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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"The ones I pity are the ones who never stick out their neck for something they believe, never know the taste of moral struggle, and never have the thrill of victory." ~ Jonathan Kozol, Writer, Educator and Activist
Trending: Blackhawks bury Coyotes with second straight six-goal game. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).
Trending: Bulls: Jerry Reinsdorf humble in response to Hall of Fame inclusion. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox win.
Cubs 2016 Record: 2-0
White Sox 2016 Record: 2-0
Cubs 2016 Record: 2-0
White Sox 2016 Record: 2-0
Trending: NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments finals; (See the college basketball section for updates).
UConn women cap perfect season with 4th straight NCAA championship.
Two Shining Moments: How a wild ending to an incredible game salvaged
a forgettable season. Villanova beats the University of North Carolina
on the last shot of the game.
UConn women cap perfect season with 4th straight NCAA championship.
Two Shining Moments: How a wild ending to an incredible game salvaged
a forgettable season. Villanova beats the University of North Carolina
on the last shot of the game.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks bury Coyotes with second straight six-goal game.
By Tracey Myers
Jonathan Toews talked earlier Tuesday about times this season when he was frustrated, when the points just weren’t coming.
Well, they’re coming now.
Toews recorded three points, including his 250th career goal, as the Blackhawks beat the Arizona Coyotes, 6-2, on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks remain in third place in the Central Division with 101 points. Dallas and St. Louis — each with 105 points — were idle Tuesday and remained first and second, respectively.
It was another point-heavy night for some of the Blackhawks. Artemi Panarin recorded another two assists, giving him 10 points in his last three games. Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist.
With a good finish came bad news. Artem Anisimov left midway through the second period and did not return after Antoine Vermette hit him along the boards. Anisimov was down for a few moments before heading to the locker room. Coach Joel Quenneville said he’ll know more on Wednesday about how Anisimov is doing. The Blackhawks’ injury list is growing — Marian Hossa is out with a lower-body injury, while Andrew Shaw and Corey Crawford are sidelined by upper-body injuries.
As far as this game, however, the Blackhawks liked a lot of what they did, especially the latest scoring eruption. They still gave up two goals late, but this was nothing like Sunday’s finish against the Boston Bruins, in which they were off for about the final 20 minutes.
“The one line's been dynamic in the three games as far as generating off the rush or on the power play or in zone. They’ve really been dangerous. They have the finish, and that line leads our offense and kicked in some other goals as well,” Quenneville said of the second line. “I like the way we played for the most part tonight. We did some things in the last three games when you look at the offense, five (goals), six and six. We know we can score; the ongoing challenge is to check.”
For Toews, it’s another milestone. The team’s celebrated a few of them lately, from Kane hitting 100 points to Quenneville recording his 800th coaching victory. But Toews took goal No. 250 in stride.
“Halfway to Hoss, I guess; lot of work to do there. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I guess,” Toews said to laughs. “I guess that’s cool. I don’t think you’re ever thinking of those things. At the end of the day other people remind you once in a while, but it’s great to see a couple of our guys, and even Q, reach these milestones the last couple of games. Going forward, we can focus on what matters.”
What matters is that the Blackhawks are playing good hockey heading into the postseason, and they’ve been trending in the right direction. Special teams were big for them, as they scored three power-play goals and killed off six Coyotes advantages, including two 5-on-3s (12 seconds and 50 seconds).
“Yeah, it’s obviously really nice,” said Trevor van Riemsdyk of the special teams. “We want to be clicking on all cylinders this time of year. Obviously to get some contributions of the power play there, and to kill off some penalties is nice.”
Richard Panik, who got a top-line opportunity in Hossa’s absence, got the Blackhawks’ offense going with his sixth of the season 5:16 into the game. Toews’ short-handed goal, which came not long after the Coyotes’ brief 5-on-3 power play ended, put the Blackhawks up 2-0. Kane scored his 44th goal of the season, a power-play goal, for a 3-0 lead. The Blackhawks added two more power-play goals on that Vermette five-minute boarding (both from Andrew Ladd) to pretty much put this one out of reach.
The Blackhawks like the direction in which they’re going. Yes, they have their toughest test coming Thursday when they host the St. Louis Blues. But they’re getting goals, they’re getting the most out of guys with several players sidelined, and their captain is getting in a groove at the right time.
“You can work as hard as you want. And I think when you score, it just gives you energy, and it's obviously a mental thing but that was the way it was again tonight,” Toews said. “So it's nice to get that boost. I want to keep growing my game and just try and use the things I need to learn from this season, and use them in the playoffs. So I'm feeling good about that.”
Blackhawks: Corey Crawford hoping to return soon.
By Tracey Myers
Corey Crawford took shots from teammates instead of just goaltending coach Jimmy Waite on Tuesday, another sign that he’s getting better.
And if he’s feeling right and can get one regular-season game in, he’ll do it.
Crawford skated with the team for the first time since sustaining his upper-body injury as the Blackhawks prepped for the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Crawford is still out of the lineup — Scott Darling will start and Michael Leighton will serve as the backup — but there’s a chance he could play the Blackhawks’ final regular-season game, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, on Saturday night.
“That would always be nice,” Crawford said. “I think the little details kind of go away a little bit the longer you miss, but who knows? Practices have been pretty hard, pretty intense, technical stuff with Jimmy I’ve been working on. It feels good. Today felt good with the shots. Just go day by day, but right now, after today I felt good out there seeing stuff."
Crawford didn’t want to talk about his injury, or how it was sustained. But it’s been a frustrating few weeks for Crawford, who has been day-to-day since mid-March.
“You never want to be sitting out. It’s always frustrating watching the games from the sidelines. But hopefully I can get back in there soon,” said Crawford. “I’m not going to talk about [the injury]. Right now I want to be positive and think about what’s been going good for me right now and getting better.”
Crawford is finally turning the corner on his injury. He’s been on the ice three of the last four days, Tuesday being the first time he joined the team since getting hurt. Coach Joel Quenneville sounded certain that Crawford would be starting the postseason. Crawford sounded a little less certain, but he’ll do everything possible to be ready when the playoffs begin.
“I’d love to. But then again, there’s no rush. It’s literally day-by-day,” Crawford said. “The training staff has done a good job. They always make sure our guys are ready when we get on the ice. It’s no different here. But today was a really good day.”
Well, they’re coming now.
Toews recorded three points, including his 250th career goal, as the Blackhawks beat the Arizona Coyotes, 6-2, on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks remain in third place in the Central Division with 101 points. Dallas and St. Louis — each with 105 points — were idle Tuesday and remained first and second, respectively.
It was another point-heavy night for some of the Blackhawks. Artemi Panarin recorded another two assists, giving him 10 points in his last three games. Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist.
With a good finish came bad news. Artem Anisimov left midway through the second period and did not return after Antoine Vermette hit him along the boards. Anisimov was down for a few moments before heading to the locker room. Coach Joel Quenneville said he’ll know more on Wednesday about how Anisimov is doing. The Blackhawks’ injury list is growing — Marian Hossa is out with a lower-body injury, while Andrew Shaw and Corey Crawford are sidelined by upper-body injuries.
As far as this game, however, the Blackhawks liked a lot of what they did, especially the latest scoring eruption. They still gave up two goals late, but this was nothing like Sunday’s finish against the Boston Bruins, in which they were off for about the final 20 minutes.
“The one line's been dynamic in the three games as far as generating off the rush or on the power play or in zone. They’ve really been dangerous. They have the finish, and that line leads our offense and kicked in some other goals as well,” Quenneville said of the second line. “I like the way we played for the most part tonight. We did some things in the last three games when you look at the offense, five (goals), six and six. We know we can score; the ongoing challenge is to check.”
For Toews, it’s another milestone. The team’s celebrated a few of them lately, from Kane hitting 100 points to Quenneville recording his 800th coaching victory. But Toews took goal No. 250 in stride.
“Halfway to Hoss, I guess; lot of work to do there. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I guess,” Toews said to laughs. “I guess that’s cool. I don’t think you’re ever thinking of those things. At the end of the day other people remind you once in a while, but it’s great to see a couple of our guys, and even Q, reach these milestones the last couple of games. Going forward, we can focus on what matters.”
What matters is that the Blackhawks are playing good hockey heading into the postseason, and they’ve been trending in the right direction. Special teams were big for them, as they scored three power-play goals and killed off six Coyotes advantages, including two 5-on-3s (12 seconds and 50 seconds).
“Yeah, it’s obviously really nice,” said Trevor van Riemsdyk of the special teams. “We want to be clicking on all cylinders this time of year. Obviously to get some contributions of the power play there, and to kill off some penalties is nice.”
Richard Panik, who got a top-line opportunity in Hossa’s absence, got the Blackhawks’ offense going with his sixth of the season 5:16 into the game. Toews’ short-handed goal, which came not long after the Coyotes’ brief 5-on-3 power play ended, put the Blackhawks up 2-0. Kane scored his 44th goal of the season, a power-play goal, for a 3-0 lead. The Blackhawks added two more power-play goals on that Vermette five-minute boarding (both from Andrew Ladd) to pretty much put this one out of reach.
The Blackhawks like the direction in which they’re going. Yes, they have their toughest test coming Thursday when they host the St. Louis Blues. But they’re getting goals, they’re getting the most out of guys with several players sidelined, and their captain is getting in a groove at the right time.
“You can work as hard as you want. And I think when you score, it just gives you energy, and it's obviously a mental thing but that was the way it was again tonight,” Toews said. “So it's nice to get that boost. I want to keep growing my game and just try and use the things I need to learn from this season, and use them in the playoffs. So I'm feeling good about that.”
Blackhawks: Corey Crawford hoping to return soon.
By Tracey Myers
Corey Crawford took shots from teammates instead of just goaltending coach Jimmy Waite on Tuesday, another sign that he’s getting better.
And if he’s feeling right and can get one regular-season game in, he’ll do it.
Crawford skated with the team for the first time since sustaining his upper-body injury as the Blackhawks prepped for the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Crawford is still out of the lineup — Scott Darling will start and Michael Leighton will serve as the backup — but there’s a chance he could play the Blackhawks’ final regular-season game, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, on Saturday night.
“That would always be nice,” Crawford said. “I think the little details kind of go away a little bit the longer you miss, but who knows? Practices have been pretty hard, pretty intense, technical stuff with Jimmy I’ve been working on. It feels good. Today felt good with the shots. Just go day by day, but right now, after today I felt good out there seeing stuff."
Crawford didn’t want to talk about his injury, or how it was sustained. But it’s been a frustrating few weeks for Crawford, who has been day-to-day since mid-March.
“You never want to be sitting out. It’s always frustrating watching the games from the sidelines. But hopefully I can get back in there soon,” said Crawford. “I’m not going to talk about [the injury]. Right now I want to be positive and think about what’s been going good for me right now and getting better.”
Crawford is finally turning the corner on his injury. He’s been on the ice three of the last four days, Tuesday being the first time he joined the team since getting hurt. Coach Joel Quenneville sounded certain that Crawford would be starting the postseason. Crawford sounded a little less certain, but he’ll do everything possible to be ready when the playoffs begin.
“I’d love to. But then again, there’s no rush. It’s literally day-by-day,” Crawford said. “The training staff has done a good job. They always make sure our guys are ready when we get on the ice. It’s no different here. But today was a really good day.”
Blackhawks want to build off 'first 39 and change'.
By Tracey Myers
For nearly 40 minutes on Sunday the Blackhawks looked like — the Blackhawks.
We mean the dominating, four-line-rolling Blackhawks that people have been used to watching the last few seasons. That team, for nearly two periods, was very evident on Sunday.
“I know that was as good as we’ve played. That’s the pace we have to play at, with consistency and purpose,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Meaning in every shift.”
And that team is going to have to be more evident — and for 60 minutes or more, not just 40 — as they head into the postseason.
The Blackhawks would rather forget the final 20-plus minutes of Sunday’s victory over the Bruins. That was a combination of Blackhawks breakdowns and Bruins mettle that made a once lopsided game more interesting than the Blackhawks would have liked. But for the first 40 minutes — or as Quenneville more specifically noted, “the first 39 and change” — the Blackhawks liked what they did.
It would be easy to focus on the six goals the Blackhawks scored during that time, and certainly the outburst was a welcome sight. But it several cases, it was what the Blackhawks were denying on the other end during those minutes that was leading to the Blackhawks’ scoring opportunities.
“We saw it there for 40 minutes, how good we can be. And it all starts with how well we defend. You see six goals coming fast, and it’s all about how we defend,” Trevor van Riemsdyk said. “It seems counterintuitive or whatever it may be, but it really is when we’re turning them over, giving them nothing and using our transition and our speed and skill. We have so many great forwards up there that can make so much happen. If we can just stay patient and really focus on how we defend, that leads to our offense.”
The Blackhawks had a few goals down this regular-season stretch. They wanted to shore up their overall game and rekindle their offense — the second line of Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane was looking strong again on Sunday. They wanted to get the most out of a defense minus Duncan Keith, who still has four games remaining on his suspension. Through (nearly) the first two periods on Sunday, the Blackhawks were playing as they hoped to all season.
Now they need to rinse and repeat — and do it for more than 40 minutes from here on out.
“I think we’re happy with our first 40 for sure. That’s something we need to continue to play and build off that,” Brent Seabrook said. “It goes to show when we’re playing our game we can play that way.”
We mean the dominating, four-line-rolling Blackhawks that people have been used to watching the last few seasons. That team, for nearly two periods, was very evident on Sunday.
“I know that was as good as we’ve played. That’s the pace we have to play at, with consistency and purpose,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Meaning in every shift.”
And that team is going to have to be more evident — and for 60 minutes or more, not just 40 — as they head into the postseason.
The Blackhawks would rather forget the final 20-plus minutes of Sunday’s victory over the Bruins. That was a combination of Blackhawks breakdowns and Bruins mettle that made a once lopsided game more interesting than the Blackhawks would have liked. But for the first 40 minutes — or as Quenneville more specifically noted, “the first 39 and change” — the Blackhawks liked what they did.
It would be easy to focus on the six goals the Blackhawks scored during that time, and certainly the outburst was a welcome sight. But it several cases, it was what the Blackhawks were denying on the other end during those minutes that was leading to the Blackhawks’ scoring opportunities.
“We saw it there for 40 minutes, how good we can be. And it all starts with how well we defend. You see six goals coming fast, and it’s all about how we defend,” Trevor van Riemsdyk said. “It seems counterintuitive or whatever it may be, but it really is when we’re turning them over, giving them nothing and using our transition and our speed and skill. We have so many great forwards up there that can make so much happen. If we can just stay patient and really focus on how we defend, that leads to our offense.”
The Blackhawks had a few goals down this regular-season stretch. They wanted to shore up their overall game and rekindle their offense — the second line of Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane was looking strong again on Sunday. They wanted to get the most out of a defense minus Duncan Keith, who still has four games remaining on his suspension. Through (nearly) the first two periods on Sunday, the Blackhawks were playing as they hoped to all season.
Now they need to rinse and repeat — and do it for more than 40 minutes from here on out.
“I think we’re happy with our first 40 for sure. That’s something we need to continue to play and build off that,” Brent Seabrook said. “It goes to show when we’re playing our game we can play that way.”
Blackhawks: Artemi Panarin named NHL's first star of week.
By C. Roumeliotis
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Artemi Panarin was named the NHL's No. 1 star for the week ending April 3 after scoring three goals and adding five assists in three games.
San Jose's Brent Burns and Pittsburgh's Matt Murray were named the second and third stars, respectively.
After being held pointless in the first game against Minnesota, Panarin recorded four points in back-to-back wins over Winnipeg and Boston to help the Blackhawks secure a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He became the first rookie in franchise history to register four-point efforts in consecutive games.
Panarin increased his point total to 72, the first Blackhawks rookie to reach that number since Patrick Kane (72) in 2007-08.
San Jose's Brent Burns and Pittsburgh's Matt Murray were named the second and third stars, respectively.
After being held pointless in the first game against Minnesota, Panarin recorded four points in back-to-back wins over Winnipeg and Boston to help the Blackhawks secure a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He became the first rookie in franchise history to register four-point efforts in consecutive games.
Panarin increased his point total to 72, the first Blackhawks rookie to reach that number since Patrick Kane (72) in 2007-08.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Bulls: Jerry Reinsdorf humble in response to Hall of Fame inclusion.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/chicagoradioandmedia.com)
Humbled and a bit surprised, Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf took his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in stride when news was announced Monday afternoon in Houston, the site of the Final Four.
Ranking it as “just a personal accomplishment” when asked where the highest honor the sport of basketball can bestow upon an individual, the owner of the Chicago Bulls took more pride in the championships he helped steward and the way the franchise has become a national brand in the past 20 years.
“On an individual level, this would be the highest,” Reinsdorf said in a television interview. “But the important thing about being in sports is to win championships. So I’d say the World Series (with the White Sox in 2005) and six championships would be tied for number one and this would come behind it because it’s just a personal accomplishment.”
Being inducted along with larger than life personalities such as Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, along with one of the greatest female basketball players of all time, Sheryl Swoopes, and former NBA player Yao Ming, Reinsdorf’s inclusion into basketball mortality will likely take a backseat in September as the focus will be on the aforementioned.
Ranking it as “just a personal accomplishment” when asked where the highest honor the sport of basketball can bestow upon an individual, the owner of the Chicago Bulls took more pride in the championships he helped steward and the way the franchise has become a national brand in the past 20 years.
“On an individual level, this would be the highest,” Reinsdorf said in a television interview. “But the important thing about being in sports is to win championships. So I’d say the World Series (with the White Sox in 2005) and six championships would be tied for number one and this would come behind it because it’s just a personal accomplishment.”
Being inducted along with larger than life personalities such as Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, along with one of the greatest female basketball players of all time, Sheryl Swoopes, and former NBA player Yao Ming, Reinsdorf’s inclusion into basketball mortality will likely take a backseat in September as the focus will be on the aforementioned.
But his importance to Chicago and the Bulls franchise hasn’t gone unnoticed by the decision makers, as Reinsdorf has seen more NBA titles since taking ownership of the Bulls in 1985 than any NBA owner not named Dr. Jerry Buss, who oversaw the Lakers win eight NBA championships.
“I was able to put together a great organization with great people. Jerry Krause (former Bulls GM) is really the architect of the championships, Phil (Jackson) and Michael (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen),” Reinsdorf said. “Then turning everything over to my son Michael to run in the last couple years. Then John Paxson and Gar Forman, wonderful people, really talented. I’m just proud of the people I have with the Bulls.”
Since the NBA/ABA merger, only the late William Davidson (Pistons), Jerry Colangelo (Suns) and Buss have been let into the Basketball Hall of Fame as owners. Reinsdorf makes no bones about it, that taking over in Chicago at the same time a kid from North Carolina was in a star-studded rookie year had plenty of do with his success.
“Well having Michael Jordan was having Babe Ruth, I mean, the greatest player of all time in his sport and it was something I tried to appreciate and enjoy all of those years,” Reinsdorf said. “That was just luck. I can’t take any credit for acquiring Michael Jordan. He just fell into our laps. It was an incredible experience.”
An experience Reinsdorf helped foster and turn into six NBA titles in an eight year span by hiring Krause, whom he’ll likely mention at his induction speech months from now as someone who deserves the honor as much.
He hired Krause and allowed his basketball executives make the decisions, including the one that enabled Krause to hire Phil Jackson in 1989 after firing Doug Collins. The trio of Krause, Jackson and Jordan helped the Bulls elevate themselves to the NBA mountaintop, enduring controversy, retirement and attrition at a time when the NBA’s popularity was exploding across the world.
Reinsdorf was low-key, preferring to let those outstretched personalities have the glory.
“I don’t know if I’m impressed but I’m proud,” said Reinsdorf of building the Bulls brand. "Proud of the fact the Bulls are a worldwide brand and wherever you go around the world, you see Bulls merchandise. It used to be, you traveled abroad, you say you were from Chicago, they’d say Al Capone. Now they say Chicago Bulls. I am proud of that.”
Come September, for as long as he so chooses while on that stage, Reinsdorf will have the stage all to himself.
Bulls' quest for playoff spot takes hit with loss to Grizzlies.
Associated Press
The Memphis Grizzlies solidified their grip on a Western Conference playoff spot, while the Chicago Bulls saw their postseason chances slip further away.
Despite missing several key players, the Grizzlies forced the Bulls out of their offense, stymied Chicago's leading scorer and captured a 108-92 victory on Tuesday night.
Memphis snapped a six-game losing streak and remained in the Western Conference's fifth playoff spot.
"It was a great win," said Zach Randolph, who led the Grizzlies with 27 points and 10 rebounds. "We've been searching, and we've been desperate for a win."
Vince Carter added 17 points as Memphis displayed a strong defense missing in recent games. The Bulls, who had won three of four, never got the deficit under double digits in the fourth quarter of a loss that damaged their playoff hopes.
Chicago remained two games behind the Detroit Pistons for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons lost 107-89 at Miami.
"It was very disappointing to throw away an opportunity like this, especially with Detroit losing," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.
Nikola Mirotic led Chicago with 20 points, going 6 of 9 from 3-point range. Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Derrick Rose had 12 points and eight assists, while Bobby Portis also finished with 12 points.
"They just played like they wanted to get into the playoffs," Rose said of the Grizzlies. He added he was baffled by the Bulls' lack of effort.
"I think everyone was surprised," Rose said. "I still can't believe it."
Bulls leading scorer Jimmy Butler was held scoreless through three quarters before finishing with five points, converting only 2-of-8 shots and missing all four shots outside the arc.
The Grizzlies caused 20 Chicago turnovers, leading to 38 Memphis points. Tony Allen, who guarded Butler much of the night, had four of Memphis' 13 steals in the game.
"We know he's prolific," Allen said of Butler. "I thought I tried to limit his touches. . I just locked in, keyed in and tried my best to compete for the whole 48 minutes. Well, the minutes I was out there."
Matt Barnes scored 16 points, and Jordan Farmar had a season-high 15 for Memphis, which has stumbled down the stretch, playing without key starters Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, both done for the season.
Memphis, which led by as many as 22 in the third quarter, still held a 91-70 lead after a pair of free throws from JaMychal Green with 8:45 left. But the Bulls clicked off the game's next 10 points to make it interesting. Mirotic's 3-pointer near the 6-minute mark capped the run and made it 91-80.
That was as close as the Bulls could get.
"If we come out and play like that every game," Randolph said, "we give ourselves a chance to win even with the circumstances of our team."
“I was able to put together a great organization with great people. Jerry Krause (former Bulls GM) is really the architect of the championships, Phil (Jackson) and Michael (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen),” Reinsdorf said. “Then turning everything over to my son Michael to run in the last couple years. Then John Paxson and Gar Forman, wonderful people, really talented. I’m just proud of the people I have with the Bulls.”
Since the NBA/ABA merger, only the late William Davidson (Pistons), Jerry Colangelo (Suns) and Buss have been let into the Basketball Hall of Fame as owners. Reinsdorf makes no bones about it, that taking over in Chicago at the same time a kid from North Carolina was in a star-studded rookie year had plenty of do with his success.
“Well having Michael Jordan was having Babe Ruth, I mean, the greatest player of all time in his sport and it was something I tried to appreciate and enjoy all of those years,” Reinsdorf said. “That was just luck. I can’t take any credit for acquiring Michael Jordan. He just fell into our laps. It was an incredible experience.”
An experience Reinsdorf helped foster and turn into six NBA titles in an eight year span by hiring Krause, whom he’ll likely mention at his induction speech months from now as someone who deserves the honor as much.
He hired Krause and allowed his basketball executives make the decisions, including the one that enabled Krause to hire Phil Jackson in 1989 after firing Doug Collins. The trio of Krause, Jackson and Jordan helped the Bulls elevate themselves to the NBA mountaintop, enduring controversy, retirement and attrition at a time when the NBA’s popularity was exploding across the world.
Reinsdorf was low-key, preferring to let those outstretched personalities have the glory.
“I don’t know if I’m impressed but I’m proud,” said Reinsdorf of building the Bulls brand. "Proud of the fact the Bulls are a worldwide brand and wherever you go around the world, you see Bulls merchandise. It used to be, you traveled abroad, you say you were from Chicago, they’d say Al Capone. Now they say Chicago Bulls. I am proud of that.”
Come September, for as long as he so chooses while on that stage, Reinsdorf will have the stage all to himself.
Bulls' quest for playoff spot takes hit with loss to Grizzlies.
Associated Press
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Despite missing several key players, the Grizzlies forced the Bulls out of their offense, stymied Chicago's leading scorer and captured a 108-92 victory on Tuesday night.
Memphis snapped a six-game losing streak and remained in the Western Conference's fifth playoff spot.
"It was a great win," said Zach Randolph, who led the Grizzlies with 27 points and 10 rebounds. "We've been searching, and we've been desperate for a win."
Vince Carter added 17 points as Memphis displayed a strong defense missing in recent games. The Bulls, who had won three of four, never got the deficit under double digits in the fourth quarter of a loss that damaged their playoff hopes.
Chicago remained two games behind the Detroit Pistons for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons lost 107-89 at Miami.
"It was very disappointing to throw away an opportunity like this, especially with Detroit losing," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.
Nikola Mirotic led Chicago with 20 points, going 6 of 9 from 3-point range. Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Derrick Rose had 12 points and eight assists, while Bobby Portis also finished with 12 points.
"They just played like they wanted to get into the playoffs," Rose said of the Grizzlies. He added he was baffled by the Bulls' lack of effort.
"I think everyone was surprised," Rose said. "I still can't believe it."
Bulls leading scorer Jimmy Butler was held scoreless through three quarters before finishing with five points, converting only 2-of-8 shots and missing all four shots outside the arc.
The Grizzlies caused 20 Chicago turnovers, leading to 38 Memphis points. Tony Allen, who guarded Butler much of the night, had four of Memphis' 13 steals in the game.
"We know he's prolific," Allen said of Butler. "I thought I tried to limit his touches. . I just locked in, keyed in and tried my best to compete for the whole 48 minutes. Well, the minutes I was out there."
Matt Barnes scored 16 points, and Jordan Farmar had a season-high 15 for Memphis, which has stumbled down the stretch, playing without key starters Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, both done for the season.
Memphis, which led by as many as 22 in the third quarter, still held a 91-70 lead after a pair of free throws from JaMychal Green with 8:45 left. But the Bulls clicked off the game's next 10 points to make it interesting. Mirotic's 3-pointer near the 6-minute mark capped the run and made it 91-80.
That was as close as the Bulls could get.
"If we come out and play like that every game," Randolph said, "we give ourselves a chance to win even with the circumstances of our team."
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears looking at speed, size in pre-draft visits with receivers, linemen.
With their need at tight end, the Bears are among the teams reportedly scheduling a visit with Florida Atlantic’s Moritz Wilhelm Boehringer. A German native, Boehringer ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and posted a 39-inch vertical jump that wowed scouts at his recent pro day. He is listed as a wide receiver but at 6-foot-4, 227 pounds, scouts have expressed interest in his potential at tight end.
The Bears also were slated to visit with Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman, according a tweet by NFL Network’s Rand Getlin. Coleman caught 74 passes for 1,363 yards and 20 touchdowns last season and ran a 4.37-second 40 at Baylor’s pro day.
After signing offensive linemen Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez in addition to defensive end/tackle Akiem Hicks, the Bears are remaining aggressive in first-hand evaluations of draft prospects intended to dominate lines of scrimmage.
The Bears also were slated to visit with Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman, according a tweet by NFL Network’s Rand Getlin. Coleman caught 74 passes for 1,363 yards and 20 touchdowns last season and ran a 4.37-second 40 at Baylor’s pro day.
After signing offensive linemen Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez in addition to defensive end/tackle Akiem Hicks, the Bears are remaining aggressive in first-hand evaluations of draft prospects intended to dominate lines of scrimmage.
Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed (6-foot-3, 311 pounds) announced that he had worked out for the Bears. Additionally, Kansas State guard/tackle Cody Whitehair, four-time All-Big 12 and starting 50 games over those four seasons, said via SiriusXM radio that he has a Bears pre-draft visit scheduled. Both were first reported by Aaron Leming of Bear Report.
Whitehair (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) is projected to be a mid-round pick by Pro Football Weekly’s Draft Guide after starting his past two seasons at left tackle.
Whitehair (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) is projected to be a mid-round pick by Pro Football Weekly’s Draft Guide after starting his past two seasons at left tackle.
Robbie Gould: 'I want to be the best kicker to ever play the game'.
By John Mullin
Robbie Gould began the 2015 season as the third-most-accurate kicker in NFL history. With a spotty year that included a couple of demoralizing misses, he finished the year ninth all-time.
Now, beginning with his earliest-ever start to the offseason, Gould has set a target considerably higher than even No. 3”
“I want to be the best kicker to ever play the game,” Gould said on Tuesday. “And the only way to do that is through hard work and by dedicating yourself to doing it.”
He was vilified by more than a few fans last season when he uncharacteristically missed late-fourth-quarter field goals in losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins on successive weekends. But what his teammates think of him was reflected in Gould being voted by them as the winner of the annual Ed Block Courage Award for this year, presented to Gould on Tuesday at a luncheon at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines.
“The award itself is voted on by your teammates,” Gould said. “So anytime your teammates vote on something, whether it’s an award or anything else, it means a lot more.”
The Ed Block Courage Award honors NFL players on all 32 teams who symbolize professionalism, great strength, dedication, sportsmanship and courage. The Ed Block Courage Award foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of abused, neglected and at-risk children and ending the cycle of abuse.
Gould is the longest-tenured Bear, signed as a free agent during the 2005 season. And his end is not in sight yet.
“I’m going to play a lot longer, whether it’s here down the road or down the road,” Gould said. “I’ve got a lot of football left in me.”
Gould broke the Bears field-goal mark and became the franchise’s all-time scoring leader last season as he converted 33 of 39 attempts, including 14 of 18 from 40 yards or longer. His success rate of 84.6 percent was only slightly off his career average of 85.4 percent.
Now, beginning with his earliest-ever start to the offseason, Gould has set a target considerably higher than even No. 3”
“I want to be the best kicker to ever play the game,” Gould said on Tuesday. “And the only way to do that is through hard work and by dedicating yourself to doing it.”
He was vilified by more than a few fans last season when he uncharacteristically missed late-fourth-quarter field goals in losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins on successive weekends. But what his teammates think of him was reflected in Gould being voted by them as the winner of the annual Ed Block Courage Award for this year, presented to Gould on Tuesday at a luncheon at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines.
“The award itself is voted on by your teammates,” Gould said. “So anytime your teammates vote on something, whether it’s an award or anything else, it means a lot more.”
The Ed Block Courage Award honors NFL players on all 32 teams who symbolize professionalism, great strength, dedication, sportsmanship and courage. The Ed Block Courage Award foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of abused, neglected and at-risk children and ending the cycle of abuse.
Gould is the longest-tenured Bear, signed as a free agent during the 2005 season. And his end is not in sight yet.
“I’m going to play a lot longer, whether it’s here down the road or down the road,” Gould said. “I’ve got a lot of football left in me.”
Gould broke the Bears field-goal mark and became the franchise’s all-time scoring leader last season as he converted 33 of 39 attempts, including 14 of 18 from 40 yards or longer. His success rate of 84.6 percent was only slightly off his career average of 85.4 percent.
As for the disappointments of the San Francisco and Washington misses and the 6-10 season, “I’ve honestly moved on from it,” Gould said. “I think I had a really good year. I think there’s a lot of things I can learn from last year that can help me prepare for this year.”
Gould already has begun his own offseason workout, coupled with adding several pounds to add strength. It is, he said, the earliest he has ever kicked in an offseason.
And he has taken on an added leadership role amid all the roster changes resulting from the Bears’ offseason signings.
“I understand what it means to be a Chicago Bear.”
Gould already has begun his own offseason workout, coupled with adding several pounds to add strength. It is, he said, the earliest he has ever kicked in an offseason.
And he has taken on an added leadership role amid all the roster changes resulting from the Bears’ offseason signings.
“I understand what it means to be a Chicago Bear.”
Jon Lester already showing noticeable progression in Year 2 with Cubs.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/www.newslocker.com)
The way Jon Lester understood The Plan, the Cubs would go full throttle trying to win the World Series in 2016.
How the Cubs got to this point is a completely different story, without the kind of incremental improvement that would gradually raise expectations and create a cautious sense of optimism around the team.
For two nights in Orange County, the Cubs absolutely lived up to the hype, blitzing the Los Angeles Angels and following the offseason playbook with dominant starting pitching, a relentless lineup and across-the-board contributions.
The Cubs looked more like the American League team, outscoring the Angels 15-1 during this two-game sweep. Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta is a tough act to follow, but Lester cruised through seven innings in Tuesday night’s 6-1 win at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, allowing only one run on four hits.
The Cubs are now 2-0 for the first time since 1995 – or the year after shortstop Addison Russell was born – and should get a tougher test from another team that dominated the offseason headlines.
The Cubs head back to the desert for a four-game series against Zack Greinke, Shelby Miller and the Arizona Diamondbacks that begins Thursday night at Chase Field.
Manager Joe Maddon has already noticed the differences in Lester in the second season of a six-year, $155 million megadeal that signaled the Cubs were finally ready to compete.
“I don’t think there was a moment last year that I thought his delivery was as smooth as I saw it (in spring training),” Maddon said. “The cutter from early on in camp was probably as good as it was at any time last season.
“I also believe that one year removed from last year, he’s more comfortable not having the weight of the world on his shoulders (as) one of the top free agents signed. He’s got other guys to deflect from right now, which I think is going to make him even better.”
And that’s how the Cubs can transform a 97-win team into an even tougher out in October.
Back with Cubs, Dexter Fowler playing like he has something to prove.
By Patrick Mooney
Right up until the moment the Cubs shocked even their own players one day in spring training, it looked like Joe Maddon’s “You go, we go” message for Dexter Fowler would turn into “He gone.”
The Cubs manager still says that to Fowler before every at-bat, and the leadoff guy delivered on Opening Night, showing why that signing might be more of a necessity than a luxury item.
“He brings a lot of energy,” Maddon said after Monday’s 9-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels. “He’s a catalyst, there’s no question about that. So to get him back like we did – in kind of dramatic fashion – imagine the lineup without him.”
Fowler saw 17 pitches at the top of an American League-style lineup that made five Angels throw 188 pitches. Fowler got on base four times, scored three runs and played center at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, allowing Gold Glover Jason Heyward to move over to his more natural position in right field.
“I’m always on a personal mission,” Fowler said with a smile.
Fowler felt like he had unfinished business in Wrigleyville after helping the Cubs advance to the National League Championship Series: “It ended a little quicker than what we wanted. Coming back here, we definitely got something to prove.”
But if the Baltimore Orioles hadn’t slow-played the negotiations – pushing harder to close a reported three-year, $35 million deal – then Fowler probably wouldn’t have been wearing those sweet red-white-and-blue Air Jordan cleats for Opening Day. After that experience, Maddon believes the Cubs have a highly motivated employee.
“I’ve always been the underdog,” Fowler said. “I always play with a chip on my shoulder. But I’m going to go out and have fun and try to embrace the time I have with my teammates.”
As expected, Fowler turned down the one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer after a solid walk season that saw him get on base almost 35 percent of the time, hit 17 homers and score 102 runs for a 97-win team.
But the draft-pick compensation had a chilling effect on Fowler’s market and even teams that need to win now and could use a top-of-the-order presence – like the White Sox – became reluctant to give him the big multiyear deal.
Theo Epstein’s front office likes to kick the tires on everything, never ruling anything out, which explains some of the rumors that go nowhere. This time, the patience paid off, with Fowler accepting a one-year, $13 million guarantee and showing up at the team’s Arizona complex on Feb. 25, or two days after the Baltimore reports.
Game 1 showed what this team could be all about, with Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta in cruise control on the mound and Fowler reminding the Cubs what they might have otherwise missed.
“These guys are my boys,” Fowler said. “This is my family. So coming out each and every day and being in the trenches with them is always awesome.”
Is this season a failure if Cubs don’t win the World Series?
By Patrick Mooney
If the Cubs don’t win the World Series, will this season be a failure?
The Cubs are light years away from pitchers getting asked about the trade deadline as soon as they report to spring training, or managers sitting on the hot seat, or prospects becoming overloaded with attention to distract everyone from the awful big-league product.
Year 5 of the Theo Epstein administration began on a beautiful, 75-degrees-and-sunny night in Southern California, with fireworks, a flyover and a sellout crowd (44,020) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. But anxious Cubs fans, the build-‘em-up Chicago media and all those national experts can’t fast forward to October.
There is still more than 99 percent of the season left to play after Jake Arrieta again looked like a Cy Young Award winner while dominating the Los Angeles Angels during Monday’s 9-0 victory.
“I don’t think it’s fair to sit here on Opening Day and determine what’s going to be a success and what’s going to be a failure,” Epstein said. “It’s fair at the end of the year. As I look back on last year, I can identify a lot of things that were successes. And I can identify a lot of things that were failures, even in what was overall seen as a pretty darn good year for the organization.
“That’s what we’ll do at the end of the season, sit back and take stock on that and hope that these are the types of questions we’re asked again next Opening Day. The fact that you’re asking that means a lot’s going right for this organization.
“That’s a good feeling, but it doesn’t mean anything. We have to go out and prove it. We have to go out and earn it. We have to go out and overcome the adversity. That process starts today.
“That’s how we’re wired as an organization. Not to sit here and judge exactly what a success might be or who’s starting what game of the playoffs. We have to go earn it. We have nothing. We have nothing but each other, talent, character and an opportunity.”
The Cubs skipped the steppingstone season by winning 97 games and two playoff rounds last year – and then slamming on the accelerator this winter with almost $290 million spent on free agents.
The Cubs still had four 25-and-under players starting on Opening Day – Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler – for the first time since 1975. That critical mass of young talent means the buzz around this team is here to stay.
“Nothing’s promised in this game – or in life,” Epstein said. “Windows slam shut. People get run over by buses crossing the street. You can’t control everything. So you want to make the most of every day. You want to make the most of every opportunity.
“If you don’t get there, you want to make sure it wasn’t because you didn’t work hard enough, you weren’t aggressive enough, you weren’t committed enough. And I don’t think these players have that problem whatsoever.”
Looking physically recharged and emotionally refreshed after the greatest second half by any pitcher in the history of the game, Arrieta allowed only two hits and one walk across seven innings before the Cubs shut him down at 89 pitches.
“That’s a tone that we want to set early,” Arrieta said. “We were ready for this moment.”
A lineup with some American League thump generated 11 hits and seven walks. The Cubs made Garrett Richards throw 97 pitches before knocking the Angels starter out after five innings.
There was Dexter Fowler – Joe Maddon’s “You go, we go” leadoff guy who waited all winter for the big score in free agency only to return on a one-year, $13 million guarantee – beginning the game with a double to right field, scoring on Anthony Rizzo’s two-out single up the middle and getting on base three more times.
There was the designated hitter Soler – a young player who looked like he might get lost in the shuffle on an uber-team – smacking an RBI single past diving Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons for a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning.
There was Miguel Montero – a two-time All-Star catcher hitting in the eighth spot – blasting a two-run homer to put the game out of reach in the sixth inning.
“The way we grinded at-bats today is the winning formula,” Rizzo said.
The Cubs are too deep and too talented to not be thinking about making history and unleashing the biggest party Chicago has ever seen. At the end of the night, you could hear the fans singing “Go Cubs Go” as they headed out toward the parking lots.
“Any time you don’t win the World Series, there’s some degree of disappointment,” Epstein said. “The expectations thing – I know it can kind of create the subtext that hangs over the club with every two-game losing streak or every game that goes wrong.
“Or every injury – people try to put it in the context of the ultimate goal of the World Series. But the reality is that’s not how we feel internally. We know it’s a grind. We know it’s a process. We know what we’re shooting for. We’re here to win the World Series.
“But you don’t think about that on a daily basis. You think about the challenges being presented to you, how you can overcome that, coming together as a team and an organization and working your tail off to move forward. That’s what drives us.”
Jimmy Rollins' blast lifts White Sox past A's 5-4
The Cubs are light years away from pitchers getting asked about the trade deadline as soon as they report to spring training, or managers sitting on the hot seat, or prospects becoming overloaded with attention to distract everyone from the awful big-league product.
Year 5 of the Theo Epstein administration began on a beautiful, 75-degrees-and-sunny night in Southern California, with fireworks, a flyover and a sellout crowd (44,020) at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. But anxious Cubs fans, the build-‘em-up Chicago media and all those national experts can’t fast forward to October.
There is still more than 99 percent of the season left to play after Jake Arrieta again looked like a Cy Young Award winner while dominating the Los Angeles Angels during Monday’s 9-0 victory.
“I don’t think it’s fair to sit here on Opening Day and determine what’s going to be a success and what’s going to be a failure,” Epstein said. “It’s fair at the end of the year. As I look back on last year, I can identify a lot of things that were successes. And I can identify a lot of things that were failures, even in what was overall seen as a pretty darn good year for the organization.
“That’s what we’ll do at the end of the season, sit back and take stock on that and hope that these are the types of questions we’re asked again next Opening Day. The fact that you’re asking that means a lot’s going right for this organization.
“That’s a good feeling, but it doesn’t mean anything. We have to go out and prove it. We have to go out and earn it. We have to go out and overcome the adversity. That process starts today.
“That’s how we’re wired as an organization. Not to sit here and judge exactly what a success might be or who’s starting what game of the playoffs. We have to go earn it. We have nothing. We have nothing but each other, talent, character and an opportunity.”
The Cubs skipped the steppingstone season by winning 97 games and two playoff rounds last year – and then slamming on the accelerator this winter with almost $290 million spent on free agents.
The Cubs still had four 25-and-under players starting on Opening Day – Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler – for the first time since 1975. That critical mass of young talent means the buzz around this team is here to stay.
“Nothing’s promised in this game – or in life,” Epstein said. “Windows slam shut. People get run over by buses crossing the street. You can’t control everything. So you want to make the most of every day. You want to make the most of every opportunity.
“If you don’t get there, you want to make sure it wasn’t because you didn’t work hard enough, you weren’t aggressive enough, you weren’t committed enough. And I don’t think these players have that problem whatsoever.”
Looking physically recharged and emotionally refreshed after the greatest second half by any pitcher in the history of the game, Arrieta allowed only two hits and one walk across seven innings before the Cubs shut him down at 89 pitches.
“That’s a tone that we want to set early,” Arrieta said. “We were ready for this moment.”
A lineup with some American League thump generated 11 hits and seven walks. The Cubs made Garrett Richards throw 97 pitches before knocking the Angels starter out after five innings.
There was Dexter Fowler – Joe Maddon’s “You go, we go” leadoff guy who waited all winter for the big score in free agency only to return on a one-year, $13 million guarantee – beginning the game with a double to right field, scoring on Anthony Rizzo’s two-out single up the middle and getting on base three more times.
There was the designated hitter Soler – a young player who looked like he might get lost in the shuffle on an uber-team – smacking an RBI single past diving Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons for a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning.
There was Miguel Montero – a two-time All-Star catcher hitting in the eighth spot – blasting a two-run homer to put the game out of reach in the sixth inning.
“The way we grinded at-bats today is the winning formula,” Rizzo said.
The Cubs are too deep and too talented to not be thinking about making history and unleashing the biggest party Chicago has ever seen. At the end of the night, you could hear the fans singing “Go Cubs Go” as they headed out toward the parking lots.
“Any time you don’t win the World Series, there’s some degree of disappointment,” Epstein said. “The expectations thing – I know it can kind of create the subtext that hangs over the club with every two-game losing streak or every game that goes wrong.
“Or every injury – people try to put it in the context of the ultimate goal of the World Series. But the reality is that’s not how we feel internally. We know it’s a grind. We know it’s a process. We know what we’re shooting for. We’re here to win the World Series.
“But you don’t think about that on a daily basis. You think about the challenges being presented to you, how you can overcome that, coming together as a team and an organization and working your tail off to move forward. That’s what drives us.”
Jimmy Rollins' blast lifts White Sox past A's 5-4
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/sportsmockery.com)
Jimmy Rollins already got the tough one out of the way in the opener.
Tuesday night’s big hit in front of his hometown crowd is just icing on the cake.
Rollins became an early fan favorite when he belted a game-winning solo home run in the ninth inning to lift the White Sox past the Oakland A’s 5-4 in front of 10,478 at the Oakland Coliseum.
The Oakland native’s first homer in a White Sox uniform helped the South Siders quickly rebound from an eighth-inning blown save by Nate Jones. The White Sox are 2-0 for the fourth time in five seasons courtesy of Rollins’ 386-foot drive off Sean Doolittle over the left-center field fence.
The White Sox were mere minutes removed from their first big downer of the season.
Zach Duke gave up an infield single to start the eighth, Jones hit two batters and then served up a game-tying, two-run single to Yonder Alonso. The rally wiped out yet another well-deserved victory for Jose Quintana, who struck out seven and allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings.
But Rollins — one of two players on the 25-man roster to sign after spring training began — brought his team back to life when he ripped into a 94-mph fastball from Doolittle.
It’s the fourth trip home for Rollins, who grew up rooting for the A’s and all-time leadoff great Rickey Henderson. After Sunday’s workout, Rollins said he always tries to make sure to get a big hit out of the way early. He did that on Monday with an RBI single in the team’s four-run rally in the third inning.
Rollins wasn’t the only new player to hit their first homer for the White Sox on Tuesday. Todd Frazier put the White Sox ahead 3-1 in the fifth inning with a 399-foot blast off Oakland starter Chris Bassitt. The homer ended a 10-inning scoreless streak for the White Sox offense.
An inning later, the White Sox added some cushion with three straight singles from the bottom of the lineup. Brett Lawrie, Alex Avila and Austin Jackson all singled to make it a 4-2 game. Eaton, who went 3-for-5, also singled to load the bases but Rollins grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The offense’s late production appeared to have Quintana in line for a hard-earned victory. He wasn’t great, but Quintana was plenty effective. He and Matt Albers pitched out of a sixth-inning jam to preserve a 3-2 lead. Albers pitched 1 1/3 scoreless and handed the ball to Duke and Jones.
Hot start propels White Sox past A's in season opener. (Monday night's game, 04/04/2016).
By Dan Hayes
The 4-3 White Sox victory over the Oakland A’s on Monday night wasn’t without its warts.
They ran into outs on the bases, failed to get a sac bunt down and consecutive relief pitchers issued leadoff walks late in a one-run contest. But it was what the White Sox did around those plays that had them victorious instead of lamenting a close loss.
Chris Sale overcame a shaky early inning and took advantage of four early runs before his defense and bullpen did just enough to secure a victory. Sale struck out eight in seven innings and David Robertson pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.
“It wasn’t pretty,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “Good to get this one out of the way.
“We got a win, and we’ll take it.”
Given Sale nearly surrendered a 4-0 lead in the third, the White Sox have to be pleased to have pulled this one out.
Making his third Opening Day start in four seasons, Sale appeared to entirely lose his rhythm in a 34-pitch frame. He retired the first seven batters he faced before yielding a one-out infield single to Stephen Vogt and Oakland’s offense woke up.
Sale said he tried to do too much and walked Marcus Semien. One out later, Jed Lowrie lined a 96-mph fastball up and away into right field for a two-run single to make it a 4-2 game.
Sale missed high with several fastballs in the inning. Josh Reddick and Danny Valencia followed with singles, the latter driving in another run to make it 4-3. But Sale struck out Khris Davis to strand runners on the corners and leave Billy Butler — who doubled twice — in the on-deck circle.
“Held it together and thankfully we got out of it,” Sale said. “I don’t know if I was overthrowing. Maybe just trying to do a little too much. That’s a tough team. This is a great atmosphere, really.
“They feed off of it. You just have to take that into consideration and try to not get overwhelmed.”
The sellout crowd had more to cheer in the eighth and ninth innings. Jake Petricka took over for Sale — who allowed three earned runs and seven hits in seven innings — and walked Lowrie.
But Zach Duke retired Josh Reddick on a comebacker and Nate Jones got two batters, including a strikeout of Davis to strand the tying run at second.
Robertson also started his inning with a walk of the speedy Coco Crisp. But he bounced back with a strikeout of Chris Coghlan and Brett Lawrie ended the game with a nice sliding stop in right field, throwing out Yonder Alonso at first with Robertson on the cover.
The White Sox had a handful of nice defensive efforts. Jose Abreu smothered two grounders at first, Sale made a nice play on a comebacker in the fifth and catcher Dioner Navarro picked off Billy Burns at first base to end the seventh inning.
“We put the preparation in spring training, work hard and we put ourselves in a position to win and it showed tonight,” said leadoff man Adam Eaton. “We’ll continue to believe in our preparation and allow our preparation to instill confidence in everybody and play a good brand of baseball.”
Sale dominated Oakland’s offense on both sides of the third inning.
He blew 97-mph fastballs by Lowrie and Davis in the first two innings for strikeouts. And after Butler opened the fourth with a double, Sale retired 11 of the last 12 he faced.
That made a four-run rally in the third hold up.
Eaton jump-started the offense against Oakland replacement starter Rich Hill.
With a man on third, Eaton — who didn’t have an RBI until his 109th plate appearance last season — tripled to deep center to make it 1-0.
Jimmy Rollins followed Eaton with a bloop RBI single to right to give the White Sox a two-run cushion. He advanced to third on Abreu’s double and both scored on a two-out error by first baseman Mark Canha.
But that was all the White Sox would get.
Oakland relievers retired 11 straight White Sox hitters into the seventh. Austin Jackson, who scored on the triple, and Eaton singled. But reliever John Axford won an 11-pitch battle against Abreu to strand the runners.
The White Sox didn’t help themselves on the bases, either.
Eaton was picked off in the first inning after Hill hit him with a pitch (the A’s starter also hit Abreu in the frame).
Navarro popped out on a ninth-inning bunt attempt after Lawrie led off with a single. Lawrie was then picked off by Sean Doolittle to end the ninth.
But the White Sox prevailed anyway and that’s plenty for Sale and Ventura.
“It’s like the first strike of the game, once you get the first strike of the game, once you get the first win of the year, you kind of exhale a little bit and just go from there,” Sale said. “Business as usual.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Masters Tournament 2016: Tee Times, TV Schedule, Purse.
Golf.com Staff
(Photo/Golf.com)
Rory McIlroy, who is a green jacket short of the career grand slam, is slotted for the final tee time at Augusta National on Thursday, teeing off at 2:01 p.m. (EST) with Martin Kaymer and Bill Haas.
Defending Masters champion Jordan Spieth tees off at 9:48 a.m. Thursday with Paul Casey and amateur Bryson DeChambeau, last year’s U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion.
World No. 1 Jason Day tees off 1:06 p.m. with Matt Kuchar and Ernie Els, and former Masters champ Adam Scott, Kevin Kisner and Brooks Koepka start at 11:05 a.m.
Other notable groupings are Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Reed and Jason Dufner (9:37 a.m.), Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Emiliano Grillo (9:59 a.m.) and Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson and Marc Leishman (10:43 a.m.).
The complete list of tee times is below.
What: Masters Tournament
Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
When: Thursday-Sunday, April 7-10
Purse: $10 million
Defending champion: Jordan Spieth (-18)
MORE: Visit GOLF.com's Masters Tournament Hub
TV SCHEDULE
Thursday: ESPN, 3-7:30 p.m.
Friday: ESPN, 3-7:30 p.m.
Saturday: CBS, 3-7 p.m.
Sunday: CBS, 2-7 p.m.
TEE TIMES (All Times EST)
8:05 a.m. Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus (Honorary Starters)
8:20 a.m. Jim Herman, Steven Bowditch
8:31 a.m. Trevor Immelman, Robert Streb, Derek Bard (A)
8:42 a.m. Larry Mize, Victor Dubuisson, Kevin Streelman
8:53 a.m. Sandy Lyle, Bernd Wiesberger, Vaughn Taylor
9:04 a.m. Webb Simpson, Chris Wood, Thongchai Jaidee
9:15 a.m. Tom Watson, Charley Hoffman, Lee Westwood
9:26 a.m. Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Cheng Jin (A)
9:37 a.m. Louis Oosthuizen, Jason Dufner, Patrick Reed
9:48 a.m. Jordan Spieth, Paul Casey, Bryson DeChambeau (A)
9:59 a.m. Justin Thomas, Emiliano Grillo, Dustin Johnson
10:21 a.m. Vijay Singh, Hideki Matsuyama, Chris Kirk
10:32 a.m. Harris English, Andy Sullivan, Kevin Na
10:43 a.m. Phil Mickelson, Marc Leishman, Henrik Stenson
10:54 a.m. Justin Rose, Jamie Donaldson, Daniel Berger
11:05 a.m. Adam Scott, Kevin Kisner, Brooks Koepka
11:16 a.m. Mike Weir, Cameron Smith, Sammy Schmitz (A)
11:27 a.m. Ian Woosnam , Troy Merritt, Byeong-Hun An
11:38 a.m. Darren Clarke, Billy Horschel, Matthew Fitzpatrick
11:49 a.m. Mark O'Meara, David Lingmerth, Paul Chaplet (A)
12:00 p.m. Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
12:22 p.m. Charl Schwartzel, Davis Love III, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
12:33 p.m. Danny Lee, Russell Knox, Smylie Kaufman
12:44 p.m. Bubba Watson, Branden Grace, Ian Poulter
12:55 p.m. Bernhard Langer, Hunter Mahan, Romain Langasque
1:06 p.m. Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Ernie Els
1:17 p.m. Graeme McDowell, Fabian Gomez, Scott Piercy
1:28 p.m. Jimmy Walker, Soren Kjeldsen, Anirban Lahiri
1:39 p.m. Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia, Ryan Moore
1:50 p.m. Angel Cabrera, Shane Lowry, J. B. Holmes
2:01 p.m. Martin Kaymer, Bill Haas, Rory McIlroy
Power rankings: The Masters
By Ryan Ballengee
Power rankings: The Masters
By Ryan Ballengee
The Masters has its smallest field -- 89 players -- this year since 2002. In one sense, that should make it a little easier to identify a potential champion. In another sense, with so many players in good form now and with historically good records at Augusta National, it's hard to favor any one top player over another.
However, here are our top 10 players for the Masters:
1. Bubba Watson -- Watson has been brilliant through the season and finished in the top 15 in four of five stroke-play starts this year. He's a two-time champion, brimming with confidence after a win at Riviera (which he did in 2014 before winning a second green jacket) and a runner-up at Doral.
2. Jason Day -- Day has won his last two starts, including a hang-on win at Bay Hill and a dominant performance at the WGC-Dell Match Play. Runner-up in 2011 to Charl Schwartzel and on the medal stand in 2013.
3. Adam Scott -- Were it not for Day's double, Scott may well be the guy everyone is talking about for the Masters. He won back to back at Honda and Doral and he has been in the top 15 at the Masters in four of the last five years.
4. Jordan Spieth -- In his two professional Masters starts, Spieth has gone T-2 and WIN. That's good. However, Spieth has showed cracks in his game and mental approach. He has been inconsistent and makes some course management mistakes. He cannot make those at Augusta.
5. Rory McIlroy -- McIlroy is skipping the Par-3 Contest in hopes of remaining focused on a fifth major and completed the career Grand Slam. Confidence builder in getting to the semis of the Match Play, but he's been somewhat lousy in at least one round in his last three stroke-play events.
6. Phil Mickelson -- At 45, Mickelson is still playing great golf. He had chances at the old Hope and Pebble Beach. Was fifth at Doral. Three-time winner who knows how to close at Augusta National and almost a mortal lock to make the cut.
7. Henrik Stenson -- Alright, Henrik Stenson has a bad record at the Masters. And it doesn't make sense. He has one top-15 in the last five years. But, he went T-11 at Valspar and T-3 at Bay Hill. He had a chance in Houston. He's in the argument of being the best tee-to-green player on the planet.
8. Louis Oosthuizen -- Oosthuizen has played limited golf on the PGA Tour this year, but he had improved his finish in every start leading to a runner-up finish at the Match Play before a missed cut at Houston. He won in Australia before going to Doral. Downside? The playoff loss to Bubba in 2012 is his only top-15 in the last five years.
9. Justin Rose -- Rose could somehow manage to fly under the radar this week despite having four top-15 finishes in the last five years. After a zany MC at Torrey Pines, he's been in the top 17 in his last four PGA Tour starts.
10. Rickie Fowler -- Had they played this Masters in February, Rickie would have been No. 1 on our list. He won in Abu Dhabi against a strong field. He lost to Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff in Phoenix. He's been in the top 12 here in each of the last two years.
Arnold Palmer's spark fires up emotional Champions Dinner.
NBC Sports
(Photo/GolfChannel.com)
In official publications it’s referred to as the Masters Club, but to anyone with even a passing interest in golf it’s simply the “Champions Dinner.”
The club is limited to winners of the Masters and Augusta National’s chairman, who is granted a honorary membership, and the annual dining options – Angel Cabrera, for example, served grouper ceviche over plantain chips in 2010 – are the only real public glimpses most ever get into the Tuesday tradition, but last year’s Champions Dinner was different.
By all accounts, the annual gathering was transformed in 2015 from a largely understated affair into exactly what one would expect from the game’s most exclusive cocktail party.
“I’d only been to two, but it was very different from my first dinner where nothing was really said by anyone and it was just dinner and everyone left,” Adam Scott said. “But what broke the ice last year was a presentation was made to Arnold [Palmer] in the middle of the dinner and he felt he should speak and it was a very emotional speech.”
The presentation was a piece of the iconic Eisenhower tree on the 17th hole, which was lost in an ice storm in 2014.
Normally, Ben Crenshaw serves as the emcee of the event and he introduces the defending champion, who makes a few comments, followed by chairman Billy Payne who gives an overview of the club and any changes that may have been made since the previous year’s tournament.
Last year’s dinner, however, took an emotional turn when Palmer was persuaded to speak after being given his piece of Augusta National history.
“Arnold stood up and started speaking and you could tell it was straight from the heart. It was quite a special moment, really. It was pretty emotional and then he nudged Jack [Nicklaus] to get up and help him out,” Trevor Immelman said. “In the true spirit of those two, Jack was like, ‘Nah, you’re doing alright.’ It was a tremendous moment.”
Eventually, Palmer was followed by Tom Watson who then convinced Doug Ford, the 1957 winner and at 93 the oldest Masters champion, to speak.
“I wanted to have Doug Ford talk about the great shot that he hit, that the kids didn't know about,” Watson said. “The kids love that. They love stories like that. How did you win the Masters? Everyone in that room has won the Masters, so they know how they did it. But it's always fun to listen to other players describe how they did it.”
Fuzzy Zoeller talked, or depending on who you ask, did a few minutes of standup, doling out jokes and entertaining anecdotes as only the 1979 champion can.
One by one, nearly every Masters legend spoke, but the impromptu moment began with Palmer, who announced last month he wouldn’t be hitting the ceremonial first tee shot on Thursday but did plan to attend the Champions Dinner.
“The significance of the tree is the remembrance of President [Dwight D.] Eisenhower, a part of the history of Augusta,” Palmer said. “It was a very important part of the dinner, which was wonderful, with a lot of stories and so on ... and that was very special given my relationship with the former president.”
With the exception of the defending champion, who is wedged between the chairman and the host (Crenshaw), seating for the event is largely on a first-come, first-serve basis, but there is a hierarchy.
“People get their spots and just stay there,” Immelman said. “Last year, [Adam] Scottie was kind of asking me where he should sit and I kind of dragged him down to our side on the far corner. Guys get familiar with their spot and they just kind of stay there.”
Immelman’s corner includes, Gary Player, Nick Faldo and Charl Schwartzel; with Vijay Singh sitting across the table from Faldo.
Although that system leads to familiarity and a relaxed environment, in recent years it likely created a segmented atmosphere more suited to private conversations. It’s a dynamic that made last year’s dinner standout for many of the champions.
“More poignant would be the way I would describe it. More lively; the legends spoke up a little bit and there was some emotion and there was some laughter and sadness, but all in a positive way,” Zach Johnson said.
The dinner was started in 1952 by Ben Hogan, which is curious considering the Hawk’s aversion to small talk and social gatherings.
That first dinner included just 11 attendees, a number that grew to 30 last year, which is mildly concerning considering the defending champion picks up the tab, and normally lasts between two to three hours.
The difference last year was that no one wanted the event to end.
“After Arnold spoke, the stories started coming to just what you would picture that dinner to be,” Scott said. “It was fantastic, really great.”
Like everything else at Augusta National, the Champions Dinner continues to get better thanks to an emotional spark from Palmer, which also seems to be a spring tradition.
“Every year for me to be part of that is kind of goose bump kind of stuff,” Immelman said. “Every year it seems to get better and better and you kind of appreciate it a little more.”
Point: PGA golfers overwhelmingly agree: Tiger Woods will never win another major
Sporting News
When Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open in 2008, marking his 14th major championship, it seemed a given he'd easily surpass Jack Nicklaus' all-time record of 18.
Flash forward almost eight years, however, and that remains Woods' last win in a major. And according to a recent ESPN The Magazine survey of almost 60 PGA golfers, 70 percent believe Woods will never win another major.
The Golf Confidential Survey, conducted by ESPN at tournaments in February and March, surveyed 56 PGA golfers. That 70 percent figure compares with 63 percent who felt that way in last year's survey. But since then, the 40-year-old Woods has undergone two back procedures. He has not played in a tournament since August and just a few days ago announced on his website that he would not compete at Augusta in the Masters this weekend.
Also in the survey, the golfers were split on who would end the season ranked No. 1, with Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth even at 38 percent. Jason Day was third at 19 percent.
If Woods does end up stuck on 14 majors when he hangs up his spikes, it would fulfill an oft-told prediction his father, Earl, made in 1995, the year before his son turned pro.
After Tiger won the U.S. Amateur that year, Earl Woods told Sports Illustrated, "I'm going to make a prediction. Before he's through, my son will win 14 major championships."
Counterpoint: Nicklaus: Tiger isn't done just yet.
By Doug Ferguson
Jack Nicklaus says he thinks Tiger Woods will win again. After seeing him a few weeks ago, Nicklaus is surprised Woods isn't playing the Masters this week.
Woods is missing the Masters for the second time in three years as he recovers from two surgeries on his back last year. He has not played since a tie for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August, and he has not won since Firestone in August 2013.
''I don't think he's done,'' Nicklaus said Tuesday afternoon before going to the Champions Dinner. ''I think Tiger is going to win more tournaments.''
Woods announced late Friday that he was not ready to return to competition. He said he had been hitting balls and training every day, but that ''I need to be cautious and do what's best for my long-term health and career.''
Woods was planning to attend the Tuesday night dinner for Masters champions, his second social event of the year. Nicklaus hosted a Ryder Cup dinner at his home on Feb. 24 that Woods attended. Nicklaus said he thought Woods looked great physically, and that Woods told him he was able to putt and chip without feeling any pain.
''I'm very surprised he's not here,'' Nicklaus said. ''Maybe he's not ready. But he's too good of a talent not to win.''
Woods has long been associated with his pursuit of Nicklaus' 18 professional majors. Woods won his 14th major at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines when he was 32. Nicklaus won his 14th major when he was 35.
Woods hasn't won another major since then. He had knee surgery in 2008, followed by the crisis in his personal life when he was caught in a shocking web of infidelity, and then more leg injuries and three back surgeries over the last two years.
Asked if his major championship record was safe, Nicklaus smiled and mentioned Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and ''Tiger is still out there.''
''Does that mean his chances are as good as they were? Of course it doesn't mean that,'' Nicklaus said. ''But he'll be able to play healthily - if he gets healthy - until he's 50. I caught lightning in a bottle at 46.''
Nicklaus is the oldest Masters champion, winning in 1986 for his 18th and final major.
Woods, who turned 40 at the end of December, last met with media at his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and he was more blunt than usual when he said anything else he does in golf ''will be gravy.''
Nicklaus brushed that off as Woods being tired of answering questions about his future.
''That's probably an easier answer than 'I'm going to get back out there next week' and really doing it. He's probably tired of saying that,'' Nicklaus said. ''If he says the other, then all of a sudden, everybody writes him off for a while, and then he's got to show up for his 1980 and his 1986. I think he'll show up for that a little bit.''
The reference was clear.
Nicklaus was 40 in 1980 when he won the U.S. Open at Baltusrol and the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, giving him 17 majors. It was the fifth time in his career that Nicklaus won two majors in one season. And in 1986, he won the Masters.
One big difference is that Nicklaus was rarely injured. He didn't withdraw until back spasms at the old World Series of Golf at Firestone in 1981 when he was 41, and he had to pull out again two years later after one round of the 1983 Masters.
''I was just lucky from a physical standpoint,'' Nicklaus said.
He also said he trimmed his schedule and geared them around the four majors. Nicklaus won his 18 majors over 25 years.
''So when you do that, you're not abusing yourself too much. You can play a longer time,'' he said. ''Tiger and I both won young. And he may span 25 years himself.''
NASCAR; Power Rankings: Kyle Busch at No. 1, because of course.
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
1. Kyle Busch (LW: 4): When a guy in the top four of last week's rankings wins his first race(s) at a track where he's never won at and leads 352 of 400 laps in the process, there's no way you can argue against having him No. 1. And we weren't going to make that argument anyway. While Busch dominating and winning at Martinsville might have been a surprise, Busch winning a race so early in the season definitely isn't one after how he ran through the first five races of the season.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): Oh no, Jimmie Johnson hasn't won at Martinsville since 2013. Has the active master of the half-mile track lost his mojo? No, not really. Since Johnson got his last win at Martinsville he's had two finishes of 32nd or worse ... and four finishes in the top 12. And his ninth-place finish at Martinsville on Sunday was his 23rd top-10 finish in 29 races.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): Harvick finished 17th at Martinsville, but he ran much better than that all day. Why did he fade so far down in the running order? Well, Harvick's team was one of the ones at the front of the field that stayed out during the final pit stop. But most everyone behind Harvick came in, meaning he was one of the first drivers to get passed by those with fresher tires.
4. Brad Keselowski (LW: 6): Keselowski hung near the top 10 all day, though you may not have guessed it when looking at his car. It looked like it had a bit part in a demolition derby. The 2012 champion ended up finishing fifth after he was one of the drivers that pitted on the final caution and drove through the field.
5. Joey Logano (LW: 5): Logano started Sunday's race on the pole. He was lapped 80 laps into the race along with fellow front-row starter Kasey Kahne. He simply didn't have long-run speed as soon as the green flag flew. Logano's car came to (relative) life after some adjustments and he fought back to finish 11th. Will he get another win at Texas to (all but) lock himself in to the Chase? We wouldn't be shocked in the slightest.
6. Denny Hamlin (LW: 3): Hamlin said he was a bit embarrassed after he crashed on Sunday. Yeah, wheel-hopping into the wall when you're the defending champion of the race isn't the best of looks. But Hamlin had a fast car before he crashed and ultimately, isn't that what matters? Shake off the wreck and you have confidence for the Chase race in the fall.
7. Carl Edwards (LW: 7): If Logano thought he had it going poorly throughout the majority of the race, he shouldn't commiserate with Edwards. Edwards spent basically as many laps a lap down as Busch spent ahead of the field. But he got on the lead lap late in the race and thanks to some fresh tires worked himself all the way up to sixth before the race was over.
8. Austin Dillon (LW: 10): The year of Austin Dillon is continuing. Dillon finished fourth on Sunday, his second top-five finish of the year. He now has four in his career, so you can do the math as to how that works out compared to his first two seasons in the Cup Series. We're still not sure if Dillon is going to get to victory lane in 2016, but if he keeps a top-10 rate of 66 percent up, he's easily making the Chase.
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 8): Junior's day could have gone south in a hurry after he was the source of Sunday's first caution after spinning following a cut tire. But he bounced back for a 14th-place finish and wowed the world Tuesday with a tweet that he was eating a banana and mayonnaise sandwich. The news sent the internet into a tizzy, though if you're a reader of From The Marbles you've already known about Junior's affinity for more than two years. We're ahead of the curve, people.
10. Kurt Busch (LW: 9): Busch finished a spot ahead of Earnhardt Jr. in 13th. Do you think Kurt Busch likes banana and mayonnaise sandwiches paired with Monster Energy drinks while operating a Haas CNC machine next to a State Water Heater?
11. AJ Allmendinger (LW: NR): After two top-10 finishes in the early part of 2015, Allmendinger's season fell apart with three finishes of 30th or worse in the next five races. His second-place finish on Sunday was the second top-10 of 2016. The Dinger better hope deja vu doesn't strike again. He's currently 12th in the points standings and a bad stretch like that could drop him outside the top 20 in the points standings before you got done naming all the sponsors on his car.
12. Kyle Larson (LW: NR): A third-place finish after missing the same race a year ago isn't a bad way to come back. Larson is back in the top 20 in points after falling out thanks to a crash at California. He has three top-12 finishes so far in 2016 but he's 20th in the standings because he also has three finishes of 25th or worse.
Lucky Dog: How about Brian Vickers? The substitute driver of the No. 14 had a fast car all weekend and got a top 10. The seventh was the best finish for anyone in the No. 14 car since Tony Stewart finished sixth at Bristol in the spring of 2015.
The DNF: Aric Almirola's engine didn't have any stamina.
Dropped out: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott
NASCAR fans, it’s time to cast your vote — for NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
By Jerry Bonkowski
In an election year, NASCAR fans can let their vote count in yet another important way.
Beginning at 12:01 am ET Tuesday, fans are invited to cast their votes online for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
Fans can vote for five of the 20 nominees for the Class of 2017 through 12:01 a.m. ET May 23.
Click here for the list of nominees.
Cast your vote on social media with the hashtag #NASCARHOF
The top five nominees, as selected by the fans, will make up one of the ballots from the 50-plus member voting panel that will be used to tabulate the votes for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017 on Wednesday, May 25.
SOCCER: Fire notes: Rumors, David Accam update, Johan Kappelhof honored.
Beginning at 12:01 am ET Tuesday, fans are invited to cast their votes online for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
Fans can vote for five of the 20 nominees for the Class of 2017 through 12:01 a.m. ET May 23.
Click here for the list of nominees.
Cast your vote on social media with the hashtag #NASCARHOF
The top five nominees, as selected by the fans, will make up one of the ballots from the 50-plus member voting panel that will be used to tabulate the votes for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017 on Wednesday, May 25.
SOCCER: Fire notes: Rumors, David Accam update, Johan Kappelhof honored.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Everyone is happier after a win.
Certainly Chicago Fire coach Veljko Paunovic was in his weekly conference call with the media on Monday. Paunovic’s call went longer than normal and he spoke about tactical changes, gave up update on David Accam’s injury status and talked about upcoming opponent New York City FC.
One of the more notable quotes from Paunovic came when asked about Sunday’s match and the Fire trying to get even with NYCFC after losing 4-3 in the first match of the season.
“What I am going to say now I want you to understand well from the standpoint of somebody that is very competitive,” Paunovic said. “We had our honor hurt here when we wanted to win, our presentation to our fans, and we lost the game against New York.”
Paunovic also spoke about the tactical switch to move back to a four-man defensive line against Philadelphia.
“I think we needed more possession,” he said. “(Playing) with 4-2-3-1 helps our team feel more comfortable on the field when we want to have more possession. That helped a lot and this is why we decided to play with this and it went well. I believe we improved, but we still have to improve more in our possession and our patience and recognition when we have to progress.”
The Fire earned a second straight shutout in the 1-0 win against Philadelphia and for the first time this season had most of the possession. Defender Johan Kappelhof was named to the MLS Team of the Week, the first time a Fire player has earned that honor in 2016.
One continuing storyline early this year has been the health of David Accam. Accam has missed the last two games. Paunovic said his availability for Sunday remains uncertain.
“He’s still not a full go,” Paunovic said. “I will say he is recovering very well. He is in the final phase. We will see day-by-day how he performs and if he can be ready for this game.”
On the rumor mill, Dutch attacker Michael de Leeuw admitted in an interview with a Dutch publication that the Fire have been in talks with him since the winter. The 29-year-old plays for FC Groningen, where Kappelhof joined the Fire from in February.
This is likely connected to general manager Nelson Rodriguez’s recent comments about the Fire having signed a contract with one player and are close with another. It sounds like de Leeuw could be the player the Fire are close with.
Premier League Power Rankings, Vol. XI: Leicester, Spurs, and the New Normal.
By Nicholas Mendola
(AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
The Premier League’s Power Rankings are going to look an awful lot like the table this late in the season, but there’s still a few differences to sort out.
By Joe Prince-Wright
Two members of the English women’s national team have thrown their support behind the members of the USWNT who have launched a wage discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer.
Last week Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn claimed they are acting on behalf of the entire women’s national team as they want to be paid the same amount as the U.S. men’s national team, who could earn up to fourth times more than the USWNT.
U.S. Soccer has since responded, saying they are “disappointed” with the claim and USSF president Sunil Gulati has insisted that U.S. Soccer respects the current World Cup and Olympic champions.
Speaking to Sky Sports in the UK on Tuesday, England’s Alex Scott and Farah Williams supported what the USWNT players are fighting for, even though in England they aren’t in a similar position to be demanding equal pay with the men’s national team.
“I think it’s great they they’re doing that,” Scott said. “They have fought hard and they’ve won a lot of World Cups and Olympics, so they think that’s right for them. Over here we are in a different place with our league and the FA already support us, so it’s great for them. It’s been a leading nation.”
Williams agreed with that viewpoint and went as far as pointing towards the USMNT struggling on the international stage compared to their female counterparts.
U.S. Soccer claims that the current CBA expires at the end of 2016, while the USWNT players in question argue that the CBA is void after they signed a memorandum of understanding back in 2013.
NCAABKB: Two Shining Moments: How a wild ending to an incredible game salvaged a forgettable season.
For example, Chelsea is thriving but still not leaping up the table, while Watford and Bournemouth are struggling but have faced tough runs on the docket.
Let’s just get into it.
TEAM
|
RANKING
|
Up/Down
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | — | Leicester City: Double dog dare you to put anyone other than the (pretty much) champs here. It’s happening people. Call Walt Disney. Make a sequel to the “The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon” starring Christian Fuchs. |
 | 2 | — | Tottenham Hotspur: You can only play who’s on your schedule, but Spurs have only taken two of nine points from Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham (with wins over Villa and Bournemouth smushed in between). That’s not going to catch the Foxes. |
 | 3 | UP 2 | Arsenal: The most infuriating legit team in sports? Elite talent with maddening inconsistency. |
 | 4 | — | Manchester United: Just think: if the Red Devils hadn’t puked against West Brom, they’d be on a five-match win streak and challenging Arsenal for third. Louis van Gaal could be spending again. Third time’s the charm? |
 | 5 | UP 3 | Manchester City: Haven’t beaten anyone of high consequence in a while, but no one’s rising to greet them in fourth. And they are doing big things in the UEFA Champions League. How will they do against PSG? |
 | 6 | DOWN 2 | West Ham United: Still on an unbeaten run in form, but a pair of 2-2 draws against Crystal Palace and Chelsea aren’t the stuff of Top Four runs (even if the Hammers were cheated by a rough red card vs. Palace). |
 | 7 | UP 4 | Liverpool: The Saints loss stings, but Jurgen Klopp has the Reds pointed in the right direction. Let’s see what happens Thursday when he meets his old club in Germany. |
 | 8 | UP 1 | Chelsea: Quick — which team in the PL is on the best form, besides Leicester? Fourteen of 18 points. And Conte’s in the house (after the Euros). |
 | 9 | DOWN 3 | Southampton: Recovered from a poor three-match run to beat decent squads in Stoke and Liverpool, and deserved a point against Leicester. Still, Saints have blown a chance to leap next level. |
 | 10 | DOWN 3 | Stoke City: Blew a chance to knock on the door of the Top Five when they lost a 2-0 lead to Swans and settled for a point. That and the draw with Saints drops them below the St. Mary’s set. |
| 11 | UP 4 | Swansea City: Club is looking a lot better, though not at the heights of last season. Ten points clear, the relegation race is a memory. |
| 12 | UP 1 | West Bromwich Albion: Look, Tony Pulis has his sides play about as entertaining as a player piano that only knows “It’s a Small World”. But the Baggies are still in the PL, and will be. |
 | 13 | DOWN 3 | Bournemouth: Lost its three-match winning streak with decisive losses to Spurs and Man City, showing there’s still quite a gap between haves and have-nots (or have-not-quite-yets. The Cherries have plenty of upside). |
| 14 | — | Everton: Probably the most disappointing side not in a relegation fight, and that’s saying a lot because Chelsea. |
| 15 | DOWN 3 | Watford: Their four-match losing skid has come against high-flying competition. Maybe re-read the Bournemouth write-up two boxes up. |
| 16 | — | Norwich City: Credit Alex Neil for saving the season, and Dieumerci Mbokani for having a horrifying week but still rising to the occasion against Newcastle. |
 | 17 | — | Sunderland: It’s a shame that Big Sam’s crew was in such a poor spot before they reinforced the side in January, because the Black Cats have some real quality now. Just a tad snake bit. |
| 18 | UP 1 | Crystal Palace: Needed every bit of West Ham’s undeserved red card to pick up a point, but still haven’t won in the PL during 2016. Alan Pardew has been exposed again. |
| 19 | DOWN 1 | Newcastle United: You look at their lineup and wonder how this happens. With a match-in-hand and both Palace and Swansea on the docket, it’s not over, but still an extreme longshot. |
| 20 | — | Aston Villa: Real bad. |
England women’s team supports USWNT in equal pay battle.
By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/Getty Images)
Two members of the English women’s national team have thrown their support behind the members of the USWNT who have launched a wage discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer.
Last week Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn claimed they are acting on behalf of the entire women’s national team as they want to be paid the same amount as the U.S. men’s national team, who could earn up to fourth times more than the USWNT.
U.S. Soccer has since responded, saying they are “disappointed” with the claim and USSF president Sunil Gulati has insisted that U.S. Soccer respects the current World Cup and Olympic champions.
Speaking to Sky Sports in the UK on Tuesday, England’s Alex Scott and Farah Williams supported what the USWNT players are fighting for, even though in England they aren’t in a similar position to be demanding equal pay with the men’s national team.
“I think it’s great they they’re doing that,” Scott said. “They have fought hard and they’ve won a lot of World Cups and Olympics, so they think that’s right for them. Over here we are in a different place with our league and the FA already support us, so it’s great for them. It’s been a leading nation.”
Williams agreed with that viewpoint and went as far as pointing towards the USMNT struggling on the international stage compared to their female counterparts.
“The USA team for years have dominated the women’s game and probably have showcased themselves more than the men,” Williams said. “So they probably feel equal pay for them is the right thing.”The next crucial date in the USWNT’s battle against U.S. Soccer is a court hearing in Chicago on May 25 which will determine when the current collective bargaining agreement runs until.
U.S. Soccer claims that the current CBA expires at the end of 2016, while the USWNT players in question argue that the CBA is void after they signed a memorandum of understanding back in 2013.
NCAABKB: Two Shining Moments: How a wild ending to an incredible game salvaged a forgettable season.
By Rob Dauster
“That was supposed to be our moment.”
Marcus Paige is right.
It was.
North Carolina had erased a 10-point second half deficit that no one in NRG Stadium thought that they would be able to erase. They had gotten the big stops and they had made the big shots and with 13 seconds left, the Tar Heels had the ball, three points away from tying this thing up. The play that was called was for Paige to come off of a Brice Johnson down-screen, and Villanova, as they had done all night long, switched the screen. Joel Berry II was able to get the ball to Paige, who skipped away from Daniel Ochefu and stepped into a 23-foot three from the right wing.
Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono ran at Paige, challenging the shot and forcing the lefty Paige to fling up a double-clutch prayer of a three that rattled home, tying the game and sending the Tar Heel faithful into hysterics. The game was going to go into overtime, and it was that miracle three from Paige that finished off the comeback, a shot that left Paige 4.7 seconds from being mentioned in the same sentence as Mario Chalmers and Keith Smart and Lorenzo Charles for all of eternity.
Then ‘Nova’ happened.
Then Kris Jenkins happened.
And Paige’s moment was suddenly a footnote in the greatest game the world’s best sporting event has ever seen, a 77-74 Villanova win.
“As soon as he got it off, all you can do is pray when the ball is in the air,” Paige told reporters after the game, as poised and as confident as he’s ever been, the only sign that he had just suffered the most heart-breaking loss he’ll ever experience the redness still evident in his eyes. “It felt like it was in the air forever, and just knocked it down and the fireworks go off right then and the moment that you have been clawing for, fighting every day for, hoping for, dreaming about, just goes away. That fast.”
“It’s going to be impossible not to see it,” Paige added. “That shot’s going to go down as one of the biggest shots in NCAA tournament history. A buzzer-beater in the title game. I’m going to see it, and it’s going to hurt every time. It’s going to remind me of how close we were.”
“That was supposed to be our moment.”
Jim Nantz, who has been the voice of college basketball’s national title game for 25 years, is known for his one-liners, his punny quips that come after the final buzzer in the national title game has sounded.
They’ve been as reliable as One Shining Moment … up until Monday night.
“I have no idea what I said at the end,” Nantz said with a smile after the game. “I completely lost my mind.”
Yes. He did. But there was a reason for that.
“It was epic,” Nantz said of the game. “It was Ali-Frazier.”
It was the greatest national title game of all time.
The ending will never be topped. It’s not possible. The shot that Paige hit was an all-timer, a hang-in-the-air, double-clutch three that will win him every game of HORSE that he plays the rest of his life. A game-tying three with 4.7 seconds left on the biggest stage in the sport. I mean, just look at this picture:
North Carolina guard Marcus Paige (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
And it was wiped away with the first true buzzer-beater in title game history. Lorenzo Charles’ dunk came with two seconds left on the clock. Keith Smart hit his with four seconds left. The most famous shot in North Carolina basketball history, a 15-footer that was buried by that guy in all the internet photos back in 1982, came with 15 seconds left.
On Monday night, the buzzer sounded in the two seconds that felt like two hours that Jenkins’ shot was in the air.
“I pretty much knew it was going in,” Roy Williams said. “It was helpless. It was not a good feeling.”
But far too often great finishes are the easiest way to make us forget just how terrible a game truly was. That was not the case here. North Carolina caught fire in the first half, hitting seven of nine threes and jumping out to what would have been a nine-point lead had Josh Hart’s block of a Justin Jackson layup attempt not led to a Phil Booth floater at the other end.
And it was that floater that launched Villanova’s run, as the Wildcats’ ruthless efficiency on both ends of the floor allowed them to open up a 67-57 lead with just 5:29 left. The game at that point felt like it was over, which was when the Second Half Marcus Paige that we hadn’t seen for two years showed up. He scored 15 points in the final nine minutes and eight points after Villanova opened up that 10-point lead, proving a lost cause to be anything-but.
“That was one of the great college basketball games,” Jay Wright said. “Before they determined that shot was good, Roy came right up to me and said, ‘I’m really disappointed for our guys, that was a great game, but I’m really happy for you.'”
It was the perfect way to cap the season.
Because if we’re being honest here, this college basketball season was a dud.
We can fluff it up and talk about Buddy Hield and Denzel Valentine going punch-for-punch during their race for Player of the Year, the resurgence of Tar Heels with the red dot from the NCAA’s investigative arm trained squarely on their Carolina Blue chests, the rise of Brandon Ingram to becoming the favorite to be picked No. 1 in June’s draft.
Whatever.
This season just didn’t move the needle. At all.
That’s what happens when there are no great teams, like there were in 2015, and when there are no great players destined for NBA super-stardom. How many people are tuning in to see Ben Simmons, the kid hyped as the Future Of Modern Basketball, when he mailed it in two-thirds of the way through the season on an LSU team that was never truly considered an at-large hopeful after a handful of ugly November losses?
Not only were NCAA tournament television ratings down significantly across the board this year, but there were more empty seats in NRG Stadium than I’ve ever seen at a Final Four game. Two hours before tip-off, tickets on StubHub were as cheap as $35. You could find a lower-level seat for $62. For a national title game, that’s basically giving the tickets away for free.
It may hurt for college basketball fans to read this, but 2015-16 was by far the most irrelevant season since I started covering the sport.
And yet, the final seconds of the 2015-16 college basketball season will go down as one of the single greatest moments in the history of sports in this country. We’ll never forget what happened in Houston at 10:27 p.m. CT on April 4th. The highlight will be played during every single March Madness montage from now until forever.
A buzzer-beating 25-footer to win a national title? Arcidiacono-to-Jenkins may now have to supplant Hill-to-Laettner as ‘The Shot’.
And in the end, that is what people remember about this season.
Five years from now, ten years from now, no one is going to be talking about the lack of star power in the 2016 Final Four. They’re not going to care about the fact that tickets were cheap or that the ratings were down or that the teams participating in the event weren’t as good as we’ve come to expect.
They’ll be talking about how great the title game was, about how absolutely out-of-this-world the ending was. In the end, it’s not the seasons or the games or the NCAA violations that we remember.
It’s the moments that last forever.
Kris Jenkins stole Marcus Paige’s moment, capping a forgettable season with an image, a moment that we will always remember.
UConn women cap perfect season with 4th straight NCAA championship.
By Jerry Palm
The UConn women win their fourth consecutive title. (Photo/USATSI)
The Huskies won by 31 points despite giving up a 16-0 run in the third quarter to the Orange. They were also without their top 3-point shooter, freshman Katie Lou Samuleson, who injured her foot in the semifinal against Oregon State.
UConn simply put together the most dominant season in college basketball history, led by the most decorated player in the history of the sport in Breanna Stewart.
The Huskies finished 38-0 and won those games by an average margin of 39.4 points. That number is just ridiculous. The Huskies did not have a single-digit margin of victory all season. They won 25 of their 38 games by at least 40 points.
UConn may not have played the greatest schedule, largely due to the fact that the only other ranked team in the American Athletic Conference was South Florida, but the Huskies played a very good non-conference schedule, as is typical for them. In the regular season and NCAA Tournament, Connecticut played 11 opponents that were ranked in the final regular-season AP poll, including six ranked in the top 10, and won those games by an average of 21.2 points. That included a 44-point win over No. 9 Ohio State in November and a 29-point win over No. 6 Oregon State in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Even though the Huskies did not face another No. 1 seed in the tournament, they did beat Notre Dame and South Carolina in the regular season.
If you somehow didn't believe UConn women's basketball was a dynasty before, you'd have to believe it now. The Huskies and coach Geno Auriemma won their 11th championship Tuesday night and fourth in a row. Auriemma passed John Wooden for the most titles in college basketball history.
The leader of this team is senior forward Breanna Stewart, who leaves Connecticut as arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport. She is inarguably the most decorated and accomplished. She and fellow seniors Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson won the four championships together and were first-team All-Americans this season. They posted a record of 116-1 their last three seasons. There is a fourth senior, walk-on Briana Pulido, who got into the game tonight and scored the final two points.
Stewart is also won Most Outstanding Player and was the National Player of the Year all four of her years at UConn. She has also twice been named the Female Athlete of the Year for USA Basketball, so her international career is off to a great start as well.
Some people say that having a team as dominant as UConn is bad for women's basketball. I don't think that's true. This was a special, once-in-a-lifetime season. It should be appreciated for what it was. If something like this becomes a trend, then yes, that's bad for the sport, but one very extraordinary season is something that should be celebrated, not scorned.
NCAAFB: Urban Meyer addresses recruit who said OSU ‘treated me like crap’.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Getty Images)
Over the weekend, Kentucky signee Landon Young had some rather pointed words for how he was recruited by Ohio State, saving some of his sharpest barbs for the Buckeyes’ head coach.
“I was at Ohio State having a private meeting with Urban Meyer. I had gone up to camp there, and they had treated me like a piece of meat, just treated me like crap,” Young told SECCountry.com in an interview, adding that Meyer tossed around the word “insubstantial” when it came to the recruit as a player and the offer he received from Kentucky.
Fast-forward a couple of days, and Meyer has publicly responded to the teenager’s harsh criticism. And, surprisingly, he largely took his coaching staff to task for how the then-recruit was treated during the process while also lamenting how his program has been portrayed because of the criticisms.
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
New Vols defensive coordinator Shoop appreciates history.
By STEVE MEGARGEE
New Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop considers himself a student of the game and has spent the last few months learning as much as he can about the Volunteers' football history.
“I was at Ohio State having a private meeting with Urban Meyer. I had gone up to camp there, and they had treated me like a piece of meat, just treated me like crap,” Young told SECCountry.com in an interview, adding that Meyer tossed around the word “insubstantial” when it came to the recruit as a player and the offer he received from Kentucky.
Fast-forward a couple of days, and Meyer has publicly responded to the teenager’s harsh criticism. And, surprisingly, he largely took his coaching staff to task for how the then-recruit was treated during the process while also lamenting how his program has been portrayed because of the criticisms.
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Sure I can (comment), they’re signed,” Meyer said. “I did read it. We had a lot of respect for him as a player. A lot. I was very disappointed in our staff that we didn’t offer him earlier.
“About the treating him bad, we don’t do that on purpose. If that’s his feelings. I went back and talked to our staff about it, because I don’t want that to be out there.
“But when you have one out of 650 that say someone is treated bad, you know? We didn’t offer him earlier, but we did want to offer him. Afterward, he really grew on me. He’s a great player and I think we missed on him early on, and I was very upset with our coaching staff, the recruiter and that area and the position coach.
“That’s the way we do our business here. We do address that. I don’t want that out there.Collier’s comments were certainly a bad look for Meyer and his OSU staff, at least for the short-term, but here’s to guessing there’s no long-term damage to the recruiting juggernaut the coach has created in Columbus.
New Vols defensive coordinator Shoop appreciates history.
By STEVE MEGARGEE
New Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop considers himself a student of the game and has spent the last few months learning as much as he can about the Volunteers' football history.
Shoop arrived at his most recent media session holding a copy of the annotated journals of former Tennessee coach Robert Neyland. The western Pennsylvania native also mentioned how much he enjoyed meeting former Tennessee and Pittsburgh coach Johnny Majors.
''I was a Pitt fan back in the day,'' Shoop said. ''When coach Majors left Pitt to come to Tennessee, it kind of broke my heart.''
Now Shoop is the coach who left a Pennsylvania school for Tennessee. After working as James Franklin's defensive coordinator first at Vanderbilt and later at Penn State, Shoop accepted the same position on Tennessee coach Butch Jones' staff.
Shoop replaces John Jancek, who departed in January. When he left, the move was described at the time as a mutual parting, though Jones' comments at Shoop's introductory press conference a week later left little doubt it was the head coach's call. Jancek is now the safeties coach at South Florida.
One of the things that appealed to Shoop about this job is that it wasn't a rebuilding situation. Tennessee's only senior defensive starters in its Outback Bowl victory over Northwestern were tackle Owen Williams and safeties LaDarrell McNeil and Brian Randolph. The switch in coordinators isn't expected to result in major schematic changes.
''We have a lot of guys back, so our playing style, we're a lot more confident,'' linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. said. ''I think that will show on the field.''
But it's going to take time before Shoop works with his complete defense at Tennessee. Eight injured defensive players are missing spring practice, including Tennessee's top returning tackler (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) and pass rusher (Derek Barnett). Five defensive linemen are sidelined.
Shoop insists that isn't a major problem. The new coordinator said he already knows what Barnett and Reeves-Maybin can do. Spring practice is giving him a chance to learn more about the guys on his roster who haven't played as often.
''In some ways... it's not been a negative at all really,'' Shoop said.
Shoop also already knows several of the defensive players very well because he recruited them while at Vanderbilt. Defensive back Rashaan Gaulden said his first major offer came from Vanderbilt when Shoop was on the Commodores' staff.
''I knew what kind of guy he was coming into this program,'' Gaulden said. ''I knew he was the right fit. He's a great guy, down to earth, a very aggressive style coach. I love that.''
Shoop likes what he's seen of this defense so far.
He raves about cornerback Cam Sutton's work ethic and said that ''you hear other players' names as far as corners in the SEC, but I think it's about time we start putting him up at the next level.'' Shoop said Kirkland, a starter as a freshman last fall, has the command and approach of ''a 10-year veteran.''
Shoop said he often exchanges late-night texts with Kirkland and praises the linebacker for asking the right questions and challenging the coordinator's thoughts. Kirkland said Shoop has a ''beautiful mind.''
Shoop is building similar working relationships with other defensive players.
''Every night in the Anderson Training Center, his office is filled with players coming in and wanting to be around him and talking football,'' Jones said.
Shoop uses his love of sports history in these study sessions. Shoop said he's quoted San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
He also is becoming increasingly familiar with Neyland's game maxims for winning football. The list of maxims, a part of Tennessee football lore, includes such pointers as ''if at first the game - or breaks- go against you, don't let up... put on more steam.''
''They still hold true,'' Shoop said. ''That's the most amazing thing to me.''
Twitter wins bidding war to stream NFL's Thursday Night Football games.
By Ryan Wilson
Twitter has outbid the likes of Amazon, Yahoo! Inc. and Verizon for the right to stream Thursday night NFL games online next season.
Facebook reportedly withdrew from the running days ago because the two sides couldn't agree on advertising.
More details via Bloomberg.com:
Last June, the NFL partnered with Yahoo! Inc. to stream the 2015 Week 7 Bills-Jaguars game that took place in London.
“The NFL has always been committed to being at the forefront of media innovation," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the time in a press release. "... [W]e are taking another important step in that direction as we continue to closely monitor the rapidly evolving digital media landscape."
Re/Code wrote at the time that "Industry executives familiar with the NFL's negotiations think Yahoo paid at least $20 million for the rights to stream the game; in return it has exclusive ad rights for the game. The league bid out the streaming rights and at least one other tech company made a very competitive offer."
On Tuesday, Re/Code's Peter Kafka writes that, "people familiar with the bidding said Twitter paid less than $10 million for entire 10 game package, while rival bids had been higher than $15 million."
More details via Bloomberg.com:
The deal gives Twitter a key piece of content to attract mainstream users in its quest to make its service a go-to place to react to and discuss live events. The NFL, aware that a growing number of households are comfortable streaming video over the Internet, is using the digital rights for Thursday night games to reach so-called cord-cutters, as former cable-TV subscribers are known.The NFL said in a press release that Twitter wills stream 10 Thursday night regular-season games -- the same 10 games that CBS and NBC will broadcast -- and NFL Network will broadcast the other six games on the Thursday night schedule.
Last June, the NFL partnered with Yahoo! Inc. to stream the 2015 Week 7 Bills-Jaguars game that took place in London.
“The NFL has always been committed to being at the forefront of media innovation," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the time in a press release. "... [W]e are taking another important step in that direction as we continue to closely monitor the rapidly evolving digital media landscape."
Re/Code wrote at the time that "Industry executives familiar with the NFL's negotiations think Yahoo paid at least $20 million for the rights to stream the game; in return it has exclusive ad rights for the game. The league bid out the streaming rights and at least one other tech company made a very competitive offer."
On Tuesday, Re/Code's Peter Kafka writes that, "people familiar with the bidding said Twitter paid less than $10 million for entire 10 game package, while rival bids had been higher than $15 million."
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1896 - The first modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece.
1970 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) became the first defenseman to win the National Hockey League's (NHL) scoring title.
1973 - U.S. President Nixon threw out the first pitch of the season at a California Angels game. It was the first time that a U.S. President had performed the ceremonial activity in a city other than Washington, DC.
1987 - Sugar Ray Leonard took the middleweight title from Marvin Hagler.
1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) announced that he would retire from the National Hockey League (NHL) following the playoffs of the current season.
1970 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) became the first defenseman to win the National Hockey League's (NHL) scoring title.
1973 - U.S. President Nixon threw out the first pitch of the season at a California Angels game. It was the first time that a U.S. President had performed the ceremonial activity in a city other than Washington, DC.
1987 - Sugar Ray Leonard took the middleweight title from Marvin Hagler.
1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) announced that he would retire from the National Hockey League (NHL) following the playoffs of the current season.
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