CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 05/06/2016.

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"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." ~ Helen Keller, Author, Political Activist, and Lecturer

Trending: The Kentucky Derby, Saturday, May 7, 2016. (See the last article on this blog for Kentucky Derby updates and derby odds).

Trending: Chicago Bears had one of the NFL's worst offseasons according to USA Today. What are they on and What's Your Take? (See the football section for Bears updates).

Trending; Report: Bulls telling teams they plan on keeping Jimmy Butler. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).

Trending: Just how good will Duke be, and when will the 40-0 chatter start? (See the college football section for NCAA basketball updates).

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

                                                Cubs 2016 Record: 21-6

                                                White Sox 2016 Record: 19-10

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

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Chicago Bears had one of the NFL's worst offseasons according to USA Today. What's Your Take?

By Bryan Perez

(Photo/bearswire.com)

The free agency spending spree is over.  The 2016 NFL draft is in the books.  New players have been added, via both veteran upgrades and rookie upside alike.  But according to Nate Davis of USA Today, the Bears had one of the NFL’s worst-ten offseasons.

Davis recently ranked all 32 NFL teams and their offseason performance from first to worst, slotting Chicago in the bottom ten:

22. Chicago Bears: A defense that made great strides in 2015 under its new 3-4 alignment should further benefit with rookies Leonard Floyd and Jonathan Bullard joining the front seven. However an offense that has a hole at left tackle and bid adieu to RB Matt Forte and coordinator Adam Gase could suffer a significant setback.

I’m not sure why Davis would have the Bears ranked this low.  In fact, by just about all accounts, Chicago had one of the better 2016 NFL Draft performances and signed several high-impact free agents on defense.  Sure, they lost their offensive coordinator and Forte, but second-year running back Jeremy Langford offers the offense more explosive ability and the return of fellow 2015 draftmate Kevin White is an element that was missing last season.

Add the fact that Kyle Long is sliding back to right guard and that Bobby Massie — one of the team’s free agent additions — and Cody Whitehair represent upgrades along the offensive line, and the result could be an even better offense than last year.

At the end of the day, Chicago added three new starters on defense, including an explosive edge presence by way of this year’s first-round pick,  two new starters on the offensive line (with the biggest upgrade being the return of Long to his natural position), have a more explosive talent at running back and are finally getting a top-10 pick at wide receiver on the field.

Bears fans should be happy with the 2016 offseason.  It has brought the team one step closer to legitimate playoff contention.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: Nate Davis, who is he and what is he basing his analysis on? The Bears have a plan and are sticking to it. They are rebuilding the team and doing it in the proper manner. Much like the Blackhawks and the Cubs; they're drafting good young players and mixing in a group of wily veterans. They've hired mature coaches with foundations built around the basics. They work well with the front office and all have a common goal and that is to win championships. I'm not expecting the Bears to go to the Super Bowl this year but I do expect them to go to the playoffs and make some noise. Now, I definitely expect them to be in the Super Bowl within the next three years, period, paragraph, end of the story. Chicago, the fans  and the organization deserves it and will earn it. As I always say, Chicago is arguably the greatest sports city in America." The Bears will get it done. Remember, you heard it here first. Super Bowl winners by 2019 or bust and I don't foresee us busting. In fact, I see us winning several Super Bowls in the coming decades.

As Paul Harvey says, "And now, you know the rest of the story." We've stated our position and would love to know what the rest of the NFL fans think and hear, what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We do value your opinion(s).

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

Bears Snag Top Undrafted Free Agent.

By Greg Boysen

The Chicago Bears may have found a diamond in the rough by signing undrafted free agent Roy Robertson-Harris. Many scouts had Robertson-Harris being drafted in the fifth round of last weekend’s NFL Draft, but for some reason he was never selected.

The Bears were able to sign the 6’7, 260 pound outside linebacker earlier this week, who was also being pursued by both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. 45% of Robertson-Harris’ tackles during his four year career at UTEP were made within two yards of the line of scrimmage.

“After a while, I realized I wasn’t going to get that (draft) phone call,” Robertson-Harris said during a conference call with the media. “I talked to (outside linebackers) coach (Clint) Hurtt. He said, ‘I can really work with you. Obviously, you’re going to have to step up in special teams, but I’m going to help you work your tail off to be able to play and help us win some ball games.'”

Robertson-Harris’ most memorable play at UTEP was chasing down New Mexico State running back Larry Rose III for 84 yards before catching him and tackling him late in a tied game last September.

Roy Robertson-Harris (Michael P. Reese/UTEP)

After Bears release Antrel Rolle, Matt Slauson, question looms: Who else?

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Just as the draft selections of guard Cody Whitehair heralded the Chicago end for Matt Slauson, and safeties Deon Bush and DeAndre Houston-Carson brought in alternatives to Antrel Rolle – both vets let go sooner rather than later – an obvious question hanging fire right now in the wake of other draft picks and signings is, “Who else?”

One expectation this offseason is that the Bears would make a difficult decision on rush-linebacker Lamarr Houston, who’s due $6 million this year and next and $8 million for 2018. That situation won’t stand as-is.

The final year of Willie Young’s contract calls for $2.5 million this season. That’s only slightly less than the $2.9 million Slauson was due for 2016 and that was rendered expendable by the Whitehair draft selection and the signings of Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez.

In the Houston-Young cases, the Bears used a No. 1 pick on Leonard Floyd, a Young-type edge rusher. They used a No. 3 pick on Jonathan Bullard, a 290-pound defensive end with size-rush blend that Young doesn’t have. The Bears re-signed Sam Acho, who doesn’t give the Bears what Houston does as an edge rusher, but Houston doesn’t do anything on special teams, the roster entrée for non-starters.

Then there is the matter of Eddie Royal, with an injury speckled 2015 injury resume’ that defines “vulnerable” for player at age 30 and carrying a $4.5 million salary for 2016. What little the Bears did draft-wise on offense included diminutive wideout Danny Braverman in the seventh round.

Teams don’t make roster decisions based on seventh-round picks before the first minicamp. But Braverman, who led all FBS schools in receptions last year, is 5-10, around 180 pounds.

Forget the knee-jerk comparisons to Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman and Wes Welker just because they’re little white guys (and why is it that people grab those instant so-called comparables based on skin color? For another time.)

But NFL slot receivers in the Braverman mold include Seattle’s undrafted Doug Baldwin (5-10, 189, also a Florida native like Braverman); Randall Cobb (5-10) up in Green Bay, a No. 3 slot guy his first three NFL seasons; Jamison Crowder, a true smurf at 5-8 who caught 59 passes for Washington as a rookie.

Braverman does not make Royal roster-surplus the way Whitehair did Slauson, or Bush did Rolle, or Floyd makes Houston or Young (whom the Bears reportedly tried to trade during the draft). And Royal was banged up in part because he was thrust into a starter role by the injuries to Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White.

But numbers on depth charts and salary cap balance sheets force decisions. And the surprise of the offseason would be if the Bears were done making theirs.

Bears need to find solidarity on revamped offensive line.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Overshadowed in the aftershocks of the Bears’ release of veteran guard Matt Slauson (and safety Antrel Rolle) was another roster trim this offseason that went largely ignored because four days earlier, the Matt Forte non-return had gone down. That was the release of Jermon Bushrod, as much a fixture for two years at left tackle as Slauson was at left guard.

Probably because Bushrod had been replaced by Charles Leno Jr. last season as the starter, Bushrod’s exit had been expected since mid-year as he struggled with injuries. Bushrod had voiced his own farewell address late in the season.

But Bushrod, as with Slauson, was a core member of a group that arguably needs to be closer-knit than any other position group. Bushrod and Slauson were mentors to Kyle Long and to even Leno as he was replacing Bushrod, if anyone needs a character testimonial.

While coaches and GM Ryan Pace are on record stating that the best five offensive linemen will start, which points to positions for each being determined through this offseason, that also demands cohesion, which the group had with Bushrod and Slauson.

Bears history is replete with solid centers who anchored and fused lines together: Jay Hilgenberg, Jerry Fontenot, Olin Kreutz, Roberto Garza, even Bulldog Turner and Mike Pyle, looking further back. One key was that each was the best lineman in the group, or close to the best. That makes leading easier, when you’re secure and very good.

Hroniss Grasu is neither at this point of his career. Manny Ramirez is a new guy and on a one-year deal at age 33. Meaning: Who is the linchpin of an offensive line on whom the healths of Jay Cutler, Jeremy Langford and others rest? Kyle Long is the Bears’ best offensive lineman and a force in more ways that just talent-wise.

The challenge for the Bears projects to be less finding talent to replace Slauson in particular, but finding the individual and collective character to make the whole thing work. This is about more than just the 2016 season.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? 2016 World Championships: May 6 schedule, TV, game thread.

By Brandon M. Cain

(Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The first day of the 2016 World Championships begins with at least one Chicago Blackhawks player in each game.

Vincent Hinostroza and Tyler Motte of Team USA face off against Canada in the first game of Group B play. The USA has won bronze at two of the last three world championships, while Canada is the defending champion. Prior to last year's triumph, the Canadians had not reached the podium since 2009.

The other game in the 8:15 a.m. slot features defenseman Erik Gustafsson and Sweden against Lativa. It's Gustafsson's first time playing for Sweden at any level.

Artemi Panarin will help lead Russia against Czech Republic as they look to win the tournament on home ice. Panarin, who was voted one of three finalist for the Calder Trophy on Monday, scored five goals with five assists in last year's tournament as the Russians fell 2-1 to Canada in the gold-medal game.

Ville Pokka will make his first appearance in the tournament. He has represent Finland numerous times before, most recently winning gold at the World Junior Championships. He scored 10 goals with 35 assists for the Rockford IceHogs this past season.

We will have an extended preview and game thread for USA vs. Canada.

Schedule

Matchup	Group	Time CT	TV	Venue
Sweden vs Lativa	A	8:15 a.m.	N/A	Ice Palace
USA vs Canada	B	8:15 a.m.	NBCSN	Yubileiny
Czech Republic vs. Russia	A	10:15 a.m.	N/A	Ice Palace
Finland vs. Belarus	B	10:15 a.m.	N/A	Yubileiny

*All times are Central

**Bold teams feature Chicago players

Ben Zobrist channels 'Zorilla,' leads Cubs over Nationals.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Cubs were due for a close game and they almost got it Thursday evening. 

After steamrolling the second-place Pirates over the three-game series in Pittsburgh, the Cubs looked ticketed for a nail-biting victory over the Washington Nationals in the series opener at Wrigley Field.

Instead, Ben Zobrist channeled his "Zorilla" alter-ego and smashed a two-run homer into the left-field bleachers with two outs in the bottom of the eighth en route to a 5-2 Cubs victory in front of 37,564 fans.

The Cubs were leading 5-0 with two outs in the ninth before Travis Wood served up a two-run shot to Jayson Werth, making those "jug runs" (Cubs manager Joe Maddon likens late inning insurance runs to stepping on the jugular of their opponent) all the more important.

"That's big right there," Maddon said of Zobrist's home run. "The jug runs in the eighth - they're always big when you have a lead. Two outs, to go from two to four kinda hurt [the Nationals] a little bit. Then we get another run, the extra tack on.

"Now, of course we would've worked the ninth inning differently had we not scored those runs, so you never know the outcome if Werth would've hit the home run."

Zobrist drove in the first four runs in the game - he also had a two-run single through the right side in the fourth inning to plate Tommy La Stella and Kris Bryant) - and is now second on the Cubs with 20 RBI on the season.

Two batters after Zobrist's blast, Addison Russell drove home Ryan Kalish with a double to left field, pushing the Cubs' run differential to a ridiculous +96 on the season.

"We're off to a good start," Cubs catcher David Ross said, "but we don't sit on the bench and talk about run differential or on-base percentage. We try to have good at-bats. 

"Guys are going up there and doing their thing pitching. Everybody's out to do their best on a daily basis and I think that's the sign of a good team."

Despite the Nationals' late comeback attempt, Zobrist still provided all the offense Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs bullpen needed.

Hendricks spun six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a pair of walks, striking out four.

"Outstanding," Maddon said. "He was really good. I complimented him on it as I was taking him out of the game. ... Really sharp with everything."

It was the first start for Hendricks in 10 days as the Cubs essentially skipped his turn in the rotation when they were handed two rainouts last week.

"It felt good, honestly," Hendricks said. "It didn't really feel like I missed anything. I threw a lot in between those 10 days. I [threw] off the mound every other day, almost. I think that helped just keeping up with the reps to keep sharp, but I felt good. Really good."

The Cubs are now 33-17 in Hendricks' first 50 career starts, the best record in a pitcher's first 50 starts since 1945-47 (Hank Borowy).

Clayton Richard, Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop combined for two shutout innings and Hector Rondon recorded the final out as the Cubs kicked off this crucial four-game series by flying the "W" flag at Wrigley.

The Cubs now lead the majors with 21 victories, but because they've been winning by such lopsided scores, they only have four saves. 

Zobrist said he's never been on a team that was 15 games over .500 this early in the season.

"This is a really good team," he said shortly after Thursday's victory. "We've played good baseball. Tonight was another good example of that. But we're focused on winning tomorrow now. It's over. We're gonna celebrate for a half hour, and that half hour is about up, so it's time to focus on tomorrow and try and win a day game tomorrow."

Why Dusty Baker believes these Cubs are better positioned than his Kerry Wood/Mark Prior teams.

By Patrick Mooney

The Washington Nationals PR guy made sure a red backdrop spelling out the team’s website and Twitter handle framed Dusty Baker’s pregame media session for the TV cameras. But you could still see an even bigger blue screen covered with Cubs logos and Wintrust advertising inside this corporate conference center.

There are so many layers to Baker, so much history with a guy who’s spent almost 50 years in professional baseball, building a resume that’s probably one bullet point away from the Hall of Fame and shouldn’t be defined by Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.

“Boy, this is different than the old interview room,” Baker said Thursday at Wrigley Field. “Look at this place. Before, I was in kind of like the dungeon over there around the corner. And then I walked in here and I saw the lights and stuff and I was ready to ‘Saturday Night Fever.’”

Inside their state-of-the-art clubhouse, the Cubs now have a Celebration Room, which they got to use after a 5-2 victory over the Nationals that pushed their best-in-baseball record to 21-6 with an absurd plus-96 run differential.  

Back managing a star-studded first-place team after two seasons away from the game, Baker knows all about huge expectations after guiding the 2003 Cubs to five outs away from the World Series, and then missing the playoffs with a 2004 team that won 89 games and might have been even better on paper.

So far, the 2016 Cubs are even better than the hype, and Baker believes they will be better positioned to withstand the attrition that wrecked what once looked like a great foundation.   

“I know they have more depth than we had,” Baker said. “They have a better bullpen than we had then, which is no consolation, but that’s why I had to stretch out my starters longer than I even wanted to, because we didn’t have the bullpen. Not to say we didn’t have a good bullpen, but at that time we had to make a big trade in order to make that push.”

A media/fan-driven narrative unfairly labeled Baker as a bad caretaker for young pitchers, and the way it ended with a last-place finish in 2006 probably helps explain the occasional shouting from the stands on Thursday night: “Dusty sucks!”  

“What kind of upset me a little bit is how much money they spent as soon as I left,” Baker said. “But I had to also realize that the Cubs weren’t spending money then because we were in the middle of the transition for the Tribune Company to be sold. 

“When you look back on things, ‘How come you didn’t do this?’ Or, ‘How come we didn’t do that?’ And then again, baseball takes a backseat to baseball business.” 
       
Baker is a three-time Manager of the Year who has won 1,690 games and already guided three different franchises to the playoffs. Cubs-Nationals would be a fascinating matchup in October.   

“Sometimes people appreciate you more when you’re gone than when you’re there,” Baker said. “On the other hand, I think many times about how I wanted to be the guy that won it in Chicago. We were close. 

“Now I’m in a similar situation in D.C. (The Nationals) haven’t been in existence that long. But baseball’s been in D.C. for a long period of time. This is the third try at baseball in D.C. since I’ve been alive. So now I got a new goal – to be the first guy to manage a team, take it to the World Series and win in D.C.”

Javier Baez becoming a game-changer for Cubs on defense and offense.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

When Javier Baez made his splashy debut in August 2014, it symbolized how much the Cubs wanted to sell the future and change the conversation after another selloff at the trade deadline. 

But it also makes a statement when Javy Being Javy starts to live up to the hype – and create a highlight reel – only as a role player. That’s one takeaway from the defensive clinic Baez put on at third base during this three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates that ended with Wednesday’s 6-2 win at PNC Park. 

  
“It’s a crazy situation here with the talent we have,” pitcher Jake Arrieta said, “and Javy at times being overlooked and not necessarily in the starting lineup every day.

To have a guy like that with probably some of the best hands in all of baseball off the bench (is) a luxury that we’re happy to have. He’s a special talent.”

A natural shortstop, Baez has a unique ability to read the ball off the bat, but he’s also realized the value of sitting back and waiting at third base. Baez writes and eats left-handed and uses that as his dominant side, which helps him get into such an easy defensive flow. Even more than Addison Russell, Baez has the classic, big arm you’re looking for in a prototypical shortstop.    

“You’re crazy,” Arrieta told Baez on Tuesday night after watching the third baseman react to a John Jaso check swing in the sixth inning, charging to the edge of the infield grass, grabbing the ball with his bare hand and making a fluid throw to first base for the out.

Baez made it look easy again in the seventh inning, going to his backhand on a David Freese chopper up the third-base line, planting his right foot on the edge of the outfield grass and unleashing a laser throw to first base. 

Baez got Freese again in the ninth inning, making a charging backhanded play look routine and reinforcing why manager Joe Maddon sees him as such a weapon.

“You can actually say without stretching things way too far that he’s one of the best infielders in the National League – and he doesn’t start,” Maddon said. “Just purely as a defensive, groundball, infield-acumen kind of player, he’s one of the best in the league right now. Period. 

“So we just got to find an opportunity for him. His bat continues to make progress. I absolutely feel great when he’s out there on defense, because he can really impact a game in a positive way.”

With a 3-for-5, two-RBI afternoon on Wednesday, Baez pushed his average to .341, showing that he’s not the same all-or-nothing hitter who struck out 95 times and put up nine homers in 52 games in 2014.  

“When I got called up, I was hot with the bat, but I knew it wasn’t me,” Baez said. “It wasn’t my swing. I’m finally feeling really good at the plate and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Whether that means bumping Kris Bryant to the outfield more often or becoming that Ben Zobrist super-utility guy or filling in for the next injured player, right now it looks like the Cubs made the right choice in holding onto Baez and not packaging him in a deal for a pitcher.     
  
“You have not only a guy that can play the hell out of some infield,” pitcher Jon Lester said, “but he also gives you another guy at the bottom end of that lineup that has some thump. You make a mistake and this guy can take you back.”

Credit Baez for making those adjustments at the plate, smoothing out some of his rougher edges and realizing that for now this is his path to sticking in The Show.   

“I’ve been showing how much I’ve been growing up and my discipline at the plate,” Baez said. “My mind is all over the place with the positions, but I don’t have any problems playing it. I think I’m doing a pretty good job playing defense.”

Erik Johnson struggles in rotation audition as White Sox fall to Red Sox. (Let's go White Sox!!!!!)

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The situation regarding the fifth spot in the White Sox rotation is still fluid after Erik Johnson made his first start on Thursday night.

When he announced Tuesday that John Danks would be designated for assignment, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said little is certain about the final spot in the rotation after the club parted with its struggling veteran pitcher.

The team’s next move is to be determined as the White Sox optioned Johnson back to Triple-A Charlotte after a 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox in front of 20, 126 at U.S. Cellular Field. Johnson retired seven of his last eight he faced, but not before he allowed four earned runs with eight hits and three walks in five innings.

“I felt like I found my rhythm there,” Johnson said. “I definitely -- I know I have more to offer for this team and I know I expect more out of myself.”

Not much looked easy for Johnson, who officially was promoted from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day.

After he struck out leadoff man Mookie Betts in the first, Dustin Pedroia homered on the first pitch he saw from Johnson. It would be a sign of things to come for Johnson, the 2015 International League pitcher of the year.

Johnson put two more men on in the first, including a walk to Hanley Ramirez, one of 16 combined free passes by the clubs. He put at least one runner on in four of the five innings worked and stranded six men in his first three frames alone as Boston built an early 4-1 lead.

The Red Sox forced Johnson to throw 81 pitches through three innings.

He pitched well in the fourth and fifth innings, which allowed the White Sox to rally. But the 108 pitches needed to complete those innings knocked him out early.

“It was a tough one to navigate through,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “Erik finally got his footing and got through it. But you’re looking at a high pitch count, he’s up over 100. It can be better.”

Hahn and the White Sox quickly moved on from Danks because they don’t want to see their chances of contending this season done in by a weak link in the rotation. Hahn said Tuesday he has several other options at Triple-A if Johnson’s first audition lasted one start.

The White Sox could again turn to Miguel Gonzalez, whom they signed early last month and has already made one start. He allowed five runs in Toronto on April 25 in a contest the White Sox eventually rallied to win.

The right-hander, who won 30 games for the Baltimore Orioles from 2012-14, last pitched on Wednesday night for Charlotte. He allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and has a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings for the Knights. Gonzalez  has 18 strikeouts and only four walks.

The club could also call upon Jacob Turner, who has a 3.04 ERA in five starts at Charlotte. But Turner has struggled in his past two outings, allowing seven earned runs and 12 hits in 9 2/3 innings.

If the White Sox -- whose fifth starters are 0-5 with a 7.44 ERA in 32 2/3 innings -- aren’t satisfied with their internal options, Hahn said they’d consider external ones, too.

The White Sox offense had plenty of chances against Henry Owens and an entourage of Boston relievers to earn the win.

But the big hit avoided them every time.

Jose Abreu grounded into a double play in the first with runners on the corners and no outs, a play which tied the game as Adam Eaton scored from third. Abreu also struck out with two on in the third and Melky Cabrera and Brett Lawrie couldn’t come through later in the inning with the bases loaded.

Avisail Garcia’s solo shot in the fourth got the White Sox within 4-2. But Abreu flew out to left with the bases loaded to end the threat.

Hector Sanchez drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to make it a one-run game. But Lawrie was thrown out at home on Austin Jackson’s one-out fly to shallow right -- a call Robin Ventura contested because he believed Ryan Hanigan improperly blocked home plate. Replay officials disagreed with Ventura and the White Sox trailed by a run.

Red Sox relievers retired 12 of the last 14 men they faced and Boston scored three times off the White Sox bullpen to pull away.

“Obviously, I beat the throw,” Lawrie said. “Yeah, he blocked me.

“I thought I was in there because I got through him. Yep, just one of those things again.

“(They made) pitches when they needed to. But that’s how baseball goes sometimes. So gotta suck it up and move on to tomorrow.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Celtics like Butler, but Bulls not making him easy to acquire.

By A. Sherrod Blakely

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics are among the many teams that would love to swing a deal to acquire Chicago’s Jimmy Butler.

Well for now at least, it appears the Bulls aren’t willing to budge off moving their all-star small forward.

A league source tells CSNNE.com that the Bulls, while still open to listening to offers for Butler, are telling teams that are inquiring about his availability that their plan for now is to keep him in the fold.

And while there was some thought that a top-3 pick coupled with a few decent players might be enough to entice the Bulls to pull the trigger on a deal to trade Butler, CSNNE.com has been told such an offer would have to include at least one “legitimate, NBA starter” for the Bulls to even possibly consider trading him.

“And that might be a stretch,” the source indicated.

Any deal involving Butler to Boston from Chicago’s perspective, would most likely have to include Jae Crowder who is one of the best bargains in the NBA – and will be so for years to come.

With the increased salary cap on the horizon this summer for teams, the five-year, $35 million deal Crowder signed last summer is looking like an absolute steal on the Celtics’ part.

Meanwhile, Butler just completed the first year of a five-year, $92.3 million contract which raises questions if you’re the Celtics as to whether the difference in their salaries makes doing such a deal worth it.

If you’re the Celtics, such a deal would be a significant bump in paid-out salaries but it would also better position Boston to acquire a second superstar a la Kevin Durant who will be a free agent this summer.

There are a number of options for the Celtics to consider in their current rebuilding process, with one possibility being to fall back on the ‘07 “blueprint for success.”

Boston used the No. 5 overall pick (Jeff Green) as part of a trade with Seattle (now Oklahoma City) that helped the Celtics land Ray Allen.

A couple of months later, Boston was able to engineer a trade for Kevin Garnett who played for Minnesota at the time.

And the rest was Banner 17 history.

Without acquiring Allen, there was no way the Celtics were going to land Garnett.
And if the goal for the Celtics is to catapult itself to being a title contender sooner rather than later, they’re going to have to acquire an elite, all-star caliber talent before they have a serious shot at Durant.

Could Butler be this year’s Ray Allen?

At this point, the Bulls have no intention of allowing that to happen.

More likely than not, the Celtics will have to go in a different direction which may result in Boston pulling off a deal for Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins.

Like the Bulls, the Kings are saying all the right things now about not wanting to trade him.

UPDATE: Report: Bulls telling teams they plan on keeping Jimmy Butler.

By Kurt Helin

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

The Chicago Bulls are trying to find their identity. They used to be a defensive team, but they went and got an offensive coach in Fred Hoiberg and by the end of the season had slid badly on that end of the floor. They are no longer Derrick Rose‘s team. They didn’t have the personnel to run Hoiberg’s system. The Bulls need to figure out who they are, then decide which players on the roster should be part of the team moving forward.

Expect Jimmy Butler to be part of that future. He’s the best player on the team, but he rubs some teammates the wrong way, and there have been rumors the Bulls would listen to trade offers.

That got teams calling to test the waters, but the Bulls are telling those teams they plan to hold on to Butler, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

A league source tells CSNNE.com that the Bulls, while still open to listening to offers for Butler, are telling teams that are inquiring about his availability that their plan for now is to keep him in the fold. 

And while there was some thought that a top-3 pick coupled with a few decent players might be enough to entice the Bulls to pull the trigger on a deal to trade Butler, CSNNE.com has been told such an offer would have to include at least one “legitimate, NBA starter” for the Bulls to even possibly consider trading him. 

“And that might be a stretch,” the source indicated.

What is the hardest part of assembling a potential NBA title contender? Finding the elite, cornerstone player you need who can lead your team at both ends of the floor. The Chicago Bulls have that in Butler, and he’s locked up until at least the summer of 2019 on a good contract (a max contract before the TV deal money kicked in; there is a player option for a fifth season reaching into 2020). Why would they trade him?

Stranger things have happened, especially with the Bulls, but unless they want to tear it all down and rebuild — and they don’t — getting rid of Butler doesn’t make sense.

The better question is who will be around Butler come next fall?

Golf: I got a club for that..... Wheatcroft, Loupe share Wells Fargo lead at 7-under 65.

By Steve Reed

Steve Wheatcroft watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, May 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Steve Wheatcroft and Andrew Loupe each shot 7-under 65 on Thursday in rain and steady wind to share the first-round lead in the Wells Fargo Championship, while Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler dodged a thrown golf ball with an earplug attached to it.

As if battling a lengthy and saturated course wasn't enough, playing partners McIlroy and Fowler endured a bizarre event on the sixth tee box when a spectator hurled the dressed-up golf ball their way as Fowler was preparing to hit.

"So random," Fowler said. "The guy tried to say it was a gift. I don't know why you would give a gift of a golf ball with an earplug attached to it."

The fan was escorted from the property by police.

"It was one of those things," McIlroy said. "It was a golf ball with an ear plug stuck on it, so it was sort of strange."

Fowler, the 2012 winner, finished with a 71, leaving him six shots behind Wheatcroft and Loupe, who were also paired together. McIlroy, the only two-time winner of the tournament, shot a 73 after a bogey-plagued start to his title defense. He won by seven shots last year, finishing at 21 under.

India's Anibarn Lahiri was a shot back after a 66.

Phil Mickelson, who has finished in the top five six times in 12 starts at the Wells Fargo Championship but never won, opened with a 69.

"I have been able to play well here over the years, but just haven't been able to breakthrough and get a victory," Mickelson said. "But I will keep knocking on the door and hopefully keep giving myself a chance."

But the talk of the tournament came after McIlroy hit his tee shot on the green on the 250-yard, par-3 sixth hole. When Fowler stepped up to the tee he saw something fly by his left side, startling him for a moment.

He didn't know what it was until it stopped rolling.

McIlroy wound up with a birdie, while Fowler and the other member of their threesome, Hideki Matsuyama, carded 3s.

The 27-year-old Loupe, who has three top-10 finishes this season, shot 31 on the front nine. Wheatcroft did his work on the four par 5s, playing them in 6 under with two eagles and two birdies.

"Kind of felt like I was trying to keep up the whole time with Steve," Loupe said. "We both had it rolling early. Just solid golf for the most part, just looking to keep that momentum going."

McIlroy has some work to do to get into contention if he hopes to become the first three-time winner.

He called his first competitive round since the Masters a "tale of two nines."

The world's No. 3-ranked player shot a 4-over 40 while starting on the back side, then got things headed in the right direction with four birdies on the front.

"I was sort of still in range mode on the front nine," McIlroy said. "I didn't really have my scoring head on."

McIlroy, who turned 27 on Wednesday, wasn't pleased with how he played in the soggy conditions but said the strong finish gave him something strong to build on for Friday.

"I need to go out and shoot a good round, something in the 60s, and get myself back into the tournament going into the weekend," said McIlroy, who has spent the last three weeks working to fix his swing.

Jim Furyk shot a 73 in his return from an eight-month layoff because of a wrist injury.

Furyk had "no pain, no apprehension," but said he wasn't planning to hit many practice balls after the round — which didn't exactly upset him.

"I don't enjoy hitting balls, so actually it's kind of fun," Furyk said. "I'm not really allowed to or can't, so I'm enjoying that part of it."

Top-ranked Jason Day and No. 2 Jordan Spieth did not enter the event, and No. 8 Dustin Johnson withdrew earlier in the week because of unspecified reasons.

NASCAR: Talladega swaps with Kansas in Chase in 2017 Sprint Cup schedule.

By Nick Bromberg

Talladega will no longer be the final race of the second round of the Chase starting in 2017.

NASCAR has swapped the dates of Talladega and Kansas, meaning Kansas Speedway will be where the Chase field is cut from 12 drivers to eight.

You'll remember that there was a lot of chaos at Talladega last year. Had Dale Earnhardt Jr. beat Joey Logano he would have moved on in the Chase. Junior finished second. And there was that whole thing with the multiple wrecks on restarts (well, OK, one restart didn't count) that marred the finish of the race.

The Talladega/Kansas swap is the biggest note from the 2017 schedule. NASCAR has signed a sanctioning agreement with all its tracks for the next five years, so there weren't going to be any significant new additions to the schedule.

The spring Texas race is not a Saturday night race in 2017. It's on Sunday afternoon. And the Dover race that's May 15 (because of the five Sundays in May) in 2016 is back in June.

Here's how the schedule lays out. We'll get more information from NASCAR regarding the Talladega move this afternoon at a media availability.

Feb. 18: Daytona exhibition race
Feb. 26: Daytona 500
March 3: Atlanta
March 12: Las Vegas
March 19: Phoenix
March 26: Auto Club
April 2: Martinsville
April 9: Texas
April 23: Bristol
April 30: Richmond
May 7: Talladega
May 13: Kansas
May 20: All-Star Race
May 28: Charlotte
June 4: Dover
June 11: Pocono
June 18: Michigan
June 25: Sonoma
July 1: Daytona
July 8: Kentucky
July 16: New Hampshire
July 23: Indianapolis
July 30: Pocono
Aug. 6: Watkins Glen
Aug. 13: Michigan
Aug. 19: Bristol
Sep. 3: Darlington
Sep. 9: Richmond
Sep. 17: Chicago
Sep. 24: New Hampshire
Oct. 1: Dover
Oct. 7: Charlotte
Oct. 15: Talladega
Oct. 22: Kansas
Oct. 29: Martinsville
Nov. 5: Texas
Nov. 12: Phoenix
Nov. 19: Homestead

Takeaways of 2017 NASCAR schedules.

By Dustin Long

(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

A few things to note with the release of the 2017 NASCAR schedules for the Sprint Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series:

— Texas Motor Speedway’s spring race moves from Saturday night to Sunday, April 9. That race was scheduled for Saturday night in four of the last five years.

“Between meetings with our fan council, feedback from season-ticket holders and Texas Motor Speedway fans in general, the overall sentiment is that they preferred a Sunday race because it provided a more expansive weekend of activities,’’ said Eddie Gossage, president of Texas Motor Speedway.

Sprint Cup: 2017 schedule

Xfinity: 2017 schedule

Camping World Truck: 2017 schedule

— Times have not been set for next year’s races. That will come much later. Provided the races have similar start times as this year, there will be eight points races at night with Texas moving to Sunday afternoon. If so, that would mean that NASCAR would go from 10 points races at night in 2015 to eight in 2017.

Richmond’s spring race moved from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon this season. Much of the push by the industry that weekend was about getting children to the track. Children rode in the pickup trucks with drivers before the race during intros, and many competitors made comments about families being able to take children to a Sunday afternoon race that weekend.

— The 10 Chase tracks remain the same, but Kansas Speedway will be the final race in the second round after flipping with Talladega Superspeedway. Since eliminations were added to the Chase, Kansas Speedway has been shifted to every slot in the second round. The track was the opening race in the second round in the 2014 Chase, moved to the middle race last year and will be the cutoff race in that round next year.

— The 10 Chase tracks have remained the same since 2011.

— There are two off-weekends on the Sprint Cup schedule in 2017. There were three off weekends this season. The series will be off April 16 for Easter and Aug. 27. The August off-weekend comes between the races of Bristol (Aug. 19) and the Southern 500 (Sept. 3).

— Sprint Cup drivers who will celebrate birthdays at the track next year: Casey Mears (March 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Jimmie Johnson (Sept. 17 at Chicagoland Speedway to open the Chase) and Chris Buescher (Oct. 29 at Martinsville Speedway),

— The Xfintiy/Camping World Truck Series doubleheader at Atlanta returns on March 4. It’s the only time next season both series will race on the same day at the same track.

— The Xfinity Series again will bunch its road courses together with three in four weeks. The series will race Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen, Aug. 12 at Mid-Ohio and Aug. 26 at Road America. Only Bristol (Aug. 18) separates those events.

— The Truck season again will have several weekends off early in the season. After opening Feb. 24 at Daytona and going to Atlanta on March 4, the series is off until April 1 at Martinsville. After that, the series doesn’t race again until May 12 at Kansas.

Clint Bowyer to drive for JR Motorsports in Chicagoland Xfinity race Sept. 17.

By Jerry Bonkowski

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

Typically, Clint Bowyer races against Dale Earnhardt Jr.

But on Sept. 17, Bowyer will race for Earnhardt, taking the wheel of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Bowyer will be sponsored by Morton Buildings, from Morton, Illinois. The company is in its third year of partnership with JR Motorsports.

Earnhardt recently won his first race in a JRM-owned and prepared race car two weeks ago at Richmond International Raceway.

“When Dale Jr. offers to let you drive his car, there’s only one answer and that’s ‘yes’,” Bowyer said in a media release. “JR Motorsports is certainly on a roll right now and I know those guys are working hard to make the boss happy by building fast cars.”

Bowyer won the Xfinity Series championship in 2008 and has eight wins in the series (as well as eight in the Sprint Cup Series and three in the Camping World Truck Series).

He is scheduled to become the ninth driver to drive JRM’s No. 88 “All-Star” car in 2016, joining Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Cole Custer, Chase Elliott, Kenny Habul, Kevin Harvick, Regan Smith and Earnhardt. In nine starts this season, the team holds two wins (Daytona and Richmond), five top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

SOCCER: Report: Man United offer job to Mourinho but there’s a catch.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/AP)

Manchester United want Jose Mourinho to become their new manager.

But hold your horses, Jose. You will have to wait a while.

With Louis Van Gaal‘s current contract as United’s boss running out in the summer of 2017, it is believed that executive vice chairman Ed Woodward has been sounding out Mourinho’s camp for quite some time.

Mourinho, 53, has been without a job since he was fired by Chelsea last December following a disastrous start to the Premier League campaign which saw the reigning champs lingering above the relegation zone.

Journalist Duncan Castles is well known as being close to Mourinho’s camp and he reported the following late on Wednesday:

Manchester United have asked Jose Mourinho to replace Van Gaal as manager. In the summer of 2017. #MUFC #CFC #RMCF ~ Duncan Castles ‎@DuncanCastles 

Numerous other reports are stating similar things and it is believed Mourinho isn’t happy about been asked to wait another year. Previously he’s stated he will be in a new job this July.

Mourinho is also said to have held talks with United recently and has concerns about their transfer policy and the structures in place at Old Trafford.

With Van Gaal, 64, currently steering United to fifth place and within four points of Manchester City and having a game in hand, if he manages to finish in fourth and also win the FA Cup — they play Crystal Palace in the final at Wembley on May 21 — then he could well remain at Old Trafford for another year. He’s told journalists recently that he will be back for another season and as far as he’s concerned he will honor his contract.

However if United fail to finish in the top four and qualify for the UEFA Champions League it would be a huge shock to not see Mourinho replace his old mentor, LVG, this summer.

If these antics — asking Mourinho to wait around for another year — from Woodward and United’s board are true, then it could scupper their chances of getting the “Special One” to take charge altogether.

It’s a delicate, tricky situation and after nearly six months of speculation we don’t seem any closer to seeing Mourinho taking over the Red Devils.

MLS Preview: Can anyone separate from the pack? Western leaders get big tests.

By Kyle Bonn

With last week’s draw-fest in the past and both conferences still jumbled, all eyes are on the top of the Western Conference with this week’s list of matchups.

Three teams – Colorado, Real Salt Lake, and FC Dallas – are all tied atop the standings on 17 points. The first two respectively play each other. The final one crosses sides to play the 3rd place team in the East. Should this week go differently than last – meaning, fewer than the eight draws we were handed across Week 8 – some teams could find themselves with some valuable separation atop the standings.

So, who has the opportunity to make moves?

Colorado Rapids vs. Real Salt Lake — 9:00 p.m. ET Saturday

Each with 17 points at the top of the West, there’s plenty at stake at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Colorado is four games unbeaten, although it dropped points for the first time in a month last time out. The Rapids feasted upon underachieving teams during its three-game winning streak, but when faced with the leaders of the Eastern Conference last weekend, they needed a pair of comebacks to earn a point. Nonetheless, the Rapids have put their early-season struggles firmly behind them.

The Rapids have struggled against RSL in the recent past, losing the last time out in Salt Lake City, and sporting a 1-4-2 record against RSL in the last seven meetings at DSG Park. Shkëlzen Gashi continues to be the key for Colorado’s attack, having pumped 25 shots on target this season so far. For RSL, last week’s win put the demolition at the hands of Los Angeles firmly in the past, changing the narrative to five wins in their last six, a significant rise in form.

Toronto FC vs. FC Dallas — 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

FC Dallas also has a chance to go atop the West with a result on the road at BMO Field. Dallas’s grip on the West is gone thanks to a pair of flunks against two eighth-placed teams – a bad sign as the Jeckyll and Hyde season continues. They’re in a great place, but have also looked lost at times. All three heavy defeats have come on the road, and wouldn’t you know it, now they’re serving as Toronto’s May home opener.

The East has been a mire thus far, but for Toronto to sit third after three wins in an eight-game road trip, Sebastian Giovinco and company have put themselves in great position. Nonetheless, Greg Vanney said the club still needs to “prove itself” in front of its home fans, and those fans are sure to be up for it after the long wait.

D.C. United vs. New York City FC — 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday

Two of the four teams stuck on 10 points in the middle of the Eastern Conference have a critical matchup at RFK Stadium Saturday. D.C. has gutted things out through the softer part of its schedule, but now a meeting with a team in the hunt will test D.C., who will be without the suspended Chris Rolfe after his dangerous challenge on Nick LaBrocca. If anything, the break could give Rolfe a chance to collect his thoughts after a slow start to the season.

They face a NYCFC team that picked up just its second win of the season last time out. Draw-happy early on, NY had lost three of four before the 3-2 win over Vancouver, a gritty win that took overcoming adversity after Vancouver went ahead, then came back to tie things up before Steven Mendoza tied things up with 17 minutes to go. This one’s a big one in the East mix, can anyone come out on top?

Elsewhere

Orlando City FC vs. New York Red Bulls — 7 p.m. ET Friday
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers — 5 p.m. ET Saturday
Columbus Crew vs. Montreal Impact — 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday
Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting KC — 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday
Seattle Sounders vs. San Jose Earthquakes — 10 p.m. ET Saturday
L.A. Galaxy vs. New England Revolution — 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday

Liverpool 3-0 Villarreal: Sturridge sends Liverpool to Europa League final.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/Getty Images)

For Liverpool in Europe, there’s just no place like home.

Back to Anfield down 1-0 to Villarreal in the Europa League semifinals, they turned the matchup on its head with a 2-0 win that sent the Reds to the finals in Switzerland. It’s their fifth straight win at home in European play, and the club is undefeated at Anfield in Europe since October of 2014.

The hosts were on the front foot from wire to wire, and who else but Daniel Sturridge provided the winner, a 63rd minute strike on a wonderful link-up with Roberto Firmino. Adam Lallana put the game away with 10 minutes to go, sending the Reds through.

Both sides looked as if they came to play, but Liverpool appeared the most dangerous, and they were rewarded just seven minutes in. A cross from Nathaniel Clyne was tipped by Villareal goalkeeper Alphonse Arreola and fell straight to Roberto Firmino on the far side. He popped back across the face of goal, and while Sturridge inexplicably whiffed with his sliding chance from point-blank range, his effort put off defender Bruno just behind him, and the ball skipped in off the defender’s hip for an own-goal.

The visitors appeared rattled by the opening goal, and with Liverpool pressing they nearly doubled the lead five minutes later. The ball finally cleared by Villareal, a wonderful tackle by Dejan Lovren prevented a counter and sent it back at them. James Milner threaded Adam Lallana through past the back line, but the England international put his off-balance effort just wide of the far post.

Things got chippy past the half-hour mark, with the atmosphere tense. Roberto Soldado went down dramatically after Clyne brushed the back of his head which earned Clyne a caution. Denis Suarez was also lucky to not earn himself a card as well for a few hard challenges.

Following the halftime break, Liverpool came back out on top, with James Milner getting a big chance five minutes in, only to have his shot blocked straight to Areola.

As the Reds continued to push forward, they went two up and into the ascendency in the two-legged tie. A cross by Lallana deflected up front to Firmino, and he expertly unlocked the Villarreal defense sending Sturridge through, and the frontman slotted it home.

It would get worse for Villarreal as Ruiz earned his second yellow with 19 minutes to go as he felled Lallana on the edge of the box, picking up his second yellow and earning an early exit. Liverpool would capitalize, with Firmino cutting back to Sturridge in the box. The striker put a weak effort on net, but it bobbled to Lallana who spun and poked home with the outside of his foot to go 3-0 up and secure the result. Jurgen Klopp brought on Joe Allen for the final 10 minutes, and the hosts locked things down.

The Reds will take on defending champions Sevilla in the Europa League final on May 18 after the Spanish club took down Ukranian giants Shakhtar Donetsk 5-3 on aggregate.

2-time defending champions Sevilla back in Europa League final behind Gameiro brace.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/Getty Images)

Sevilla is getting pretty good at this European competition thing.

The two-time defending Europa League champions are back in the finals after topping Ukranian giants Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in Seville thanks to a pair from Kevin Gameiro plus an insurance goal from Mariano.

With the aggregate even at 2-2 coming into the second leg, Gameiro got things started in the ninth minute all by himself when he pilfered the ball off Maksim Malyshev in the attacking half and stuck it home into the far post. Shakhtar hit back just before halftime when former Arsenal striker Eduardo finished off a wonderful through ball by Marlos that split the Sevilla defense, tying things at 1-1 and the aggregate at 3-3.

But with Shakhtar still trailing on away goals, Sevilla put things away straight after the break when Gameiro again proved vital. The 28-year-old Frenchman took a feed from Grzegorz Krychowiak and finished from a very tight angle. Mariano left no doubt when he struck a stunning curler that bent inside the left post and put Sevilla 3-1 up.

Sevilla has not failed in European play since they dropped out of the Europa League qualification round to Hannover 3-2 on aggregate in August 2011. They won the title in 2014 on penalties after drawing 0-0 with Benfica in Turin, and they took down Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3-2 in last year’s final from Warsaw.

NCAAFB: With ban lifted, SEC coaches gearing up for satellite camps.

By STEVE MEGARGEE

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops walks the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Charlotte in Lexington, Ky. Stoops said his staff would take part in several satellite camps in Florida, a couple in Ohio and one in Georgia. (AP Photo/David Stephenson, File)

Southeastern Conference coaches are ready to start participating in the satellite camps their league had wanted to eliminate nationwide.

When the NCAA Division I Board of Directors decided Thursday to rescind a ban on satellite camps - just three weeks after it had been instituted - it also cleared the way for the SEC to end its own prohibition of the practice. During a Wednesday teleconference, nearly all the SEC Eastern Division coaches said their schools would be taking part in satellite camps now that the restriction has been lifted.

''We're in the process of putting our traveling show together,'' Florida coach Jim McElwain said. ''It should be fun. I'm looking forward to it.''

The Division I Council approved a proposal last month requiring Football Bowl Subdivision schools ''to conduct camps and clinics at their school's facilities or at facilities regularly used for practice or competition.'' The measure, which was endorsed by the SEC, also said that ''FBS coaches and non-coaching staff members with responsibilities specific to football may be employed only at their school's camps or clinics.''

But the NCAA Division I Board of Directors rescinded that ban last week. The SEC had been preventing its own coaches from satellite camp participation, but the league's athletic directors voted last year to drop that restriction if no NCAA-wide prohibition was instituted.

Now that the NCAA has rescinded the ban, SEC coaches also are allowed to take part in satellite camps. After the Board of Directors made its ruling last week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey issued a statement saying that ''while we are disappointed with the NCAA governance process result, we respect the Board of Directors' decision and are confident SEC football programs will continue to be highly effective in their recruiting efforts.''

In order to remain highly effective, those SEC coaches will be quite busy. Georgia's Kirby Smart said the rule change is resulting in a hectic offseason because satellite camps are ''popping up left and right'' and coaches must be selective in determining when and where they should go.

''Literally I get a text every five minutes about another one,'' Smart said. ''It's tough.''

Tennessee's Butch Jones mentioned the balancing act in deciding when coaches should be at camps and when they should stay on campus tending to their own players.

Some coaches already have a pretty good idea where they're going.

Kentucky's Mark Stoops said his staff would take part in several camps in Florida, a couple in Ohio and one in Georgia. Missouri's Barry Odom said his staff would be in Kansas City and St. Louis as well as Texas, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. South Carolina's Will Muschamp mentioned having a presence at camps in Georgia, North Carolina and Florida.

Even though nearly all the SEC East coaches said they'd take part in satellite camps, they also emphasized the need to have recruits visit their schools to get a sense of what their college years might be like at a particular campus.

''I think the most important thing is to get them on our campus, show them what we're about,'' Muschamp said.

The only SEC East coach who didn't come right out and say he'd participate in satellite camps was Vanderbilt's Derek Mason, though he also didn't rule out the possibility. Mason said he was focused on getting his current team ready for the season and believed satellite camps were more helpful to programs outside the major conferences.

Jim Harbaugh, staff to be featured at satellite camp… in Ohio.

By John Taylor

(Photo/Getty Images)

With the NCAA’s edict that, at least for now, rescinds the banishment of satellite camps, college football coaches are free to move about the country in the pursuit of recruits away from their own campuses.

The poster boy for these types of “controversial” camps, of course, has been Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.  With the rescinding of the ban, Harbaugh and his coaching staff will disperse to camps as far away as California.  They are also, in what most certainly can be described as enemy territory, set to invade That School Down South’s state.

Jim Harbaugh and Michigan staff to be featured at Warren Harding Elite football Camp June 9 https://t.co/ZqHsv1wgUi pic.twitter.com/m0UWous40q 

— Doug Sangregorio (@DougSangregorio) May 4, 2016

Yep, Harbaugh, the head coach of the hated Wolverines, will be setting up camp in the Buckeyes’ extended backyard, a mere three hours or so from The Horseshoe.

How long before Urban Myer and his coaching entourage shows up somewhere in the general neighborhood of Ann Arbor? Stay tuned…

NCAABKB: Looking Forward: Just how good will Duke be, and when will the 40-0 chatter start?

By Rob Dauster

(Photo/AP)

As we take a look at ahead at the 2016-17 season, we’re also going to take a deeper dive into what we think will end up being some of the biggest storylines next season.

Today, we’re talking Duke and the potential for a 40-0 season.

There’s a strong argument to make that, in the years since Duke and head coach Mike Krzyzewski fully embraced the one-and-done era, his 2016-17 roster will be the strongest that he has coached.

Stronger, I’d argue, than the 2015 team that produced the three first round picks, including Jahlil Okafor, the No. 3 pick, and Justise Winslow, who went 10th. The kicker? Neither of those two were the stars of the 2015 Final Four. That title belongs to Tyus Jones, who was selected 25th in 2015, and Grayson Allen, a probable first-round pick who returns to school this season as a reigning second-team all-american.

Think about this for a second.

Allen was one of the ten-best players in college basketball last season. He’s a guy who could have snuck into the first round had he opted to enter his name into the NBA Draft, but is coming back to school for his junior year after averaging 21.5 points and 3.5 assists as a sophomore.

And there’s a very real chance that he could end up being the fourth option offensively for the Blue Devils next season. That’s what happens when a program brings in the likes of Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Frank Jackson, to say nothing of the potential that they also land Marques Bolden*. Those are two of the top three, three of the top ten and, if they land Bolden, four of the top 16 players in a class many believe to be as strong and as deep as any we’ve seen in the recruiting rankings era.

*(Bolden has yet to announce where he will be playing his college ball. His list is down to Duke and Kentucky, but there is no timetable yet for when a decision is going to get made.)

Throw in the return of Luke Kennard, Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones, and what you have is a roster that is talented, deep and balanced, enough so that Duke will likely end up being the consensus No. 1 team in the country come November despite the fact that the likes of Kansas, Kentucky, Villanova and Oregon are going to be very, very good as well.

If it were Kentucky fielding a roster like this, the 40-0 chatter would’ve started before the Wildcats were bounced in the second round of the NCAA tournament. When will that discussion pop up, and is there really a chance that this group can pull it off?

Well, the answer to both of those questions is slightly more complicated than simply comparing old Kentucky rosters to what this Duke roster is projected to be.
For starters, the ACC is a much tougher conference than the SEC. Even with the unbalanced schedules, it’s almost impossible for Kentucky to play as tough of a conference slate as Duke will play on an annual basis. The ACC is coming off of a year where six teams reached the Sweet 16 and next season, the league may be even better; the NBCSports.com Preseason Top 25 features four ACC teams in the top ten, five in the top 15 and seven in the top 25. That doesn’t include Miami, Pitt or N.C. State, who adds one of the best point guards in the country in Dennis Smith Jr.

It also ignores just how difficult it is for anyone to make it through league play unscathed. The last time any team posted an undefeated ACC regular season was back in 1999, when a Duke team led by Trajan Langdon and Elton Brand — a team many consider to be among the best college basketball teams of all-time — finished league play 18-0 and entered the NCAA tournament with just a single loss on their record. In fact, the last time that an ACC team finished league play with just one loss was Maryland’s title-winning team in 2002.

That’s not all.

All of that happened at a time when Louisville, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Miami and Pitt were playing in the Big East or Conference USA and when Virginia was an ACC cellar-dweller, not a perennial top ten program.

And Kentucky?

Well, they’ve run through their SEC schedule with an undefeated record twice in the last five years, not to mention that Florida went 18-0 in SEC play back in 2014. It’s not all that surprising when you think about it like this: the team that finished 9th in the ACC this season reached the Final Four, while two of the three teams that tied for third in the SEC were left out of the NCAA tournament.

The other thing that you have to consider here is that this Duke team doesn’t exactly have a flawless roster construction.

The biggest concern to me is the point guard spot. Jackson is a terrific player. He’s going to have a major impact at the college level, he could end up being a one-and-done guy and he’ll likely have more than a few highlight plays throughout the season. But he’s also a prototype of the new breed of point guard: An athletic scorer that gets put into a lead guard role because he can handle the ball and no one at the lower levels of basketball can stop him. Tyus Jones, he is not, and that’s where the loss of Derryck Thornton has the potential to hurt this Duke team. Jackson also happens to be the only point guard currently on the roster, so instead of allowing Thornton to play 15-20 minutes on the ball, Jackson is going to have to embrace being a full-time point guard on a team with four or five guys that can take over a game.

How he embraces that role will be particularly relevant, because the other issue with Duke’s roster is that their top four perimeter players — Jackson, Tatum, Allen and Kennard — are all scorers at heart. They’re at their best with the ball in their hands, making a play for themselves. They’re not known for being the kind of players that make their teammates better. That doesn’t mean they can’t — Allen did, after all, average 3.5 assists — it just means that their best skill is scoring the ball.

The biggest concern here may be with Tatum. He’s got the tools to be a tremendous player — he’s a smooth, 6-foot-8 small forward with an advanced handle, a soft touch and sneaky athleticism — but he’s also a guy whose biggest strength is his mid-range pull-up game. Does he have the strength and explosiveness to get to and finish at the rim? Will he get more comfortable shooting college threes? How will be operate in a system where the number of times that he’ll be allowed to go one-on-one is limited?

Last season, Coach K’s offense was built around putting Allen, Brandon Ingram and Kennard into isolations because no one could stop those guys. Funneling the ball to two or three players worked when the other two spots on the floor were taken Marshall Plumlee and Matt Jones. It was like watching the Oklahoma City Thunder play. They don’t need a “pure” point guard when they have two players that are unstoppable.

But this season?

When Duke’s loaded with first round-caliber talent?

It will be interesting to see how Coach K molds all of those pieces together, but fit is not the only concern for this group.

Giles shredded his knee prior to his sophomore year in high school — torn ACL, torn MCL, torn meniscus — and while he was seemingly back to full health by his junior season, he tore the ACL in his other knee at the start of his senior year. He had two surgically repaired knees before he even enrolled in a summer school class at Duke. How healthy will he be, and how long will it take for him to return to the player that was at one point considered the consensus top prospect in the class?

And if Giles isn’t healthy or Duke opts to put a cap on the minutes that he plays, and if they don’t land Bolden, will there be a post presence to take the pressure off of their perimeter attack?

So no, this Duke team isn’t going to be perfect.

But then again, who is?

Every high schooler in the country has to make an adjustment in college, when they’re playing with and against a higher level of competition. And every coach in the country will tell you they’d rather find a way to get talented players to embrace their role than try to coach up kids that aren’t good enough.

Duke is going to be the best team on the floor every time they step on the court this season. They’re not always going to be the favorite — road games in league play can do funky things to betting lines — but they are always going to have the most talent.

Will that lead to an undefeated season?

I seriously doubt it. But hey, if Leicester City can with the Premier League, anything can happen.

Just, please, don’t bet your mortgage on it happening.

100th running of the Indy 500: Museum, tours and Main Street.

By BETH J. HARPAZ

Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, douses himself with milk after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. May 29 will mark the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, which claims to be the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Some 300,000 spectators will gather to watch drivers race 200 times around the 2.5-mile oval track _ a total of 500 miles. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

It's a big year for a big race. May 29 will mark the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, which claims to be the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Some 300,000 spectators will gather to watch drivers race 200 times around the 2.5-mile oval track - a total of 500 miles.

But there are many ways to immerse yourself in the Indy 500 besides watching the competition on race day. An onsite museum displays cars, from vintage to contemporary, along with photos, memorabilia and exhibits about the event's rich history and its champions. There's a bus tour that takes a lap around the track, as well as a grounds tour. Devoted fans can even get a ride in a race car, with experiences ranging from $60 to $500.

Though the race is named for Indianapolis, the track is located in the town of Speedway, a suburb of Indianapolis, and Speedway's Main Street is well worth a visit. Many businesses and attractions here have a connection to the racing world, from a wine bar owned by a racing family to a new, state-of-the-art go-kart facility that provides real thrills even to the most intrepid amateurs.

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY MUSEUM

The museum attracts some 130,000 visitors a year, but museum director Ellen Bireley says only about 25 percent are serious racing fans. The rest are just curious about the famous track and its history, and the museum offers a great introduction.

Race cars on display show the evolution of technology and design, but the collection also includes motorcycles, passenger cars and vintage autos like Duesenbergs and a 1915 Stutz. You'll learn about traditions like winners drinking a bottle of milk and ''kissing the bricks'' at the finish line.

You'll also learn about the Indy 500's origins: The track was built on farmland in 1909 as a ''playground for the automobile,'' with an all-day race to show off what cars were capable of doing. The original gravel-and-tar surface was soon repaved with 3.2 million bricks, which led to the nickname ''Yard of Bricks.'' it's now covered with asphalt except for the 36-inch brick strip that gets the winner's kiss.

The track was owned at one time by World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker (who raced cars before he learned to fly). It shut down for several years due to World War II and was reopened by Tony Hulman, who thought the race would help promote his family's business, the Clabber Girl baking powder company. The Hulman family still owns the track.

TOURS

You can take a narrated bus tour on one lap around the oval track or sign up for a grounds tour that includes the victory platform, media center, the famous brick strip kissed by winners and other stops.

MAIN STREET, SPEEDWAY

Whatever you're in the mood for, you can find it on Main Street: breakfast at the legendary Charlie Brown's Pancake House, coffee at Lino's, craft beer at the Daredevil Brewing Co., and a wine bar, The Foyt Wine Vault, owned by the family of race car driver A.J. Foyt. Other options include Barbecue & Bourbon and Dawson's on Main.

And then there's Speedway Indoor Karting, which, as the employees like to say, is ''not your grandfather's go-kart.'' The 60,000-square-foot facility offers two courses: one with a banked oval and another with two levels on a quarter-mile track with 14 turns. It's owned by Sarah Fisher, who raced in the Indy 500 nine times.

Another attraction is the Dallara IndyCar Factory, where visitors can explore interactive and hands-on exhibits about racing engineering and technology. The Dallara company makes the chassis for all Indy race cars.

If You Go...

INIDANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY MUSEUM: 4790 W. 16th St., Speedway, Indiana (enter Gate 2, north side of 16th Street), http://www.indyracingmuseum.org . Open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (March-October hours). Adults $10, children 6-15, $5. Grounds tours, including media center, victory platform, start/finish line and museum, adults, $30, children 6-15, $12. Narrated bus tour around one track lap (when track is not in use), adults, $8, children 6-15, $5.

MAIN STREET, SPEEDWAY: Variety of bars, restaurants and attractions along Main Street in the town of Speedway, a suburb of Indianapolis.

Kentucky Derby 2016 post positions: Nyquist draws less-than-ideal stall.

By Kurt Mensching

Nyquist's trainer, Doug O'Neill, said he'd like to be on the outside of all the speed horses in the Kentucky Derby gates. He didn't get his wish. The 3-1 race favorite will break from the 13th stall when the 142nd Run for the Roses begins on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs in Louisville. That's because Danzing Candy drew the most outside stall, No. 20, while another fast starter, Outwork, is just two gates down at No. 15.

However, O'Neill was happy with the draw. "The post draw didn't matter to us a ton, but we're happy being more toward the outside for sure," O'Neill told NBC.

The post position draw is all the more important in a field as big as what Churchill Downs hosts each year. While the Preakness and Belmont Stakes feature smaller numbers, the mile-and-a-quarter Kentucky Derby fills all 14 spots in its main gate as well as the six spots in its auxiliary gate. That means a bad draw -- more recently that means along the rail -- can make the race a difficult one. No winner since 1999 has come out of the three inside posts. Most connections -- the humans involved with the horses -- hope to land between the fifth and 15th posts.

Although in theory any of the entrants could win the Kentucky Derby, a trio of 3-year-olds have emerged above the rest during the prep races: Nyquist, Mohaymen and Exaggerator. Mohaymen will break from the 14th stall and Exaggerator the 11th. Exaggerator has the second-best morning line odds at 8-1 with Mohaymen tied for third-best at 10-1.

A month ago Nyquist all but assured himself of being the race favorite by winning the mile-and-an-eighth Florida Derby. That increased his record to a perfect 7-for-7. Mohaymen, who entered undefeated at the time, had a tough run, breaking slow, drifting outside, making a push and then fading to fourth down the stretch.

Exaggerator earned his accolades by winning the mile-and-an-eighth Santa Anita Derby. Fellow Kentucky Derby entrant Danzing Candy had a strong start and appeared as if he'd run away with the race unchallenged, only to be run down from 20 lengths back and then left in the mud by Exaggerator, who won by 6 1/4 lengths.

As for the ideal starting positions, Mohaymen trainer Kiaran McLaughlin told the Louisville Courier-Journal earlier in the week he hoped for the eighth or 10th spot. (American Pharoah won from the eighth position last year.) Eight went to Lani, a Japanese horse, and 10th to Whitmore.

Trojan Nation, Suddenbreakingnews and Creator drew the three positions closest to the rail. Starting in the third stall, which hasn't hosted a winner since 1998, Creator still has the third-best morning line odds at 10-1, along with Mohaymen and Gun Runner (starting at No. 5).

The "winner" of unlucky No. 17-- with no wins in the history of the Kentucky Derby -- went to Bob Baffert's colt, Mor Spirit.

Kentucky Derby 2016: Post positions and odds.

By Katherine Terrell  

Twenty horses are set to start in the 142nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7, 2016. The post position draw was conducted at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, May 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

POST	HORSE	JOCKEY	TRAINER	ODDS
1	Trojan Nation	Aaron Gryder	Patrick  Gallagher	50-1
2	Suddenbreakingnews	Luis Quinoez	Donnie Von Hemel	20-1
3	Creator	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Steve Asmussen	10-1
4	Mo Tom	Corey Lanerie	Tom Amoss	20-1
5	Gun Runner	Florent Geroux	Steve Asmussen	10-1
6	My Man Sam	Irad Ortiz	Chad Brown	20-1
7	Oscar Nominated	Juien Leparoux	Mike Maker	50-1
8	Lani	Yutaka Take	Mikio Matsunaga	30-1
9	Destin	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	15-1
10	Whitmore	Victor Espinoza	Ron Moquett	20-1
11	Exaggerator	Kent Desormeaux	Keith Desormeaux	8-1
12	Tom's Ready	Brian Hernanez Jr	Dallas Stewart	30-1
13	Nyquist	Mario Guiterrez	Doug O'Neill	3-1
14	Mohaymen	Junior Alvarado	Kiaran McLaughlin	10-1
15	Outwork	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	15-1
16	Shagaf	Joel Rosario	Chad Brown	20-1
17	Mor Spirit	Gary Stevens	Bob Baffert	12-1
18	Majesto	Emisael Jaramillo	Gustavo Delgado	30-1
19	Brody's Cause	Luis Saez	Dale Romans	12-1
20	Danzing Candy	Mike Smith	Clifford Sise Jr.	15-1

Note: Please check odds on race day as they are subject to change.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, May 06, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1903 - The Chicago White Sox committed 12 errors against the Detroit Tigers.

1915 - Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run while playing for the Boston Red Sox. The game was also his pitching debut.

1921 - The American Soccer League was formed.

1925 - Ty Cobb hit his 5th homerun in only 2 games. The feat tied Cap Anson's record in 1884.

1929 - The American League announced that it would discontinue the MVP award.

1934 - The Boston Red Sox hit a record of four consecutive triples.

1946 - The New York Yankees became the first major league baseball team to travel by plane.

1954 - British runner Roger Banister broke the four minute mile.

1973 - The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets in the first WHA championship.

1992 - Anthony Young (New York Mets) began a losing streak of 26 games.

1995 - The Classic Sports Network began on cable TV.

1997 - The NHL's Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes.

1997 - Rick Pitino became the head coach of the Boston Celtics.

2004 - It was announced that "Spider-Man 2" ads would not appear on bases in major league games during games from June 11-13. The advertising plan had been announced the previous day.

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