the Blues scored a power-play goal seven seconds later. The breaker, however, was Patrick Kane’s double-minor high-sticking late in the third period. The kill, which has been so much better lately, couldn’t contain the Blues. But Jonathan Toews said, “it’s playoff hockey. They’re hungry and they want to create on the power play. Sometimes it’s a matter of time before you let one in. You look at that four-minute one tonight, that’s something that can go one or two ways. We have to look at it as a big kill that we have to come up with and give our team momentum. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite get it.”
2. Brian Elliott shines again. Hey, you can’t say the Blackhawks didn’t test the Blues goaltender. But Elliott was stellar again on Sunday, especially in the second period when the Blackhawks fired 24 shots his way. The Blackhawks were looking for every way possible to beat Elliott in that period. Artem Anisimov did. Andrew Ladd did, too, but his shot hit both posts. The Blues got the necessary goals in the third period but Elliott’s help in keeping this one a one-goal game cannot be measured.
3. Oh, and Corey Crawford was damn good, too. I joked on Twitter that I’m no longer asking Crawford if he’s recovered from his upper-body injury. We get it: he’s just fine. Two of the shots he was beat on deflected off teammates. His multi-shot stop sequence in the second period was exhilarating. To Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, those stops had their effect at the time. “I thought those saves had a big impact on our emotional level. We were discouraged after that and I thought Chicago swung momentum [its] way. We were discouraged, a little bit down on the bench because of it.”
4. Brent Seabrook’s howitzer. We’ve said it often: Seabrook has a great shot and can’t take it enough. With that shot he gave the Blackhawks something they haven’t been used to in this series: the first lead. Seabrook, who took six shots on goal on Sunday, was also very physical. He finished with a team-high seven hits.
5. Not the same Blues team. One area where the Blackhawks have long had the postseason edge is mental toughness. Well the Blues showed a lot of it in Game 3. Down 2-1 after two, allowing a ton of shots, it didn’t matter. The Blues persevered and now have a lead in this series. Said Crawford, “whatever happens in the season, whatever’s happened in years before, [it is] not the same team.”
Blackhawks rally past Blues in Game 2 to even series. (Friday night's game, 04/15/2016).
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Andrew Shaw had just one thought running through his mind as the St. Louis Blues challenged his goal, claiming goaltender interference.
It did, and thanks to that and a late empty-net goal, the Blackhawks are going back to Chicago tied 1-1 in their first-round series.
Shaw’s power-play goal counted and Artemi Panarin’s empty-net goal proved to be the winner as the Blackhawks beat the Blues 3-2 on Friday night. The two square off again on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.
Duncan Keith, back after serving his six-game suspension, had a goal and an assist. Patrick Kane had two assists and Corey Crawford stopped 29 of 31 shots in the victory. Vladimir Tarasenko and Kevin Shattenkirk scored for the Blues.
On a night when coach’s challenges came into play twice, the Blackhawks were the beneficiaries both times. The first nullified a Blues goal. Tarasenko looked to give the Blues a 2-1 lead with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation. But the Blackhawks challenged for offside and, after a lengthy review, the officials ruled it no goal.
“Someone on the bench said it’s offside and we got it late, and I was screaming like a crazy man, just got [the review] in time,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “I think the longer [the review] went, we felt better about it.”
About four minutes later the Blues countered with their own coach’s challenge, saying Shaw interfered with goaltender Brian Elliott on his power-play goal. This review wasn’t nearly as long and went against the Blues, giving the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead with 4:19 remaining in regulation.
It was quite the turn of events. The Blues could live with the offside ruling – “I mean the offside is offside. It’s cut and dry,” Ryan Reaves said. But the Blues were frustrated that Shaw’s goal counted.
“We’re going to have to fight,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. “When you play the defending Cup champions you’re going to have to fight through a lot of stuff. Calls aren’t going to go your way. It’s always going to seem one-sided… Big deal. Fight through it.”
The Blackhawks had to fight through their goal-less drought through (nearly) the first 40 minutes of this one, too. Then it was Keith, fresh off his suspension and back playing a big role, scoring with just 3.2 seconds remaining in the second period. His goal ended the Blackhawks’ postseason scoreless drought at 109 minutes.
“Well he picked up where we left off last year in the playoffs,” Jonathan Toews said. “We know what he brings. We put him out there in situations and eventually something’s going to happen. He brought that tonight.”
Then came the two coach’s challenges in the third period, including the one that kept Shaw’s goal in place.
“I didn’t know if they were going to look at goalie interference or not but I knew I was crosschecked from behind,” Shaw said. “I was confident it was a goal but obviously there was some doubt there as well.”
The Blackhawks wanted to leave St. Louis with a split. They were an overtime goal away from taking two but they’ll take 1-1 going home. They’ll take both coach’s challenge rulings, too.
“Well we felt we had to win one and we know we were compromised coming in here Game 1 without Duncs. Getting it back after a real tough loss, it was a great response,” Quenneville said. “Take one game at a time. We know it’s going to get tougher as we go along but we like the progression with today’s win.”
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Alshon Jeffery Loves Opening In Houston For Best Reason Ever.
By Erik Lambert
By Erik Lambert
Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Chicago Bears celebrates a first quarter touchdown against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 27 , 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Alshon Jeffery has never been prone to making outlandish statements. In general he’s a quieter person, preferring to let his play on the field do the talking. Maybe that was why he loved playing with Brandon Marshall so much. He knew his former teammate would soak up all the attention, allowing him to hang back in the shadow.
Marshall is gone now though, and it seems Alshon is coming to terms with the reality that he is the man moving forward. He is the best wide receiver the Chicago Bears have and it’s time he started to embrace that role, which includes becoming a little more public with the fans. One of his latest ventures was delivering a most subtle but fantastic statement on Twitter that should get everybody excited about the season to come.
For those who might not follow, it’s like this. The Bears open up their 2016 NFL season on the road in Houston against the Texans. It should be a competitive and physical game against a team that made the playoffs last year. However, many still don’t recall that Houston also holds the honor of hosting Super Bowl 51.
In other words the Bears are playing in the same stadium that the NFC and AFC will meet next February to battle for the Lombardi trophy. In essence Jeffery is challenging his team to get use to the feeling of winning in that stadium because that is the mission this season. Nothing short of a championship.
It would be quite the turnaround for this franchise. After all, the Chicago Bears haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 and haven’t posted a winning season since 2012. They went 11-21 over the past two years. Expectations, as a result, are rather tapered. So what Alshon Jeffery is hoping is that they become the first Bears team ever to go from worst-to-first in a single season and bring home a championship that has eluded them for 31 years.
Bear Down.
Marshall is gone now though, and it seems Alshon is coming to terms with the reality that he is the man moving forward. He is the best wide receiver the Chicago Bears have and it’s time he started to embrace that role, which includes becoming a little more public with the fans. One of his latest ventures was delivering a most subtle but fantastic statement on Twitter that should get everybody excited about the season to come.
For those who might not follow, it’s like this. The Bears open up their 2016 NFL season on the road in Houston against the Texans. It should be a competitive and physical game against a team that made the playoffs last year. However, many still don’t recall that Houston also holds the honor of hosting Super Bowl 51.
In other words the Bears are playing in the same stadium that the NFC and AFC will meet next February to battle for the Lombardi trophy. In essence Jeffery is challenging his team to get use to the feeling of winning in that stadium because that is the mission this season. Nothing short of a championship.
It would be quite the turnaround for this franchise. After all, the Chicago Bears haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 and haven’t posted a winning season since 2012. They went 11-21 over the past two years. Expectations, as a result, are rather tapered. So what Alshon Jeffery is hoping is that they become the first Bears team ever to go from worst-to-first in a single season and bring home a championship that has eluded them for 31 years.
Bear Down.
Bears exercise fifth-year option on Pro Bowl lineman Kyle Long.
By Scott Krinch
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Ryan Pace has plenty of tough decisions to make as general manager of the Bears, but Friday's may have been his easiest to date.
The Bears announced that they have picked up the fifth-year option on Pro Bowl offensive lineman Kyle Long, which puts him under contract through the 2017 season.
Long, the 20th overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oregon, has been to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in the NFL.
Long has started 47 games during his NFL career with 31 coming at right guard and 16 at right tackle.
Despite having a Pro Bowl season at the tackle position in 2015, Long is expected to move back to his natural position of guard with the Bears' offseason signing of right tackle Bobby Massie.
The Bears announced that they have picked up the fifth-year option on Pro Bowl offensive lineman Kyle Long, which puts him under contract through the 2017 season.
Long, the 20th overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oregon, has been to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in the NFL.
Long has started 47 games during his NFL career with 31 coming at right guard and 16 at right tackle.
Despite having a Pro Bowl season at the tackle position in 2015, Long is expected to move back to his natural position of guard with the Bears' offseason signing of right tackle Bobby Massie.
Lack of offense overshadows another strong start from Lester in Cubs loss.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
In a meeting of two of the hottest offenses in baseball on an unseasonably warm April weekend at Wrigley, it would be easy to predict a high-scoring game.
But baseball rarely plays out how it's supposed to.
The Cubs (9-3) and Rockies (7-5) entered Sunday's series finale at Wrigley Field as the second and fourth-best offenses in baseball, respectively, but the Cubs found themselves on the losing end of a 2-0 game in front of 41,678 fans.
The Cubs spoiled Jon Lester's stellar outing by tallying just five baserunners against Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood and a pair of relievers.
"I don't think we played a bad game," Cubs catcher David Ross said. "Their guy was just better than us today."
Lester's only mistake was a solo home run into the left-field basket off the bat of Rockies slugger Nolan Arenado in the fourth inning. Beyond that blemish, the veteran southpaw allowed just three other hits and two walks while striking out 10 in 7.1 innings.
But Chatwood was even better, taking a perfect game into the fifth inning before Jorge Soler walked and Javy Baez singled. The only other Cubs hitter to reach base against Chatwood was Lester with a leadoff double in the sixth and he was subsequently stranded on second base.
"I closed my eyes and hit it pretty good," Lester said. "It is what it is. Trying to get something going. You gotta tip your hat sometimes. Sometimes, the other guy makes better pitches throughout the game than you do."
The Cubs mounted a rally in the ninth inning when Jason Heyward doubled and Anthony Rizzo was hit with a pitch, but Kris Bryant struck out to end the game.
"We had some good at-bats, it seemed, as the game went on," Lester said. "We just weren't able to capitalize on it. That happens sometimes."
Lester picked up his first loss of the year, but continued to exhibit the improved comfort level he talked about in spring training.
Now in his second year with the Cubs - and without that "dead arm" period that slowed him down in spring training last season - Lester is off to a hot start to 2016.
Over his first three starts, the veteran lefty sports a 2.21 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. That's a far cry from the 6.89 ERA he had through his first three starts of 2015.
"[My comfort level] hasn't changed from spring training," Lester said. "I think anytime you spend eight months with these guys, you just feel that much more comfortable around guys.
"It makes things easier. It makes you relax. It makes you go out there and enjoy playing baseball with these guys against last year, just trying to show them what you've done in your career as opposed to just going out and playing."
At the end of the day, it was the offense that spoiled Lester's third straight quality start of the season.
The Cubs entered the series averaging seven runs per contest, but managed just seven runs total over three games against a Colorado pitching staff that ranked last in Major League Baseball in ERA, even after Sunday's shutout.
Still, Cubs manager Joe Maddon isn't concerned.
"Some guys have not hit their stride, but they will," Maddon said. "We lose the series, which is not good, but we still won the homestand."
The Cubs head to St. Louis Monday to begin a big three-game series with the division rival Cardinals.
One year later, Kris Bryant reflects on big-league debut.
By Tony Andracki
But baseball rarely plays out how it's supposed to.
The Cubs (9-3) and Rockies (7-5) entered Sunday's series finale at Wrigley Field as the second and fourth-best offenses in baseball, respectively, but the Cubs found themselves on the losing end of a 2-0 game in front of 41,678 fans.
The Cubs spoiled Jon Lester's stellar outing by tallying just five baserunners against Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood and a pair of relievers.
"I don't think we played a bad game," Cubs catcher David Ross said. "Their guy was just better than us today."
Lester's only mistake was a solo home run into the left-field basket off the bat of Rockies slugger Nolan Arenado in the fourth inning. Beyond that blemish, the veteran southpaw allowed just three other hits and two walks while striking out 10 in 7.1 innings.
But Chatwood was even better, taking a perfect game into the fifth inning before Jorge Soler walked and Javy Baez singled. The only other Cubs hitter to reach base against Chatwood was Lester with a leadoff double in the sixth and he was subsequently stranded on second base.
"I closed my eyes and hit it pretty good," Lester said. "It is what it is. Trying to get something going. You gotta tip your hat sometimes. Sometimes, the other guy makes better pitches throughout the game than you do."
The Cubs mounted a rally in the ninth inning when Jason Heyward doubled and Anthony Rizzo was hit with a pitch, but Kris Bryant struck out to end the game.
"We had some good at-bats, it seemed, as the game went on," Lester said. "We just weren't able to capitalize on it. That happens sometimes."
Lester picked up his first loss of the year, but continued to exhibit the improved comfort level he talked about in spring training.
Now in his second year with the Cubs - and without that "dead arm" period that slowed him down in spring training last season - Lester is off to a hot start to 2016.
Over his first three starts, the veteran lefty sports a 2.21 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. That's a far cry from the 6.89 ERA he had through his first three starts of 2015.
"[My comfort level] hasn't changed from spring training," Lester said. "I think anytime you spend eight months with these guys, you just feel that much more comfortable around guys.
"It makes things easier. It makes you relax. It makes you go out there and enjoy playing baseball with these guys against last year, just trying to show them what you've done in your career as opposed to just going out and playing."
At the end of the day, it was the offense that spoiled Lester's third straight quality start of the season.
The Cubs entered the series averaging seven runs per contest, but managed just seven runs total over three games against a Colorado pitching staff that ranked last in Major League Baseball in ERA, even after Sunday's shutout.
Still, Cubs manager Joe Maddon isn't concerned.
"Some guys have not hit their stride, but they will," Maddon said. "We lose the series, which is not good, but we still won the homestand."
The Cubs head to St. Louis Monday to begin a big three-game series with the division rival Cardinals.
One year later, Kris Bryant reflects on big-league debut.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It's hard to believe it's been just one year since Kris Bryant made his big-league debut.
Thanks to a mature personality and a polished game on the field, Bryant seems more like a seasoned veteran than a second-year player.
Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of Bryant's overhyped arrival to Major League Baseball, but the Cubs insist they didn't utilize the new Wrigley Field party room to celebrate the occasion (prior to the series finale against the Colorado Rockies, at least).
Bryant said he realized on Friday that his "big-league birthday" was coming up and admitted it often feels like he's been in the majors for more than a year though at the same time, the days are flying by.
"It's been a good year for me," he said. "I learned a lot along the way. I'm far from where I want to be, but I can look back and be pleased with what has happened."
It's been a roller coaster 12 months for Bryant - waiting almost a month before his first big-league homer and then cruising to an All-Star nod, a trip through the Home Run Derby, a wild pennant race, a thrilling one-game victory over the Pirates to kick off the playoffs and then the euphoria of beating the Cardinals in the NLDS before getting swept out of the NLCS by the Mets.
Bryant capped it all off by braving a winter storm to accept his National League Rookie of the Year Award in New York.
Bryant was also honored prior to Sunday's game with the Players Choice Award for 2015 NL Outstanding Rookie.
Somehow, through it all, Bryant is able to tune out the hype - even while appearing on billboards and in commercials while becoming one of the faces of baseball.
"They're all just words," Bryant said of the hype that surrounds him. "You've gotta do it on the field. I've always been about action and doing it on the field. I'm not worried about what people are saying about me or any of that, because I know deep down, I want to do better than what they're saying about me.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have that type of mentality and desire to just continue to learn and be better and become an all-around baseball player. It's just what pushes me."
Bryant has turned into an all-around force on the diamond. From his prolific base-running to silencing doubters about his ability to play quality defense at third base, the 24-year-old has proven he's more than just a slugger.
"He's just different," Joe Maddon said. "No pretentiousness about him whatsoever. He's a baseball player. He loves to play. Comes ready. He doesn't whine. He doesn't complain. And it's just been one year."
Over his first 162 career games, Bryant has posted an .853 OPS on a .274/.367/.486 slash line, hitting 28 homers and driving in 104 runs, good for a 6.7 WAR (by FanGraphs' metric).
Bryant has also surprised some with 13 stolen bases and while he's struck out a whopping 209 times in his big-league career, he's also walked 83 times and has already cut down on his strikeout rate in 2016 (only 10 whiffs during his first 50 plate appearances).
In spring training, he said he felt like this season was just a continuation of 2015, only with a three-month break mixed in.
Bryant has helped stay grounded by reminding himself that no matter what level, it's still the same game. There are just more people watching and paying attention in the big leagues.
"He's very mature," Maddon said. "The way he goes about his business, it's beyond his years. That's the best way I could tell you, man.
"He's subject to moments - like we all are - when things aren't going well, but he's pretty good at putting down yesterday and playing today. He's pretty good at putting down the previous at-bat or making a mistake on defense and coming back.
"I have a lot of faith in his ability to move on to the next moment. You gotta be that kind of guy."
Bryant said he couldn't point to one particular moment when he truly felt like a big-leaguer, but he had plenty of memories that will stick with him forever.
"There's really too many good ones and plenty of bad ones," he said. "You tend to remember the good ones. All of them. From my first game all the way until my last game [in 2015], even though we lost the last one. It was just a lot of fun.
"Walk-off home runs. Those are always fun. And then obviously making the postseason for the first time in a long time.
"A lot of stuff to reflect on and learn from. I'm very grateful for it."
Thanks to a mature personality and a polished game on the field, Bryant seems more like a seasoned veteran than a second-year player.
Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of Bryant's overhyped arrival to Major League Baseball, but the Cubs insist they didn't utilize the new Wrigley Field party room to celebrate the occasion (prior to the series finale against the Colorado Rockies, at least).
Bryant said he realized on Friday that his "big-league birthday" was coming up and admitted it often feels like he's been in the majors for more than a year though at the same time, the days are flying by.
"It's been a good year for me," he said. "I learned a lot along the way. I'm far from where I want to be, but I can look back and be pleased with what has happened."
It's been a roller coaster 12 months for Bryant - waiting almost a month before his first big-league homer and then cruising to an All-Star nod, a trip through the Home Run Derby, a wild pennant race, a thrilling one-game victory over the Pirates to kick off the playoffs and then the euphoria of beating the Cardinals in the NLDS before getting swept out of the NLCS by the Mets.
Bryant capped it all off by braving a winter storm to accept his National League Rookie of the Year Award in New York.
Bryant was also honored prior to Sunday's game with the Players Choice Award for 2015 NL Outstanding Rookie.
Somehow, through it all, Bryant is able to tune out the hype - even while appearing on billboards and in commercials while becoming one of the faces of baseball.
"They're all just words," Bryant said of the hype that surrounds him. "You've gotta do it on the field. I've always been about action and doing it on the field. I'm not worried about what people are saying about me or any of that, because I know deep down, I want to do better than what they're saying about me.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have that type of mentality and desire to just continue to learn and be better and become an all-around baseball player. It's just what pushes me."
Bryant has turned into an all-around force on the diamond. From his prolific base-running to silencing doubters about his ability to play quality defense at third base, the 24-year-old has proven he's more than just a slugger.
"He's just different," Joe Maddon said. "No pretentiousness about him whatsoever. He's a baseball player. He loves to play. Comes ready. He doesn't whine. He doesn't complain. And it's just been one year."
Over his first 162 career games, Bryant has posted an .853 OPS on a .274/.367/.486 slash line, hitting 28 homers and driving in 104 runs, good for a 6.7 WAR (by FanGraphs' metric).
Bryant has also surprised some with 13 stolen bases and while he's struck out a whopping 209 times in his big-league career, he's also walked 83 times and has already cut down on his strikeout rate in 2016 (only 10 whiffs during his first 50 plate appearances).
In spring training, he said he felt like this season was just a continuation of 2015, only with a three-month break mixed in.
Bryant has helped stay grounded by reminding himself that no matter what level, it's still the same game. There are just more people watching and paying attention in the big leagues.
"He's very mature," Maddon said. "The way he goes about his business, it's beyond his years. That's the best way I could tell you, man.
"He's subject to moments - like we all are - when things aren't going well, but he's pretty good at putting down yesterday and playing today. He's pretty good at putting down the previous at-bat or making a mistake on defense and coming back.
"I have a lot of faith in his ability to move on to the next moment. You gotta be that kind of guy."
Bryant said he couldn't point to one particular moment when he truly felt like a big-leaguer, but he had plenty of memories that will stick with him forever.
"There's really too many good ones and plenty of bad ones," he said. "You tend to remember the good ones. All of them. From my first game all the way until my last game [in 2015], even though we lost the last one. It was just a lot of fun.
"Walk-off home runs. Those are always fun. And then obviously making the postseason for the first time in a long time.
"A lot of stuff to reflect on and learn from. I'm very grateful for it."
White Sox offense struggles again in loss to Rays.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jose Quintana missed the bag on Sunday afternoon.
The White Sox and their struggling offense missed out on a chance to earn another series victory.
Quintana’s two-out error in the third inning allowed a critical run to score as the Tampa Bay Rays held on to send the White Sox to a 3-2 loss in front of 21,810 at Tropicana Field. Matt Moore struck out 10 over 6 1/3 dominant innings to outdo Quintana, who struck out six himself.
“You end up missing first and it ends up costing you,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “That’s how close it. Moore was fantastic and something like that ends up costing Q.”
Though he ultimately settled in to face the minimum over his final three innings, Quintana got hit hard early. Tampa Bay scored once in the first inning on a Steve Pearce RBI double to center.
The Rays really made Quintana labor in the third with the score tied at 1.
Logan Forsythe doubled and scored on a Brandon Guyer RBI single, one of four hits for the right fielder. After Evan Longoria singled, Quintana battled back and struck out Pearce and retired Desmond Jennings on a pop out to second. Quintana appeared to get out of the jam with just the run allowed as Logan Morrison hit a grounder to first. But even though Jose Abreu made a nice flip, Quintana missed tagging the base by a wide margin, which allowed Guyer to score all the way from second for a 3-1 lead.
“Jose did a good job,” Quintana said. “I caught the ball. He threw it to me in a good spot. But I never saw the base, and that was the point. I just missed the base. When we play in this situation, you try to go in a good direction, but that’s all. I just missed the base.”
Moore made a similar error in the top of the third that gave the White Sox their first hit (an Adam Eaton infield single) and sparked a game-tying, two-out rally as Austin Jackson singled to right to drive in a run.
But that was the last mistake Moore made until he tired in the seventh inning.
Moore struck out Jose Abreu to strand runners on the corners and end the rally, which prompted the slugger to hit his bat in frustration.
Using a fastball-knuckle curve combo, Moore retired 11 of the next 12 he faced.
This is what happens when a cold offense (see: 15 runs in six games) runs into a pitcher who spotted his fastball outside and had his off-speed diving inside to righties.
“We’ve been struggling,” Ventura said. “But today, I don’t know too many teams that would go up against Moore and do anything. He was fantastic and it was coming out of his hand great and we scuffled. We’re a swing-and-miss kind of team and we’ve got some pop with it, but today he was just better.”
The left-hander struck out Todd Frazier and Jerry Sands three times each.
It wasn’t until Brett Lawrie doubled in the seventh that the White Sox got to Moore again. Avisail Garcia singled in Lawrie to make it a 3-2 game and chase Moore, who gave up five hits and hit one. But the combination of Enny Romero and Alex Colome combined to retire eight of nine batters to close out the game.
Frazier struck out again to start the ninth inning ahead of a walk by pinch-hitter Melky Cabrera. Colome battled back and induced a Brett Lawrie pop out and Garcia grounder to end the game.
Frazier, who has struck out 14 times in 49 at-bats, praised Moore’s effort. He also noted that the White Sox, himself included, missed hittable pitches.
Though the White Sox offense struggled on the road, the team won four of six. Frazier is taking solace in that despite the team’s slow offensive start.
“It’s been a rough stretch,” Frazier said. “But if you’d tell me we’d be 8-4 right now, I’d say that’s great, good start. You’ve got to work on the positives. It’s just one of those days. It has been adding up a little bit. It’s early, but at the same time, you want to be doing well. Maybe trying a little too much. But we’ll take 8-4 any day of the week.”
Todd Frazier looks to remedy slow start for White Sox.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
He may have to watch some video to identify any issues, but Todd Frazier has a pretty good sense what’s happening.
The White Sox third baseman isn’t off to the start he hoped he’d be. Frazier, who struck out four times in Sunday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, has produced a .163/.196/.327 slash line in his first 12 games with the White Sox, who acquired him in December from the Cincinnati Reds in a three-team deal. Frazier has two home runs, six RBIs and 14 strikeouts in 49 at-bats.
But he won’t make any excuses.
“You go out there, you battle your tail off,” Frazier said. “Miss some pitches, swinging at bad pitches and that’s what happens when you struggle. You go through a little stretch like this, you have to hit strikes. And if you miss them, you can’t be swinging out of the zone. That’s what basically I’ve been doing.”
White Sox manager Robin Ventura thinks Frazier may be pressing a little.
But Frazier is hardly alone on an offense that scored 15 runs during a 4-2 road trip. The White Sox have a .278 on-base percentage. They’ve scored three or fewer runs in five straight games and in seven of 12 contests.
“You can see guys that when they go through that and I think right now he’s doing that, just trying to do too much,” Ventura said. “Just calming him down. He’s here, we believe in him and he’s going to be all right.”
Frazier struck out to start the second, fourth and ninth innings. He also struck out to end the sixth inning. No runners were on base in any of his plate appearances.
Asked if he thinks timing could be an issue, Frazier said “pretty much.” He’s upbeat that the White Sox are 8-4 to start the season having played only two games at U.S. Cellular Field. But he’d like to find a groove and quick.
“I have to go back and look, but I’d say everything is about timing,” Frazier said.
“Myself included, we missed a lot of pitches and (Matt Moore) was dominant. You tip your cap to him. But I’d like to face him again and see what happens.”
Homestand offers White Sox chance to get acclimated to Chicago.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox are headed for home for more than 72 hours for the first time all season.
“It didn’t really feel like we were home at all,” Ventura said. “Only two games and the rainout when we were there. Everybody is looking to get home and have a stretch there.
“The new guys haven’t been able to establish anything. Hopefully they wash their clothes, and put them back in a suitcase. That’s all there was time to do.”
The White Sox last homestand was a whirlwind. They arrived back from Oakland late on April 7 and headed to the park early the next day for their home opener. That didn’t leave any of the team’s seven new players much time to get accustomed to their surroundings — their homes or the ballpark where they will play 79 more regular season games. The White Sox returned home after Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, more than a week after they departed for Minneapolis.
“It’ll be good to get back home,” third baseman Todd Frazier said. “Only been there for three days. Get acclimated to Chicago a little bit more and get back going and winning another series.”
Earlier in the week, Jose Abreu said he didn’t mind that the team started on the road because it meant playing in warmer weather. The White Sox played in downright hot weather in Oakland before they faced a snow storm before their April 8 home opener. Although the forecast calls for rain from Tuesday through Thursday, temperatures are expected to be much warmer temperatures than the previous homestand, news to which Abreu offered praise hands.
Ventura just wants his charges to get a sense of normalcy after they’ve spent all but three days out of the last two months away from home.
“Hopefully it’s nice,” Ventura said. “Hopefully everyone can sleep in their bed and feel good.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... There’s A Chance: Bulls Still Have a Shot at Landing No. 1 Pick.
By Sports Mockery
The 2015-16 NBA regular season ended with the Warriors breaking the 1995-96 Bulls record, now it’s time for Chicago to move on to the offseason.
That being said it looks like the draft order for the 2016 NBA Draft is all but locked up.
Once again the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers lead the pack when in comes to grabbing the top pick(s) in the draft. The Boston Celtics lucked out because they currently own the Brooklyn Nets’ first round pick.
The Bulls, on the other hand, will likely end up at the bottom of the lottery. Yet, there is a bit of hope for those still thinking the team can luck out. The Bulls currently have a 0.5% chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a 1.8% chance of landing a pick in the top three.
However, the Bulls have been in this situation before and it turned out pretty good depending on how you look at it.
In 2008, the Bulls let fans down and ended the season with a measly 33 wins.
Going into the draft the Bulls had just a 1.7% chance of landing the top overall pick. That year the Bulls jumped from the No. 9 spot all the way to No. 1 in order to draft Derrick Rose. The rest is history.
Therefore, the Bulls are not completely out of the running for a top pick, they have been here before.
Also if the Bulls were able to jump that high in the draft it could end up helping them land another top 14 pick.
The Sacramento Kings still owe the Bulls a pick, however, it’s top-10 protected. The Kings are tied for the eighth-worst record. Toronto, Sacramento, and Milwaukee will have a three team drawing in order to lay out the 8th, 9th and 10th spots in the lottery. So if the Bulls were able to jump in the draft and the Kings end up with the 10 spot it could potentially push them out of the top 10.
It’s a long shot but there’s a chance.
The Bulls have the potential to look very different when the 2016-17 regular season rolls around. Both Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah could take their talents elsewhere. Can the Bulls land a young impact player to help build a new squad in the draft? Answer is yes.
The offseason is likely to bring trade rumors regarding just about every core member of the Bulls. We already know that Boston was looking to give up two first round picks for Jimmy Butler.
Chicago fans will get their answer on May 17th when the lottery order is chosen. The NBA Draft will be held on June 23.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Thoughts: The Bulls getting the first round pick is possible but very improbable. They have a lot of work cut out for themselves. We don't see the Bulls getting back into the playoffs for a couple of years as they need to rebuild desperately and they need a couple of wily veterans to help stabilize the team and support the coach. And please, get back to playing defense. Mike Ditka says, "Defense wins championships." That applies to basketball as well as football. Ask Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. It's good to score over a hundred points but if your opponent can score a hundred points also, where are you going? You gotta stop them. Win or lose, we're Bulls fans and are in it with them for the long haul. Let's make this short and sweet and get back in the playoffs within the next two years, please!!! Let's go Bulls.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Golf-Amazing Grace wins Heritage title by two strokes.
Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes, Editing by Andrew Both
Branden Grace, of South Africa, holds the RBC Championship trophy after winning the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament in Hilton Head Island, S.C., Sunday, April 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
South African Branden Grace delivered a final-round master class to clinch a long expected first victory on the PGA Tour by two shots at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina on Sunday.
The world number 14, who thrust himself into the limelight at the game's highest level with top-four finishes last year at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, closed with a superb five-under-par 66 at the Harbour Town course on Hilton Head Island.
Helped by pinpoint distance control with his irons and brilliant putting on lightning-fast greens, Grace mixed seven birdies with just two bogeys to post a nine-under total of 275 in the first PGA Tour event after last week's Masters.
Third-round leader Luke Donald of England, striving to end a four-year title drought on the U.S. circuit, carded a 71 to share second place with Scotland's Russell Knox (67). It was Donald's fourth runner-up spot at the event.
American Bryson DeChambeau (68), making his professional debut after ending his amateur career with a tie for 21st at last week's Masters, finished joint fourth at five under.
Grace, who clinched his seventh European Tour victory with a successful title defense at the Qatar Masters in January, was delighted to triumph at a venue where he effectively kick-started his PGA Tour career last year.
"It put me on the map a little bit," Grace, 27, told CBS Sports about his tie for seventh at the Heritage 12 months ago. "It gave me that little push and drive to finish things up in the future.
"I was really amped to get back to this place ... I like the type of golf you have to play on this place and it's worked this week."
South African Branden Grace delivered a final-round master class to clinch a long expected first victory on the PGA Tour by two shots at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina on Sunday.
The world number 14, who thrust himself into the limelight at the game's highest level with top-four finishes last year at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, closed with a superb five-under-par 66 at the Harbour Town course on Hilton Head Island.
Helped by pinpoint distance control with his irons and brilliant putting on lightning-fast greens, Grace mixed seven birdies with just two bogeys to post a nine-under total of 275 in the first PGA Tour event after last week's Masters.
Third-round leader Luke Donald of England, striving to end a four-year title drought on the U.S. circuit, carded a 71 to share second place with Scotland's Russell Knox (67). It was Donald's fourth runner-up spot at the event.
American Bryson DeChambeau (68), making his professional debut after ending his amateur career with a tie for 21st at last week's Masters, finished joint fourth at five under.
Grace, who clinched his seventh European Tour victory with a successful title defense at the Qatar Masters in January, was delighted to triumph at a venue where he effectively kick-started his PGA Tour career last year.
"It put me on the map a little bit," Grace, 27, told CBS Sports about his tie for seventh at the Heritage 12 months ago. "It gave me that little push and drive to finish things up in the future.
"I was really amped to get back to this place ... I like the type of golf you have to play on this place and it's worked this week."
Grace began the final round three strokes off the pace and moved into a tie for the lead with Donald and Knox when he rolled in a four-footer to birdie the par-four sixth.
Out in four-under 32, he tightened his grip with birdies at the 12th and 13th, sinking consecutive putts from 10 feet to forge three ahead.
He did well to save par with a clutch 12-footer at the 16th, where he found sand with his first two shots, and then bogeyed the tricky par-three 17th after being bunkered off the tee before comfortably parring the last.
"When I got to 12 and 13 where I made a couple of nice putts, I knew I was in there with a chance," said Grace.
"That last stretch of five holes, you can't really force things. As soon as you do, it's going to backfire. You just have to stay patient and grind it, and that's what I managed to do."
Australian world number one Jason Day, joint leader after 36 holes before he tumbled down the leaderboard with an error-strewn 79 in the third round, shot a 68 to tie for 23rd.
DeChambeau finishes T-4 in pro debut.
By Will Gray
(Photo/golfchannel.com)
Bryson DeChambeau turned pro earlier this week, and he quickly made strides toward securing his PGA Tour card for next season. DeChambeau closed with a 3-under 68 at the RBC Heritage to finish T-4, four shots behind winner Branden Grace.
It was a strong close to a pro debut that exceeded many expectations, as DeChambeau led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green at Harbour Town Golf Links.
"I putted a lot better than the last few days," DeChambeau said. "Unfortunately my driver was kind of giving out today. I'll definitely work on that for next week. It was definitely fun to see some putts go in."
One week after taking low amateur honors at the Masters, DeChambeau earned a check for $259,600 along with 123 FedEx Cup points. Both will go a long way toward securing his status for the rest of the season and beyond, as DeChambeau needs to accrue at least 361 FedEx Cup points to earn special temporary membership that would bring with it unlimited sponsor invites this season.
To earn a full card for next season, he'll need to equal the points or earnings of No. 125 on the season-long standings, which last season meant a cutoff of 458 points or $747,899 in earnings.
DeChambeau still has six sponsor invites at his disposal. He was already planning to play next week's Valero Texas Open, but now he will be able to save a sponsor invite because his top-10 finish this week earns him a spot at TPC San Antonio. The 22-year-old then plans to take a week off before teeing it up at the Wells Fargo Championship, followed by spots at the AT&T Byron Nelson and Dean & Deluca Invitational next month.
"It's been quite a journey so far, these past couple weeks," he said. "It's an honor to be playing out here with these big boys, trying to do my best. Hopefully I can keep competing out there and hopefully I can get a couple of wins out there."
Minjee Lee holds off Burnett, Chun in Lotte.
By Associated Press
(Photo/Golfchannel.com/AP)
Minjee Lee won the Lotte Championship on Saturday for her second LPGA title, closing with an 8-under 64 for a one-stroke victory.
The 19-year-old Australian played a seven-hole stretch in 6 under with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 13th and four birdies. She rebounded from a third-round 74 to finish at 16-under 272 at Ko Olina.
''Yesterday I spoke to my coach (Ritchie Smith) and he was like, 'You're only five back. Just shoot 8 under and you'll be fine,''' Lee said. ''And I shot 8 under, so that was good. ...
''Just because I had a not-so-great round yesterday didn't mean I couldn't shoot a low score today. I just came out with, I don't know, a fresh mindset.''
Third-round leader Katie Burnett and U.S. Women's Open champion In Gee Chun tied for second.
Lee made an 11-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th and got up-and-down for par from short of the green on the par-4 18th, holing a 6-foot putt. She became the fifth LPGA player to win twice before her 20th birthday, joining Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Marlene Hagge and Sandra Haynie.
''I think after I went eagle-birdie-birdie, I think the second birdie I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to be really close,'' said Lee, projected to jump from 17th to 12th in the world ranking. ''I just did all I could do, and here I am.''
She won the Kingsmill Championship last year in Virginia.
''Definitely a big confidence boost,'' said Lee, also the 2012 U.S. Girls Junior champion. ''Last couple of weeks I was there, but not quite there. Now my game seems to be coming together really well.''
Burnett shot a 70. She lost the lead with a three-putt bogey on the par-3 16th, then missed a 6-foot birdie try on 17 and a long birdie putt on 18. The 26-year-old Georgia player, winless on the tour, led most of the day, going bogey-free for 40 holes before dropping a shot at No. 7.
''I don't think I gave it away by any means,'' Burnett said. ''That's something, last year I struggled in the final rounds, especially when I had been playing well. So, to have played well today was really good for me. ... I don't necessarily feel like I lost the tournament. I feel like Minjee just won it. Eight under, I mean, that's pretty solid.''
Chun finished with a 67, missing a 16-foot birdie try on 18.
''Very tricky on the green,'' Chun said. ''I try enjoy my game, so I'm still happy.''
She tied for second for the second straight event after sitting out a month because of a back injury. She was hurt when she was struck by a hard suitcase that rival South Korean player Ha Na Jang's father dropped down an escalator at the Singapore airport.
Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn was fourth at 14 under after a 68.
Su-Yeon Jang was another stroke back after a 71. Playing on a sponsor exemption, the 21-year-old South Korean player was coming off a victory last week in the Korean LPGA event sponsored by Lotte.
Brooke Henderson tied for 10th at 10 under to extend her top-10 streak to seven events. The 18-year-old Canadian closed with a 68.
The top-ranked Ko shot a 69 to tie for 23rd, her worst finish of the year, at 5 under. Ko won her last two starts in California and also has two seconds, a third and a tie for 15th this season. She will try to defend her title at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic next week in California.
NASCAR: Carl Edwards wins from the pole at Bristol; Dale Earnhardt Jr. rallies for second.
By NBCSports.com
(Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
The backflip was back Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Carl Edwards won from the pole position, scoring his first victory of the season in the Food City 500. With his fourth victory at Bristol and the 26th of his Sprint Cup career, Edwards virtually qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs.
“Now we’re in the Chase,” Edwards told Fox with a big smile after performing his trademark winning backflip with his first win at the 0.533-mile oval since 2014. “We can go have some fun. It’s so cool, man. Awesome to be here.”
Edwards became the third Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win in 2016, holding onto first through a slew of late cautions.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who lost two laps after losing power and needing to pit on the first lap of 500, finished second, his second consecutive runner-up finish. Kurt Busch was third, followed by Chase Elliott and Trevor Bayne.
Carl Edwards won from the pole position, scoring his first victory of the season in the Food City 500. With his fourth victory at Bristol and the 26th of his Sprint Cup career, Edwards virtually qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs.
“Now we’re in the Chase,” Edwards told Fox with a big smile after performing his trademark winning backflip with his first win at the 0.533-mile oval since 2014. “We can go have some fun. It’s so cool, man. Awesome to be here.”
Edwards became the third Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win in 2016, holding onto first through a slew of late cautions.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who lost two laps after losing power and needing to pit on the first lap of 500, finished second, his second consecutive runner-up finish. Kurt Busch was third, followed by Chase Elliott and Trevor Bayne.
HOW EDWARDS WON: He started from the pole and let the race come to him. After leading the first 36 laps, he yielded the point and lurked while several other contenders had problems. He reassumed command after Lap 200 and dictated the pace the rest of the way. Edwards led the final 104 laps among a race-high 276 of 500.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: After leading 12 laps at Texas last week — his first in two years — Bayne earned the second top five of his career and his first since the 2011 Daytona 500 win. … Elliott (fourth) ran as high as second and hung on for his second consecutive top five. … Stewart-Haas Racing scored top 10s with Kevin Harvick (seventh) and Busch, and Ty Dillon also ran well before a late incident. … Matt DiBenedetto’s BK Racing Toyota snuck into the top 10 with a sixth … Roush Fenway Racing put all three of its cars in the top 20 despite early problems for Bayne, Greg Biffle (12th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (16th) … Clint Bowyer (eighth) easily scored his best finish of 2016. He had one top 20 (18th at Fontana) in his first seven starts with HScott Motorsports … Ryan Newman (ninth) has two top 10s in the past three races.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: After leading 12 laps at Texas last week — his first in two years — Bayne earned the second top five of his career and his first since the 2011 Daytona 500 win. … Elliott (fourth) ran as high as second and hung on for his second consecutive top five. … Stewart-Haas Racing scored top 10s with Kevin Harvick (seventh) and Busch, and Ty Dillon also ran well before a late incident. … Matt DiBenedetto’s BK Racing Toyota snuck into the top 10 with a sixth … Roush Fenway Racing put all three of its cars in the top 20 despite early problems for Bayne, Greg Biffle (12th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (16th) … Clint Bowyer (eighth) easily scored his best finish of 2016. He had one top 20 (18th at Fontana) in his first seven starts with HScott Motorsports … Ryan Newman (ninth) has two top 10s in the past three races.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: The rest of Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards’ teammates Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth all had right-front tire problems that caused caution flags. Busch, who was aiming for his third consecutive victory, and Kenseth each hit the wall twice with blown right fronts … Former Bristol winner Brad Keselowski was burned by a pit speeding penalty (his third of the season) that helped negate a shot at a strong result … Kyle Larson finished outside the top 30 because of a broken track bar after running well early … Jimmie Johnson was one of several drivers who had trouble with loose wheels.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I was encouraged again today even though we don’t have the result. I have a smile on my face and we’ll go to Richmond and try again.” – Kenseth to Fox Sports on another disappointing result with a strong car.
WHAT’S NEXT: Sunday, April 24 (1 p.m. ET), Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Kevin Harvick leads points after Food City 500.
By Daniel McFadin
After winning the Food City 500 at Bristol, Carl Edwards moved up two spots in the Sprint Cup point standings. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver trails Kevin Harvick by one point through eight races.
Kyle Busch, who won the previous two races, dropped from first to fifth after wrecking out of the race on Lap 259.
The top five is filled out by Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Busch.
The biggest drop this week was Matt Kenseth. He lost six spots, leaving Bristol in 18th.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I was encouraged again today even though we don’t have the result. I have a smile on my face and we’ll go to Richmond and try again.” – Kenseth to Fox Sports on another disappointing result with a strong car.
WHAT’S NEXT: Sunday, April 24 (1 p.m. ET), Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Kevin Harvick leads points after Food City 500.
By Daniel McFadin
After winning the Food City 500 at Bristol, Carl Edwards moved up two spots in the Sprint Cup point standings. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver trails Kevin Harvick by one point through eight races.
Kyle Busch, who won the previous two races, dropped from first to fifth after wrecking out of the race on Lap 259.
The top five is filled out by Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Busch.
The biggest drop this week was Matt Kenseth. He lost six spots, leaving Bristol in 18th.
Kyle Busch’s bid to win three consecutive in Sprint Cup derailed by multiple tire problems.
By Daniel McFadin
Kyle Busch‘s chances of winning his third Sprint Cup race in a row ended on Lap 259 of the Food City 500 when his No. 18 Toyota hit the wall. The damage to the right front of his car was enough to end Busch’s day at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The crash was the fifth incident of the race for Busch and the second involving a right-front tire problem. The first occurred on Lap 52 when the defending series champion was running third, sending his car into the outside wall in Turn 2.
Goodyear initially attributed the wreck to a melted tire bead.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Getty Images)
Kyle Busch‘s chances of winning his third Sprint Cup race in a row ended on Lap 259 of the Food City 500 when his No. 18 Toyota hit the wall. The damage to the right front of his car was enough to end Busch’s day at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The crash was the fifth incident of the race for Busch and the second involving a right-front tire problem. The first occurred on Lap 52 when the defending series champion was running third, sending his car into the outside wall in Turn 2.
Goodyear initially attributed the wreck to a melted tire bead.
But Goodyear Director of Race Tire Sales Greg Stucker later told reporters that Goodyear wasn’t sure if Busch’s first problem was because of a melted bead.
Stucker said Goodyear would take the tires from Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (who also had problems) to its Akron, Ohio, headquarters for analysis. It likely would be a few weeks before it had results.
Busch said the tire problems weren’t a result of pushing the car.
“Once I got single file there after that last restart I was just cruising,” he said. “I was just riding along, and the car felt fine. I don’t know why it kept getting tighter, and why we were blowing right fronts.”
On Lap 117, Busch had worked his way back to the top 10 when he was hit from behind by Chris Buescher out of Turn 2, sending the No. 18 into a spin.
Busch also would be caught speeding twice in the pits before the Lap 259 accident.
“I have no idea (what happened),” Busch told Fox after officially falling out of the race. “We just kept getting tighter in the long run. Not sure why that was. We had a really great car yesterday.”
Busch qualified fifth after recording the fastest speed in the first practice of the day.
He entered Bristol having swept the previous two NASCAR weekends at Martinsville Speedway (Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup) and Texas Motor Speedway (Xfinity and Cup).
“I guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” Busch said. “I’m not sure what started it, but we were a little snug early on in the first run of the race. As the car would run more and more laps it would get tighter and tighter, that’s the weirdest thing that I’ve felt all day and all weekend we haven’t had that problem.”
SOCCER: Added time goal downs Fire against Montreal.
By Dan Santaromita
Two streaks ended Saturday for the Chicago Fire.
The first was the club's shutout streak, which Didier Drogba ended with a 56th minute goal. The second was the four-match unbeaten streak after Ignacio Piatti scored in added time to down the Fire 2-1.
Piatti scored with a curling shot just outside the box to give the visitors the win after the Fire led at halftime.
"For sure it's difficult for us after having the lead and playing a good first half to see that we lost this game," Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said. "We have to learn how to play when we have a lead."
Kennedy Igboananike had given the Fire (1-2-3, 6 points) the lead in the 30th minute with an impressive curling shot from the left side of the box. Gilberto won a header at midfield and took advantage of a slip from the Montreal (4-2, 12 points) defense to start the break. Igboananike did the rest for his third goal of the season.
The Fire sat back and absorbed pressure without creating much before that goal. Igboananike's goal was the Fire's first shot on goal.
Some of that Montreal pressure was substantial, too. The Impact were inches from scoring in the 11th minute when a free kick found the head of Hassoun Camara. Camara's header got past goalkeeper Matt Lampson, but defender Jonathan Campbell was able to clear it off the line.
The Fire led 1-0 at halftime, but taking a lead into the second half meant Didier Drogba was a near-lock to come into the match. Drogba subbed on in the 50th minute and scored five minutes later because that's what legends do.
Matt Lampson cleared an inocuous back pass, but the errant pass landed right at the feet of Dominic Oduro. The former Fire forward hit a low cross into Drogba, who skillfully flicked the ball past Lampson into the goal.
"Honestly, I thought we neutralized him," Lampson said of Drogba. "That was a self-inflicted wound and he made us pay.
"He didn't create it. I created it for him."
That goal ended the Fire's shutout streak at 411 minutes, which set a new club record. The previous record was 395 minutes.
Matt Polster, who came on as a sub at halftime, became one of the Fire's best creating threats. In the 77th minute he burst down the left wing and hit a centering ball towards rookie Alex Morrell, who also subbed on, but Morrell's hard shot was nicely saved by Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush.
The move to start Polster on the bench was likely to give him some rest after a heavy recent workload that included playing for the Olympic qualifying team. Polster said he talked with Stephens about going forward more because he had fresher legs than Stephens and the Fire had been defending for much of the match.
When it appeared the match was headed for a draw, Piatti's killer shot silenced the Toyota Park crowd.
"For me, it wasn't a surprise," Paunovic said of Piatti's goal. "When I saw him coming inside, we prepared (for that). We knew that's how he likes to cut inside and finish, but the shot was perfect.
"What concerns me more is that we weren't mature in this game."
The Fire are off next weekend. The next match is April 30 at home against D.C. United.
La Liga: Barcelona have lost 3 in a row, their 9-point lead is now 0.
Stucker said Goodyear would take the tires from Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (who also had problems) to its Akron, Ohio, headquarters for analysis. It likely would be a few weeks before it had results.
Busch said the tire problems weren’t a result of pushing the car.
“Once I got single file there after that last restart I was just cruising,” he said. “I was just riding along, and the car felt fine. I don’t know why it kept getting tighter, and why we were blowing right fronts.”
On Lap 117, Busch had worked his way back to the top 10 when he was hit from behind by Chris Buescher out of Turn 2, sending the No. 18 into a spin.
Busch also would be caught speeding twice in the pits before the Lap 259 accident.
“I have no idea (what happened),” Busch told Fox after officially falling out of the race. “We just kept getting tighter in the long run. Not sure why that was. We had a really great car yesterday.”
Busch qualified fifth after recording the fastest speed in the first practice of the day.
He entered Bristol having swept the previous two NASCAR weekends at Martinsville Speedway (Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup) and Texas Motor Speedway (Xfinity and Cup).
“I guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” Busch said. “I’m not sure what started it, but we were a little snug early on in the first run of the race. As the car would run more and more laps it would get tighter and tighter, that’s the weirdest thing that I’ve felt all day and all weekend we haven’t had that problem.”
SOCCER: Added time goal downs Fire against Montreal.
By Dan Santaromita
Two streaks ended Saturday for the Chicago Fire.
The first was the club's shutout streak, which Didier Drogba ended with a 56th minute goal. The second was the four-match unbeaten streak after Ignacio Piatti scored in added time to down the Fire 2-1.
Piatti scored with a curling shot just outside the box to give the visitors the win after the Fire led at halftime.
"For sure it's difficult for us after having the lead and playing a good first half to see that we lost this game," Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said. "We have to learn how to play when we have a lead."
Kennedy Igboananike had given the Fire (1-2-3, 6 points) the lead in the 30th minute with an impressive curling shot from the left side of the box. Gilberto won a header at midfield and took advantage of a slip from the Montreal (4-2, 12 points) defense to start the break. Igboananike did the rest for his third goal of the season.
The Fire sat back and absorbed pressure without creating much before that goal. Igboananike's goal was the Fire's first shot on goal.
Some of that Montreal pressure was substantial, too. The Impact were inches from scoring in the 11th minute when a free kick found the head of Hassoun Camara. Camara's header got past goalkeeper Matt Lampson, but defender Jonathan Campbell was able to clear it off the line.
The Fire led 1-0 at halftime, but taking a lead into the second half meant Didier Drogba was a near-lock to come into the match. Drogba subbed on in the 50th minute and scored five minutes later because that's what legends do.
Matt Lampson cleared an inocuous back pass, but the errant pass landed right at the feet of Dominic Oduro. The former Fire forward hit a low cross into Drogba, who skillfully flicked the ball past Lampson into the goal.
"Honestly, I thought we neutralized him," Lampson said of Drogba. "That was a self-inflicted wound and he made us pay.
"He didn't create it. I created it for him."
That goal ended the Fire's shutout streak at 411 minutes, which set a new club record. The previous record was 395 minutes.
Matt Polster, who came on as a sub at halftime, became one of the Fire's best creating threats. In the 77th minute he burst down the left wing and hit a centering ball towards rookie Alex Morrell, who also subbed on, but Morrell's hard shot was nicely saved by Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush.
The move to start Polster on the bench was likely to give him some rest after a heavy recent workload that included playing for the Olympic qualifying team. Polster said he talked with Stephens about going forward more because he had fresher legs than Stephens and the Fire had been defending for much of the match.
When it appeared the match was headed for a draw, Piatti's killer shot silenced the Toyota Park crowd.
"For me, it wasn't a surprise," Paunovic said of Piatti's goal. "When I saw him coming inside, we prepared (for that). We knew that's how he likes to cut inside and finish, but the shot was perfect.
"What concerns me more is that we weren't mature in this game."
The Fire are off next weekend. The next match is April 30 at home against D.C. United.
La Liga: Barcelona have lost 3 in a row, their 9-point lead is now 0.
By Andy Edwards
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
A roundup of Sunday’s action in Spain top flight…
Barcelona 1-2 Valencia
Luis Enrique’s Barcelona players know that the 2015-16 season isn’t quite over yet, right? Just because they held an nine-point lead in the La Liga title race back on March 19 — and yours truly proclaimed “the title is Barcelona’s” — doesn’t mean the title was actually there’s already. The very next day, Barca’s unraveling, which is unbelievably still ongoing, began.
I ask, only because the Blaugrana are now four games without a victory, including three straight defeats, in league play following Sunday’s 2-1 humbling at the hands of 14th-place (coming into the day) Valencia at the Camp Nou. It was 2-0 to the visitors at halftime after Ivan Rakitic was charged with an extremely unfortunate own goal in the 26th minute, and Santi Mina slotted the ball home from a tough angle in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.
Lionel Messi pulled one back with a milestone goal just past the hour mark, but a number of golden chances went agonizingly close for Barca and an equalizer prove forever elusive.
Atletico Madrid 3-0 Granada
The pressure was applied to Barca before they even kicked off this afternoon, thanks to Atletico Madrid’s 3-0 hammering of 17th-place Granada at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.
Koke (15th minute), Fernando Torres (59th) and Angel Correa (83rd) were the goalscorers on the day, as Diego Simeone’s side closed the gap between themselves and the defending champions a further three points. With five games left to play (Atleti are also still competing in the UEFA Champions League after knocking Barca out of the competition this week), only Barca’s vastly superior goal differential separates the two sides.
The updated La Liga table presently tells a crazy, interesting tale when the season seemed a foregone conclusion four short weeks ago…
| Team |
GP
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Barcelona | 33 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 88 | 29 | 59 | 14-1-2 | 10-3-3 | 76 |
| Atlético Madrid | 33 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 57 | 16 | 41 | 12-3-1 | 12-1-4 | 76 |
| Real Madrid | 33 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 98 | 30 | 68 | 14-1-2 | 9-5-2 | 75 |
Elsewhere in La Liga
Rayo Vallecano 2-1 Villarreal
Malaga 0-1 Athletic Bilbao
Sevilla 1-1 Deportivo La Coruña
Leicester City 2-2 West Ham: Controversy wild as 10-man Foxes fall, then rise.
By Nicholas Mendola
It’s perhaps the wildest of points in the wildest of rides.
Aaron Cresswell‘s late and gorgeous goal appeared to have lifted West Ham United to a wild 2-1 win over Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Sunday, but a controversial late penalty kick was converted by Leonardo Ulloa to give the Foxes another point.
Jamie Vardy went from hero to villain, scoring a first-half goal before being sent off in the second, and Andy Carroll equalized for West Ham United off another controversial penalty.
Vardy was sitting on yellow when he was given a second yellow card in the 56th minute after diving in an attempt to win a penalty. And Winston Reid embellished contact, admittedly worse than Vardy’s, in order to win a PK for West Ham in the 83rd minute.
Leicester’s Premier League lead rises to 8 points with four matches to play. Spurs have five matches, beginning Monday against Stoke City.
West Ham has pulled to within three points of fifth-place Manchester United.
Dimitri Payet had an early free kick, and somehow Cheikhou Kouyate‘s header hit not one but both posts before Kasper Schmeichel rescued it. You need a bit of luck, huh?
After a couple set pieces for West Ham, it was Leicester’s turn. Marc Albrighton‘s sweeping invitation was headed just wide by Robert Huth.
And then goal No. 22 for Vardy, as the Englishman was slipped into the left side of the box. A long throw from Schmeichel eventually found N'Golo Kante, who spied Vardy across the field and the result felt inevitable. 1-0.
Vardy came very close to meeting Shinji Okazaki‘s back post pass, but couldn’t quite get there.
Moments later, what was he doing? Sitting on a yellow, Vardy dove in the box after a confrontation with Angelo Ogbonna. There was no hesitation for a second yellow, and Leicester was down to 10 men for at least 34 minutes.
Leicester came within 8 minutes of holding out, too, until Moss handed out a penalty when Winston Reid hit the deck after a shove from Wes Morgan. Carroll converted.
That’s when Cresswell scored an absolute screamer to put West Ham up 2-1, but it appeared Leicester should’ve won a penalty kick when Ogbonna dragged down Robert Huth.
Then, a total makeup call, as Carroll bumped down Jeff Schlupp on the corner of the 18. Moss gave what many would view a pretty soft penalty, and Ulloa finished his chance to make it 2-2.
Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace: Out of nothing, Bolasie snares a point.
By Nicholas Mendola
Yannick Bolasie‘s late goal helped Crystal Palace steal a point from Emirates Stadium despite near complete dominance from Arsenal in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Alexis Sanchez scored the Gunners’ only goal to give Arsenal a lead just before halftime, but the club’s second goal never arrived at the Emirates.
The draw puts Arsenal in fourth place, four ahead of fifth place Manchester United and level with Manchester City. The Gunners’ goal differential is six goals inferior to City.
Palace sits 16th with 39 points.
By Nicholas Mendola
It’s perhaps the wildest of points in the wildest of rides.
Aaron Cresswell‘s late and gorgeous goal appeared to have lifted West Ham United to a wild 2-1 win over Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Sunday, but a controversial late penalty kick was converted by Leonardo Ulloa to give the Foxes another point.
Jamie Vardy went from hero to villain, scoring a first-half goal before being sent off in the second, and Andy Carroll equalized for West Ham United off another controversial penalty.
Vardy was sitting on yellow when he was given a second yellow card in the 56th minute after diving in an attempt to win a penalty. And Winston Reid embellished contact, admittedly worse than Vardy’s, in order to win a PK for West Ham in the 83rd minute.
Leicester’s Premier League lead rises to 8 points with four matches to play. Spurs have five matches, beginning Monday against Stoke City.
West Ham has pulled to within three points of fifth-place Manchester United.
Dimitri Payet had an early free kick, and somehow Cheikhou Kouyate‘s header hit not one but both posts before Kasper Schmeichel rescued it. You need a bit of luck, huh?
After a couple set pieces for West Ham, it was Leicester’s turn. Marc Albrighton‘s sweeping invitation was headed just wide by Robert Huth.
And then goal No. 22 for Vardy, as the Englishman was slipped into the left side of the box. A long throw from Schmeichel eventually found N'Golo Kante, who spied Vardy across the field and the result felt inevitable. 1-0.
Vardy came very close to meeting Shinji Okazaki‘s back post pass, but couldn’t quite get there.
Moments later, what was he doing? Sitting on a yellow, Vardy dove in the box after a confrontation with Angelo Ogbonna. There was no hesitation for a second yellow, and Leicester was down to 10 men for at least 34 minutes.
Leicester came within 8 minutes of holding out, too, until Moss handed out a penalty when Winston Reid hit the deck after a shove from Wes Morgan. Carroll converted.
That’s when Cresswell scored an absolute screamer to put West Ham up 2-1, but it appeared Leicester should’ve won a penalty kick when Ogbonna dragged down Robert Huth.
Then, a total makeup call, as Carroll bumped down Jeff Schlupp on the corner of the 18. Moss gave what many would view a pretty soft penalty, and Ulloa finished his chance to make it 2-2.
Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace: Out of nothing, Bolasie snares a point.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
Yannick Bolasie‘s late goal helped Crystal Palace steal a point from Emirates Stadium despite near complete dominance from Arsenal in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Alexis Sanchez scored the Gunners’ only goal to give Arsenal a lead just before halftime, but the club’s second goal never arrived at the Emirates.
The draw puts Arsenal in fourth place, four ahead of fifth place Manchester United and level with Manchester City. The Gunners’ goal differential is six goals inferior to City.
Palace sits 16th with 39 points.
Quite simply, there wasn’t much to like about the opening half hour. Manager Alan Pardew set Palace up to clutter their own third, and Arsenal had little success in finding a way through the Eagles.
At one point near the end of the first 20 minutes, Arsenal was carrying a remarkable 86 percent of possession. Yet aside from a few set piece chances, including a deflected Alexis Sanchez shot, there wasn’t much to entertain until quite close to halftime. That’s when Wayne Hennessey made a pair of in-tight saves.
The goal came in the first minute of stoppage, and it was Sanchez. The forward headed a wonderfully-scooped pass from Danny Welbeck past Hennessey to make it 1-0.
The second half was more Arsenal, opening up a bit after Mile Jedinak came off for Bakary Sako. Ozil sailed another free kick just wide in the 59th minute.
It all seemed on cruise control for Arsenal, even as Palace sub Emmanuel Adebayor dribbled down the left flank. When the ball came to Yannick Bolasie, it was still ho-hum.
Then Bolasie hit the low ball, near post, past Petr Cech. That’s not what you expect from the legendary keeper, but things were shockingly level.
NCAAFB: NCAA says no new bowls until at least 2019.
At one point near the end of the first 20 minutes, Arsenal was carrying a remarkable 86 percent of possession. Yet aside from a few set piece chances, including a deflected Alexis Sanchez shot, there wasn’t much to entertain until quite close to halftime. That’s when Wayne Hennessey made a pair of in-tight saves.
The goal came in the first minute of stoppage, and it was Sanchez. The forward headed a wonderfully-scooped pass from Danny Welbeck past Hennessey to make it 1-0.
The second half was more Arsenal, opening up a bit after Mile Jedinak came off for Bakary Sako. Ozil sailed another free kick just wide in the 59th minute.
It all seemed on cruise control for Arsenal, even as Palace sub Emmanuel Adebayor dribbled down the left flank. When the ball came to Yannick Bolasie, it was still ho-hum.
Then Bolasie hit the low ball, near post, past Petr Cech. That’s not what you expect from the legendary keeper, but things were shockingly level.
NCAAFB: NCAA says no new bowls until at least 2019.
By Graham Watson
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
The NCAA has banned the creation of new bowl games until 2019 at the earliest, the governing body confirmed Monday.
The decision comes after a year where three 5-7 teams had to fill empty bowl slots because there were not enough traditionally bowl eligible teams available.
Currently, college football allows 80 bowl eligible teams. That’s 63 percent of the teams in the FBS. In 1997, just 35 percent of college football’s programs were bowl eligible.
This is bad news for Austin; Charleston, South Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which had all hoped to add bowl games either in the upcoming year or in the near future.
The move is almost ironic. Just a few years ago, teams in Group of Five Conferences had teams with seven and eight-win seasons miss bowl games because there weren’t enough slots and the Power Five Conferences had the best bowl deals. Bowl creators almost overcompensated by adding a handful of new bowls in the past five years. Now it’s all about finding that happy medium.
The 2019 deadline is not an arbitrary date. Most bowl contracts will be up for renewal that year, which will ultimately determine which bowls live and which ones are sent to pasture. In 2013, ESPN and other networks created six-year deals with many bowls, some that have proven profitable and others that have become duds.
This also isn’t the first time the NCAA has instituted a bowl expansion ban. A three-year ban went into effect in 2011 while the NCAA studied licensing for bowls in the wake of the Fiesta Bowl’s financial scandal. After that ban was lift, six new bowls in Miami; Orlando; Boca Raton, Florida; Montgomery, Alabama; Tucson, Arizona; and the Bahamas were created.
Currently, an NCAA working group is examining whether to make bowl eligibility more stringent by changing the threshold from 6-6 to 7-5.
Ohio State breaks own national spring game attendance mark.
By John Taylor
NCAABKB: Loyola coach Sheryl Swoopes being investigated for mistreatment of players after mass transfers.
The decision comes after a year where three 5-7 teams had to fill empty bowl slots because there were not enough traditionally bowl eligible teams available.
Currently, college football allows 80 bowl eligible teams. That’s 63 percent of the teams in the FBS. In 1997, just 35 percent of college football’s programs were bowl eligible.
This is bad news for Austin; Charleston, South Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which had all hoped to add bowl games either in the upcoming year or in the near future.
The move is almost ironic. Just a few years ago, teams in Group of Five Conferences had teams with seven and eight-win seasons miss bowl games because there weren’t enough slots and the Power Five Conferences had the best bowl deals. Bowl creators almost overcompensated by adding a handful of new bowls in the past five years. Now it’s all about finding that happy medium.
The 2019 deadline is not an arbitrary date. Most bowl contracts will be up for renewal that year, which will ultimately determine which bowls live and which ones are sent to pasture. In 2013, ESPN and other networks created six-year deals with many bowls, some that have proven profitable and others that have become duds.
This also isn’t the first time the NCAA has instituted a bowl expansion ban. A three-year ban went into effect in 2011 while the NCAA studied licensing for bowls in the wake of the Fiesta Bowl’s financial scandal. After that ban was lift, six new bowls in Miami; Orlando; Boca Raton, Florida; Montgomery, Alabama; Tucson, Arizona; and the Bahamas were created.
Currently, an NCAA working group is examining whether to make bowl eligibility more stringent by changing the threshold from 6-6 to 7-5.
Ohio State breaks own national spring game attendance mark.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Getty Images)
The Monday before Ohio State’s spring game, head coach Urban Meyer issued a public challenge to fans of the Ohio State football program.
“I’m appealing to our fans to come out and support us, for a lot of reasons,” Meyer said. “There’s nothing like performing in front of 100,000 people. It’s supposed to be great weather so I’m hoping we get 100,000 people.”
Approximately 69,000 tickets for OSU’s spring game had been sold by mid-afternoon Wednesday; by the same time of day Friday, that number had jumped to 77,000 — and those numbers didn’t include student tickets. With the sun shining and the mid-April temperatures approaching 70 degrees in Columbus, the fans rose to the coach’s challenge, with 100,189 patrons showing up at the Horseshoe for the Buckeyes’ spring finale. That number is a new national record for a spring game, breaking the mark of 99,391 set by OSU at last year’s game.
Any suspense over whether a record would be broken was mostly lost prior to the game as, roughly three hours before “kickoff,” the school sent out a press release announcing “Ohio Stadium will be at capacity for today’s LiFE Sports Spring Game, presented by Nationwide, and there are no more tickets available for purchase.”
Capacity at the ‘Shoe incidentally, is 104,944.
THANK YOU FANS! #GoBucks
“I’m appealing to our fans to come out and support us, for a lot of reasons,” Meyer said. “There’s nothing like performing in front of 100,000 people. It’s supposed to be great weather so I’m hoping we get 100,000 people.”
Approximately 69,000 tickets for OSU’s spring game had been sold by mid-afternoon Wednesday; by the same time of day Friday, that number had jumped to 77,000 — and those numbers didn’t include student tickets. With the sun shining and the mid-April temperatures approaching 70 degrees in Columbus, the fans rose to the coach’s challenge, with 100,189 patrons showing up at the Horseshoe for the Buckeyes’ spring finale. That number is a new national record for a spring game, breaking the mark of 99,391 set by OSU at last year’s game.
Any suspense over whether a record would be broken was mostly lost prior to the game as, roughly three hours before “kickoff,” the school sent out a press release announcing “Ohio Stadium will be at capacity for today’s LiFE Sports Spring Game, presented by Nationwide, and there are no more tickets available for purchase.”
Capacity at the ‘Shoe incidentally, is 104,944.
THANK YOU FANS! #GoBucks
NCAABKB: Loyola coach Sheryl Swoopes being investigated for mistreatment of players after mass transfers.
By Scott Phillips
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Loyola (IL) head coach and recent Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Sheryl Swoopes is being investigated by the school after a massive amount of transfers are fleeing the program for the second consecutive season, a source confirmed to NBCSports.com.
The internal investigation is being launched by the school after 10 of Loyola’s 12 returning scholarship players have transferred or requested a release from their scholarship this offseason. This comes after five players transferred out of the program last season.
Loyola’s student newspaper, The Phoenix, stated in a report earlier this week that the transfers have little to do with basketball and have more to do with Swoopes’ treatment of players outside of basketball.
From the report from The Phoenix:
Swoopes has a tendency to “cross the line” when dealing with members of the program in regards to their performances and personal lives, according to a source close to the team who chose to remain anonymous.
“She really pushes them to the point of misery and to the point where they shut down,” said the source. “A lot of them feel very trapped about who they can talk to in the Athletic Department because regardless of who they choose, it usually gets back to Sheryl … And I think when it gets to that point … there is no outlet.”
The source also said Swoopes manages the players’ social lives outside of basketball. Last season, first-year player Courtney Williams decided not to return to Loyola due to off-court problems with Swoopes.
“It was a lot of stuff off the court that [Swoopes] made difficult, but as far as her coaching style, it wasn’t really a factor,” Williams told The PHOENIX last April. “It was a lot of stuff that was unrelated to basketball.”
Loyola released a statement on Swoopes and the investigation on Friday as well.
“Any time there are allegations of student-athlete mistreatment, it is more than concerning,” Loyola’s deputy athletic director, Jermaine Truax, said in the statement. “The welfare of our student-athletes is paramount. Thus, the Loyola University Chicago Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has asked for an independent and comprehensive University investigation into the women’s basketball program. Coach Swoopes is aware of, and will fully cooperate with, the investigation. We look forward to learning how we can resolve these allegations and improve the student-athlete experience within the women’s basketball program.”
“Any time there are allegations of student-athlete mistreatment, it is more than concerning,” Loyola’s deputy athletic director, Jermaine Truax, said in the statement. “The welfare of our student-athletes is paramount. Thus, the Loyola University Chicago Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has asked for an independent and comprehensive University investigation into the women’s basketball program. Coach Swoopes is aware of, and will fully cooperate with, the investigation. We look forward to learning how we can resolve these allegations and improve the student-athlete experience within the women’s basketball program.”
Swoopes has been the women’s head coach at Loyola since 2013 after a legendary playing career that included three Olympic gold medals and four WNBA titles. In three seasons as the school’s head coach, Swoopes is 31-62 after going 14-16 during the 2015-16 season.
Olympic Sports: Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky close Mesa meet with wins.
Associated Press
(Photo/Getty Images)
Katie Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle by nearly 15 seconds at the Arena Pro Swim meet Saturday night, her third victory in three days just over two months before the U.S. Olympic swimming trials.
Ledecky swam well ahead of the rest of the field and touched in 8 minutes, 13.20 seconds on the last night of the meet at Skyline Aquatic Center. Conditions were much calmer than Friday when wind gusts up to 30 mph kicked up the water and gave swimmers an extra element to fight against.
Ledecky finished 14.65 seconds ahead of Lotte Friis of Denmark, who touched in 8:27.85. Cierra Runge finished third in 8:32.21.
Ledecky added the 800 free to her earlier victories in the 200 and 400 freestyles. She later finished sixth in the 100 free; her specialty is the longer distances.
Michael Phelps led all the way in the 200 individual medley, touching in 1:57.90 – third-fastest in the world this year. He led a 1-2-3 sweep by North Baltimore Aquatic Club swimmers. Chase Kalisz was second in 1:59.05 and David Nolan third.
”The freestyle wasn’t that great,” Phelps said. ”I’m never really too satisfied. I always like to have something to work on. I have the speed and that’s something I was lacking. The rest will come.”
Phelps won the 200 butterfly on Friday as he trains with an eye on swimming in his fifth Olympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro. Next up is six weeks of high-altitude training in Colorado while he awaits the birth of his first child in May.
”I’ve got so much in my head right now,” Phelps said. ”I had 15 different thoughts in my head last night, like where do I even go from here?”
Ryan Lochte scratched the 200 IM final to focus on a double of the 200 backstroke and 100 free. He won the backstroke in 2:01.04 and was last in the 100 free.
”It was rough,” he said. ”Feeling that pain like I did this morning (when he swam three races), I hadn’t done that in so long it was new to me. It tells me I’m physically tired. I’ve been training really hard.”
Nathan Adrian won the 100 free to go with his earlier title in the 50 free. His time of 48 seconds was fourth-fastest in the world this year.
The women’s 100 free went to Simone Manuel in 53.80.
Maya DiRado won the women’s 200 IM in 2:11.09, with world record holder Katinka Hosszu of Hungary finishing fifth.
DiRado returned about 15 minutes later to win the 200 back, again beating Hosszu, who was fifth. DiRado won in 2:08.61. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, aiming for another Olympics at age 32, finished second in 2:10.04. World record holder Missy Franklin scratched the final, tweeting that she wasn’t feeling well and was resting on her coach’s orders.
Jordan Wilimovsky, already on the Olympic team in open water swimming, won the 1,500 free.
Ledecky swam well ahead of the rest of the field and touched in 8 minutes, 13.20 seconds on the last night of the meet at Skyline Aquatic Center. Conditions were much calmer than Friday when wind gusts up to 30 mph kicked up the water and gave swimmers an extra element to fight against.
Ledecky finished 14.65 seconds ahead of Lotte Friis of Denmark, who touched in 8:27.85. Cierra Runge finished third in 8:32.21.
Ledecky added the 800 free to her earlier victories in the 200 and 400 freestyles. She later finished sixth in the 100 free; her specialty is the longer distances.
Michael Phelps led all the way in the 200 individual medley, touching in 1:57.90 – third-fastest in the world this year. He led a 1-2-3 sweep by North Baltimore Aquatic Club swimmers. Chase Kalisz was second in 1:59.05 and David Nolan third.
”The freestyle wasn’t that great,” Phelps said. ”I’m never really too satisfied. I always like to have something to work on. I have the speed and that’s something I was lacking. The rest will come.”
Phelps won the 200 butterfly on Friday as he trains with an eye on swimming in his fifth Olympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro. Next up is six weeks of high-altitude training in Colorado while he awaits the birth of his first child in May.
”I’ve got so much in my head right now,” Phelps said. ”I had 15 different thoughts in my head last night, like where do I even go from here?”
Ryan Lochte scratched the 200 IM final to focus on a double of the 200 backstroke and 100 free. He won the backstroke in 2:01.04 and was last in the 100 free.
”It was rough,” he said. ”Feeling that pain like I did this morning (when he swam three races), I hadn’t done that in so long it was new to me. It tells me I’m physically tired. I’ve been training really hard.”
Nathan Adrian won the 100 free to go with his earlier title in the 50 free. His time of 48 seconds was fourth-fastest in the world this year.
The women’s 100 free went to Simone Manuel in 53.80.
Maya DiRado won the women’s 200 IM in 2:11.09, with world record holder Katinka Hosszu of Hungary finishing fifth.
DiRado returned about 15 minutes later to win the 200 back, again beating Hosszu, who was fifth. DiRado won in 2:08.61. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, aiming for another Olympics at age 32, finished second in 2:10.04. World record holder Missy Franklin scratched the final, tweeting that she wasn’t feeling well and was resting on her coach’s orders.
Jordan Wilimovsky, already on the Olympic team in open water swimming, won the 1,500 free.
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1938 - U.S. President Roosevelt threw out the first ball preceding the season opener between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics.
1956 - Ed Rommel became the first umpire to wear glasses during a major league baseball game. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators.
1962 - Bill Russell (Boston Celtics) scored 30 points and got 40 rebounds in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the fourth straight NBA title for the Celtics.
1966 - Bill Russell became the first player-coach for the Boston Celtics.
1977 - Eddie Murray hit his first career home run.
1982 - The Atlanta Braves set a National League record when they won their eleventh straight game from the start of the season.
1985 - Tulane University abolished its 72-year-old basketball program. The reason was charges of fixed games, drug abuse, and payments to players.
1987 - Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia Phillies) hit his 500th career home run.
1987 - The New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals, 3-2, 68 minutes and 47 seconds into overtime. It was the sixth longest game in NHL history.
1995 - Joe Montana retired from the NFL.
1999 - Wayne Gretzky (New York Rangers) played his final game in the NHL. During the game Gretzky got his 2,857th NHL point. He retired as the NHL's all-time leading scorer and holder of 61 individual records.
2002 - Peter Forsberg (Colorado Avalanche) returned to hockey in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Kings. Forsberg had not played since May 10, 2001, when he had his spleen removed in an emergency operation.
2005 - It was announced the NFL's "Monday Night Football" would leave ABC in 2006 for a new home with ESPN. "Monday Night Football" had been on ABC since 1970.
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