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"Sports Quote of the Day"
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best.” ~ Saint Jerome, Priest, Confessor, Theologian and Historian
Trending: Chris Sale now 9-0, White Sox end four-game losing streak with win over Astros. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Trending: Predicting the win totals for every NFL team, from Carolina to Cleveland. (See the football section for Bears updates).
White Sox Pitcher Chris Sale. (Photo/csnchicago.com)
Trending: Predicting the win totals for every NFL team, from Carolina to Cleveland. (See the football section for Bears updates).
Trending: Muirfield votes to not admit female members; out of British Open rotation. What's Your Take? (See the golf section for PGA updates).
Trending: NBA Draft: Will Bulls try a major trade? (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trending: NBA Draft: Will Bulls try a major trade? (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trending: UPDATE: Preakness 2016: Post positions, early odds for 11 horses in field. (See the last article on this blog for Preakness updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 28-11
White Sox 2016 Record: 25-16
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Competition sounds good, but Bears offensive line duels coming down to just two.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The mantra of the Bears’ 2016 offseason – “COMPETITION” – will not begin in earnest until coaches and players come together for organized team activities starting at the end of this month, and it will continue until…well, it won’t completely stop until sometime in early January.
But while competitions will be ongoing at virtually every position save a handful, certain positions have clear early leaders, with interesting implications.
Nowhere more so than on the offensive line that will be the foundation of an emphasized run game and the protection of the organization’s franchise quarterback.
The stated philosophy at all levels from GM Ryan Pace on down is that the five best linemen regardless of position will be the No. 1s. But the reality is that three of those “best five” appear effectively set.
Subject to unforeseen developments, consider:
Right guard: Kyle Long
Neither Pace nor coach John Fox would commit to Kyle Long’s job description but “Kyle is our right guard,” Magazu said. “We were kind of unfair to Kyle springing it on him as late as we did. I think he needs to settle in mentally.”
Right tackle: Bobby Massie
Signing Bobby Massie was a priority for a reason. “[He’s a] big, long, physical guy,” Magazu said. “He’s not going to be easy to bull-rush. I’m excited about where Bobby is. We’re going to look good on the right side.”
Left tackle: Charles Leno Jr.
Leno, like center Hroniss Grasu, has added weight and strength in the weight room. Leno slid into the job because of injuries to Jermon Bushrod but then made it his own based on performance.
And he simply fits better at left tackle than right, something that apparently took time to figure out, with Leno starting two of the first three games at right tackle and the fourth at right. “As a tackle you’ve got to be really good with your inside hand,” Magazu said. “He’s a little bit better with his right hand than he is with his left. ... I think that revolves around being more dominant with his right hand than his left.”
What all of that really boils down to the fact that the real competitions will effectively be waged at two spots – center and left guard – contested by four primary principals – Grasu, Ted Larsen, Manny Ramirez, rookie Cody Whitehair.
Given that Long was voted to the Pro Bowl at guard as a rookie, Massie was a 16-game starter as a rookie, and Larsen started 11 games as a rookie, No. 2 pick Whitehair will be very much in the chase for a starting position. He in fact worked at center at times during the rookie minicamp.
“You put on the tape and [Whitehair] just a consistent, good football player,” Magazu said. “He can move, he fits, he understands leverage in football.”
The “best five” actually involves three distinctly different positions – center, guard, tackle – but “all the techniques are so close to being the same, that if you can execute it on a 3-technique, you can execute it on a ‘shade,’” Magazu said. “All the techniques are tied in and each better know what the other is doing.
“I really think it’s going to just play out. We’ve got four preseason games and then our opener Sept. 11. They’ll be the ones to decide which the best five are.
“We’re going to put on the tape; Ryan Pace is going to look at it, coach Fox is going to look at it, Dowell [Loggains, offensive coordinator] going to look at it. They’re going to know, they pick who the starting five is going to be."
Predicting the win totals for every NFL team, from Carolina to Cleveland.
By Chris Chase
Updated win totals were released this week by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, thus fulfilling two of America's greatest pastimes: gambling and talking about the NFL season far earlier than any rational human being should. Here are the teams that came in at every total, along with some predictions that are guaranteed to be 50% right at least half the time.
1. Pittsburgh, New England, Green Bay, Carolina, Seattle: 10.5 wins
The highest win total is 10.5, shared by five teams, all the usual suspects. If this seems low, it is. Sort of. Consider that in 22 of the past 25 seasons, at least one NFL team has reached 13+ wins. In those other three seasons, the highest win total was 12, a mark reached by at least three teams. There have been zero years in which 11 wins was the NFL's highwater mark.
In other words, there are gems to be found at this number, but knowing which one isn't as easy as you'd think. Go back to last year and look at the five "best" teams in May: New England, Denver, Green Bay, Arizona and Seattle. All seemed like locks to finish with 11+ wins. However, only three did so, while Green Bay (10) and Seattle (10) went under. Meanwhile, Carolina, whose total was set at 8.5 wins, led the league with 15 Ws.
Predictions: Pittsburgh (OVER), New England (OVER), Green Bay (OVER), Carolina (UNDER), Seattle (UNDER)
6. Arizona: 10 wins
Exactly half these numbers are set as halves and half are set as wholes and the reason has nothing to do with a fear of decimals, which doesn't exist even though I've named it (arithmodeciphobia) and plenty of 7th graders and/or UNC athletes would disagree. The reason: A number ending in a .5 can't be pushed. Any bet is capable of winning. But when you throw in those whole numbers, a push is brought into play. Vegas wins that too. So if you consider the specific chances of a team expected to win 10 games actually winning 10 games, that gives the house an edge of - well, I don't know the math. Arithmodeciphobia and all.
Prediction: Arizona (OVER)
7. Denver, Cincinnati: 9.5 wins
The Bengals can't get any respect. Not in the Rodney Dangerfield way, in which he was actually pretty respected despite his declarations to the contrary, nor did he actually seem to crave the respect he allegedly sought lest he lose the ability to deliver his famous line. No, this disrespect is an actual, tangible pattern of sheer and utter contempt for the Bengals continued ruining of your wild-card weekend. This number is almost Vegas begging the Bengals to miss the playoffs. Will they? I don't like the chances of Andy Dalton even getting an opportunity to lose a sixth straight wild card game in January. As for Denver? Two words. Well, one. Sanchez.
Prediction: Cincinnati (UNDER), Denver (UNDER)
9. Kansas City, Minnesota, Dallas, Indianapolis: 9 wins
People in Vegas love to do four things: Make Rain Man jokes at the blackjack table, walk past Planet Hollywood and comment on how good Britney Spears is looking these days, overpay for vodka and bet the Cowboys. I mean, I know Ezekiel Elliott is the second coming of Red Grange, but let's go over Dallas' win totals since Jason Garrett took over as coach: 6, 8, 8, 8, 12, 4. How's that nine looking now? Logic has no place in this discussion though. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant could retire tomorrow, replaced with Johnny Manziel and newly converted WR Tim Tebow, and Big D's win total would still be 8.5. The other three teams at this number are the Goldilockses of the NFL: One had a 2015 that was too big (Vikes), another had a 2015 that was too small (Colts) and the last had a 2015 that was just right (Chiefs).
Prediction: Kansas City (OVER), Minnesota (UNDER), Indianapolis (OVER), Dallas (UNDER, WAY UNDER)
13. Baltimore, Oakland, Houston: 8.5 wins
This is just what Baltimore expected when it signed Joe Flacco: That, under his stewardship, the team would be considered on par with those QB'd by Derek Carr and Brock Osweiler. The Houston win total is high given that they went 4-6 in 2015 against teams out of the AFC South, seemed to have a charmed year and now have a quarterback named Brock doing their bidding. And I'm not sure whether that's the over/under for Oakland's victories or arrests per game at the Black Hole. I'll look into that for you.
Prediction: Baltimore (OVER), Oakland (UNDER), Houston (UNDER)
16. NY Giants, NY Jets, Buffalo: 8 wins
New York, NFL mediocrity be thy name.
Predictions: Giants (PUSH), Jets (UNDER), Buffalo (OVER)
19. Jacksonville, Chicago, Los Angeles: 7.5 wins
Jacksonville, Chicago, Los Angeles looks like a press release announcing new Arena League teams, no? Anyway, what would you say if I told you the Bears had made the playoffs once in the past nine years? The Vikings have made it four times in the same span. You could win a lot of bar bets with that one. Do people still make bar bets? I haven't been to a bar in - let's see, when was my daughter born?
Predictions: Jacksonville (UNDER), Chicago (OVER), Los Angeles (OVER)
22. Detroit, San Diego, Washington, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami: 7 wins
Aside from the fact that seven teams at seven wins sounds like the start of a riddle (the man was walking TO St. Ives), this is right in the meat of the "flip a coin" section of the win/loss totals - as in, half these teams will probably be better than seven wins, half these teams will probably be worse than seven wins and one or two of these teams will have exactly seven wins and the difference in those win totals will be dictated by a recovered fumble, missed extra point and/or 15-yard penalty on DeAngelo Hall. It's your job to guess which ones are which. Some of these should jump out at you. Philadelphia, whose quarterback succession plan looks about as thought out as Donald Trump's foreign policy, isn't getting to seven. San Diego, following an off-year, seems like a good bet to do so. The Redskins might be 5-11 or the best team in the NFC East. Miami always seems to have 7 wins - they've actually had 6, 7 or 8 wins in each of the last seven years. With it's new coach, Detroit might be going through a learning curve. Wait, what's that? Jim Caldwell is still in Detroit? Wayne Fontes sends a dap from afar.
Predictions: Detroit (PUSH), San Diego (OVER), Washington (OVER), Tampa Bay (PUSH), Philadelphia (UNDER), Atlanta (OVER), Miami (PUSH)
29. New Orleans: 6.5 wins
There has to be a bounty out for Sean Payton's job, no? Two 7-9 seasons in a row, all the while wasting the last years of Drew Brees' career feels like a net negative. That being said, even at New Orleans' low-water marks in the past decade, the team has never gone under 6.5 wins.
Predictions: New Orleans (UNDER)
30. San Francisco: 6 wins
The Niners went 5-11 last year. Chip Kelly's genius is worth exactly 1.5 WAR, or about 5 less than Chip Kelly would tell you.
Prediction: San Francisco (UNDER)
31. Tennessee: 5.5 wins
Here are the second-year win totals for quarterbacks drafted over the previous six drafts who started a majority of their team's games in year two: 11 (Luck), 3 (Griffin), 8 (Tannehill), 7 (Newton), 1 (Gabbert), 10 (Ponder), 1 (Bradford), 7 (Tebow), 11 (Sanchez), 10 (Freeman).
That's 10 quarterbacks, seven who went over 5.5 wins. None of the other three started the full season. Translation: All-in on Tennessee.
Prediction: Tennessee (OVER)
32. Cleveland: 4.5 wins
Usually when you look at preseason win totals, the numbers never go too far in any extreme, thus limiting the liability of the sports book. Even if they think Carolina is good for 13 wins, the Panthers would never have an over/under of 12.5 because all the action would go on the under. There's too many things that have to go right in order to go 12-4. Everything is sort of neutralized. We know the difference between the best and worst team won't be six games but for the purposes of this money-making enterprise, it is. That being said, 4.5 is really low and though the smart money is on the over (the same way you always bet double-digit home underdogs), it's not. It's really, really not.
Prediction: Cleveland (UNDER)
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Could Vincent Hinostroza crack the Blackhawks' lineup next season?
Usually when you look at preseason win totals, the numbers never go too far in any extreme, thus limiting the liability of the sports book. Even if they think Carolina is good for 13 wins, the Panthers would never have an over/under of 12.5 because all the action would go on the under. There's too many things that have to go right in order to go 12-4. Everything is sort of neutralized. We know the difference between the best and worst team won't be six games but for the purposes of this money-making enterprise, it is. That being said, 4.5 is really low and though the smart money is on the over (the same way you always bet double-digit home underdogs), it's not. It's really, really not.
Prediction: Cleveland (UNDER)
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Could Vincent Hinostroza crack the Blackhawks' lineup next season?
By Satchel Price
(Photo/Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Hinostroza is turning heads at the World Championships. Can he ride this wave to a spot on next season's roster?
One of the big stories out of Russia at this year's World Championships is the magnificent play of Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin, but it's one of his possible Chicago teammates that's also turning heads. Team USA forward Vincent Hinostroza is coming off a strong 2015-16 season largely playing in the AHL, and now he's following it up with more solid hockey at the international level.
As Scott Powers of The Athletic writes, Hinostroza's game continues to evolve since left Notre Dame to sign an entry-level contract with the Hawks last spring. The 22-year-old fell to the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Draft because of his lack of size, but he's spent the past four years since showing that he might be one of the rare players skilled enough to overcome his dimensional disadvantages. In 2015-16, he took an especially big leap in becoming the kind of two-way forward Chicago demands.
"With [Rockford coach] Teddy Dent, he taught me a lot about defense this year," Hinostroza told Powers. "Coming into the year, he said that’s what I need to work on and that’s what he’s going to work with me on. He showed me a lot of video just around the D zone when I’m playing center and wing and how I could improve my game in the defensive zone so that we could quickly transfer it to offense."
That commitment to improving defensively may ultimately decide whether Hinostroza can stick in the NHL. He's only 5'9 and 175 pounds on paper, so he needs to learn how to leverage his speed and positioning to be effective in all three zones. Given his impressive scoring numbers in his first year with the IceHogs -- 51 points in 66 games -- the hands are apparent. But as Powers notes, offense was always Hinostroza's calling card. The skepticism always stemmed from whether he'd get enough chances to use those hands in the more confined space of the NHL game.
It seems like there's a very real chance that Hinostroza plays a major role for the Blackhawks next season, though. He told Powers that's his goal -- well, at least once the Worlds are over -- and GM Stan Bowman offered some nice praise for the forward. Obviously the GM isn't going to tank his prospect's value by saying bad things about him in the press, but after getting a cup of coffee with the team last year, Hinostroza might be an answer on the third line next season.
The Bartlett, Ill., native looked overwhelmed at times during his initial stint in Chicago. After the extra time in Rockford and a taste of international play, Hinostroza should be better equipped to make the jump.
There will be opportunities, too. The Blackhawks realistically have eight forwards who are locks to be on the team next season: Toews, Kane, Hossa, Anisimov, Panarin, Teravainen, Kruger and Desjardins. That means there are several spots in the bottom six that still need to be filled, and after going much of the 2015-16 season without steady offensive production from those roles, Hinostroza could potentially be a nice change of pace. You would need to find the right partners to balance with his game, because you know Joel Quenneville isn't going to roll out an undersized line against, say, St. Louis, but I think for a team in need of cost-controlled pieces, Hinostroza at $717,500 will be a tempting option.
That is, if he can convince Coach Q he's worth playing, of course. For an undersized rookie who plays an offensive style, Hinostroza will have to prove that the rest of his game has come a long way to get on Quenneville's good side. Based on a strong year in Rockford, the good vibes coming out of St. Petersburg and the openings on the NHL roster, he should have a very real shot in camp.
Cubs' struggles continue vs. Brewers with another loss.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado let out a scream and pumped his fist. If you didn't know any better, you'd think this was a playoff game in mid-October.
Instead, it was just a mid-May game in which the rebuilding Brewers again took down baseball's best team with a 5-3 win over the Cubs at Miller Park.
Maldonado's eighth inning reaction after Jorge Soler struck out with two runners in scoring position embodied how teams with no plans for the playoffs will still give the Cubs everything they've got.
In a way, this is the Brewers' October — playing a division rival that boasts the best record in baseball for three games in front of their home fans.
Even with Dexter Fowler's leadoff homer and Miguel Montero's second-inning RBI single Thursday, the Cubs still led for less than three innings total in the series against a team six games under .500.
Jason Hammel got the start for the Cubs and looked on track for another quality start before Kirk Nieuwenhuis deposited a ball off the facing of the right-field bleachers for a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
It was the second homer Hammel surrendered on the afternoon, following a monster blast from Chris Carter in the fourth that was clocked at 115 mph off the bat.
"For whatever reason, I just couldn't bury sliders on those pitches and that put us behind," Hammel said. "It's hard to fight from behind.
"You have to continue to push forward. It's disappointing, obviously, to come here and lose two of three, but you move on to the next game."
Hammel finished with four runs on five hits and two walks in six innings, striking out seven. It is the only start in which he's allowed more than three earned runs this season, watching his ERA jump from 1.77 to 2.31.
"Unfortunately, we made a couple bad pitches and they were able to hit it to where nobody actually plays," Montero said. "Other than that, he threw the ball good. Unfortunately, today was a tough game."
On the other side, Brewers starter Junior Guerra struck out 11 Cubs in seven innings, including Addison Russell on all three matchups.
"We haven't been swinging and missing like that in a bit, so you gotta give them credit," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He had a really good splitter goin' on.
"They just beat us. We had opportunities and we could not cash in."
Guerra gifted the Cubs their third run in the seventh when he threw a wild pitch to score Montero from third base with two outs.
The high-powered Cubs offense that came into Thursday's game leading the National League in runs scored couldn't do much with the Milwaukee pitching staff in the series, scoring five runs off little-known starters Chase Anderson, Jimmy Nelson and Guerra in 23 combined innings.
Things got a little interesting for the Cubs in the ninth inning when Addison Russell and Montero led off with back-to-back walks. But Javy Baez struck out swinging, Dexter Fowler flew out to the wall in right field and Jason Heyward struck out.
The Cubs continue on their road trip, now heading to San Francisco for a matchup with the Giants after escaping Milwaukee with just one win.
"It was a well-played series," Hammel said. "They pitched pretty well against us. Obviously three tight ballgames.
"You can't win all of them."
Cubs won't overreact to rough week at the plate.
By Tony Andracki
Instead, it was just a mid-May game in which the rebuilding Brewers again took down baseball's best team with a 5-3 win over the Cubs at Miller Park.
Maldonado's eighth inning reaction after Jorge Soler struck out with two runners in scoring position embodied how teams with no plans for the playoffs will still give the Cubs everything they've got.
In a way, this is the Brewers' October — playing a division rival that boasts the best record in baseball for three games in front of their home fans.
Even with Dexter Fowler's leadoff homer and Miguel Montero's second-inning RBI single Thursday, the Cubs still led for less than three innings total in the series against a team six games under .500.
Jason Hammel got the start for the Cubs and looked on track for another quality start before Kirk Nieuwenhuis deposited a ball off the facing of the right-field bleachers for a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
It was the second homer Hammel surrendered on the afternoon, following a monster blast from Chris Carter in the fourth that was clocked at 115 mph off the bat.
"For whatever reason, I just couldn't bury sliders on those pitches and that put us behind," Hammel said. "It's hard to fight from behind.
"You have to continue to push forward. It's disappointing, obviously, to come here and lose two of three, but you move on to the next game."
Hammel finished with four runs on five hits and two walks in six innings, striking out seven. It is the only start in which he's allowed more than three earned runs this season, watching his ERA jump from 1.77 to 2.31.
"Unfortunately, we made a couple bad pitches and they were able to hit it to where nobody actually plays," Montero said. "Other than that, he threw the ball good. Unfortunately, today was a tough game."
On the other side, Brewers starter Junior Guerra struck out 11 Cubs in seven innings, including Addison Russell on all three matchups.
"We haven't been swinging and missing like that in a bit, so you gotta give them credit," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He had a really good splitter goin' on.
"They just beat us. We had opportunities and we could not cash in."
Guerra gifted the Cubs their third run in the seventh when he threw a wild pitch to score Montero from third base with two outs.
The high-powered Cubs offense that came into Thursday's game leading the National League in runs scored couldn't do much with the Milwaukee pitching staff in the series, scoring five runs off little-known starters Chase Anderson, Jimmy Nelson and Guerra in 23 combined innings.
Things got a little interesting for the Cubs in the ninth inning when Addison Russell and Montero led off with back-to-back walks. But Javy Baez struck out swinging, Dexter Fowler flew out to the wall in right field and Jason Heyward struck out.
The Cubs continue on their road trip, now heading to San Francisco for a matchup with the Giants after escaping Milwaukee with just one win.
"It was a well-played series," Hammel said. "They pitched pretty well against us. Obviously three tight ballgames.
"You can't win all of them."
Cubs won't overreact to rough week at the plate.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Anthony Rizzo gave a three-word answer to the first question he was asked after Thursday's loss and paused for a brief moment before a big grin spread across his face.
Rizzo joked that he was trying to pull a Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs coach known for giving brief, simple answers in sideline interviews.
The Cubs are in the midst of their toughest week of the 2016 season, but they're not stressing about it.
Rizzo and the high-powered Cubs offense that led the National League in runs scored entering play Thursday managed just seven runs against a Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff that has the third-worst ERA in baseball.
"Give them credit," Rizzo said. "All series, they pitched us well. They played us really well. We just didn't come out on top."
Joe Maddon believes the Cubs hit into some bad luck in the first two games of the series, but was more ready to tip his cap to the Brewers after Game 3. He also insisted there are no lineup changes coming to shake things up.
The Cubs struck out 15 times Thursday against Junior Guerra and two Brewers relievers.
It was the first time the Cubs had whiffed at least 10 times since last Wednesday and only the third time in 17 May games.
Beginning with Sunday's loss to Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cubs didn't score before the ninth inning in three straight games (Dexter Fowler halted that streak with a leadoff homer Thursday).
So how are the Cubs dealing with this offensive lull? In part, by refusing to admit it really is a lull.
"It's a matter of perspective," Fowler said. "Some guys are hitting the ball well, just not finding any luck. It's baseball."
Yet the Cubs still came mere feet away from pulling out Thursday's game.
Fowler drove a ball to the wall in right-center with two on in the ninth inning, but Brewers right fielder Ramon Flores tracked it down for the second out. It was just one of a handful of warning-track shots the Cubs hit in the series that resulted in outs.
"It's tough because we've been swinging the bat good overall," Cubs catcher Miguel Montero said. "Unfortunately, we hit them right at people. Nothing we can do about it.
"We just have to keep swinging and eventually they're going to fall in holes. We had a stretch where everything was falling and that's just the name of the game sometimes. You can't do anything about it.
"It's nothing to worry about. Guys feel good. The pitchers keep us in the ballgame and we start another series tomorrow."
To a man, the Cubs kept on message after Thursday's game, focusing on their upcoming three-game series in San Francisco and giving the Brewers credit for taking two of three from baseball's best team.
"It's just part of it," Rizzo said. "We're gonna go through the ups and downs of the season and this is one of them. It's part of the game.
"It's unfortunate because you want to come in and get off to a good start on this road trip. But we go out to San Francisco and we have Jake [Arrieta] on the mound tomorrow."
Chris Sale now 9-0, White Sox end four-game losing streak with win over Astros.
By Dan Hayes
Rizzo joked that he was trying to pull a Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs coach known for giving brief, simple answers in sideline interviews.
The Cubs are in the midst of their toughest week of the 2016 season, but they're not stressing about it.
Rizzo and the high-powered Cubs offense that led the National League in runs scored entering play Thursday managed just seven runs against a Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff that has the third-worst ERA in baseball.
"Give them credit," Rizzo said. "All series, they pitched us well. They played us really well. We just didn't come out on top."
Joe Maddon believes the Cubs hit into some bad luck in the first two games of the series, but was more ready to tip his cap to the Brewers after Game 3. He also insisted there are no lineup changes coming to shake things up.
The Cubs struck out 15 times Thursday against Junior Guerra and two Brewers relievers.
It was the first time the Cubs had whiffed at least 10 times since last Wednesday and only the third time in 17 May games.
Beginning with Sunday's loss to Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cubs didn't score before the ninth inning in three straight games (Dexter Fowler halted that streak with a leadoff homer Thursday).
So how are the Cubs dealing with this offensive lull? In part, by refusing to admit it really is a lull.
"It's a matter of perspective," Fowler said. "Some guys are hitting the ball well, just not finding any luck. It's baseball."
Yet the Cubs still came mere feet away from pulling out Thursday's game.
Fowler drove a ball to the wall in right-center with two on in the ninth inning, but Brewers right fielder Ramon Flores tracked it down for the second out. It was just one of a handful of warning-track shots the Cubs hit in the series that resulted in outs.
"It's tough because we've been swinging the bat good overall," Cubs catcher Miguel Montero said. "Unfortunately, we hit them right at people. Nothing we can do about it.
"We just have to keep swinging and eventually they're going to fall in holes. We had a stretch where everything was falling and that's just the name of the game sometimes. You can't do anything about it.
"It's nothing to worry about. Guys feel good. The pitchers keep us in the ballgame and we start another series tomorrow."
To a man, the Cubs kept on message after Thursday's game, focusing on their upcoming three-game series in San Francisco and giving the Brewers credit for taking two of three from baseball's best team.
"It's just part of it," Rizzo said. "We're gonna go through the ups and downs of the season and this is one of them. It's part of the game.
"It's unfortunate because you want to come in and get off to a good start on this road trip. But we go out to San Francisco and we have Jake [Arrieta] on the mound tomorrow."
Chris Sale now 9-0, White Sox end four-game losing streak with win over Astros.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Chris Sale has developed into a full-blown stopper.
The four-time All-Star snapped a four-game White Sox losing streak with a four-hit complete game on Thursday night in a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros in in front 20,096 at U.S. Cellular Field. Sale’s third complete game of the season earned him his ninth victory in nine tries.
He struck out nine batters and walked none in a 107-pitch effort.
In need of a victory after four consecutive tough losses, Sale delivered for the White Sox, who won for only the second time in eight games. He was once again remarkably efficient, especially in the middle innings.
At one point, Sale set down 12 in a row after Evan Gattis singled with two outs in the second inning. That included eight pitches to retire the side in the fourth, 11 in the fifth and six in the sixth, an inning in which he surrendered his second hit, a two-out single by Jose Altuve. Sale only needed 11 pitches to breeze through the seventh inning, and despite allowing a leadoff solo homer to Gattis, another nine in the eighth.
Sale blended efficiency with a few strikeouts. He moved into ninth-place all-time in franchise history with a fourth-inning strikeout of George Springer, the 1,068th whiff of his career. Sale struck out two batters apiece in the second, seventh and ninth innings. He blew Altuve away with a 94-mph fastball to start the ninth inning and finished the game with a called third strike of Tyler White, the third time he struck out the Houston DH.
While Sale was up to the task, his offense scraped just enough together against Collin McHugh. McHugh was shaky early on and the White Sox were able to push across a run in the second inning. Todd Frazier reached on an infield single, stole second base and scored on a two-out RBI single by Jerry Sands, who played in the place of a resting Avisail Garcia.
Jose Abreu nearly got the White Sox on the board in the first inning, but Springer made an amazing catch in right field to rob him of a solo homer.
But McHugh also settled in and retired nine in a row into the fifth inning. He worked around a leadoff triple by Adam Eaton in the sixth inning without allowing a run. McHugh got Carlos Sanchez to fly out to shallow left, struck out Abreu on three pitches and Frazier flew out.
The White Sox picked up a critical run in the seventh however.
Jimmy Rollins had an infield single, stole second base and moved to third on another single by Sands. Alex Avila’s sac fly then made it a 2-0 game.
The four-time All-Star snapped a four-game White Sox losing streak with a four-hit complete game on Thursday night in a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros in in front 20,096 at U.S. Cellular Field. Sale’s third complete game of the season earned him his ninth victory in nine tries.
He struck out nine batters and walked none in a 107-pitch effort.
In need of a victory after four consecutive tough losses, Sale delivered for the White Sox, who won for only the second time in eight games. He was once again remarkably efficient, especially in the middle innings.
At one point, Sale set down 12 in a row after Evan Gattis singled with two outs in the second inning. That included eight pitches to retire the side in the fourth, 11 in the fifth and six in the sixth, an inning in which he surrendered his second hit, a two-out single by Jose Altuve. Sale only needed 11 pitches to breeze through the seventh inning, and despite allowing a leadoff solo homer to Gattis, another nine in the eighth.
Sale blended efficiency with a few strikeouts. He moved into ninth-place all-time in franchise history with a fourth-inning strikeout of George Springer, the 1,068th whiff of his career. Sale struck out two batters apiece in the second, seventh and ninth innings. He blew Altuve away with a 94-mph fastball to start the ninth inning and finished the game with a called third strike of Tyler White, the third time he struck out the Houston DH.
While Sale was up to the task, his offense scraped just enough together against Collin McHugh. McHugh was shaky early on and the White Sox were able to push across a run in the second inning. Todd Frazier reached on an infield single, stole second base and scored on a two-out RBI single by Jerry Sands, who played in the place of a resting Avisail Garcia.
Jose Abreu nearly got the White Sox on the board in the first inning, but Springer made an amazing catch in right field to rob him of a solo homer.
But McHugh also settled in and retired nine in a row into the fifth inning. He worked around a leadoff triple by Adam Eaton in the sixth inning without allowing a run. McHugh got Carlos Sanchez to fly out to shallow left, struck out Abreu on three pitches and Frazier flew out.
The White Sox picked up a critical run in the seventh however.
Jimmy Rollins had an infield single, stole second base and moved to third on another single by Sands. Alex Avila’s sac fly then made it a 2-0 game.
Twice is nice: White Sox turn second triple play of season.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Although this one looked far more normal than the last, Dan Jennings had his doubts the White Sox would turn another triple play.
Lo and behold, the White Sox turned their second triple play in less than a month in a contest they dropped to the Houston Astros 5-3 on Wednesday night.
It’s the first time the White Sox have turned two triple plays in the same season and they’re the first team to accomplish the feat since the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies. Todd Frazier started the play when he fielded George Springer’s grounder, stepped on third base and immediately fired to second.
“My first thought when I saw Frazier going to second, I thought he was nuts,” Jennings said. “I thought he was going third to first, get two and move on. He went to second and obviously made the right call.”
Frazier said the three-outer is the first he’s been involved in like this. He also participated in the team’s 9-3-2-6-2-5 April 22 triple play against the Texas Rangers. But this one had a more normal look to it.
“That was a conventional triple play,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “We like them all though.”
Jennings particularly liked it. He walked Tony Kemp and Jose Altuve on nine pitches to start the inning with the White Sox trailing by two. Springer swung at a first-pitch slider from Jennings and hit it directly to Frazier, who hopped to the base and didn’t hesitate to throw to second. Lawrie’s relay to first was in plenty of time to get the speedy Springer.
“It takes one pitch sometimes,” Frazier said. “I keep telling the pitchers when you get in a grind get us that groundball, let us play defense and let's work. And that's what we've been doing.”
But the White Sox couldn’t take advantage of any momentum gained. Astros relievers Will Harris and Luke Gregerson retired the final six men they faced to send the White Sox to their fourth straight loss.
Jennings enjoyed the experience but would have liked a win, too.
“You go from that to a 10-pitch inning,” Jennings said. “That’s unbelievable. Guys out there saving me pitches, saving me runs, saving me everything and keeps us in the game. Hats off to the fielders out there.”
“That’s fun. It sucks to lose, and that’s the end result. But something like that makes the game fun and keeps you in check that we are playing a game and you do have a little fun even in a loss.”
05-18-sox-triple-play-bigger.gif
The White Sox's GM is 'prepared to make a big move,' so here are some options.
By Mike Axisa
The White Sox are one of baseball's biggest surprises and ready to 'make a big move' to reach the postseason for the first time since 2008.
We are fast approaching the quarter point of the 2016 season, and, to date, no team has improved their postseason odds more than the Chicago White Sox . SportsLine gave them a 1.8 percent chance to make the playoffs on Opening Day. Those odds have improved to 82.8 percent following their 24-14 start.
The White Sox come into Tuesday 4 1/2 games up in the AL Central, which is a nice lead at this point of the season, but it's far from safe or comfortable. There is an awful lot of baseball remaining. It is no surprise then the club is ready to make a big move to further improve their chances of playing October baseball.
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#WhiteSox GM Rick Hahn: "We're prepared to make a big move today. ... We're having dialogue right now hoping that something comes together."
Sam Panayotovich @spshoot
4:39 PM - 17 May 2016
Retweets 73 Likes 59
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Even though the trade deadline is still more than two months away, teams are always discussing scenarios and keeping tabs on their possible targets. The smart teams are ready to pounce right now, too. The sooner you make that big pickup, the more games that player can help you win.The White Sox figure to show plenty of urgency this trade deadline because they currently have the game's fourth-longest postseason drought. They haven't played October baseball since 2008. Only the Mariners (2001), Marlins (2003), and Padres (2006) have longer postseason droughts. The time to win is right now, while Chris Sale and Jose Quintana and Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier are in their primes.
So, with GM Rick Hahn indicating he is ready to make a big move, let's look over the team's needs and also what they have to offer in a trade. Consider this a White Sox trade deadline primer.
What Do They Have To Offer?
Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked Chicago's system 23rd out of the 30 teams. They have two blue-chip prospects in shortstop Tim Anderson and right-hander Carson Fulmer, both of whom could be made available in the right deal. They are not going to give them away, though.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... NBA Draft: Will Bulls try a major trade?
By Mark Schanowski
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Now that Tuesday’s uneventful draft lottery is in the books (all teams holding their pre-lottery positions for the first time), the Bulls are left with the 14th pick in Round 1 of what most experts consider to be a below average talent pool.
Sure, there could be some useful players available in that range like point guards Demetrius Jackson of Notre Dame and Wade Baldwin of Vanderbilt, plus project big men like Domantas Sabonis (son of Hall of Famer Arvydas), Skal Labissiere, Deyonta Davis and Diamond Stone. But if the Bulls really want to change over the roster, they’ll need to do something bold.
Anyone who’s watched the Cavaliers storm through this year’s playoffs will safely conclude LeBron James and Co. figure to own the Eastern Conference for the next 3-5 years since Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson are all signed to long term deals, and James isn’t going anywhere. And, with Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah ready to become free agents on July 1st, followed by Derrick Rose in the summer of 2017, the Bulls’ core group that put them on the fringe of championship contention is gone.
So why not get started on the rebuild in a major way with a significant trade on draft night?
The front offices with the 76ers and Lakers have already expressed their desire to add All-Star caliber veterans to the roster instead of more young players. And, those teams also wound up with the top two picks in this year’s draft. So why not explore what the Sixers and Lakers are willing to give up for a two-time All-Star like Jimmy Butler?
Philadelphia has drafted three young bigs in recent years, and might be willing to include Chicago native Jahlil Okafor in a possible deal. Would the Sixers be willing to trade the top pick and Okafor for Butler, Niko Mirotic and the Bulls' 1st round pick this year? Maybe the Bulls could sweeten the deal by including Taj Gibson or that future Sacramento No. 1 pick.
Similarly, Mitch Kupchak has seen the pitfalls of trying to build a team around mercurial young talent. Would the Lakers deal the No.2 overall pick and controversial young guard D’Angelo Russell (last year’s No. 2 overall pick) for Butler? The Lakers need to add an established player like Butler to possibly attract one of the premier free agents this summer, who otherwise wouldn’t be interested in joining a rebuilding team with a flock of young players like Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Larry Nance, Jr.
Jimmy is only 26 and has established himself as one of the best two-way wing players in the league. But can the Bulls hope to threaten the Cavs with a team built around Butler? Or, are they better off trying to acquire a player like Ben Simmons, a 6-foot-10 versatile playmaker who might have the chance to be a superstar?
There’s also the potential to make a deal with Boston and Phoenix for Picks 3 and 4. Celtics’ general manager Danny Ainge already inquired about Butler at the trade deadline and has three 1st round picks to offer this year, plus serviceable rotation players like Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley. The Bulls are reportedly intrigued by Providence point guard Kris Dunn, who’s a lock to be picked in the Top 6 on June 23rd. So, would the No. 3 overall pick, Bradley/Crowder and another No. 1 get the deal done?
Phoenix also might be looking to trade out of their position at No. 4. The Suns hit on shooting guard Devin Booker last summer to go with their point guard duo of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, so they might be willing to pass on the chance to draft Dunn or Oklahoma sharp-shooter Buddy Hield to acquire an established talent like Butler.
Bulls GM Gar Forman could even call his old buddy Tom Thibodeau to see what the T-Wolves (who hold the No. 5 overall pick) might offer for Butler.
John Paxson and Forman figure to be presented with all kinds of intriguing trade proposals in the days leading up to the draft. Now it’s up to them to decide whether hoping to get a bottom-four seed in next year’s playoffs makes it worthwhile to hang on to Butler and Rose, and possibly re-sign Noah, or is it better to blow it all up and start building a team that can contend when James finally slows down?
Let’s be realistic, given the fact about two-thirds of the league will have enough cap room to offer a max contract this summer, the Bulls will not be a destination for the top free agents. So, forget about Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside, Nic Batum or any of the other top free agents coming on board this summer, any major change will have to come through the trade market.
I know it’s very small consolation, but after a painfully disappointing 2015-’16 season, the Bulls figure to be relevant over the next month as one of the most prominent teams in the NBA rumor mill.
Sure, there could be some useful players available in that range like point guards Demetrius Jackson of Notre Dame and Wade Baldwin of Vanderbilt, plus project big men like Domantas Sabonis (son of Hall of Famer Arvydas), Skal Labissiere, Deyonta Davis and Diamond Stone. But if the Bulls really want to change over the roster, they’ll need to do something bold.
Anyone who’s watched the Cavaliers storm through this year’s playoffs will safely conclude LeBron James and Co. figure to own the Eastern Conference for the next 3-5 years since Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson are all signed to long term deals, and James isn’t going anywhere. And, with Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah ready to become free agents on July 1st, followed by Derrick Rose in the summer of 2017, the Bulls’ core group that put them on the fringe of championship contention is gone.
So why not get started on the rebuild in a major way with a significant trade on draft night?
The front offices with the 76ers and Lakers have already expressed their desire to add All-Star caliber veterans to the roster instead of more young players. And, those teams also wound up with the top two picks in this year’s draft. So why not explore what the Sixers and Lakers are willing to give up for a two-time All-Star like Jimmy Butler?
Philadelphia has drafted three young bigs in recent years, and might be willing to include Chicago native Jahlil Okafor in a possible deal. Would the Sixers be willing to trade the top pick and Okafor for Butler, Niko Mirotic and the Bulls' 1st round pick this year? Maybe the Bulls could sweeten the deal by including Taj Gibson or that future Sacramento No. 1 pick.
Similarly, Mitch Kupchak has seen the pitfalls of trying to build a team around mercurial young talent. Would the Lakers deal the No.2 overall pick and controversial young guard D’Angelo Russell (last year’s No. 2 overall pick) for Butler? The Lakers need to add an established player like Butler to possibly attract one of the premier free agents this summer, who otherwise wouldn’t be interested in joining a rebuilding team with a flock of young players like Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Larry Nance, Jr.
Jimmy is only 26 and has established himself as one of the best two-way wing players in the league. But can the Bulls hope to threaten the Cavs with a team built around Butler? Or, are they better off trying to acquire a player like Ben Simmons, a 6-foot-10 versatile playmaker who might have the chance to be a superstar?
There’s also the potential to make a deal with Boston and Phoenix for Picks 3 and 4. Celtics’ general manager Danny Ainge already inquired about Butler at the trade deadline and has three 1st round picks to offer this year, plus serviceable rotation players like Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley. The Bulls are reportedly intrigued by Providence point guard Kris Dunn, who’s a lock to be picked in the Top 6 on June 23rd. So, would the No. 3 overall pick, Bradley/Crowder and another No. 1 get the deal done?
Phoenix also might be looking to trade out of their position at No. 4. The Suns hit on shooting guard Devin Booker last summer to go with their point guard duo of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, so they might be willing to pass on the chance to draft Dunn or Oklahoma sharp-shooter Buddy Hield to acquire an established talent like Butler.
Bulls GM Gar Forman could even call his old buddy Tom Thibodeau to see what the T-Wolves (who hold the No. 5 overall pick) might offer for Butler.
John Paxson and Forman figure to be presented with all kinds of intriguing trade proposals in the days leading up to the draft. Now it’s up to them to decide whether hoping to get a bottom-four seed in next year’s playoffs makes it worthwhile to hang on to Butler and Rose, and possibly re-sign Noah, or is it better to blow it all up and start building a team that can contend when James finally slows down?
Let’s be realistic, given the fact about two-thirds of the league will have enough cap room to offer a max contract this summer, the Bulls will not be a destination for the top free agents. So, forget about Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside, Nic Batum or any of the other top free agents coming on board this summer, any major change will have to come through the trade market.
I know it’s very small consolation, but after a painfully disappointing 2015-’16 season, the Bulls figure to be relevant over the next month as one of the most prominent teams in the NBA rumor mill.
Golf: I got a club for that..... State of mind: Garcia comfortable in Texas.
By Rex Hoggard
(Photo/golfchannel.com)
Castellon, Spain, is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the east and the mountainous Sistema Ibérico area to the west. It's known for its production of citrus and vegetables.
There is little that would remind one of Castellon in Texas, and yet to Sergio Garcia the Lone Star state feels like home.
“Texas has always been good to me,” the Spaniard who was born in Castellon said with a shrug on Thursday at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Following a bogey-free 63 on Day 1 at the weather-delayed Nelson, Garcia referenced the traditional winds players face when the PGA Tour visits Texas and conditions that are normally hard and fast.
“I've always enjoyed these kind of golf courses that usually are a little bit firmer than today,” Garcia said. “It's always a little bit breezy and you have to place the ball in the right spots and I've always enjoyed that kind of golf.”
Never mind that TPC Four Seasons Resort was neither hard and fast nor windy on Thursday, which led Garcia to give the ultimate compliment.
“It just kind of brings me to my comfort level,” said Garcia, who started on No. 10 and scorched his second nine with four birdies and an eagle to grab the early lead.
As unquantifiable as that may seem, it’s the only way to explain Garcia’s record in Texas.
In 1999, El Nino – whose weather system namesake was blamed for Thursday’s early storms that delayed the start of play by more than two hours – played his first professional event at the Nelson to set an early standard.
He opened with a 62 on the old Cottonwood Valley layout and finished the week tied third. Five years later he recorded his fourth victory on the PGA Tour in Dallas.
“Shooting that round and finishing third to kind of get my career started here was, it was unbelievable for me,” Garcia said of that first exposure to Texas golf. “It gave me a lot of confidence, it relaxed me a lot. It made my year a lot easier.”
That victory in ’04 was made even more special by one of the players he beat. Tiger Woods held the outright 36-hole lead that week but faded on the weekend and finished tied for fourth.
There is certainly something to the theory that Texas golf suits Garcia’s style of play, a ball-striker who normally gets better as the conditions become more difficult.
On Day 3 in ’04, for example, Garcia fondly remembered doing something “a little bit stupid,” on his way to victory at the Nelson, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and finishing the day a perfect 18-for-18 in greens in regulation.
But mostly he remembers being congratulated by Nelson, the longtime host who died in 2006 after being a fixture at the Dallas-area event for nearly five decades.
“I remember Byron taking a picture with me and some great memories,” he said. “I actually saw the picture this week in my room. I have my trophies, my Byron Nelson trophies at home. Every time I see them it reminds me of this place and Byron and the kind of legend he was.”
But then Garcia’s Lone Star affinity goes beyond Dallas. Two of Garcia’s eight Tour titles came in Texas, including his first triumph on the PGA Tour in 2001 at Colonial, and he’s earned $3.095 million of his $41.5 million in career earnings in Texas events.
Being a Ryder Cup year will always provide extra motivation to play well for Garcia, a staple for the European team and a thorn in the American squad’s side since 1999.
He’s also been trending in all the right directions in recent weeks. He finished third two weeks ago at the European Tour event he hosts in Spain and dropped a close decision to Adam Scott earlier this season at the Honda Classic where he finished a stroke back.
“I have been playing decent and obviously I still feel like I can play better but, hopefully, I can keep this momentum going and have a good solid week before the U.S. Open,” he said.
Still, Garcia is nearly four years removed from his last Tour title and his lone victory in the last year came in December on the Asian Tour, so if he chooses not to overthink his record in Texas it’s perfectly understandable.
“I’ve done fairly well pretty much every time I played here,” he said simply.
At this point in an eventful career it’s best to keep things simple, if not understated. Exactly what you would expect from someone who feels at home in Texas.
Muirfield votes to not admit female members; out of British Open rotation. What's Your Take?
By Ryan Ballengee
The all-male membership of Muirfield in Scotland has voted against admitting female members, a decision that now excludes it from the British Open rotation.
The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns the club, voted this week on ending the club's 244-year history of excluding female members, with a two-thirds majority required to make the change. Despite vocal support of the change from the club board, only 64 percent of the 648 voting members voted in favor of admitting female members.
The R&A had made it clear that it intends to keep the Open away from clubs that exclude women.
“The R&A has considered today’s decision with respect to the Open Championship. The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and going forward we will not stage the Championship at a venue that does not admit women as members," said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers in a Thursday statement.
“Given the schedule for staging The Open, it would be some years before Muirfield would have been considered to host the Championship again. If the policy at the club should change we would reconsider Muirfield as a venue for The Open in future.”
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, of which the governing body known as the R&A is an off-shoot, admitted women as members for the first time in 2014 in 260 years of existence. Another Open host, Royal St. George's, admitted female members for the first time in 2015.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: The only thing that's constant in life is change. I don't understand this, If a female can play and excel at the game, afford the membership fees and meet all of the requirements that male members have to meet, why deny her membership? Several of the clubs in the UK have changed their policies and now admit women as well as Augusta National, the home of the world renowned Masters Tournament. If they choose to refuse to admit female members, that's their prerogative. In the long run they will lose out and I will guarantee you that eventually and I mean sooner rather than later, they will be admitting female members. The British Open is another world renown tournament and brings a lot of prestige to their club not to mention the financial windfall that helps maintain and continually improve the course and the club as a whole.
Save this article because I guarantee you that within the next five years or sooner, Muirfield will be admitting females for membership and deservedly so. When this happens, Muirfield will be welcomed into the 21st century.
Our position is stated, please share your thoughts with us and let us know, what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and let us know what your feelings are with regards to this article. As always, we love to hear from you because we value your opinion.
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director.
There is little that would remind one of Castellon in Texas, and yet to Sergio Garcia the Lone Star state feels like home.
“Texas has always been good to me,” the Spaniard who was born in Castellon said with a shrug on Thursday at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Following a bogey-free 63 on Day 1 at the weather-delayed Nelson, Garcia referenced the traditional winds players face when the PGA Tour visits Texas and conditions that are normally hard and fast.
“I've always enjoyed these kind of golf courses that usually are a little bit firmer than today,” Garcia said. “It's always a little bit breezy and you have to place the ball in the right spots and I've always enjoyed that kind of golf.”
Never mind that TPC Four Seasons Resort was neither hard and fast nor windy on Thursday, which led Garcia to give the ultimate compliment.
“It just kind of brings me to my comfort level,” said Garcia, who started on No. 10 and scorched his second nine with four birdies and an eagle to grab the early lead.
As unquantifiable as that may seem, it’s the only way to explain Garcia’s record in Texas.
In 1999, El Nino – whose weather system namesake was blamed for Thursday’s early storms that delayed the start of play by more than two hours – played his first professional event at the Nelson to set an early standard.
He opened with a 62 on the old Cottonwood Valley layout and finished the week tied third. Five years later he recorded his fourth victory on the PGA Tour in Dallas.
“Shooting that round and finishing third to kind of get my career started here was, it was unbelievable for me,” Garcia said of that first exposure to Texas golf. “It gave me a lot of confidence, it relaxed me a lot. It made my year a lot easier.”
That victory in ’04 was made even more special by one of the players he beat. Tiger Woods held the outright 36-hole lead that week but faded on the weekend and finished tied for fourth.
There is certainly something to the theory that Texas golf suits Garcia’s style of play, a ball-striker who normally gets better as the conditions become more difficult.
On Day 3 in ’04, for example, Garcia fondly remembered doing something “a little bit stupid,” on his way to victory at the Nelson, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and finishing the day a perfect 18-for-18 in greens in regulation.
But mostly he remembers being congratulated by Nelson, the longtime host who died in 2006 after being a fixture at the Dallas-area event for nearly five decades.
“I remember Byron taking a picture with me and some great memories,” he said. “I actually saw the picture this week in my room. I have my trophies, my Byron Nelson trophies at home. Every time I see them it reminds me of this place and Byron and the kind of legend he was.”
But then Garcia’s Lone Star affinity goes beyond Dallas. Two of Garcia’s eight Tour titles came in Texas, including his first triumph on the PGA Tour in 2001 at Colonial, and he’s earned $3.095 million of his $41.5 million in career earnings in Texas events.
Being a Ryder Cup year will always provide extra motivation to play well for Garcia, a staple for the European team and a thorn in the American squad’s side since 1999.
He’s also been trending in all the right directions in recent weeks. He finished third two weeks ago at the European Tour event he hosts in Spain and dropped a close decision to Adam Scott earlier this season at the Honda Classic where he finished a stroke back.
“I have been playing decent and obviously I still feel like I can play better but, hopefully, I can keep this momentum going and have a good solid week before the U.S. Open,” he said.
Still, Garcia is nearly four years removed from his last Tour title and his lone victory in the last year came in December on the Asian Tour, so if he chooses not to overthink his record in Texas it’s perfectly understandable.
“I’ve done fairly well pretty much every time I played here,” he said simply.
At this point in an eventful career it’s best to keep things simple, if not understated. Exactly what you would expect from someone who feels at home in Texas.
Muirfield votes to not admit female members; out of British Open rotation. What's Your Take?
By Ryan Ballengee
The all-male membership of Muirfield in Scotland has voted against admitting female members, a decision that now excludes it from the British Open rotation.
The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns the club, voted this week on ending the club's 244-year history of excluding female members, with a two-thirds majority required to make the change. Despite vocal support of the change from the club board, only 64 percent of the 648 voting members voted in favor of admitting female members.
A group of some 30 members wrote an open letter to the membership, imploring them to reject female members.
This vote was the result of a two-year process Muirfield undertook after coming under heavy criticism for its membership practices while hosting the 2013 Open Championship, won by Phil Mickelson. That was the 16th time Muirfield has hosted the Open.
The R&A had made it clear that it intends to keep the Open away from clubs that exclude women.
“The R&A has considered today’s decision with respect to the Open Championship. The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and going forward we will not stage the Championship at a venue that does not admit women as members," said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers in a Thursday statement.
“Given the schedule for staging The Open, it would be some years before Muirfield would have been considered to host the Championship again. If the policy at the club should change we would reconsider Muirfield as a venue for The Open in future.”
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, of which the governing body known as the R&A is an off-shoot, admitted women as members for the first time in 2014 in 260 years of existence. Another Open host, Royal St. George's, admitted female members for the first time in 2015.
The 2016 Open host Royal Troon remains the only club in the active rotation that does not have single membership. Rather, there are separate memberships for men and women. The club is consulting members on possibly ending that practice, which would include ending having separate clubhouses.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: The only thing that's constant in life is change. I don't understand this, If a female can play and excel at the game, afford the membership fees and meet all of the requirements that male members have to meet, why deny her membership? Several of the clubs in the UK have changed their policies and now admit women as well as Augusta National, the home of the world renowned Masters Tournament. If they choose to refuse to admit female members, that's their prerogative. In the long run they will lose out and I will guarantee you that eventually and I mean sooner rather than later, they will be admitting female members. The British Open is another world renown tournament and brings a lot of prestige to their club not to mention the financial windfall that helps maintain and continually improve the course and the club as a whole.
Save this article because I guarantee you that within the next five years or sooner, Muirfield will be admitting females for membership and deservedly so. When this happens, Muirfield will be welcomed into the 21st century.
Our position is stated, please share your thoughts with us and let us know, what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and let us know what your feelings are with regards to this article. As always, we love to hear from you because we value your opinion.
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director.
NASCAR: Sprint All-Star Race weekend schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
By Jerry Bonkowski
It’ll be a busy few days at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend with the Sprint All-Star Race, the Sprint Showdown and the Camping World Truck Series’ North Carolina Education Lottery 200 all on tap.
While the All-Star Race and the Showdown are both non-points races, the Truck Series event is a points-paying race.
Here’s the weekend schedule complete with TV and radio information (all times listed are Eastern):
While the All-Star Race and the Showdown are both non-points races, the Truck Series event is a points-paying race.
Here’s the weekend schedule complete with TV and radio information (all times listed are Eastern):
Thursday, May 19
9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. –Truck Series Garage open
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Truck practice No. 1 (No TV)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Truck practice No. 2 (No TV)
4:30 – 5:55 p.m. – Final Truck practice (Fox Sports 1)
Friday, May 20
9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage open
10:30 a.m. – Truck garage opens
1:30 – 2:55 p.m. Sprint Showdown practice (Fox Sports 1)
3 – 4:40 p.m. – Sprint All-Star practice (FS1, Motor Racing Network)
4:45 – 4:55 p.m. – Sprint Cup All-Star pit road speed practice
5:15 p.m. – Sprint Showdown driver/crew chief meeting
5:30 p.m. – Truck qualifying — single vehicle/two rounds (FS1)
6:45 p.m. – Truck driver/crew chief meeting
7 p.m. – Sprint Showdown driver introductions
7:15 p.m. – Sprint Showdown race (20 laps/20 laps/10 laps) (FS1/MRN/Sirius XM NASCAR Radio)
8 p.m. – Truck driver introductions
8:30 p.m. – North Carolina Education Lottery 200 race (134 laps, 201 miles) (FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday, May 21
2 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage opens
5 p.m. – Sprint All-Star Race driver/crew chief meeting
7:10 p.m. – Sprint All-Star Race qualifying (three laps, with pit stop) (FS1, MRN)
8:35 p.m. – Sprint All-Star Race driver introductions
9 p.m. – Sprint All-Star Race (50 laps/50 laps/13 laps) (Fox Sports 1/MRN/Sirius XM NASCAR Radio)
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: ‘These last four or five weeks have been really miserable’.
By Dustin Long
Dale Earnhardt Jr. offered a frank assessment of his season and team on his weekly podcast, noting that recent performances show that “we’ve got a problem, Houston. It’s time to understand how severe this situation is and really get to owning it, try to figure something out.’’
Earnhardt is 11th in points with no wins and just five top-10 finishes in 12 races. This is the worst he’s been in the points at this time of the season since 2010 when he was 16th and went on to finish 21st, failing to make the Chase.
“If we get into this Chase, we can’t run running like this,’’ Earnhardt said on The Dale Jr. Download. “That ain’t going to work. Clearly disappointed. All the guys on the team are in the same boat. All the guys on the team also are very positive. You have to be for us to be able to get better. We’ve all got to work together.
“We know we can do it. I believe in all my guys. I believe in (crew chief) Greg (Ives). They believe in me, and we’ll figure it out. We’ve been down before, but it’s time to own it. It’s time to get after it.
“We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and really get to it here, figure out what’s going on and what we need to be doing, start really trying to find some speed and some answers.’’
Since back-to-back runner-up finishes in April at Texas and Bristol, Earnhardt has finished no better than 13th the last four races. He has struggled in qualifying most of the season. He has three top-five starts, with two at restrictor-plate tracks and one last weekend at Dover, when qualifying was rained out and the lineup was set by speed in practice.
Earnhardt cited his Kansas run earlier this month as unsettling.
“It was disappointing to run 15th at Kansas,’’ Earnhardt said on his podcast. “I know our fans are really disappointed, and they see the Gibbs guys doing well. It’s obvious to us who’s doing good and who’s not.
“We understand that we have lost a little bit of something. These last four or five weeks have been really miserable. We haven’t had a fast car at any of the races. Even at Talladega where we thought we were going to be great, we went in there and goofed it up. We’ve got a lot of work to do.’’
Earnhardt said isn’t not just one area that is hindering the team.
“We definitely aren’t the team we were the last few years,’’ he said on his podcast. “We’ve got to figure out what’s going on and how we’re getting beat. I see a few things on our cars and on other cars that are out of our control. There is only so much my guys can do in the garage and before we go through the tech line. It’s a battle every weekend to try to figure out how much work you can do to your car.’’
Earnhardt’s team received its third warning last weekend at Dover after failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before the race. His team will lose pit stall selection for a race with the next warning.
With 14 points races left before the Chase begins, Earnhardt knows there’s time to improve.
“This All-Star weekend coming up ain’t going to be the answer to all of our problems, but it’s an opportunity to work on some of them,’’ said Earnhardt, who won the 2000 All-Star Race but has never won the Coca-Cola 600. “I’ll be honest with you, I’d rather win (next week’s) 600 a thousand times more than the All-Star race. Running good and running better throughout the rest of the year is much more important to me than stumbling into a million bucks on this All-Star weekend. If we come out of the All-Star race winners but don’t understand how to go into the 600 and be competitive, it does us no good.’’
Earnhardt had more to say about his season and detailed his frustrations with last weekend’s race at Dover International Speedway. To hear all that he said, go to his podcast at Dirty Mo Radio.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s totals after 12 races in recent seasons
2016
0 wins, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s and 11th in points
2015
1 win, 7 top fives, 8 top 10s and fourth in points
2014
1 win, 6 top fives, 7 top 10s and fifth in points
2013
0 wins, 3 top fives, 7 top 10s and sixth in points
2012
0 wins, 4 top fives, 9 top 10s and fourth in points
2011
0 wins, 2 top fives, 6 top 10s and fourth in points
2010
0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s and 16th in points
"INDIANAPOLIS 500": First all-woman team ends pursuit to race in this year's Indy 500.
By Dustin Long
(Photo/Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
Earnhardt is 11th in points with no wins and just five top-10 finishes in 12 races. This is the worst he’s been in the points at this time of the season since 2010 when he was 16th and went on to finish 21st, failing to make the Chase.
“If we get into this Chase, we can’t run running like this,’’ Earnhardt said on The Dale Jr. Download. “That ain’t going to work. Clearly disappointed. All the guys on the team are in the same boat. All the guys on the team also are very positive. You have to be for us to be able to get better. We’ve all got to work together.
“We know we can do it. I believe in all my guys. I believe in (crew chief) Greg (Ives). They believe in me, and we’ll figure it out. We’ve been down before, but it’s time to own it. It’s time to get after it.
“We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and really get to it here, figure out what’s going on and what we need to be doing, start really trying to find some speed and some answers.’’
Since back-to-back runner-up finishes in April at Texas and Bristol, Earnhardt has finished no better than 13th the last four races. He has struggled in qualifying most of the season. He has three top-five starts, with two at restrictor-plate tracks and one last weekend at Dover, when qualifying was rained out and the lineup was set by speed in practice.
Earnhardt cited his Kansas run earlier this month as unsettling.
“It was disappointing to run 15th at Kansas,’’ Earnhardt said on his podcast. “I know our fans are really disappointed, and they see the Gibbs guys doing well. It’s obvious to us who’s doing good and who’s not.
“We understand that we have lost a little bit of something. These last four or five weeks have been really miserable. We haven’t had a fast car at any of the races. Even at Talladega where we thought we were going to be great, we went in there and goofed it up. We’ve got a lot of work to do.’’
Earnhardt said isn’t not just one area that is hindering the team.
“We definitely aren’t the team we were the last few years,’’ he said on his podcast. “We’ve got to figure out what’s going on and how we’re getting beat. I see a few things on our cars and on other cars that are out of our control. There is only so much my guys can do in the garage and before we go through the tech line. It’s a battle every weekend to try to figure out how much work you can do to your car.’’
Earnhardt’s team received its third warning last weekend at Dover after failing the Laser Inspection Station twice before the race. His team will lose pit stall selection for a race with the next warning.
With 14 points races left before the Chase begins, Earnhardt knows there’s time to improve.
“This All-Star weekend coming up ain’t going to be the answer to all of our problems, but it’s an opportunity to work on some of them,’’ said Earnhardt, who won the 2000 All-Star Race but has never won the Coca-Cola 600. “I’ll be honest with you, I’d rather win (next week’s) 600 a thousand times more than the All-Star race. Running good and running better throughout the rest of the year is much more important to me than stumbling into a million bucks on this All-Star weekend. If we come out of the All-Star race winners but don’t understand how to go into the 600 and be competitive, it does us no good.’’
Earnhardt had more to say about his season and detailed his frustrations with last weekend’s race at Dover International Speedway. To hear all that he said, go to his podcast at Dirty Mo Radio.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s totals after 12 races in recent seasons
2016
0 wins, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s and 11th in points
2015
1 win, 7 top fives, 8 top 10s and fourth in points
2014
1 win, 6 top fives, 7 top 10s and fifth in points
2013
0 wins, 3 top fives, 7 top 10s and sixth in points
2012
0 wins, 4 top fives, 9 top 10s and fourth in points
2011
0 wins, 2 top fives, 6 top 10s and fourth in points
2010
0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s and 16th in points
"INDIANAPOLIS 500": First all-woman team ends pursuit to race in this year's Indy 500.
By Curt Cavin
Grace Autosport held a press conference last May to announce its Indy 500 program, but the program never came to be. (Photo/Grace Autosport)
The race team powered by women has decided against participating in the 100th Indianapolis 500.
The group had hoped to have Katherine Legge as its driver, with women in other key positions within the team, and it had a press conference announcing that last year at this time.
In a news release issued Wednesday, the team said it was able to assemble a manufacturer partner, sponsors, funding, a driver and crew members, but never found a car to use.
That leaves the 500 with 33 car-and-driver combinations heading to this weekend’s qualifying. The 500 is May 29.
“We met with many teams in the IndyCar paddock late last season to determine partnership feasibility and discovered numerous teams had chosen to scale back their plans for 2016,” said Paretta, the team principal. “We were ready to announce a team partnership for the Indy 500 at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in mid-April but a change in terms proved unsound for Grace’s sponsor partners and unfortunately we had to step away from the deal.
“The consolidation of teams and the decrease of entries in 2016 reduced the available options for us. Our partner spoke with Dallara about buying a new car after Long Beach but there wasn’t a current 2016 car available in time for the 500. We evaluated an available chassis as late as last week but there wasn’t enough time to acquire all the parts needed to rebuild the car safely. Because of this sequence of events we will not campaign a car in this year’s Indy 500.
“As I said last summer, Grace Autosport was not interested in just making the grid and running at the back. We wanted to put forth a respectable effort and we wanted to be competitive, while keeping safety at the very forefront of our program. We apologize to the many fans that have reached out to offer their support, which has been incredible. The good news is that we will not give up and are now working closely with our partners to map out Grace’s future.”
Indianapolis 500 moments, from four-time winners to tragedy.
Associated Press
IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, of England, douses himself with milk after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. The unusual beverage choice, after a race that lasted hours, was embraced by dairy farmers and has become one of the most unique traditions in sports. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File) (The Associated Press)
The Indianapolis 500 is full of significant moments, from the return of racing in 1946 to the celebration of four-time race winners, stirring finishes and tragic deaths. With the 100th running of one of the world's most famous races set for May 29, The Associated Press looks back at some of the most memorable moments in race history in a chronological and completely subjective list:
START YOUR ENGINES!
1911: The Indianapolis 500 could not be the race it is today without Ray Harroun's creativity in the Marmon Wasp. He ditched the riding mechanic and instead relied on the rear-view mirror and a relief driver. Until Harroun arrived, the 2.5-mile speedway had been used primarily as a test track for the city's budding automotive industry. Harroun's 1 minute, 43 second victory in the inaugural race, which took 6 hours, 42 minutes, 8 seconds, proved drivers could turn a marathon into a sprint, a legacy that plays out each May.
MILKING THE VICTORY
1936: After becoming the first three-time winner of the 500, Louis Meyer celebrated his 1936 win by chugging a bottle of buttermilk. The unusual choice after a race that lasted nearly five hours was embraced by dairy farmers and has become one of the most unique traditions in sports. While race winners didn't choose milk from 1947-55, the celebration was revived in 1956 and has been used annually every year since with one notable exception. In 1993, Emerson Fittipaldi, an orange-grove owner, tried orange juice before swigging the milk after being told of the faux paus.
GRAND REOPENING
1946: Indianapolis Motor Speedway closed its doors to racing in 1917 and 1918 because of World War I, but it was the closure during World War II that posed the biggest threat to the historic venue. Three weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, speedway President Eddie Rickenbacker canceled the 1942 race. The federal government banned automobile racing in July 1942, and when the war ended in 1945, the track was in disrepair. Tony Hulman Jr., a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana, bought the track in November 1945 and refurbished it in time for the 1946 race. His descendants still run the track.
TRAGEDY STRIKES
1964: On the second lap, a double fatality made it a day to forget. Rookie Dave MacDonald lost control of his car in the fourth turn, hit the inside wall and the car exploded on impact. MacDonald's flaming car slid across the track into the path of Eddie Sachs. That crash caused a second explosion. Five more cars wrecked in the thick, black smoke that engulfed the front straightaway, forcing the race to be red-flagged more than an hour. MacDonald and Sachs were killed. A.J. Foyt won the race, and in '65, the race was televised for the first time.
1973: Drivers Art Pollard and Swede Savage and crew member Armando Teran were killed in May 1973 and another driver, Salt Walther, somehow survived a frightening, pin-wheeling crash. Walther's car got into the catch fence, breaking it and showering the crowd with debris and leaving Walther with severe burns. The worst was yet to come when Savage's car made a sharp left coming down the front straight, slammed into an inside wall and caught fire. Amid the chaos, fans began screaming again when they saw a safety team driver hit Teran, throwing him an estimated 50 feet in the air. Savage died more than a month after the race.
CRASH AND DASH
1982: One of the best races in history began in ominous fashion with Kevin Cogan running into both A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti just as the green flag waved. By the end of the day, it became a two-car chase with Rick Mears trying to catch Gordon Johncock. Mears had him in his sights at the end. But Johncock took advantage of a rare splash-and-dash pit stop late in the race, taking just enough fuel to hold off Mears by 0.16 seconds in what was then the closest finish in 500 history. Four-time winner Mears had to settle for his only runner-up finish in 15 career Indy 500 starts.
SPIN AND WIN
1985: Danny Sullivan returned home to America from Formula One in 1984. A year later, he celebrated his greatest moment in racing. Sullivan appeared doomed when his car started to spin on Lap 120. After going a full 360 degrees, though, Sullivan regained control of the car, returned to the pits and eventually caught the leader, Mario Andretti. Sullivan went on to win his only 500 title with one of the most remarkable saves on record.
CLOSE CALLS
As the racing got tighter, so did the finishes. Al Unser Jr. held off Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds in 1992. Goodyear finished second to fellow Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1995 because of a late-race penalty for passing the pace car during a caution period. Sam Hornish Jr. maneuvered his way past Marco Andretti in the closing yards in 2006 to win by 0.0635 seconds. In 2014, Helio Castroneves lost to winner Ryan Hunter-Reay by a scant 0.06 seconds.
PENSKE STUNNER
1995: For most of the past 47 years, Roger Penske has been the epitome of consistency. He has 16 Indianapolis 500 titles and 17 poles, both records. But in 1995, Penske was reminded what it's like to be just another guy. One year after the longtime team owner dominated Indy with his untouchable Mercedes engines, Penske couldn't get defending champion Al Unser Jr. or Emerson Fittipaldi qualified for the race on opening weekend. Penske pulled out all of the stops over those two qualifying weekends, but nothing worked and Penske wound up going home without a qualifier for the first and only time of his Indy career.
THE SPLIT
1996: Tony George, the grandson of Tony Hulman, made it clear before the end of the 1995 season IndyCar racing was changing. He wanted to reduce costs, level the playing field and run primarily on American ovals. Except for A.J. Foyt, most of the others big-names stuck with CART. The open-wheel split damaged IndyCar's image. Eventually, Penske, Chip Ganassi, Michael Andretti and most other big-name teams returned to IndyCar because they needed Indy. George was eventually forced out as head of the series and the speedway, but Champ Car folded and now top American open-wheel racing runs under the single IndyCar banner.
SOCCER: One mistake costs Fire in loss at Red Bulls.
Associated Press
The Indianapolis 500 is full of significant moments, from the return of racing in 1946 to the celebration of four-time race winners, stirring finishes and tragic deaths. With the 100th running of one of the world's most famous races set for May 29, The Associated Press looks back at some of the most memorable moments in race history in a chronological and completely subjective list:
START YOUR ENGINES!
1911: The Indianapolis 500 could not be the race it is today without Ray Harroun's creativity in the Marmon Wasp. He ditched the riding mechanic and instead relied on the rear-view mirror and a relief driver. Until Harroun arrived, the 2.5-mile speedway had been used primarily as a test track for the city's budding automotive industry. Harroun's 1 minute, 43 second victory in the inaugural race, which took 6 hours, 42 minutes, 8 seconds, proved drivers could turn a marathon into a sprint, a legacy that plays out each May.
MILKING THE VICTORY
1936: After becoming the first three-time winner of the 500, Louis Meyer celebrated his 1936 win by chugging a bottle of buttermilk. The unusual choice after a race that lasted nearly five hours was embraced by dairy farmers and has become one of the most unique traditions in sports. While race winners didn't choose milk from 1947-55, the celebration was revived in 1956 and has been used annually every year since with one notable exception. In 1993, Emerson Fittipaldi, an orange-grove owner, tried orange juice before swigging the milk after being told of the faux paus.
GRAND REOPENING
1946: Indianapolis Motor Speedway closed its doors to racing in 1917 and 1918 because of World War I, but it was the closure during World War II that posed the biggest threat to the historic venue. Three weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, speedway President Eddie Rickenbacker canceled the 1942 race. The federal government banned automobile racing in July 1942, and when the war ended in 1945, the track was in disrepair. Tony Hulman Jr., a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana, bought the track in November 1945 and refurbished it in time for the 1946 race. His descendants still run the track.
TRAGEDY STRIKES
1964: On the second lap, a double fatality made it a day to forget. Rookie Dave MacDonald lost control of his car in the fourth turn, hit the inside wall and the car exploded on impact. MacDonald's flaming car slid across the track into the path of Eddie Sachs. That crash caused a second explosion. Five more cars wrecked in the thick, black smoke that engulfed the front straightaway, forcing the race to be red-flagged more than an hour. MacDonald and Sachs were killed. A.J. Foyt won the race, and in '65, the race was televised for the first time.
SUPER MARIO
1969: Andy Granatelli's creativity changed racing. He introduced super-charged engines with almost as much horsepower as other cars. He introduced the turbine engine. He was a master publicist, turning STP into a household brand. But for most of the 1960s, Granatelli was known more for innovations than wins. Mario Andretti changed all that in 1969 when he held on for his first and only Indianapolis 500 victory. It didn't take Granatelli long to provide one of the race's most iconic images when he caught up with Andretti in victory lane and surprised him by planting a kiss right on Andretti's cheek.
1969: Andy Granatelli's creativity changed racing. He introduced super-charged engines with almost as much horsepower as other cars. He introduced the turbine engine. He was a master publicist, turning STP into a household brand. But for most of the 1960s, Granatelli was known more for innovations than wins. Mario Andretti changed all that in 1969 when he held on for his first and only Indianapolis 500 victory. It didn't take Granatelli long to provide one of the race's most iconic images when he caught up with Andretti in victory lane and surprised him by planting a kiss right on Andretti's cheek.
ANDRETTI CURSE
1970-current: Fans often joke that the four most famous words in motorsports are ''Mario is slowing down.'' Amazingly, the Andrettis have not driven into Indy's victory lane for more than 45 years. Since 1969, mechanical failures, crashes, bad luck and even what amounted to a recount in 1981 have derailed the family. Mario's son, Michael, led more laps than any other non-winner. Michael almost helped his son, Marco, end the curse in 2006. But Sam Hornish Jr. passed Marco in the final straight and the youngest Andretti settled for second. One saving grace: Michael has won three 500s as a team owner.
TRAGEDY RETURNS
1970-current: Fans often joke that the four most famous words in motorsports are ''Mario is slowing down.'' Amazingly, the Andrettis have not driven into Indy's victory lane for more than 45 years. Since 1969, mechanical failures, crashes, bad luck and even what amounted to a recount in 1981 have derailed the family. Mario's son, Michael, led more laps than any other non-winner. Michael almost helped his son, Marco, end the curse in 2006. But Sam Hornish Jr. passed Marco in the final straight and the youngest Andretti settled for second. One saving grace: Michael has won three 500s as a team owner.
TRAGEDY RETURNS
1973: Drivers Art Pollard and Swede Savage and crew member Armando Teran were killed in May 1973 and another driver, Salt Walther, somehow survived a frightening, pin-wheeling crash. Walther's car got into the catch fence, breaking it and showering the crowd with debris and leaving Walther with severe burns. The worst was yet to come when Savage's car made a sharp left coming down the front straight, slammed into an inside wall and caught fire. Amid the chaos, fans began screaming again when they saw a safety team driver hit Teran, throwing him an estimated 50 feet in the air. Savage died more than a month after the race.
LAST RIDE
1977: At the time, the significance of the victory lap may not have been clear. Sure, A.J. Foyt was celebrating his record-setting fourth race win. But few expected it to be Foyt's last win or that they would see Tony Hulman sitting side-by-side with Foyt and waving to the crowd. It was the only time Hulman ever participated in the victory lap at the track he owned and he never got another chance. Hulman died almost exactly five months later.
1977: At the time, the significance of the victory lap may not have been clear. Sure, A.J. Foyt was celebrating his record-setting fourth race win. But few expected it to be Foyt's last win or that they would see Tony Hulman sitting side-by-side with Foyt and waving to the crowd. It was the only time Hulman ever participated in the victory lap at the track he owned and he never got another chance. Hulman died almost exactly five months later.
CRASH AND DASH
1982: One of the best races in history began in ominous fashion with Kevin Cogan running into both A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti just as the green flag waved. By the end of the day, it became a two-car chase with Rick Mears trying to catch Gordon Johncock. Mears had him in his sights at the end. But Johncock took advantage of a rare splash-and-dash pit stop late in the race, taking just enough fuel to hold off Mears by 0.16 seconds in what was then the closest finish in 500 history. Four-time winner Mears had to settle for his only runner-up finish in 15 career Indy 500 starts.
SPIN AND WIN
1985: Danny Sullivan returned home to America from Formula One in 1984. A year later, he celebrated his greatest moment in racing. Sullivan appeared doomed when his car started to spin on Lap 120. After going a full 360 degrees, though, Sullivan regained control of the car, returned to the pits and eventually caught the leader, Mario Andretti. Sullivan went on to win his only 500 title with one of the most remarkable saves on record.
CLOSE CALLS
As the racing got tighter, so did the finishes. Al Unser Jr. held off Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds in 1992. Goodyear finished second to fellow Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1995 because of a late-race penalty for passing the pace car during a caution period. Sam Hornish Jr. maneuvered his way past Marco Andretti in the closing yards in 2006 to win by 0.0635 seconds. In 2014, Helio Castroneves lost to winner Ryan Hunter-Reay by a scant 0.06 seconds.
PENSKE STUNNER
1995: For most of the past 47 years, Roger Penske has been the epitome of consistency. He has 16 Indianapolis 500 titles and 17 poles, both records. But in 1995, Penske was reminded what it's like to be just another guy. One year after the longtime team owner dominated Indy with his untouchable Mercedes engines, Penske couldn't get defending champion Al Unser Jr. or Emerson Fittipaldi qualified for the race on opening weekend. Penske pulled out all of the stops over those two qualifying weekends, but nothing worked and Penske wound up going home without a qualifier for the first and only time of his Indy career.
THE SPLIT
1996: Tony George, the grandson of Tony Hulman, made it clear before the end of the 1995 season IndyCar racing was changing. He wanted to reduce costs, level the playing field and run primarily on American ovals. Except for A.J. Foyt, most of the others big-names stuck with CART. The open-wheel split damaged IndyCar's image. Eventually, Penske, Chip Ganassi, Michael Andretti and most other big-name teams returned to IndyCar because they needed Indy. George was eventually forced out as head of the series and the speedway, but Champ Car folded and now top American open-wheel racing runs under the single IndyCar banner.
SOCCER: One mistake costs Fire in loss at Red Bulls.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The New York Red Bulls had just one shot on target against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, but that was all the Red Bulls needed.
Mike Grella scored on the Red Bulls' only shot on target in the 58th minute and that goal stood as the game-winner in a 1-0 game at Red Bull Arena.
A Jonathan Campbell back pass was intercepted by Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips just outside the box. Within two passes Mike Grella was all alone in front of Sean Johnson and Grella scored.
Despite dominating possession, the Red Bulls (4-7-1, 13 points) weren't able to test Johnson, who made his first start of the season. The Fire (1-5-4, 7 points) had just 35.3 percent of the possession and had less than 30 percent at halftime.
With David Accam making his first start since March 11, the Fire tried to play on the counter. Kennedy Igboananike and Joey Calistri joined him in the attack and the trio was able to create some chances, but the Fire had just two shots on target.
Johnson, Accam and Calistri were three of the five changes in the starting lineup from coach Veljko Paunovic. Accam returned from injury Saturday in New England, but came off the bench. On Wednesday, he played 72 minutes before Gilberto replaced him.
In addition, Rodrigo Ramos and Razvan Cocis moved into the starting lineup. Arturo Alvarez, Michael Harrington, Matt Polster, Gilberto and Matt Lampson were the five who started in New England that did not against the Red Bulls. In the case of Polster and Harrington, both were not even included on the bench to give them rest after minor injures in the New England game.
The only shot on target for either team in the first half was a Razvan Cocis header that Luis Robles easily saved. Accam had the best chance of the half when he unleashed a 35-yard strike following a short free kick that hit the crossbar.
The loss marked the end of the Fire's three-game road trip. All three were losses. The Fire return home Saturday against the Houston Dynamo, which sit in last place in the Western Conference.
Mike Grella scored on the Red Bulls' only shot on target in the 58th minute and that goal stood as the game-winner in a 1-0 game at Red Bull Arena.
A Jonathan Campbell back pass was intercepted by Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips just outside the box. Within two passes Mike Grella was all alone in front of Sean Johnson and Grella scored.
Despite dominating possession, the Red Bulls (4-7-1, 13 points) weren't able to test Johnson, who made his first start of the season. The Fire (1-5-4, 7 points) had just 35.3 percent of the possession and had less than 30 percent at halftime.
With David Accam making his first start since March 11, the Fire tried to play on the counter. Kennedy Igboananike and Joey Calistri joined him in the attack and the trio was able to create some chances, but the Fire had just two shots on target.
Johnson, Accam and Calistri were three of the five changes in the starting lineup from coach Veljko Paunovic. Accam returned from injury Saturday in New England, but came off the bench. On Wednesday, he played 72 minutes before Gilberto replaced him.
In addition, Rodrigo Ramos and Razvan Cocis moved into the starting lineup. Arturo Alvarez, Michael Harrington, Matt Polster, Gilberto and Matt Lampson were the five who started in New England that did not against the Red Bulls. In the case of Polster and Harrington, both were not even included on the bench to give them rest after minor injures in the New England game.
The only shot on target for either team in the first half was a Razvan Cocis header that Luis Robles easily saved. Accam had the best chance of the half when he unleashed a 35-yard strike following a short free kick that hit the crossbar.
The loss marked the end of the Fire's three-game road trip. All three were losses. The Fire return home Saturday against the Houston Dynamo, which sit in last place in the Western Conference.
Fire learn draw for U.S. Open Cup.
By Dan Santaromita
The Major League Soccer season isn't going well so far for the Chicago Fire, but the U.S. Open Cup can provide a clean slate for the Fire.
On Thursday the Fire learned their draw for the Open Cup. When the Fire enter the tournament in the fourth round, along with the 16 other American MLS teams, they will face the winner of the Indy Eleven-Louisville City match.
It will be on Wednesday, June 15, but the site is still to be determined. If Louisville wins, the Fire will travel to Kentucky. If Indy Eleven wins, the Fire will host the four round match at Toyota Park. The third round match between those two teams takes place on June 1 in Indianapolis.
Louisville City, which plays in the third tier USL, beat Detroit City FC in penalty kicks in the second round on Wednesday. Last year, Louisville beat Indy Eleven in the third round to book a date with the Fire. The Fire won that game 1-0 in extra time on a Quincy Amarikwa goal.
Indy Eleven plays in the second tier NASL. Former Fire president Peter Wilt had the same position at Indy Eleven when the club joined the NASL as an expansion club in 2014.
MLS will be on break for the Copa America during the U.S. Open Cup fourth round. After the Fire play Portland on May 28, this will be the next match for the team. Three days after playing in the Open Cup, the Fire return to MLS play at Colorado.
The Fire have won the tournament four times (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006), tied for most in the MLS era. Last year the Fire made it to the semifinal before losing to the Philadelphia Union 1-0. The Fire have lost in the semifinal round each of the past three seasons.
Soccer-Canny Sevilla retain iron grip on Europa League trophy.
Reuters; By Toby Davis, Editing by Ed Osmond
Sevilla conjured up a dazzling comeback to clinch a record third successive Europa League title on Wednesday, flooring Liverpool with a 3-1 victory that showed why the Spanish side have become masters of Europe's second-tier competition.
Sevilla captain Coke lifted the trophy at Basel's St Jakob-Park having been the architect of their heroics, scoring twice to leave Liverpool gasping on the canvas after Kevin Gameiro had cancelled out Daniel Sturridge's opener.
It was a remarkable turnaround after Liverpool had dominated the first half so completely that Juergen Klopp's side should have been home and dry, but they failed to inflict further damage when their opponents were reeling.
By Dan Santaromita
The Major League Soccer season isn't going well so far for the Chicago Fire, but the U.S. Open Cup can provide a clean slate for the Fire.
On Thursday the Fire learned their draw for the Open Cup. When the Fire enter the tournament in the fourth round, along with the 16 other American MLS teams, they will face the winner of the Indy Eleven-Louisville City match.
It will be on Wednesday, June 15, but the site is still to be determined. If Louisville wins, the Fire will travel to Kentucky. If Indy Eleven wins, the Fire will host the four round match at Toyota Park. The third round match between those two teams takes place on June 1 in Indianapolis.
Louisville City, which plays in the third tier USL, beat Detroit City FC in penalty kicks in the second round on Wednesday. Last year, Louisville beat Indy Eleven in the third round to book a date with the Fire. The Fire won that game 1-0 in extra time on a Quincy Amarikwa goal.
Indy Eleven plays in the second tier NASL. Former Fire president Peter Wilt had the same position at Indy Eleven when the club joined the NASL as an expansion club in 2014.
MLS will be on break for the Copa America during the U.S. Open Cup fourth round. After the Fire play Portland on May 28, this will be the next match for the team. Three days after playing in the Open Cup, the Fire return to MLS play at Colorado.
The Fire have won the tournament four times (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006), tied for most in the MLS era. Last year the Fire made it to the semifinal before losing to the Philadelphia Union 1-0. The Fire have lost in the semifinal round each of the past three seasons.
Soccer-Canny Sevilla retain iron grip on Europa League trophy.
Reuters; By Toby Davis, Editing by Ed Osmond
Sevilla conjured up a dazzling comeback to clinch a record third successive Europa League title on Wednesday, flooring Liverpool with a 3-1 victory that showed why the Spanish side have become masters of Europe's second-tier competition.
Sevilla captain Coke lifted the trophy at Basel's St Jakob-Park having been the architect of their heroics, scoring twice to leave Liverpool gasping on the canvas after Kevin Gameiro had cancelled out Daniel Sturridge's opener.
It was a remarkable turnaround after Liverpool had dominated the first half so completely that Juergen Klopp's side should have been home and dry, but they failed to inflict further damage when their opponents were reeling.
Unai Emery's team hit back with three goals in 25 minutes, the first coming just 17 seconds after the interval, to claim the trophy for the fifth time in 11 seasons and become the first side in 40 years to win three consecutive European competitions.
"At Sevilla we love this competition and we love it so much and we want it so much that we won it," Emery said. "It is our competition and we underlined that once again."
For Liverpool and Klopp, who has now suffered successive final defeats in his seven months in charge after February's League Cup disappointment, it was a dispiriting occasion.
"At Sevilla we love this competition and we love it so much and we want it so much that we won it," Emery said. "It is our competition and we underlined that once again."
For Liverpool and Klopp, who has now suffered successive final defeats in his seven months in charge after February's League Cup disappointment, it was a dispiriting occasion.
His team's hopes of Champions League qualification were dashed, leaving Liverpool to face up to a season with no European competition.
"The players are still young," Klopp told reporters. "We will use this experience today and someday everyone will say Basel was a decisive moment for Liverpool FC."
It had looked, however, like being an entirely different outcome at the interval.
The opening goal arrived after 35 minutes and was a genuine moment of class from Sturridge, who received the ball on the left edge of the area before expertly picking his spot with a pin-point curling finish off the outside of his left boot.
The opening goal arrived after 35 minutes and was a genuine moment of class from Sturridge, who received the ball on the left edge of the area before expertly picking his spot with a pin-point curling finish off the outside of his left boot.
The England striker had already had a header hacked off the line and Liverpool had two vociferous penalty appeals for handball waved away by referee Jonas Eriksson as they turned the screw on their opponents.
The halftime whistle came to Sevilla's rescue, however, allowing them to regroup before clawing themselves off the ropes with an immediate sucker punch.
Seconds had elapsed before Liverpool left back Alberto Moreno, whose mistakes have cost his side on a number of occasions this season, darted hopelessly into a tackle on Mariano Ferreira, who skipped past him and crossed for Gameiro to side-foot into an empty net.
Then it was Liverpool's turn to hit the panic button as Gameiro wasted two further chances before Coke added a second after 63 minutes.
Vitolo danced through a series of Liverpool tackles before the ball landed invitingly for the Sevilla skipper to curl his finish into the corner.
The final nail in Liverpool's coffin sparked fury on the touchline as Coke kept his cool to bury his second goal beneath Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet, only for the linesman to briefly raise his flag before putting it down again.
After some pushing and shoving the goal stood, leaving Liverpool with a mountain to climb.
Having retreated so far into their shell, however, they were incapable of rising above base camp.
English football exploring expansion to five leagues.
By Kyle Lynch
(Photo/Getty Images)
The Football League has proposed an expansion which would create a fifth division in England.
The proposal lays out a plan for five leagues of 20 clubs each, which would give England 100 professional sides.
The league’s board said this would decrease the congested English fixture list, making it easier to balance league and cup matches, while creating more profit for teams outside the top flight.
The Football League consists of the Championship, League One, and League Two, which each have 24 sides. The new proposal would create a “League Three,” with each division dropping down to 20 sides, although the way in which teams would be allocated to this new league has yet to be determined.
A vote will take place at The Football League’s annual meeting in June 2017, with support from 90-percent of teams needed to ratify change.
NCAAFB: Upcoming satellite camps are key for Lovie Smith and the Illini.
By Trevor Vallese
(Photo/Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports)
The Illini's new head coach get his first chance to promote the orange and blue brand on the road.
Lovie Smith is still just two months into his job as the head coach of the Fighting Illini, but he's already made a flurry of changes. His new coaching staff includes former NFL coordinators like Hardy Nickerson and Luke Butkus and boasts many talented names. Smith is taking these names with him on the road this summer to host satellite camps around the Midwest. There are (so far) a total of six all-day camps that will include personal instruction from the Illinois coaches and other teams' coaches.
Below are the details.
| Date/Time | Location |
| June 3rd | Chicago Gately Stadium |
| June 4th (a.m.) | Barrington, IL |
| June 4th (p.m.) | Lincoln Way East in Chicago, IL |
| June 7th | Trinity High School in St. Louis, MO |
| June 8th | Lancaster High School in Dallas, TX |
| June 9th | Houston, TX |
The June 8th camp in Dallas, Texas (Lovie's home state) will also include coaches from Tennessee, UAB, and other FCS programs:
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"Lovie Smith is coming home to TEXAS June 8th & we just added #TENNESSEE #GoVols http://quick-twitch.ticketleap.com/quick-twitch-football-camp-june-8th/ …"
QuickTwitch Athletes @quicktwitchlive
5:22 PM - 13 May 2016
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Camps like these, which were receiving a lot of scrutiny from the NCAA back when Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh took his team to Florida, are now completely within the rules. Lovie and company will hope to recapture recruiting areas in other Midwestern states like Missouri and Texas, and camps like these certainly can't hurt their chances. This post will be updated as future satellite camps are added.
ESPN, ABC announce Kickoff Weekend game times (let the countdown begin!)
TheSportingNews.com
College football is on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the 2016 season's first Saturday. (Photo/ABCSports.com)
College football is on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the 2016 season's first Saturday.
ESPN and ABC on Tuesday announced the game times for the kickoff weekend, beginning with an SEC matchup on Thursday, Sept. 1 (South Carolina at Vanderbilt) and wrapping up Labor Day with an SEC (Ole Miss) vs. ACC (Florida State) game at 8 p.m. in Orlando, Fla.
ESPN and ABC on Tuesday announced the game times for the kickoff weekend, beginning with an SEC matchup on Thursday, Sept. 1 (South Carolina at Vanderbilt) and wrapping up Labor Day with an SEC (Ole Miss) vs. ACC (Florida State) game at 8 p.m. in Orlando, Fla.
In between, the season's first Saturday starts at 7:30 a.m. ET when Georgia Tech and Boston College square off in Dublin, Ireland, followed by one of the more attractive games of the day at noon ET: Oklahoma vs. Houston at NRG Stadium. LSU and Wisconsin play the marquee afternoon game — at the Packers' historic Lambeau Field.
USC vs. defending national champion Alabama at 8 p.m. ET in Arlington, Texas, and Clemson at Auburn at 9 p.m. ET get the prime-time treatment.
Two of the game's historic programs — Notre Dame and Texas — meet Sunday evening in Austin.
ESPN/ABC College Football Week 1
(All times ET)
Thursday, Sept. 1
South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, Sept. 3
Georgia Tech vs. Boston College in Dublin, Ireland, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
Oklahoma vs. Houston at NRG Stadium, Houston, noon (ABC)
Hawaii at Michigan, noon (ESPN)
LSU vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.,3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Georgia vs. North Carolina in Atlanta, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
USC vs. Alabama in Arlington, Texas, 8 p.m. (ABC)
Clemson at Auburn, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Sept. 4
Notre Dame at Texas, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
Monday, Sept. 5
Ole Miss vs. Florida State in Orlando, Fla., 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NCAABKB: Marques Bolden's commitment adds to Duke's embarrassment of riches.
Marques Bolden (Photo/yahoosports.com)
Duke won the latest battle in its recruiting war with Kentucky on Thursday when the top unsigned prospect in the Class of 2016 chose the Blue Devils over the Wildcats.
Marques Bolden, a 6-foot-11 center ranked No. 11 in the 2016 Rivals rankings, made his announcement on Thursday afternoon at DeSoto High School, unzipping a black jacket to reveal a Duke T-shirt underneath.
The addition of Bolden bolsters a Duke team that likely would have been next year's preseason No. 1 team even if he had gone elsewhere. The Blue Devils return four of their top seven players from last year's Sweet 16 team, get senior forward Amile Jefferson back from injury and add a recruiting class widely considered to be the best in the nation.
A long, mobile post player who runs the floor well, protects the rim and scores effectively with his back to the basket, Bolden averaged 23.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks this past season and led DeSoto High to a state title. The McDonald's All-American received scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and TCU before narrowing his options this spring and ultimately selecting the Blue Devils.
How loaded is Duke next season? Bolden will likely come off the bench next season.
His presence will allow Duke to bring along fellow elite freshman Harry Giles slowly as he recovers from the torn ACL that sidelined him his entire senior season. Mike Krzyzewski can either start Bolden alongside Jefferson at the start of the season or use him as a third big man if Giles is ready for heavy playing time right away.
Between that frontcourt and a perimeter corps that will include returners Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Matt Jones and elite freshmen Frank Jackson and Jayson Tatum, Duke has the most talent of any team in the nation next season. They'll be loaded with talent and depth at every position except for point guard, where Jackson will be given every chance to start after Derryck Thornton's decision to transfer earlier this spring.
PG: Frank Jackson
SG: Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard
SF: Jayson Tatum, Matt Jones
PF: Harry Giles, Chase Jeter
C: Amile Jefferson, Marques Bolden
SG: Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard
SF: Jayson Tatum, Matt Jones
PF: Harry Giles, Chase Jeter
C: Amile Jefferson, Marques Bolden
Kentucky will still be one of the few programs capable of challenging Duke nationally even if the loss of Bolden will sting. The Wildcats will add five Top 25 freshmen to a roster that will definitely include forward Derek Willis and could also feature guard Isaiah Briscoe and forward Marcus Lee if both opt to return to school instead of staying in the draft.
But potent as that Kentucky roster is, Duke's appears to be better on paper.
The Blue Devils were already college basketball's 2016-17 title favorites before landing Bolden. Now they're just a little bit stronger.
UPDATE: Preakness 2016: Post positions, early odds for 11 horses in field.
By The Sports Xchange
Starting post positions for the 141st Preakness were drawn Wednesday afternoon at Pimlico Race Course and Kentucky Derby winner and odds on favorite Nyquist drew the No. 3 post next to wild-card Lani. The blind draw determined where each of the expected 11 contenders will start.
Nyquist is a 3-5 morning-line favorite. He is looking to become the 13th horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes after American Pharoah won the
Triple Crown last year to end a 37-year drought.
Nyquist jogged two miles at Pimlico Race Course on Wednesday morning as the bay colt prepares to try for a ninth straight victory.
Trainer Doug O'Neill continues to be pleased with his frontrunner's workouts.
"I know I sound like a broken record here," O'Neill said Wednesday.
"He looked great, and we're just looking for him to continue what he's been doing here since he's been in Baltimore -- keep his appetite up, stay injury-free and stay loose."
Preakness 2016: Post positions, early odds for 11 horses in field
1. Cherry Wine 20-1
2. Uncle Lino 20-1
3. Nyquist 3-5
4. Awesome Speed 30-1
5. Exaggerator 3-1
6. Lani 30-1
7. Collected 10-1
8. Laoban 30-1
9. Abiding Star 30-1
10. Fellowship 30-1
11. Stradivari 8-1
Nyquist won the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby in 2:01.31, holding off hard-charging Exaggerator at the wire.
It was the second Derby win for the team of owner J. Paul Reddam, O'Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez. They took I'll Have Another to wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2012, but their chance at a Triple Crown was stopped when O'Neill scratched the horse with a tendon injury the morning before the Belmont Stakes.
O'Neill is following the same plan he used in 2012 with I'll Have Another, bringing Nyquist to Baltimore on May 9 -- just two days after the Derby -- to get accustomed to the Pimlico track and barn.
Nyquist has remained on a rotating schedule of jogs and gallops. He is scheduled to gallop Thursday morning and jog Friday at Pimlico.
"We're trying to soak it all up, slow it down and enjoy every bit of it," O'Neill said. "But there are times where you kind of want to fast forward to Friday and Saturday, just because when they're doing that good, you're like, 'Let's run, let's run right now.'"
Exaggerator trainer Keith Desormeaux is optimistic about his horse's chances against Nyquist.
Exaggerator has placed in the top three in all four of his 2016 races, but at the Derby, it was the fourth race of Exaggerator's career in which he could not catch up to Nyquist.
"Exaggerator has much more racing experience, therefore fitness and the attribute of recovering quickly," Desormeaux said. "So I think I have the fitter horse and, to tell you the truth, the fresher horse going into Saturday."
Nyquist, the son of Uncle Mo and named after Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist, is seeking to become the second undefeated Triple Crown winner along with Seattle Slew. There has only been one pair of back-to-back Triple Crown winners -- Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978.
"He's really fast," said Bob Baffert, who trained American Pharoah and will saddle Collected this weekend. "He stays out of trouble. He has a winning attitude. Horses like that, they're tough to -- it's like, 'Pass me to win.'"
Note: Please check the odds before the race as they are subject to change.
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1922 - Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel returned to the Yankees lineup. They had been suspended on October 16, 1921.
1941 - Taft Wright (Chicago White Sox) set an American League record for 13 consecutive games with RBIs.
1946 - Claude Passeau made his first error since September 21, 1941. He set the pitcher's fielding record at 273 consecutive errorless chances.
1948 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) hit a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. It was the second time he hit for the cycle.
1959 - The New York Yankees were in last place for the first time since May 25, 1940.
1984 - Roger Clemens got his first victory.
1988 - Mike Schmidt hit his 535th home run to move into 8th place on the all-time list.
1991 - Jeff Reardon got his 300th career save.
1995 - Marty Cordova tied a rookie record when he recorded home runs in 5 consecutive games.
1997 - Frank Thomas (Chicago White Sox) reached base safely for the 15th straight time.
2006 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) tied Babe Ruth for second place with his 714th career home run.
2015 - The NFL announced that extra points would be kicked from the 15-yard line starting with the 2015 season.
1941 - Taft Wright (Chicago White Sox) set an American League record for 13 consecutive games with RBIs.
1946 - Claude Passeau made his first error since September 21, 1941. He set the pitcher's fielding record at 273 consecutive errorless chances.
1948 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) hit a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. It was the second time he hit for the cycle.
1959 - The New York Yankees were in last place for the first time since May 25, 1940.
1984 - Roger Clemens got his first victory.
1988 - Mike Schmidt hit his 535th home run to move into 8th place on the all-time list.
1991 - Jeff Reardon got his 300th career save.
1995 - Marty Cordova tied a rookie record when he recorded home runs in 5 consecutive games.
1997 - Frank Thomas (Chicago White Sox) reached base safely for the 15th straight time.
2006 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) tied Babe Ruth for second place with his 714th career home run.
2015 - The NFL announced that extra points would be kicked from the 15-yard line starting with the 2015 season.
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