CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 05/13/2016.

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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"Make each day count by setting specific goals to succeed, then putting forth every effort to exceed your own expectations." ~ Les Brown, Motivational Speaker, Author, Radio DJ, Former Television Host and Former Politician

Trending: LeBron James rightfully questions who the 'most valuable player' is? What's Your Take? (Please go to the basketball section to view this article and share your thoughts with us).

(Photo/sportschump.com)

Trending: Theo Epstein riding the wave, preparing for when Cubs might crash: ‘Baseball karma is real’. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

Trending: What should the Blackhawks do with Bryan Bickell? (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates).

Trending: Bears win NFL.com's Roster Reconstruction Award for happiest defensive coaches. (See the football section for Bears updates).

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

                                                Cubs 2016 Record: 25-8

                                                White Sox 2016 Record: 23-12

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

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears win NFL.com's Roster Reconstruction Award for happiest defensive coaches.

By Bryan Perez

(Photo/Bearswire.com)

No team has been busier in the 2016 offseason than the Chicago Bears, especially when it comes to the defensive side of the ball.  The Bears struggled through a transition year in 2015 with the implementation of coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s 3-4 scheme, and general manager Ryan Pace has taken significant steps in acquiring talent that fits Fox and Fangio’s system, both via free agency and the NFL draft.

NFL.com recently published their 2016 Roster Reconstruction Awards, which acknowledged teams for things like most improved rosters, happiest offensive coaches, happiest player and more.  While the award titles are a bit tongue-in-cheek, the premise behind the acknowledgement is sincere.

For example, Marcus Mariota was awarded the happiest player honor because of the additions of Demarco Murray, Derrick Henry, Jack Conklin and much more.  His job will be a lot easier in 2016 with the help that Tennessee has put around him.  Hence, he’s a happy guy.

Get the point?

Thankfully, the Bears have finally been recognized for all their hard work.  The team was given the Happiest Defensive Coaches award, largely because of the aforementioned roster moves made by Pace this offseason:

General manager Ryan Pace has done a commendable job of refashioning the roster to suit Fangio’s 3-4 scheme after years in the 4-3 alignment under ex-coach Lovie Smith and former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. The revamped front seven started last year, with the successful signing of disruptive edge rusher Pernell McPhee and the drafting of nose tackle Eddie Goldman. Pace then addressed inside linebacker in free agency, landing major upgrades in Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman. The overhaul was complete when the Bears traded up for outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, and drafted defensive end Jonathan Bullard and inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. 

Fangio got the most out of the limited talent at his disposal last season. Now his front seven can compete with any in the division.

The last sentence says it all.  What’s been overlooked so far this offseason is how much closer the Bears are to competing in the NFC North.  As any competent coach will attest, the easiest path to the playoffs is winning the division, so the first goal for any quality team is to get the division crown.

The moves Chicago has made in the 2016 offseason has put them in a much better position to stop Adrian Peterson, sack Aaron Rodgers, and intercept Matthew Stafford.  Defense wins championships, and the Bears won the offseason on that side of the ball in 2016.

Don’t scoff at Bears moving defensive line Greg Scruggs to tight end.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It was just one of those numerous roster-shufflings that occur from about this time of year on through the end of training camp. Or was it? Or was it a move that the Bears hope will re-create some very distinguished history for themselves?

Greg Scruggs, a defensive lineman who signed with the Bears last Dec. 30 after being waived by the Seattle Seahawks, was good enough to post three solo tackles and earn a sack in a Week 17 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Bears now appear convinced that he’s enough of an athlete to move him to tight end, complete with a number change from 90 to 87.

Scruggs did play a little tight end at Louisville on a fill-in basis and the Bears have been looking for help at the position ever since dealing away Martellus Bennett.

They made a play for New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill but the Saints matched the Bears’ offer sheet to the restricted free agent. They’d hoped to use a draft choice on Hunter Henry from Arkansas but were beaten to him by the San Diego Chargers, who selected Henry six picks before the Bears’ second-round selection.

The Bears also used two of their 10 UDFA signings on tight ends (Ben Braunecker from Harvard, Joe Sommers from Wisconsin-Oshkosh). Now comes Scruggs.

Converting defensive linemen to offense has worked very, very well for the Bears. Mark Bortz had been a defensive tackle at Iowa when the Bears used an eighth-round pick in the 1983 draft to land him, with the intention of moving him to offense. Bortz became a fixture on the Bears offensive line of the 1980's and was twice selected to NFC Pro Bowl squads.

James “Big Cat” Williams arrived in 1991 as an undrafted defensive tackle out of Cheney State. He was shifted to offensive tackle part time in 1992, then moved permanently to that side of the football by then-coach Tony Wise. Williams was a Pro Bowl alternate in 1998 and voted to the team in 2001.

For that matter, Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long was a defensive end at Saddleback (Cal.) Community College before moving to offense.

Bears announce personnel department moves.   

CSN Staff

The Bears announced several changes to their personnel department on Wednesday.

The biggest move involved the Bears promoting Mark Sadowski to director of college scouting. Sadowski replaces Joe Douglas, who was officially hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as vice president of player personnel earlier Wednesday.

Sadowski, a Chicago native and St. Rita High School alum, has 19 years of scouting experience with the New Orleans Saints (1999-2005) and with the Bears (2005-16). He most recently served as the Bears' senior national scout.

The Bears also promoted Francis St. Paul to national scout, David Williams to west coast scout, Jeff King to pro scout and Chris White to pro scouting director.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? What should the Blackhawks do with Bryan Bickell?

By Satchel Price

(Photo/Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports)

Bickell has one year left on his contract. Here's what GM Stan Bowman can do about it this summer.

Bryan Bickell is no longer the player who earned a $16 million contract in June 2013. That much is clear after the past season, during which Bickell found himself playing in Rockford for extended periods of time and named in trade rumors pretty much all of the time. Next season is Bickell's last on Chicago's books with a $4 million cap hit.

Anyone who's followed the Blackhawks recently knows what's up with Bickell at this point. The team has tried unsuccessfully to trade his oversized contract, failed to figure out a use for him on its own roster and generally seems to have its hands tied by the situation. If there was some obvious way for Chicago to shed itself of its commitment to Bickell, it would've done so already. It's only reasonable to assume at this point that Bickell isn't a wanted commodity after clearing waivers multiple times.

That leaves GM Stan Bowman with another precarious situation this summer, just the latest in a string of challenges born out of the salary cap (although this one is also a reminder that even a three-time Cup-winning GM can make mistakes). The big question now is just what Bowman can do to salvage a situation that's clearly gone bad. While nobody could've pictured the deal going down like this, with Bickell's curious ocular issues seemingly hastening his downfall on the ice, there's little doubt that millions in cap space is being wasted.

So what are Bowman's options this summer? Let's break them down, as well as what I think he should do.

Trade Bickell

Yes, if it were so easy, it would've happened already. If some team was willing to take on most of Bickell's contract, even if Chicago got nothing in return, one imagines the team would've pulled the trigger. So it's fair to assume that with Bickell considered a negative asset at this point, the Hawks' only chance of trading him would mean attaching valuable assets in a larger deal. There are several permutations that could make this happen -- especially if the Hawks are additionally willing to retain some portion of salary -- although the team will surely have to ask itself how much it's willing to give up to clear up a few million in extra cap space for one year. So far, it appears those requests have been more than Chicago could stomach.

Keep Bickell

If the cost to a trade is prohibitive because teams insist on elite prospects or, Hossa forbid, Teuvo Teravainen in order to take on Bickell's salary, then the team will have to consider keeping Bickell. Like last season, the team could bury him in Rockford and be stuck with a $3.05 million cap hit. Depending on how much money teams want the Hawks to eat in a trade, it might make more sense to simply work around that $3.05 million cap hit in 2016-17 and then enter the summer of 2017 in a position of strength with all of your prospects and cap space readily available at your disposal.

Buyout Bickell

The only option that pushes money beyond the 2016-17 season. A buyout for Bickell this summer would lower his cap hit for next season to $1 million, but it would also add a $1.5 million cap hit onto the books for 2017-18. That means overall, compared to retaining a $3.05 million cap hit if he's buried, the total accumulated savings really only add up to $550,000. In exchange for having an extra $2.05 million in cap space in 2016-17, you'd lose $1.5 million in cap space in 2017-18.

What should they do?

It all depends on what it would take to trade him. Part of the trouble here is that Bickell's salary for next season is $4.5 million, which makes him less appealing to low-budget teams looking to inflate their cap totals. Luckily, it appears Bowman learned his lesson here by significantly front-loading the big extension he gave to Brent Seabrook, if you're looking for silver lining there.

However, with a trade seemingly unlikely, I think the Hawks would be best off burying Bickell in Rockford for a year -- and maybe seeing if he can help on the bottom six -- than a buyout. The problem with a buyout is the list of players set to hit restricted free agency in 2017: Teravainen, Artemi Panarin, Erik Gustafsson and Ville Pokka. It'll be important for the Hawks to retain players like this, and losing $1.5 million in cap space for that season would be a blow to the team's chances of keeping all four players.

Unless Bowman doesn't believe he can ice a quality team next season without that extra $2 million, the team needs to take a forward-thinking approach here. Panarin and Teravainen are going to get large raises and are too important to the future to be let go. And because so much of the roster for 2016-17 is already cost controlled, I believe there's a good chance they can figure this out while Bickell is on the books. Maybe it means being forced to let Shaw go this summer, but if we're getting into the discussion of "Who should you keep: Panarin, Teuvo or Shaw? Choose two," then I think it's fairly clear who should be the goner there. Shaw, as good as he is, won't be more valuable than a cost-controlled Teuvo still in his early 20s. Panarin, meanwhile, is already one of the most important players on the roster. After going all-in this season and falling short, it's important for the team to stay committed to a strategy that doesn't compromise the future too much.

I think ideally, you'd be able to trade Bickell, retain part of his salary and give up a prospect that's not among the team's very best, which would give the team some extra money to negotiate with Shaw without compromising its position in the summer of 2017. Alternatively, though, they should hold onto him, get creative now and make sure their ducks are in a row for that offseason. The Bickell contract has been a mistake, and I don't think the team should try to live with it any longer than it needs to.

Theo Epstein riding the wave, preparing for when Cubs might crash: ‘Baseball karma is real’.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Sports Illustrated splashed the Cubs across another regional cover, this time calling them “The Last Great American Sports Story.” There’s Javier Baez, arms raised in triumph, about to jump onto home plate and into the awaiting mosh pit after a walk-off win on Mother’s Day at Wrigley Field. 

      
Sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals – two battle-tested, playoff-caliber teams the Cubs might face in October – heightened the delirious feelings out in the bleachers, on social media and within certain segments of the media.

But Theo Epstein’s job is to ignore the hype and prepare for the crash, especially when the president of baseball operations watches a 25-6 team exceed even the sky-high preseason expectations.

“This is not baseball reality,” Epstein said before Tuesday’s 8-7 victory over the San Diego Padres. “Baseball reality is it’s really hard to win a single major-league game. That’s why we celebrate it so much.” 

The Cubs are handling all phases of the game right now and must be wearing out the new Celebration Room in their tricked-out clubhouse, getting to the middle of May without back-to-back losses and pushing their run differential to plus-103.

The National League’s deepest, most patient lineup knocked out a rookie starter (Cesar Vargas) after four innings and 92 pitches, generating 12 hits and five walks against an overmatched last-place team. Jon Lester (4-1, 1.96 ERA) didn’t have his best stuff and had to grind through six innings, but he pieced together another quality start for a rotation that began the day leading the majors with a 2.26 ERA. 

The night before a doubleheader, star manager Joe Maddon pulled the bullpen levers, using six different relievers, including Pedro Strop (who got Matt Kemp to fly out to right field with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning) and Hector Rondon (now 7-for-7 in save chances with 20 strikeouts against 41 batters faced). It looked like a much closer game than it actually felt after pinch-hitter Alex Dickerson hit a grand slam off Adam Warren with two outs in the eighth inning. 

“We know we’re in a stretch right now where winning seems far easier than it actually is,” Epstein said. “We know there’s going to be a stretch – probably a long stretch this year – where winning even one game seems virtually impossible. That’s just the nature of baseball. We’re not blinded by it. 

“We’ve been saying in the office: ‘We’re in a tree right now.’ We want to stay up there as long as we can, but we’re going to get down at some point.”

The Cubs didn’t stop after shocking the baseball world last year, winning 97 games and two playoff rounds and then doubling down by spending almost $290 million on free agents. The trade deadline won’t be a time to be cautious and worry too much about the future when this team has a chance to make history. 

“We still have vulnerabilities,” Epstein said. “We still have areas where we need to get better. We still have challenges and more adversity to come. We’re going to suffer injuries. We’re going to suffer downturns in performance. We’re going to be stretched thin. We’re going to go through stretches of bad luck. We’re going to go through stretches of bad performance. We’re going to run into really hot teams. 

“We want to stay as locked in as we are right now. But the game is very humbling and we’re aware that time is coming when there are going to be great challenges. And we almost look forward to it, because I think that’s when you find out what you’re made of.”

Where last season felt like a joyride for a front office that projected around 85 wins if everything broke right, a group of rookies that didn’t know any better and a $155 million pitcher who expected 2016 to be the year where the Cubs went all-in, only a World Series title will satisfy them now.   
         
“Baseball karma is real,” Epstein said. “When you see some of the stuff written about us in the winter, and you see some of the World Series odds and things like that for a team that is a defending third-place team and hasn’t done anything yet, and there are some individuals who haven’t proven they can accomplish certain things back-to-back seasons, and we’re still a losing team during my tenure overall in Chicago (322-357), you get uncomfortable. 

“Hopefully, at the end of the year, we’ll look up and say: ‘Hey, we earned what people are saying about us.’”

Miguel Montero, Willson Contreras and where the Cubs go from here.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Cubs could activate Miguel Montero as soon as this weekend at Wrigley Field, adding another edgy personality to what’s becoming a heated rivalry with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cubs have stacked up the most wins in baseball (25) without getting a home run from Jason Heyward or a hit from Kyle Schwarber or much of a jolt from Montero, a two-time All-Star catcher who had been hitting .208 when he went on the disabled list on April 28 with lower back tightness.

Until getting swept by the last-place San Diego Padres during Wednesday’s doubleheader, the Cubs made it past a Blackhawks playoff run, the NFL Draft, Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby and Mother’s Day before finally losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Cubs understand it will be impossible to maintain a .758 winning percentage for the next 129 games. Theo Epstein’s front office is already bracing for the crash, trying to think through worst-case scenarios and how to respond in the middle of a pennant race.

The dynamic between Montero — who’s nearing the end of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa — and elite catching prospect Willson Contreras helps show how the Cubs got to this point and where they go from here.

The Cubs won’t rush Contreras, a Southern League batting champion last season, or Albert Almora, the first player drafted here by the Epstein administration in 2012. But Contreras is viewed as a future frontline catcher, and Almora has such good instincts that he could be a plus defender in a big-league outfield tomorrow.

“You always try to balance major-league need with long-term player development,” Epstein said. “We think it’s really important that our best prospects spend as close to a full year as possible at the Triple-A level.

“Especially with catchers, their time at Triple-A is invaluable, because it’s as close as you can get to the major-league dynamic, understanding how to handle pitchers, how to call games, how to maintain a sense of calm, even when things are speeding up during the course of a game.”

With Schwarber recovering from knee surgery, it didn’t become a difficult decision when Montero felt something similar to the lower back strain that forced him to miss almost a month with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013.

This is the kind of situation the Cubs envisioned when they agreed to a minor-league deal with Tim Federowicz, a former Boston Red Sox draft pick (shocker) who caught Matt Harvey at the University of North Carolina and worked with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“When you have a catcher making his major-league debut, there’s a lot that goes into that,” Epstein said. “A lot of guys have to kind of nurse him through that. He’s got to make some mistakes, so that he can learn from (them). He’s got to build relationships. There will be a time for that.”

The Pacific Coast League can create some numbers inflation. But the Cubs don’t doubt Contreras — who’s batting .347 with a .939 OPS through his first 27 games with Iowa — will become an impact hitter in The Show.

“He’s a really talented hitter,” Epstein said. “But we’re not as concerned with his offensive development. He’s a real natural hitter. He hits the ball hard, sprays line drives from line to line, drives the ball through the gaps, doesn’t strike out a lot, has a pretty good feel for the strike zone.

“So I think he’s going to adjust pretty well over time offensively. It’s really the nuances of running a pitching staff that he’s working on. Triple-A is the perfect place to do that.”

The Cubs left their pitchers in the capable hands of David Ross and Federowicz, who have helped the rotation go 24-for-33 in quality starts and put up a 2.29 ERA that leads the majors by a wide margin (with the Washington Nationals second at 2.77).

That’s also a product of the complex game-planning system designed by coaches Chris Bosio and Mike Borzello and supported by Joe Maddon’s Geek Department.

It’s unfair to think Contreras — who grew up in Venezuela and will turn 24 on Friday — can just show up and take charge of a Cy Young Award winner (Jake Arrieta) and two two-time World Series champions (Jon Lester and John Lackey).

“A Triple-A clubhouse is an interesting place to navigate,” Epstein said. “You got some guys on the way up, some guys on the way down who feel they should be back up there. Pitchers are working on things, and sometimes you can learn a lot just keeping those guys happy and being the guy they want to throw to.

“Advance (scouting) reports are more a part of the equation at Triple-A than they are at Double-A or the lower levels. It’s the perfect place for him to be right now and continue to evolve.

“He’s an outstanding thrower, an outstanding blocker, but he’s continuing to work on his receiving as well. Besides the intangible components of catching, he’s working on receiving all the different pitches in all the different parts of the zone.”

The Cubs will hold a seven-game lead over the Pirates when they face Francisco Liriano on Friday afternoon in Wrigleyville, knowing that it will take veterans like Montero and Heyward picking up the pace, energy boosts from the farm system and the trade deadline and even more unexpected contributions (Shane Victorino?) to successfully finish this marathon.

“It’s so early,” Epstein said. “We’re thrilled with the start we’ve gotten off to, but we’re not blinded by it.

“The season’s 26 weeks long. A team could make up a game every other week on us and catch us and pass us. It doesn’t change the thought process at all.”

MLB Rookie Report: Carl Edwards Jr, RHP, Chicago Cubs. 

By John Sickels

(Photo/Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

The Chicago Cubs promoted right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. to the major league roster yesterday. He has been on the prospect radar for a few years now but we cover every rookie here at Minor League Ball, so here's the current scoop.

Edwards was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 48th round in 2011 from high school in Prosperity, South Carolina, population 1,180. Known as C.J. Edwards at the time, he developed rapidly into an intriguing starting pitcher prospect then was acquired by the Cubs in the 2013 Matt Garza deal. After an injury-plagued season in 2014, the Cubs moved him to the pen last year, resulting in a 2.77 ERA in 55 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 75/41 K/BB. He got a brief cup of coffee in the Show, fanning four over 4.2 innings but walking three.

From the 2016 Baseball Prospect Book:

Carl Edwards, Jr., RHP, Chicago Cubs
Bats: R Throws: R HT: 6-2 WT: 155 DOB: September 3, 1991
2013: Grade C+; 2014: Grade B+; 2015: Grade B+ 

After missing much of 2014 with shoulder trouble, Edwards made some changes in 2015. He stopped going by C.J. Edwards and started using his given name of Carl Edwards, Jr. More importantly he switched to relief work. The results were impressive enough for him to earn a big league trial and he’ll be in the bullpen mix for 2016. Stuff-wise Edwards offers plenty, featuring a 92-96 MPH fastball with hard cutting action. He has a plus curveball and his change-up isn’t bad either. The quality stuff is reflected in excellent K/IP and H/IP marks, plus he’s given up only three home runs in his entire professional career. On the other hand, his pitches have so much movement that his control is troublesome, plus the switch to the bullpen reduces his potential fantasy impact unless he can take a closer role. He’ll need to reduce the walks to end up with such a job, but I think he’ll be able to do that eventually. The grade is down a bit due to the change in role and the control slippage, but overall I remain a fan. Grade B-.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY

Edwards was off to another strong start in Triple-A, posting a 2.38 ERA in 11 innings for the Iowa Cubs with an 18/7 K/BB. He has little left to prove in the minors so the choice to promote him is logical.

The pre-season view of Edwards hasn't changed: he still has very impressive stuff and he still needs to sharpen his command. Right now he can fit well as a middle reliever and if his control improves as he gains experience, he could be a closer someday. I still like him.

White Sox bullpen looks to rebound from first 'rough night' of 2016.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The White Sox bullpen was saddled with its first loss of 2016 when leading after seven innings on Tuesday night and it was an ugly one.

They were due.

Scott Carroll, Zach Duke and Matt Albers combined to give back a late five-run lead in a 13-11 loss to the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. Given their workload, particularly in a stretch where they’ve played 27 games in 28 days, a clunker for the White Sox bullpen was inevitable.

This one just happened to be painful.

Instead of looking for a second series sweep of the Rangers on Wednesday, the White Sox, who scored a season-high 11 runs Tuesday, face Cole Hamels with a series victory on the line.

“We’ve been using these guys a lot, and this is a game that you tip the cap,” Sox manager Robin Ventura told reporters in Texas. “They didn’t give up. … Just an off night, bullpen-wise. That’s going to happen in a long season.”

Dating back to April 12, the White Sox have played games on all but one day (May 2).

They’re 18-9 during the stretch. Of those 27 games, only nine have been decided by five or more runs, and in three of those, late runs helped the White Sox pull away.

In that span, White Sox relievers have pitched 78 1/3 innings, an average of 2.90 per game.

On the season, the team’s Average Leverage Index — a measurement for the pressure of each relief appearance — is ninth in the majors at 1.039. So while White Sox relievers are only 21st in innings pitched, they’re almost always pitching in games where a three-run homer can decide it one way or the other.

Same as any other manager in baseball, Ventura often talks about how it takes an entire roster plus a number of guys in the minors to manage a season. If you turn to the back end of your bullpen every day, eventually they’re going to burn out.

Since April 12th, David Robertson and Nate Jones, who both allowed runs in Monday’s win, have appeared in 11 games. Duke, who leads the majors in games pitched at 20, has appeared in 15 games. Albers has 12 and Zach Putnam has pitched in 10.

The White Sox are currently without Jake Petricka, who is on the disabled list, and Dan Jennings pitched two innings Monday. 

That’s why Ventura opted for Carroll with a five-run lead — he can’t afford to lean that heavily on his core guys.

He picked a spot that gave his pitcher plenty of leeway for mistakes. And just like that, a five-run lead vanished.

You knew it would happen at some point.

But that won’t keep Ventura from trusting his guys again.

“As far as faith in these guys going forward, we have all that for them,” Ventura told reporters. “Tonight is just a tough night.”

Report: White Sox one of three teams most interested in Tim Lincecum.

CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Tim Lincecum on the South Side?

According to a Thursday report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox are one of three teams with the most interest in the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

***************

"Sources: #SFGiants, #Angels, #WhiteSox most interested in Lincecum. Not close to decision."

~ Ken Rosenthal@Ken Rosenthal
   11:47 AM - 12 May 2016

***************

Lincecum, the 31-year-old righty who made four National League All-Star teams in nine years with the San Francisco Giants, is a free agent who recently worked out in front of a host of teams with the hopes of displaying he's healthy and still capable of pitching in the big leagues.

After stringing together some mighty impressive seasons — winning the NL Cy Young in 2008 and 2009 and helping the Giants to three World Series titles in five seasons — Lincecum's role with the Giants deteriorated quickly as he experienced injury troubles. He made at least 32 starts a season from 2008 to 2013, but that number dropped to 26 in 2014 as he pitched more out of the bullpen and to 15 last season as he only pitched 76 1/3 innings.

During those four straight All-Star seasons from 2008 to 2011, Lincecum turned in a record of 62-36 with a 2.81 ERA. In the four years that followed, he went 39-42 with a 4.68 ERA.

Despite starters Chris Sale and Jose Quintana being among the best in baseball, the White Sox have struggled to fill a hole in their rotation. John Danks was designated for assignment earlier this month after posting a 7.25 ERA in four starts, and finding a replacement has proved difficult. Miguel Gonzalez has made two starts (4.91 ERA) and Erik Johnson has made one, allowing four runs in five innings.

With Mat Latos turning in several strong outings this season, perhaps Lincecum could be another reclamation project.

White Sox in ideal spot as amateur draft nears.   

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The White Sox are in an ideal spot, competing right now and yet still building for the future.

The team heads into June’s amateur draft with all its picks — including one received after Jeff Samardzija departed via free agency — despite adding nine new players and pursuing several high-profile free agents this winter.

Off to a 23-12 start and in first place in the American League Central, the White Sox possess the 10th, 26th and 49th selections in the draft, which will be held from June 9 to June 11.

They would have sacrificed their second pick to reel in Alex Gordon or Yoenis Cespedes. But both free agents opted to stay with their respective teams, and the White Sox found alternatives.

Though this is exactly how he preferred it, first-year amateur scouting director Nick Hostetler swears no voodoo was involved. But he also made it clear to general manager Rick Hahn early in the offseason he hoped the team could field its roster without sacrificing the future.

“I actually told Rick I don’t want to know,” Hostetler said with a laugh. “I told him, ‘I’ll find out on Twitter, which is better for me.’ I didn’t want to be a part of it. I was totally honest with him — if they asked me my opinion of the player, I was going to be completely jaded and biased. I wasn’t going to like anybody.

“Having that extra pick puts us in play for some other guys that quite honestly ... we wouldn’t have had a chance.”

The opportunity to make an additional pick — and the extra $2 million in the bonus pool that comes with it — only arrived after a series of close calls. The White Sox pursued Gordon and Cespedes down to the bitter end only to see them go back to the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets, respectively. There was also talk in February about potentially signing Ian Desmond to fill the vacancy at shortstop.

Any of the three would have meant the team surrendered the 26th pick.

But none of the moves came together. Hostetler swears he didn’t use hypnosis, nor does he possess voodoo dolls representing Hahn, Kenny Williams or chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

Hahn was willing to forfeit the pick for the right player.

Yet the club moved on and filled in some of its biggest holes with players who didn’t cost draft picks: Jimmy Rollins, Austin Jackson and Mat Latos.

“For us, the ideal scenario was to be able to win in Chicago while continuing to build our minor league system in a way that enhanced our chances for sustained success,” Hahn said. “Certainly, having three picks in the top 49 goes a long way towards helping that latter part happen.

“Since winning in Chicago is the No. 1 priority, we would have sacrificed the comp pick if the right deal was available this past off season. Given the start we've had and the fact that we kept the pick, we're arguably in position to potentially serve both of those goals.”

The additional money in the team’s draft bonus pool is equally as big as the pick.

Last year’s slotted amount for the 26th pick was $2,034,500. That’s $2 million extra to pour into a system that didn’t have a second- or third-round pick in 2015 (compensation for signing David Robertson and Melky Cabrera) and surrendered its fourth-round pick (Zack Erwin) in the Brett Lawrie trade.

The farm system has good talent up top in Tim Anderson and Carson Fulmer. But trades for Samardzija, Todd Frazier and Lawrie have hurt the system’s depth.

The extra money could come in handy if a player with signability issues falls to the White Sox at No. 10 or at No. 26. Even though there’s no consensus No. 1 pick, Hostetler said the top 10 to 12 picks include premium talent that potentially could join the team’s core group within two seasons. He also notes the White Sox are heavily scouting the top 10 to 12 players because nobody knows who will end up where.

“It’s that type of year,” Hostetler said. “The first 10 to 12 guys are pretty lumped together.”

As of now, the team’s board for their top two selections includes a group of 35 to 40 players, Hostetler said. That figure has grown by about 10 players over the last month. Hostetler is actually hopeful the team’s first three selections come from the pool.

“We’d have to have some pretty bad luck if they don’t,” Hostetler said. “One of the most exciting things for this year is we’ve got so much financial flexibility that we needed to expand our board more, we needed more options for 10 and 26 just because when we’re comparing all these, seeing where we can allocate money.”

Hostetler said enthusiasm for the team’s start is rampant throughout the organization. He hears it when he reports to Hahn, Williams or Buddy Bell. It's also present when he talks to his scouts.

He would have signed off on the addition of a Gordon or a Cespedes because winning is the goal. But Hostetler likes his current position better — and that he didn’t have to resort dark magic to get it done.

“Quite honestly the biggest thing we stress for is, at the end of the day, if the best thing for this club was to give away that pick for a player, if it ultimately resulted in putting a diamond ring on the finger in October or November, I could live with it,” Hostetler said.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... The worst part of Jimmy Butler representing the Bulls at the lottery.

By Steve Rosenbloom

(Photo/TheChicagoTribune.com)

I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that the Bulls made the wrong choice. It seems to have become their thing.

Jimmy Butler reportedly will represent the Bulls at next week’s draft lottery, and I’m thinking, shouldn’t it be Gar Forman so he can endure on national TV the embarrassment of his handiwork?

It would serve Forman right if he were forced to sit there with a tight, silly grin and a minuscule chance of landing the No. 1 draft choice with all the other losers.

If accountability matters to Forman the way he has blathered, then the guy whose one, single, only choice as coach that directed his self-described championship-contending roster into the lottery should be the one, single, only choice to represent the Bulls for that dubious moment.

But no. It will be Butler. Maybe Butler thinks this is some sort of leadership. It’s not leadership, of course. It’s having a “Kick Me’’ sign taped to your back. But then, a guy whose idea of leadership is neutering his coach could be led to believe otherwise.

This act would appear as if the Bulls are sucking up to Butler after Forman rankled him with comments indicating Butler could be traded.

This act also could appear as if the Bulls not only are making nice with Butler but also making him the face of the franchise.

That would be quite the general manager’s windsocking. Or maybe the decision to windsock was made above Forman, which would then render the GM as neutered as his coach if he wanted to trade his most valuable piece.

Which brings us to this question:

How will the Bulls’ asking Butler to represent them at the lottery go over with the space station formerly known as Derrick Rose?

Rose has his own ideas regarding who and what he is -- ideas that often have no basis in reality. He’s not Derrick Rose, MVP. He never will be again. He seems to be the last one to know that.

Rose also seems to be the last one to know that he isn’t the Bulls best player, and now Rose could have one more reason not to pass the ball to Butler. Or perhaps he could have one more reason not to participate in an offense that Butler looks like he’s hijacking.

Even the Bulls’ ill-equipped coach eventually commented that he would have to figure out some way to stagger the playing time of his two best players because they don’t know how to work and play well with each other. Is this a thought that Steve Kerr has to bring up with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson?

I could be overthinking the importance of the Bulls’ face at the drawing. But this franchise once sent its VP of breads and circuses to the lottery, so it’s not exactly an all-star event.

That year, by the way, was the one when Steve Schanwald -- notably called “Stan Schanwald’’ during the NBA’s production -- came home with Rose. If only the Bulls had saved the receipt.

LeBron James rightfully questions who the 'most valuable player' is? What's Your Take?

By Kelly Dwyer

LeBron James knows. (Photo/Getty Images)

Sports leagues really did themselves a disservice when they happened upon the phrase “most valuable player.” Or, considering the attention they’re all getting, perhaps it was a canny move. Either way, the designation still leaves some room for debate, and people that like to talk about sports in the middle of a weekday tend to embrace debate.

Stephen Curry won the NBA’s MVP award on Tuesday in what turned out to be the league’s first unanimous vote. Curry, who also won the trophy in 2015, led the NBA in scoring, steals, three-pointers made and free throw percentage while contributing a league-high Player Efficiency Rating as he led his Golden State Warriors to an NBA record 73 regular season wins. MVP candidacies don’t come much more obvious than this case.

LeBron James, a four-time (and probably shoulda been more) winner of the award, still has a different way to frame things. Via Tom Withers of the Associated Press, from Wednesday:

''I think sometimes the word 'valuable' or best player of the year, you can have different results,'' said James, a four-time MVP. ''You know, that's not taking anything from anyone that's ever won the award.'''

[…]

''Look at Steph's numbers,'' he said. ''He averaged 30, he led the league in steals, he was 90-50-40 (shooting percentages from the free-throw line, field and 3-pointers), and they won 73 (games). So, I don't, do you have any debate over that, really, when it comes to that award? But when you talk about most 'valuable' then you can have a different conversation, so, take nothing away from him, he's definitely deserving of that award, for sure.''

LeBron ain’t wrong. On all fronts.

Stephen Curry was just a few hours removed from hoisting the award at a press conference when NBA TV’s ‘The Starters’ put together a segment asking if he was even the NBA’s best player. This isn’t disrespectful, and nobody here is throwing shade, but in a team game that can be elevated by individual play (as we saw in spades on Monday night), declaring someone the “most valuable player” tends to be rather loaded.

There’s the one-on-one argument, to start. LeBron James would probably destroy Stephen Curry in a game to 11, win by two. Carmelo Anthony might even do the same, provided he stick to his low post strengths. It’s true that a three-point shot counts more than a two-point lay in, but even given the NBA’s five second rule for backing defenders down, bigger players with handle are always going to rule the roost.

Then there are the various derivations of the word “valuable.”

Media members love to vote for a player working it all alone. It’s why Fred Hickman and Gary Washburn denied Shaquille O’Neal and James unanimous votes in 2000 and 2013 in favor of lending a lone vote to Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, respectively. Yes, Stephen Curry had a fabulous year, but so did teammates Draymond Green (who finished sixth in MVP voting) and Klay Thompson. Meanwhile, Paul George and Damian Lillard had to drag unheralded rosters into the postseason on their wearied backs – wouldn’t they, then, be the most “valuable” player?

Or, you could take the word literally.

Stephen Curry’s contract, at $11.3 million this season, is an absolute bargain. He’s the fourth-highest player on his team, working on a deal that he agreed to in the wake of his injury-plagued first few seasons in the NBA.

Is he the NBA’s best bargain, though? The most valuable?

Lillard is still on his rookie deal. He made $4.2 million this season and pushed his team to play until the second week of May. Andre Drummond led the NBA in rebounds per game while taking his Pistons to the playoffs at $3.2 million. Anthony Davis may have missed the playoffs this year, but even with a respectable No. 1 overall pick contract he was likely the NBA’s most productive-per-pay player in 2014-15 while taking the Pelicans to the postseason alongside making $5.6 million. LeBron himself had quite the argument while working on his own rookie deal in 2006, even with Kobe Bryant scoring 35 a game and Steve Nash pulling his injured Suns back into championship contention.

These are valuable players. There might be better players. It’s all a big mess, even when unani-mess.

Then there’s the “who would you rather?” -aspect.

You’ve just been handed the reins of the Albuquerque Charlatans, the NBA’s 31st team, and you get your choice of any player in the league to start with. LeBron James, midway through his 31st year on the planet, might be off your list in spite of what you’ve seen him do to this league for the last 12 1/2 years. Stephen Curry, at age 28, might be at his peak. Anthony Davis could be too brittle, Chris Paul too worn out, and Draymond Green might a little hard to sell as a franchise player. Kawhi Leonard’s next quotable quip will be his first.

Karl Anthony-Towns would probably be your guy, even with Curry dropping 30 a night. He won’t hit his prime until 2024, he’s tall and versatile and does well with the cameras in his face. He’s the perfect young man to sell basketball to the fine folks in Albuquerque and an exceptional young player to build a team around. Yes, Stephen could drop 55 on your opening night, but how much of that is going to matter in three years when he’s on the wrong side of 30?

This is what the NBA creates when it calls a recipient the “most valuable player.” The sport isn’t based around a series of one-on-one confrontations as baseball is, and it isn’t dominated by a single position as football is. It’s a glorious confluence of both team and individual prowess.

By the NBA’s standards, LeBron James was not the MVP this year, and James himself acknowledged that by just about any metric Stephen Curry should have run away with the award. Cleveland Cavalier fans, though, should be more than happy that James isn’t about to step aside while considering himself the best player in the league. And LeBron is quite correct in pointing out that, even in such a landslide scenario, that these things are never simple to suss out.

Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: When I started reading this article, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I just got angry. Baby Lebron is complaining again!!! ''I think sometimes the word 'valuable' or best player of the year, you can have different results,'' said James, a four-time MVP. ''You know, that's not taking anything from anyone that's ever won the award.''' The same thing can be said when he won the award four times. I'm sure that there were people, (NBA Management, players and fans), that felt that way when he won but they respected the process and let him enjoy his award. Stephen Curry earned and deserved the award this year. The writers and voters chose him unanimously, that's not his fault. Obviously, they all think he deserved it so what's the problem? No one complained when Lebron left Cleveland to go to Miami to win a championship with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosch. Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and John Stockton never won rings, however, they never got together and said let's get together and sign with one team and win a championship. They played with the hand they were dealt. They did their best but they just came up short. Michael Jordan was a superstar when the Bulls were losing, he didn't leave, they just continued to build around him and they started winning when Scotty Pippen, Horace Grant and John Paxton developed. They brought in Bill Cartwright as the center and he was never a big point scorer, he just plugged up the middle for defense. For six championships. they changed role players every year and continued to win. Jordan provided the leadership and the TEAM jelled.

I don't even know why Lebron even brought this issue up... He came back to lead Cleveland to a championship, when he does that, tell him he can be considered for the MVP again. It's not about an individual award, it's about the player that sells the merits of the game, excites and motivates the players on his team and in the league, builds up the fans' interest in the game and most of all gives the young kids someone to emulate in a positive manner, (personally and professionally). I don't care whether you agree with me or with Lebron, again, Stephen Curry earned it and deserves it, The MVP award, and that's coming from a diehard Chicago Bulls fan.

As usual, I've stated my case and would love to hear your thoughts and what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your feelings with us. We appreciate your comments and truly love hearing from you.

Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director.

Golf: I got a club for that..... Jason Day Ties Course Record, Outduels Jordan Spieth at Players.

By Gary Van Sickle

Jason Day Ties Course Record, Outduels Jordan Spieth at Players (Photo/Getty Images)

Jason Day Ties Course Record at Players Championship World No. 1 Jason Day fired a 63 in the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday to tie the TPC Sawgrass course record. PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA. -- It seemed like a good idea at the time. What wouldn't be fun about pairing Jason Day and Jordan Spieth, the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world, in the Players opening round?

It was tons of fun for Day, who did what the top player in the world is supposed to do on an easy scoring day in a big tournament, which is make nine pretty much routine birdies and shoot a 9-under-par 63 to grab the early Players lead. Day tied the record at the Stadium Course shared by Fred Couples, Roberto Castro, Martin Kaymer and Greg Norman.

Spieth, playing in his first event since the Masters, watched Day rack up birdies on the back nine (he shot 32) while he couldn't get anything going. When Spieth finally rattled off three birdies in a row starting at the second hole, it looked as if he was going to get right back into the thick of contention, where he left off at the 12th hole Sunday at Augusta National.

He was three under par until he made a bogey at the fifth hole, then another at the six. A birdie at the short seventh minimized the damage but then he butchered the par-5 ninth hole with a costly double bogey that dropped him back to even par. On a day when scores were low, low, low, that was not a good score.

Most of the media members waiting for an interview behind the scoring building weren't aware of his finish and were therefore a little surprised by his accommodating but unusually curt demeanor. After a handful of questions, somebody finally asked the right one -- what happened at No. 9?

"I hit it seven times," Spieth answered. "I hit two fantastic shots and then I'm not really sure after that."

Upon further review… Spieth went for the green in two and found the back bunker, with the pin back right on the green. He fluffed his first bunker shot and barely made it out. From the rough on a steep slope, he got the next one only up to the fringe. He putted it to three-and-a-half feet from there, then missed a short bogey putt.

It was a disappointing day, not what he wanted following a month off in the wake of that disappointing Masters.

"I really only had two bad swings today," Spieth said. "I'm hitting the ball great. I feel as comfortable over the ball and I'm driving it the best I've driven it the whole year. It's just my distance control and then my speed control with the putter, which are things that sometimes take a round or two to get back."

He hit 11 fairways and 13 greens but lost 2.3 strokes in the strokes-gained putting category—in other words, his putting was 2.3 strokes worse than everyone else in the field halfway through the first round. The putter is normally Spieth's most deadly club. It wasn't deadly Thursday as he pushed several putts to the right.

"It'll come around," Spieth said. "It's something that I'm trying to trust right now, and it feels like I'm going to hit it left when it's actually on line. It's actually the same feeling I had at Augusta, and it worked fine there, so it shouldn't be a problem. I just need to trust it."

The bogey at the fifth hole was a momentum-stopper, while the double at the ninth was the nail-in-the-coffin pounder. There wasn't much wind Thursday but what there was, coming in and off the ocean, was fickle.

"We played 75, 80 percent of the holes into the wind today, it was flipping back and forth," Spieth said. "Almost every tee shot was into the breeze."

At the fifth, he said, his tee shot was into the wind. When he hit his approach, he explained, it was apparently downwind then and he hit his shot into a bad spot over the green. "I hit solid shots that just caught the wrong gusts," he said, "but that happens."

By the time Day finished his 63 (which tied him for the course record), there were already 65s posted in the morning wave by Cameron Tringale, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Bill Haas. James Hahn, who won last week's Wells Fargo Championship, was in a slew of scores at 67. He was paired with Haas and knew early on that scores were going to be unusually low at the Stadium Course.

"I peeked at the leaderboard on the front nine to see what other guys were doing and there were already 4- and 5-unders after 10 holes," Hahn said.

"Anytime you see that, you have to keep being aggressive out there. Seeing guys shoot 7- or 8-under, it kind of makes you fire at the flag more. And I was playing well with Bill (Haas), and every day I try to beat the guys in my group—at least one guy. Seeing Bill play so well, I was just trying to keep up with him."

Day grabbed The Players by the throat from the start. He ran in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 10th green, his opening hole. It was so unlikely that after it dropped, he couldn't help but laugh and flash a big grin.

"The greens were very receptive, it was a good day," Day said. "The temperature was hot, the ball was going a long way and you're coming in with shorter clubs in you hit the fairways. We thought the greens were sticking, so we could attack the pins."

He found the greenside bunker just short of the par-5 11th green in two, played a nice sand shot and made a short putt for birdie. At 12, a short par-4, he spun a wedge shot to within five feet for another low-stress bird. The 14th is one of the Stadium Course's tougher holes, a long par-4 with trouble on both sides, but Day stuffed his approach shot pin-high, eight feet away but misread the putt.

At 16, he missed the green left in two, pitched to eight feet and missed a great birdie chance. He dropped his approach shot in right of a back-left pin at the island-green 17th, not far from where defending champion Rickie Fowler put it in last year's thrilling playoff, and made the putt for birdie.

He turned in 32, four under par, and then birdied three of the first four holes on the front. He added another birdie at the seventh and one at the ninth, where he actually was chipping for eagle and a chance to shoot 62. If a 63 can be mundane, Day's 63 was mundane. But maybe 63 is never mundane, not at this course.

Day was asked if he recalled the last round where he had 18 birdie putts and no par putts longer than two feet—nine birdies, no bogeys.

"I shot an 81 the last time I played here, so, no," he said with a smile, eliciting laughter. "I was really displeased with how I played last year, considering I was coming into that week feeling pretty good about my game and I just didn't really play great in the second round. But I can't really recall when I hit the ball as well as I did today and then also putted as well as I did. I've shot lower scores but everything kind of just clicked today."

Rickie Fowler doesn't fear Sawgrass' 17th; he feasts on it.

By Ryan Ballengee

Rickie Fowler isn't afraid of Pete Dye's diabolical little par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass.

A year ago, the now defending champion birdied the penultimate hole on The Players Championship host course three times on Sunday -- once in regulation, once in a three-hole aggregate playoff and once in sudden-death -- to lock up his biggest pro win to date.

In fact, in his last 15 times playing the 17th dating back to the 2011 Players, Fowler is 9 under par. That's pretty stunning considering the hole's reputation for ruining rounds and challengers' chances at winning golf's most lucrative title. 

Perhaps Fowler handles the hole so well because, well, he likes it.

“I look forward to 17, just because it's a fun hole to play," Fowler said Tuesday. "No matter what the wind is doing, it’s always interesting. You’ve got to be spot-on there, so it demands a lot out of the shot.”

It's not the typical 135-yard shot on the PGA Tour. The target seems small from the tee because of the surrounding water. The wind can be hard to decipher. There are a lot of people surrounding the hole, waiting for a bloodbath. That doesn't sound all that enjoyable, but it apparently is for a guy whose five professional wins have all been decided by a shot or in a playoff. 

Fowler won in Abu Dhabi early in the year, but he's stumbled in his last two chances to win on the PGA Tour. He lost a playoff in Phoenix to Hideki Matsuyama and he let the Wells Fargo Championship slip away last Sunday with an early double bogey. Although Players defending champions have fared poorly in the last decade, Fowler has been putting himself into position to win. If he can manage to do that again this year, he knows his record on the 17th will work to his benefit.

“I hit a lot of quality shots there. I made a lot of birdies there. I had a lot of confidence on 17," Fowler said. "Last year, it definitely didn’t hurt that. Hitting the shots that I did under the pressure and the situation, yeah, it’s only going to help.”

Why the low scores? Unusually soft greens are one reason.

By Rex Hoggard

(Photo/The GolfChannel.com)

Most players attributed Thursday’s low scoring at The Players Championship to a combination of factors, including heat which allowed tee shots to travel exceedingly long, hard fairways and uncharacteristically soft greens.

The first two elements of the scoring trifecta are somewhat the norm at The Players, which has played harder and faster since its move to May in 2007.

The softer greens, however, are curious considering a general lack of rain in the area in recent weeks.

“It’s been softer since Monday. I think the greens are an issue still. They’ve struggled to get them where they need to be,” said Billy Horschel, who lives near TPC Sawgrass and regularly plays the course.

Officials struggled two years ago after a particularly cold and wet winter with the Stadium Course’s greens heading into The Players, and the course will undergo a renovation, including new grass on the greens, after this year’s tournament.

 “I think they were afraid to get the greens too firm too soon because then the bad spots were going to show up and they were going to stress the greens too early,” Horschel said. “You would see a lot of imperfections and areas where the ball is not rolling as smoothly.“

A new director of agronomy, Jeff Plotts, was hired last year and Horschel said he’s done “an unbelievable job of getting the greens to roll well.” Horschel, who opened with a 4-under 68, also said he expects the putting surfaces to get firmer over the next three days.

NASCAR’s weekend schedule for Dover.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

For the first time since February all three of NASCAR’s national series will be in the same place as they converge at Dover International Speedway.

The Camping World Truck Series begins the weekend with the JACOB Companies 200. The Xfinity Series follows with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 and the Sprint Cup Series caps the weekend with the AAA 400 Drive for Autism.

Here’s the weekend schedule complete with TV and radio information.
All Times are Eastern.

Thursday, May 12

11 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Truck series garage open

2 – 2:55 p.m. – Truck practice (No TV)

4 – 4:55 p.m. – Final Truck practice (No TV)

Friday, May 13

6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage open

7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Xfinity Series garage open

8 a.m. – Truck series garage opens

10 – 10:55 a.m. – Xfinity Series practice (Fox Sports 1)

11 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. – Sprint Cup practice (FS1, Motor Racing Network)

12:30 – 1:55 p.m. – Final Xfinity Series practice (FS1)

2:15 p.m. – Truck series qualifying; multi-car/three rounds (FS1)

3:30 p.m. – Truck series driver-crew chief meeting

3:45 p.m. – Sprint Cup qualifying; multi-car/three rounds (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

5 p.m. – Truck series driver introductions

5;30 p.m. – Truck series JACOB Companies 200; 200 laps/200 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Saturday, May 14

7:30 a.m. – Xfinity Series garage opens

7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage open

9:30 – 10:25 a.m. – Sprint Cup practice (FS1, MRN)

10:45 a.m. – Xfinity Series qualifying; multi-car/three rounds (FS1)

12:15 p.m. – Xfinity Series driver-crew chief meeting

12:30 – 1:25 p.m. – Sprint Cup final practice (FS2, MRN)

1:35 p.m. – Xfinity Series driver introductions

2 p.m. – Xfinity Series Heat No. 1; 40 laps/40 miles (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

2:50 p.m. Approx. – Xfinity Series Heat No. 2; 40 laps/40 miles (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

3:30 p.m. Approx. – Xfinity Series Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 Main; 120 laps/120 miles (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, May 15

7 a.m. – Sprint Cup garage opens

11 a.m. – Driver-crew chief meeting

12:20 p.m. – Driver introductions

1 p.m. – AAA 400 Drive for Autism; 400 laps, 400 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Kyle Busch's crew chief suspended for Kansas lug nut violation.

By Nick Bromberg

(Photo/yahoosports.com)

Joe Gibbs Racing will not appeal the suspension. Stevens and front tire changer Josh Leslie will serve their suspensions this weekend at Dover.

"The 18 team utilized unaltered stock lug nuts during Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway and each wheel had all five lug nuts attached to the wheel at the conclusion of the race," the team's statement said. "The team does acknowledge that not all lug nuts were tightened to the wheel."

Adam Stevens, the crew chief for Kyle Busch, has been suspended for the No. 18 team's violation of the new NASCAR lug nut rule after Saturday night's race at Kansas.

After the sanctioning body was called out by Tony Stewart (and then subsequently fined Stewart for his comments), NASCAR mandated teams in the Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series have all five lug nuts fastened to each wheel and hub at the end of the race. NASCAR no longer monitors lug nut fastening during pit stops – leading teams to put fewer than five lug nuts on for faster pit stops –It's  and now enforces the rule with a check on pit road immediately following the conclusion of each race.

Front tire changer Josh Leslie has also been suspended for a race.

According to NASCAR's penalty report, the team violated Sections 12:1; 10.11.3.4; 12.5.3.4.1 g, o of the rule book. If you're not familiar with the intricacies of the NASCAR rule book – and quite honestly, you shouldn't be unless you work in NASCAR – 12.5.3.4.1.o is defined as "Parts or system configurations of importance not meeting the NASCAR rules but of a nature rising to a higher level penalty."

It's worth noting that "p" just below is defined as "Any identification of missing lug nuts on a wheel post race" so, yes, Busch had all five lug nuts on either of his front wheels. We know it's the either the left or right front wheel given Leslie's suspension.

10.11.3.4.a notes that "all tires, wheels and all five lug nuts must be installed in a safe and secure manner at all times during the event." So while the 18 team had 20 lugnuts fastened to the car, they clearly didn't meet NASCAR's specifications for tightening.

Stevens was also fined $20,000 and placed on NASCAR probation through the end of the season. We were able to find video of Busch's final pit stop of the race from Saturday night. While the camera feed from the right side of the car doesn't give a clear view, here's what it looked like as the left-front wheel was fastened to the car.

Leslie and Stevens are both be eligible to return for the Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600, the next two races in May.

When NASCAR announced the lug nut rule after the race at Richmond, there was some public consternation among teams that the rule could be inadvertently violated because lug nuts have been known to come off the studs during the course of a fuel run. While Busch's team had all five lug nuts on each of the front wheels after the race, it didn't take long for that wonder to become reality.

Busch still keeps the win and the bonus points associated with it for the Chase. The win at Kansas was Busch's third of the season and he's the only driver with more than two wins through the first 11 races.

NASCAR’s side of lug nut penalty: ‘We believe the message is absolutely clear’ to teams.

NBC Sports

Sprint Cup director Richard Buck told NBC Sports that NASCAR has no plan to address teams after a controversial lug nut rule revision yielded its first major penalty Wednesday.

“I think it’s very clear to the industry that everyone pushes for every competitive advantage they can get, but we’re crystal clear when it comes to safety,” he said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “This issue, that’s why we spelled it out so clearly. I don’t know we’ll have a special crew chief meeting for it because we believe, as a company, the message is absolutely clear.”

Adam Stevens, crew chief for Kyle Busch’s winning car Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, was suspended for the upcoming race weekend at Dover International Speedway along with front tire-changer Josh Leslie after NASCAR said the team didn’t meet requirements that all five lug nuts must be installed in a “safe and secure manner at all times during the event.”

The penalty doesn’t affect Busch’s win or the three bonus points the defending series champion earned for the first round of the playoffs.

Buck said the violation was found in post-race but wouldn’t clarify whether it was at the track or at its R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, where Busch’s winning car and Kevin Harvick’s runner-up.

NASCAR updated its policy before the May 1 race at Talladega Superspeedway, where no teams were found to have run afoul of the rule.

Busch won for the first time at Kansas by electing to keep the No. 18 Toyota on track and in the lead during a final caution on Lap 235. His last pit stop was on Lap 211, meaning he ran 56 laps on a wheel that NASCAR didn’t believe to be “safe and secure” (Buck wouldn’t clarify which wheel).

“I can tell you it absolutely didn’t meet our expectations or our criteria laid out in the rulebook,” Buck said of the infraction.

Buck declined to provide many specific details of the penalty because of a possible appeal by Joe Gibbs Racing. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, an appeal hadn’t been filed.

“I know there’s been a lot of talk and stuff, but just to be clear: We’re crystal clear on this,” Buck said. “We have not wavered from that at all. From anything I said or (vice president of competition) Scott (Miller) said or our expectations from the teams.

“We expect all wheels and tires to be on and all five lug nuts to be installed in a safe and secure manner. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.”

SOCCER: Blas Perez's late bicycle kick undoes Fire in Vancouver.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Chicago Fire had evened the match, had the momentum and Vancouver seemed shaky late in the second half.

Then Blas Perez scored what will end up as one of the goals of the season. Perez perfectly struck a bicycle kick in the 89th minute to give Vancouver a 2-1 win against the visiting Fire on Wednesday night.

After a lackluster first half in which Perez scored to give the Whitecaps (5-5-2, 17 points) a 1-0 halftime lead, Kennedy Igboananike had equalized with a shot that beat Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted at his near post. The Fire (1-3-4, 7 points) seemed rejuvenated with confidence and had the Whitecaps on the ropes.

The first half was probably one of the Fire's worst halves of the season. The Whitecaps had the lead, 65 percent of the possession and the Fire managed just two shots on goal.

Then Igboananike's goal in the 62nd minute sparked one of the Fire's better halves of the season. Igboananike used a series of step overs to get some separation from the defender and hit a low drive that beat Ousted at his near post. The Fire had extended stretches of possession in the second half and nearly scored another when Igboananike hit the post trying to beat Ousted on his near post again.

Perez's goal actually came against the run of play, but that won't matter on the final score. What could have gone down as a positive result on the road to build upon for the Fire became a crushing defeat thanks to one brilliant moment from Perez.

To open the scoring, Perez tapped in a Christian Bolanos cross from the right side. Bolanos got behind the Fire defender on the right wing after receiving a long ball. His low cross got all the way to Perez, who was behind goalkeeper Matt Lampson and defender Johan Kappelhof.

The first half came to a halt when Vancouver forward Masato Kudo and Fire goalkeeper Matt Lampson collided going after a long ball in the Fire's penalty box. Lampson grabbed the ball, but the momentum of both players caused the collision. The medical staff on hand rushed to Kudo after he was bleeding from his mouth and was later determined to have a concussion. After a seven-minute delay, Kudo was sitting upright while being stretchered off and was taken to the hospital.

"I'm trying to stay high off my line and cover the space in behind," Lampson said during the halftime interview on the CSN+ broadcast. "Honestly, it's just unlucky. I'm going in and, I haven't seen it yet, I think his head just hit my shoulder. That's just part of the game. I'm sorry for Kudo and I wish him all the best. Obviously I'm not that type of player."

Perez subbed on to replace Kudo in the 19th minute.

Fire coach Veljko Paunovic went back to a five-defender lineup with Joao Meira making his first start since March 19 against Columbus. Joey Calistri also made his first professional start, joining Igboananike up top in place of Gilberto, and had a pair of shots on goal. Gilberto was limited in training last week with a hamstring injury so not playing may not be a long-term demotion, but rather a move to ease him back to full health.

Matt Polster, on his way back from a calf injury that forced him to miss the April 30 match against D.C. United, came on as a halftime substitute for Michael Stephens.

The Fire have now gone winless in 28 straight matches on the road, which is a league record. They can snap that losing streak on Saturday when they take on New England, one of two other teams in the league with more matches played than points.

Championship Playoffs preview: PL promotion up for grabs.

By Kyle Lynch

(Photo/Getty Images)

The Championship Playoffs get underway on Friday as four clubs battle it out for a coveted spot in the Premier League.

With Burnley and Middlesbrough securing automatic promotion by finishing 1-2 in the league, the teams that finished 3-6 on the table enter into a playoff for the final spot in the top flight.

The playoff matchups are Brighton & Hove Albion (3) vs. (6) Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City (4) vs. (5) Derby County. After the home-and-home two-legged tie decided on aggregate, the final is a one match, winner-gets-promoted affair at Wembley on May 28.

Semifinal One

Leg 1: Sheffield Wednesday vs. Brighton – Friday, May 13
Leg 2: Brighton vs. Sheffield Wednesday – Monday, May 16

Brighton & Hove Albion

Record: Third place, W24-D17-L5, 89 points
Manager: Chris Hughton 
Last season in Premier League: Never

Sheffield Wednesday

Record: Sixth place, W19-D17-L10, 74 points
Manager: Carlos Carvalhal
Last season in Premier League: 1999-2000

Head-to-head this season

November 3: Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Brighton
March 8: Brighton 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday

Brighton was unlucky not to secure automatic promotion, finishing tied on points with Middlesbrough but behind by just two goals on goal differential. After opening the season 21 matches unbeaten and finishing the campaign 14 matches unbeaten, the Seagulls somehow find themselves battling in the playoff for a shot to reach the Premier League for the first time in club history.

Sheffield Wednesday’s season was highlighted by knocking Arsenal out of the League Cup, but promotion to the Premier League would make that win feel like a friendly. Led by Fernando Forestieri’s 15 goals, the Owls will look to upset Brighton and earn a spot in the playoff final at Wembley.

Semifinal Two

Leg 1: Derby County vs. Hull City – Saturday, May 14
Leg 2: Hull City vs. Derby County – Tuesday, May 17

Hull City

Record: Fourth place, W24-D11-L11, 83 points
Manager: Steve Bruce
Last season in Premier League: 2014-15

Derby County

Record: Fifth place, W21-D15-L10, 78 points
Manager: Darren Wassall
Last season in Premier League: 2007-08

Head-to-head this season

November 27: Hull City 0-2 Derby County
April 5: Derby County 4-0 Hull City

Hull City will look to jump right back up to the Premier League after one season in the Championship. The Key to the Tigers’ success has been great home form, losing just one match and conceding 12 goals at the KC all season. However, that one loss was to Derby County.

Derby dominated Hull in the season, winning both matches by an aggregate of 6-0. Paul Clement was sacked in February as the club faltered, but Darren Wassall took charge and led the Rams into the playoff. Only under contract until the end of this season, should Wassall get the club promoted, he could earn himself a new deal at Pride Park.

Cech gives take on Arsenal failure to prolong Premier League title run.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Petr Cech is breaking down what broke Arsenal down: injuries, energy, and schedule congestion.

That’s not to say the Gunners don’t have the depth to overcome such things, which are fairly normal around the Emirates Stadium, but any downtime can cost a club’s title chances.
And Cech reckons that Arsenal had two months of such down time.

From ArsenalFC.com:

“If you have so many important players out with long-term injuries, it does give a chance to everybody else, but it can hurt you at certain times. If you have seven games in 21 days and your opponent has had six days off to prepare, you don’t have the advantage of rotating players. 

“I thought we did so well most of the time to be able to cope with that, but unfortunately in the end we lacked a bit of energy in February and March when we dropped points. This is where the difference was made.”

Cech has been very good for Arsenal since arriving from Chelsea and remains one of the best keepers in the world. We’d pay for his thoughts on what he’s seen from his back line, and if he thinks it has the mettle of his silverware winners at Chelsea.

Real Madrid edge Barcelona as world's most valuable team, Arsenal climb into top five.

Omnisport.com

(Photo/Omnisport.com)

Real Madrid have edged Barcelona to be ranked as world football's most valuable team for a fourth consecutive year, while Arsenal have climbed into the top five.

Business publication Forbes have released their 13th annual list, with Champions League finalists Madrid now judged to be worth $3.65 billion, an increase on their $3.26bn from last year's list.

Barcelona are not far behind, with their value $3.56bn, while Premier League side Manchester United remain third on $3.32bn.

German champions Bayern Munich stay fourth with their worth now up to £2.68bn, while Arsenal have jumped from seventh to fifth after their value surged from $1.31bn up to $2.02bn over the last year. 

Manchester City ($1.92bn) drop to sixth, while Chelsea ($1.66bn) slip to seventh due to the Gunners' rise and Liverpool ($1.55bn) stay eighth.

Serie A winners Juventus are ninth on $1.3bn, while Tottenham ($1.02bn) replace AC Milan ($825m) – who drop to 12th – as the sixth English club inside the top 10.

Borussia Dortmund ($836m) are 11th and French champions Paris Saint-Germain ($814m) have dropped a place to 13th. Schalke stay 14th on $655m, while Atletico Madrid ($633m) are in 15th position.

Recently relegated Newcastle United ($383m) make the top 20 as they sit below Inter ($559m), West Ham ($542m), Roma ($508m) and Napoli ($396m).

Real Madrid's standing as football's most valuable team places them second in the sporting world, with only NFL team the Dallas Cowboys ($4bn) rated higher.

Forbes' 20 most valuable teams in world football:

1. Real Madrid $3.65bn
2. Barcelona $3.56bn
3. Manchester United $3.32bn
4. Bayern Munich $2.68bn
5. Arsenal $2.02bn
6. Manchester City $1.92bn
7. Chelsea $1.66bn
8. Liverpool $1.55bn
9. Juventus $1.3bn
10. Tottenham $1.02bn
11. Borussia Dortmund $836m
12. AC Milan $825m
13. Paris Saint-Germain $814m
14. Schalke $655m
15. Atletico Madrid $633m
16. Inter $559m
17. West Ham $542m
18. Roma $508m
19. Napoli $396m
20. Newcastle $383m

NCAAFB: Big 12 expansion targeting Memphis, Houston, others.

SportingNews.com

(Photo/thesportingnews.com)

The Big 12 is looking to expand, and according to documents obtained by ESPN.com, Houston, Memphis, Colorado State and Central Florida are the leading candidates to join the conference.

Documents outline a November 2015 trip by West Virginia president Gordon Gee to Houston to tour the Cougars’ athletic facilities with athletic director Hunter Yurachek and football coach Tom Herman, as well as lunch with Houston president Renu Khator.

Houston, currently a member of the American Athletic Conference, is likely the Big 12’s top choice after going 13-1 in 2015 and finishing at No. 8 in the AP poll. But the Cougars are just one of several targets.

In February, Memphis president David Rudd sent a letter to Gee, Oklahoma president David Boren and Baylor president Ken Starr — the three members of the Big 12’s composition committee — pledging a $500 million investment in academic and athletic infrastructure over the next five years.

The current American Athletic Conference member has the support of Fred Smith, chairman of Memphis-based FedEx, who wrote a separate letter backing a move.

“We strongly support the university's efforts to become a member of an expanded Big 12 athletic conference," Smith wrote. "In support of [Memphis'] Big 12 aspirations, we have researched college conference sponsorships and are prepared to become a major Big 12 sponsor of football and basketball."

ESPN.com also reported Colorado State (Mountain West) and Central Florida (American Athletic) have sent brochures to the composition committee. Big 12 presidents and athletic directors will meet again May 31 and are expected to further discuss expansion.

Black College Football Hall to find home in Canton, Ohio.

By Ralph D. Russo

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday it will create a permanent home on its campus for the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame, which honors those who played and coached at historically black colleges and universities, will be part of the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio, a $500 million development that is scheduled to be completed in 2019.

The organizations have partnered to create a Black College Football Hall of Fame exhibit that will be on display at Canton this year, said Pro Football Hall of Fame president and executive director David Baker.

There are also plans for a traveling exhibit displayed at historically black colleges and universities around the country.

''We feel that it is a very critical part of the history of the NFL,'' Baker said Thursday. ''There was a time when great African-American players could not play at some institutions. They were coming up in the NFL, which in some respects was ahead of the civil rights curve.''

Hall of Fame Village will become the site for the Black College Football Hall of Fame's annual induction ceremony, and a game between historically black colleges will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, potentially as soon as 2017.

The halls of fame also will create a paid post-graduate internship for a student at a historically black college or university.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame was founded in 2009 by former NFL quarterbacks Doug Williams and James Harris, who both played at historically black colleges. It's held induction dinners and golf tournaments in the Atlanta area and inducted 64 players, coaches and contributors since 2010.

''All of us associated with the Black College Football Hall of Fame look forward to working with the team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame to elevate the story of great African-American players and coaches who persevered and overcame great obstacles to achieve their dreams,'' Harris said in a statement.

The first class of inductees included Jerry Rice, who played at Mississippi Valley State, Walter Payton, who played at Jackson State, and late Grambling coach Eddie Robinson.

Twenty-nine of the 266 players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame played at historically black colleges and universities, including Black College Football Hall of Fame board of trustees Mel Blount, Willie Lanier and Art Shell.

Michigan State and Stanford set for primetime at Notre Dame.

By Keith Arnold

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

Notre Dame will host two night kickoffs in 2016, with Michigan State and Stanford pegged for primetime. Two of the country’s finest teams from last season will visit South Bend and play under the lights in a still-to-be-finished Notre Dame Stadium.

The Irish will kickoff against the Spartans on September 17 at 7:30 p.m. They’ll play at the same time on October 15 against the Cardinal before taking a week off and then welcome visiting Miami. Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series game against Army in the Alamodome will kickoff at 2:30 local time in San Antonio. All three games will be televised on NBC.

The complete Notre Dame schedule for 2016 is as follows. (All home games in CAPS with day time kickoffs set for 3:30 p.m. ET.)

Sept. 4 at Texas
Sept. 10 NEVADA
Sept. 17 MICHIGAN STATE
Sept. 24 DUKE
Oct. 1 vs. Syracuse (at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ)
Oct. 8 at North Carolina State
Oct. 15 STANFORD
Oct. 22 Bye Week
Oct. 29 MIAMI
Nov. 5 vs. Navy (EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL)
Nov. 12 ARMY (Alamodome, San Antonio, TX)
Nov. 19 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 26 at USC

NCAABKB: Looking Forward: Who will be the Breakout Stars of the 2016-17 season?

By Rob Dauster

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The NBA Draft’s Early Entry Deadline has come and gone. Just about every elite recruit has decided where they will be playing their college ball next season. The coaching carousel, which ended up spinning a bit faster than initially expected, has come to a close for all of the major programs. 

In other words, by now, we have a pretty good feel for what college basketball is going to look like during the 2016-17 season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the players headed for a breakout year.

Donovan Mitchell, Louisville: Mitchell is a guy that I loved coming out of high school and that showed some serious promise late in his freshman season, including a 17 point outburst at Duke. He averaged just a relatively inefficiency 7.4 points last season, but he is a strong, athletic combo-guard that is an ideal fit for the system that Rick Pitino runs on both ends of the floor. We have Louisville as a preseason top ten team, and one of the biggest reasons for that is that we expect Mitchell to become a borderline first-team All-ACC caliber player.

Tyler Lydon, Syracuse: I think Lydon, who averaged 10.1 points as a freshman, is one of the most enticing prospects in college basketball this season. He’s a 6-foot-9 forward with a 7-foot wingspan and the ability to both protect the rim (1.8 bpg) and hit threes (40.1% 3PT), which makes him a pretty snug fit in Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone. The issue with Lydon is that he’s still a bit of a tweener: He’s not quick enough or skilled enough to be a three but he weighs 200 pounds soaking wet and can’t handle the physicality of the paint in the ACC just yet. As he gets stronger, he’ll only become more intriguing as a prospect, as bigs with the ability to protect the rim and stretch the floor become more and more in demand.

JaQuan Newton, Miami: Newtown spent his first two seasons in Coral Gables playing behind Angel Rodriguez and Shelden McClellan, which is part of the reason that his numbers weren’t really all that impressive (10.5 ppg, 2.8 apg). That doesn’t change the fact that his skill-set as a point guard is exactly what Jim Larrañaga looks for. He’s a scorer and a playmaker that thrives in high-ball screen actions, and while he’s more of a slasher than either Rodriguez or Shane Larkin, he will get plenty of chances for the ‘Canes next season.

Ethan Happ, Wisconsin: Nigel Hayes was Wisconsin’s leading scorer and Bronson Koenig was the guy that hit the biggest shots in the biggest moments, but there were many times last season where Happ was actually Wisconsin’s best player. Throw in the fact that he’s the kind of skilled big man that the Badgers have had so much success with over the years, and you shouldn’t be surprised to see him build on the 12.4 points and 7.9 boards he averaged as a redshirt freshman last season.

Thomas Bryant and O.G. Anunoby, Indiana: Bryant is the obvious pick here. He’s a star freshman and potential lottery pick that played well down the stretch and is returning to school. Anunoby, however, is the guy that could end up being the best all-around player on the Hoosiers next season. He averaged just 5.8 points this past season, but there are reasons for that: he got limited minutes before James Blackmon’s injury and his role is similar to that of Troy Williams. He is a versatile, athletic forward that can guard multiple positions and isn’t as much of a liability offensively as he’s been made out to be. If he can build of the strong finish he had to the 2015-16 season, Anunoby could follow a similar career-arc to that of Victor Oladipo: Unheralded recruit-turned-first round pick.

Markis McDuffie, Wichita State: With the Shockers losing Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker to graduation after what felt like a 17-year career in Wichita, Gregg Marshall is going to have to find someone to replace that production. McDuffie should end up being that guy. He averaged 7.4 points in 18 minutes as a freshman, but as a 6-foot-8 wing with three-point range, he was still more of a prospect than a player last year. The Shockers are going to inevitably take a step back this season — which says more about how good they were with VanVleet and Baker than anything else — but don’t be surprised when McDuffie keeps them atop the Missouri Valley and within range of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

London Perrantes, Virginia: The rest of the guys that write for this site disagreed with me on Perrantes. They said he’s already too good to be considered for this list; he averaged 11.0 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 48.8 percent from three on a team that’s been top five in the country the last two seasons. But here’s my thinking: Perrantes has never been the stars of the Wahoos. He’ll be a four-year starter, but Joe Harris, Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill have been the big names. Perrantes, however, has a proven track record of hitting big shots and he can do many of the things on the offensive end that Brogdon did this past season, which is why this is the year that Perrantes goes from a name we know to a star on an Final Four contender.

Edmund Sumner and Kaiser Gates, Xavier: Sumner was one of the most tantalizing freshmen in the country last season, a 6-foot-6 point guard that flashed serious ability in-between freshman mistakes. He could end up being a first round pick in 2017. Gates may be the more important player here, however. With Jalen Reynolds and James Farr gone and Trevon Bluiett still weighing his professional options, Gates becomes a valuable front court piece. His improvement will correlate with how good Xavier ends up being next season.

Jalen Adams, UConn: It took some time, but Adams eventually started to resemble the kind of ball-dominant lead guards — Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier — that the Huskies have won big with in recent years. With Sterling Gibbs and Daniel Hamilton out of the picture, Adams is going to be the guy running the show for the Huskies. My only concern here: This may end up being a year premature.

Tyler Davis, Texas A&M: Davis is a throwback big man — a physical low-post presence that has no qualms with doing his damage three-feet from the rim. He showed flashes as a freshman, but with Danuel House and Alex Caruso graduating, expect to see Billy Kennedy run more of his offense through Davis this season.

Eric Davis Jr. and Kerwin Roach Jr., Texas: As freshman, Davis and Roach both showed flashes of being the kind of super-athletic, three-point marksmen that had success playing the wing for Shaka Smart at VCU. With Isaiah Taylor off to the professional ranks and UT’s dearth of bigs graduating, these two will be asked to play a major role for the Longhorns.

Isaac Haas, Purdue: Haas was super-productive and efficient while splitting time with A.J. Hammons at the center spot last season. With Hammons gone, don’t be surprised to see Haas become the guy that Purdue’s offense runs through next season. At 7-foot-2 with good feet, a soft touch and an understanding for post-positioning, he’s a nightmare to deal with.

George King, Colorado: In reality, we’re a year too late with King. He averaged 13.6 points and shot 45.6 percent from the floor last season. But with Josh Scott gone, King will play an even bigger role offensively. He may end up being a first-team All-Pac-12 player.

Chimezie Metu, USC: At 6-foot-11, Metu is the kind of athlete that should thrive in Andy Enfield’s uptempo system. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.6 boards in 18 minutes as a freshman, but with a year’s worth of time spent in a college weight room, Metu should be able to handle the rigors of the post in the Pac-12 better this year.

Shake Milton, SMU: Milton averaged 10.5 points and shot 42.6 percent from three as a freshman last season for the Mustangs. With Nic Moore and a slew of talented bigs departing the program, Milton is going to be one of the guys that Larry Brown asks to carry the water for his team.

Jacob Evans, Cincinnati: Evans averaged 8.4 points as a freshman and played his best game — 26 points, nine boards — in their NCAA tournament loss to Saint Joseph’s. With Cincy losing some pieces up front, Evans will have an even bigger role next season.

Is the ACC considering a 20-game league schedule?

By Rob Dauster

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

An interesting debate is brewing down in Florida at the ACC spring meetings, as the topic of increasing the number of league games on the schedule has come up.

N.C. State head coach Mark Gottfried was the guy that made the conversation happen, according to the News & Observer.

“It’s coming down the tracks here a little bit and we may see that one pretty soon,” said Gottfried.

The issue is one of schedule imbalance. The way the ACC works with 15 teams right now is that each member of the conference plays a home-and-home series with four teams in the league while getting five league foes at home and the remaining five on the road. The catch? Two of those four home-and-home series are against permanent opponents, while the other two spots rotate through the rest of the teams in the league. Adding those two extra league games would give each ACC team six home-and-home series and eliminate the likelihood of a situation that Virginia took advantage of in 2014, when they won the league by two games in a year where they didn’t play home-and-homes against a team with a winning conference record or a 20-win season.

The other issue is economic. If you’re, say, Georgia Tech, wouldn’t you want to have home games against the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and Syracuse more often? Those are the teams where fans of the road team are more likely to make an appearance in your arena where a home game against Clemson or Boston College may not even bring our your own fans.

But unless the ACC is adding ten games to the schedule, they’re never going to have a true round-robin, not when there are 15 teams in the conference.

And if there is no true round-robin, is it worth it to potentially eliminate some of those marquee non-conference games — Will Duke keep playing these terrific neutral court games? Will UNC still schedule home-and-homes with Kentucky? Will Syracuse have to cancel a series with a former Big East opponent? — just to marginally change how unfair the ACC league schedule can be?

I’m not sure it is.

Preakness 2016 odds: Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist favored to pay off at Preakness Stakes.

By OddsShark

(Photo/Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports)

Coming off a win in the Kentucky Derby, Nyquist is the betting favorite on the odds to win the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 21.

Ten of the last 19 winners of the Kentucky Derby have gone on to win the Preakness Stakes two weeks later. Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will try to become the fourth horse to win both races in the last five years with a win at Pimlico on Saturday, May 21.

Nyquist is a -140 favorite to win the Preakness Stakes at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The colt improved to 8-0-0 lifetime with his win in the Kentucky Derby, which was an excellent run with jockey Mario Gutierrez at the helm.

There haven't been back-to-back winners of the Triple Crown since Seattle Slew and Affirmed went back-to-back in 1977 and 1978, but Nyquist is going off at +250 to follow in American Pharoah's footsteps and win the Triple Crown this year. Bettors looking to wager on the side of history can take Nyquist not to win the Triple Crown at -400.

Exaggerator has come up short in each of his previous races against Nyquist, and the horse was once again the best of the rest with a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Of the 19 horses that were defeated by Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby, only Exaggerator (+450 to win the Preakness) and Lani (+3300) are confirmed to be entered in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Todd Pletcher's Stradivari did not run in the Kentucky Derby, giving the horse a chance to play spoiler with fresh legs at the Preakness. Stradivari has won two of his first three races and would pay +1200 on the odds to win the Preakness.

Other 3-year-olds that did not race in the Derby but will race at Pimlico include Cherry Wine (+2500) and Laoban (40/1).

Other horses potentially in the mix to upset Nyquist's shot at a Triple Crown include Gun Runner (+1400), Suddenbreakingnews (+1400), Destin (+1600), Mor Spirit (+1600) and Creator (+1600).

After Nyquist and Exaggerator crossed the finish line as the clear top two, Gun Runner, Mohaymen and Suddenbreakingnews were only separated by inches in the third, fourth, and fifth positions respectively. Mohaymen has been ruled out of racing in the Preakness.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, May 13, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1911 - Fred Merkle (New York Giants) recorded six RBIs in an inning.

1953 - Willie Mays (New York Giants) and Darryl Spencer (New York Giants) each hit two homeruns and a triple in the same game.

1955 - Mickey Mantle hit three consecutive home runs.

1958 - Stan Musial became the 8th player in major league history to get 3,000 hits.

1972 - The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-3, in 22 innings. The game was actually started on May 12.

1982 - The Chicago Cubs won their 8,000th game.

1983 - Reggie Jackson became the first major league player to strike out 2,000 times.

1985 - Carlton Fisk became the 5th catcher in major league history to steal 100 bases.

1989 - Wayne Gretzky was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

1991 - At Yankee Stadium fans sang Madonna's song "Like a Virgin" to Jose Canseco.

1994 - The Cleveland Indians began an 18 game win streak.

1996 - O.J. Simpson appeared on British TV to discuss his not guilty verdict.

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