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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success." ~ Pablo Picasso, Painter, Sculptor, Printmaker, Ceramicist, Stage Designer, Poet and Playwright
Trending: Muirfield Member: Vote Not About 'Ladies,' But to 'Prove a Point'. FOLLOW-UP to last Friday's What's Your Take? Muirfield votes to not admit female members; out of British Open rotation. (See the golf section for tournament and PGA updates).
Trending: NFC North: 2016 Season outlook. (See the football section for NFL and Bears updates).
Trending: Memorial Day weekend is the busiest weekend in motorsports, with Formula 1 racing in Monaco, NASCAR at Charlotte, the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship from California. (See the NASCAR and "Indianapolis 500" sections for motorsports updates).
Trending: One of the Bulls best players is reportedly leaving the team this summer, and the entire organization sounds like a mess. Also, The Rose Rule: Why it needs to change. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trending: One of the Bulls best players is reportedly leaving the team this summer, and the entire organization sounds like a mess. Also, The Rose Rule: Why it needs to change. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 31-14
White Sox 2016 Record: 27-21
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Relationships, opportunity land Brian Hoyer with Bears.
By Chris Boden
(Photo/Elsa/Getty Images North America)
From Collins to Caleb. From Campbell to Clausen. Where can the Bears find the next....Josh McCown?
It’s been well-documented by now that Jay Cutler hasn’t played an entire season with the Bears since he arrived in 2009. His backups have thrown five touchdowns and ten interceptions. And Josh McCown has four of those touchdowns.
As another draft passed without the Bears selecting Cutler’s presumed successor, the team reached terms with veteran Brian Hoyer shortly after the seventh round ended.
“It’s an opportunity for me to come in and help this team whatever way I can as the backup quarterback,” Hoyer said after Wednesday’s OTA at Halas Hall. “You’re always one play away, but I’ve also been a backup.”
But he’s also started 22 games the past two seasons, for Cleveland (where Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains had the same role in Year 1 of the Manziel Mess) and for Houston last year. He’s a guy who has taken the high road through Browns management’s desire to get the unqualified Johnny Football on the field, to last year’s “Hard Knocks” competition with Ryan Mallett that was there for all the world to see.
And he continues to, despite a solid 2015 (19 touchdowns, seven interceptions) that ended in a disastrous Pick-4 finale at home in the playoffs to Kansas City. When free agency opened a couple of months later, the Texans wasted no time plopping $72 million ($37 million guaranteed) in Brock Osweiler’s lap.
“Look, it was a terrible last game, and that’s what it came down to. But prior to that, I had the best season I ever had, as a starter. So unfortunately, it ended down there but it opened another door for me here and I’m gonna make the most of it.
“In my experience,” Hoyer continued, “the best quarterbacks make those other guys around them better. After being around Tom Brady for almost four years, you see that, and he’s earned it. The right time, the right players, right scheme…I think a lot goes into it, more than just you see on the field.”
That shouldn’t be interpreted as an excuse for what happened against the Chiefs. Brady was a sixth round draft pick, and Hoyer was undrafted out of Michigan State before he backed up one of the best ever for three years. He’ll wear what the stat sheet shows from that game.
But there are other times in helping guide the Texans back from a 2-5 start where he covered up some blemishes.
“The thing about football, it’s a team sport, moreso on offense than defense. If one guy messes up on offense, it can create a disaster for the whole play. Everything kind of has to fall into place. Obviously, you have to play well, but the guys around you have to play well.”
That’s what he hopes to do should something happen to Cutler. He went 7-6 in 13 starts (12 TDs, 13 interceptions) two years ago with Loggains in Cleveland, where Hoyer grew up. Once this offseason's quarterback merry-go-round stopped spinning, Hoyer felt things would fit well in Chicago.
“Really what it came down to was my relationship with Dowell,” Hoyer explained. “I’ve known Jay through the years as an opposing quarterback, and then his previous relationship with Dowell, he kind of hooked us together. Then the quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone, I’ve known him for a long time – he went to my high school. I knew there was a comfortability there from the Midwest. It was close to home and good to get my family back up here. It’s just exciting to be a Bear.”
“He gives you an established backup veteran guy,” Loggains said earlier this month during rookie minicamp, shortly after Hoyer was signed. “There’s competition. We haven’t set a depth chart but it gives us a guy who’s played in the league, has a winning record (15-11) as a starter, so it just creates competition.
The safe guess here is he’ll prevail over David Fales and Matt Blanchard to become Cutler’s main caddy.
“It’s an opportunity for me to come in and help this team whichever way I can as the backup quarterback. You’re always one play away, I know it’s a cliché, but I’ve also been a backup. I’ve started the last two years with two different teams but before that I was backing up Brady, so I have experience with that. It’s kind of a different role because you have to prepare as a starter without getting the same reps.
“So for me, it’s coming in here, help however I can, whether that’s being ready to go at a moment’s notice, or pushing our defense, giving them a good look on the scout team. To have familiarity with Dowell and the quarterbacks coach, it just felt like a really good fit.”
It’s been well-documented by now that Jay Cutler hasn’t played an entire season with the Bears since he arrived in 2009. His backups have thrown five touchdowns and ten interceptions. And Josh McCown has four of those touchdowns.
As another draft passed without the Bears selecting Cutler’s presumed successor, the team reached terms with veteran Brian Hoyer shortly after the seventh round ended.
“It’s an opportunity for me to come in and help this team whatever way I can as the backup quarterback,” Hoyer said after Wednesday’s OTA at Halas Hall. “You’re always one play away, but I’ve also been a backup.”
But he’s also started 22 games the past two seasons, for Cleveland (where Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains had the same role in Year 1 of the Manziel Mess) and for Houston last year. He’s a guy who has taken the high road through Browns management’s desire to get the unqualified Johnny Football on the field, to last year’s “Hard Knocks” competition with Ryan Mallett that was there for all the world to see.
And he continues to, despite a solid 2015 (19 touchdowns, seven interceptions) that ended in a disastrous Pick-4 finale at home in the playoffs to Kansas City. When free agency opened a couple of months later, the Texans wasted no time plopping $72 million ($37 million guaranteed) in Brock Osweiler’s lap.
“Look, it was a terrible last game, and that’s what it came down to. But prior to that, I had the best season I ever had, as a starter. So unfortunately, it ended down there but it opened another door for me here and I’m gonna make the most of it.
“In my experience,” Hoyer continued, “the best quarterbacks make those other guys around them better. After being around Tom Brady for almost four years, you see that, and he’s earned it. The right time, the right players, right scheme…I think a lot goes into it, more than just you see on the field.”
That shouldn’t be interpreted as an excuse for what happened against the Chiefs. Brady was a sixth round draft pick, and Hoyer was undrafted out of Michigan State before he backed up one of the best ever for three years. He’ll wear what the stat sheet shows from that game.
But there are other times in helping guide the Texans back from a 2-5 start where he covered up some blemishes.
“The thing about football, it’s a team sport, moreso on offense than defense. If one guy messes up on offense, it can create a disaster for the whole play. Everything kind of has to fall into place. Obviously, you have to play well, but the guys around you have to play well.”
That’s what he hopes to do should something happen to Cutler. He went 7-6 in 13 starts (12 TDs, 13 interceptions) two years ago with Loggains in Cleveland, where Hoyer grew up. Once this offseason's quarterback merry-go-round stopped spinning, Hoyer felt things would fit well in Chicago.
“Really what it came down to was my relationship with Dowell,” Hoyer explained. “I’ve known Jay through the years as an opposing quarterback, and then his previous relationship with Dowell, he kind of hooked us together. Then the quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone, I’ve known him for a long time – he went to my high school. I knew there was a comfortability there from the Midwest. It was close to home and good to get my family back up here. It’s just exciting to be a Bear.”
“He gives you an established backup veteran guy,” Loggains said earlier this month during rookie minicamp, shortly after Hoyer was signed. “There’s competition. We haven’t set a depth chart but it gives us a guy who’s played in the league, has a winning record (15-11) as a starter, so it just creates competition.
The safe guess here is he’ll prevail over David Fales and Matt Blanchard to become Cutler’s main caddy.
“It’s an opportunity for me to come in and help this team whichever way I can as the backup quarterback. You’re always one play away, I know it’s a cliché, but I’ve also been a backup. I’ve started the last two years with two different teams but before that I was backing up Brady, so I have experience with that. It’s kind of a different role because you have to prepare as a starter without getting the same reps.
“So for me, it’s coming in here, help however I can, whether that’s being ready to go at a moment’s notice, or pushing our defense, giving them a good look on the scout team. To have familiarity with Dowell and the quarterbacks coach, it just felt like a really good fit.”
Bears 'horizontal' leadership plan building on some surprising leaders.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Sometimes you really do have to just appreciate the attitude. Because Bears coaches do, in ways of significance in what kind of team the 2016 Bears will become.
Ka’Deem Carey has been a backup his first two Bears seasons, yet now finds himself with more games played in a Bears uniform than any other Chicago running back. The 2014 fourth-round draft pick accordingly has set one very lofty 2016 objective for himself:
“Just being a leader, really trying to focus on that,” Carey said during the team’s OTA this week. “We’ve still got a young team, I’m vocal, coaches like the way I run the ball, and sometimes the way I play out there, the coaches like that and want to pass that on to teammates.
“So I’m just trying to be a leader to these young guys.”
Somehow the notion of a 23-year-old talking about setting an example for “these” young guys shouldn’t be dismissed. At all. Because Carey is representative of something developing within the current team.
Leadership is a popular, near-annual topic for Bears teams, no less so early this offseason as the 2016 team takes shape without 40 percent of its elected – and veteran – captains from the 2015 season.
Players elect five captains: two for offense, two defense and one special teams. Coach John Fox names a sixth captain each based on merit from the previous week.
The problem for the Bears is that two of the 2015 five elected captains – running back Matt Forte, safety Antrel Rolle – were not brought back by the organization this offseason. Veterans were added in free agency, but headcount does not translate into instant chemistry, cohesion or leadership.
That falls to a Carey to infuse. Elsewhere, guard Matt Slauson, a popular leader in the offensive-line room and huddle, was released, as was left tackle Jermon Bushrod. After just three NFL seasons, Kyle Long abruptly becomes the offensive lineman with more games in a Bears uniform than anyone else in the O-line room.
Indeed, longevity is no criterion whatsoever for a Bears “leadership” role. Teammates elected Pernell McPhee one of the defensive co-captains last year, his first as a Bear. And linebacker Danny Trevathan, brought in from Super Bowl champion Denver, could emerge as one in his first, using precisely the same calling card that McPhee did.
“I'm just going out there and being an example,” Trevathan said. “It's not hard, you know, I've just got to go out and play the game that I know how to play but also get guys to come along and speak and communicate and be on one page with these guys.”
The key is the “horizontal” leadership concept – leading not from a few at the top, but from multiple strong individuals in a leadership layer.
“Obviously missing Matt Slauson, missing guys like Slauson and Forte, there are large voids to be filled,” Long said. “But this team has been built on horizontal leadership and we’ve done a great job bringing in the right people, defensively, offensively and the special teams unit.
“I love the coaches, I love the guys on this team, I don’t think that will be an issue, so I don’t really have to take on that much bigger of a role because of the guys that we have in our room. Everybody is kind of accountable themselves.”
Ka’Deem Carey has been a backup his first two Bears seasons, yet now finds himself with more games played in a Bears uniform than any other Chicago running back. The 2014 fourth-round draft pick accordingly has set one very lofty 2016 objective for himself:
“Just being a leader, really trying to focus on that,” Carey said during the team’s OTA this week. “We’ve still got a young team, I’m vocal, coaches like the way I run the ball, and sometimes the way I play out there, the coaches like that and want to pass that on to teammates.
“So I’m just trying to be a leader to these young guys.”
Somehow the notion of a 23-year-old talking about setting an example for “these” young guys shouldn’t be dismissed. At all. Because Carey is representative of something developing within the current team.
Leadership is a popular, near-annual topic for Bears teams, no less so early this offseason as the 2016 team takes shape without 40 percent of its elected – and veteran – captains from the 2015 season.
Players elect five captains: two for offense, two defense and one special teams. Coach John Fox names a sixth captain each based on merit from the previous week.
The problem for the Bears is that two of the 2015 five elected captains – running back Matt Forte, safety Antrel Rolle – were not brought back by the organization this offseason. Veterans were added in free agency, but headcount does not translate into instant chemistry, cohesion or leadership.
That falls to a Carey to infuse. Elsewhere, guard Matt Slauson, a popular leader in the offensive-line room and huddle, was released, as was left tackle Jermon Bushrod. After just three NFL seasons, Kyle Long abruptly becomes the offensive lineman with more games in a Bears uniform than anyone else in the O-line room.
Indeed, longevity is no criterion whatsoever for a Bears “leadership” role. Teammates elected Pernell McPhee one of the defensive co-captains last year, his first as a Bear. And linebacker Danny Trevathan, brought in from Super Bowl champion Denver, could emerge as one in his first, using precisely the same calling card that McPhee did.
“I'm just going out there and being an example,” Trevathan said. “It's not hard, you know, I've just got to go out and play the game that I know how to play but also get guys to come along and speak and communicate and be on one page with these guys.”
The key is the “horizontal” leadership concept – leading not from a few at the top, but from multiple strong individuals in a leadership layer.
“Obviously missing Matt Slauson, missing guys like Slauson and Forte, there are large voids to be filled,” Long said. “But this team has been built on horizontal leadership and we’ve done a great job bringing in the right people, defensively, offensively and the special teams unit.
“I love the coaches, I love the guys on this team, I don’t think that will be an issue, so I don’t really have to take on that much bigger of a role because of the guys that we have in our room. Everybody is kind of accountable themselves.”
White looks to deliver for Bears after sitting rookie year.
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
Chicago Bears wide receiver Kevin White catches a ball during NFL football practice Wednesday, May 25, 2016, in Lake Forest, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Chicago Bears envisioned Kevin White forming a dynamic tandem with Alshon Jeffery when they drafted the receiver with the No. 7 pick last year.
A stress fracture in his left shin put those plans on hold. Now, White hopes to make it happen.
Healthy after missing his rookie season, White is trying to establish himself on a team that sees him as a key building block.
''It felt good to be back with the guys and with the team,'' White said Wednesday after the second day of organized team activities. ''I'll be learning from my mistakes and watching film and moving on to the next day.''
It's a new day for White and for the Bears after they went 6-10 in their first season under coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace.
The Bears chose not to offer two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte a contract with his deal expiring and cut offensive lineman Matt Slauson.
Healthy after missing his rookie season, White is trying to establish himself on a team that sees him as a key building block.
''It felt good to be back with the guys and with the team,'' White said Wednesday after the second day of organized team activities. ''I'll be learning from my mistakes and watching film and moving on to the next day.''
It's a new day for White and for the Bears after they went 6-10 in their first season under coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace.
The Bears chose not to offer two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte a contract with his deal expiring and cut offensive lineman Matt Slauson.
Also missing, as expected Wednesday, was Jeffery, who is trying to lock down a multiyear contract.
While that issue remains unresolved, the Bears addressed weaknesses at inside linebacker by signing Danny Trevathan from Super Bowl champion Denver, Jerrell Freeman from Indianapolis, and adding a playmaker on the outside by drafting Leonard Floyd of Georgia in the first round.
Their offensive line has a different look after Chicago signed Arizona Cardinals right tackle Bobby Massie, clearing the way for Kyle Long to move back to right guard.
But the Bears are also down two playmakers after letting Forte go and trading tight end Martellus Bennett to New England. They also lost two veteran leaders in Forte and Slauson.
''When you think about the Bears you think about 22, Matt Forte,'' Long said. ''But the Slauson thing was really tough for me because he's a guy that took me under his wing and showed me everything about being a pro.''
As for Jeffery, he is trying to work out a multiyear contract with the Bears after signing his one-year, $14.6 million franchise tender. They have a July 15 deadline.
Jeffery led the team in receiving with 807 yards last season despite calf, hamstring, groin and shoulder injuries that limited him to nine games. He played in all 16 games the previous two years, finishing with 1,421 yards in 2013, and 1,133 in 2014.
''Everyone wants Alshon here,'' White said. ''That's his business. I just have to focus on myself and I'm trying to get better.''
The Bears' plans for White in 2015 got squashed by his shin injury. He started feeling pain during organized team activities in June and missed the start of training camp. He ran on grass for the first time in mid-August, felt pain a day later and wound up having surgery.
Other than a three-week evaluation window late in the season, he was basically a spectator, trying to absorb from the sideline and in meetings.
He's also trying to develop a connection with Jay Cutler on and off the field.
White watched the Super Bowl at the quarterback's house in Tennessee. They talk about TV shows, with Cutler a fan of ''The Walking Dead,'' while White likes ''Revenge.''
''Being on the same page with the quarterback is everything,'' White said.
While that issue remains unresolved, the Bears addressed weaknesses at inside linebacker by signing Danny Trevathan from Super Bowl champion Denver, Jerrell Freeman from Indianapolis, and adding a playmaker on the outside by drafting Leonard Floyd of Georgia in the first round.
Their offensive line has a different look after Chicago signed Arizona Cardinals right tackle Bobby Massie, clearing the way for Kyle Long to move back to right guard.
But the Bears are also down two playmakers after letting Forte go and trading tight end Martellus Bennett to New England. They also lost two veteran leaders in Forte and Slauson.
''When you think about the Bears you think about 22, Matt Forte,'' Long said. ''But the Slauson thing was really tough for me because he's a guy that took me under his wing and showed me everything about being a pro.''
As for Jeffery, he is trying to work out a multiyear contract with the Bears after signing his one-year, $14.6 million franchise tender. They have a July 15 deadline.
Jeffery led the team in receiving with 807 yards last season despite calf, hamstring, groin and shoulder injuries that limited him to nine games. He played in all 16 games the previous two years, finishing with 1,421 yards in 2013, and 1,133 in 2014.
''Everyone wants Alshon here,'' White said. ''That's his business. I just have to focus on myself and I'm trying to get better.''
The Bears' plans for White in 2015 got squashed by his shin injury. He started feeling pain during organized team activities in June and missed the start of training camp. He ran on grass for the first time in mid-August, felt pain a day later and wound up having surgery.
Other than a three-week evaluation window late in the season, he was basically a spectator, trying to absorb from the sideline and in meetings.
He's also trying to develop a connection with Jay Cutler on and off the field.
White watched the Super Bowl at the quarterback's house in Tennessee. They talk about TV shows, with Cutler a fan of ''The Walking Dead,'' while White likes ''Revenge.''
''Being on the same page with the quarterback is everything,'' White said.
White paid close attention to Jeffery and veteran receiver Eddie Royal, particularly when it came to picking up coverages and attacking cornerbacks and safeties. But now it's on White to show why the Bears picked him, to deliver on the promise.
NOTES: The Bears signed LB Jarrett Grace and waived LB Danny Mason. Grace attended Chicago's rookie minicamp on a tryout after going undrafted out of Notre Dame. Mason spent parts of last season on the Bears' and Denver Broncos' practice squads.
NFC North: 2016 Season outlook.
By Tim Weaver
The NFC North division has been a one-man show for a while. In 2015, things changed. For the first time in five years, somebody other than the Packers won. Will the natural order return in 2016?
Here is our off-season review and projected records for each team in the NFC North.
Here is our off-season review and projected records for each team in the NFC North.
NFC North: 2016 Spring Preview.
Best Free Agency: Chicago Bears
Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan together will make Chicago’s run defense dramatically better. Bobby Massie re-invigorates the entire right side of their line.
Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan together will make Chicago’s run defense dramatically better. Bobby Massie re-invigorates the entire right side of their line.
Worst Free Agency: Detroit Lions
Marvin Jones is a fine receiver, but there’s a reason why he was playing behind A.J. Green in Cincinnati. Detroit lost their top weapon and failed to find an adequate replacement.
Best NFL Draft: Chicago Bears
Draft experts are raving about Chicago’s draft haul almost as much as Jacksonville’s, and they haven’t lost anybody to injury yet.
Worst NFL Draft: Detroit Lions
Sure, the offensive line is improved and A’Shawn Robinson is a Week 1 starter. Detroit needed a home run to really catch up in the NFC North, and this ain’t it.
NFC North: Projected 2016 Finish
Green Bay Packers: 13-3
Green Bay got their annual boost from the NFL Draft by getting deeper in the trenches and adding more pass rushers. The Packers also get a healthy Jordy Nelson, a motivated Aaron Rodgers, and a really easy schedule.
Minnesota Vikings: 9-7
Their defense can hold its own with anybody, but there are a lot of questions about Teddy Bridgewater’s ceiling and Adrian Peterson’s age. Sliding two games is a real possibility.
Chicago Bears: 8-8
Best free agency in the NFC? Check. Best NFL Draft class in the NFC? Check. The Chicago Bears are back on track thanks to Ryan Pace.
Detroit Lions: 4-12
Detroit upgraded their defensive and offensive lines, but the Lions need more play-makers. Golden Tate will be carrying a really heavy load without Calvin Johnson.
NOTE: The post NFC North: 2016 Season outlook appeared first on Cover32.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? NHL Playoffs Seeding: What's The Point Of Winning In The Regular Season? (Just an opinion from a diehard sports fan with some good points made.....)
(Photo/Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
EDITOR"S NOTE: Great first post here SecondCitySabre, and thank you for writing. You have raised some very good points here regarding the NHL playoff pairing system.
Greetings, and welcome to my first post. As you can infer from my username, I currently reside in the greater Chicagoland area. I grew up in Lockport and as fate would have I still live there – only in Illinois not New York. Over the past decade I have had the opportunity to watch the Hawks rise from the ashes and win three championships and look forward to my beloved Sabres repeating that feat.
As an avid follower of DBTB, I am surprised no one has commented on the "unique" way the NHL goes about seeding their playoff tournament. I use the work "unique" because it seems inappropriate to use profanity in my very first article. Before I dive into the details, please understand, I am not crying because Chicago had to play St. Louis in round one, instead of San Jose – I am just at a loss as to how or why the NHL thinks the current system is the best way to crown a champion.
First let’s look at the final regular season standing for each Conference (source is NHL.com):
East: 1. Washington Capitals (120), 2. Pittsburgh Penguins (104), 3. Florida Panthers (103), 4. New York Rangers (101), 5. New York Islanders (100), 6. Tampa Bay Lightning (97), 7. Philadelphia Flyers (96), 8. Detroit Red Wings (93)
West: 1. Dallas Stars (109), 2. St. Louis Blues(107), 3. Chicago Blackhawks(103), 4. Anaheim Ducks (103), 5. Los Angeles Kings (102), 6. San Jose Sharks (98), 7. Nashville Predators (96), 8. Minnesota Wild (87)
Under the "Divisional" Playoff system the NHL currently employs here were the match ups in Round one:
Eastern Conference
|
Western Conference
| |||
Round One (Actual)
|
Seed
|
Round One (Actual)
|
Seed
| |
Florida vs Islanders
|
3vs5
|
Dallas vs Minnesota
|
1vs8
| |
Tampa Bay vs Detroit
|
6vs8
|
St Louis vs Chicago
|
2vs3
| |
Washington vs Philadelphia
|
1vs7
|
Anaheim vs Nashville
|
4vs7
| |
Pittsburgh vs Rangers
|
2vs4
|
Los Angeles vs San Jose
|
5vs6
|
The good news is that Dallas vs. Minnesota is actually a 1 vs 8 seed and Washington vs. Philly is close enough (1 vs7).
The bad: just about everything else! Come on, 6 vs 8 for the right to move on while numbers 2 and 4 duke it out in the East – really?? – anybody think this is how you reward a successful regular season?
Now take a look at a "Traditional" 1 vs 8 and so on seeding:
Eastern Conference
|
Western Conference
| |
Round One (Proposed)
|
Round One (Proposed)
| |
Washington vs Detroit
|
Dallas vs Minnesota
| |
Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia
|
St Louis vs Nashville
| |
Florida vs Tampa Bay
|
Chicago vs San Jose
| |
Rangers vs Islanders
|
Anaheim vs Los Angeles
|
Let see, other than rewarding the best regular season performance with "easier" opponents (oh, and home ice), look at the regional rivalries – especially in the East. Pitt, Philly; Florida, Tampa and Rangers Islanders. Washington, Detroit? Nope not a rivalry, but the Caps get a reward in round one for finishing 27 points better than their opponent. Out West, Anaheim, LA looks good as does (oh, know! it can’t be – division rivals playing against each other, be still my beating heart) Dallas, Minny and St Louis, Nashville. Blackhawks get home ice, but they and the Sharks have to do the long commute – oh, well, suck it up boys.
Well, we can’t change the past, we can long for what could have been, but was not meant to be – On to Round Two!
Here is what the NHL offered us in the Conference Semi-Finals:
Eastern Conference
|
Western Conference
| |||
Round Two (Actual)
|
Seed
|
Round Two (Actual)
|
Seed
| |
Islanders vs Tampa Bay
|
5vs6
|
Dallas vs St Louis
|
1vs2
| |
Washington vs Pittsburgh
|
1vs2
|
San Jose vs Nashville
|
6vs7
|
Yes, you are reading that correctly, the NHL in its infinite wisdom gave us what everybody wants – the number 1 and 2 seeds in BOTH conferences battling to the death to see who will get to play for Lord Stanley’s silver chalice! Oh, wait, these are the Conference SEMI-FINALS, ah, nevermind . . . That’s right, while numbers 1 & 2 battle it out, numbers 5, 6 & 7 battle on the other side of the bracket praying the big boys each go 7 games.
I know you have already figured out what the seedings should have been, but here is a graphic:
Eastern Conference
|
Western Conference
| |
Round Two
|
Round Two
| |
Washington vs Islanders
|
Dallas vs Nashville
| |
Pittsburgh vs Tampa Bay
|
St Louis vs San Jose
|
No real rivalries, save for Dallas, Nashville, but you do reward the best regular season teams with home ice against inferior opponents. You also set the stage for the top seeds in both conference making it to the finals – and isn’t that what the league should be trying to do?
Think about this, Washington finished with 23 more points that Tampa, yet they are home and Tampa moves on having dispatched the 8th and 5th best teams. Here in Chicago, there was talk of having the Blackhawks "tank" the end of the season – at one point Nashville closed within 3 points – just so they could open on the road as the #1WC out West and get away from the meat-grinder that is the Central.
One last point, I know Tampa and San Jose can close out their series with victories over higher seeded opponents, but the story might be different if Tampa had to play Florida, Pittsburgh and then Washington to get out of the East and San Jose had to play Chicago, St Louis and Dallas to get out of the West.
Thanks for reading.
Road Ahead: Cubs return home after tough road trip.
By #Cubs Talk
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs' resilience against the Cardinals has impressed CSN Chicago Cubs Insider Patrick Mooney.
"Coming back to St. Louis, I think you see how much this team has grown," Mooney said. "Last summer, (the Cubs) get swept, Joe Maddon decides to have Simon the magician meet them in New York, and the Cubs are really beyond those types of gimmicks at this point. They don't need mariachi bands to loosen up. They're a team that kind of knows who they are."
Along with that knowledge and sense of identity, Mooney believes the Cubs and fans alike were fully aware that a tough stretch like this would come sooner rather than later. Chicago was going to have to go through teams like the San Francisco Giants at some point.
"It's been fun to watch, to see how they would respond to that adversity we all knew was kind of around the corner," Mooney added.
Individual player struggles often come with a team slump, and Jason Heyward is no exception to that. He hopes to turn things around soon, as the Cubs have done, but it remains to be seen if the extra rest due to his recent injury will impact his game in a positive or negative way. Despite his slow start (.217 AVG on the year), Mooney says the Cubs still see great value in their right fielder.
"He did hit a ball to the right side of the infield to move Dexter Fowler over to third base, and that's what the Cubs like about Jason Heyward, that he does all the little things," Mooney said. "Obviously he plays spectacular defense in right field."
Cubs players are now looking forward to returning home for a 10-game stand that features the Phillies, Dodgers and Diamondbacks over a holiday weekend in Chicago.
"The Phillies are really interesting," Mooney said. "They're not tanking like the Sixers were, although they were kind of built that the way the Cubs were a couple of years ago. They kind of got old fast and their window slammed shut, and now they're trying to start over."
Mooney noted that Philadelphia has been really good in one-run games, which will be hard to sustain going forward.
"(Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin) clearly got them playing with effort," Mooney said. "They've got a lot of interesting young players, they've got the No. 1 overall pick coming up, they've got a huge TV deal on the horizon. While I do think, probably not this year, they can get real good in a hurry.
"If you look at the Cubs next couple of years, the Phillies are gonna be there among the National League heavyweights sooner rather than later."
Jon Lester (4-3) will take the bump to start off the series on Friday against Adam Morgan (1-2).
Cubs don’t see Cardinals as ‘big brother’ in rivalry anymore.
By Patrick Mooney
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jake Arrieta’s breakdown of his performance sounded like something out of the maybe pile for Joe Maddon’s next T-shirt idea: “I picked a good day to be sh---y.”
The Cubs ace then messed with a reporter who asked a follow-up question after Wednesday’s 9-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, wondering if Arrieta would study anything in particular after giving up four runs in a regular-season start for the first time in 11-plus months…or stick with the same routine.
“Well,” Arrieta said, “I’ll probably, maybe, throw left-handed or underhand.”
Arrieta may have some underlying issues with his timing and command, but the National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner is still 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA. By Year 5 of the Theo Epstein administration, and Maddon’s second season in the dugout, the Cubs now have first-division problems.
Whatever turbulence the team with the best record in baseball may have experienced during a 4-5 road trip through Milwaukee, San Francisco and St. Louis, the Cardinals scored eight runs on Arrieta Day and still lost. While the Cubs have already won two series this season at Busch Stadium before Memorial Day weekend, after eliminating the Cardinals from the playoffs last October.
“For the first three-and-a-half years when we were in Chicago, it just felt like they were the big brother,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “They controlled the game. They controlled what was going on, the tempo of the game. They were the more talented team, the more experienced team.
“Now we’re two very good teams playing. And whoever plays better that night is going to win the game. I think there’s something really refreshing about that when you come in here. We know we’re good. We know they’re good.
“We know that there’s a lot of good teams in the National League and we match up well with them.”
The Cubs ambushed St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez for six runs in the second inning, getting the kind of bounces the Cardinals are used to seeing here.
Jason Heyward’s two-out, two-run double hit first base and bounced up the right-field line, and maybe luck will change for the $184 million player who turned down the St. Louis core. Ben Zobrist is still on fire, getting two hits that inning, including a bases-loaded, two-run single that skipped in between diving first baseman Matt Adams and diving second baseman Kolten Wong.
“I wouldn’t say (things) are shifting,” said Kris Bryant, who blasted what turned out to be the game-winning homer, a three-run shot off Seung Hwan Oh in the sixth inning. “It’s just really competitive baseball. Lately, we’ve come out on top. They play us hard every game. It’s going to make for a lot of fun games in the future.”
When it looked like the Cardinals might stage one of their last at-bat comebacks, Hector Rondon didn’t buckle in front of a sellout crowd (45,465). The Cubs closer roared back after allowing back-to-back singles to begin the ninth inning, striking out Yadier Molina and Randal Grichuk swinging and knocking down the ball pinch-hitter Jedd Gyorko hit back to the mound for the final out and his eighth save. The Cardinals are now a third-place team that’s one game over .500 at 24-23.
“Of course, I totally think they’re going to be there at the end,” Maddon said. “They’re really good. They have a very good offensive club. They need to get their pitching straightened out. They have a good bullpen. And they just play hard. They play hard every second of the game.
“You can never walk away from that. They have some really good players in skill positions. They’re going to get (shortstop Jhonny) Peralta back, I think, at some point, and that’s going to make a big difference for them. And then the problem’s going to be: Where do you put (Aledmys) Diaz?
“They have some nice problems on the horizon.”
The Cubs (31-14) now have an eight-game lead over the Cardinals in the division and a 9-3 combined record against St. Louis and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the other two heavyweights in the Central.
“It’s going to be close to the end,” Arrieta said. “The Pirates and the Cardinals – these guys are going to continue to win games, in and out of our division. We just have to do our job to try and separate that gap when we have the ability to do so, because we know they’ll be close on our heels to the very end.”
White Sox opener with Royals postponed by rain.
By Dan Hayes
The Cubs ace then messed with a reporter who asked a follow-up question after Wednesday’s 9-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, wondering if Arrieta would study anything in particular after giving up four runs in a regular-season start for the first time in 11-plus months…or stick with the same routine.
“Well,” Arrieta said, “I’ll probably, maybe, throw left-handed or underhand.”
Arrieta may have some underlying issues with his timing and command, but the National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner is still 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA. By Year 5 of the Theo Epstein administration, and Maddon’s second season in the dugout, the Cubs now have first-division problems.
Whatever turbulence the team with the best record in baseball may have experienced during a 4-5 road trip through Milwaukee, San Francisco and St. Louis, the Cardinals scored eight runs on Arrieta Day and still lost. While the Cubs have already won two series this season at Busch Stadium before Memorial Day weekend, after eliminating the Cardinals from the playoffs last October.
“For the first three-and-a-half years when we were in Chicago, it just felt like they were the big brother,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “They controlled the game. They controlled what was going on, the tempo of the game. They were the more talented team, the more experienced team.
“Now we’re two very good teams playing. And whoever plays better that night is going to win the game. I think there’s something really refreshing about that when you come in here. We know we’re good. We know they’re good.
“We know that there’s a lot of good teams in the National League and we match up well with them.”
The Cubs ambushed St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez for six runs in the second inning, getting the kind of bounces the Cardinals are used to seeing here.
Jason Heyward’s two-out, two-run double hit first base and bounced up the right-field line, and maybe luck will change for the $184 million player who turned down the St. Louis core. Ben Zobrist is still on fire, getting two hits that inning, including a bases-loaded, two-run single that skipped in between diving first baseman Matt Adams and diving second baseman Kolten Wong.
“I wouldn’t say (things) are shifting,” said Kris Bryant, who blasted what turned out to be the game-winning homer, a three-run shot off Seung Hwan Oh in the sixth inning. “It’s just really competitive baseball. Lately, we’ve come out on top. They play us hard every game. It’s going to make for a lot of fun games in the future.”
When it looked like the Cardinals might stage one of their last at-bat comebacks, Hector Rondon didn’t buckle in front of a sellout crowd (45,465). The Cubs closer roared back after allowing back-to-back singles to begin the ninth inning, striking out Yadier Molina and Randal Grichuk swinging and knocking down the ball pinch-hitter Jedd Gyorko hit back to the mound for the final out and his eighth save. The Cardinals are now a third-place team that’s one game over .500 at 24-23.
“Of course, I totally think they’re going to be there at the end,” Maddon said. “They’re really good. They have a very good offensive club. They need to get their pitching straightened out. They have a good bullpen. And they just play hard. They play hard every second of the game.
“You can never walk away from that. They have some really good players in skill positions. They’re going to get (shortstop Jhonny) Peralta back, I think, at some point, and that’s going to make a big difference for them. And then the problem’s going to be: Where do you put (Aledmys) Diaz?
“They have some nice problems on the horizon.”
The Cubs (31-14) now have an eight-game lead over the Cardinals in the division and a 9-3 combined record against St. Louis and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the other two heavyweights in the Central.
“It’s going to be close to the end,” Arrieta said. “The Pirates and the Cardinals – these guys are going to continue to win games, in and out of our division. We just have to do our job to try and separate that gap when we have the ability to do so, because we know they’ll be close on our heels to the very end.”
White Sox opener with Royals postponed by rain.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox will remain in first place for at least another day.
With the Cleveland Indians off Thursday and their own contest washed away, the White Sox will maintain their half-game lead in the American League Central.
Set to open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals, the White Sox instead received an unexpected day off as Thursday’s contest was rained out.
No makeup date has been announced, but a Royals spokesperson said the game wouldn’t be made up this weekend. The White Sox make two more trips to Kansas City later this season.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura said he wouldn’t make any changes to his rotation, which means Chris Sale will face the New York Mets on Monday instead of the Royals on Sunday.
Miguel Gonzalez, Carlos Rodon and Mat Latos will instead be pushed back one day, starting Friday with Gonzalez.
The Royals altered their rotation, removing Ian Kennedy from Saturday’s start. Thursday’s scheduled starter, Danny Duffy, will move back one day to Friday and Yordano Ventura will not pitch on Saturday. Edinson Volquez will start on Sunday as previously scheduled and Kennedy will start again on Monday.
With the Cleveland Indians off Thursday and their own contest washed away, the White Sox will maintain their half-game lead in the American League Central.
Set to open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals, the White Sox instead received an unexpected day off as Thursday’s contest was rained out.
No makeup date has been announced, but a Royals spokesperson said the game wouldn’t be made up this weekend. The White Sox make two more trips to Kansas City later this season.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura said he wouldn’t make any changes to his rotation, which means Chris Sale will face the New York Mets on Monday instead of the Royals on Sunday.
Miguel Gonzalez, Carlos Rodon and Mat Latos will instead be pushed back one day, starting Friday with Gonzalez.
The Royals altered their rotation, removing Ian Kennedy from Saturday’s start. Thursday’s scheduled starter, Danny Duffy, will move back one day to Friday and Yordano Ventura will not pitch on Saturday. Edinson Volquez will start on Sunday as previously scheduled and Kennedy will start again on Monday.
Jimmy Rollins remains confident despite slow start for White Sox.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jimmy Rollins isn’t happy with his offensive production so far this season. But a slow start hasn’t made the veteran White Sox shortstop any less confident.
Through 142 plate appearances this season, Rollins is hitting .231/.289/.346 with 10 extra-base hits and eight RBIs. But Rollins -- who has played in 33 games -- said prior to Thursday’s rainout he feels fresh. He also doesn’t see a huge difference between how he has been pitched in his first tour of the American League after 15-plus seasons in the National League.
“I don’t think I’ve done enough,” Rollins said. “I could be hitting .400 and I’d still be wanting to hit .500. But I’m only .200 and some change. I haven’t done enough to help the team and I’ve had plenty of opportunities. The good thing is, that will change also as the season goes along and I start catching that rhythm again.”
Rollins has a career .825 OPS in 2,232 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.
This season he’s hitting at a .417 clip in 30 plate appearances with seven RBIs. Rollins also struggled with RISP in 2015, hitting .464. But he spent part of that season dealing with injuries.
Nearly 30 percent through the campaign, Rollins feels healthy.
He has appeared in 33 games as White Sox manager Robin Ventura has given him routine days off to stay sharp. Rollins likes how Ventura has employed those days off, sometimes two at a time to allow Tyler Saladino to develop a rhythm and get at-bats. So far, Rollins said his playing time is what he expected when he opted to sign with the White Sox instead of the San Francisco Giants and others.
As far as switching leagues, Rollins doesn’t know a lot of the pitchers he’s facing but he does know the hitters, which has helped him line up in good position. He thinks the defensive side is a more important component.
“I don’t think it really makes a tremendous difference (hitting),” Rollins said. “If you’re putting good swings on the ball, no matter what league you’re in, you’re going to get hits.”
He expects those hits will come shortly.
Before Thursday’s game was wiped out, Ventura dropped Rollins from second to sixth in the lineup for the second time in a week. Melky Cabrera was scheduled to start in the No. 2 hole and Jose Abreu hit there several times on the team’s last homestand.
“I’ll be able to contribute more and that’ll make the job easier on everybody,” Rollins said. “It goes down the line. One guy is doing good, hitting becomes contagious. The next guy wants to hit, the next guy wants to hit and that turns into nobody wants to make an out and then you grind out those at-bats and you find a way to execute. You might catch the ball, but I’m not making an out. And that’s the difference. Sometimes when you’re trying to get hits, it’s like pitching --- you’re trying to make the pitch. You'll do whatever it takes, even if that means going outside your box, and when you do that you’re not going to be successful.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... One of the Bulls best players is reportedly leaving the team this summer, and the entire organization sounds like a mess.
By Scott Davis
(Photo/Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Joakim Noah is reportedly leaving the Bulls this summer. The Chicago Bulls missed the playoffs for the first time in the last seven years this season, and it sounds like an era is ending.
According to a report from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, longtime Bulls center Joakim Noah has been telling teammates he plans on leaving the Bulls this summer when he becomes a free agent.
While that's not unusual by itself, as Noah has spent nine years with the Bulls and never experienced free agency, the reasons for his alleged departure make the Bulls sound like a mess.
According to Cowley, Noah and many of his teammates have a deep distrust of GM Gar Forman and the Bulls front office. Cowley reports that an unnamed player told him that Noah has "no trust" that the front office can turn the team around.
Cowley continues:
According to the player, former coach Tom Thibodeau was always able to shield the players from the front office, having them buy into the idea that it was “us against them.’’
However, [head coach Fred] Hoiberg was deemed a Forman hire, so that wall was very blurry.
What the players have been trying to figure out in building their relationship with Hoiberg has been exactly how tied the coach is with Forman.
Cowley adds that the unnamed player told him that Bulls players believe at least one assistant coach is a direct line to Forman.
This is obviously not an ideal circumstance for any team to try to build under. Players and coaches and front offices don't always have to be harmonious, loving groups, but they do have to trust each other and manage working together. Reports about players' feelings toward Hoiberg in his first season were divided, but his job can't get easier if players believe he was hired by a GM they don't trust.
Luckily for the Bulls, with the potential departures of Noah and Pau Gasol this summer, they could open up cap space to build around Jimmy Butler. With a changing of players could come a change of cultures, and players won't sign with the team unless they believe in the coach and front office, anyway.
From the sounds of it, though, that will be a steep task as the Bulls have to rebuild a locker room that sounds less than thrilled with what they've done so far.
The Rose Rule: Why it needs to change.
By Bobby Marks
Derrick Rose reached staggering heights under his rookie deal. (Photo/AP)
With All-NBA honors announced Thursday, The Vertical Front-Office Insider Bobby Marks breaks down one of the quirkiest aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Rose Rule, and the effect it had on Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis
The maximum salary rules
There are three designated slots the NBA defines as the maximum a player can earn. All three slots are based on years of service.
For players with zero-to-six years of service (Tier 1), the slot is 25 percent of the cap. Players with seven-to-nine years (Tier 2), the slot is 30 percent, and for players with 10-plus years (Tier 3), the slot is 35 percent.
Although the percent defined above is stated in the CBA, the league and players negotiated a lower percentage of basketball related income that would be used to define a maximum salary. If the league used the 25 percent Tier 1 max slot during this current season, the max number would have been $17.5 million; but the negotiated lower percentage is $16.4 million.
For cap purposes, the best way to calculate a max salary slot is 23.4 percent (Tier 1), 28.1 percent (Tier 2) and 32.8 percent (Tier 3).
The Rose Rule
When the NBA introduced a new collective bargaining agreement in 2011, it also introduced a little-known rule named after All-Star Derrick Rose. The rule was named after Rose because he earned first-team All-NBA honors in 2010-11 and was also selected by fans to play in the All-Star Game in 2011 and 2012 while still on his rookie contract.
The league’s goal was to reward players operating under rookie-scale contracts who had signed a maximum salary extension but had outperformed the Tier 1 (25 percent) maximum salary slot.
If a player on his rookie contract accomplishes one of the following – (1) earns All-NBA first-, second- or third-team honors twice, (2) is voted an NBA All-Star starter by the fans twice, or (3) named NBA MVP – his salary slot will be eligible for the Tier 2 maximum salary (30 percent) when the extension begins in his fifth season.
Teams do have the right to negotiate the percentage of a max salary slot as long as it falls between 25 percent and 30 percent in the first year of the extension if the player reaches the criteria set forth above.
For example, the Pacers signed Paul George to a designated max salary extension in the 2014 summer. Because he earned third-team All-NBA honors in 2012-13 and 2013-14, George was eligible for an increased salary under the Rose Rule. However, the Pacers and George negotiated a 27 percent max salary slot, but allowed George to opt out of his contract after the 2017-18 season.
Problems with the rule
First, to have a possible salary increase dictated by a fan vote is absurd. All-Star fan voting has turned into a popularity contest instead of an exercise in rewarding a player for his performance.
Second, to have the media dictate financial consequences for a team and player should not be allowed. A player's contract should not be tied into a media vote.
There is also a wide discrepancy between being voted first-team All-NBA and third team. A player such as George shouldn’t be eligible for the same salary as LeBron James (first-team honors) just because he earned a lesser All-NBA honor in consecutive years.
Finally there is no room to negotiate or amend the criteria, only the percentage earned.
The elite company
Since the current CBA in 2011, nine players have been eligible for a salary increase under the Rose rule, with Lillard being the latest to achieve the criteria.
Blake Griffin and Rose are operating as Tier 2 max-salary players, and Lillard's and George’s percentage increases were negotiated in their contracts.
Although the Thunder’s Kevin Durant signed his rookie extension in 2010 under the old CBA, the NBA grandfathered Rose Rule criteria for his current contract. Durant, in the final year of his five-year extension, has been operating as a Tier 2 max player.
One player that missed out on the Rose Rule but eventually met the criteria was Russell Westbrook. When the All-Star signed his rookie extension in January 2012, Westbrook had already met part of the criteria but did not negotiate the clause into his contract. Oklahoma City tabbed Westbrook as their “designated player max.” The tag allowed Westbrook to receive a five-year max extension (not including the fourth year on his rookie scale) while allowing the Thunder to have luxury tax flexibility going forward. The luxury-tax savings allowed the Thunder to eventually trade for Enes Kanter and match the offer sheet Kanter signed with Portland last summer.
Davis and Lillard were eligible for the Rose Rule this season, but only Lillard reached the criteria.
Both players signed max rookie extensions last summer, with Davis earning All-NBA first-team honors in 2014-15 and Lillard earning third-team honors in 2013-14.
Anthony Davis
Before the season started Anthony Davis seemed to be a shoo-in for a Tier 2 max salary in 2016-17, with the Pelicans coming off a playoff berth and Davis earning his All-NBA honor and being voted by the fans to the 2015 All-Star Game.
But after failing to be voted by fans to the All-Star Game, Davis was left off the All-NBA teams by the media. Although Davis statistics mirrored last season, his team missed the playoffs, he was shut down in mid-March with shoulder and knee injuries, and a strong forward class left him on the outside looking in.
A look at the financial implications of Davis missing out on All-NBA honors:
| Davis | Current salary | Earning All-NBA |
| 2016-17 | $21.52m | $25.85m |
| 2017-18 | $23.14m | $27.79m |
| 2018-19 | $24.75m | $29.72m |
| 2019-20 | $26.37m | $31.66m |
| 2020-21 | $27.98m | $33.61m |
| Total | $123.76m | $148.63m |
Pelicans cap implications
The Pelicans’ cap situation will remain unchanged.
Davis' $21.5 million cap figure will count toward New Orleans' books for next season. With $65 million guaranteed contacts and Ryan Anderson’s free-agent cap hold ($12.75 million), New Orleans currently has $8.6 million in cap room. If Davis had earned an All-NBA honor, the cap room would be cut in half. The cap space factors in the Pelicans’ No. 6 overall pick in the draft, as well as the cap holds of Eric Gordon and Norris Cole being released.
Damian Lillard
Similar to the George situation, the Trail Blazers and Lillard negotiated a lower percentage than the maximum 30 percent allowed by the NBA. In fact, the Lillard extension is similar to what George signed with Indiana, especially because both players had earned third-team All-NBA honors before reaching the criteria in their fourth season. In Lillard’s case, earning All-NBA honors will see his salary next season change from $21.5 million to $23.7 million.
Although the NBA is loaded with high-level guards, Lillard’s performance this season was certainly All-NBA.
Lillard’s salary All-NBA change:
| Lillard | Tier 1 max | Earning All-NBA |
| 2016-17 | $21.52m | $23.73m |
| 2017-18 | $23.14m | $25.51m |
| 2018-19 | $24.75m | $27.29m |
| 2019-20 | $26.37m | $29.10m |
| 2020-21 | $27.98m | $30.85m |
| Total | $123.76m | $136.48m |
Trail Blazers cap implications
The Trail Blazers’ cap situation is fluid based on restricted free agents Meyers Leonard, Mo Harkless and Allen Crabbe, as well as key free agent Gerald Henderson.
With the additional $2 million of salary added from Lillard’s revised cap figure, the likely scenario is Portland with $14 million in room, including the free-agent cap holds of Leonard, Harkless, Crabbe and Henderson.
The good-faith extension
One could argue that the best course for the Pelicans and Trail Blazers would have been to mirror what Detroit did with Andre Drummond.
Instead of locking up Drummond, a restricted free agent this summer, with a rookie extension and cap hit of $21 million, the Pistons will only have an $8.1 million hold against the cap, creating a $13 million buffer toward free agency.
However, when you have franchise-level players such as Davis and Lillard, the last thing a team wants to do is haggle over negotiations.
Jimmy Butler named to NBA All-Defense 2nd team.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler has been named to the NBA All-Defense 2nd team. This marks the third consecutive year that Butler has been given 2nd team honors, which is decided based off of votes from sports writers and broadcasters.
Butler led the Bulls this season with 1.6 steals per contest to go along with averages of 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
The 26-year-old Butler averaged five more minutes per game than any of his Bulls teammates. He was the only Chicago player to receive any votes.
Here is a complete list of the NBA All-Defense team selections:
2015-16 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM
Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio)
Draymond Green (Golden State)
DeAndre Jordan (L.A. Clippers)
Avery Bradley (Boston)
Chris Paul (L.A. Clippers)
2015-16 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM
Paul Millsap (Atlanta)
Paul George (Indiana)
Hassan Whiteside (Miami)
Tony Allen (Memphis)
Jimmy Butler (Chicago)
Butler led the Bulls this season with 1.6 steals per contest to go along with averages of 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
The 26-year-old Butler averaged five more minutes per game than any of his Bulls teammates. He was the only Chicago player to receive any votes.
Here is a complete list of the NBA All-Defense team selections:
2015-16 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM
Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio)
Draymond Green (Golden State)
DeAndre Jordan (L.A. Clippers)
Avery Bradley (Boston)
Chris Paul (L.A. Clippers)
2015-16 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM
Paul Millsap (Atlanta)
Paul George (Indiana)
Hassan Whiteside (Miami)
Tony Allen (Memphis)
Jimmy Butler (Chicago)
Golf: I got a club for that..... Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed lurking at Colonial after first round.
Sporting News
Colonial Country Club played tough on Thursday as the Dean and DeLuca Invitational got under way, but Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth climbed to the first page of the leaderboard.
Reed got things kicked off in the morning by posting a 5-under 65 with six birdies and a lone bogey on the difficult par-3 fourth hole. He is still looking for his first win in his home state.
Speaking of people winless in Texas, Jordan Spieth still hasn't won here despite finishing second in three separate tournaments — including this one last year. The 22-year-old has been battling some swing mishaps in recent weeks, but he looked sharp while firing a 3-under 67 in Round 1.
Bryce Molder continued his surprising play to grab a first round lead after shooting a 6-under 64.
Ranked 116th in the world, Molder came into the week with four top 25s in his last five starts.
Webb Simpson, who has struggled this season with the anchor ban in effect, and Anirban Lahiri are tied wit Reed for second at 5 under. Lahiri birdied three of his last four holes Thursday to finish with a 65.
Jason Dufner, the 2014 runner-up, shot a 4-under 66. He is currently tied with Texas native Ryan Palmer, among others, for fifth.
U.S. Open 2016: Why Our Championship Is So Democratic.
By Gary Van Sickle
(Photo/Getty Images)
This is why the U.S. Open is great: Anyone with a dream can compete in qualifying (assuming your handicap is 1.4 or less) and, theoretically, win it. All you've got to do is shoot the scores. It's meritocracy in action.
It's what the Olympics got wrong, building 60-player fields with an Affirmative Action-like model that admits less-talented players without a tournament to separate the chaff, as nearly every other Olympic event does with trials or qualifying minimums. It's what the Democratic Party primaries got wrong, awarding super delegates who tilted a relatively even race between two candidates, the equivalent of a golf match between equivalent handicaps in which one player spots the other three strokes a side.
In U.S. Open qualifying, you are what you shoot. Nothing more, nothing less. That goes for Gordon Vietmeier, aka the Last Man in the Open after he was the final of 9,877 entrants, submitting his buzzer-beating entry 37 seconds before the deadline.
Vietmeier, a 48-year-old teaching pro who has been among the best players in the Pittsburgh area for two decades, was watching his son's high school baseball game when it struck him he hadn't signed up for U.S. Open qualifying. With five minutes left before the 5 p.m. deadline, Vietmeier used his phone to go online and—somewhat clumsily, he says—fill out his entry.
"I didn't think I could get it done in time," Vietmeier admitted. But he clicked Submit, got a confirmation and became part of U.S. Open lore.
Because he was later to enter, Vietmeier couldn't get into either of the Pittsburgh-area qualifiers. So he was sent to Scotch Valley, about 90 minutes away in Altoona, Pa. He arrived with no expectations, especially after the his late-evening practice round there on the eve of the qualifier hadn't gone well. It was 48° and raining when he teed off the next morning. All he did was shoot a bogey-free 68 and claim medalist honors by two shots—and a sense of validation.
"This story just keeps getting sillier," admits Vietmeier, who returned to Pittsburgh later that day in time to give two lessons at his Gordon Vietmeier Golf School. "It felt good that I didn't sign up just to sign up."
Now, he will compete at one of 10 sectional sites on June 6. He signed up for Springfield, Ohio, but he won't know where he's playing until he hears from the USGA. Vietmeier wondered how the USGA assigns the qualifiers.
"I'm pretty sure the sectional sites are given out based in the order in which qualifiers' entries were received," I told him, "and you're not ahead of many guys in that department."
Vietmeier laughed at the news that the Last Man in the Open will most likely also be the Last Man in the Sectionals. "Well, hell," he joked, "I may end up in Alaska!"
If he makes the Open for the first time, it would complete a circle. He was the medalist at Oakmont to qualify for a spot in his first national championship, the U.S. Junior Amateur. "It was way back when," he said. "Oakmont was tree-lined then. It's so different now."
Strange things happen in qualifying if you shoot the score.
In 1996 I survived a six-for-one playoff at Yale Golf Club to advance past local qualifying. I played with Larry Mize and Tom Purtzer at the sectional in Columbus, Ohio, and missed the Open by a mere 17 shots. Mize made, it but Purtzer bogeyed the final hole and dropped into an 11-for-10-spots playoff. He was the odd man out. He got in the Open later as a first alternate. My highlight of that qualifier, which didn't finish until the next day due to a thunderstorm delay, was warming up on Tuesday morning on the range next to a tall guy in shorts with very white legs. It was Steve Jones, who won the Open a few weeks later at Oakland Hills.
You don't know who you'll run into at sectionals. Last year Tour player Roberto Castro waited on the 18th green at Hawks Ridge near Atlanta to see if his score would be good enough to earn him the third and final qualifying spot. One player had a chance to tie him with a birdie putt on the final hole—his brother Franco.
Roberto stood with his other brother, Alex, who was holding an adult beverage. "This is why I don't play golf," Alex told him. "Too much stress."
Franco missed the putt. Roberto got in the Open. Franco went to Chambers Bay as first alternate, but he didn't get into the field.
"A friend said if you play this game long enough, you'll see everything," Roberto says. "That definitely goes to the top of the list. It was pretty crazy."
Missing from that sectional was Mike Van Sickle, a Web.com tour member who also happens to be my son. He was playing a PGA Tour Canada event in Victoria, B.C., when he was informed by the USGA that his first-alternate status had been upgraded to a 7:50 tee time on Monday at Hawks Ridge. My wife, Betsy, and I couldn't figure out a realistic way for Mike to get there after the tournament's Sunday–afternoon finish, so he reluctantly withdrew.
That won't happen this year. The Open is in Pittsburgh, where we live. Mike, who was medalist at his local qualifier, will skip that Victoria tournament and be ready for his sectional, most likely in Rockville, Md. He is still smarting from missing the 2007 Open at Oakmont. He bogeyed two of the last four holes at the Scioto sectional to miss a playoff by a shot, a finish he says is still his most devastating memory in golf.
That playoff was no stroll in the park, though—nine players for one spot. It began and ended at Scioto's 9th hole, a relatively short par-3. One player made a birdie in the fading evening light, and he did it by holing a bunker shot.
His name? Anthony Kim.
It's Open qualifying. You are what you shoot.
Muirfield Member: Vote Not About 'Ladies,' But to 'Prove a Point'. FOLLOW-UP to last Friday's What's Your Take? Muirfield votes to not admit female members; out of British Open rotation.
By Peter Bukowski
Muifield Member: Vote Not About 'Ladies,' But to 'Prove a Point'. (Photo: Paul Ellis, AFP/Getty Images)
A prominent Muirfield member defended the Scottish golf club's vote to continue to exclude women as members, a move that prompted the R&A to take Muirfield out of the British Open rota.
"It wasn’t so much a vote against the ladies as a vote against the media and the press telling us what to do. No-one likes being hammered all the time," John Douglas, a former Scottish rugby player, told The Scotsman.
Douglas, 81, said those in the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers who pushed for the vote knew about the potential fallout.
"We knew what was going to happen with the R&A and The Open, but we feel that we had to prove a point with a strong bunch behind the vote."
He went on to blast Rory McIlroy, a vocal critic of the Muirfield vote, essentially calling the 27-year-old Irishman a hypocrite for playing Augusta, a club that only recently began admitting women.
"It is ridiculous," Douglas said of McIlroy. "You have Augusta with two women members and how can people like Rory McIlroy challenge us yet he goes and plays there[?] Is he telling everyone he is happy with two women being admitted there after all these years and it is now a mixed club... come on. These players are two-faced. Who are they kidding? It is a total farce."
Following the vote last week, McIlroy told British media, "I think for golf's image, as we are trying to break out of this stuffy, old image. We are trying to become more with the times and trying to do things to make golf faster, make golf cooler, make more people included. It’s not right to host the world’s biggest tournament at a place that does not allow women to be members. Hopefully Muirfield can see some sense and we can get it back on The Open rota."
"It wasn’t so much a vote against the ladies as a vote against the media and the press telling us what to do. No-one likes being hammered all the time," John Douglas, a former Scottish rugby player, told The Scotsman.
Douglas, 81, said those in the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers who pushed for the vote knew about the potential fallout.
"We knew what was going to happen with the R&A and The Open, but we feel that we had to prove a point with a strong bunch behind the vote."
He went on to blast Rory McIlroy, a vocal critic of the Muirfield vote, essentially calling the 27-year-old Irishman a hypocrite for playing Augusta, a club that only recently began admitting women.
"It is ridiculous," Douglas said of McIlroy. "You have Augusta with two women members and how can people like Rory McIlroy challenge us yet he goes and plays there[?] Is he telling everyone he is happy with two women being admitted there after all these years and it is now a mixed club... come on. These players are two-faced. Who are they kidding? It is a total farce."
Following the vote last week, McIlroy told British media, "I think for golf's image, as we are trying to break out of this stuffy, old image. We are trying to become more with the times and trying to do things to make golf faster, make golf cooler, make more people included. It’s not right to host the world’s biggest tournament at a place that does not allow women to be members. Hopefully Muirfield can see some sense and we can get it back on The Open rota."
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We stated our position last week, if a female excels at the game, can afford the membership fees and meets the requirements that male members must meet, why shouldn't she be allowed to join? For golf to continue to grow, it must be a game of inclusion instead of a game of exclusion. The British Open revenue goes a long way in sustaining Muirfield. No one is telling them how to run their club, run it as you see fit but don't expect the people that you're excluding to subsidize your club. Believe it or not, most can't afford to join anyway, however, why would anyone want to come there to see a tournament or attend an event at a place that they're not eligible to join? Again, as I said previously, most can't afford to join anyway. It becomes a matter of principle based on fairness and equality. As we said last week, eventually, they'll realize what it's costing them and they will step into the 21st century.
James Brown had a hit called. "It's a man's world" and the first line to the song was, "It's a man's world but it would be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl." So true and times are changing. Women are in the political arena, they run major corporations and believe it or not, none of us males would be here without them.
The prominent Muirfield member mentioned in the article above chastised Rory McIlroy for playing at Augusta National because they only have two female members; perhaps that's all that wanted to join or that could afford to join or that could meet the requirements that male members have to meet. Regardless, the bottom line is that the opportunity is there to join.
I'm not going to beat a dead horse to death, it's their club and they should run it as they see fit but don't look for any help or assistance from the people that you're excluding.
As it stands with their position now, good luck with that!!!
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director.
NASCAR schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images)
This weekend brings the longest race on the NASCAR schedule, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Xfinity Series is also in action with the Hisense 300.
Here’s the weekend schedule for NASCAR in Charlotte, including TV and radio information.
All times are Eastern.
Thursday, May 26
10 a.m. – 9 p.m. – Xfinity garage open
11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage open
2 – 3:25 p.m. – Sprint Cup practice (Fox Sports 1)
3:30 – 4:25 p.m. – Xfinity practice (FS1)
5:30 – 6:50 p.m. – Final Xfinity practice (FS1)
7:15 p.m. – Sprint Cup qualifying; multi-car/three rounds (FS1, Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Friday, May 27
No on-track action
Saturday, May 28
7 a.m. – Xfinity garage opens
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup garage opens
10 – 10:55 a.m. – Sprint Cup practice (FS1)
11:15 a.m. – Xfinity qualifying; multi-car/three rounds (FS1)
12:45 p.m. – Xfinity driver-crew chief meeting
1 – 1:50 p.m. – Final Sprint Cup practice (FS1)
2 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions
2:30 p.m. – Hisense 300; 200 laps, 300 miles (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, May 29
Noon – Sprint Cup garage opens
4 p.m. – Driver-crew chief meeting
5:20 p.m. – Driver introductions
6 p.m. – Coca-Cola 600; 400 laps, 600 miles (Fox, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Five drivers to watch in the Coca-Cola 600.
By Chris Estrada
Keep an eye on these drivers during NASCAR’s longest Sprint Cup race of the season Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Joey Logano
Charlotte has always been a good place for Logano, who has a series-leading average finish of 9.6 there, but it’s been even better for him most recently with wins there in the 2015 Sprint Cup playoffs and now the 2016 Sprint All-Star Race. This season, Logano’s been solid on mile-and-a-halves with finishes of second at Las Vegas and third at Texas; another top-five run was in the cards at Kansas, but he was caught in the late crash triggered by Denny Hamlin’s ill-fated, three-wide move on Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson.
Carl Edwards
Edwards won the Coca-Cola 600 last year, but only after he stretched his final fuel tank 62 laps. With Joe Gibbs Racing having dominated the first third of the season, expect him to be much stronger Sunday. At Charlotte, he’s earned five consecutive top-10 finishes and eight top-10 finishes in the last nine races overall. Also, with the 600 being the longest race of the year, we can’t discount Edwards’ high level of physical fitness. It’s an advantage that could become more important as the night wears on.
Kevin Harvick
Not much of a stretch here considering his work on mile-and-a-half tracks this season. But Harvick has been especially stout at Charlotte since 2013. Over his last six races there, he’s scored two wins, four top-two finishes, and an average finish of 3.5. His worst finish during that span? Ninth in last year’s 600.
Kasey Kahne
Coming off a 15-point penalty that put him on the outside looking in with regards to the playoff picture, Kahne and the No. 5 team need a solid run this weekend. Kahne is a four-time winner at Charlotte but hasn’t visited Victory Lane there since the 2012 Coke 600. However, he’s still been decent. Before he crashed out there last fall, Kahne had posted an average finish of 7.0 at Charlotte over the previous seven races.
Kyle Larson
Larson has been on the losing end of late duels for the win at Dover and the Sprint All-Star Race, but he’s re-ignited the promise of his 2014 rookie season. He’ll look to become the seventh driver to earn his first Cup win in the 600, and a victory would erase a sizable, 40-point deficit to 16th place on the Chase Grid. However, his career results at Charlotte have been mixed so far (one top-10 finish in five starts).
NASCAR takes away downforce for Michigan and Kentucky races.
By Nick Bromberg
Two Sprint Cup Series races this summer will feature even more tweaks designed to take away downforce from the cars.
NASCAR said Thursday that the races at Michigan on June 12 and Kentucky on July 9 would feature changes to the splitters and spoilers on the cars. The spoilers will be an inch shorter (2.5 inches) and the splitters will be two inches smaller.
"I think we look at it as a never-ending journey; if we can improve we're going to do that," NASCAR vice president Steve O'Donnell said via NASCAR.com. "We wanted to go the direction of low downforce, see how that worked, not kind of go all the way in and hope that we are directionally right. And we are seeing that play out. We've seen some great racing at the beginning of the year.
"But we also knew that we had some more levers that we could pull if the direction kind of proved out, so we've tried some of those things. We've tested it and what we've also wanted to do is lower some of the corner speeds to allow for even more passing. That was one of the areas where we've seen minimal change, but there are some levers we can pull to really drive that down."
ASCAR has said that teams have been able to engineer back some of the downforce that was taken away as part of the rule changes for the 2016 season. And while slowly reducing downforce (to help decrease the reliability on aerodynamic grip) can also be characterized as a never-ending journey, NASCAR is responsible for putting itself in the position to have to make the tweaks. Had the sanctioning body been a bit more proactive in recent years, these changes may not be happening at the moment.
However, they are. And it's a damn good thing too. Last year's August Michigan race featured the higher-drag rules tweaks and it flat stunk. Michigan deserves to be the track to test out the reduced downforce changes in a few weeks. The Michigan and Kentucky races will also feature rules regarding the rear toe of the cars as well. NASCAR instituted changes to the rear toe at the All-Star Race as a test of sorts. The changes were designed to reduce corner speed.
Many drivers have continued calls for NASCAR to keep taking downforce away. With less downforce in the cars, drivers are forced to use the brakes more and the throttle less in the corners. The reduced corner speed can help facilitate more passing and can also reduce the effects of turbulent air off the cars ahead.
5 new members voted into NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
By Tom Jensen
Mark Martin, driver of the #14 Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 Chevrolet, prepares to drive during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2013. (Photo/Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
Five individuals were selected as the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017 Wednesday in Charlotte following a spirited debate by the hall's voting committee.
Following is the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017:
BENNY PARSONS -- Nobody didn't like Parsons, who enjoyed huge popularity, first as a driver and then as a broadcaster. Parsons won the 1973 NASCAR premier series championship in one of the most dramatic fashions in series history and two years later won the Daytona 500. He was the first driver to qualify a stock car at more than 200 mph (200.176) in 1982 at Talladega Superspeedway. Parsons also was known as a voice of the sport, making a seamless transition to television following his NASCAR career. He was a commentator for NBC and TNT until his death in 2007, at the age of 65.
RICK HENDRICK -- Over the last 32 years, team founder Rick Hendrick has built Hendrick Motorsports into one of the truly elite teams in NASCAR. Hendrick Motorsports owns the all-time record with 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner championship titles six with Jimmie Johnson, four with Jeff Gordon and one with NASCAR Hall of Fame member Terry Labonte. Hendrick also has 14 total NASCAR national series owner championships, most in NASCAR history. Gordon and Labonte combined to win four consecutive titles from 1995-98, while Johnson won five in a row from 2006-10.
MARK MARTIN -- Over a stellar career, Martin won 40 Premier Series races, 49 more in what is now the XFINITY Series and seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, giving him a total of 96 race wins in NASCAR's top three divisions. On top of that, Martin finished second in points five times, coming home as runner-up to Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson, four drivers who have a combined 20 Premier Series titles. Known for his incredible work ethic, in his later years, Martin mentored many young drivers.
RAYMOND PARKS -- Had there been no Raymond Parks, there might be no NASCAR today. That's how powerful Parks' influence was, as he helped bankroll NASCAR in its earliest days. Funded by successful business and real estate ventures in Atlanta, Parks began his career as a stock-car owner in 1938 with drivers Lloyd Seay and Roy Hall. His pairing with another Atlantan, mechanic Red Vogt, produced equipment good enough to dominate the sport in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Red Byron won the first NASCAR title (modified, 1948) and first premier series title (1949) in Parks-owned cars.
RICHARD CHILDRESS -- Long before he became one of the preeminent car owners in NASCAR history, Richard Childress was a race car driver with limited means. Still, he persevered, which is what you do when you purchase your first car for $20 at the age of 17. Childress, the consummate self-made racer, was respectable behind the wheel. Between 1969-81 he had six top-five finishes and 76 top 10s in 285 starts, finishing fifth in the NASCAR premier series standings in 1975. Having formed Richard Childress Racing in 1972, Childress retired from driving in 1981. The rest, as they say, is history. Much of that history is linked to one of NASCAR's greatest drivers, inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt.
Landmark Award:
H. CLAY EARLES -- One of the original pioneers of stock car auto racing, H. Clay Earles played an integral role in the early years of NASCAR's development. Earles built and opened Martinsville Speedway in 1947, and the short track remains the only facility to host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races every year since the series' inception in 1949. The speedway held its first race on Sept. 7, 1947 three months before the creation of NASCAR. In 1964, Earles decided it was time for a "different" type of trophy for his race winners. He gave winners grandfather clocks, a tradition that continues today.
SOCCER: Ranking the Copa America Centenario contenders.
By Nicholas Mendola
Sixteen teams enter next month’s Copa America Centenario tournament, and only one emerges as the champion of North, South and Central America.
Will it be Chile who continues its reign? Will Argentina, Brazil or Uruguay find revenge? Can a CONCACAF side thrive with the tourney in the United States?
There a varying degrees of likelihood that a country rises above the field to win this year’s competition. In this post, we’ll rank the sides from 16 to 1, unlikeliest to likeliest.
16. Haiti — Happy to be there? Circling the Peru match on its calendar.
15. Venezuela — If Salomon Rondon can make things happen, who knows?
14. Bolivia — Lots of work to be done here.
13. Jamaica — Winfried Schaefer’s team has struggled since its strong Gold Cup.
12. Peru — Inexperience will be a problem.
11. Paraguay — Wins have been hard to come by for Los Guaraníes.
10. Panama — Are they primed for a run, or too old to outlast its group opponents?
9. Ecuador — Dangerous but inconsistent, La Tricolor has an easier group from which to advance than most.
8. Costa Rica — If the USMNT falters under the pressure of hosts, Los Ticos will be most likely to benefit in Group A.
7. United States — Hosting is a big deal, and Jurgen Klinsmann seems ready to take a more orthodox approach to his lineups. The Yanks will run more than a few teams ragged, depending on how the chips fall.
6. Uruguay — Navigating the absence of Luis Suarez, which could last the group stage or longer, knocks them down a peg.
5. Mexico — It’s another golden generation for El Tri, and it’s not far-fetched to imagine Mexico makes a run at everything.
4. Colombia — James Rodriguez goes back to being the focal point of an attack, and will remind us just how good he is while under the spotlight.
3. Chile — Repeating is hard, and Chile had a lot ofhome cooking good fortune in its hosted run to a first title.
2. Brazil — No the side won’t be fully loaded, but Dunga has shown he knows how to run a side with or without Neymar.
1. Argentina — This could be Lionel Messi’s year to lift hardware for club and country.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo)
Sixteen teams enter next month’s Copa America Centenario tournament, and only one emerges as the champion of North, South and Central America.
Will it be Chile who continues its reign? Will Argentina, Brazil or Uruguay find revenge? Can a CONCACAF side thrive with the tourney in the United States?
There a varying degrees of likelihood that a country rises above the field to win this year’s competition. In this post, we’ll rank the sides from 16 to 1, unlikeliest to likeliest.
16. Haiti — Happy to be there? Circling the Peru match on its calendar.
15. Venezuela — If Salomon Rondon can make things happen, who knows?
14. Bolivia — Lots of work to be done here.
13. Jamaica — Winfried Schaefer’s team has struggled since its strong Gold Cup.
12. Peru — Inexperience will be a problem.
11. Paraguay — Wins have been hard to come by for Los Guaraníes.
10. Panama — Are they primed for a run, or too old to outlast its group opponents?
9. Ecuador — Dangerous but inconsistent, La Tricolor has an easier group from which to advance than most.
8. Costa Rica — If the USMNT falters under the pressure of hosts, Los Ticos will be most likely to benefit in Group A.
7. United States — Hosting is a big deal, and Jurgen Klinsmann seems ready to take a more orthodox approach to his lineups. The Yanks will run more than a few teams ragged, depending on how the chips fall.
6. Uruguay — Navigating the absence of Luis Suarez, which could last the group stage or longer, knocks them down a peg.
5. Mexico — It’s another golden generation for El Tri, and it’s not far-fetched to imagine Mexico makes a run at everything.
4. Colombia — James Rodriguez goes back to being the focal point of an attack, and will remind us just how good he is while under the spotlight.
3. Chile — Repeating is hard, and Chile had a lot of
2. Brazil — No the side won’t be fully loaded, but Dunga has shown he knows how to run a side with or without Neymar.
1. Argentina — This could be Lionel Messi’s year to lift hardware for club and country.
(Photo/Getty Images)
A federal judge in Chicago has heard arguments whether the world champion U.S. women’s soccer team has the right to strike for improved conditions and wages before this year’s Olympics.
Lawyers for the U.S. Soccer Federation told Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman at a Thursday hearing that a no-strike clause is implied in a still-valid 2013 memorandum with players.
But a lawyer for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Players Association balked at that claim. Jeffrey Kessler said the federation had “screwed up” by not securing a no-strike clause in writing and can’t argue three years later that such a provision is implied.
The union wants the option to strike before the Olympics start in August, but hasn’t said it will. Many players have voiced concern over gender equity in soccer.
Three battles that could determine the Champions League final.
By Kyle Lynch
(Photo/Getty Images)
We’re just two days away from the Champions League final, as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid prepare to face each other in Milan on Saturday.
The tie is a rematch of the 2014 final when Real Madrid won 4-1 to claim a record tenth Champions League title. Atletico led that match 1-0 in stoppage time, only to concede a late equalizer before collapsing in extra time.
With Real one of Europe’s best attacking teams and Atleti the best defensive side, two completely different styles of play will clash at the San Siro this weekend. Below, we take a look at a few key matchups that could determine who leaves Milan as champions.
Keylor Navas vs. Jan Oblak
In the Champions League this season, Navas has kept nine clean sheets in ten appearances (tied for the most-ever in a single campaign), while Oblak has kept eight in 12 appearances. Oblak was named to the La Liga Team of the Year after a stellar season for Atleti, and his massive double-save on Thomas Muller’s penalty kick in the semifinals helped Simeone’s men reach Milan. For Navas, the keeper’s strong play is often overshadowed by Real’s attack, but the Costa Rican international has proved massive for the club all season long. In what will surely be an extremely tight match, one big save could prove the difference.
Luka Modric vs. Gabi
These may not be two “superstar” names in the sides, but Luka Modric and Gabi may be the most important men on the pitch for Real and Atletico, respectively. When Real goes forward, it starts with Modric in the midfield. The Croatian playmaker is confident in possession and spreads the ball all over the pitch, seemingly always in the right place at the right time. On the other side, Gabi epitomizes what Diego Simeone wants in his Atletico squad. The hard-nosed midfielder sits right in front of the back-line, in charge of clogging up and holes and making sure the rest of his midfield tracks back and keeps shape, which will be vitally important against Real. A product of the Atleti youth system, red and white runs through Gabi’s veins, and having already experienced a loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final back in 2014, Simeone’s leader on the pitch will want to turn the tides this time around.
Atleti back-line vs. BBC
When all is said and done, the biggest battle will be between the stout Atleti defense and Real’s potent attack. Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez have become the best center-back pairing in Europe, while Real’s BBC trio of Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano combined for 119 goals in all competitions this season. Atleti have already kept clean sheets in the Champions League against Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but both of those matches were in front of a home crowd at the Vicente Calderon. Expect a few heavy challenges to come in early, as the Atletico defense will look to keep Ronaldo & Co. honest.
Report: Mourinho signs deal with Manchester United.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Noon ET.
That’s the time Sky Sports claims that Jose Mourinho put pen to paper on a deal that makes him the latest manager of Manchester United.
That’s the time Sky Sports claims that Jose Mourinho put pen to paper on a deal that makes him the latest manager of Manchester United.
The report says Mourinho returned home with a bottle of red wine after signing the deal at a London hotel.
From Sky Sports:
Mourinho symbolically wore a black and red tie for the final stage of negotiations, and the deal is completed on the 12th anniversary of his winning the Champions League for the first time with Porto.Now, we wait. As a publicly-traded company, there are certain constraints United faces in making announcements that other clubs don’t have to entertain.
NCAAFB: Baylor regents confirm decision on Art Briles and outline Title IX failings.
By Kevin McGuire
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
“There are significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor’s football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of student athlete misconduct,” a statement from the Baylor Board of Regents said Thursday afternoon, following the news head coach Art Briles had been dismissed amid controversy. No interim head coach for the Baylor football program has been named at this time.
An independent and external review of Baylor’s institutional response to Title IX and other compliance issues conducted by Pepper Hamilton revealed some key findings to support the decision to remove Briles as head coach of the Big 12 program, and puts many other aspects with the football program and athletic culture moving forward into question.
In addition to confirming the dismissal of Briles as head coach of the football program, Baylor has also removed Ken Starr from the role of president of the university effective at the end of May. Former dean and professor at Baylor David Garland will take on the role of interim president of Baylor until a more permanent replacement can be found. Baylor technically classifies Briles’ status as an indefinite suspension with the intent to terminate contract, which is likely a mere legal procedure. A number of other members of the administration and athletics department have been dismissed as well, but those names will not be named publicly.
According to a released statement from the Baylor Board of Regents, the key findings outlined were;
The University’s student conduct processes were wholly inadequate to consistently provide a prompt and equitable response under Title IX; Baylor failed to consistently support complainants through the provision of interim measures; and in some cases, the University failed to take action to identify and eliminate a potential hostile environment, prevent its recurrence or address its effects.
Actions by University administrators directly discouraged some complainants from reporting or participating in student conduct processes and in one instance constituted retaliation against a complainant for reporting sexual assault.
In addition to broader University failings, Pepper found specific failings within both the football program and Athletics department leadership, including a failure to identify and respond to a pattern of sexual violence by a football player and to a report of dating violence.
There are significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor’s football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of student athlete misconduct.
Over the course of their review, Pepper investigated the University’s response to reports of a sexual assault involving multiple football players. The football program and Athletics department leadership failed to take appropriate action in response to these reports.
“We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus. This investigation revealed the University’s mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive and caring environment for students,” said Richard Willis, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents. “The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us. Our students and their families deserve more, and we have committed our full attention to improving our processes, establishing accountability and ensuring appropriate actions are taken to support former, current and future students.”
“We, as the governing Board of this University, offer our apologies to the many who sought help from the University. We are deeply sorry for the harm that survivors have endured,” said Ron Murff, chair-elect of the Baylor Board of Regents. “Baylor’s mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community remains our primary imperative. The Board has taken decisive action to ensure the University’s priorities are aligned with our unyielding commitment to that mission.”
You can read the full report of the findings of fact HERE for a more detailed look at what was discovered at Baylor.
NCAABKB: Looking Forward: Kentucky’s success and the victims it’s made them.
By Rob Dauster
(Photo/Getty Images)
The NBA Draft’s Early Entry Deadline has come and gone. Just about every elite recruit has decided where they will be playing their college ball next season. The coaching carousel, which ended up spinning a bit faster than initially expected, has come to a close for all of the major programs.
In other words, by now, we have a pretty good feel for what college basketball is going to look like during the 2016-17 season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Kentucky and why “expectations” can be a fickle beast.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com turned himself into persona non grata in the Bluegrass State as he penned a column that ranked Kentucky as college basketball’s biggest underachiever over the course of the last four seasons.
Full disclosure: He has text messages from me telling him to rank Kentucky first on that list. Part of that is because I enjoy seeing Borzello’s mentions get bombarded with hate from Big Blue Nation. There’s nothing I love more than being able to quote poet laureate DJ Khaled when talking with him: “Congratulations! You played yourself.”
But … I also kind of think that he’s got a point. At the very least, I can put together a pretty convincing argument saying as much.
Look at it from a year-by-year perspective:
In other words, by now, we have a pretty good feel for what college basketball is going to look like during the 2016-17 season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Kentucky and why “expectations” can be a fickle beast.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com turned himself into persona non grata in the Bluegrass State as he penned a column that ranked Kentucky as college basketball’s biggest underachiever over the course of the last four seasons.
Full disclosure: He has text messages from me telling him to rank Kentucky first on that list. Part of that is because I enjoy seeing Borzello’s mentions get bombarded with hate from Big Blue Nation. There’s nothing I love more than being able to quote poet laureate DJ Khaled when talking with him: “Congratulations! You played yourself.”
But … I also kind of think that he’s got a point. At the very least, I can put together a pretty convincing argument saying as much.
Look at it from a year-by-year perspective:
- In 2013, the Wildcats were the reigning national champions having landed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class headlined by the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Nerlens Noel. There are a myriad of reasons why the season went the way it did — Ryan Harrow was a headcase, Noel tore his ACL, the pieces were never going to fit together — but the Wildcats ended up in the NIT. There’s no way around it: that season was an utter disappointment.
- The following year was the first time that the “Kentucky 40-0” train kicked into motion. The Wildcats landed five five-stars recruits — Julius Randle, the Harrison twins, etc. — and proceeded to flop their way all the way to 10 regular season losses and an eight-seed in the NCAA tournament. They got hot in the tournament and played their way to the national title game, but I’d we have to consider that season “underachieving”. The regular season still matters, doesn’t it?
- In 2015, they won their first 38 games. They were the best team I’ve seen since I’ve been in this business. But they lost in the Final Four to Wisconsin. If you’re one of the people that says 2014’s postseason run wipes away their regular season struggles, shouldn’t you consider 2015 a failure because an undefeated team didn’t, you know, stay undefeated? For the sake of this argument, you can’t have it both ways. Either the regular season matters or NCAA tournament results are the be-all and end-all.
- This past season, the Wildcats were a preseason top five team and ended the year as a No. 4 seed that couldn’t get out of the first weekend of the tournament. Again, there are reasons for it — Skal Labissiere’s struggles being the main culprit — but based on all of our preseason expectations, Kentucky underachieved.
- In total, they’ve won one SEC regular season title outright, a share of another SEC regular season title, two SEC tournament titles and reached two Final Fours while missing one tournament outright.
Now, reasonable minds can disagree here, and trust me, I understand the absurdity in labeling a team that’s put together that résumé as an underachiever, but I just cannot see how anyone makes the argument that they have lived up to expectations since winning the 2012 national title.
Because the key word there is “expectations”.
Success in sports — hell, success in life in general — is all relative. Chris Beard got two different high major jobs this spring because he made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament in his first year at Arkansas-Little Rock. There are people that think Bill Self is overrated as a head coach because he’s only been able to get to two Final Fours and win one national title while spending the last dozen years as the reigning Big 12 regular season champion.
And what John Calipari did with that 2012 title is turn his program into college basketball’s ultimate pressure cooker.
That title changed the way that college basketball works at the highest level. Once Coach Cal proved that it was possible to win a ring by starting over with a new crop of freshmen every year, the idea that he needed time to work through the kinks of building a team around a bunch of 19-year-olds became obsolete. If he could do it with that group, what’s stopping him from doing it this year?
The fact that the title came in the middle of a five-year run where the Wildcats reached four Final Fours set a baseline standard for what is expected out of his Kentucky teams. Anything short of playing during the season’s final weekend is a disappointment in the eyes of the media and anything short of inching closer to UCLA’s record 11 national titles means that the season was a wash in the eyes of many Kentucky fans.
When greatness is the baseline, anything short of that feels like an underachievement, even if “underachieving” is now making it to the Final Four as an eight-seed or winning a share of the SEC title while exiting in the first weekend of the tournament.
And that, 750 words later, brings me to my larger point: Might we be setting ourselves up for something similar with this iteration of the Wildcats?
To be clear, we have Kentucky sitting at No. 2 in our Preseason Top 25, in front of Kansas, reigning champions Villanova and an Oregon team who essentially brings back everyone from a top-five, Pac-12 champ. And keep in mind that the SEC should be — how can I say this diplomatically? — rebuilding next year. Even if Kentucky is overrated, their record come March is going to look good.
But it’s still pretty easy to look at this roster and see where the flaws lie.
For starters, their back court, while talented, essentially features three guys who want the ball in their hands in De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Isaiah Briscoe. Furthermore, Briscoe’s perimeter shooting was a major liability during his freshman season, and Fox likely won’t be all that much better. Monk, the only one of these three that can really be considered an off-guard, is a wildly entertaining player whose strength is slashing to the rim and playing in transition. As a shooter, he’s quite inconsistent. He might hit six threes in a row. He might then make four of his next 30. That’s not an exaggeration.
The problem, then, is that those are the only three guards on the roster that should see any playing time. Mychal Mulder has the reputation of being a shooter, but if he’s playing 20 minutes a game for the Wildcats next season that’s a red flag.
The key to last year’s Kentucky team ended up being the emergence of Derek Willis, who came out of nowhere midway through SEC play to shooting 44.2 percent from three. But he did that playing primarily at the four, which worked because Kentucky’s front court was not as talented last season as it will be this season and because Jamal Murray was in the lineup. That gave Kentucky two shooters to spread the floor for Tyler Ulis — and, at times, Briscoe — to penetrate.
What happens next season? Will Willis see minutes at the four over the likes of Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones? Is he quick enough to play major minutes at the three?
And that leads me to my next point: Just how good is Kentucky’s front court? They have a lot of bodies — they have six scholarship big men even with Marcus Lee transferring — but how many of them are impact players? Bam Adebayo certainly is, but if he’s on the floor, can Kentucky play Tai Wynyard or Isaac Humphries, two Land Warriors whose usefulness disappears when they’re more than eight feet from the rim? Gabriel and Killeya-Jones are both promising prospects, but at this point, are they more prospect than player? Killeya-Jones is. Gabriel will likely have a bigger impact as a freshman, but he’s also a 210 pound power forward that is capable of making threes as opposed to being a shooter with three point range; there’s a big difference.
Kentucky is loaded with talent and has a roster full of kids with tremendous long-term potential, but that doesn’t guarantee that all of those pieces are going to fit together perfectly in their one year in Lexington.
That’s something that Kentucky’s 2012 team and Duke’s 2015 team have made us forget.
Sometimes, stockpiling freshmen creates super-teams that can dominate all year long and win a national title. Sometimes, even with Hall of Fame head coaches leading the way, the team as a whole isn’t a good as the sum of the parts.
Whether or not those teams are successful depends totally on context and expectations, and when the expectation is for a team to be the best in the country, league titles and Sweet 16 trips are disappointing. It’s a natural by-product of preseason prognostication, and it’s something that the Wildcats could end up falling victim to again this season.
Just keep this in mind: The fact that Kentucky’s most recent four-year run can be called an underachievement tells you more about the state of that program than anything else will.
Tennis-Williams sisters take similar routes to round three.
Because the key word there is “expectations”.
Success in sports — hell, success in life in general — is all relative. Chris Beard got two different high major jobs this spring because he made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament in his first year at Arkansas-Little Rock. There are people that think Bill Self is overrated as a head coach because he’s only been able to get to two Final Fours and win one national title while spending the last dozen years as the reigning Big 12 regular season champion.
And what John Calipari did with that 2012 title is turn his program into college basketball’s ultimate pressure cooker.
That title changed the way that college basketball works at the highest level. Once Coach Cal proved that it was possible to win a ring by starting over with a new crop of freshmen every year, the idea that he needed time to work through the kinks of building a team around a bunch of 19-year-olds became obsolete. If he could do it with that group, what’s stopping him from doing it this year?
The fact that the title came in the middle of a five-year run where the Wildcats reached four Final Fours set a baseline standard for what is expected out of his Kentucky teams. Anything short of playing during the season’s final weekend is a disappointment in the eyes of the media and anything short of inching closer to UCLA’s record 11 national titles means that the season was a wash in the eyes of many Kentucky fans.
When greatness is the baseline, anything short of that feels like an underachievement, even if “underachieving” is now making it to the Final Four as an eight-seed or winning a share of the SEC title while exiting in the first weekend of the tournament.
And that, 750 words later, brings me to my larger point: Might we be setting ourselves up for something similar with this iteration of the Wildcats?
To be clear, we have Kentucky sitting at No. 2 in our Preseason Top 25, in front of Kansas, reigning champions Villanova and an Oregon team who essentially brings back everyone from a top-five, Pac-12 champ. And keep in mind that the SEC should be — how can I say this diplomatically? — rebuilding next year. Even if Kentucky is overrated, their record come March is going to look good.
But it’s still pretty easy to look at this roster and see where the flaws lie.
For starters, their back court, while talented, essentially features three guys who want the ball in their hands in De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Isaiah Briscoe. Furthermore, Briscoe’s perimeter shooting was a major liability during his freshman season, and Fox likely won’t be all that much better. Monk, the only one of these three that can really be considered an off-guard, is a wildly entertaining player whose strength is slashing to the rim and playing in transition. As a shooter, he’s quite inconsistent. He might hit six threes in a row. He might then make four of his next 30. That’s not an exaggeration.
The problem, then, is that those are the only three guards on the roster that should see any playing time. Mychal Mulder has the reputation of being a shooter, but if he’s playing 20 minutes a game for the Wildcats next season that’s a red flag.
The key to last year’s Kentucky team ended up being the emergence of Derek Willis, who came out of nowhere midway through SEC play to shooting 44.2 percent from three. But he did that playing primarily at the four, which worked because Kentucky’s front court was not as talented last season as it will be this season and because Jamal Murray was in the lineup. That gave Kentucky two shooters to spread the floor for Tyler Ulis — and, at times, Briscoe — to penetrate.
What happens next season? Will Willis see minutes at the four over the likes of Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones? Is he quick enough to play major minutes at the three?
And that leads me to my next point: Just how good is Kentucky’s front court? They have a lot of bodies — they have six scholarship big men even with Marcus Lee transferring — but how many of them are impact players? Bam Adebayo certainly is, but if he’s on the floor, can Kentucky play Tai Wynyard or Isaac Humphries, two Land Warriors whose usefulness disappears when they’re more than eight feet from the rim? Gabriel and Killeya-Jones are both promising prospects, but at this point, are they more prospect than player? Killeya-Jones is. Gabriel will likely have a bigger impact as a freshman, but he’s also a 210 pound power forward that is capable of making threes as opposed to being a shooter with three point range; there’s a big difference.
Kentucky is loaded with talent and has a roster full of kids with tremendous long-term potential, but that doesn’t guarantee that all of those pieces are going to fit together perfectly in their one year in Lexington.
That’s something that Kentucky’s 2012 team and Duke’s 2015 team have made us forget.
Sometimes, stockpiling freshmen creates super-teams that can dominate all year long and win a national title. Sometimes, even with Hall of Fame head coaches leading the way, the team as a whole isn’t a good as the sum of the parts.
Whether or not those teams are successful depends totally on context and expectations, and when the expectation is for a team to be the best in the country, league titles and Sweet 16 trips are disappointing. It’s a natural by-product of preseason prognostication, and it’s something that the Wildcats could end up falling victim to again this season.
Just keep this in mind: The fact that Kentucky’s most recent four-year run can be called an underachievement tells you more about the state of that program than anything else will.
Tennis-Williams sisters take similar routes to round three.
Reuters; Reporting by Julien Pretot, Editing by Tony Jimenez and Ed Osmond
(Photo/funmozar.com)
Same court, same scoreline - the Williams sisters followed each other into the third round of the French Open in ruthless fashion on Thursday.
Defending champion Serena and her elder sister Venus, seeded ninth, respectively beat Brazilian Teliana Pereira and American Louisa Chirico 6-2 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
World number one Serena went first but she did not stay to watch her sister.
"I think we're unfortunately really focused on our match. And I say unfortunately because in a few years we'll be like, Wow, that's a great moment," the 21-times singles grand slam champion told reporters.
"But right now we have to be focused on what we want to do in going out there and winning the match."
Serena, who has lost five games in two matches, will next take on local favorite Kristina Mladenovic, the 26th seed, or Hungary's Timea Babos.
She started confidently, winning the first four games, only for her 81st-ranked opponent to pull one break of serve back.
But Serena simply upped her performance and claimed eight of the last nine games before ending a one-sided match on her second match point.
Venus, who was barely bothered by compatriot Chirico, will take on either local favorite Alize Cornet or German Tatjana Maria.
"INDIANAPOLIS 500": The Greatest Spectacle in Racing remains an American icon.
By JENNA FRYER
The Indianapolis 500 has outlasted two world wars, the decline of the automobile industry, a bitter split in open-wheel racing and more death than anyone cares to recall.
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing might as well be called the Greatest Survivor in Sports.
Through it all, though, this iconic event in America's heartland has endured. And after another round of pageantry, another rendition of ''Back Home Again in Indiana,'' it will run Sunday for the 100th time.
''I know football fans and everyone says the Super Bowl is the biggest thing around, but by the same token, we're 100 years this year,'' three-time champion Bobby Unser said. ''One hundred! And it's still at the top of the heap. That tells you all you need to know about its place in America.''
Those closest to it have fond memories.
As a kid, NASCAR star Tony Stewart would rush home from school every day in May to watch the field turn laps on TV. Fellow NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon stood in line at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Rick Mears' autograph. Sam Hornish Jr. made the trek from Ohio each year with his family to sit in the grandstands and watch the spectacle unfold.
''My parents were working really hard at that time trying to establish a business,'' Hornish said. ''I always knew where my parents were at night, but there were not a whole lot of days spent with them. So it was really exciting to be able to go and spend a day at the race track with them, getting up early in the morning and driving to Indy, getting a bucket of fried chicken and eating it cold in the grandstands.''
His own Indy 500 victory a decade ago is a blur, but Hornish's early days as a fan are crystal clear.
They were as American as apple pie.
Indianapolis is where A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser became household names. The trio represents the only four-time winners, and Unser, his brother Bobby and son Al Jr. are the only multi-generational winners.
Mario Andretti, despite his gripping duels with Foyt, won only once. His heartbreak in the race has been passed down to his son, Michael, and grandson, Marco. Between five Andrettis, they have just that 1969 win, though Marco will look once more to break the family curse Sunday. So big is this centennial event, IMS officials have announced it is sold out for the first time in 100 years and the race will be shown live on TV in central Indiana for just the third time. The last time it was aired live was in the 1950s.
''This race is a jewel. It's arguably the best known motorsport race in the world,'' Mario Andretti said. ''When I won this in '69, I got fan mail from Tibet and Egypt. To be a part in something like this instills a lot of pride in you. And then to have your family involved is just an incredible feeling.''
Indianapolis is where Formula One world champion Emerson Fittipaldi landed, winning twice. Nigel Mansell left F1 as the reigning world champion and came to Indy, only to fall short in two starts. Jacques Villeneuve used his 1995 victory to launch his F1 career and was world champ within two years. Juan Pablo Montoya parlayed his 2000 victory into an F1 job, then won Indy again last year following a NASCAR stint.
The race lures the biggest names, the biggest crowd and can make or break a career.
JR Hildebrand was one turn away from winning as a rookie in 2011 when he spun into the wall. He's raced just one full season since, these days called upon mostly to run the Indy 500 every May.
''It's the biggest race in the world,'' Villeneuve said. ''There's half a million people that go there in the grandstands, that watch it. What has made Indy is the level of risk that the drivers are willing to take to go for the win. They are real gladiators and I think that's what the fans have respected.''
Former winner Buddy Rice likens the speedway to Wrigley Field - you drive through an unremarkable neighborhood and suddenly stumble upon a sporting cathedral. The track was in disrepair after it was abandoned during World War II, but Terre Haute businessman Tony Hulman bought the property and pumped life back into it.
His family continues to own the speedway to this day.
Rice said the speedway shows its age, but the cracks and groans are part of the nostalgia, a signal that ''you're going somewhere there's a lot of history.'' Rice believes the track has a special sound, too, recalling echoes off the seats surrounding the 2.5-mile oval that has no floodlights and has never hosted a 500 at night.
''It kind of talks to you when you get there,'' he said. ''And as it gets closer and closer to race day, it just gets bigger. You keep ramping up. It's like the buildup to a big fight.''
The track has won its share of battles, with more than 60 deaths over the years tied to racing.
Buddy Lazier listened to the Indy 500 on the radio as a child, using it as a barometer for the official start of summer. His father was an amateur racer and that helped him appreciate the importance of the speedway, the event and its role in the nation's history.
''I don't know of anything more America,'' the 1996 winner said, ''and it's so relevant to what we as people do every day. No matter where you live, you get in your car, you start it up and drive away, and while you're doing it, practically everything was filtered through an Indy car. If it worked there, it was worth having. The telemetry, the computer programs, they're all relevant to America's youth. The younger generation with computer savviness, they're very technologically aware. No matter how you chalk it up, it's got Indianapolis 500 relevance written all over it.''
Ryan Hunter-Reay's earliest memories of the Indy 500 are as a child, playing with his Hot Wheels in front of the TV. ''I don't know if I was in my diapers or underwear or what,'' he said. ''But I remember making my own track, watching my heroes.''
Despite winning two years ago, Hunter-Reay still considers it an honor just to be in the 33-car field. He recognizes the special place the Indy 500 is to so many people, and that heroes are made that Sunday every year.
''The history there, the tradition, this is something that is Americana,'' he said. ''Just to have a shot at it, to be a part of it, is a tremendous honor.''
It's the main reason the Indy 500 has withstood the test of time, now at 100 years and counting.
Indy 500 officially a sell-out, TV blackout lifted.
Omnisport.com
Race fans across Indiana will be able to watch the 100th running of the famous Indianapolis 500 live on TV for the first time since 1950 after the event was officially listed a sell-out.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) president Doug Boles announced on Wednesday that officials decided to lift the television blackout after selling out all available reserved tickets.
The decades-long blackout is one of the longest-standing Indy 500 traditions, along with the race winner drinking milk in victory lane.
Over 350,000 people are expected to attend Sunday's race, with temporary suites installed at turn one infield and on the backstretch, while previously removed grandstand seats were re-installed.
"All suites, reserve seats and infield general admission tickets for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 are sold out," Boles said. "There's no event in the world like the Indianapolis 500."
IndyCar Series championship leader Simon Pagenaud will be looking to extend his three-race winning streak but must work his way up from eighth on the grid, while James Hinchcliffe starts from pole-position.
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1873 - The first Preakness Stakes was won by Survivor.
1904 - Dennis McGann set a major league record when he stole five bases.
1955 - Norm Zauchin (Boston Red Sox) got 10 RBIs against the Senators.
1968 - After 48 years as coach of the Chicago Bears, George Halas retired.
1968 - It was announced that baseball franchises had been awarded to Montreal and San Diego.
1982 - Three New Jersey businessmen bought the NHL's Colorado Rockies. They got approval to move the team to New Jersey and become the Devils.
1987 - Phil Niekro (New York Yankees) became the third pitcher to make 700 starts.
2003 - It was reported that Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) would announce his retirement from the NHL the following day.
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