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"Sports Quote of the Day"
Trending: Bears WRs: White & Jeffery can be special. (See the football section for Bears updates).
Trendng: Why Bulls need to move on from Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler backcourt. (See the basketball section for Bulls updates).
Trendng: Hinchcliffe captures pole for 100th Indy 500. (See the Indianapolis 500 section for race updates).
Trending: 2016 Preakness Stakes Results: Exaggerator ends Nyquist's triple crown bid. (See the last article on this blog for Triple Crown race updates).
Trending: Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica 2016 Invitational Golf Tournament. Our biennial tournament is five weeks away. If you're a person that truly loves the game of golf, thrive on competition and would like to test your skills against fellow golfers comparable to you, then see our invitation in the golf section. All of the particulars are stated and if you have a question(s), we can be contacted by telephone at (312) 593-0928 or by email, chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com. We'd love to have you participate. As always, it will be a great day of "Fun in the Sun".
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 29-13
White Sox 2016 Record: 26-18
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
By Jonathon Cobb
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
The Chicago Bears’ struggles at wide receiver last season were well documented.
Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal missed half of the 2015 season and Marquess Wilson, the third option at the time, broke his foot.
Who did that leave Jay Cutler with on the outside?
Josh Bellamy, who had never started a game before the 2015 season, Marc Mariani and Deonte Thompson, who were punt/kick return specialists, and Cameron Meredith… who? So, the competition this season surrounding the wide receiver corps in Chicago is definitely intriguing.
Daniel Braverman will seemingly be challenging Eddie Royal for the third spot, and the acquisition of Omar Bolden will take some pressure off Mariani, allowing him to focus more on being a pass catcher when they need one.
Regardless of how that situation works out, it’s the potential of the Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White tandem that has a lot of people excited.
As a senior at West Virginia, Kevin White posted big numbers, 109 receptions for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns, and that’s after posting five scores off 35 receptions as a Junior a year before.
He started off the season with seven consecutive 100-yard games, a school record. He competes when the ball is in the air, and runs with desire after hauling it in. He has terrific inside release, creating separation and beating press coverage. He ran a 4.35 at the combine, so he’s a blazer, and has the size and strength to take the top off the secondary. He has already drawn comparisons from Bears receivers coach Curtis Johnson, comparing him to Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne. That’s excellent company to be in a conversation with, and with the production he has had, it’s understandable.
Bottom line, Kevin White is talented. He has yet to play a down in the NFL, but has shown that he can be a top guy. He’s got all the tools to make it happen, and there isn’t a better fit for him in the NFL than Chicago with Alshon Jeffery.
With a young and hungry backfield, and a matured Jay Cutler, it’s only a matter of time before this tandem shines.
Note: The post Bears WRs: White & Jeffery can be special appeared first on Cover32.
Despite Leonard Floyd's presence, Bears know what they have in Willie 'Don’t Call Me ‘Linebacker’ Young.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Acting on the time-honored bromide of, “You can never be too rich, too thin or have too many pass rushers,” the Bears reportedly have chatted with defensive end/linebacker Willie Young about extending his contract beyond its final (2016) season.
The organization used the No. 9-overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft on EDGE rusher Leonard Floyd, a lighter and younger version of Young. But irrespective of the draft choice and presumably of offseason knee surgery for linebacker Pernell McPhee, the interest is there in keeping Young, even at age 30, as initially reported by Bleacher Report.
Which should come as little surprise, for a variety of reasons. Those begin with the opinion of the head coach: “I think Willie is a great teammate,” John Fox said back in this year’s owners meetings. “I’ve enjoyed coaching him my one year because he’s not afraid to work and he does it enthusiastically. So I like Willie, and I’ve seen him improve.”
Which is a character statement about Young, whose disdain for being called “linebacker” may have been humorously voiced, but reflected his desired role and where he thought he fit best. Despite coming back from a season-ending (2015) Achilles tear, Young collected 6.5 sacks as an outside linebacker/end in a defense that opponents regularly schemed out of its preferred 3-4 structure.
Whatever he was called, Young was one of the two most impactful players on the Bears defense.
Using one measure, according to ProFootballFocus.com, Young graded out second only to McPhee among Bears defensive players, and was credited with 33 quarterback hurries, second only to McPhee’s 48, in addition to his 6.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits.
Based on Bears team statistics, including Young’s one interception and three passes defended, Young averaged one “impact play” (sack, tackle, PBU, TFL, etc.) every 6.68 snaps played. That placed him alongside McPhee, the leader of the defense, who delivered an “impact play” every 5.99 snaps played.
The “impact play” number reflects only plays resulting in a measured statistic, and is just for a loose comparison. For reference sake: safety Adrian Amos, the Bears’ leading tackler and a very bright defensive highlight for the year, averaged one impact play every 8.70 snaps played. Linebackers Christian Jones and Shea McClellin had impressive tackle totals but are out of the defensive picture because of non-statistical shortcomings.
The overall point: Young, with 10 sacks in 2015 and 6.5 last season, is the Bears’ top pass rusher since coming over from Detroit on a three-year contract in 2014.
Whether contract talks prove fruitful, the Bears clearly know what they have.
Jay Cutler is one of the most hated players in NFL history. Why?
By Bryan Perez
(Photo/Bearswire.com)
You read that right. Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler is one of the most hated players in NFL history, at least according to the Sporting News.
Earlier this week, the publication released their list of the 40 most hated players in NFL history, with Cutler ranking 12th. Yes, there are only 11 other players — in the entire history of the NFL –who are more disliked than the Bears’ starting quarterback.
Earlier this week, the publication released their list of the 40 most hated players in NFL history, with Cutler ranking 12th. Yes, there are only 11 other players — in the entire history of the NFL –who are more disliked than the Bears’ starting quarterback.
Cutler is the type of guy who might give you the bird while walking his dog down the street. Wait … that happened. Cutler’s body language and don’t-give-a-you-know-what attitude have been over-analyzed for a decade, but Smokin’ Jay is still out there slinging away for the Bears as part of a seven-year, $126.7 million contract. He’ll be around for a little while longer.
Really? His body language makes him one of the NFL’s greatest villains of all-time? The fact that he doesn’t show emotion — good or bad — makes him hated?
Sure, I can understand the theory that a quarterback should be an emotional leader, a guy that his teammates rally around because of how he leads by example. And, sure, I can understand why Cutler’s shoulder shrugs or lack of eye contact could lead some to assume he isn’t that guy. But come on. One of the most hated players ever?
It’s time for this garbage to stop.
The narrative that has followed Cutler since his early days in Denver is based more on third-party perspective than anyone directly involved with him as a man. Players like Kyle Long and many others have rallied around and behind Cutler time and time again, championing him as a leader and one of the toughest players they’ve ever played with.
It’s a shame that Cutler’s disinterested facial expressions have trumped his off-the-field charitable contributions and role as a family man. It’s unfortunate that he isn’t given the credit he deserves as a player, as many in his position would have wilted under the abuse and pounding he took behind a turnstile that was the Bears’ offensive line for many years.
Hate is a strong, strong word. It’s an ugly word. It means there’s a strong and passionate dislike for something, or in this case, for someone.
What has Jay Cutler done to deserve being hated? If you don’t like the way he emotes, that’s your prerogative. But to suggest that his, in the words of the Sporting News, “don’t-give-a-you-know-what” attitude makes him one of the NFL’s worst-ever personalities is encroaching on irresponsible and downright wrong.
In seven years as the Bears’ starting quarterback, Cutler has taken ownership of every single franchise passing record. He’s made the most of an at-times terrible receiving corps while throwing behind an at-times terrible offensive line. The team has finally built something around him, from both a skill-position standpoint and a protection standpoint. He’ll win a lot more games for the Bears.
Sure, I can understand the theory that a quarterback should be an emotional leader, a guy that his teammates rally around because of how he leads by example. And, sure, I can understand why Cutler’s shoulder shrugs or lack of eye contact could lead some to assume he isn’t that guy. But come on. One of the most hated players ever?
It’s time for this garbage to stop.
The narrative that has followed Cutler since his early days in Denver is based more on third-party perspective than anyone directly involved with him as a man. Players like Kyle Long and many others have rallied around and behind Cutler time and time again, championing him as a leader and one of the toughest players they’ve ever played with.
It’s a shame that Cutler’s disinterested facial expressions have trumped his off-the-field charitable contributions and role as a family man. It’s unfortunate that he isn’t given the credit he deserves as a player, as many in his position would have wilted under the abuse and pounding he took behind a turnstile that was the Bears’ offensive line for many years.
Hate is a strong, strong word. It’s an ugly word. It means there’s a strong and passionate dislike for something, or in this case, for someone.
What has Jay Cutler done to deserve being hated? If you don’t like the way he emotes, that’s your prerogative. But to suggest that his, in the words of the Sporting News, “don’t-give-a-you-know-what” attitude makes him one of the NFL’s worst-ever personalities is encroaching on irresponsible and downright wrong.
In seven years as the Bears’ starting quarterback, Cutler has taken ownership of every single franchise passing record. He’s made the most of an at-times terrible receiving corps while throwing behind an at-times terrible offensive line. The team has finally built something around him, from both a skill-position standpoint and a protection standpoint. He’ll win a lot more games for the Bears.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? World Championship: Pokka earns silver, Panarin claims bronze.
By Emerald Gao - chicagoblackhawks.com
Two Blackhawks representatives skated away with medals as the 2016 IIHF World Championship came to a close on Sunday in Moscow. In the bronze medal game, Artemi Panarin and Team Russia breezed past the United States, scoring the first four goals of the game in an eventual 7-2 win. Then, Canada emerged victorious from a tightly fought gold medal contest that held the slimmest of margins until the dying seconds, when an empty-netter gave the defending champions a 2-0 final tally. The Finns, including defenseman Ville Pokka, captured silver.
Here’s how the Blackhawks did on the last day of Worlds:
Artemi Panarin (RUS): After being kept off the scoresheet through the first two medal rounds, Panarin ended the tournament with an outstanding performance, logging a goal and two assists in the bronze medal game. He finished with 15 points (6G, 9A) in 10 games, second overall only to linemate Vadim Shipachyov’s 18 points.
Tyler Motte (USA): Motte once again skated with University of Michigan teammates J.T. Compher and Dylan Larkin, and took one shot on goal in 15:36 of ice time. He finished the tournament with three points (1G, 2A) in 10 games.
Vincent Hinostroza (USA): Hinostroza was scratched for the bronze medal game; he finished with three points (1G, 2A) in nine outings.
Ville Pokka (FIN): Tasked with shutting down Canada’s top forwards, Pokka had a strong outing in the defensive end, logging 20:02 of ice time, second online to blue-line partner Esa Lindell. The 21-year-old, who was named Rockford’s Best Defenseman this past season, averaged 15:58 per game during the tournament and posted two helpers.
Cubs can't solve Madison Bumgarner in shutout loss to Giants.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs believe they are better built to handle power pitching in the playoffs and manufacture offense in October after a boom-or-bust lineup got swept by the New York Mets in last year’s National League Championship Series.
But the Cubs couldn’t solve San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner during Sunday night’s 1-0 loss at AT&T Park. Bumgarner, a three-time World Series champion, walked off the mound with two outs in the eighth inning, getting a standing ovation from the crowd of 41,359.
The first-place Giants (27-19) won this three-game series without starting Johnny Cueto or Jeff Samardzija, the frontline pitchers they imported at a cost of $220 million for another even-year run.
“The feel test is good,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “I know they feel they can beat us – and we feel like we can beat them.
“We match up well. We can play against these guys. It’s always going to be a closely contested game. No side has a clear-cut advantage.”
The Cubs made Bumgarner work, loading the bases with two outs and forcing the All-Star lefty to throw 28 pitches in the first inning. But Bumgarner won an eight-pitch at-bat against Addison Russell, striking him out looking at a 92-mph knee-high fastball.
The Cubs couldn’t generate any power against Bumgarner, with Dexter Fowler driving a ball that came back down to earth at the left-field warning track in the fifth inning. Javier Baez tried to get creative leading off the eighth inning, bunting a ball toward first and getting called out for running outside the base path. Maddon erupted, going nose-to-nose with first-base umpire Dana DeMuth, but it didn’t change the call.
When Ben Zobrist blasted a ball to deep center field off Giants closer Santiago Casilla to being the ninth inning, Denard Span made a falling-down catch in front of the wall.
This had been hyped as a playoff preview. So are the Cubs (29-13) really the best team in baseball?
“If you went based off record right now, everybody would say that, I understand that,” Maddon said. “We have to be able to sustain that over the course. This is a snapshot. This is May 20-whatever. I want to be the best team in baseball after the last game’s been played.
“So for right now, mission accomplished getting off to a good start. (But) it doesn’t really matter if you are right now or not. It’s what you are at the end of the year that matters the most.”
The Cubs aren’t going to hit the panic button with a sub-.700 winning percentage (.690), passing the season’s quarter pole in San Francisco with a six-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a seven-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the division.
“Now it’s up to us to sustain it,” Maddon said. “Nobody’s in there taking anything for granted. We come to play every night. It’s not easy to sustain that level of play.”
Cubs breathe a sigh of relief with Jason Heyward news.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jason Heyward watched the replay of his dazzling catch and understood what had been at stake, appreciating that he somehow avoided the worst-case scenarios after crashing headfirst into AT&T Park’s right-center field wall on Friday night.
The Cubs described Heyward’s injury as only a contusion on his right side in the rib area after Saturday’s MRI didn’t reveal any major structural damage. The Cubs are on a three-to-five-days timeline of rest for Heyward and believe this won’t force him onto the disabled list.
“I’m lucky,” Heyward said. “Very, very lucky. Like I said, God looked out for me on that one. Just really fortunate that I was able to get up and walk off the field.”
With Heyward sidelined, the Cubs activated outfielder Matt Szczur from the disabled list, designated reliever Neil Ramirez for assignment and started Ben Zobrist in right field against the San Francisco Giants.
The Cubs breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they will only have to rotate players for a few days in right field and not find a long-term replacement for a three-time Gold Glove winner in the first season of an eight-year, $184 million contract.
“Very encouraging,” manager Joe Maddon said. “When something like that happens, you just got to wait to hear the word. All I know is it’s a great play.
“It was an extreme angle that he had to run off. From the distance he covered, the angle that he created, extending his body, everything, it’s just an incredible play.”
How many defenders would have the instincts, athleticism, presence of mind and desire to make that play?
Heyward tracked down Jake Arrieta’s third pitch in the right-center field gap, his momentum driving his left shoulder into the wall and taking away what might have been an inside-the-park home run for San Francisco leadoff guy Denard Span. It helped set the tone for an 8-1 victory over the first-place Giants.
“That’s up there,” Heyward said, in terms of ranking catches in a career defined by defensive excellence. “That’s one of my favorites in my life, for sure.
“I know that was the first play of the bottom of the first, but we’re playing here in San Francisco with these fans, this crowd, two good teams going at it. That can be a big momentum swing if that ball gets down.”
The Cubs can afford to be patient with Heyward’s offensive game (one homer, .611 OPS) because he helps the team win in so many different ways. Losing Heyward for an extended period of time would have left a huge hole in the roster after Kyle Schwarber wrecked his left knee during an outfield collision in early April.
“I listen to my body, always, regardless of what the doctor’s telling me,” Heyward said. “I got to be smart, because it is May. We’re not in September right now. We’re working towards that, but this is not the time to push anything like that, especially when you got obliques and stuff like that involved.”
Melky Cabrera, White Sox push past Royals to avoid sweep.
The Cubs described Heyward’s injury as only a contusion on his right side in the rib area after Saturday’s MRI didn’t reveal any major structural damage. The Cubs are on a three-to-five-days timeline of rest for Heyward and believe this won’t force him onto the disabled list.
“I’m lucky,” Heyward said. “Very, very lucky. Like I said, God looked out for me on that one. Just really fortunate that I was able to get up and walk off the field.”
With Heyward sidelined, the Cubs activated outfielder Matt Szczur from the disabled list, designated reliever Neil Ramirez for assignment and started Ben Zobrist in right field against the San Francisco Giants.
The Cubs breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they will only have to rotate players for a few days in right field and not find a long-term replacement for a three-time Gold Glove winner in the first season of an eight-year, $184 million contract.
“Very encouraging,” manager Joe Maddon said. “When something like that happens, you just got to wait to hear the word. All I know is it’s a great play.
“It was an extreme angle that he had to run off. From the distance he covered, the angle that he created, extending his body, everything, it’s just an incredible play.”
How many defenders would have the instincts, athleticism, presence of mind and desire to make that play?
Heyward tracked down Jake Arrieta’s third pitch in the right-center field gap, his momentum driving his left shoulder into the wall and taking away what might have been an inside-the-park home run for San Francisco leadoff guy Denard Span. It helped set the tone for an 8-1 victory over the first-place Giants.
“That’s up there,” Heyward said, in terms of ranking catches in a career defined by defensive excellence. “That’s one of my favorites in my life, for sure.
“I know that was the first play of the bottom of the first, but we’re playing here in San Francisco with these fans, this crowd, two good teams going at it. That can be a big momentum swing if that ball gets down.”
The Cubs can afford to be patient with Heyward’s offensive game (one homer, .611 OPS) because he helps the team win in so many different ways. Losing Heyward for an extended period of time would have left a huge hole in the roster after Kyle Schwarber wrecked his left knee during an outfield collision in early April.
“I listen to my body, always, regardless of what the doctor’s telling me,” Heyward said. “I got to be smart, because it is May. We’re not in September right now. We’re working towards that, but this is not the time to push anything like that, especially when you got obliques and stuff like that involved.”
Melky Cabrera, White Sox push past Royals to avoid sweep.
By JJ Stankevich
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Melky Cabrera didn’t completely lift the metaphorical weight off the White Sox collective shoulders, but he did enough to save his team from what would’ve been a disappointing sweep at the hands of the defending World Series champions.
Cabrera’s two-run single in the fifth inning was enough to push the White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in front of 34,526 at U.S. Cellular Field Sunday afternoon. His single gave the White Sox their first multi-run inning since last Tuesday and their first game with more than two runs since Wednesday.
The Royals may leave Chicago only one game over .500, but in this weekend’s three game series — in which they won the first two games — Ned Yost’s side played like the one that’s won the American League pennant the last two years.
But White Sox manager Robin Ventura isn’t interested in evaluating his team through the lens of the opposition, even if that opposition is now 27-14 against the White Sox since the start of the 2014 season. Despite losing four series in a row, Ventura is confident — thanks in part to a mug-improved defense — that the White Sox will remain competitive in an American League Central they exit the weekend leading by two and a half games.
“We're a different team as far as our defense,” Ventura said. “And I think that's part of going through it, when you play these good teams, you don't necessarily measure it against them. I think we're good no matter who we're playing, but if we don't kick it around we're pretty good."
Carlos Rodon fired a solid 6 2/3 innings to set the pace for the afternoon, allowing two runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Matt Albers, Zach Duke, Nate Jones and David Robertson combined to not allow a baserunner in the final 2 1/3 innings.
Pitching and defense, though, haven’t been the biggest problem lately (right fielder Adam Eaton deserves a nod for his spectacular catch in foul territory on the first pitch of the game Sunday). The White Sox offense sputtered to one-run showings in losses Friday and Saturday, and needed Chris Sale’s complete game gem on Thursday to avoid a sweep at the hands of the struggling Houston Astros.
That’s why Cabrera’s two-run single felt like such a big hit. The White Sox hadn’t had a hit with a runner in scoring position all weekend against the Royals until he served a Yordano Ventura quick pitch into center to score Alex Avila and Austin Jackson.
“We needed to win this game,” Cabrera said through a translator.
Todd Frazier also showed signs of breaking out of his mini-slump, poking a solo home run into the right field Bullpen Sports Bar and picking up a single and a walk as well on Sunday. Struggling slugger Jose Abreu got the day off in an effort to get him to hit the reset button on a sub-optimal start to the season.
Things don’t get easier with the second-place Cleveland Indians coming to 35th and Shields for a four-game series starting with Monday’s straight doubleheader. The White Sox need a slumbering offense to wake up for good, and Ventura hoped Cabrera’s hit on Sunday could be the thing to jolt this offense awake.
Cabrera’s two-run single in the fifth inning was enough to push the White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in front of 34,526 at U.S. Cellular Field Sunday afternoon. His single gave the White Sox their first multi-run inning since last Tuesday and their first game with more than two runs since Wednesday.
The Royals may leave Chicago only one game over .500, but in this weekend’s three game series — in which they won the first two games — Ned Yost’s side played like the one that’s won the American League pennant the last two years.
But White Sox manager Robin Ventura isn’t interested in evaluating his team through the lens of the opposition, even if that opposition is now 27-14 against the White Sox since the start of the 2014 season. Despite losing four series in a row, Ventura is confident — thanks in part to a mug-improved defense — that the White Sox will remain competitive in an American League Central they exit the weekend leading by two and a half games.
“We're a different team as far as our defense,” Ventura said. “And I think that's part of going through it, when you play these good teams, you don't necessarily measure it against them. I think we're good no matter who we're playing, but if we don't kick it around we're pretty good."
Carlos Rodon fired a solid 6 2/3 innings to set the pace for the afternoon, allowing two runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Matt Albers, Zach Duke, Nate Jones and David Robertson combined to not allow a baserunner in the final 2 1/3 innings.
Pitching and defense, though, haven’t been the biggest problem lately (right fielder Adam Eaton deserves a nod for his spectacular catch in foul territory on the first pitch of the game Sunday). The White Sox offense sputtered to one-run showings in losses Friday and Saturday, and needed Chris Sale’s complete game gem on Thursday to avoid a sweep at the hands of the struggling Houston Astros.
That’s why Cabrera’s two-run single felt like such a big hit. The White Sox hadn’t had a hit with a runner in scoring position all weekend against the Royals until he served a Yordano Ventura quick pitch into center to score Alex Avila and Austin Jackson.
“We needed to win this game,” Cabrera said through a translator.
Todd Frazier also showed signs of breaking out of his mini-slump, poking a solo home run into the right field Bullpen Sports Bar and picking up a single and a walk as well on Sunday. Struggling slugger Jose Abreu got the day off in an effort to get him to hit the reset button on a sub-optimal start to the season.
Things don’t get easier with the second-place Cleveland Indians coming to 35th and Shields for a four-game series starting with Monday’s straight doubleheader. The White Sox need a slumbering offense to wake up for good, and Ventura hoped Cabrera’s hit on Sunday could be the thing to jolt this offense awake.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Ignore the Rumors, Jimmy Butler Shouldn't Be Going Anywhere.
By Sean Highkin
(Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press)
Last July, when Jimmy Butler sat with Chicago Bulls brass in the event room at the United Center to announce a five-year, $92.3 million extension, nobody imagined we’d be here, with rumblings of a trade even a possibility.
After a breakout 2014-15 season where Butler won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award and established himself as the team’s best player at both ends of the floor, the notion that his long-term future in Chicago was even a discussion was ludicrous.
Yet, here we are.
The follow-up season couldn’t have gone much worse for the Bulls or Butler—the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and Butler missed a month with a knee injury while becoming a local lightning rod for his December comments that Fred Hoiberg needed to coach the team harder.
It all culminated in Bulls general manager Gar Forman declaring at a season-ending press conference that nothing was off the table, when asked specifically about the team’s commitment to Butler as the face of the franchise.
That's led to Butler’s name being thrown into this offseason’s pool of big-time stars who will constantly come up in trade rumors between now and next February’s trade deadline. As the Sacramento Bee's Aileen Voisin reported, DeMarcus Cousins is back on that list, and Paul George is a relative newcomer, according to Bill Simmons. But nobody saw Butler coming.
It all culminated in Bulls general manager Gar Forman declaring at a season-ending press conference that nothing was off the table, when asked specifically about the team’s commitment to Butler as the face of the franchise.
That's led to Butler’s name being thrown into this offseason’s pool of big-time stars who will constantly come up in trade rumors between now and next February’s trade deadline. As the Sacramento Bee's Aileen Voisin reported, DeMarcus Cousins is back on that list, and Paul George is a relative newcomer, according to Bill Simmons. But nobody saw Butler coming.
The reality is, it would be hard to justify the Bulls pulling the trigger on a Butler trade, regardless of management’s questions about his handling of the leadership role he’s been thrust into.
The Bulls figure to make major changes this summer to a roster that’s grown stale, but a 26-year-old All-Star who plays both sides of the ball and is under contract for three more years (plus a player option for a fourth) is not someone to get rid of just for change’s sake.
In recent weeks, the Bulls have made efforts to downplay their openness to moving Butler.
He put in an appearance at last week’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, making sure to be seen talking to Forman and Hoiberg. And the Bulls selected him to represent them at Tuesday’s draft lottery in New York—an olive branch of commitment after Forman’s end-of-season comments undoubtedly ruffled some feathers.
For his part, Butler told ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell this week that he fully expects to be in Chicago when training camp kicks off in October:
Yeah, I think so. I definitely do. I do think that with the year that we did have last season -- it's unacceptable. So you have to then, truth be told, you got to look at everything. I didn't do my job, so truth be told, can I help this team win? That's the question that's brought up. And I can't be mad at that. You can use whatever excuse you want to use, but we didn't make the playoffs. That's all anybody sees and that's rightfully so. So do I think I'm going to be here? Yeah, I think so. But that's just me thinking.
It’s unlikely the Bulls move Butler—they won’t get an offer that reflects his on-court value. He essentially has the opposite problem of polarizing backcourt mate Derrick Rose, who isn’t worth trading at this point because his health history and inconsistency have left him with little to no value on the market.
Butler is in the class that commands a major package of young players and future picks. He’d likely be the best player in any deal he’s involved in, so a team would have to blow the Bulls away with an offer just to get them to listen. There aren’t many teams with both the need for a star and the kind of package that could pique interest.
The Boston Celtics have been linked to Butler in the past, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, and they’re one of the few teams that fit the bill. They’re already a playoff team, but they lack the kind of first option that would vault them into the next tier of contenders.
They also have the most impressive collection of trade chips of any team in the league, including the No. 3 overall pick during next month’s draft, another future pick from the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets and a slew of useful young players on "good value" contracts, including Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart.
If he wanted to, Celtics GM Danny Ainge could put together a formidable package for Butler with some combination of those picks and players, and the Bulls would have to at least think about it. But since Butler is in the first part of a long-term deal, the Bulls are in no rush to move him, and there’s been no indication Ainge is willing to empty his war chest for him.
Vice president Jim Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak are entering the final season of a self-imposed three-year timeline to contend, and there could be pressure to land an established star to accelerate the rebuild.
They have plenty of assets to work with: They just landed the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft and have a promising group of young players, including D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson (the latter of whom would have to be signed and traded as a restricted free agent).
Russell would be particularly attractive to the Bulls, as he would give them a replacement point guard should they decide to move on from Rose when he hits free agency next summer. Still, it’s asking a lot for the Lakers to give up on the youth movement, especially just weeks after they hired 36-year-old Luke Walton as head coach.
There are pluses to L.A. making a potential trade for Butler, but it’s unlikely its willing to surrender the assets Chicago would want. All of which is why, whether or not it’s ideal for either side, the most likely outcome is Butler will be a Bull, at least for now.
The all-but-inevitable departures of veterans like Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah could make Butler's transition into a leadership role smoother, but he’ll have to learn to get on the same page with Hoiberg. It’s not going to be seamless, but until further notice, Butler is here to stay.
Another Point of View: Why Bulls need to move on from Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler backcourt.
By Kurt Helin
(Photo/Getty Images)
You can have a winning team where two guys believe they are the alpha on a team — so long as their games mesh. The natural, obvious examples are Shaq and Kobe Bryant, or Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
It has not worked with Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler in Chicago.
The relationship between the two is not the biggest problem — they get along better than Shaq and Kobe ever did — the issue is their games simply do not mesh. In a column calling for Bulls management to trade either Rose or Butler, the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson laid out why.
It has not worked with Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler in Chicago.
The relationship between the two is not the biggest problem — they get along better than Shaq and Kobe ever did — the issue is their games simply do not mesh. In a column calling for Bulls management to trade either Rose or Butler, the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson laid out why.
1) Neither possesses knockdown 3-point shooting ability to play well off one another. Both prefer to have the ball. Butler has added a screen-and-roll element to his game that nobody envisioned when he first came into the league.
2) This has little to do with whether Rose and Butler like each other or get along. Simply put, the two didn’t play well together consistently last season with the Bulls getting outscored by 3.5 points per 100 possessions when both were on the court. If left unaddressed, their uneasy alliance will continue to have a negative effect on the locker room….
3) Until utilizing them together in screen-and-roll plays more frequently down the stretch, (coach Fred) Hoiberg often called isolation plays for Rose or Butler. The other stood on the perimeter, where their respective 29.3 and 31.1 percent 3-point shooting struck little fear.
NBA teams cannot be constructed like a fantasy team, where collecting the most talent is all that matters — fit is crucial. Mental makeup of players matters. Chemistry is not simply a high school class.
The reality is both Butler and Rose likely are back with the Bulls next season. Rose would be hard to move; he has one year left on his contract at $21.7 million, and the Bulls would need to throw in a sweetener to get a team to take that on, and even then the return would not be great. Butler could bring real value, especially if the Bulls start to think longer-term rebuild, but Butler is the best player on this team and should be part of its future — why would they still be building around Rose? He’s not that player anymore, even as he shows flashes of good play it’s not the pre-injury Rose anymore.
Bulls management errs on the side of caution, so they likely do nothing.
There are no easy, clean, simple answers here for the Bulls. However, the Bulls have two players that think they are the top dog on this team, and these players do not fit well together. A change has to be made, one way or another. It’s become obvious, and it’s time.
Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Point Of View: Maybe we need to look at changes in the front office. We get a winning coach and he can't get along with the front office, we have talented players and their games don't mesh and they can't figure it out. We get a new coach and he tries to please everyone, (Players and front office), a sure way to failure. The players are at the point in their careers where their talent and experience should be able to propel them to the playoffs and to go deep into them. Injuries, yes all teams have injuries and the Bulls have had their fair share but something is truly amiss. Either they're the unluckiest team in the NBA or their players are not properly conditioned. I'm not speaking of loose elbows or the like, I'm talking about sore knees, ankles, shoulders and hamstrings. I know the schedules are tough but other teams do not seem to have the injuries the Bulls seem to have lately. I don't get it. I always think about the Jordan years; everyone wanted to play even when hurt or injured. Chicago is a proud city with a proud NBA tradition and devout fan loyalty. Bulls, you gotta do better than this. Get it together and let's go Bulls. Time to show what you're made of and what you're capable of doing. Let's get it done in 2016-17.
The Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Koepka falters in playoff as Garcia wins Byron Nelson for 2nd time.
By Ryan Ballengee
In case you've forgotten, this is a Ryder Cup year. So, it's through that lens that a partisan American golf fan has to be disappointed by what transpired on Sunday at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Sergio Garcia won the tournament in what can only be seen as a collapse by a pair of leading Americans who don't have their full games on form.
First, world No. 2 Jordan Spieth, with a game held together for the first three days by the glue of his remarkable ability to chip and putt, fell apart. He shot 4-over 74 to drop from solo second into a tie for 18th place.
Then, 54-hole leader Brooks Koepka, who also said Saturday he was struggling with his ballstriking, surrendered control of the tournament with shaky chipping and putting. He made consecutive bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 at TPC Four Seasons in Dallas, missing a 17-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole that could have salvaged the win. He missed, shooting 1-over 71, drawing into a playoff with Garcia, who shot 2-under 68 despite putting two balls in water hazards in a windy final round.
On the first and only playoff hole, Kopeka went first and pulled his tee shot into the water hazard guarding the left side of the 18th hole. Undaunted, Garcia also hit driver on an aggressive line that found dry land. After a drop, Koepka made an uninspired gouge at his third shot that came up 20 yards short of the target. Garcia found the green, made par and won the Nelson for the second time in his career, 12 years after his first win in a playoff.
Garcia now has as many PGA Tour wins -- nine -- as the late Seve Ballesteros, who until Sunday had the most among Spaniards. (Ballesteros did it in 151 starts, while Garcia did it in 301.)
For as disconcerting as the final round was for Spieth and Koepka, Americans dominated the top nine, with Matt Kuchar finishing alone in third at 14-under 266, one shot out of the playoff. Six players -- including five Americans -- finished tied for fourth: Colt Knost, Bud Cauley, Robert Garrigus, Spencer Levin, Charles Howell III and Aussie Tim Wilkinson.
Torrid close lifts McIlroy to Irish Open win.
By Will Gray
Rory McIlroy donated his winnings to his charity - The Rory Foundation - after ending his six-month wait for a tournament victory. (Photo/Golfchannel.com)
Rory McIlroy ended any discussion of a victory drought in emphatic fashion Sunday at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
Beginning the final round with a three-shot lead at the K Club, McIlroy briefly gave up the lead before rallying for a three-shot victory over Russell Knox and Bradley Dredge. It marked his first victory since winning the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in November.
McIlroy had been close in recent weeks, following a T-4 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship with a T-12 finish at The Players Championship. But the Ulsterman managed to put four rounds together this week in County Kildare, a victory that is all the more meaningful considering his charitable foundation was hosting the event for the second straight year.
"I don't really get emotional when I win, but I was holding back the tears there," McIlroy said. "To play like that and finish like that, with all of my friends and family watching, was just so special."
McIlroy appeared ready to cruise to victory entering the day, but he played his first 15 holes in even par amid multiple weather delays. That allowed Knox to catch and pass him, but McIlroy took the lead again with a two-shot swing on the par-5 16th.
McIlroy's drive found the center of the fairway, allowing him to hit what proved to be the pivotal shot of the tournament - a 3-wood from 271 yards that found the green on the fly. After a two-putt birdie, McIlroy regained an advantage he would not again relinquish, closing the tournament with an eagle after another fairway wood approach from 253 yards at No. 18 rolled to within 4 feet of the hole.
It's another close call for Knox, who finished T-2 last month at the RBC Heritage and contended last week at TPC Sawgrass before putting three balls into the water on No. 17 during his third round. His lone victory remains the WGC-HSBC Champions, which he won earlier this season.
Reigning Masters champ Danny Willett led after the opening round and began the final round in second place, but he struggled to a birdie-free 77 after playing his final five holes in 5 over par. He finished T-23, 11 shots behind McIlroy.
Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica 2016 Invitational Golf Tournament Invitation.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc.
And
AllsportsAmerica
Cordially invites you to participate in our 6th biennial CS&T/AA Invitational Golf Tournament. Our tournament is held every two years, the same year as the Ryder Cup. The date of this year's tournament is June 26th, 2016, and will be held at the Bloomingdale Golf Club, 181 Glen Ellyn Road, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1538, (located one block west of Medinah Country Club on Lake Street).
Our tournament starts at 11:00 AM and ends around 5:00 PM. Our field includes 40 players, (10 foursomes). This year's theme is as always, "Hot Fun in the Summertime". We are lining up our field now so that you will have plenty of time to hone your skills. The basic rules and awards are listed below. Many of you have played in our tournament before and we look forward to having you participate again. For those of you that have not, give it strong consideration because we guarantee you a terrific day of fun and a superb day of golf.
We look forward to having our five previous champions, Tim Norum, 2007; Takis Sarantos, 2008; Chuck Fricke, 2010; Dan Palicka, 2012; and repeat winner, Chuck Fricke, 2014, shooting for the championship. Not so fast fellas, there's a lot of talent playing this year and there's always room for a new winner. In our tournament, "Competition truly does breed excellence."
Left to right, Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Tournament winners, Tim Norum, 2007; Takis Sarantos, 2008; Chuck Fricke, 2010, 2014 and Dan Palicka, 2012. Will you be added to the winner's gallery in 2016?
This is our sixth tournament and the fee is the same as always, $115.00 and includes:
1) 18 Holes of Golf and Cart
2) A Sign-in Gift Pack
3) A Fantastic Bar-B-Que Rib & Chicken Dinner (Buffet) and
4) The Awards Ceremony
We award six trophies in our tournament. They are listed in the awards section below.
Bloomingdale Golf Club Scorecard, Bloomingdale, IL
Basic Rules
1) There is no such thing as a mulligan or give me putt. All shots count and all putts must hit the bottom of the cup.
2) The official tees are the white markers. Many players (better golfers) like to play from the blue markers (tips) and that's fine. There is no relief or handicap for playing from the tips. In an effort to keep pace and save time, we request that all four players in the group play from the same tee marker.
3) Each foursome must pick a player to keep score. The scorer must sign and attest to the scores. All scorecards must be turned in to the Pro Shop by the scorer at the completion of the round.
4) Ties: In the event of a tie for the low gross champion, the club pro will take the #1 handicap hole and compare the tied players' scores. The lowest score wins. If necessary he will use the #2 handicap hole and so on until the tie is broken.
5) For the Peoria Handicap Scoring System, the club pro will pick a par 3, par 4 and par 5 from the front and back nine holes. He will be the only person that will know which holes have been selected. Groups tee off and complete their rounds in the normal fashion with one exception; double par is the maximum (i.e., 8 is the maximum score on a par 4; This is used for PHSS scoring purposes only. You must still put your actual score on your scorecard.)
6) All players should be at the golf course no later than 20 minutes before your tee off time.
7) Last but not least, please stay focused, concentrate and play well. However, we do need your group to keep pace. Your round should not exceed 4 & 1/2 hours from the time you originally tee off.
17th Hole Green and 18th Hole Fairway at Bloomingdale Golf Club, Bloomingdale, IL
The awards are:
1) Lowest Gross Score: 1st Place CS&T/AA Low Gross Trophy, CS&T/AA Camouflage Jacket, a $50.00 Cash Award and an exemption for the 2016 tournament.
2) 2nd Place Lowest Gross Score: 2nd Place Trophy.
3) 3rd Place Lowest Gross Score: 3rd Place Trophy.
4) Lowest Net Score (Peoria Handicap Scoring System): 1st Place CS&T/AA Low Net Trophy and a $50.00 Cash Award. This scoring system will be calculated by the club pro at the Bloomingdale Golf Club.
5) 2nd Place Lowest Net Score (PHSS): 2nd Place Trophy.
6) 3rd Place Lowest Net Score (PHSS): 3rd Place Trophy.
7) Closest To The Pin Front Nine, (Hole to be selected); $25.00 Cash Award.
8) Longest Drive Front Nine, (Hole to be selected); $25.00 Cash Award.
9) Closest To The Pin Back Nine, (Hole to be selected); $25.00 Cash Award.
10) Longest Drive Back Nine, (Hole to be selected); $25.00 Cash Award.
We really want you to have a great time, test yourselves and your golfing skills. The day will be what you make of it, so enjoy your day of "Hot Fun in the Summertime."
Please let us know of your intentions. We will fill our tournament commitments by May 30, 2016. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us by email at chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com or by telephone at (630) 894-9076 (Office) or (312) 593-0928 (Cell).
*****************************************************************
You can pay by check or through Paypal.
To pay by Paypal:
Go to http://www.paypal.com/, hit make a payment prompt and send your payment to chgtrnsprt@aol.com. Please use the family and friends prompt so that you don't incur any additional charges. When we receive your payment, you will receive a confirmation from Paypal and Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica.
To pay by check, use the entry form below:
Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________
City:_____________________________ State:_______________________
Zip Code:____________
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"Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Golf Tournament."
116 Fairfield Way
Bloomingdale, IL 60108
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We really look forward to hearing from you and anxiously await your response.
Good luck and good golfing. Is this your year to win the legendary "Camouflage Jacket?"
Scenic View and Sand Traps at Bloomingdale Golf Club, Bloomingdale, IL
Good luck and good golfing,
Marion P. Jelks
CS&T/AA 2016 Golf Tournament Chairman
NASCAR: Joey Logano wins bizarre All-Star Race with pass of Kyle Larson.
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Joey Logano is an All-Star Race winner, but his victory may not be the thing NASCAR fans remember most about Saturday night's exhibition race.
Instead, the memories could be of the various comments from drivers about the way NASCAR officiated the race, which had a new format designed to produce a great finish.
And the format came through, although it didn't go as planned. Logano ran down Kyle Larson over the race's final 10 laps and made the pass with two laps to go as the two drivers went into turns 1 and 2. Logano was on the low side of Larson and as the driver of the No. 42 kept Logano pinched down on the bottom, his car slid up the track and slammed the wall.
The impact paved the way for Logano to take the checkered flag ahead of teammate Brad Keselowski, the driver who helped inspire the format for the race.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third, and perhaps had the best summation of the night's craziness after he climbed out of his car.
"Lap down cars were pitting with lead lap cars," Junior said. "Wave-around cars were up front and in the middle, but NASCAR did a good job of sorting the lineups out. Everybody was where they were supposed to be when we went back green so I can't complain. They were just doing it unlike any other way I'd seen them do it before.
"I'm sure they ran into some scenarios tonight that they weren't anticipating. That was probably part of it."
"It’s the most screwed-up All-Star Race I’ve ever been a part of. I’m glad this is the last one," Stewart said after he crashed out of the second segment.
Mind you, Stewart – who missed the first part of the season because of a back injury – was the race's grand marshal and gave the command for drivers to start their engines.
"I’m alright, except I’m just madder than hell because I don’t understand how in the hell they’ve officiated this whole thing from start to finish."
Those scenarios Junior mentioned happened in the first segment of the race. Teams were forced to make at least a two-tire pit stop under green during the race's first 50 laps. Many cars elected to pit at around the halfway point of the segment while others waited until the end.
Matt Kenseth waited too long. He was the last driver to be called to pit road and didn't make it in time as Jamie McMurray spun with four laps to go in the segment while the rest of the drivers who hadn't pitted were already on pit road.
The caution flag meant the segment ended under yellow and since Kenseth didn't pit under green, he was penalized a lap by the rules of the race.
To make matters even more complicated, the combination of Kenseth staying out on the track too long and the drivers on pit road as the caution flew meant a scoring fiasco for NASCAR as it sorted out which cars were on the lead lap and which cars were a lap down to Kenseth and possibly the other cars who were on pit road at the time of the caution.
The scoring confusion is the only explanation for the craziness that ensued. NASCAR let everyone pit at the same time during the mandatory pit stop between segments one and two (usually the cars a lap down pit after the cars on the lead lap) and the scoring situation wasn't officially figured out until the green flag flew for segment two – and after the cars were all checked to see if the lug nuts were tight.
NASCAR Vice President Scott Miller called Kenseth's scenario "unique" and admitted that NASCAR didn't have an immediate way to balance out the the rest of the field's positions relative to each other based off his running position before the penalty.
"Hindsight is really easy ... we didn't really have a mechanism to do that in our race procedures," Miller said (via Jeff Gluck's Periscope).
Here's how that confusion looked on Twitter.
"From @RyanJNewman: "EIRI, right? We're the only people I know that droop their pants around their own ankles and then try to run." #nascar"
Nate Ryan @nateryan
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Dale Jr speaks for the people: "This race reminds me of the first time I tried to fly a remote control helicopter - no idea what's going on"
Jenna Fryer #JennaFryer
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Tony Stewart: "This makes no f***ing sense to me where we're supposed to be right now."
Jordan Bianchi @Jordan_Bianchi
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Kenseth "It's unbelievable they're bringing us down to check lug nuts, that's like the NFL calling TO's checking shoelaces" #NASCAR #AskMRN
Tyler Burnett @_ TylerBurnett
The race was reformatted with the goal of building to a thrilling finish. The first two segments each had mandatory green flag pit stops and the final 13-lap segment of the race was preceded by a mandatory pit stop for some of the race leaders.
However, the number of leaders forced to pit wasn't known until after the conclusion of the second pit stop when Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen chose an envelope with "11" in it, meaning that the top 11 cars were forced to make a pit stop. Before making the choice of envelopes, Olsen himself admitted that he didn't know what was going on either. So the confusion clearly wasn't limited to those in the cockpits of the cars.
The idea behind the draw was to prevent drivers from racing for a specific position in the middle of the field to not have to pit and to create a thrilling finish by forcing the best cars with the freshest tires to pass a lot of cars in a limited number of laps.
While a great idea in theory, it didn't work out that way because the previous chaos left just 14 cars on the lead lap. And to cap it all off, the driver who restarted first (Jimmie Johnson) likely played a strategy to finish the second segment in 12th and the driver who restarted second (Kyle Busch) was caught for speeding on pit road during the second segment.
Neither driver played a role in the final outcome though. Larson, who restarted third, had the lead off turn 2 on the first lap of the final segment.
Despite the nuttiness – which snowballed when Kenseth's penalty got combined with abnormal officiating – the format itself wasn't a disaster. Had McMurray not spun, there's probably minimal complaints. Anyway, the absurdity was certainly entertaining and the last segment featured a pass for the lead in the waning laps.
That pass just didn't happened the way we all envisioned it would. And that's OK. There's no need to lambast Keselowski's idea. This is NASCAR, after all. The sport where the wackiest and most bizarre scenarios almost always seem to come true.
Crafton beats Busch, wins 2nd straight Truck Series race.
By Steve Reed
Now that he has won back-to-back Trucks Series races for the first time in his career, Matt Crafton is hoping for more.
Crafton beat Kyle Busch by a convincing margin at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, setting him up for a huge season.
''It feels very good,'' Crafton said. ''Sometime brought that to my attention last week that we hadn't won two in a row. It feels very, very sweet to say we have done it back-to-back. Now maybe we can go for three.''
After winning last week at Dover, the 39-year-old Crafton was strong again leading 47 of 134 laps while adding to his series points lead.
Crafton said his car was ''unbelievable'' from the first lap and only needed tire adjustments throughout the race.
He has experienced plenty of success on 1.5-mile race tracks, winning five of his last 11 races on the longer courses.
Busch finished second, while Johnny Sauter was third. Tyler Reddick finished fourth and Matt Tifft finished in fifth place after starting 18th.
Beating Busch in a Trucks Series race at CMS is no easy task.
Busch had won the last four Trucks Series races he'd entered here, but the veteran couldn't overcome a costly penalty for an uncontrolled tire on lap 70 that forced him to the back of the field. As Busch pitted, a loose tire rolled out of his pit box, causing the penalty.
Busch, who led 27 laps, said he thought he could have overcome the penalty had it not been for something breaking on the right front of his car.
''The truck was OK early on,'' Busch said. ''Once we got back in traffic after the penalty it was just super, super tight.''
WHO'S HOT: Over the past three races, Crafton has two firsts and a second, putting him in great position heading into the middle of the season.
WHO'S NOT: Andy Seuss qualified last and was also the first car off the track, completing just 20 laps before a crash.
COSTLY GAMBLE: Daniel Suarez tried to stay on the track near the end of the race to catch Crafton when he pitted with 11 laps to go, but ran out of gas with a few laps to go and finished 23rd.
Sauter employed the same strategy and managed to make it to the finish line, but simply couldn't go fast enough to hold off Crafton in the final laps while trying to go slow to conserve gas mileage.
FIRST TOP FIVE: Tifft was pleased with his first career top-five finish in the Trucks Series. ''We have had really fast trucks but this was the first time we were able to finish out a race,'' Tifft said.
Things are looking up for Tifft, who was recently named to NASCAR's ''Next'' class. ''It's a big deal and will create more of a brand and get our name out there more,'' Tifft said.
GRADUATION TIME: Pole sitter William Byron, a Charlotte-area high school student who is scheduled to graduate next week, led the first 25 laps but then tailed off after a pit stop and never seriously challenged again. He finished 10th.
UP NEXT: Texas Motor Speedway, June 2. Matt Crafton is the defending race winner.
WHO'S HOT: Over the past three races, Crafton has two firsts and a second, putting him in great position heading into the middle of the season.
WHO'S NOT: Andy Seuss qualified last and was also the first car off the track, completing just 20 laps before a crash.
COSTLY GAMBLE: Daniel Suarez tried to stay on the track near the end of the race to catch Crafton when he pitted with 11 laps to go, but ran out of gas with a few laps to go and finished 23rd.
Sauter employed the same strategy and managed to make it to the finish line, but simply couldn't go fast enough to hold off Crafton in the final laps while trying to go slow to conserve gas mileage.
FIRST TOP FIVE: Tifft was pleased with his first career top-five finish in the Trucks Series. ''We have had really fast trucks but this was the first time we were able to finish out a race,'' Tifft said.
Things are looking up for Tifft, who was recently named to NASCAR's ''Next'' class. ''It's a big deal and will create more of a brand and get our name out there more,'' Tifft said.
GRADUATION TIME: Pole sitter William Byron, a Charlotte-area high school student who is scheduled to graduate next week, led the first 25 laps but then tailed off after a pit stop and never seriously challenged again. He finished 10th.
UP NEXT: Texas Motor Speedway, June 2. Matt Crafton is the defending race winner.
SOCCER: Arturo Alvarez's early goal snaps Fire's skid.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Fire got a welcome return home and a desperately needed three points on Saturday.
The Fire snapped a three-game losing streak, all of which came on the road, and a six-match winless streak in a 1-0 win against Houston at Toyota Park.
Arturo Alvarez's goal in the third minute, which was his first for the Fire (2-5-4, 10 points), was the difference.
It didn't take long for the fireworks to start. Will Bruin nearly scored for Houston (3-7-2, 11 points) in the second minute, but a clear handball by Giles Barnes waved off the goal. Soon after Gilberto lofted a ball into the box towards Arturo Alvarez, who got behind DaMarcus Beasley and redirected it past Tyler Deric with one touch.
The Fire snapped a three-game losing streak, all of which came on the road, and a six-match winless streak in a 1-0 win against Houston at Toyota Park.
Arturo Alvarez's goal in the third minute, which was his first for the Fire (2-5-4, 10 points), was the difference.
It didn't take long for the fireworks to start. Will Bruin nearly scored for Houston (3-7-2, 11 points) in the second minute, but a clear handball by Giles Barnes waved off the goal. Soon after Gilberto lofted a ball into the box towards Arturo Alvarez, who got behind DaMarcus Beasley and redirected it past Tyler Deric with one touch.
“I knew he was ready to make a cross," Alvarez said of Gilberto. "I felt like maybe if I can sneak in there maybe the ball would bounce and beat Beasley. It did. Sometimes you just guess and it kind of falls through.”
Beasley, a former member of the Fire, made a couple uncharacteristic mistakes early was subbed off in the 13th minute. He was trying to play through an illness, but was unable to continue.
The win came at the end of a stretch of four games in 11 days for the Fire. The first three were all losses on the road.
"It hasn’t been an easy two weeks," Alvarez said. "Four games in two weeks, a lot of traveling, but I think the group showed good character."
In addition to the assist Gilberto totaled eight shots, including two on goal that forced impressive saves by Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric. Even in the absence of David Accam, who was suspended, this was one of the Fire's best games of the season in terms of generating chances and shots on goal. Gilberto, who has yet to score this season, has been a part of the problem, but contributed to the Fire's win on Saturday.
"I think he deserved to score today, not only because he had those chances, but he played for the team," Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said of Gilberto. "He was generous with teammates and he was close. We just encourage him to keep on working hard and keep on working for the team, supporting and leading the team into attack and in defense.”
The Fire still had just 37 percent of the possession against a Houston team which prefers to play longball. The Dynamo are just one spot ahead of the Fire in the league in terms of possession, 19th out of 20 teams. However, the Fire held the edge in shots at 20-10 and 7-3 in terms of shots on target.
Houston is now 0-6 on the road this season.
Paunovic made five changes to the Fire's lineup from Wednesday's loss at the New York Red Bulls, including the entire midfield. Matt Polster returned after being rested Wednesday and played alongside Michael Stephens and Nick LaBrocca. Alvarez also returned in place of Joey Calistri and Gilberto took Accam's spot.
The Fire are home again next Saturday when they take on the defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers.
The win came at the end of a stretch of four games in 11 days for the Fire. The first three were all losses on the road.
"It hasn’t been an easy two weeks," Alvarez said. "Four games in two weeks, a lot of traveling, but I think the group showed good character."
In addition to the assist Gilberto totaled eight shots, including two on goal that forced impressive saves by Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric. Even in the absence of David Accam, who was suspended, this was one of the Fire's best games of the season in terms of generating chances and shots on goal. Gilberto, who has yet to score this season, has been a part of the problem, but contributed to the Fire's win on Saturday.
"I think he deserved to score today, not only because he had those chances, but he played for the team," Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said of Gilberto. "He was generous with teammates and he was close. We just encourage him to keep on working hard and keep on working for the team, supporting and leading the team into attack and in defense.”
The Fire still had just 37 percent of the possession against a Houston team which prefers to play longball. The Dynamo are just one spot ahead of the Fire in the league in terms of possession, 19th out of 20 teams. However, the Fire held the edge in shots at 20-10 and 7-3 in terms of shots on target.
Houston is now 0-6 on the road this season.
Paunovic made five changes to the Fire's lineup from Wednesday's loss at the New York Red Bulls, including the entire midfield. Matt Polster returned after being rested Wednesday and played alongside Michael Stephens and Nick LaBrocca. Alvarez also returned in place of Joey Calistri and Gilberto took Accam's spot.
The Fire are home again next Saturday when they take on the defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers.
Klinsmann chooses his 23-man USMNT roster for Copa America Centenario.
By Leander Schaerlaeckens
(Photo/yahoo.com)
United States men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has selected the 23 men who will do battle with the rest of the Americas in the upcoming Copa America Centenario, announcing his final roster on Saturday.
The German picked a balanced squad for the biggest soccer tournament to be held stateside since the 1994 World Cup, blending veterans with up-and-coming players. Eight players on the roster are 30 or older – although two of those are goalkeepers – including midfield veterans Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones, who are both 34, and forwards Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski, both 33. Yet nine are 25 or younger, the most notable being 17-year-old Borrusia Dortmund Phenom Christian Pulisic.
Of the 23 players on the roster, 15 also appeared at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and 18 have already played in qualifiers for the next World Cup. The squad has an average of 37 caps – five have 50 or more and five have five or fewer.
"This roster really was put together based on what we saw over the last year, and it's one that makes us the strongest team possible to compete in Copa America and to hopefully surprise a lot of people," Klinsmann said in a statement. "We feel that these 23 going into the very special Copa America, they really deserved to be there. Obviously when you get down and you decide on the final 23-man roster, there are very close, tight decisions to make. The moment when you decide, it's about definitely who you feel the strongest about."
The fairly large number of young and more inexperienced players, however, suggests that Klinsmann also attempted to find middle ground between immediate results and preparation for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
His decision-making process was complicated by yet another hamstring injury to striker Jozy Altidore – whose 2014 World Cup and 2011 and 2015 Gold Cups were cut short by the same injury. That meant Klinsmann had to find a new target striker, or at least someone who could elongate the field, from a band of alternatives that didn't lack for speed but was short on brawn.
That likely made him decide to call in Wondolowski, a seasoned MLS goal poacher for the San Jose Earthquakes. But his inclusion came at the expense of the scintillating Jordan Morris, a 21-year-old speedster whose ascent from Stanford's college side to the senior national team ranks was meteoric.
"There are always some 50-50 moments," Klinsmann told FOX Sports 1. "It came a little bit down to Wondo or Jordan. We decided in this moment now to go with Wondo. He's in top form, scoring a lot of goals with the Earthquakes."
The only other surprise was the inclusion of midfielder Perry Kitchen, whose good performances in Scotland since his move to Hearts won him a job as an understudy among the defensive midfielders.
"We will go with Brad Guzan as our No. 1 in Copa America," Klinsmann told FOX. "It's important that both goalkeepers know what is the ranking now, today."
The U.S. will play three tune-up friendlies before beginning the tournament. On Sunday, it faces Puerto Rico for the first time ever, in Bayamon – albeit with a partial squad and some place-holder players. On Wednesday, the Americans face Ecuador with a full squad in Frisco, Texas. And next Saturday, Klinsmann's men complete their preparations against Bolivia in Kansas City.
Then the Yanks kick off their group stage against Colombia in Santa Clara, Calif. on June 3, followed by Costa Rica in Chicago on June 7 and Paraguay in Philadelphia on June 11. Should the U.S. be one of the two teams to reach the quarterfinals from their stacked Group A, it will cross over with group B – either in Seattle on June 16 or in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 17 – depending on placement.
Below is the full 23-man USMNT roster.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Ethan Horvath (Molde IK)
DEFENDERS (8): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
FORWARDS (4): Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy).
UPDATE: Puerto Rico 1-3 USMNT: Arriola scores on debut.
By Nicholas Mendola
Klinsmann also announced that he would not be alternating Tim Howard with Brad Guzan in goal any longer. Neither man had a particularly convincing season with their English clubs. Howard lost his starting job with Everton, inducing his move back to MLS this summer with the Colorado Rapids. And Guzan reclaimed his position with Aston Villa but couldn't save his side from relegation.
"We will go with Brad Guzan as our No. 1 in Copa America," Klinsmann told FOX. "It's important that both goalkeepers know what is the ranking now, today."
The U.S. will play three tune-up friendlies before beginning the tournament. On Sunday, it faces Puerto Rico for the first time ever, in Bayamon – albeit with a partial squad and some place-holder players. On Wednesday, the Americans face Ecuador with a full squad in Frisco, Texas. And next Saturday, Klinsmann's men complete their preparations against Bolivia in Kansas City.
Then the Yanks kick off their group stage against Colombia in Santa Clara, Calif. on June 3, followed by Costa Rica in Chicago on June 7 and Paraguay in Philadelphia on June 11. Should the U.S. be one of the two teams to reach the quarterfinals from their stacked Group A, it will cross over with group B – either in Seattle on June 16 or in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 17 – depending on placement.
Below is the full 23-man USMNT roster.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Ethan Horvath (Molde IK)
DEFENDERS (8): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City).
FORWARDS (4): Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy).
UPDATE: Puerto Rico 1-3 USMNT: Arriola scores on debut.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/@USSoccer)
For Arriola, it was a goal on debut. He also added in assist in the first ever match-up between the national teams.
The unfamiliarity was clear from the kickoff as the U.S. possessed well but struggled to provide real danger until the 14th minute, when Michael Orozco couldn’t get on the end of Alejandro Bedoya free kick.
The Yanks broke through five minutes later when Alfredo Morales curled a shot on goal and Ream was on the end of a parried rebound.
Wood made it 2-0 in the 34th minute with a hard-nosed, confident dribble that avoided a slide tackle and a tug on the back to push a ball past Matthew Sanchez (Loyola Greyhounds).
Puerto Rico grabbed a goal through Florida International attacker Luis Betancur, who was on the end of the third pass after a poor U.S. giveaway. He hit a left-footed ball over Guzan. Betancur scored nine goals for FIU as a junior.
It should’ve been 2-2 when Ream and Alfredo Morales lost track of Joseph Marrero, who hammered Alexis Rivera’s left-footed cross a sliver wide of the far post.
Bedoya helped restore the two-goal advantage when he chipped a pass across the six from the right for Arriola to tap into a yawning net. 3-1.
Manolo Sanchez forced Tim Howard into a diving stop in the 73rd minute, the first real action for the USMNT’s current No. 2 keeper. At the other end, Matthew Sanchez stopped Morales’ hard shot.
Julian Green stung a shot off Matthew Sanchez’s hands in the 77th minute, as the U.S. sought a fourth goal.
USMNT: Guzan (Howard, HT); Yedlin, Brooks (Miazga, HT), Orozco, Ream (Lichaj, 63′); Kitchen (Hyndman, HT), Morales, Williams, Bedoya (Green, 63′); Wood (Picault, 71′), Arriola.
Van Gaal says “It’s over” at Manchester United.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Louis Van Gaal‘s last act as Manchester United manager was leading the 10-man Red Devils to their first FA Cup since 2004.
It’s been widely reported that LVG was out since the end of Saturday’s extra time win over Crystal Palace at Wembley, and the manager told supporters “It’s over” while leaving the team hotel on Sunday.
Reports that Jose Mourinho will manage at Old Trafford have been ever-present since the start of 2016, and again came to the forefront after the match Saturday.
From Sky Sports:
Sky Sports News HQ‘s James Cooper wished Van Gaal good luck to which he replied: “No, no – it’s over.”The report says United is angry that the reports are overshadowing the FA Cup win.
NCAAFB: Northwestern football hopes to return to Wrigley Field soon.
By Kevin McGuire
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
By most accounts, the meeting between Northwestern and Illinois in historic Wrigley Field was either a home run buzz event or a sacrifice fly due to having to play by adjusted Wrigley Field rules. No matter the downsides to take from that unique matchup between the Wildcats and Illini in 2010, Northwestern wants to make it happen again soon.
Teddy Greenstein of The Chicago Tribune spoke with Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips this week about the possibility of returning to Wrigley, and he seems optimistic it will happen again. The question is when it may be possible to set another game in stone to be played in the aging baseball venue.
“We’re anxious to get something done,” Phillips said. “I’m close with those guys. I talk to (Cubs Chairman) Tom (Ricketts) all the time. Everyone is motivated to do it. It’s really on their timeline.”
As noted by Greenstein in his original report, Northwestern and the Cubs previously agreed to stage five football game sin Wrigley Field in 2013, but no definite dates were set with that original agreement. The Cubs know they would have to make some adjustments in order to make college football a more enjoyable experience, having learned the lessons of what is and what is not working a few years ago.
“We would move the dugout top, and that would allow us to put a 12-foot perimeter around the whole field,” Cubs president Crane Kenney said in 2013. That would certainly be a good place to start, and perhaps would help eliminate the need for both teams to play going the same way on the field in the future, as they did in 2010.
Northwestern and Illinois played each other in Soldier Field last fall, and will do so again in the more traditional football stadium in 2017 and 2019. These are home games for the Illini, who just hired former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith this offseason.
NCAABKB: Big Ten coaches are vexed by spate of transfers.
By Mark Snyder
MSU coach Tom Izzo lost two transfers this off-season, including forward Marvin Clark Jr.(Photo: Mike Carter, USA TODAY Sports)
Michigan basketball coach John Beilein is stuck in the middle of a transfer storm.
Beilein lost four players this off-season — including one, grad transfer Spike Albrecht, to conference foe Purdue — and was called out after imposing transfer restrictions on Albrecht and Ricky Doyle.
He shared his opinions on transfers with his colleagues at the Big Ten basketball coaches meetings last week.
“We all feel very strongly that there’s issues with the transfers and we’re all trying to find (a solution),” he said Tuesday at the Big Ten conference offices. “Every situation’s unique, and we’re … saying the solutions are varied, but let’s keep putting ideas out there to make us better. It’s everywhere in men’s basketball. You couple that with NBA attrition, and sometimes it’s hard for coaches to build programs because they’re patching tires.”
He knows better than anyone after losing five players early to the NBA in 2013 and 2014 and now four transfers in 2016 after a logjam in his junior class.
Beilein remained diplomatic and did not share any of the transfer proposals.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said about the meetings’ most popular topic: “The first amendment from everybody’s perspective was fully invoked on that subject.”
That’s because nearly every Big Ten coach has felt burned by transfers’ freedom more often than they’ve felt the benefit.Michigan basketball coach John Beilein is stuck in the middle of a transfer storm.
Beilein lost four players this off-season — including one, grad transfer Spike Albrecht, to conference foe Purdue — and was called out after imposing transfer restrictions on Albrecht and Ricky Doyle.
He shared his opinions on transfers with his colleagues at the Big Ten basketball coaches meetings last week.
“We all feel very strongly that there’s issues with the transfers and we’re all trying to find (a solution),” he said Tuesday at the Big Ten conference offices. “Every situation’s unique, and we’re … saying the solutions are varied, but let’s keep putting ideas out there to make us better. It’s everywhere in men’s basketball. You couple that with NBA attrition, and sometimes it’s hard for coaches to build programs because they’re patching tires.”
He knows better than anyone after losing five players early to the NBA in 2013 and 2014 and now four transfers in 2016 after a logjam in his junior class.
Beilein remained diplomatic and did not share any of the transfer proposals.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said about the meetings’ most popular topic: “The first amendment from everybody’s perspective was fully invoked on that subject.”
“When I hear guys talking on TV and saying they should be able to do this and they should be able to do that, then when I ask them would you let your kids do this or that? Well, no,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “And that’s where I think sometimes we get in the crossfire. At 17, 18 you don’t know everything. I didn’t know everything at 40. I sure don’t know everything at 60. But you have better resources, you have better people around you, you have a better idea, you have better experience, and I don’t know what’s better yet. … The grass isn’t always greener.”
Izzo lost two transfers this off-season — guard Javon Bess and forward Marvin Clark Jr. who, like three of Beilein’s players, left with multiple years remaining.
Although that opens up scholarships, it happens in the spring, so coaches have to scramble to fill spots with late offers or ride out the next season with a shortened roster.
“You’ve just got to build your program, build your program and when you have transfers, you’ve just got to adjust,” Beilein said.
Though he would like to encourage players to stick it out — “fighting through adversity and sustaining the difficulties everyone has in life is the best way to go about it,” he said — Beilein understands that doesn’t work for everyone.
“Whatever’s best for the student-athlete, that’s what you want to do,” he said.
His athletic director at U-M, Warde Manuel, pointed out that the academic results are better for players who stay at the same school.
One relatively simple plan, especially to reduce the graduate transfer epidemic, is to make the year-in-residence rule absolute.
No waivers where players can be immediately eligible. If they really want that graduate degree, they would sit a year in a two-year grad program. Or if they can’t claim hardship (sick family member, etc.) and play right away elsewhere, maybe they’ll think twice about transferring.
Delany expects transfers will be a major topic at the NCAA autonomy conference next January.
“We’re going to have to mediate the differences and perspectives by coaches, students and find the sweet spot,” he said. “There’s balance between the interest of the student, the interest of the team and the interest of the institution. I don’t know where that sweet spot is. The answer is it probably sort of depends. We’re definitely moving towards more flexibility. But I don’t know that it will ever be a uniform rule that covers all situations.”
Including scholarship and non-scholarship players under the same transfer rules makes no sense, Delany pointed out. And though the undergrad and grad rules are different in terms of eligibility, at least in the Big Ten, the grad transfers have an easier time getting waivers even when moving within the conference.
Beilein knows that better than anyone. He told Albrecht and Max Bielfeldt (who went to Indiana last year) he didn’t have room for them and they went to Big Ten rivals.
When pressed if he would take a transfer from within the conference, Beilein proceeded cautiously: “If it was a situation where I had great dialogue with the other coach and I knew a lot about the situation, I would entertain that.”
Nebraska’s Tim Miles said there was no resentment in the coaches’ room at the Big Ten meetings, even after this has happened to Beilein twice.
If Beilein had any issue with Purdue’s Matt Painter taking Albrecht, it wasn’t apparent when the two coaches sat together at the NBA draft combine earlier this month. A day after the Albrecht transfer was officially announced, Painter said it was a comfortable fit.
Painter was simply working within the rules and has been looking each spring for a boost in recent years.
“It’s one of those situations if you don’t take him, you’re just going to play against him,” Painter said. “So I dive more into the situation, find somebody who fits in our program and I obviously felt that he fit.”
Painter said he expected Albrecht to visit other places, but that never materialized as Albrecht embraced the Boilermakers. It was also a chance for Painter to correct a mistake he made by not offering Albrecht, who lived an hour from Purdue’s campus, when he was in high school.
“The reason I took P.J. Thompson (later) was because of Spike,” he said. “If you look at them, neither one of them passes the look test, but they just help you win. They’re great pieces to your team. They’ve got toughness, they’ve got intelligence, they want to win, they grew up in basketball environments. For us, we’ve had fifth-year point guards. We have a system in place where you can get your master’s degree in a year, two summer schools and two semesters.
“It’s just something that really fit.”
Concerns remain about grad transfers not finishing their master’s degrees — Northwestern coach Chris Collins said about 25% finish and there’s no school penalty on the APR for that — as well as about smaller schools losing their better players to bigger schools for a graduate year.
“We’re all using it, but it doesn’t mean we like the rule,” Collins said. “That’s the way the rule is set up now. I don’t think we’re being hypocritical. What we’re saying is, I don’t think anyone likes the fact that there’s three and four guys every year leaving every team, which is creating a vicious cycle.”
"Indianapolis 500": Hinchcliffe captures pole for 100th Indy 500.
By Tony DiZinno
(Photo/IndyCar)
James Hinchcliffe has won the pole position for the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, following a four-lap average of 230.760 mph in the Fast Nine Shootout.
It’s a dream story with Hinchcliffe in the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda edging Josef Newgarden, who had been on the pole, in the No. 21 Preferred Freezer Chevrolet. Newagrden had clocked in at 230.700 mph.
Hinchcliffe is the second Canadian on pole for the race, the first since Alex Tagliani, also for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, in 2011. The pole is also the first for Honda since Houston, race one, 2014, achieved by Simon Pagenaud.
It is also his first career pole in the Verizon IndyCar Series. He’s the first driver to do that at Indy since the late Scott Brayton in 1995.
“I came into this month really hoping we’d have a new story to talk about after what happened last year and I think we did it. I can’t believe it. I’m honestly at a loss for words, which is rare for me,” Hinchcliffe told ABC’s Rick DeBruhl.
“The Arrow Electronics car was just an absolute smoke show out there. It was right on the edge. Sam Schmidt and Rick Peterson giving me this car and giving me the car to do it. … Three Schmidt Peterson cars in the top-10, that’s incredible. And now we have the best eat in the house for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.
“It’s crazy (that he has the chance to win). Obviously, this race is always more pressure and focus than anywhere else. And this being the 100th, there’s more tension as well. But obviously we have done something right with this team and it’s great to be able to stand here with this great group of guys.
“It’s a long race. 10 miles is one thing – you have to hold your breath for that whole thing. But 500 miles is a different deal. You have to be patient, know when to breath, when to push, when to relax. But we’ve got a good starting spot, the best starting spot and we can go from there.”
With the final run of the Fast Nine Shootout, Hinchcliffe edged Newgarden. Newgarden had a faster single lap of 231.551 mph but Hinchcliffe had the better four-lap average – only just.
It creates a remarkable story, Hinchcliffe back in the race that he missed last year owing to his huge accident in practice. That being said the performance of the team – led by engineer Allen McDonald – has been the storyline. Hinchcliffe is one of three SPM car in the top 10 with Mikhail Aleshin in seventh and Oriol Servia in 10th.
Additionally, team co-owner Sam Schmidt took laps at more than 100 mph earlier in his ARROW-designed modified Corvette, and the result mirrors Tagliani’s pole five years to the day.
“Unbelievable. Five years to the day that we did this with Alex Tagliani,” he told ABC’s Jon Beekhuis. “The 100th running, we’ve put effort into this since last September. It’s been an all-out team effort. My God, all three cars in the top 10. Just an incredible overall team effort. I’m almost as speechless as I was when I got out of the Corvette today. Great day.”
“It doesn’t matter what the roof is, it’s what’s under the roof. And we have really, really incredible team members. Oriol is with us for just this month, he said ‘You have built the most amazing team’ and he’s been with some heavy hitters. They have a lot of heart and God Bless America, this is fantastic.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 winner, has another front row start in the Indianapolis 500 of third in 2012. He won from 19th in 2014.
Townsend Bell was the second of the three Andretti Autosport cars in the Fast Nine, ahead of Carlos Munoz in fifth and Will Power in sixth. Bell matches his career-best start in the race, also achieved in 2011.
With Power not even on the front row, it ends Team Penske’s pole streak this season, just as this race did last year when Scott Dixon was on pole.
Aleshin, points leader Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves, the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, completed the Fast Nine.
The Fast Nine speeds are below:
GROUP 1 QUALIFYING
Prior to the Fast Nine Shootout, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports also led the runners from 10-33. Oriol Servia bounced back nicely in the No. 77 Lucas Oil Special Honda, the SPM with Marotti Racing entry, after ending 24th in Saturday’s first day of running, and he’ll complete the top 10.
Servia will start alongside rookie Alexander Rossi in his No. 98 NAPA Auto Parts/Curb Honda and Takuma Sato, in his No. 14 ABC Supply Co. Honda, in Row 4.
Row 5 will feature Scott Dixon, Marco Andretti and JR Hildebrand – Dixon’s team having completed a Herculean effort to get his No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet out for qualifying after changing its engine in just over an hour.
The most bizarre moment of Group 1 occurred for Juan Pablo Montoya, in his No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, after an errant trash bag found its way beneath his chassis through Turn 3. Yes, seriously, because it seems that between jet driers and trash bags, Montoya has an affinity for hitting weird objects.
The bag flew down entering Turn 3 and affected the underbody downforce and front wing of his car; Montoya’s laps were then shot in his first attempt.
After laps of 229.197 and 228.796 mph to start the run, Montoya’s laps fell to 210.972 and 191.546, respectively, with a wounded car. That knocked his average to 213.968 mph.
INDYCAR officials granted Montoya a second run as a yellow flag for debris should have been called. On the rebound run, Montoya qualified with a 227.684 mph speed, and he’ll start 17th – two spots worse than he did last year when he won.
“(The bag) cut the front wing and scared the hell out of me,” Montoya told ABC’s Rick DeBruhl. “Something got bent on the wing. I lost the aero balance. It is what it is. We had a car to be fastest in the group.”
Montoya will be sandwiched between two more Chip Ganassi Racing entries, with Charlie Kimball and Tony Kanaan either side of him on Row 6.
Others of note in this group included all of Gabby Chaves, Max Chilton and Pippa Mann, who completed runs after not having a time stand on Saturday. Chaves and Chilton will start 21st and 22nd, Mann 25th.
Graham Rahal struggled through to 26th and was frustrated about the number of points he’ll lose. That being said, he’s come through the field here before – his best Indy finish of third in 2011 came after starting 29th.
Jack Hawksworth, Buddy Lazier and Alex Tagliani will share the final row. Tagliani crashed on his qualifying attempt exiting Turn 4.
“It really caught me off guard because (the spin) really happened late into the corner – like almost at the exit of Turn 4. I was really almost at the straightaway and that’s why I got caught because normally when I get loose early on I have a chance to catch it,” he said.
Speeds from 10-33 are below.
Here’s updated standings after Indy 500 qualifying points earned.
By Tony DiZinno
Here’s the starting lineup for next Sunday’s historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, as well as the qualifying points each driver earned.
We’ll add that total to their numbers for the season and list the points as they run, now, heading into next Sunday’s race.
Juan Pablo Montoya getting an extra run helped save him 15 points, earning 17 for the day for starting 17th instead of 2 for starting 32nd.
Meanwhile Graham Rahal had a tough one from a qualifying standpoint. Starting 26th means he’ll only earn 8 points.
Provided the grid doesn’t change (the last row changed entirely last year), here’s how the points will shake out:
Unofficial starting grid:
Pos Car # Engine Driver Avg S Qualifying pts (New points total)
1 5-James Hinchcliffe 230.760 — 42 (152)
2 21-Josef Newgarden 230.700 — 40 (140)
3 28-Ryan Hunter-Reay 230.648 — 38 (147)
4 29-Townsend Bell 230.481 — 36 (36)
5 26-Carlos Munoz 230.287 — 34 (118)
6 12-Will Power 229.669 — 32 (137)
7 7-Mikhail Aleshin 229.562 — 30 (117)
8 22-Simon Pagenaud 229.139 — 28 (270)
9 3-Helio Castroneves 229.115 — 26 (185)
10 77-Oriol Servia 229.060 — 24 (36)
11 98-Alexander Rossi 228.473 — 23 (102)
12 14-Takuma Sato 228.029 — 22 (124)
13 9-Scott Dixon 227.991 — 21 (187)
14 27-Marco Andretti 227.969 — 20 (96)
15 6-JR Hildebrand 227.876 — 19 (27)
16 42-Charlie Kimball 227.822 — 18 (129)
17 2-Juan Pablo Montoya 227.684 — 17 (177)
18 10-Tony Kanaan 227.430 — 16 (127)
19 11-Sebastien Bourdais 227.428 — 15 (90)
20 20-Ed Carpenter 227.226 — 14 (23)
21 19-Gabby Chaves 227.192 — 13 (26)
22 8T-Max Chilton 226.686 — 12 (92)
23 24-Sage Karam 226.436 — 11 (11)
24 18-Conor Daly 226.312 — 10 (98)
25 63-Pippa Mann 226.006 — 9 (9)
26 15-Graham Rahal 225.847 — 8 (141)
27 61-Matt Brabham 225.727 — 7 (21)
28 88-Bryan Clauson 225.266 — 6 (6)
29 16-Spencer Pigot 224.847 — 5 (40)
30 25-Stefan Wilson 224.602 — 4 (4)
31 41-Jack Hawksworth 224.596 — 3 (63)
32 4-Buddy Lazier 222.154 — 2 (2)
33 35-Alex Tagliani Att — 1 (8)
Unofficial Points heading into Indy 500:
1 22-Simon Pagenaud, 270
2 9-Scott Dixon, 187
3 3-Helio Castroneves, 185
4 2-Juan Pablo Montoya, 177
5 5-James Hinchcliffe, 152
6 28-Ryan Hunter-Reay, 147
7 15-Graham Rahal, 141
8 21-Josef Newgarden, 140
9 12-Will Power, 137
10 42-Charlie Kimball, 129
11 10-Tony Kanaan, 127
12 14-Takuma Sato, 124
13 26-Carlos Munoz, 118
14 7-Mikhail Aleshin, 117
15 98-Alexander Rossi, 102
16 18-Conor Daly, 98
17 27-Marco Andretti, 96
18 8-Max Chilton, 92
19 11-Sebastien Bourdais, 90
20 41-Jack Hawksworth, 63
21 19-Luca Filippi, 45
22 16-Spencer Pigot, 40
23 29-Townsend Bell, 36
24 77-Oriol Servia, 36
25 6-JR Hildebrand, 27
26 19-Gabby Chaves, 26
27 20-Ed Carpenter, 23
28 61-Matthew Brabham, 21
29 24-Sage Karam, 11
30 63-Pippa Mann, 9
31 35-Alex Tagliani, 8
32 88-Bryan Clauson, 6
33 25-Stefan Wilson, 4
34 4-Buddy Lazier, 2
Owners of Barbaro suffer another loss on Preakness day.
It’s a dream story with Hinchcliffe in the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda edging Josef Newgarden, who had been on the pole, in the No. 21 Preferred Freezer Chevrolet. Newagrden had clocked in at 230.700 mph.
Hinchcliffe is the second Canadian on pole for the race, the first since Alex Tagliani, also for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, in 2011. The pole is also the first for Honda since Houston, race one, 2014, achieved by Simon Pagenaud.
It is also his first career pole in the Verizon IndyCar Series. He’s the first driver to do that at Indy since the late Scott Brayton in 1995.
“I came into this month really hoping we’d have a new story to talk about after what happened last year and I think we did it. I can’t believe it. I’m honestly at a loss for words, which is rare for me,” Hinchcliffe told ABC’s Rick DeBruhl.
“The Arrow Electronics car was just an absolute smoke show out there. It was right on the edge. Sam Schmidt and Rick Peterson giving me this car and giving me the car to do it. … Three Schmidt Peterson cars in the top-10, that’s incredible. And now we have the best eat in the house for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.
“It’s crazy (that he has the chance to win). Obviously, this race is always more pressure and focus than anywhere else. And this being the 100th, there’s more tension as well. But obviously we have done something right with this team and it’s great to be able to stand here with this great group of guys.
“It’s a long race. 10 miles is one thing – you have to hold your breath for that whole thing. But 500 miles is a different deal. You have to be patient, know when to breath, when to push, when to relax. But we’ve got a good starting spot, the best starting spot and we can go from there.”
With the final run of the Fast Nine Shootout, Hinchcliffe edged Newgarden. Newgarden had a faster single lap of 231.551 mph but Hinchcliffe had the better four-lap average – only just.
It creates a remarkable story, Hinchcliffe back in the race that he missed last year owing to his huge accident in practice. That being said the performance of the team – led by engineer Allen McDonald – has been the storyline. Hinchcliffe is one of three SPM car in the top 10 with Mikhail Aleshin in seventh and Oriol Servia in 10th.
Additionally, team co-owner Sam Schmidt took laps at more than 100 mph earlier in his ARROW-designed modified Corvette, and the result mirrors Tagliani’s pole five years to the day.
“Unbelievable. Five years to the day that we did this with Alex Tagliani,” he told ABC’s Jon Beekhuis. “The 100th running, we’ve put effort into this since last September. It’s been an all-out team effort. My God, all three cars in the top 10. Just an incredible overall team effort. I’m almost as speechless as I was when I got out of the Corvette today. Great day.”
“It doesn’t matter what the roof is, it’s what’s under the roof. And we have really, really incredible team members. Oriol is with us for just this month, he said ‘You have built the most amazing team’ and he’s been with some heavy hitters. They have a lot of heart and God Bless America, this is fantastic.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 winner, has another front row start in the Indianapolis 500 of third in 2012. He won from 19th in 2014.
Townsend Bell was the second of the three Andretti Autosport cars in the Fast Nine, ahead of Carlos Munoz in fifth and Will Power in sixth. Bell matches his career-best start in the race, also achieved in 2011.
With Power not even on the front row, it ends Team Penske’s pole streak this season, just as this race did last year when Scott Dixon was on pole.
Aleshin, points leader Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves, the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, completed the Fast Nine.
The Fast Nine speeds are below:
GROUP 1 QUALIFYING
Prior to the Fast Nine Shootout, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports also led the runners from 10-33. Oriol Servia bounced back nicely in the No. 77 Lucas Oil Special Honda, the SPM with Marotti Racing entry, after ending 24th in Saturday’s first day of running, and he’ll complete the top 10.
Servia will start alongside rookie Alexander Rossi in his No. 98 NAPA Auto Parts/Curb Honda and Takuma Sato, in his No. 14 ABC Supply Co. Honda, in Row 4.
Row 5 will feature Scott Dixon, Marco Andretti and JR Hildebrand – Dixon’s team having completed a Herculean effort to get his No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet out for qualifying after changing its engine in just over an hour.
The most bizarre moment of Group 1 occurred for Juan Pablo Montoya, in his No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, after an errant trash bag found its way beneath his chassis through Turn 3. Yes, seriously, because it seems that between jet driers and trash bags, Montoya has an affinity for hitting weird objects.
The bag flew down entering Turn 3 and affected the underbody downforce and front wing of his car; Montoya’s laps were then shot in his first attempt.
After laps of 229.197 and 228.796 mph to start the run, Montoya’s laps fell to 210.972 and 191.546, respectively, with a wounded car. That knocked his average to 213.968 mph.
INDYCAR officials granted Montoya a second run as a yellow flag for debris should have been called. On the rebound run, Montoya qualified with a 227.684 mph speed, and he’ll start 17th – two spots worse than he did last year when he won.
“(The bag) cut the front wing and scared the hell out of me,” Montoya told ABC’s Rick DeBruhl. “Something got bent on the wing. I lost the aero balance. It is what it is. We had a car to be fastest in the group.”
Montoya will be sandwiched between two more Chip Ganassi Racing entries, with Charlie Kimball and Tony Kanaan either side of him on Row 6.
Others of note in this group included all of Gabby Chaves, Max Chilton and Pippa Mann, who completed runs after not having a time stand on Saturday. Chaves and Chilton will start 21st and 22nd, Mann 25th.
Graham Rahal struggled through to 26th and was frustrated about the number of points he’ll lose. That being said, he’s come through the field here before – his best Indy finish of third in 2011 came after starting 29th.
Jack Hawksworth, Buddy Lazier and Alex Tagliani will share the final row. Tagliani crashed on his qualifying attempt exiting Turn 4.
“It really caught me off guard because (the spin) really happened late into the corner – like almost at the exit of Turn 4. I was really almost at the straightaway and that’s why I got caught because normally when I get loose early on I have a chance to catch it,” he said.
Speeds from 10-33 are below.
Here’s updated standings after Indy 500 qualifying points earned.
By Tony DiZinno
(Photo/IndyCar)
Here’s the starting lineup for next Sunday’s historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, as well as the qualifying points each driver earned.
We’ll add that total to their numbers for the season and list the points as they run, now, heading into next Sunday’s race.
Juan Pablo Montoya getting an extra run helped save him 15 points, earning 17 for the day for starting 17th instead of 2 for starting 32nd.
Meanwhile Graham Rahal had a tough one from a qualifying standpoint. Starting 26th means he’ll only earn 8 points.
Provided the grid doesn’t change (the last row changed entirely last year), here’s how the points will shake out:
Unofficial starting grid:
Pos Car # Engine Driver Avg S Qualifying pts (New points total)
1 5-James Hinchcliffe 230.760 — 42 (152)
2 21-Josef Newgarden 230.700 — 40 (140)
3 28-Ryan Hunter-Reay 230.648 — 38 (147)
4 29-Townsend Bell 230.481 — 36 (36)
5 26-Carlos Munoz 230.287 — 34 (118)
6 12-Will Power 229.669 — 32 (137)
7 7-Mikhail Aleshin 229.562 — 30 (117)
8 22-Simon Pagenaud 229.139 — 28 (270)
9 3-Helio Castroneves 229.115 — 26 (185)
10 77-Oriol Servia 229.060 — 24 (36)
11 98-Alexander Rossi 228.473 — 23 (102)
12 14-Takuma Sato 228.029 — 22 (124)
13 9-Scott Dixon 227.991 — 21 (187)
14 27-Marco Andretti 227.969 — 20 (96)
15 6-JR Hildebrand 227.876 — 19 (27)
16 42-Charlie Kimball 227.822 — 18 (129)
17 2-Juan Pablo Montoya 227.684 — 17 (177)
18 10-Tony Kanaan 227.430 — 16 (127)
19 11-Sebastien Bourdais 227.428 — 15 (90)
20 20-Ed Carpenter 227.226 — 14 (23)
21 19-Gabby Chaves 227.192 — 13 (26)
22 8T-Max Chilton 226.686 — 12 (92)
23 24-Sage Karam 226.436 — 11 (11)
24 18-Conor Daly 226.312 — 10 (98)
25 63-Pippa Mann 226.006 — 9 (9)
26 15-Graham Rahal 225.847 — 8 (141)
27 61-Matt Brabham 225.727 — 7 (21)
28 88-Bryan Clauson 225.266 — 6 (6)
29 16-Spencer Pigot 224.847 — 5 (40)
30 25-Stefan Wilson 224.602 — 4 (4)
31 41-Jack Hawksworth 224.596 — 3 (63)
32 4-Buddy Lazier 222.154 — 2 (2)
33 35-Alex Tagliani Att — 1 (8)
Unofficial Points heading into Indy 500:
1 22-Simon Pagenaud, 270
2 9-Scott Dixon, 187
3 3-Helio Castroneves, 185
4 2-Juan Pablo Montoya, 177
5 5-James Hinchcliffe, 152
6 28-Ryan Hunter-Reay, 147
7 15-Graham Rahal, 141
8 21-Josef Newgarden, 140
9 12-Will Power, 137
10 42-Charlie Kimball, 129
11 10-Tony Kanaan, 127
12 14-Takuma Sato, 124
13 26-Carlos Munoz, 118
14 7-Mikhail Aleshin, 117
15 98-Alexander Rossi, 102
16 18-Conor Daly, 98
17 27-Marco Andretti, 96
18 8-Max Chilton, 92
19 11-Sebastien Bourdais, 90
20 41-Jack Hawksworth, 63
21 19-Luca Filippi, 45
22 16-Spencer Pigot, 40
23 29-Townsend Bell, 36
24 77-Oriol Servia, 36
25 6-JR Hildebrand, 27
26 19-Gabby Chaves, 26
27 20-Ed Carpenter, 23
28 61-Matthew Brabham, 21
29 24-Sage Karam, 11
30 63-Pippa Mann, 9
31 35-Alex Tagliani, 8
32 88-Bryan Clauson, 6
33 25-Stefan Wilson, 4
34 4-Buddy Lazier, 2
Owners of Barbaro suffer another loss on Preakness day.
By Richard Rosenblatt
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
Ten years after Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro tragically broke down at the start of the Preakness, the owners of the popular colt watched another horse they bred die during a race on a rainy Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.
In a tragic start to Preakness day, Gretchen and Roy Jackson’s 4-year-old filly Pramedya broke down during the fourth race on the Preakness undercard, and was euthanized on the track. The filly’s jockey, Daniel Centeno, broke his collarbone in the spill that occurred on the turn of a race run over a wet turf course.
“It’s ironic, right?” Roy Jackson told The Associated Press. “It was tough to watch.”
In the opening race of day, Homeboykris collapsed and died after winning and having his picture taken in the winner’s circle. Pimlico officials believe the 9-year-old gelding suffered cardiovascular collapse. The horse was being taken to New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania for an autopsy — the same animal hospital Barbaro was taken to after his break down.
Racing officials said Pramedya broke her left front cannon bone.
In an Eerie coincidence, the fourth race was won by Truly Together, trained by Michael Matz, who was Barbaro’s trainer.
In 2006, Barbaro shattered bones in his right hind leg just after the start of the Preakness, survived surgery but developed laminitis and was euthanized in January, 2007.
Homeboykris won the Champagne Stakes in 2009, and a year later finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby. He had just won his 14th race in 63 career starts.
“You never like to see that happen,” Maryland Jockey Club President Sal Sinatra said. “Little different instances — the first one, he actually won the race and on his way back collapsed. So he’ll go for a necropsy. The other horse, he was handling the turf well and I don’t know what happened. I had my inspectors check it out, and everybody’s fine with that (the turf).
"And of course, Barbaro’s connection with it makes it worse,” he added.
In March, The Jockey Club released 2015 statistics for the frequency of fatal injury showing that the fatality rate was 1.62 deaths per 1,000 starts across all surfaces, ages and distances. In 2014, according to the Equine Injury Base, the rate was 1.89 per 1,000 starts.
Later Saturday, Derby winner Nyquist was set to take on 10 rivals in the Preakness Stakes.
2016 Preakness Stakes Results: Exaggerator ends Nyquist's triple crown bid.
By Brandon Wise
(Photo/Rob Carr/Getty Images)
It took five tries, but Exaggerator finally got the better of Nyquist. Exaggerator, who finished second to Nyquist twice previously, including the Kentucky Derby, sprinted hard down the back stretch to pass Nyquist and end the dream of a second consecutive Triple Crown winner.
"To me it looked like Nyquist was trying to establish an outward position, maybe in the four path," Desormeaux said. "He was jockeying for position all the way down the back side. And Exaggerator just kind of slid up the fence to the far turn where I actually got to slow him down and say 'whenever I'm ready.' "
Desormeaux hadn't won a Triple Crown race since the Belmont Stakes in 2009.
Nyquist flew out of the gate early and held the lead throughout the first 3/4 mile of the race, staying neck and neck with Uncle Lino. But just down the back stretch, Exaggerator exploded past the field and juked Nyquist to take the inside lane. After that, Nyquist was never able to regain its footing and come back to the top.
"Hats off to Exaggerator and Team Desormeaux. What a great run," Nyquist's trainer Doug O'Neill said. "I didn't think we could get beat, to be honest with you."
Of the three favorites heading into the race, Stradivari was the only one outside the top 3. The horse, who got some major backing earlier on in the day when an anonymous gambler dropped $80,000 on Stradivari, shook up oddsmakers so much they made him the odds-on favorite for about two hours. Things settled back down shortly thereafter, but it was enough to move things around and change some payouts for some patrons.
Stradivari never really came close to making a push and finished fourth.
It's a disappointing result for owner Paul Reddam and his team, but there is a reason we went 37 years without seeing a Triple Crown winner. It is extremely difficult to win three straight races in the span of seven weeks.
There are outside factors (fatigue, weather, etc.) that can affect a horse and its ability. Nyquist may have had the best chance to pull off the feat this year, but truth be told, we were lucky to see one like we did in 2015 with American Pharaoh.
Here is how the rest of the field shook out from Pimlico.
141st Preakness Stakes results
|
| 1. Exaggerator |
| 2. Cherry Wine |
| 3. Nyquist |
| 4. Stradivari |
| 5. Lani |
| 6. Laoban |
| 7. Uncle Lino |
| 8. Fellowship |
| 9. Awesome Speed |
| 10. Collected |
| 11. Abiding Star |
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1922 - Gene Tunney was defeated by Harry Greb. It was Tunney's only professional boxing defeat.
1926 - Hack Wilson became the first player to hit a home run off the Wrigley Field scoreboard.
1948 - Joe DiMaggio hit three consecutive home runs.
1962 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) agreed to transfer the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, CA. The team became the San Francisco Warriors (and later the Golden State Warriors).
1962 - Joe Pepitone (New York Yankees) hit two home runs in one inning.
1963 - NBC purchased the 1963 AFL championship game TV rights for $926,000.
1978 - The American League approved the transfer of Jean Yawkey (Boston Red Sox) for $15 million.
1984 - The Detroit Tigers won their 16th straight road game. They tied the American League record.
1991 - The San Diego Sockers won their fourth consecutive Major Soccer League championship.
1991 - The New York Yankees played their fourth straight extra inning game.
1999 - In Kansas City, MO, Owen Hart (Blue Blazer) died when he fell 90 feet while being lowered into a WWF wrestling ring. He was 33 years old.
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