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Trending: Blackhawks at Blues Game 7, Monday, April 25, 2016 at 8:30 pm (Scottrade Center). (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates). 

(Photo/newsreality.com)

Trending: The NFL draft starts in Chicago Thursday, April 28, 2016. (See the football section for Bears news and draft updates).

Trending: With 9 picks, will Bears GM Ryan Pace move around in the draft? (See the football section for Bears news and draft updates).

Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".                 

                                                Cubs 2016 Record: 14-5

                                                White Sox 2016 Record: 13-6

(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks rally in second period to beat Blues, force Game 7. (Saturday night's game, 04/23/2016).

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks were not a comeback team this season. When they faced a deficit, even if it was established in the first period, they usually didn’t recover from it. But on Saturday night, down 3-1 after the first period and facing elimination, the Blackhawks came up with that rare comeback at just the right time.

Dale Weise scored the game-winner, his first goal in a Blackhawks uniform, as the Blackhawks scored five unanswered goals to beat the St. Louis Blues, 6-3, in Game 6 at the United Center. The series, tied at 3, goes back to St. Louis for Game 7 on Monday night.

“When we’re down 3-1, we had nothing to lose and the pressure was on them. And now it’s even more. So it’s one game,” coach Joel Quenneville said of Monday’s game, which will start at 7:30 p.m. “I know we have momentum, that’s what we’re looking to get: Let’s go in there and have some fun.”

The Blackhawks were having anything but fun after the first 20 minutes Saturday. Sure, they got the early lead that they wanted, thanks to Andrew Ladd. But 11 minutes into the first they were down 3-1; the Blues scored three goals in a span of four minutes, 42 seconds (Scottie Upshall, Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko).

In the regular season, when the Blackhawks trailed after 20 minutes, they were 3-15-1. The first intermission was probably a trying time, but Corey Crawford said the Blackhawks’ mood never changed.

“Stays the same. Not much changed,” said Crawford, who stopped 25 of 28 shots in the victory. “Guys were excited to get back out there hungry. That’s a lot of character there. We battled back. We didn’t give up too many chances after that. The guys played awesome.”

Apparently the Blackhawks didn’t lose their cool. Their incredible second period was evidence of that. They outshot the Blues 19-6 and got three goals past Blues goaltender Brian Elliott. Artem Anisimov’s power-play goal cut the Blues’ lead to 3-2 just 4:13 into the second period. Trevor van Riemsdyk, off a great pass from Jonathan Toews, tied it at 3 at 12:21. Then Weise, after knocking down Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk behind the net, came back in front to score the go-ahead goal at 16:18.

“We didn’t get too down. We knew we just had to defend a little better,” Weise said. “We gave them too many odd-man rushes. They’ve got too many good players over there who can score on us. We just needed to defend better. We’ve got enough offense. We never have to worry about that. We started to defend, and we kind of fed off the crowd.”

Andrew Shaw, who was back after serving a one-game suspension, scored a power-play goal with 3:07 remaining, and Marian Hossa scored an empty-net goal to finish the game.

The Blackhawks were looking like their postseason was done 20 minutes into Game 6. But once again they somehow found a way to break through and force a Game 7.

Do they complete the comeback? They did so against Detroit in the 2013 Western Conference semifinals. Or do the Blues regroup and close this out on their home ice? The Blackhawks are thrilled that they forced a Game 7, but they know there’s plenty of work ahead.

“We haven’t done anything yet, right? We just wanted to give ourselves a chance to get to a Game 7, and we achieved that. So now you gotta regroup and get ready for another big game,” Ladd said. “They’re a tough team, they’ve got a lot of pride over there, and we know they’re going to come out with their best game of the series. We’re going to have to be ready for that.”

Chicago Blackhawks-St. Louis Blues Preview

By Randy Chambers

Blackhawks at Blues Game 7 - 4/25/16

Chicago Blackhawks (50-28-10) at St. Louis Blues (52-25-10)

NHL Hockey: Monday, April 25, 2016 at 8:30 pm (Scottrade Center)

The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues meet Monday night for game seven at the Scottrade Center.

The Chicago Blackhawks hope to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for an eighth straight season. The Chicago Blackhawks are averaging 2.9 goals per game and are scoring on 22.6 percent of their power plays. Duncan Keith leads Chicago with three goals, Patrick Kane has six assists and Artemi Panarin has 21 shots on goal. Defensively, the Chicago Blackhawks are allowing 2.5 goals per game and are killing 80.3 percent of their power play chances. Corey Crawford has allowed 16 goals on 179 shots faced. Crawford has given up 10 goals in his last three games.

The St. Louis Blues have not made it out of the first round of the playoffs since the 2012-13 season. The St. Louis Blues are averaging 2.7 goals per game and are scoring on 21.5 percent of their power plays. Vladimir Tarasenko leads St. Louis with four goals, Alex Pietrangelo has five assists and Jaden Schwartz has 11 shots on goal. Defensively, the St. Louis Blues are allowing 2.4 goals per game and are killing 85.1 percent of their power play chances. Brian Elliott has allowed 16 goals on 221 shots faced. Elliott has given up 12 goals in his last three games.

The Blackhawks are 37-15 in their last 52 Monday games and 5-12 in their last 17 vs. Central. The Blues are 10-3 in their last 13 vs. Western Conference and 5-11 in their last 16 Conference Quarterfinals games. The road team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings and the over is 3-0-2 in the last 5 meetings. 

The Chicago Blackhawks are scoring at will on Elliott the last three games and are showing that experience is a big factor come playoff time. Chicago could have easily lost game six after getting down big. The Chicago Blackhawks are simply made for this time of year, and you'd be foolish to bet against them, especially with even money. Give me the road team, (Blackhawks).

Blackhawks finding balance on all four lines.   

By Charlie Roumeliotis

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

When Joel Quenneville decided to reunite Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the top line, you knew it wasn't an ideal situation.

The Blackhawks only utilize that "nuclear option" during desperate times, and trailing the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in their first-round series qualified as one.

But pairing them together has often worked out in their favor, as it did towards the end of the 2015 Western Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks and Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It's again reaping benefits for all four lines, which is a large reason why the Blackhawks have climbed back to even up the series 3-3.

"When we went to those lines, I thought we had balance," Quenneville told reporters Sunday. "I think that was what we were looking for. Putting Kaner and Tazer (together), we always find that's when we're in a real bad spot or tough spot. We tried that and we felt that we had more balance. With the way the lines turned out in the game, we liked the way we played."

Those in-game adjustments by Quenneville is what makes him of the best coaches in NHL history, and the Blackhawks continue to roll with and trust the changes without questioning them.

Marian Hossa and Andrew Ladd, both of whom are normally on the first line with Toews, were bumped to the third line with Marcus Kruger, but both of them have been around chess-master Quenneville long enough to know it's a tactic, not necessarily a demotion.

"Not at all," Hossa said. "I mean, you know we keep rolling four lines and quite honest, two nights ago, being on the third line I played more ice time than when I was on the first line. ... I'm glad to help the team, especially at my age, any way I can. I have defensive responsibilities, but Joel wants us to create something offensively too. So it's pretty much the same. My job didn't change."

While the double-overtime victory in Game 5 surely played a big part in those increased minutes, Hossa's right in a sense he's getting more ice time, as the new third line of Ladd, Kruger and Hossa finds itself out more against the line of Jaden Schwartz, Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko, which has had its way against the Blackhawks this series.

That also opens up the first and second lines to produce more offensively, and it showed in Game 6. 

Kane, Toews and Andrew Shaw combined for one goal and three assists, while Richard Panik, who also saw time on the top line, registered a helper.

The Blackhawks are starting to come in waves, and the ability to change on the fly and gel quicky is what has helped the reigning Stanley Cup champions have so much success in the playoffs under Quenneville.

And it will be key to a Game 7 victory in St. Louis on Monday night.

"As you go along in a series, I think you start seeing your own teams, who's playing well, who's deserving of most ice time, who's playing in situations where they deserve more quality and quantity," Quenneville said. "That's part of how we make the alterations. In games we're looking for balance, we still think we need four lines to win.

"As we've gone along here, probably all year long, that's one area we didn't feel it was nailed. I like the progress we're seeing in the series right now. Probably the best we've had all year long so that's a positive sign right now. That's what we're looking for."

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! With 9 picks, will Bears GM Ryan Pace move around in the draft?

By Dan Wiederer

For months, mock drafts have swirled around the Internet with rampant and diverse speculation on what the Bears might do with the 11th pick.

At one point or another, this year's mocks have linked the Bears to Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner, Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, Alabama defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson and Clemson edge rusher Shaq Lawson.

Just to name a few.

Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network made waves in mid-March when he forecasted that North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz would fall out of the top 10 and into the Bears' lap. (A few weeks later, Jeremiah switched his Bears pick to Georgia edge rusher Leonard Floyd.)

Mel Kiper Jr., the godfather of the draft-analysis business, had the Bears selecting Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland with his first mock in January. But then he switched to Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith in mid-February before guessing three weeks later that Floyd would make the most sense.

In other words, heading toward next week's for-real draft, the possibilities for the Bears still seem endless.

Ultimately, that's just the way general manager Ryan Pace likes it, especially as he heads into the draft with nine picks in his back pocket, currency that he's free to spend however he chooses.

"It's awesome," Pace said. "Now we have some flexibility to move around within the draft."

A year ago, Pace did his best with what he had. Armed with only six selections, the Bears stayed where they were slotted and wound up with a half-dozen players in Pace's first draft class.

But now, with that nine-pack of picks — one in each round plus extra picks in the fourth and sixth rounds — the Bears GM should have many more potential paths in his "Choose Your Own Adventure."

And to further emphasize the open-ended nature of this year's festivities, consider the following scenarios:

What if Pace and the Bears don't use the No. 11 pick at all? What if they finagle a trade to move into the top 10? What if they opt to move backward instead? What if they scheme to not only snag a first-round talent at No. 11 but also work to move back into the first round for a second top-tier player on the draft's first night?

It's all on the table.

The art of the deal

If Pace needs some quick insight on how to dance skillfully around the draft board once the clock starts ticking, perhaps he should study the recent track record of NFC North counterpart Rick Spielman. Since being named Vikings GM late in 2011, Spielman has made 13 draft-weekend trades, an admitted fanatic for the spring deal.

In 2012, the Vikings convinced the Browns to swap picks in the first round — stepping back from No. 3 to No. 4 — but hauling in extra fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round picks in return. The Browns selected running back Trent Richardson at No. 3.

The Vikings grabbed left tackle Matt Kalil minutes later. Then, with a pile of extra draft currency, Spielman made a second first-round trade that same night, pushing forward into the end of Round 1 to nab safety Harrison Smith, who now is entering his fifth season as a difference-making starter.

Spielman knew he badly wanted Smith and wasn't up for the anxiety of wondering whether the Notre Dame standout would still be available at No. 35 the next day.
"It would have been a sleepless night," Spielman admitted.

Instead, he traded the Ravens a fourth-round pick to jump six spots and avoid any insomnia.

A similar scenario unfolded two years later when the Vikings and Browns again switched places in the top 10. The Vikings inched back from No. 8 to No. 9 and got an extra fifth-round pick in return. Spielman still wound up with the defensive difference-maker he truly wanted in UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, and later — again with extra flexibility — the Vikings dealt a fourth-round pick to jump from No. 40 to No. 32 to land quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Spielman's overarching draft philosophy: "Go ahead and be aggressive and go get the player that you covet."

First things first

From 2012-14, with trade movement galore, the Vikings wound up with seven first-round picks — Kalil, Smith, Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, Cordarrelle Patterson, Barr and Bridgewater. Six were starters for the team's playoff game in January, evidence that Spielman's wheeling and dealing has been fruitful.

"If we're doing our jobs correctly, hopefully those (players) are going to be your building blocks for the future," he said. "(Those trades) gave us the building blocks for us to continue, hopefully, on the path that we're going. And now we can just continue to layer on to what we've been able to build."

Spielman also points out another perk of all those moves.

The NFL's current collective-bargaining agreement, negotiated in 2011, provides teams an option of retaining first-round picks for a fifth season — whereas all other draft picks are given four-year deals. So the Vikings' binge of stockpiling first-round picks not only landed them better talent early in the draft, it also afforded them the luxury of keeping those picks under team control for longer.

None of this is to say the Bears will navigate this week's draft board with similar gusto. But with nine picks, they are armed with a flexibility to attack when the moments feel right, able in theory to aggressively go after players they want.

"It beats not having as many picks," coach John Fox said.

"You have ammunition now," Pace reiterated. "You can be more aggressive with moving up and down in the draft."

With that ammunition, the Bears still have a multitude of targets to shoot at. Choosing the right ones at the right times will be key.

Goodell expects the draft to move on from Chicago in 2017. (Article dated 04/23/2016).

Posted by Michael David Smith

The NFL draft will take place in Chicago for the second consecutive year next week, but it won’t be in Chicago next year.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said it’s “very likely” the draft will move to another city in 2017, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

When the NFL decided to move the draft out of New York, the plan became to turn it into a traveling show, with different cities getting to experience it in different years. Chicago was first, and the league was satisfied enough in the Windy City to give Chicago another year.

“We really didn’t know what to expect,” Goodell said. “We were very pleased.”

Given that Chicago has been a good host — including giving the league a large discount on the use of Grant Park, which has become a topic of controversy in the city — it’s odd that Goodell would rule out Chicago as next year’s host. But the league apparently wants other cities to know that they should begin preparing competitive bids for next year’s draft.

Rizzo's 2 homers, 4 RBIs lead Cubs to rout of Reds.   

Associated Press

(Photo/bigstory.ap.org)

Anthony Rizzo drove in four runs with his 10th career two-homer game, Jason Hammel pitched six scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs routed the Cincinnati Reds 9-0 on Sunday to improve to 14-5 for the first time in 47 years.

Tommy La Stella hit two doubles and his first homer of the season and Jason Heyward had four hits and 3 RBIs as the Cubs rebounded from their worst loss of the season, 13-5, on Saturday.

Despite that loss, Chicago outscored Cincinnati 38-14 in the four-game series, which started Thursday with Jake Arrieta's 16-0 no-hitter.

The Cubs have won six of their seven games against the Reds this season and nine of their last 10 over the last two seasons. Chicago's record over 19 games is its best since the 1969 team started 14-5. The 1907 Cubs started 16-3.

Hammel (3-0) allowed three hits with two walks and a season-high seven strikeouts and sparked Chicago's two-run second inning with a two-out single to right. He, Arrieta and John Lackey all are 3-0, giving the Cubs three 3-0 pitchers before May 1 for the first time in franchise history.

Rizzo, who went into the game two homers short of tying the National League lead, hit two-run shots in each of his first two at-bats, helping the Cubs lead 8-0 after three innings.

Alfredo Simon, making his first start since lasting a career-low 2/3 of an inning against the Cubs at Chicago on April 13, pitch 2 2/3 innings on Sunday. Simon (0-2), who missed his start on Tuesday with right biceps tendinitis, allowed nine hits and eight runs with one walk and three strikeouts, but he actually lowered his ERA against Chicago from 67.16 to 35.14.

The Reds have lost in all four of Simon's appearances this season, including three starts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cubs: With Chicago having Monday off, manager Joe Maddon considered Sunday a good day to give CF Dexter Fowler his second non-start of the season. Fowler was riding a six-game hitting streak and leading the NL with 17 runs scored.

Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani, who hasn't pitched after suffering a strained left oblique in spring training, three 61 pitches over four innings for Double-A Pensacola on Saturday and felt great, manager Bryan Price said. DeSclafani is scheduled to pitch on Thursday for Single-A Dayton.

UP NEXT

Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks, loser of his last two starts, starts the opener of Chicago's three-game home series against Milwaukee. Hendricks is 4-1 in six career starts against the Brewers, and his 1.45 ERA is his best against any team he has faced at least four times.

Reds: RHP Raisel Iglesias (1-1) makes his first career appearance against the Mets as Cincinnati opens a six-game road trip with the first of three in New York. The Reds are 3-1 in Iglesias's four starts this season.

Fowler setting tone for Cubs' All-Star candidates.

By Carrie Muskat

Center fielder seeks first Midsummer Classic trip; Rizzo, Bryant, others hope to return.

Dexter Fowler's return to the Cubs has sparked the team this season, and Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant rank among the National League leaders in RBIs and home runs. All three Cubs are on the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game ballot, released Sunday.

The 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard will be played July 12 in San Diego, and it would be a sweet trip for Fowler, who signed a one-year contract Feb. 26 to return to the Cubs. The 30-year-old center fielder has never been selected to an All-Star Game, and this year, is making a statement.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon tells Fowler before every at-bat, "You go, we go," and the center fielder has responded. He ranks among the Major League leaders in on-base percentage and batting average.

• Vote Cubs to 2016 All-Star Game

Rizzo is a two-time All-Star, while Bryant was selected in his rookie season last year. Both also participated in the Home Run Derby.

Rizzo is well ahead of last year's pace regarding home runs and leads the Cubs in RBIs, while Bryant notched his third career grand slam and matched a career high with six RBIs on Thursday against the Reds.

Other Cubs on the National League All-Star ballot include catcher Miguel Montero, second baseman Ben Zobrist, shortstop Addison Russell and outfielders Jorge Soler and Jason Heyward. Montero was an All-Star with the D-backs in 2011 and 2014; Zobrist was named to the 2009 and 2013 American League teams while with the Rays, and Heyward was selected his rookie year in 2010 with the Braves.

Browsing the ballot

The other side: Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is a unique talent. At 21, he's batting third and providing web gems on a regular basis. The 2015 American League Rookie of the Year, Correa has kept up his hot start. Can't wait to see him in person when the Cubs play the Astros in September.

Tip of the cap: Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is handling one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and also contributing at the plate. Maybe it's time he was selected to his first All-Star Game. The Cubs' David Ross may get votes for his handling of Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta in the catcher's last season.

A rising star: The Rockies' Trevor Story made a splash with seven home runs in his first six games, quite a feat for a rookie. He hasn't maintained that red-hot pace, but is a player worth considering.

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 times.

Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info.

Following the announcement of the 2016 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.

The 87th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Mat Latos stays hot as White Sox complete sweep of Rangers.

By Paul Roumeliotis

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Mat Latos has been off to a hot start this season and it continued on Sunday as the White Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 4-1, completing a series sweep at U.S. Cellular Field.

Latos improved to 4-0 on the year, bringing his ERA to 0.74. He pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and striking out two.

"Matty threw great. He continues to impress," manager Robin Ventura said. "That’s a tough lineup to go through when they load those lefties in there. He just does a nice job of filling up the strike zone, spinning it up and down in the strike zone. Taking a little off. Getting the ground ball when he needs to and a fly ball. He continues to do that and allow the defense to work for him."

Latos had his struggles though early in the game, having a 26-pitch first inning.

In the second at-bat of the game, rookie Nomar Mazara smacked a 418-foot solo homer to right field to get the Rangers on the board first. But in the third, Dioner Navarro responded with a solo shot of his own, his first of the season, to even things up.

Latos found himself in a few more jams later in the contest as well, but was able to hold off the Rangers from adding any runs.

In the fourth, Latos forced Brett Nicholas to line out, stranding the runners on second and third.

The next inning, the Rangers had runners at the corners with one out, but Latos prevailed by getting Prince Fielder to ground out into a double play.

“I was kind of running on fumes there, the last part, and I was lucky to get a ground ball,” Latos said.

The White Sox pitcher was stuck in hole again in the sixth inning with one out and runners at the corners, but forced yet another double play on his 109th pitch to get out of the jam.

“I battled today,” Latos said. “I didn't have good fastball command. I fell behind in the count early. I was lucky. I got away with a couple pitches. The defense picked me up and so did the offense.”

The White Sox offense started heating up in the fifth and got things going.

Brett Lawrie followed up a Melky Cabrera walk with a double to right-center field to start the inning. A wild pitch scored Cabrera from third — his second run from a wild pitch this series — to put the White Sox in front 2-1.

The White Sox tacked on another run with a sac fly from Navarro that scored Lawrie. And in the eighth, Lawrie’s RBI single extended their lead to 4-1.

David Robertson capped off the game by earning his seventh save of the season.

The White Sox finished their seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record and improved to 13-6 on the year, which leads the American League.

But on Monday, they hit the road for a week and they’re feeling pretty good about it.

"I know it definitely takes us into Toronto on a high note being that Toronto does have a good lineup," Latos said. "So keep winning ballgames and it definitely helps going into tougher series. The Rangers are a tough team and we were able to get a sweep. We just need to take that momentum into Toronto and then into Baltimore as well."

White Sox record first ever 9-3-2-6-2-5 triple play. (Friday's game, 04/22/2016).

By Paul Roumeliotis

The White Sox turned their first triple play in almost 10 years, and if they don’t for another decade, at least the one they executed on Friday will be memorable for a while.

Just how memorable?

“Besides marrying my wife and the birth of my kid, to be honest with you, that's high up there,” said Adam Eaton, who made the first out by catching a liner in right field. “It was unbelievable. I've never had that much fun on a ball field. I'm very confident saying that. I've never had that much fun on a ball field, and it couldn't have happened with a better group of guys.

“I've never been to the playoffs, but I've never had that type of intensity and overall joyfulness out of everybody. It was truly a team effort.”

Here’s how it went down.

The White Sox had a 5-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning. Jose Quintana was stuck in a jam with the bases loaded. Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland lined out to Eaton in right field, who relayed the throw to Jose Abreu at first, tagging Ian Desmond after multiple attempts.

The White Sox first baseman then hauled the ball over to catcher Dioner Navarro, who threw to shortstop Tyler Saladino, catching Adrian Beltre in a rundown between second and third. Saladino then shifted his attention to Prince Fielder, who was caught and eventually tagged by Todd Frazier between third and home.

It was listed as a 9-3-2-6-2-5 triple play, the first ever according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Five White Sox players were involved, and when the third out was recorded, all nine players were in the infield.

Robin Ventura, who has been a part of a triple play before, hadn’t seen anything quite like this one.

“It's just a great job — great jump by Adam in right field to get it in,” said Ventura. “When you kind of break it back down, it was run perfectly. You get the guy at first base. You get the ball home, get it back to second base and Sal running down and getting it. It's just a heads up play — everybody's pointing and filling in where they're supposed to be filling in. 

“They ran it as well as you could and if anybody on the field deserves to have that happen, it's (Quintana). I think that's a good sign. It's something he's earned with what he's been through."

The triple play just about sealed the game for the White Sox in their series opener against the Rangers, who came into Friday's game on a four-game win streak. Quintana's gem powered the White Sox to their 11th win of the season.

The lefthander was glad he got the win, but it was the triple play that was monumental in this game.

"That was fun. That was fun," Quintana said. "We finished the game in the seventh inning, that was fun. I enjoyed this moment.”

Start voting to send Melky, Eaton to All-Star Game.

By Scott Merkin

The White Sox entered Sunday's homestand finale against the Rangers with the most victories of any American League team. That early success also means potential All-Star worthy candidates, players who fans can now vote for with the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot going live.

White Sox fans will be able to lend support to leadoff man Adam Eaton, looking to make his first Midsummer Classic appearance at the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard. Eaton is one of the team leaders in batting average and on-base percentage, and he's made a seamless defensive transition from center field to right field.

Melky Cabrera has jumped off to a great start, leading the team with his .344 batting average and .400 OBP entering Sunday, not to mention a team high in hits. Both Cabrera and Eaton started off slowly at the plate in 2015.

And let's not forget second baseman Brett Lawrie, who falls second on the team in OBP and has added some much-needed energy as a whole. This trio stands at the core of the South Siders' early-season turnaround.

Browsing the ballot

The other side: Dexter Fowler was a surprise late Spring Training addition to the Cubs, and he has been off to a tremendous start over in the National League. The switch-hitting center fielder had a 1.198 OPS with 13 extra-base hits and 17 runs scored entering Sunday.

Tip of the cap: Jarrod Saltalamacchia certainly wasn't the biggest-name acquisition made by the Tigers, but it's hard to overlook his numbers to date. The Tigers backstop leads all catchers with six homers and 15 RBIs, to go along with a 1.184 OPS entering Sunday.

A rising star: Tyler White has started his Major League Baseball career with a significant impact. The Astros' rookie first baseman has five homers and 12 RBIs, as well as a 1.001 OPS entering Sunday, ranking first in the AL at his position.

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 times.

Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info.

Following the announcement of the 2016 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.

The 87th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... The Chicago Bulls: Season of Discontent.

By Darrell Horwitz

(Photo/The sports Post)

Watching the first round of the NBA playoffs this week and seeing just how bad some of the teams are, it’s hard to believe the Chicago Bulls are on the outside looking in. What is more disheartening is the Bulls had the second-to-third most talented roster in the conference. Coming into the season at media day, GM Gar Forman called this a “championship caliber roster.” While that’s a stretch, there is no way this should have been a lottery team.

In a surprise move, both GM Gar Forman and VP John Paxson had an impromptu press conference after the final game to seemingly answer for a failed campaign. In their opening statements, the word accountability was banded about quite a bit. I’m not sure I know the exact definition, but I do know what spewed out of their mouths was far short of taking blame for a disappointing season, or to use their words, “understanding accountability.” Forman also mentioned that everything was on the table moving forward, or in other words, “we don’t have a clue how to fix this mess we put ourselves in.”

So what went wrong? Last year ended on a sour note as the Bulls quit on their former coach, Tom Thibodeau, in Game 6 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I remember watching from the media perch high above the court saying those exact words to the person sitting next to me. Many questioned the Bulls firing Thibodeau, but I was not one of them. The team had tuned him out. When your coach is a screamer, the players tend to stop listening over time, especially if you don’t win, and I mean a title.

Getting rid of him was the right move, and that’s where the problem began. Usually when teams make a change, they go for the opposite type of coach, and the soft-spoken Fred Hoiberg fits that description to a ‘T.’

The problem is he is also a polar opposite of Thibodeau in that he can’t coach, at least not now, and not on the NBA level. That seemed to be what Paxson was saying in the press conference when he said:

“We still believe Fred has a bright future. I’ve seen a lot of young guys in this league come in and have tough first or second years, but through hard work they become better players. The same can be said for coaches. Fred is going to have to work at it. He’s going to have to devote a lot of time and energy to determining what he wants to be as a head coach and how he wants his teams to play.”

The Bulls hired a coach who needed training wheels and they were expecting him to handle this “championship roster” in the last year of their so-called championship window. As the record showed, this experiment failed miserably. It was the worst possible result after axing a popular coach with a winning record. Bulls management failed by not conducting a real coaching search and hiring the GM’s confidant. Hoiberg never had the respect of the team, which was obvious because they never listened to anything he said, and he wasn’t a strong enough leader to change that.

Since he still has four years and $20 million left on his contract, he’s not going anywhere. The excuse for his failure this season was that the team didn’t have the right players to fit his system, but a good coach adjusts. Hoiberg didn’t seem capable of adjusting or adapting to a leaderless locker room. Once Joakim Noah was lost for the season, the season was lost for the Bulls.

Hoiberg talked about demanding more out of the players next year, but when it’s not in you, as the saying goes, “a tiger can’t change his stripes,” and Hoiberg is no tiger. I watched enough press conferences to make a fair judgment, and he seemed lost and clueless most of the time. I don’t see him growing into the job.

So where does that leave the team? Since Paxson mentioned nothing was changing in management, the only thing left is the players. Noah’s contract is up, and there is talk the Bulls might want to bring him back. That would be a big mistake. While I love Noah, between injuries and age, there is no reason to spend big money on a player who can’t take you to the next level.

Pau Gasol will likely opt out of his contract and the Bulls should not make him an offer either. At the trade deadline, they had a possibility to trade him but mentioned at the press conference they thought the cap space his contract gave them was more valuable than what they were being offered in return.

That leaves Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. Rose, the former MVP, looked better as the season wore on, but his best value is that he’s in his free-agent year. If he can perform like a player who was already looking forward to his next contract at last year’s media day, he might have value at the trade deadline. It will certainly be more than he has in the off-season. That’s the best bet, because the Bulls can’t afford to be the team that makes the mistake of giving him a max contract again.

And then there was one—Butler, a self-made man with little fanfare coming out of Marquette who made himself into one of the better two-way players in the league. Quiet and an aw-shucks type of guy changed into Hollywood, hanging out with the likes of Mark Wahlberg. He declared himself the leader of the team this year, but just like with Hoiberg, the players weren’t listening, or maybe they didn’t like the change in demeanor.

Do the Bulls build around Butler or use him as trade bait? If Butler is your star attraction, you are not a serious contender. Best to use him to get draft picks to rebuild the team around. Boston was alleged to be interested previously, and with the beat-down they’re taking from Atlanta, they need reinforcements that are ready to perform at a star level instead of waiting on draft picks. If the offer is right, the Bulls should jump at the opportunity to re-tool the team. Unfortunately the same people who couldn’t build it before get another chance, but under the circumstances, this is the best move they can make.

Blow it all up and do it the Sixers way! Wait, that didn’t work and the NBA frowns on it. It only works if you tank the right year and get the first pick. Baseball seems better suited for tanking at this time.

The rest of the players on the team are at best role players. There are no stars in the making. At one point I thought Nikola Mirotić was that player, but he took a big step back this year. He’s still young enough to improve, but probably not enough to be a real difference-maker.

If this doesn’t sound promising, I have more bad news for you. In one area, the Bulls were the best in the league, bar none. Benny the Bull was Mascot of the Year in 2015. His contract was up and Benny decided to look for greener pastures. When the mascot bails on you, you know you’re in trouble.

The future does not look bright, and while they will “try not to suck” like the tee shirts Joe Maddon made for his Cub players this spring, sucking appears inevitable in the near future. With no core players outside of Butler, not much help anticipated in the upcoming draft, and elite free-agents not coming to town, this looks to be the start of the darkest period of Bulls basketball since the early post-Jordan days. This was the 50th anniversary of Bulls basketball, and it wasn’t much of a celebration year. There’s not much to look forward to either.

Golf: I got a club for that..... Charley Hoffman birdies final hole to win Texas Open.

AP

Charley Hoffman holds his trophy after winning the Texas Open golf tournament, Sunday, April 24, 2016, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Charley Hoffman made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Valero Texas Open on Sunday for his fourth PGA Tour victory.

The 39-year-old Hoffman closed with a 3-under 69 at TPC San Antonio for a one-stroke victory over Patrick Reed. Hoffman finished at 12-under 276 and earned $1,116,000.

"This was my hardest one," Hoffman said after a vigorous fist-pump and drill-team leg kick when the winning putt fell at 18. "Grabbing that lead and holding on to it — it's tough to keep the pedal down and give yourself birdie opportunities and win golf tournaments."

Playing alongside Hoffman, Reed also birdied the par-5 18th for a 69. He missed birdie putts inside 8 feet on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th.

"Today I was missing a lot of short putts, so I'm shocked I even had a chance," Reed said.

Reed, who was born in San Antonio, put the pressure on Hoffman with a tap-in birdie at the 18th after reaching the fringe on the 595-yard hole in two. His shot to the green came from the left-hand rough, and had to clear an oak tree and creek in front of the green.

Hoffman followed by hitting his third shot from a greenside bunker to set up his birdie.

"It was about a cup outside left," Hoffman said. "I said to myself 'Let's finish this here. Let's not play anymore.'"

Hoffman also won the 2007 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship and 2015 OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

Chad Collins was a career-best third at 10 under after a 69. He birdied four of the last five holes.

Third-round leader Ricky Barnes, looking for his first PGA Tour win in 222 tries, stumbled to a 74 to drop into a tie for fourth at 9 under with Kevin Chappell (68), Billy Horschel (70), Ryan Palmer (69) and Martin Piller (70). It was a career best for Piller, the husband of LPGA Tour player Gerina Piller.

Brendan Steele, the 2011 winner who led the first two rounds, had a 75 to tie for 13th at 7 under.

Reed pulled within a shot of Hoffman with a 23-foot birdie putt from the fringe at 15. Hoffman missed a 10-foot birdie try on the hole.

Reed missed a bending, right-to-left putt from 7 feet that could have tied Hoffman at 16, and missed a straighter putt from about the same distance on the next hole.

"I thought they were in," Reed said. "I put the pressure as much as I could on Charley. It shows he was ready to win a golf tournament, and I had way too many mistakes to close one out."

Hoffman took advantage of the misses.

"I definitely dodged bullets there," Hoffman said. "I made my par saves and he missed his birdies, so I was able to keep my momentum."

Piller birdied the 12th with a 14-foot putt to take a two-shot advantage over Reed and Hoffman.

But he gave it back with a double bogey on the par-3 13th. His tee shot plugged into the sand in the steep-faced bunker fronting the green. He blasted out — past the green — then chipped back and two putted.

"Bad lie," Piller said. "I made the swing I wanted to. The ball just ballooned on me."

'No timetable' as speculation mounts on Woods return.

AFP

The sight of Tiger Woods belting a driver during a clinic at a junior golf event this week fuelled speculation that the 14-time major champion could be poised for a return to competition.

The 40-year-old former world number one hasn't played a PGA Tour event since last August.

Since then he has undergone back surgery and a follow-up procedure to ease discomfort from a pinched nerve.

His appearance during the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in South Carolina -- not far from Augusta National in the neighboring state of Georgia -- marked the first time he'd been seen hitting balls in public.

That prompted one Golf Channel analyst to speculate that Woods could be back for the May 5-8 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, calling that a "logical" choice.

Woods's agent Mark Steinberg, however, told Golf Channel "there is no timetable" for the player's return.

Woods's longtime friend Notah Begay, a former pro and now an NBC and Golf Channel commentator, said Woods is getting closer to a competitive return and that the physical attributes he'll need "are starting to materialize".

Woods opted out of last months' Masters, posting on his website that after consulting with his medical team he felt it was "prudent" to skip the first major championship of the season.

He attended the pre-tournament Champions Dinner at Augusta National, where tournament chairman Billy Payne professed himself "delighted" with how well Woods looked and fellow pros such as Phil Mickelson said they hoped to see the 14-time major champion back on tour this year.

Nine-hole format could provide shot in the arm game needs.

Reuters; Reporting by Tony Jimenez, Editing by Pritha Sarkar

With more and more part-timers finding they have less time for 18-hole golf lasting upwards of four hours, a shorter form of the sport could give the amateur game the shot in the arm it desperately needs.

Hoping perhaps to have the same galvanizing effect on golf as the Twenty20 explosion has had on cricket interest, British Open organizers the R&A decided to take a lead this week by launching a new nine-hole event to be played at Royal Troon.

Amateurs will get the chance to try out the Scottish links on July 9, the week before the best golfers in the world turn up at the course to take part in the Open.

To further indicate the growing interest in the shorter form of the game, the prize fund for the Farmfoods British Par-3 Championship in Warwickshire, hosted by Tony Jacklin from July 26-29, has risen by 20 percent to a record 150,000 euros ($169,170).

"I'm really pleased to see the R&A taking the lead in this area," triple major winner Padraig Harrington said in a statement.

"For amateur golfers to be able to play the Open venue in championship condition immediately before the best players in the world is a fantastic initiative, and I'm sure this new competitive format will encourage more people to get out on the course," the Irishman added.

R&A research has highlighted the challenges many face in finding enough hours to play 18 holes. Sixty percent of golfers surveyed recently said they would enjoy the game more if it took up less time.

"We... will be promoting this format as a way of playing golf in less time which can have wider appeal among people who lead increasingly busy lives today," said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers.

Jacklin believes more par-three layouts need to be built to encourage players back on to the fairways and greens.

"A tremendous amount of golfers around the world are 50-plus, they come to that time in life when they ... get shorter in distance and less physically capable," the 1969 British Open and 1970 U.S. Open champion told Reuters last May.

"I think par-three golf offers a great opportunity for the social intercourse that's enjoyed by golfers."

NASCAR: Edwards passes Kyle Busch on last lap to win at Richmond.

By HANK KURZ Jr.

Carl Edwards with the Toyota Owners 400 Trophy after the Sprint Cup auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Sunday, April 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Chet Strange)

Carl Edwards had been grinding for 30 laps, doing everything he could to catch Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in a two-way breakaway from the pack at Richmond International Raceway.

When he finally caught him on the last lap Sunday, and in the final turn, he had no time to think about what would be the prudent thing to do. Instead, Edwards focused on the reason they are racing: to win.

Edwards bumped his sometimes-volatile teammate off his racing line in the last turn and passed him to win his second consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, and the fourth in a row for the Gibbs racing stable.

NASCAR said it was the first last-lap pass for a victory in the history of the premier series at the track, a span of 120 races.

''I wish it was anybody but my teammate that we had to race like that with, but big picture to me is we've both got some wins, we're in the Chase, and it's fun to have to race your teammate for the win,'' Edwards said. ''If the roles were reversed, I would have expected him to bump me the same way.''

Then in a bid to throw a bone to Busch, whose car was sponsored by Banfield Pet Hospital, he said: ''If my cat ever gets sick, I don't care how much it costs, I will take it to the Banfield Pet Hospital, if that helps.''

Gibbs said there's no game plan for how to handle the next team meeting.

''What you do is you just start out and work your way through it, and that's what we'll do,'' he said.

Edwards, who had fallen nearly 1.5 seconds behind after a restart with 36 laps to go, gradually ran him down, catching him on the final lap. Then he slipped underneath Busch, a master blocker in late-race situations, and nudged him just enough to allow Edwards to get inside him for his second consecutive victory. It was also the fourth in a row for the Gibbs stable, and fifth in nine races.

''Kyle's an amazing teammate and it's like he got really slow there at the end,'' Edwards said. ''Something happened that last lap, it's like his rear tires went off or something, and he went down into (Turn) one and I dove it in and I got to him, and I thought, 'Man, I've got something here.' Then he went to get down to the bottom to park it in three and four and I'd already decided to go down there, so I thought, 'Man, I'm going to give him a little nudge.'

''We've both got wins. We're racing for fun and getting these trophies. Just an awesome day.''

fter falling so far behind, Edwards was surprised to find himself in position to challenge for the victory.

''Man, I didn't think we had anything. Kyle was just so good for that run. I was just doing everything I could. He never spun his tires,'' he said. ''If Dave (crew chief Rogers) hadn't screamed at me to just go get him, I don't know if I would have dove it in there that hard.''

Busch seemed less than amused after being denied his third victory in the last four races.

''We just kind of gave it up a little bit there on the last lap, but I guess that's racing and we move on,'' he said. ''... We had a really great car. ... We were fast, maybe not as good as Carl was on the long runs, but we did everything right, everything we were supposed to do.''

Jimmie Johnson finished third, follow by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne and pole-sitter Kevin Harvick. Gibbs placed all four of its drivers in the top seven, with Denny Hamlin sixth and Matt Kenseth seventh.

The race was the first scheduled for during the day at Richmond since 1997, and the racing made a huge fan of Johnson.

''We had multiple lanes that laid the rubber in the race track and we didn't have all those marbles built up on the outside, where it really limited your opportunities up high,'' he said. ''It was fun. The cars were slipping and sliding; there was a ton of fall-off. I enjoyed the long runs. I really like sizing-up guys that I'm racing with and seeing how that works out. And then, at the end we had a bunch of short runs.''

Kahne was trying to hang on to a good finish at the end and missed the drama ahead of him.

''I didn't watch. I wish I would have. It sounded like a great battle,'' he said.

Edwards dominated the first half of the race, leading 120 of the first 200 laps, and he continued to lead until Kevin Harvick slipped underneath him with 170 laps to go. Edwards faded for a time, but wound up leading seven times for a race-high 151 laps. The race featured 23 lead changes, the most here since 2007.

Seven other drivers also led, with Busch, Harvick, Kurt Busch and Johnson also leading for at least 44 laps.

Notes: Johnson has three career victories at Richmond, but none since September 2008. ... Gibbs cars have won five of the first nine races. ... The race went green for the first 157 laps, the longest green-flag run to start a race at Richmond since 1979, and only the fourth time in the last 47 races in the premier series on the 0.75-mile oval that the first 100 laps were run caution-free.

Driver Council agrees to pay Tony Stewart $35,000 fine.

By JENNA FRYER

Tony Stewart, right, jokes with a crew member during practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Friday, April 22, 2016. Stewart is making his return to Sprint Cup racing after a preseason injury. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Tony Stewart's peers will pay the $35,000 fine NASCAR levied against the three-time champion for criticizing the series about a potential safety hazard during races.

The nine-member driver council said in a statement released by Denny Hamlin it agreed to equally pay the fine. Stewart is a member of the council, which was formed last year and its members are elected by all the drivers in the Sprint Cup Series.

The statement was first obtained late Thursday night by NBC Sports. In it, the group said it disagreed with the fine levied against Stewart earlier in the day for warning NASCAR that not policing lug nuts on pit road was a safety hazard.

Some teams are not applying all five lug nuts during tire changes for a faster pit stop. It's led to a rash of loose wheels the last two races.

''We as drivers believe Tony has the right to speak his opinion on topics that pertain to a sport that he has spent nearly two decades helping build as both a driver and an owner,'' the statement said. ''While we do not condone drivers lashing out freely at NASCAR, we do feel Tony was in his rights to state his opinion. We as a Council support him and do not agree with the fine. Therefore, we fellow council members have agreed to contribute equally to paying his fine.''

The Drivers Council, which meets with NASCAR to discuss any issues pertaining to the sport, consists of Hamlin, Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano. The group added Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch this year to replace outgoing members Jeff Gordon, who retired, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray. 

Stewart, who is retiring at the end of this season, announced Thursday that he will return to racing this weekend at Richmond International Raceway after missing the first eight races with a back injury. Hours later, he was fined by NASCAR for comments he made a day earlier at a sponsor appearance.

The fine falls under NASCAR's new behavioral policy.

''For all the work and everything, all the bulletins and all the new stuff we have to do to superspeedway cars and all these other things they want us to do for safety, we can't even make sure we put five lug nuts on the wheel,'' Stewart said Wednesday. "This is not a game you play with safety and that's exactly the way I feel like NASCAR is treating this. This is not the way to do this.''

NASCAR chairman Brian France said Stewart is ''wrong'' and the series takes pride in its push for safety.

''I would say this nobody has led, done more and achieved more in safety than we have. It is a never-ending assignment and we accept that,'' France said Thursday during a meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors in New York. ''We do take offense that anything we do is somehow leading toward an unsafe environment.

Safety ... that's the most important thing we have to achieve.''

Stewart was due back in the car Friday for the first time this season. He crashed an all-terrain vehicle right before the season began and injured his back.

His return is about a month earlier than expected, and he's eligible to race for the Sprint Cup championship should he qualify for the 16-driver field.

SOCCER: Fire's schedule is slow now, but not for long.   

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Right now it’s the calm before the storm for the Chicago Fire.

The Fire was off this weekend and will return against D.C. United on April 30. That match will conclude a stretch in which five of the first seven games of 2016 took place at Toyota Park.

Then the Fire will have to sit through another off weekend. The weird part in the schedule is that two off weekends out of three are followed by a stretch of four matches in 11 days.

Wednesday matches at Vancouver and the New York Red Bulls sandwich a Saturday, May 14, match in New England. Three road games against three 2015 playoff teams will be tough for the Fire, and shows how important it was for the club to rack up points from this early season stretch. A home match against Houston on May 21 caps off four matches in four different cities and three different time zones, in 11 days. Going from playing one match in the span of 24 days to playing four in 11 is a tough transition that came about through a weird quirk in the MLS schedule.

As much as the current lull gives coach Veljko Paunovic extra time in practice, the team had multiple two-a-days this past week, the crowded batch of games looming will test the team’s depth.

“It’s a great opportunity to increase load,” Paunovic said of the off week on Tuesday. “Also we believe we have to do more of the full field games and more situations from the game where all those pieces that we are talking about we have to put them all together and work on the field in details and how we want to play and manage this next game.”

Paunovic had the team play a full field intrasquad scrimmage on Friday at UIC. It was red vs. white and the red team won 2-1. The red team got goals from John Goossens and Gilberto, on a penalty kick, while Razvan Cocis scored on an assist from Arturo Alvarez for the white team.

Team Red for Friday's #cf97 scrimmage: Johnson; Ramos, Kappelhof, Campbell, Vincent; Polster, Stephens; Morrell, Goossens, Calistri; Gilberto

Team White: Lampson; Gehrig, Pineda (Acad.), Meira, Harrington; Cocis, LaBrocca; Alvarez, Perez (Acad.), Fernandez; Igboananike #cf97

Analyzing the lineups for an intrasquad scrimmage is difficult, but there are a few things worth mentioning. First, that’s Eric Gehrig playing right back. Joao Meira and Academy player Mauricio Pineda, one of the Academy's top prospects, paired at center back and Gehrig, on his way back from injury, played on the right.

Also, Sean Johnson’s return to goal is notable, even if he hasn’t played yet in 2016. Johnson had not been able to train with the goalkeepers for a couple weeks, instead playing as a field player, due to a wrist injury. Matt Lampson has been the starter all year while Patrick McLain started on Saturday for St. Louis FC to get him some game action.

While the games aren’t coming often now, Paunovic will have to rotate the lineup during that busy stretch in May. Players like Gehrig and Brandon Vincent, who played next to three other defenders in that scrimmage who have become regular starters, will likely be called upon for bigger roles than they have recently. That stretch in the Fire’s schedule will be tough for the team to get results, but it should also be a great opportunity to learn a lot more about the team.

La Liga & Serie A roundup: Juventus win, on the brink of fifth-straight title.

By Andy Edwards

(Andrea Di Marco/ANSA via AP Photo)

A roundup of Sunday’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…

Villarreal 0-0 Real Sociedad

A 0-0 draw will be a disappointment for Villarreal manager Marcelino Garcia Toral, but the point earned moves El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine) that much closer to locking up fourth place and UEFA Champions League qualification for next season. With three games to play, Villarreal hold a six-point lead on fifth-place Athletic Bilbao, who watched a golden opportunity pass them by with a draw of their own, against bottom-of-the-league Levante, on Sunday.

Team	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Home	Away	PTS
Barcelona	35	26	4	5	102	29	73	15-1-2	11-3-3	82
Atlético Madrid	35	26	4	5	59	16	43	13-3-1	13-1-4	82
Real Madrid	35	25	6	4	104	32	72	15-1-2	10-5-2	81
Villarreal	35	17	10	8	42	31	11	12-4-2	5-6-6	61
Athletic	35	16	7	12	53	43	10	9-4-4	7-3-8	55

Elsewhere in La Liga

Levante 2-2 Athletic Bilbao
Sevilla 2-0 Real Betis
Getafe 2-2 Valencia

Monday’s La Liga schedule

Celta Vigo vs. Granada (2:30 p.m. ET)

Fiorentina 1-2 Juventus

Anything short of three points for Napoli on Monday, when the second-place side plays away to third-pace Roma, and Juventus will have completed their half-decade of Serie A titles. Sunday’s 2-1 away victory over fifth-place Fiorentina put Massimiliano Allegri’s side 12 points clear of Napoli, who still have four games left to play.

Mario Mandzukic put the visitors ahead on 39 minutes, but a draw looked likely when Nikola Kalinic equalized with nine minutes of regular time remaining. It wasn’t to be, though, as Alvaro Morata put Juve back on top just two minutes later. Not even a late penalty kick awarded in controversial fashion could put Fiorentina back on level terms, thanks to 38-year-old Gianluigi Buffon’s heroics just as regular time came to an end.

Team	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Home	Away	PTS
Juventus	35	27	4	4	67	18	49	14-2-1	13-2-3	85
Napoli	34	22	7	5	72	29	43	14-3-0	8-4-5	73
Roma	34	19	11	4	73	38	35	11-5-1	8-6-3	68
Inter Milan	35	19	7	9	47	32	15	12-2-4	7-5-5	64
Fiorentina	35	17	8	10	56	40	16	11-4-3	6-4-7	59
AC Milan	34	14	11	9	43	35	8	9-5-3	5-6-6	53

Elsewhere in Serie A

Frosinone 0-2 Palermo
Torino 1-3 Sassuolo
Atalanta 1-0 Chievo
Bologna 2-0 Genoa
Sampdoria 2-1 Lazio

Monday’s Serie A schedule

Roma vs. Napoli (9 a.m. ET)
Hellas Verona vs. AC Milan (11 a.m. ET)
Carpi vs. Empoli (1 p.m. ET)

FA Cup: Crystal Palace on to the final with 2-1 win over Watford.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/Getty Images)

Crystal Palace has turned their league form around at just the right time, and it’s translated to the cup competition.

Already on four unbeaten in league play, Connor Wickham‘s 61st minute towering header sent the Eagles to the FA Cup final as they downed Watford in the semifinal at Wembley Stadium. All three goals in the 2-1 scoreline were headers.

Palace went ahead in the sixth minute with a goal from Yannick Bolasie off a corner that was flicked on by Damien Delaney. While Watford pulled back level 10 minutes after halftime through Troy Deeney, Wickham responded just six minutes later, meeting Pape Souare’s mile-high cross and burying the chance for the winner.

The Eagles will take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final on May 21, after the Red Devils took down Everton in the first semifinal. It will be a rematch of the 1990 FA Cup final, which United won in a replay under the old format.

Leicester City 4-0 Swansea City: Mahrez, Ulloa move Foxes eight points clear.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/Getty Images)

Well, it turns out Leicester City isn’t a one-man team. Not that there was any doubt.

Without Jamie Vardy, the Foxes grabbed a pair of goals from his replacement Leonardo Ulloa and another from Riyad Mahrez as they stormed Swansea City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium to move eight points ahead of Tottenham at the top of the table.

The game took some time to build off the opening whistle, but a cataclysmic moment for Swansea was all Leicester needed to move in front. Mahrez stole a horrible Ashley Williams pass in the Swansea defensive third, and the Foxes went in front as Mahrez slotted it into the bottom corner for a 1-0 lead.

It was a disastrous moment for Swansea, who have relied on Williams for years as their defensive rock, but his lumped ball struck Mahrez in the torso, and the Leicester attacker was able to settle and do the rest.

As Leicester maintained possession while holding the lead, the King Power Stadium was absolutely exploding with noise. Leicester City got a second on the half-hour mark as captain Wes Morgan won a free-kick on the left flank, and the free-kick by Daniel Drinkwater met Leonardo Ulloa’s head, and the man in place of Jamie Vardy scored.

The move was all made possible by a mind-boggling run from Swansea defender Federico Fernandez, who ran around the back of the pack and played three Foxes onside as Drinkwater sent in the ball. Had he stood his ground, the flag would have gone up.

Swansea moved into the ascendency as Leicester hoped to hold at 2-0 until halftime. Gylfi Sigurdsson took a free-kick from straight on with less than five minutes to the break, and his swerving, bouncing effort was turned aside by Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester wrapped it up in the 60th minute as Schmeichel distributed to Jeffrey Schlupp down the left. Schlupp took Fernandez to school, freeing him to go for goal. He looked to find Ulloa streaking down the other end of the box, and while his first attempt at a cross was blocked, Schlupp worked to get it back, and Ulloa tapped it in with a slide to the post.

For posterity, the Foxes grabbed one more with five minutes to go as substitute Marc Albrighton finished a selfless bit of play by fellow substitutes Demarai Gray and Andy King. Gray found King at the far post with a lofted cross, and while King’s header back in front of net for Albrighton missed its target, it fell back to Schlupp. His initial effort rebounded to Albrighton who crashed home Leicester’s fourth.

The only worry for Leicester in the match would be the end of Ulloa’s day, which came early due to what appeared to be a back problem. He was substituted off in the 79th minute in clear pain, and should Vardy find himself suspended extra matches, it could leave Claudio Ranieri with a lack of strikers.

All in all, it was a stunning response by Leicester to the draw last time out, and the Foxes moved a whopping eight points clear of Tottenham, although Spurs have a game in hand. The magic number for Leicester City is now five, meaning a combination of five points for Leicester and dropped by Spurs would officially hand the Foxes the title.

Swansea, meanwhile, has little to play for, already safe on 40 points in 14th position but without another target to aim at.

Sunderland 0-0 Arsenal: Both sides wasteful as Gunners come up empty.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/Getty Images)

The Gunners had the opportunity to jump into third place with a win, but instead came up empty at the Stadium of Light as they were held by a feisty Sunderland side that also missed big moments.

There were plenty of opportunities for both teams to snatch the win, but neither side was lethal as both failed to capitalize. While Arsenal remains in fourth, the point for Sunderland has them out of the relegation zone, level with Norwich City on 31 points but holding a better goal differential.

Arsenal surged onto the ball early on, as Alex Iwobi found space and rifled a shot just wide three minutes in. Sunderland responded immediately, with Jermain Defoe forcing a save from Petr Cech and earning a corner. The Black Cats kept up the pressure in the 15th minute as Yann M’Villa beat Aaron Ramsey and rifled a shot that deflected off Laurent Koscielny and went for another corner. That produced a Lee Cattermole shot that skittered just wide.

Patrick van Anholt just missed with a free-kick in the 21st minute, a beautiful effort that clanged the corner of the post and off.

Then it was Arsenal’s turn to turn up the heat. Past the half-hour mark, as things appeared to be slowing down, a corner swung in to Olivier Giroud at the near post, and he headed it across the face of goal. Iwobi was waiting, and catapulted up above the defense to power a header on goal, just kept out by a critical block from DeAndre Yedlin who was glued to the post.

Arsenal poured on the pressure as the half came to a close, and another chance went begging as Mesut Ozil lofted a ball in to Giroud, who touched back for Iwobi in acres of space on the penalty spot, but again his low shot was blocked.

Each team had a penalty shout before the halftime whistle sounded. Per Mertesacker handled the ball on a close-range shot from Defoe, but referee Mike Dean waved off the protests as Mertesacker had little time to react and his arms were being pulled in on contact. Arsenal had one down the other end as an Iwobi cross hit Yedlin’s hand as he slid to block, but the referee said no again.

Following the halftime break, Arsenal looked the most dangerous side until the 65th minute, when Sunderland took control. Defoe had a brilliant chance to spring Borini all alone in front of net, but saw his cross blocked. The resulting corner was another key moment as Laurent Koscienly inexplicably ducked under the ball, but Lamine Kone, expecting Koscielny to head it away, stopped and missed his opportunity to touch home.

Arsenal brought on Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck for the stretch run, and the chances flew in for both sides. Welbeck had a go with eight minutes left, but his low effort was right at Vito Mannone. It was Sunderland who had the chances as time wound down, with a host of corners in added time. Kone went for an acrobatic bicycle kick, but it went just over the bar.

NCAAFB: SEC spring attendance by the numbers.

By Kevin McGuire

The SEC led the nation in spring game attendance this year, and the competition was not even close when you look at the data. The SEC had a cumulative total of 508,994 at spring games this season, easily pushing past the Big Ten after seeing their rivals from the north clip them a year ago. Good weather, new coaches and traditionally strong turnouts made the SEC’s spring attendance tough to beat.

SEC Spring Attendance By School

Here is how the SEC schools stacked up against each other in the attendance game.

1. Georgia – 93,000
2. Alabama – 76,212
3. Tennessee – 67,027
4. Florida – 46,000
5. Auburn – 45,723
6. South Carolina – 32,916
7. Arkansas – 30,546
8. Kentucky – 28,441
9. Texas A&M – 27,412
10. Missouri – 25,000
11. LSU – 21,000
12. Mississippi State – 15,717

Note: Ole Miss did not hold a spring game due to stadium renovations. Vanderbilt did not report an attendance figure for its spring game, so is not included in this year’s database.

It’s a New School Record

Georgia set the bar higher than it ever has before and knocked off Alabama from its usual perch atop the spring game attendance standings in the SEC. Georgia recorded a total crowd of 93,000 for its spring game, a new school record that essentially doubled the recorded crowd from the previous spring. Speaking of which…

Biggest Increase, Biggest Drop

Georgia’s school record of 93,000 was up 46,185 fans from the 2015 spring game. There are a couple of reasons for that, and shelling out some money for a performance from Ludacris certainly did not hurt the Bulldogs here. The difference in total fans for Georgia was easily the most sizable among SEC schools, but another SEC East team actually had a larger percentage increase.

The Florida Gators more than doubled their 2015 spring attendance of 21,000 with a reported total of 46,000 fans attending the Gators spring game. It is also worth noting South Carolina saw its spring attendance boosted by roughly 10,000 fans for the first spring under new head coach Will Muschamp. Because Kentucky and Texas A&M did not hold spring game sin 2015, they do not qualify for this category.

On the flip side, Auburn had the biggest drop in spring attendance. The Tigers dipped 16,420 fans this spring. Auburn saw spring game attendance drop for the third straight season under Gus Malzahn, which some will suggest is a drop in interest or support for Malzahn. Still, the number of fans coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium was easily a top 15 crowd. It all depends on your perspective.

Arkansas also saw a noticeable drop by going down 10,674 fans from a year ago.

The LSU Mystery

LSU continues to amaze me. Few question how raucous a crowd can be at an LSU home game, but the spring game just simply isn’t the kind of draw you would think it might be. Considering the numbers other schools around the SEC tend to rack up, and the passion in the state for LSU football, continues to float in the 15,000-20,000 mark for its spring games. In the three years I have been keeping track, LSU has had 15,000 (2014), 18,565 (2015) and 21,000 (2015) for its spring game. Louisiana may love its college football and LSU, and the spring game crowd is still something a number of power conference programs would love to see, but there is just something about spring football that doesn’t quite create the buzz at LSU the way it does at Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and so on.

Quick Hits

• Four schools ranked in the top 10 in spring attendance at the time the SEC wrapped up spring football games. Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Tennessee (No. 5) and Florida (No. 10) ranked in the top 10. Auburn was No. 11.
• Coming off a national championship, Alabama saw an increase in spring game attendance.
• Two schools with new coaches (Georgia, South Carolina) saw an increase in spring attendance while another (Missouri) dropped by roughly 5,000.

You can view my database of spring game attendance in this Google doc. It is updated periodically as information becomes available or confirmed.

Big Ten spring attendance by the numbers.

By Kevin McGuire

The SEC may have led the pack when it comes to spring game attendance, but the Big Ten was once again a strong draw this spring with its usual heavy-hitters continuing to set the pace for the conference. Highlighted by a record-setting turnout for the Ohio State spring game, the Big Ten finished in a firm second place in cumulative spring game attendance with a total of 376,049 fans attending spring games in the Big Ten this year.

Big Ten Spring Attendance By School

Here is how the Big Ten schools compared to each other in the spring game attendance figures.

1. Ohio State – 100,189
2. Nebraska – 72,992
3. Penn State – 65,000
4. Michigan State – 51,000
5. Michigan – 35,000
6. Iowa – 18,460
7. Rutgers – 14,177
8. Wisconsin – 9,181
9. Purdue – 5,050
10. Illinois – 5,000

Note: No attendance figures were made available for Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota and Northwestern.

What Meyer Wants, Meyer Gets

Ohio State set the national spring game attendance record a year ago coming off a national championship with 99,391 fans. Despite the lack of championship this spring to defend, head coach Urban Meyer raised the bar and claimed he wanted to see 100,000 fans at the spring game in Columbus. He got his wish with a new record crowd of 100,189 fans this spring. What’s next for Meyer? Well, there are still a few seats left to fill. Will Meyer hope to push that number even higher next spring?

Biggest Increase, Biggest Drop

In the spring following an undefeated regular season and appearance in the Big Ten championship game and the Rose Bowl, Iowa boasted the largest increase in spring game attendance this season, both in total fans and percentage. To be fair, Iowa did not have much to compete against with its 2015 spring attendance number. A year ago Iowa recorded an estimated 8,000 fans for the spring game. That was up over 10,000 with a much more official-sounding 18,460 fans this spring.

Most of the other Big Ten spring numbers were within close distance compared to 2015, either increasing or decreasing by no more than a couple thousand fans for the most part. While Iowa had the most noticeable increase in spring attendance, the Michigan Wolverines saw the most significant drop. Last year Michigan broke the typical spring game mold in Ann Arbor by turning in a crowd of 60,000 for the first spring game under Jim Harbaugh. This year that total dropped to 35,000. The biggest reason for that drop can likely be contributed to the schedule. Last year’s spring game was played on a Saturday afternoon. This year’s game was given a Friday night billing, which may have led some Wolverine faithful to pass. Michigan has not typically been a huge spring draw, but it will be interesting to see what changes, if any, are made to the scheduling of next year’s spring game.

The Other Usual Power Players

Ohio State aside, it was yet another solid spring showing from the fans in Lincoln, Nebraska and State College, Pennsylvania. Nebraska and Penn State have always typically been strong spring game draws on a regular basis, and neither disappointed again this season. Nebraska once again eclipsed the 70,000-fan mark with 72,992 showing up. Penn State brought in another 60,000+ crowd with an estimated 65,000.

Michigan State is starting to become one of the stronger spring draws as well. The Spartans set a new school record with 51,000 coming out to East Lansing on Saturday. With that, Michigan State pushed past their rivals from Ann Arbor, which surely will bring a smile to the face of Mark Dantonio.

Quick Hits

• Illinois got off to a late start with spring practices due to a late coaching change. No formal spring game was open to fans, but 5,000 Illini faithful got a chance to see Lovie Smith in action as the new head coach during an open practice.
• Like LSU in the SEC, the fact that Wisconsin only brings in just fewer than 10,000 for its spring game amazes me. Wisconsin fans love the Badgers and make for a great crowd, but for whatever reason there is not much emphasis on the spring game.
• Maryland has not recorded a spring game attendance either of the past two spring games, but Rutgers has once again welcomed about 15,000 fans for its spring game for the second straight spring.

You can view my database of spring game attendance in this Google doc. It is updated periodically as information becomes available or confirmed.

NCAABKB: Why an alleged 29-year-old posed as a teenage basketball player.

By Jeff Eisenberg

Jonathon Nicola speaking to reporters earlier this year (screen shot via the Windsor Star)

One morning last spring, Gregory Dole received a call from a friend with whom he'd played high school basketball in Tanzania nearly two decades ago.

Deng D'Awol asked Dole for help finding a school in Canada that would be interested in a 16-year-old basketball phenom he'd discovered in war-weary South Sudan.

"Deng told me, 'There's this amazing kid I want to help get a scholarship,'" Dole told Yahoo Sports on Thursday. "He told me this kid is the best player he's seen in Eastern Africa. He told me this kid reminds him of a young Kevin Durant.' When someone says that, your ears tend to perk up."

Such sky-high praise typically would have inspired skepticism in basketball circles, but Dole trusted his friend's assessment. After all, Deng is a 7-foot-1 center who set shot-blocking records at NAIA Wayland Baptist University, played professionally in the American Basketball Association and overseas and now helps coach and train kids in his native South Sudan.

Dole reached out to a longtime high school coach in Windsor. Catholic Central coach Pete Cusumano agreed to not only take the 6-foot-9 center on his team but also house him for the remainder of his high school career. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until Dole and Cusumano learned that Jonathon Nicola may only be posing as a teenager.

Nicola was arrested last Friday by Canadian border officers for allegedly misrepresenting his age on his application ‎for a study permit for Canada, the Windsor Star first reported Wednesday night. Yahoo Sports confirmed on Thursday that Canadian authorities have evidence Nicola may actually be 12 years older than he purported to be.

When Nicola arrived in Canada last November, his passport indicated his date of birth was Nov. 25, 1998, as did his application for a Canadian study abroad permit. The Canada Border Service Agency flagged Nicola when he tried to enter Michigan last Friday because a fingerprint match revealed he was the same person who had previously applied to visit the U.S. using a date of birth of Nov. 1, 1986.

"Mr. Nicola‘s date of birth was determined to be November 1, 1986 following his application for a U.S. visitor visa," said Anna Pape of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. Pape added that Nicola is being detained until his next admissibility hearing on Tuesday "on the grounds that he presents a flight risk."

While the notion of a 29-year-old man posing as a high school junior has to be terrifying to everyone at Catholic Central, school officials thus far are staying tight-lipped. Cusumano told Yahoo Sports on Thursday that he is "not allowed to comment," citing a directive from the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.

School board spokesman Stephen Fields told Yahoo Sports he would not comment specifically on Nicola's arrest because the case is ongoing. Speaking in general terms, Fields cited the "rigorous system" the school board has in place requiring international students to present valid government documentation — passports and study permits — before they can be enrolled.

Among the few at Catholic Central to address the saga publicly was Richie Akinsanya, a senior point guard on the school's basketball team. Akinsanya tweeted in support of Nicola on Wednesday night, writing "If you were in a war torn country and were given an opportunity to get out, you'd take it in a heartbeat too."

The prospect of a fresh start in a new country had to be very appealing to Nicola. Residents of conflict-stricken South Sudan face ongoing civil war, frequent food shortages and unfathomable poverty.

When D'Awol first saw Nicola play last spring at a tournament in South Sudan's capital city of Juba, he asked to speak with Nicola's mother about the possibility of helping her son find a scholarship opportunity overseas. The scene D'Awol found at Nicola's house was tragic yet typical for South Sudan.

D'Awol estimated that Nicola and as many as 30 relatives lived in one house with just four or five bedrooms. One of the few members of the family with a full-time job was Nicola's father, a petroleum engineer who works primarily in the Middle East and sends home as much money as he can.

 "He comes from a poor family," D'Awol told Yahoo Sports. "They all stay in one house including uncles, aunts, their children and their children's children. And the whole household is supported by an individual or two. That's basically the reality for about 85 percent of people in South Sudan."

Before last spring, D'Awol had no prior relationship with Nicola because he comes from a different tribe and he had traveled for several years with his father. Among the first things D'Awol says he asked Nicola was his age and whether he had documentation. Nicola told him he was a few months shy of his 17th birthday and then produced a passport that appeared to verify that.

"I had no questions whatsoever about his age," D'Awol said. "I saw the documentation. There was no reason for me to doubt him."

Convinced that Nicola was a Division I-caliber talent at minimum, D'Awol agreed to help him find a way to further his education abroad through basketball, something he says he has done previously for a handful of other promising African prospects. D'Awol admits he accepted "a couple hundred dollars" from the family for his services yet insists his primary motivation was to give Nicola the chance to use basketball to better himself the same way he once he did. 

"Out of my own pocket I spent a lot more than the money that they gave me," D'Awol said. "From what they gave me and what I spent, I didn't gain anything."

When Nicola arrived at Catholic Central in late November after finally obtaining his study permit, his towering height, size 16 shoes and 7-foot-4 wingspan instantly attracted attention. Cusumano cautioned that Nicola had scarcely played any organized basketball in South Sudan yet even he couldn't help gushing about his new center's potential.

“I think this kid will have a chance at the NBA,” Cusumano told the Windsor Star in January. “I have never said that about any kid from Windsor.”

Despite his edge in size and strength, Nicola was far from dominant this past season. He protected the rim on defense and scored on dunks, put-backs and an occasional low-post move on offense for a Catholic Central team that won 26 games but only advanced one round in the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association playoffs.

NFL Draft Heads-Up; 2016 NFL Draft: How to watch on TV, schedule, draft order, top 100 players.

By Matt Tabeek

Draft week is finally here and the Los Angeles Rams are on the clock. And for the second straight year, all the round-by-round drama will unfold in Chicago's Auditorium Theatre.

The Rams and Eagles shook things up last week, each trading up for picks No. 1 and 2 with an obvious goal in mind: to land what they hope is a franchise quarterback. And it appears L.A. has its heart set on taking Cal's Jared Goff while the Eagles have eyes for North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. For the complete draft order, rounds 1-7, click here.

Here's the schedule for Rounds 1-7, including TV coverage times and networks:

Round 1

Thursday, April 28: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and NFL Network.

• Note: Each team has 10 minutes to submit their official pick.

Rounds 2-3

Friday, April 29: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and NFL Network. ESPN's coverage moves to ESPN 2 at 8 p.m. ET.

• Note: Each team has 7 minutes to submit their official pick.

Rounds 4-7

Saturday, April 30: Noon ET on ESPN and NFL Network.

• Note: Each team has 5 minutes to submit their official pick.

The top 100 prospects

With quarterbacks Goff and Wentz expected to be off the board after the first two picks, the real drama begins with the Chargers at No. 3. Will San Diego take the top-rated prospected in tackle Laremy Tunsil, go defense and take the versatile Jalen Ramsey or opt to trade down? Click here for the overall top prospects or by position.

Dane Brugler recently updated the 100 prospects on his draft board. Tunsil, Myles Jack, Ramsey, Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott were his top five. For an in-depth breakdown on all 100, click here. Here's the list:

1. Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss (6-5, 305, 5.23, Jr.)
2. Myles Jack, LB, UCLA (6-1, 245, 4.56, Jr.)
3. Jalen Ramsey, DS, Florida State (6-1, 202, 4.49, Jr.)
4. Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State (6-5, 275, 4.82, Jr.)
5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State (6-0, 225, 4.42, Jr.)
6. Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss (6-2, 210, 4.52, Jr.)
7. DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon (6-7, 290, 4.87, Sr.)
8. Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville (6-1, 303, 4.92, Sr.)
9. Jared Goff, QB, California (6-4, 210, 4.82, Jr.)

10. Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (6-5, 231, 4.84, RSr.)

11. Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson (6-3, 270, 4.67, RJr.)
12. Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State (6-1, 235, 4.48, RSo.)
13. Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson (5-10, 195, 4.43, RSo.)
14. Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame (6-6, 315, 5.17, RJr.)
15. Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida (5-11, 199, 4.48, Jr.)
16. Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama (6-3, 313, 5.14, Sr.)
17. Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State (6-6, 318, 5.43, RJr.)
18. Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky (6-3, 261, 4.68, RJr.)
19. Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis (6-6, 230, 4.95, RJr.)
20. Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama (6-2, 252, 4.72, Sr.)

21. William Jackson III, CB, Houston (6-1, 195, 4.52, Sr.)
22. Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor (5-10, 190, 4.42, RJr.)
23. Cody Whitehair, OG, Kansas State (6-4, 309, 5.08, RSr.)
24. Jonathan Bullard, DL, Florida (6-3, 283, 4.86, Sr.)
25. Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss (6-3, 296, 4.86, Jr.)
26. Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State (6-1, 200, 4.52, RSo.)
27. Josh Doctson, WR, TCU (6-2, 195, 4.49, RSr.)
28. Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State (6-7, 315, 5.21, Sr.)
29. A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama (6-3, 312, 5.18, Jr.)
30. Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor (6-1, 310, 5.04, Jr.)

31. Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State (6-3, 210, 4.54, RJr.)
32. Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA (6-2, 310, 5.14, Jr.)
33. Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech (6-3, 309, 5.06, Sr.)
34. Ryan Kelly, OC, Alabama (6-4, 297, 5.23, RSr.)
35. Su'a Cravens, DS/LB, USC (6-1, 225, 4.58, Jr.)
36. Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson (6-4, 275, 4.84, RJr.)
37. Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor (6-0, 201, 4.58, RJr.)
38. Hassan Ridgeway, DT, Texas (6-3, 303, 5.02, RJr.)
39. Kamalei Correa, DE/LB, Boise State (6-3, 243, 4.69, Jr.)
40. Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma (5-10, 194, 4.48, Sr.)

41. Ronald Blair, DE, Appalachian State (6-2, 284, 5.15, RSr.)
42. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama (6-2, 242, 4.54, Jr.)
43. Pharoh Cooper, WR, South Carolina (5-11, 208, 4.52, Jr.)
44. Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame (6-0, 184, 4.42, RJr.)
45. Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana (6-6, 301, 4.94, Sr.)
46. Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech (6-0, 197, 4.48, Jr.)
47. Vonn Bell, DS, Ohio State (5-11, 205, 4.52, Jr.)
48. Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State (6-3, 275, 4.76, RJr.)
49. Austin Johnson, DT, Penn State (6-3, 325, 5.27, RJr.)
50. Artie Burns, CB, Miami (6-0, 193, 4.53, Jr.)

51. Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State (6-1, 196, 4.64, Jr.)
52. Joshua Perry, LB, Ohio State (6-4, 254, 4.68, Sr.)
53. Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas (6-5, 250, 4.68, Jr.)
54. Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh (6-2, 197, 4.52, Jr.)
55. Kyler Fackrell, LB, Utah State (6-5, 245, 4.72, RSr.)
56. Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia (5-10, 205, Sr.)
57. Leonard Floyd, DE/OLB, Georgia (6-6, 244, 4.60, Jr.)
58. Sheldon Day, DT, Notre Dame (6-1, 293, 5.07, Sr.)
59. Keanu Neal, S, Florida (6-1, 211, 4.62, Jr.)
60. Javon Hargrave, DT, South Carolina State (6-1, 309, 4.93, Sr.)

61. Deion Jones, LB, LSU (6-1, 222, 4.39, Sr.)
62. Shon Coleman, OT, Auburn (6-6, 307, RJr.)
63. Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State (6-1, 201, 4.43, RSr.)
64. Germain Ifedi, OT, Texas A&M (6-6, 324, 5.27, RJr.)
65. Nick Martin, OC, Notre Dame (6-4, 299, 5.22, RSr.)
66. Jeremy Cash, S, Duke (6-0, 212, RSr.)
67. Devontae Booker, RB, Utah (5-11, 219, RSr.)
68. Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State (6-4, 217, 4.79, RSr.)
69. Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State (6-4, 251, 4.82, RSr.)
70. Kentrell Brothers, LB, Missouri (6-0, 245, 4.82, RSr.)

71. Christian Westerman, OG, Arizona State (6-3, 298, 5.12, RSr.)
72. Will Redmond, CB, Mississippi State (5-11, 182, Sr.)
73. Josh Garnett, OG, Stanford (6-4, 312, 5.32, Sr.)
74. Kenneth Dixon, RB, Louisiana Tech (5-10, 215, 4.56, Sr.)
75. Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State (6-7, 277, 4.84, RSr.)
76. C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame (6-1, 220, 4.48, RJr.)
77. Jalen Mills, DB, LSU (6-0, 191, 4.47, Sr.)
78. Joe Dahl, OG, Washington State (6-4, 304, 5.18, RSr.)
79. Joe Schobert, LB, Wisconsin (6-1, 244, 4.76, Sr.)
80. Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State (6-6, 310, 5.03, Jr.)

81. Jordan Jenkins, DE, Georgia (6-3, 259, 4.80, Sr.)
82. Ryan Smith, CB, North Carolina Central (5-11, 189, 4.47, RSr.)
83. Roberto Aguayo, PK, Florida State (6-0, 207, RJr.)
84. Le'Raven Clark, OT, Texas Tech (6-5, 316, 5.16, RSr.)
85. Kenny Lawler, WR, California (6-3, 203, 4.64, RJr.)
86. Adolphus Washington, DT, Ohio State (6-3, 301, 5.03, Sr.)
87. DeAndre Houston-Carson, S, William & Mary (6-1, 201, 4.54, RSr.)
88. Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers (6-0, 211, 4.50, Sr.)
89. Jonathan Williams, RB, Arkansas (5-11, 220, 4.63, Sr.)
90. Scooby Wright, LB, Arizona (6-0, 239, 4.87, Jr.)

91. Maliek Collins, DT, Nebraska (6-2, 311, 5.03, Jr.)
92. Kolby Listenbee, WR, TCU (6-0, 197, 4.39, Sr.)
93. Nick Vannett, TE, Ohio State (6-6, 257, 4.89, RSr.)
94. Isaac Seumalo, OC, Oregon State (6-4, 303, 5.19, RJr.)
95. D.J. Reader, DT, Clemson (6-3, 327, 5.27, Sr.)
96. Jihad Ward, DL, Illinois (6-5, 297, 5.09, Sr.)
97. Charles Tapper, DE, Oklahoma (6-3, 271, 4.59, Sr.)
98. Darrell Greene, OG, San Diego State (6-3, 321, 5.20, RSr.)
99. Matt Ioannidis, DT, Temple (6-4, 399, 5.03, Sr.)
100. Tyler Higbee, TE, Western Kentucky (6-6, 249, RSr.)

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, April 25, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1901 - The American League debuted at the Chicago Cricket Club. Chicago defeated Cleveland 8-2.

1909 - "Home Run" Baker hit his first and only grand slam.

1945 - Albert B. "Happy" Chandler was unanimously elected baseball commissioner.

1951 - The Soviet Union officially applied to compete in the Olympics.

1956 - Rocky (Brockton Blockbuster) Marciano retired as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. He had 43 knockouts and 3 decisions to his credit.

1963 - Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics) retired.

1974 - Tampa Bay was awarded the NFL's 27th franchise.

1995 - Darryl Strawberry was sentenced to three years probation, six months of house confinement and a $350,000 fine. Strawberry had avoided prison for tax evasion.

1995 - Petr Nedved (Pittsburgh Penguins) scored the game-winning goal with only 45 seconds left remaining in the fourth overtime period between the Penguins and the Washington Capitals. The game was the third longest in NHL history.

1996 - The Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers combined for the most runs in 26 years. The Twins won with a final score of 24-11.

1997 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) got his 89th career playoff win. He passed Billy Smith for the top spot. The game was also Roy's 10th playoff shutout.

2002 - The NHL suspended Kyle McLaren (Boston Bruins) for an elbow to the face of Richard Zednik (Montreal Canadiens).

2010 - The NHL implemented a new rule that allowed the NHL Hockey Operations Department to review any hit where the head was targeted and/or the principal point of contact for the purpose of Supplementary Discipline.

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