Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica
"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"
We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing
Because it's all about you!!!
"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Sporting success doesn't happen by accident. It takes hard work and determination on the part of the individual athletes. And it also takes investment in facilities and training support." ~ Nicola Sturgeon, Politician
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Trending: USA 0-4 Argentina: No. 1 team in the world dominates, moving to Copa America final. (See the soccer section for USMNT updates).
Trending: Value of Alshon Jeffery about health and not talent. (See the football section for Bears updates).
Trending: Sale First to 12 Wins, White Sox Beat Red Sox 3-1. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 47-22
White Sox 2016 Record: 35-36
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Value of Alshon Jeffery about health and not talent.
By Bob Harkins
(Photo/Icon Sportswire)
Ever since Alshon Jeffery signed his franchise tag tender with the Chicago Bears, it’s been pretty much assumed he would play out the 2016 season under that $14.6 million contract.
Nevertheless, the sides have continued to discuss a bigger contract, and a week ago Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune speculated that despite the receiver’s injury history, Jeffery “could still very well cash in on a huge long-term deal.”
Now, that possibility seems even more promising. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, there is a real possibility that a long-term agreement will be in place before the July 15 deadline.
This is great news for Bears fans, and potentially even better news for Jeffery himself. It all depends, however, on how big the contract is and how healthy Jeffery will be. With the 26-year-old star, the issue has never been talent, but whether or not he can stay on the field.
At 6-4, 230 pounds, Jeffery possesses a combination of size, speed, athleticism and hands that are hard to find in the NFL. When healthy, he is a dominant force and a key weapon for Jay Cutler (or whoever ends up being Chicago’s quarterback in the future).
But as a rookie in 2012, Jeffery played only 10 games as he dealt with a series of injuries, missing one game with a torn meniscus, another with a pulled hamstring and several more with a fractured hand. He then put together two strong seasons in which he showed what he can do when on the field, catching 174 passes for 2,554 yards and 17 touchdowns over the course of 2013-14.
In 2015, however, the injury bug returned with a vengeance, as Jeffery played in only nine games due to a series of hamstring, calf and groin injuries. This all led to Bears coach John Fox acknowledging that there is “some risk” with Jeffery.
“We’ve seen enough of him, albeit that we’d like to have seen him more, but that’s part of football and we’re willing to take that risk,” Fox told the media at this winter’s scouting combine. “When he’s been healthy we’ve liked his production and what he brings to our team.”
If Jeffery can stay healthy, he’ll deserve to be paid among the best in the NFL. If he can’t, the Bears could end up with a bad contract on their hands. That’s the risk.
While $14.6 million under the franchise tag is actually the second-highest salary for a receiver behind A.J. Green’s $15 million, the length and amount of guaranteed money could be a significant factor.
Julio Jones currently has the biggest overall deal at five years, $71.2 million. Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are right behind at five years, $70 million. Jones also has the highest amount of money that is guaranteed — $47 million, nearly 66 percent of the deal.
But Jones has missed only one game in his last two seasons, and on top of that has been more productive than Jeffery at his best, anyway (240 catches, 3,464 yards).
So it would be hard to make a case for Jeffery to make Jones money, but with the potential he has, perhaps something similar in length and total money with less guaranteed money?
Either way, it seems that both sides are amenable to reaching a deal, and will be interesting to watch play out.
Chicago Bears Cement Their Stance On Jay Cutler Even Further.
Nevertheless, the sides have continued to discuss a bigger contract, and a week ago Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune speculated that despite the receiver’s injury history, Jeffery “could still very well cash in on a huge long-term deal.”
Now, that possibility seems even more promising. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, there is a real possibility that a long-term agreement will be in place before the July 15 deadline.
This is great news for Bears fans, and potentially even better news for Jeffery himself. It all depends, however, on how big the contract is and how healthy Jeffery will be. With the 26-year-old star, the issue has never been talent, but whether or not he can stay on the field.
At 6-4, 230 pounds, Jeffery possesses a combination of size, speed, athleticism and hands that are hard to find in the NFL. When healthy, he is a dominant force and a key weapon for Jay Cutler (or whoever ends up being Chicago’s quarterback in the future).
But as a rookie in 2012, Jeffery played only 10 games as he dealt with a series of injuries, missing one game with a torn meniscus, another with a pulled hamstring and several more with a fractured hand. He then put together two strong seasons in which he showed what he can do when on the field, catching 174 passes for 2,554 yards and 17 touchdowns over the course of 2013-14.
In 2015, however, the injury bug returned with a vengeance, as Jeffery played in only nine games due to a series of hamstring, calf and groin injuries. This all led to Bears coach John Fox acknowledging that there is “some risk” with Jeffery.
“We’ve seen enough of him, albeit that we’d like to have seen him more, but that’s part of football and we’re willing to take that risk,” Fox told the media at this winter’s scouting combine. “When he’s been healthy we’ve liked his production and what he brings to our team.”
If Jeffery can stay healthy, he’ll deserve to be paid among the best in the NFL. If he can’t, the Bears could end up with a bad contract on their hands. That’s the risk.
While $14.6 million under the franchise tag is actually the second-highest salary for a receiver behind A.J. Green’s $15 million, the length and amount of guaranteed money could be a significant factor.
Julio Jones currently has the biggest overall deal at five years, $71.2 million. Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are right behind at five years, $70 million. Jones also has the highest amount of money that is guaranteed — $47 million, nearly 66 percent of the deal.
But Jones has missed only one game in his last two seasons, and on top of that has been more productive than Jeffery at his best, anyway (240 catches, 3,464 yards).
So it would be hard to make a case for Jeffery to make Jones money, but with the potential he has, perhaps something similar in length and total money with less guaranteed money?
Either way, it seems that both sides are amenable to reaching a deal, and will be interesting to watch play out.
Chicago Bears Cement Their Stance On Jay Cutler Even Further.
By Erik Lambert
(Photo/Chicago Tribune)
One of the lingering questions regarding the Chicago Bears is their relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler. His position with the team has been talked about to extreme lengths. Sides have been taken, so here is the lowdown.
- He’s 33-years old
- He hasn’t started a full season since 2009
- He’s never thrown for 4,000 yards or 30 TDs in Chicago
- He’s coming off his most efficient season ever
- His teammates unanimously back him as a leader
- He is still considered better than over half the QBs in the NFL
It’s clear the Bears are contented Cutler at quarterback, at least for the 2016 season. That was evident from their loud and clear message by not drafting one back in April. They seem to favor stability and familiarity at this point over risking the chances of finding somebody better. Perhaps the lingering question is do the Bears have any sort of long-term plan beyond this year? It’s been pointed out that Cutler won’t be owed any more guarantees in his contract, meaning the team will be free to cut him at their leisure and get the full salary cap relief in return.
Is this another audition season for Jay? Based on comments from head coach John Fox on MMQB, it’s hard to see that as being true.
“I thought Jay had an outstanding year,” Fox said, with a caveat to explain the overall record. “It wasn’t ideal. Alshon [Jeffery] wasn’t healthy the whole season. Kevin White did not play. I’m not knocking any of the guys that did play, but a lot is always made of the quarterback, and his supporting cast is critical. I don’t care what it is—defense, offense, wideouts, ability to run the ball … there’s a lot that goes into it besides one guy, although that guy gets a lot of the magnified glass. So if you saw what Jay did last year, I’m expecting good things again.”
GM Ryan Pace said months ago that the job of the organization moving forward was to build the best possible roster they could around Jay Cutler. Not once did he mention the idea of finding a replacement, either via the draft, free agency or trade. Every move (or lack of move) since then has backed this up. None more so than the promotion of Dowell Loggains to offensive coordinator.Is this another audition season for Jay? Based on comments from head coach John Fox on MMQB, it’s hard to see that as being true.
“I thought Jay had an outstanding year,” Fox said, with a caveat to explain the overall record. “It wasn’t ideal. Alshon [Jeffery] wasn’t healthy the whole season. Kevin White did not play. I’m not knocking any of the guys that did play, but a lot is always made of the quarterback, and his supporting cast is critical. I don’t care what it is—defense, offense, wideouts, ability to run the ball … there’s a lot that goes into it besides one guy, although that guy gets a lot of the magnified glass. So if you saw what Jay did last year, I’m expecting good things again.”
Though the man already had experience and merit for the job, Fox admitted a big reason the Bears didn’t go looking anywhere else before promoting him was his relationship with the quarterback.
“It was critical to keep Jay comfortable,” Fox says. “Everything comes through the quarterback, so keeping Jay in the same system is best for us.”
That is why they get paid the big bucks and thus far their plan has shown noticeable signs of progress. The roster is young, faster and more athletic. They have playmakers at wide receiver and a nasty-looking defense. No reason to doubt their decision-making just yet.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks to take on Blues in 2016-17 home opener.
CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The team that eliminated the Blackhawks from this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs will be the first to visit the United Center in 2016-17.
The NHL announced Monday that the Blackhawks will play hosts to the St. Louis Blues in the regular-season home opener on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
The entire regular-season schedule will be announced Tuesday.
In five regular-season games against the Blues this past season, the Blackhawks won twice and lost three times in overtime, including once in a shootout. The two teams met in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the Blues winning in seven games. The Blues advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they were eliminated by the San Jose Sharks.
For the first time since the 2011-12 season, the Blackhawks failed to reach at least the Western Conference Finals. The last time the Blackhawks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, they followed it up with a Stanley Cup-winning season in 2012-13.
Here's the Blackhawks' complete 2016-17 regular-season schedule.
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Blackhawks' 2016-17 regular-season schedule is here.
The Blackhawks open the season against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the United Center. Other matchups against the team that bounced the Blackhawks from this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs come on Nov. 9, Dec. 17, Jan. 2 and Feb. 26, with the Jan. 2 matchup the Winter Classic played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
The Blackhawks will meet the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1 at the United Center and on March 29 in Pittsburgh.
Games against the reigning Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks come on Nov. 23 (San Jose), Dec. 18 (Chicago) and Jan. 31 (San Jose).
The schedule is heavy on the home games at the start, with the Blackhawks playing 11 of their first 16 on the West Side. The end of the season features mostly road games, however, as the Blackhawks play six of their final eight regular-season contests away from home.
The Blackhawks will endure a pair of lengthy annual road trips. Seven straight road dates from Nov. 15 to Nov. 26 will pit the Blackhawks against Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. A six-game trip from Jan. 31 to Feb. 11 has the Blackhawks visiting San Jose, Arizona, Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg and Edmonton.
Check out the entire regular-season schedule below.
The Blackhawks open the season against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the United Center. Other matchups against the team that bounced the Blackhawks from this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs come on Nov. 9, Dec. 17, Jan. 2 and Feb. 26, with the Jan. 2 matchup the Winter Classic played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
The Blackhawks will meet the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1 at the United Center and on March 29 in Pittsburgh.
Games against the reigning Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks come on Nov. 23 (San Jose), Dec. 18 (Chicago) and Jan. 31 (San Jose).
The schedule is heavy on the home games at the start, with the Blackhawks playing 11 of their first 16 on the West Side. The end of the season features mostly road games, however, as the Blackhawks play six of their final eight regular-season contests away from home.
The Blackhawks will endure a pair of lengthy annual road trips. Seven straight road dates from Nov. 15 to Nov. 26 will pit the Blackhawks against Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. A six-game trip from Jan. 31 to Feb. 11 has the Blackhawks visiting San Jose, Arizona, Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg and Edmonton.
Check out the entire regular-season schedule below.
A few highlights from the newly released Blackhawks schedule.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Here’s the great thing about when one NHL season ends: It means the time to prep for the next one is just around the corner.
Speaking of prepping, the Blackhawks’ full 2016-17 schedule was released Tuesday. So while you wait another few months before hockey begins again, let’s look at 10 Blackhawks games you should highlight on your calendar.
Oct. 12: Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues, United Center. OK, there won’t be a banner-raising ceremony in front of the hated rival. There’s just that bitter taste of losing to the Blues in a fantastic seven-game series in April. Not that there’s ever much extra incentive needed between these two. It’s great hockey, it’s a great rivalry, it’ll be another great night.
Nov. 5: Blackhawks at Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center. The Blackhawks will face the Stars five times this season, beginning with this one. Last year, none of these contests were close and the Blackhawks won just one of those lopsided outings. The Blackhawks know what the Stars bring and definitely want a better series result in 2016-17.
Nov. 26: Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings, Staples Center. We circle this one for a few reasons. First, it’s Blackhawks vs. Kings, which is always wildly entertaining. Second, this game wraps up the Blackhawks’ seven-game Circus Trip and is the second half of an afternoon/evening back-to-back. Oh, and that trip has a previous back-to-back on it, too. We’ll see what the Blackhawks’ energy level is at that point.
Dec. 30: Blackhawks at Carolina Hurricanes, PNC Arena. It will be another reunion when the Blackhawks see Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen again. The Blackhawks traded these two to Carolina on June 14. For Bickell, it could be a fresh start after struggles continued to get worse here. For Teravainen, perhaps a small chance to show the Blackhawks they gave up on him too soon?
Jan. 2: Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues, Busch Stadium. For the Blues, it’ll be their first outdoor game. For the Blackhawks, their 425th, give or take 10. But again it’s Blackhawks-Blues, so forget the lovely aesthetics: These two will still hate each other outdoors. We’re all familiar with the phrase, “take it outside,” used when a fight is about to get out of hand. It’s apt for these guys.
Jan. 15: Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild, United Center. How is it these division rivals don’t meet for the first time until January? Ah, scheduling. But we digress. Minnesota swept the Blackhawks during the 2015-16 regular season. That included their forgettable outdoor outing in Minneapolis. The Wild enter this season with a new coach (Bruce Boudreau) and, it’s hoping, a new attitude. How will the Wild look come January?
Jan. 24: Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, United Center. Two springs ago these two thrilled us with a great Stanley Cup Final, the Blackhawks clinching the Cup on home ice. So they’re familiar with each other now. But will they be in January? Steven Stamkos is currently sans a new contract. Ben Bishop is entering the final year of his deal, but there’s a chance he could get traded. A team possibly losing big pieces to their puzzle? The Blackhawks can kind of relate to that.
Feb. 18: Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, United Center. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: What’s so special about this game? Well it comes after the Blackhawks’ five-day break, a new addition to each NHL team’s schedule this season. This break comes at a great time, right after the Blackhawks’ six-game Ice Show trip. That could be beneficial. At the same time, the busier the Blackhawks are the better they usually are. So we shall see.
March 1: Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, United Center. The defending Stanley Cup champions visit Chicago late in the season. That’s all the reason you need, right?
March 10: Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings, Joe Louis Arena. I don’t know about you, but I still miss the fact that these two teams are no longer in the same division and therefore not playing several times a season. So let’s take the few contests we get. This one will be different for a few reasons. Pavel Datsyuk is gone, returning to Russia. Even bigger, this is the last regular-season game at Joe Louis Arena for the Blackhawks. It’s not the prettiest building out there, but damn is it a fantastic place to watch a game.
Speaking of prepping, the Blackhawks’ full 2016-17 schedule was released Tuesday. So while you wait another few months before hockey begins again, let’s look at 10 Blackhawks games you should highlight on your calendar.
Oct. 12: Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues, United Center. OK, there won’t be a banner-raising ceremony in front of the hated rival. There’s just that bitter taste of losing to the Blues in a fantastic seven-game series in April. Not that there’s ever much extra incentive needed between these two. It’s great hockey, it’s a great rivalry, it’ll be another great night.
Nov. 5: Blackhawks at Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center. The Blackhawks will face the Stars five times this season, beginning with this one. Last year, none of these contests were close and the Blackhawks won just one of those lopsided outings. The Blackhawks know what the Stars bring and definitely want a better series result in 2016-17.
Nov. 26: Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings, Staples Center. We circle this one for a few reasons. First, it’s Blackhawks vs. Kings, which is always wildly entertaining. Second, this game wraps up the Blackhawks’ seven-game Circus Trip and is the second half of an afternoon/evening back-to-back. Oh, and that trip has a previous back-to-back on it, too. We’ll see what the Blackhawks’ energy level is at that point.
Dec. 30: Blackhawks at Carolina Hurricanes, PNC Arena. It will be another reunion when the Blackhawks see Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen again. The Blackhawks traded these two to Carolina on June 14. For Bickell, it could be a fresh start after struggles continued to get worse here. For Teravainen, perhaps a small chance to show the Blackhawks they gave up on him too soon?
Jan. 2: Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues, Busch Stadium. For the Blues, it’ll be their first outdoor game. For the Blackhawks, their 425th, give or take 10. But again it’s Blackhawks-Blues, so forget the lovely aesthetics: These two will still hate each other outdoors. We’re all familiar with the phrase, “take it outside,” used when a fight is about to get out of hand. It’s apt for these guys.
Jan. 15: Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild, United Center. How is it these division rivals don’t meet for the first time until January? Ah, scheduling. But we digress. Minnesota swept the Blackhawks during the 2015-16 regular season. That included their forgettable outdoor outing in Minneapolis. The Wild enter this season with a new coach (Bruce Boudreau) and, it’s hoping, a new attitude. How will the Wild look come January?
Jan. 24: Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, United Center. Two springs ago these two thrilled us with a great Stanley Cup Final, the Blackhawks clinching the Cup on home ice. So they’re familiar with each other now. But will they be in January? Steven Stamkos is currently sans a new contract. Ben Bishop is entering the final year of his deal, but there’s a chance he could get traded. A team possibly losing big pieces to their puzzle? The Blackhawks can kind of relate to that.
Feb. 18: Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, United Center. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: What’s so special about this game? Well it comes after the Blackhawks’ five-day break, a new addition to each NHL team’s schedule this season. This break comes at a great time, right after the Blackhawks’ six-game Ice Show trip. That could be beneficial. At the same time, the busier the Blackhawks are the better they usually are. So we shall see.
March 1: Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, United Center. The defending Stanley Cup champions visit Chicago late in the season. That’s all the reason you need, right?
March 10: Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings, Joe Louis Arena. I don’t know about you, but I still miss the fact that these two teams are no longer in the same division and therefore not playing several times a season. So let’s take the few contests we get. This one will be different for a few reasons. Pavel Datsyuk is gone, returning to Russia. Even bigger, this is the last regular-season game at Joe Louis Arena for the Blackhawks. It’s not the prettiest building out there, but damn is it a fantastic place to watch a game.
Patrick Kane staying in Chicago, not Buffalo, this summer.
By Mark Lazerus
Patrick Kane had career highs of 46 goals and 106 points to win the scoring title. (AP Photo)
And this year, he’s doing it in Chicago.
Kane changed the narrative during the season, his brilliant on-ice play seizing the attention from his off-ice troubles, after a woman accused Kane of sexually assaulting her in his Western New York home in early August (Kane was not charged, and the Erie County district attorney emphatically dismissed the allegation). And the Hawks want it to stay that way. A source said the team wanted Kane to stay in Chicago for the summer, to keep his focus on hockey and to keep him away from any potential trouble back home. Through a spokesperson, Kane and the team said it was purely Kane’s decision.
Kane — in Las Vegas for Wednesday’s NHL awards show, at which he’s a virtual lock to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP — didn’t get into specifics as to why he’s staying in Chicago rather than go back to the Buffalo area for the summer. And he also said he’ll still be “back and forth” between his two homes. The Hawks winger had no interest in talking about the investigation and the toll it took, or the emotional roller coaster of the past 10 months.
Instead, he’s trying to make the most of his first long summer since 2012. His face shaved and his hair cut short, Kane wore a white polo shirt and looked noticeably stronger than he did at the end of another grueling season. Kane said that while on-ice work is fun and easy to get up for, the challenge is to find the motivation to put in time at the gym during the offseason. He looked to LeBron James’ stirring performance in the NBA Finals as a motivating force.
“It’s been a lot of fun watching LeBron do what he did in the Finals, and you can kind of take motivation from that, too — how hard he’s worked and what he’s done in his career,” Kane said. "He's a player, too, that has had a lot of critics and a lot of people that maybe you could call haters or whatever, and he’s silenced them. Can’t really talk about him anymore. It gives you motivation, for sure.”
Kane is coming off a career season in which he had 46 goals and 106 points, becoming the first American-born player to win the scoring title. He’s a shoo-in for the Hart Trophy. But he still sees room for improvement.
“I’m pretty happy with where my game was at during the regular season last year,” he said. “I still think there are some ways I can improve. … As a competitive player, you always want to work on everything. You want to work on every part of your game and make sure it’s getting better. That’s what I’ll probably try to do this offseason. Then I’ll probably stay off the ice for a little bit, try to get my body where I want it.”
Kane deferred some of the credit for his monster campaign to linemates Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov, pointing out it’s the first time he’s had a stable line in years. Panarin, who is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, sheepishly accepted the praise.
“I’m very glad to hear that, I’m glad that he thinks that,” Panarin said through an interpreter. “He may be making that up, of course. But I should also be giving him credit for my season and the contribution he had to my success. Not only him, but also Artem Anisimov. And the coaching staff that trusted us.”
Because of the police investigation into the allegation last August and September, Kane spent most of his summer off the ice. He’s hoping to benefit from the added rest this year, continued stability and chemistry with his linemates, and, as much as anything, a return to normalcy.
The still-palpable sting of the Game 7 loss in St. Louis is yet another motivating force, as well.
“It’s been a little frustrating to watch … because we believed we had a good team that could have made a run this year, too,” Kane said. “I got to spend a couple weeks on vacation, rest and unwind. You come back and teams are still playing, it’s kind of a weird feeling. That’s something I’m sure a lot of us didn’t like. Hopefully we can get back there and compete again.”
Groundhog Day: Cubs come up short against Cardinals again.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Joe Maddon points to late last season as the time when his young Cubs found a way to get over the hump and start to truly believe they could beat the powerhouse Cardinals.
But in reality, the Cubs had been beating the Cardinals for some time before that.
With Tuesday's 4-3 loss in front of 41,616 fans at Wrigley Field, the Cubs lost their first series to the Cardinals in almost a calendar year (St. Louis' last series victory over the Cubs came June 26-28, 2015 in the form of a sweep).
That stretch included five series victories for the Cubs (including the NLDS last October) plus a four-game series split between the two teams at Wrigley last July.
The Cubs led for all of about 10 minutes in the first two games of this series, when Anthony Rizzo drove home Chris Coghlan with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first Tuesday night.
But the Cardinals responded immediately with Brandon Moss' two-out single the next half inning.
"It was kind of like 'Groundhog Day,' wasn't it?" Maddon joked. "I mean, like the same game as [Monday] night. Well played on both sides. We just couldn't get a hit when we needed to.
"I'll say it again: If we keep playing that game, I'll be very, very pleased. It's a good game of baseball. That's how you become a consistent winner."
Cubs starter Jason Hammel hit a rough patch in the third inning, surrendering three straight hits — including homers to Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday — to stake the Cardinals to a 4-1 lead.
Hammel said he wasn't pitching like himself to start off, going with the game-plan and throwing more curveballs than normal. But once he got back to his bread and butter of sinker/slider combo, he felt like he got back on track.
"Things turned around and I was able to keep it close," Hammel said. "And the guys chipped away. I just gotta do a better job of keeping the ball in the yard. Mistakes up in the zone ended up costing us."
The Cubs mounted rallies by scoring solo runs in the third and fourth innings, but again couldn't complete their comeback. They didn't do themselves any favors by hitting into three double plays on the night.
"You obviously never want to lose more than you win in a series," Hammel said, "but it was two hard-fought, one-run ballgames. But, speaking for everybody in there, we gotta win those games.
"When it comes to crunch time at the end of the year, that's what you're gonna be looking at. Disappointed. Let's just go out there [Wednesday] and move on."
The Cardinals moved to 10.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central after Tuesday.
Tuesday's loss also marked the first time all season the Cubs have lost at home on consecutive days, with the caveat being their doubleheader loss to the San Diego Padres on May 11 at Wrigley.
"It's wonderful that people are shocked [we lost two games in a row]," Maddon said. "That's how the season's gonna roll. It's gonna happen again. I have no complaints about the last two nights. Zero."
Maddon insisted back-to-back one-run losses (and the Cubs' 9-11 record in one-run games this season) aren't getting to him.
"Honestly, no," Maddon said. "It played out well. There was nothing that didn't play well. We didn't get a hit when we needed to.
"I have nothing to lament over that game. It was a well-played game. Our guys were ready to play; we played well. They beat us. I go home."
Simple enough, right?
All-in at trade deadline? Cubs looking to strengthen bullpen for October.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs built double-digit leads on the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, two division rivals that won 198 games combined last season, but are now treading water in a National League filled with have-nots playing for the future.
The Cubs have a plus-171 run differential at a time when the Boston Red Sox are listed second in that category at plus-83. The Cubs have a 2.31 rotation ERA that is almost a full run lower than the second-ranked New York Mets and their vaunted starters.
The Cubs have nine players on their active roster who are 26 years old or younger - meaning all those hitting prospects can't make it to Wrigley Field — and the bullpen is an obvious area to upgrade.
Plus — you know — the century-and-counting World Series title drought. Why not go for it at the trade deadline, acquire a game-changing reliever (or two) and leave as little as possible to chance in the playoffs?
"I wouldn't state anything quite that aggressively," general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday before the Cubs renewed their rivalry with the Cardinals. "But there's no doubt we're going to spend the next 40 days before the deadline trying to evaluate where we are.
"We want to address the weaknesses that we have. That's something that we talk about all the time — not only addressing the weaknesses you have — but also thinking about where those things can come up. We always talk about trying to be ahead of the next thing that can go wrong."
The New York Yankees went into spring training planning to keep Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman together — and then see where the team is at in July and if it would force the franchise's first sell-off in a generation.
Adam Warren — the swingman acquired from New York in the Starlin Castro trade — has allowed eight of 20 inherited runners to score and seen his ERA rise to 4.56 (after giving up zero earned runs in his first eight appearances with the Cubs).
Left-handed hitters are putting up a .924 OPS against lefty Clayton Richard (7.50 ERA). Justin Grimm (4.81 ERA) hasn't taken that step forward into being a trusted late-inning reliever yet.
Setup guy Pedro Strop has made 200-plus appearances in a Cubs uniform since coming over from the Baltimore Orioles in the Jake Arrieta trade in the middle of the 2013 season. Closer Hector Rondon is a Tommy John survivor who missed almost three seasons in the Cleveland Indians system before the Cubs grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft at the 2012 winter meetings.
"It's something you constantly address," Hoyer said. "There are probably 30 teams in baseball right now that at some level are talking about one or two members of their bullpen. That's just kind of the nature of the way pitching is today with 12 and 13-man staffs.
"But there's no doubt we have some guys that pitched great baseball for us last year at the end of the season that are scuffling a little bit. It's just our job to get those guys back on track. I don't think you lose faith in them, especially when you see them go out and dominate in the postseason."
Maybe Joe Nathan makes a comeback after his second Tommy John procedure and becomes a great story in October. The Cubs did catch lightning in a bottle last year with Richard (acquired midseason from Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate for a dollar) and Trevor Cahill (who signed a minor-league contract last August).
Maybe the Cubs don't feel like they have to pay top dollar and buy a brand-name reliever. But if you're already looking for where things could go wrong during this magical season, the bullpen would be a good place to start.
"You have faith in those guys," Hoyer said. "It's the nature of bullpens in general — just like a lineup — (where) you rarely have everyone clicking on all cylinders. You have some guys that are usually pitching better than others. The difference in bullpens is it's a lot of high-leverage situations. (But) if one guy's struggling at the plate, it might go unnoticed.
"We'll get those guys back on track. Obviously, we're aware of it. Hopefully, we'll get those guys going sooner rather than later."
Sale First to 12 Wins, White Sox Beat Red Sox 3-1.
The Cubs have a plus-171 run differential at a time when the Boston Red Sox are listed second in that category at plus-83. The Cubs have a 2.31 rotation ERA that is almost a full run lower than the second-ranked New York Mets and their vaunted starters.
The Cubs have nine players on their active roster who are 26 years old or younger - meaning all those hitting prospects can't make it to Wrigley Field — and the bullpen is an obvious area to upgrade.
Plus — you know — the century-and-counting World Series title drought. Why not go for it at the trade deadline, acquire a game-changing reliever (or two) and leave as little as possible to chance in the playoffs?
"I wouldn't state anything quite that aggressively," general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday before the Cubs renewed their rivalry with the Cardinals. "But there's no doubt we're going to spend the next 40 days before the deadline trying to evaluate where we are.
"We want to address the weaknesses that we have. That's something that we talk about all the time — not only addressing the weaknesses you have — but also thinking about where those things can come up. We always talk about trying to be ahead of the next thing that can go wrong."
The New York Yankees went into spring training planning to keep Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman together — and then see where the team is at in July and if it would force the franchise's first sell-off in a generation.
Adam Warren — the swingman acquired from New York in the Starlin Castro trade — has allowed eight of 20 inherited runners to score and seen his ERA rise to 4.56 (after giving up zero earned runs in his first eight appearances with the Cubs).
Left-handed hitters are putting up a .924 OPS against lefty Clayton Richard (7.50 ERA). Justin Grimm (4.81 ERA) hasn't taken that step forward into being a trusted late-inning reliever yet.
Setup guy Pedro Strop has made 200-plus appearances in a Cubs uniform since coming over from the Baltimore Orioles in the Jake Arrieta trade in the middle of the 2013 season. Closer Hector Rondon is a Tommy John survivor who missed almost three seasons in the Cleveland Indians system before the Cubs grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft at the 2012 winter meetings.
"It's something you constantly address," Hoyer said. "There are probably 30 teams in baseball right now that at some level are talking about one or two members of their bullpen. That's just kind of the nature of the way pitching is today with 12 and 13-man staffs.
"But there's no doubt we have some guys that pitched great baseball for us last year at the end of the season that are scuffling a little bit. It's just our job to get those guys back on track. I don't think you lose faith in them, especially when you see them go out and dominate in the postseason."
Maybe Joe Nathan makes a comeback after his second Tommy John procedure and becomes a great story in October. The Cubs did catch lightning in a bottle last year with Richard (acquired midseason from Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate for a dollar) and Trevor Cahill (who signed a minor-league contract last August).
Maybe the Cubs don't feel like they have to pay top dollar and buy a brand-name reliever. But if you're already looking for where things could go wrong during this magical season, the bullpen would be a good place to start.
"You have faith in those guys," Hoyer said. "It's the nature of bullpens in general — just like a lineup — (where) you rarely have everyone clicking on all cylinders. You have some guys that are usually pitching better than others. The difference in bullpens is it's a lot of high-leverage situations. (But) if one guy's struggling at the plate, it might go unnoticed.
"We'll get those guys back on track. Obviously, we're aware of it. Hopefully, we'll get those guys going sooner rather than later."
Sale First to 12 Wins, White Sox Beat Red Sox 3-1.
By Doug Alden
(Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports)
Tim Anderson gave Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale the earliest lead possible, and Sale used it to become the majors' first 12-game winner.
Sale tied his season high with nine strikeouts, Anderson led off the game with his first career homer and the White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Tuesday night.
"I felt really good out there. I had good command and just confidence, too," Sale said.
That confidence was evident as Sale (12-2) held Boston to four hits over seven innings. He got to a dozen wins before the season's midpoint.
Chicago led the whole way after Anderson homered to left on the first pitch from Clay Buchholz (3-7) in the right-hander's return to Boston's rotation after spending about a month in the bullpen.
Buchholz recovered after the rocky start and pitched pretty well, just not nearly as well as Sale.
"He was great. I think this is one of his better ones," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said of Sale. "He navigated it very well tonight. I think he was throwing strikes, a great changeup in some tough spots and got a strikeout when he needed it, too."
Todd Frazier hit his 20th homer and David Robertson got his 18th save for the White Sox, who won consecutive games for just the second time in June.
Boston sputtered against Sale and the relievers that followed. The Red Sox left eight runners on base and were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
"He kept everybody off balance, mixed up pitches throughout counts and did what he does a lot of times," said Mookie Betts, who drove in Boston's only run.
Sale also had a 2-0 lead before even throwing a pitch. Adam Eaton doubled on Buchholz's second pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Melky Cabrera.
"Before I even stepped on the field we're sitting there 2-0," Sale said. "The way T.A. started that game off, it just gives you a spark, gives you a little bit more of a jolt."
Sale's biggest challenge came after Travis Shaw and Sandy Leon started the third inning with back-to-back singles. Shaw scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts, and the Red Sox loaded the bases with two outs before Sale struck out Hanley Ramirez swinging.
"I wasn't really focused on this or that," Sale said. "I know that these guys are a good hitting team, especially at their house. So I was just trying to keep the ball down and not let things get too far out of hand."
BIG HITTER
Anderson has five hits in eight games since the White Sox moved him to the top of the order on June 13. He did it again Tuesday with a shot that ended up in the seats above the Green Monster, not far from where Frazier's homer landed in the fourth to put Chicago up 3-1.
"I kind of felt like he was going first-pitch fastball, so I was just on it and made sure I didn't miss it," Anderson said. "It was a great feeling to get my first one out of the way."
BUCHHOLZ RECOVERS
Buchholz allowed only one run after Chicago's two-run first inning. He struck out five and threw only 78 pitches in five innings. He admitted not relishing the assignment to the bullpen, but thought maybe a step back would help him stay in a rotation very much in need of quality starters.
"Overall I felt pretty good," Buchholz said. "They've got a good lineup. It's a tough lineup to pitch to, especially when you're going up against Chris Sale."
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: They placed RHP Zach Putnam on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation of the ulnar nerve in his right elbow. ... RHP Chris Beck was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
Red Sox: DH David Ortiz was not in the starting lineup, almost getting the night off before pinch hitting in the ninth and drawing a walk. Ramirez was the DH and struck out three times.
UP NEXT
White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana (5-7, 2.63) has gone 0-6 with one no decision over his last seven starts.
Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2, 6.97), who was moved back a day in the rotation for an extra bullpen session, will start his fifth game of the season.
Rick Hahn: Not 'in anybody’s best interest for me to comment' on Ventura, others' status.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
General manager Rick Hahn wouldn’t comment Monday on the status of manager Robin Ventura as the White Sox limped into Boston after a three-game sweep at the hands of the American League Central-leading Cleveland Indians over the weekend.
The White Sox entered Monday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park three games under .500, a low water mark for the year, and have now been swept by every team ahead of them in the division — the Indians, Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. But whatever the front office is thinking about the coaching staff, stay or go, Hahn isn't going to publicly discuss it.
“I don’t think it’s in anybody’s best interest for me to comment on the status of anybody in uniform — coach, manager, player — other than to say that on any given night, we’re doing everything in our power to support the group that’s here and to try to put them in the best position to win,” Hahn said. “That’s where everybody’s focus is. It’s not on the future or outside distractions or answering questions out the status of anybody within the organization. We’re trying to get this group in the best position to win tonight. It’s the only thing we can control right now and that’s where our focus is.”
After a 23-10 start that saw the White Sox fasten an early grip on first place in the AL Central, the White Sox have lost 26 of their last 36 games entering Monday night. But Hahn said whatever decisions are made about the future of this team will be made through a wider evaluative lens.
“You try to look at the entirety of the work,” Hahn said. “When things aren’t going well, you feel that same frustration that fans are feeling and perhaps even moreso on a daily basis you’re consumed by this. I think it’s natural to look at areas where you can get better, but any decisions are made based upon the entirety of anyone’s performance, based on not just the snippet of five or 10 days or the length of a season or past career.”
The goodwill the White Sox built up with that 33-game start to the season is running on fumes, though, with the club heading to Boston five and a half games out of first place and five games out of a wild card spot (they’re as close to the league’s second-worst team, the Oakland Athletics, as they are the second wild card team, Kansas City). Hahn & Co. believe, though, that the roster as currently constructed is good enough to contend over its final 90 games.
But at some point, the tailspin has to end. And for the White Sox chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 2008, it probably has to end soon.
“We very much believe the talent is there to be in the thick of things come October,” Hahn said. “Obviously we have to stop squandering opportunities, especially in our division, where we’ve performed poorly over the last few weeks. But we have not, thanks in large part to the quality start, haven’t buried ourselves yet. We need to get it turned around fairly quickly, though, so we can continue saying that and reinforce our notion, our believes in ourselves that this team has the ability to contend.”
Report: White Sox sign first-round draft pick Zack Collins.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
According to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, the White Sox signed first-round pick Zack Collins on Tuesday.
Collins will receive a $3,380,600 bonus, which is the full slot value of the No. 10 pick. The White Sox signed No. 26 overall pick Zack Burdi to a full slot value bonus last week, and reportedly went over slot to sign sixth-round high schooled Luis Curbelo.
The University of Miami catcher finished the 2016 season with a .363/.544/.668 slash line with a team-high 16 home runs and more walks (78) than strikeouts (53). The Hurricanes were eliminated from the College World Series on Monday after losing to Arizona and UC-Santa Barbara, though Collins homered against UCSB.
The White Sox have now signed all of their top 10 picks from the 2016 MLB Draft.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Bulls coaching staff may NOT be changing now?
By APBullsHoops
(Photo/Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Part of the offseason plan was to modify Fred Hoiberg's coaching staff...that sounds no longer to be the case.
The Tribune's K.C. Johnson appeared on the "Dennis Podman" podcast, posted on 6/20.
Among the several topics discussed were the Bulls direction in general, the draft, free-agency, Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and the front office.
One depressing bit of information comes just prior to the 38-min mark of the almost hour-long podcast. PLEASE listen to this podcast, because it covers quite a deal of information. The Bulls on Parade guys (Mark & Mort) do a great job here. But just to transcribe the coaching staff part of it:
"...part of that, I thought, was going to be the staff, although that sounds like the staff may not be changing now, where initial signs pointed to it changing...
Mark K (host): "So now you're suggesting [the coaching staff] might not be changing...particularly with Randy Brown?"
Johnson's response: "Yeah I don't know that to be true, but I've heard both now"K.C. goes on to mention that most NBA coaching staffs have been filled by this time, but notes that Thibs has yet to hire his staff also. So it could be a "slow moving summer" in that regard.
He then mentions that the Bulls particularly wanted to hire a "skills coach" and someone with "more NBA experience for the bench".
All in all, though there was once hope of the Bulls making changes to the coaching staff, that now sounds foggy at best. It's not certain if the Bulls are indeed "slow moving" (to that I ask, WHY?) or if they just aren't going to make any changes at all.
This is quite depressing, as the word and theme of "accountability" was thrown around quite a bit by John Paxson at the end-of-season post mortem. It now sounds like the coaching staff isn't being held accountable.
Pippen, Rodman believe 1995-96 Bulls still greatest team ever after Warriors lose in NBA Finals.
CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Much of the discussion throughout the NBA regular season and playoffs revolved around whether or not the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors should be considered the greatest team ever.
While they did have the best start in NBA history (24-0), and later eclipsed the record for regular season wins (73-9), the Warriors failure to win a championship to cap off their legendary season means the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are still the greatest team in NBA history, well, according to two of that Bulls team's most vocal players.
Dennis Rodman took to Twitter Sunday night to express his opinion regarding who the greatest team in NBA history is, following the Cleveland Cavaliers shocking win over the Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
While they did have the best start in NBA history (24-0), and later eclipsed the record for regular season wins (73-9), the Warriors failure to win a championship to cap off their legendary season means the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are still the greatest team in NBA history, well, according to two of that Bulls team's most vocal players.
Dennis Rodman took to Twitter Sunday night to express his opinion regarding who the greatest team in NBA history is, following the Cleveland Cavaliers shocking win over the Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
***************************************
"Congrats @cavs for winning @NBA title. @warriors u had a great regular season. But the greatest team of all time is the 95-96 @chicagobulls"
Dennis Rodman @dennisrodman
***************************************
Scottie Pippen expressed a similar sentiment when asked who the greatest team in NBA history was in an interview with ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike on Monday.
"The 1995-96 Bulls," Pippen said. "We live on."
"No matter how well you do in the regular season, it has to be capped off with a championship, to really mark your legacy in the game," Pippen continued to say. "That's where we see Golden State had some failure there. They lost their dominance throughout the playoffs."
Need further proof?
Overall records (including playoffs)
1995-96 Bulls: 87-13
2015-16 Warriors: 88-18
The historic 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team, which featured Rodman, Pippen, Michael Jordan, and current Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, finished the regular season with a record of 72-10 and went on to claim the NBA title.
So, to Rodman and Pippen, a legendary regular season doesn't mean a thing without a championship ring.
Check out the Bulls ' Summer League schedule.
"The 1995-96 Bulls," Pippen said. "We live on."
"No matter how well you do in the regular season, it has to be capped off with a championship, to really mark your legacy in the game," Pippen continued to say. "That's where we see Golden State had some failure there. They lost their dominance throughout the playoffs."
Need further proof?
Overall records (including playoffs)
1995-96 Bulls: 87-13
2015-16 Warriors: 88-18
The historic 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team, which featured Rodman, Pippen, Michael Jordan, and current Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, finished the regular season with a record of 72-10 and went on to claim the NBA title.
So, to Rodman and Pippen, a legendary regular season doesn't mean a thing without a championship ring.
Check out the Bulls ' Summer League schedule.
CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Vegas baby.
The Bulls are heading back to Sin City this summer to participate in the NBA Summer League, and the Association released the schedule of games for the annual event Tuesday.
The Bulls will take on the Boston Celtics at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 9. Two days later, it's a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. CT. And the third game comes against the San Antonio Spurs at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 12.
Following five days of games, things go into playoff mode for the final six days.
Last year, the Bulls went 3-3 in Summer League action. Current Bulls Cristiano Felicio, Doug McDermott and Bobby Portis played on the team.
Golf: I got a club for that..... USGA Issues Mea Culpa on Handling of Dustin Johnson Ruling: 'We Regret the Distraction'.
The Bulls are heading back to Sin City this summer to participate in the NBA Summer League, and the Association released the schedule of games for the annual event Tuesday.
The Bulls will take on the Boston Celtics at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 9. Two days later, it's a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. CT. And the third game comes against the San Antonio Spurs at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 12.
Following five days of games, things go into playoff mode for the final six days.
Last year, the Bulls went 3-3 in Summer League action. Current Bulls Cristiano Felicio, Doug McDermott and Bobby Portis played on the team.
Golf: I got a club for that..... USGA Issues Mea Culpa on Handling of Dustin Johnson Ruling: 'We Regret the Distraction'.
By Josh Berhow
(Photo/Getty Images)
Dustin Johnson Overcomes Controversy to Win U.S. Open Dustin Johnson overcame a controversial ruling to win his first major by three shots, the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.The United States Golf Association said it regrets the distraction it caused by not waiting until the end of the final round of Sunday's U.S. Open to issue a ruling on Dustin Johnson and his 5th green controversy, golf's governing body said in a statement released Monday evening.
Johnson, who won the U.S. Open by three strokes despite being assessed a penalty after his round, alerted an official when his ball moved on the 5th green. He said he had not touched the ball or grounded his club, so the official told him to putt out with no penalty. But more than an hour later while on the 12th tee, Johnson was told he might be assessed a one-stroke penalty at the conclusion of his round, when it would be reviewed. Other players on the course were soon told about the possibility of a penalty.
In the 620-word statement, the USGA said it "created uncertainty about where players stood on the leaderboard after we informed Dustin on the 12th tee that his actions on the fifth green might lead to a penalty. This created unnecessary ambiguity for Dustin and the other players, as well as spectators on-site, and those watching and listening on television and digital channels."
According to the statement, rules officials gathered all the relevant evidence surrounding Johnson's putt and decided "that it is more likely than not that the player's actions caused the ball to move."
Before, and even after, the ruling was announced, PGA Tour players voiced their displeasure with the USGA's handling of the situation on social media. It became a moot point, however, when Johnson birdied the final hole to lead by four, thus securing his win regardless of the penalty assessment.
"We accept that not everyone will agree that Dustin caused his ball to move," the statement read. "Issues under Rule 18-2 often require a judgment where there is some uncertainty, and this was one of those instances. We also understand that some people may disagree with Rule 18-2 itself. While we respect the viewpoints of those who disagree, our Committee made a careful and collective judgment in its pursuit of a fair competition played under the Rules of Golf."
Jack Nicklaus was on the 18th green when Johnson finished, and was among those who criticized the USGA's handling of the situation. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee did the same during a live show later that night.
Johnson finished at four under to claim his first major. Jim Furyk, Shane Lowry and Scott Piercy tied for second at one under.
You can read the USGA's complete statement below.
USGA Statement Regarding Dustin Johnson Ruling:
The USGA wishes to congratulate Dustin Johnson on his victory and thank him, and the other players in the field, for their professionalism and grace throughout the championship. Dustin is a wonderful champion, a talented golfer and a gentleman.
Our team at the USGA has seen and heard a great deal of discussion and debate about the ruling on Dustin's ball moving during the final round of the 2016 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club. In addition to the explanations we offered upon the conclusion of the final round, we add these comments.
Upon reflection, we regret the distraction caused by our decision to wait until the end of the round to decide on the ruling. It is normal for rulings based on video evidence to await the end of a round, when the matter can be discussed with the player before the score card is returned. While our focus on getting the ruling correct was appropriate, we created uncertainty about where players stood on the leader board after we informed Dustin on the 12th tee that his actions on the fifth green might lead to a penalty. This created unnecessary ambiguity for Dustin and the other players, as well as spectators on-site, and those watching and listening on television and digital channels.
During any competition, the priority for Rules officials is to make the correct ruling for the protection of the player(s) involved and the entire field. In applying Rule 18-2, which deals with a ball at rest that moves, officials consider all the relevant evidence – including the player's actions, the time between those actions and the movement of the ball, the lie of the ball, and course and weather conditions. If that evidence, considered together, shows that it is more likely than not that the player's actions caused the ball to move, the player incurs a one-stroke penalty. Officials use this "more likely than not" standard because it is not always apparent what caused the ball to move. Such situations require a review of the evidence, with Decision 18-2/0.5 providing guidance on how the evidence should be weighed.
Our officials reviewed the video of Dustin on the fifth green and determined that based on the weight of the evidence, it was more likely than not that Dustin caused his ball to move. Dustin's putter contacted the ground at the side of the ball, and almost immediately after, the ball moved.
We accept that not everyone will agree that Dustin caused his ball to move. Issues under Rule 18-2 often require a judgment where there is some uncertainty, and this was one of those instances. We also understand that some people may disagree with Rule 18-2 itself. While we respect the viewpoints of those who disagree, our Committee made a careful and collective judgment in its pursuit of a fair competition played under the Rules of Golf.
In keeping with our commitment to excellence in all aspects of our work on behalf of the game of golf, we pledge to closely examine our procedures in this matter. We will assess our procedures for handling video review, the timing of such, and our communication with players to make sure that when confronted with such a situation again, we will have a better process.
We at the USGA deeply appreciate the support of players, fans, and the entire golf community of our championships and our other work for golf – and we appreciate your feedback as well. We have established an email address (comments@usga.org) and phone mailbox (908-326-1857) to receive comments. We thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
We all share an abiding love of this great game. Let us continue to work together for its good.
Quicken Loans National preview: Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler lead subdued field.
Sporting News
(Photo/Sporting News)
Moved just after the U.S. Open with the Olympics shaking up the schedule, the Quicken Loans National lacks its normal luster as a top event on tour. Tiger Woods, the tournament's host, is still out as he recovers from back surgery, and some of the top names associated with the event have decided to rest as well.
Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler headline the field after turning in disappointing performances at Oakmont. Fowler has missed the cut at the Masters, Players and U.S. Open this year, while Reed has not won since January 2015.
Congressional (Blue) is one of the longest courses on tour — it has hosted U.S. Opens — as a 7,569-yard par 71. Players will be faced with a similar test they persevered last week.
Here are this week's top players:
Patrick Reed (world ranking: 13) — Despite avoiding the winner's circle since the Hyundai Tournament of Champions early last year, Reed has finished in the top 10 seven times this year. Reed has also finished runner-up twice. Putting has been an issue for Reed this season. He ranks just 107th in strokes gained putting, but he does rank first in strokes gained around the green, so his short game is working. Fantasy advice: This is a tough week to commit to players. However, Reed feels like a safe bet for a top 10.
Rickie Fowler (6) — He has missed the cut in his last three starts, and has four missed cuts in his last six starts. Fowler's arrow is quickly spiraling downward after five top-eight finishes in his first six starts worldwide this year. Fowler still ranks fifth in shots gained tee-to-green, but he just hasn't been able to get anything going lately. Fantasy advice: Hard to trust right now, but he did finish second here last year so he likes the course.
Byeong-hun An (27) — An hasn't really impressed since his t-2 in New Orleans earlier this season. He did finish t-11 at the Memorial and t-23 at the U.S. Open, but it's time for him to contend regularly. This week, with a watered down field, An is one of the top players to watch. Fantasy advice: Very solid play. The length of the course shouldn't be an issue and he might be lightly played.
Bryson DeChambeau (148) — The rookie seems to have majors figured out (t-21, t-15) but his t-4 at the Heritage is his only top-35 finish in a regular event in five attempts since turning pro after the Masters. DeChambeau is a highly cerebral player, which allows him to play the game a little differently than most pros. Now he just needs to become more consistent with his unorthodox swing. Fantasy advice: He will likely be highly owned and may not be worth the price. Look elsewhere.
Jon Rahm (551) — Call it a hunch, but we like Rahm — a powerful Spaniard recently graduated from Arizona State — to contend in his first PGA Tour event as a pro. As an amateur, he finished t-23 at the U.S. Open last week. He also had two top 10s in four starts last year. Rahm hits the ball hard and putts with a deft touch. He is a star in the making. Fantasy advice: He is a good play while his price is down and people aren't paying attention to him yet.
Others to watch:
Bill Haas, Jim Furyk, Chris Kirk, Charles Howell III, Justin Thomas
Sleepers:
Wesley Bryan, Gary Woodland, Tony Finau, Jordan Niebrugge, Marc Leishman
NASCAR: Power Rankings: The Xfinity Series gets a turn this week.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
1. Daniel Suarez: Things are coming together for Suarez in his sophomore season. he's got 12 top 10s, tied for most in the series, the best average finish (6.6), has finished on the lead lap of all but one of the 14 races this season and has a points lead of 21 points. Not too shabby.
Suarez's marketability and sponsorship was a big reason why he landed a ride with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2014 season. But he's proving to be a pretty quick study too. He's got a chance to win another race or two before the end of the season.
2. Erik Jones: We're not sure Suarez is the favorite for the Xfinity Series Chase, however. We'd still take Jones at the moment. He's led 204 laps (Suarez is second among regulars with 74 laps led), is the only Xfinity Series driver with more than one win and his average starting position is second. Yes. Second.
He's just seventh in the points standings thanks to three bad finishes, including one on Sunday in Iowa. Jones finished 27th because of fuel pressure problems. A bad finish can destroy your Chase chances, but given that a win advances you to the next round, there's no sense in betting against the only guy who's proven he can win multiple races so far.
2. Erik Jones: We're not sure Suarez is the favorite for the Xfinity Series Chase, however. We'd still take Jones at the moment. He's led 204 laps (Suarez is second among regulars with 74 laps led), is the only Xfinity Series driver with more than one win and his average starting position is second. Yes. Second.
He's just seventh in the points standings thanks to three bad finishes, including one on Sunday in Iowa. Jones finished 27th because of fuel pressure problems. A bad finish can destroy your Chase chances, but given that a win advances you to the next round, there's no sense in betting against the only guy who's proven he can win multiple races so far.
3. Elliott Sadler: Here's Elliott Sadler doing Elliott Sadler things. He's second in the standings and has 12 top-10 finishes. He's led just seven laps, however, and his win came at Talladega in that controversial finish when the caution came out before the presumed winners crossed the finish line. In six full-time Xfinity Series seasons, Sadler has finished outside the top five in the standings once. That was last year, when he was sixth for Roush Fenway Racing.
4. Justin Allgaier: We're guessing Allgaier is looking forward to the Xfinity Series' trips to road courses later this summer. He's got three career Xfinity Series wins and one came at a road course (Montreal). He could have had four, too, but he ran out of gas at Road America in 2011 while leading on the penultimate lap. Fun fact: Reed Sorenson won that 2011 race, while the rest of the top five was Ron Fellows, Jacques Villeneuve, Sadler and Mike Wallace.
5. Ty Dillon: Dillon's become another driver very good at avoiding the bad finish. He's got nine top-10 finishes but is a clear third in the standings. Why? He hasn't finished any lower than 19th all season. After winning at Indianapolis in 2014, Dillon's winless streak is at 61 races.
6. Brandon Jones: Jones is learning well from his teammate above. He has just seven top-10 finishes but is fifth in the points standings. How does one be in the top five in points while maintaining a 50 percent top-10 rate? You finish 11th, 11th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 25th and 12th in the races you don't get top 10s.
7. Brendan Gaughan: Or maybe avoiding DNFs is simply a Richard Childress Racing thing. After all, RCR's Cup teams have done a pretty good job of it over the past few years. Gaughan has six top 10s and is five points behind Jones in the standings.
8. Darrell Wallace: Wallace has two top-five finishes, more than three drivers ahead of him in the standings. But he's in ninth in the standings because he's finished 25th or worse in three races. That includes at Las Vegas, where he got caught up in a vicious crash when NASCAR was painfully late in throwing the caution flag for a crashed car in turn 2.
9. Brennan Poole: We're probably putting Poole a spot or two higher if he was (rightfully?) awarded the win at Talladega. Instead, he's here in ninth, though he's pretty much a lock to make the Xfinity Series Chase, which is pretty shallow. That's not an affront to Poole by any means; it's just that a guy in 8th in the standings shouldn't be considered a guarantee in a 12-driver Chase this soon in the season.
10. Blake Koch: If you want an example of the gulf between Poole and the back of the top 12, Koch is a fine example. He's 11th in the standings with two top-10 finishes and 83 points behind Poole. Meanwhile, Poole is 83 points behind Suarez for the points lead. Yikes.
11. Ryan Reed: We put Reed outside the top 10 for symbolism's sake. Reed is 10th in the points standings despite no top 10s on the season. Or, to be more accurate, no top 10 finishes since he got that surprise win at Daytona to open the 2014 season. It's really quite the remarkable streak.
12. Ryan Sieg and Jeremy Clements: It looks like these two are going to be fighting with Ross Chastain (and possibly Dakoda Armstrong) for the final Chase spot. Sieg and Clements get to share the honors of the spot in Power Rankings because they each have a top-10 finish.
Lucky Dog: Shout out to Sam Hornish for winning at Iowa on Sunday in his first start of the season. And props to Alex Bowman, who has led 44 laps and has four top-10s in four starts this season. Bowman's 44 laps led puts him third among Xfinity Series regulars despite having 10 fewer starts than most of his competitors. Again, yikes.
Will Sonoma continue run of different winners on road courses?
By Dustin Long
(Photo/Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)
Since Kyle Busch swept the road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2008, parity has reigned among the winners of those NASCAR Sprint Cup events.
There have been 12 different winners in the past 14 races at those tracks. The only repeat winners are Marcos Ambrose (Watkins Glen in 2011 and ’12) and Busch (Watkins Glen in 2013 and Sonoma in 2015).
Will there be another winner this weekend at Sonoma Raceway or will a driver who has won a road course event since 2009 win again?
Here’s a list of the winners in the past 14 races at those tracks:
2009
Sonoma – Kasey Kahne
Watkins Glen – Tony Stewart
2010
Sonoma – Jimmie Johnson
Watkins Glen – Juan Pablo Montoya
2011
Sonoma – Kurt Busch
Watkins Glen – Marcos Ambrose
2012
Sonoma – Clint Bowyer
Watkins Glen – Marcos Ambrose
2013
Sonoma – Martin Truex Jr.
Watkins Glen – Kyle Busch
2014
Sonoma – Carl Edwards
Watkins Glen – A.J. Allmendinger
2015
Sonoma – Kyle Busch
Watkins Glen – Joey Logano
There have been 12 different winners in the past 14 races at those tracks. The only repeat winners are Marcos Ambrose (Watkins Glen in 2011 and ’12) and Busch (Watkins Glen in 2013 and Sonoma in 2015).
Will there be another winner this weekend at Sonoma Raceway or will a driver who has won a road course event since 2009 win again?
Here’s a list of the winners in the past 14 races at those tracks:
2009
Sonoma – Kasey Kahne
Watkins Glen – Tony Stewart
2010
Sonoma – Jimmie Johnson
Watkins Glen – Juan Pablo Montoya
2011
Sonoma – Kurt Busch
Watkins Glen – Marcos Ambrose
2012
Sonoma – Clint Bowyer
Watkins Glen – Marcos Ambrose
2013
Sonoma – Martin Truex Jr.
Watkins Glen – Kyle Busch
2014
Sonoma – Carl Edwards
Watkins Glen – A.J. Allmendinger
2015
Sonoma – Kyle Busch
Watkins Glen – Joey Logano
SOCCER: Veljko Paunovic: 'It’s time to wake up from this mentality'.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
If there's one characteristic that is apparent about Chicago Fire coach Veljko Paunovic, it's that he's a competitor.
Paunovic spoke of having the team's honor hurt after they lost the season opener at home to New York City FC and frequently talks about pushing for more and always going for the win.
It seems Saturday's 2-1 loss at Colorado, which came on an 89th minute goal after the Fire had tied the match less than 10 minutes earlier, sent Paunovic to a boiling point of sorts. In his weekly conference call with the media on Monday, Paunovic was fired up in his words about the team's recent performances.
Paunovic spoke of having the team's honor hurt after they lost the season opener at home to New York City FC and frequently talks about pushing for more and always going for the win.
It seems Saturday's 2-1 loss at Colorado, which came on an 89th minute goal after the Fire had tied the match less than 10 minutes earlier, sent Paunovic to a boiling point of sorts. In his weekly conference call with the media on Monday, Paunovic was fired up in his words about the team's recent performances.
"Nobody is happy with losing," Paunovic said. "Nobody is happy with the situation. It’s time to wake up from this mentality that we are in for a long time now. It’s time to understand that I can say that the guys are working hard here and we want the best, but it’s not enough. We have to understand that it’s not only important to participate. That’s for the Olympics. We have to understand that we are here to win games. It’s time to wake up from that dream that we are in right now. We have to do more, we have to work harder. As I said I’m responsible for that, I’m going to fix this thing and I’m going to work on that hard. That’s I would say our mentality because our physical level, we are there, we are working hard, but we need to improve our mentality. That’s the challenge that we all have here.”
With a league-worst 2-6-5 record, the Fire were minutes away from getting a draw at league-leading Colorado. However, Paunovic believed his team was settling for the draw instead of going for the win in the final minutes.
"After we tied the game, we had a game to win," Paunovic said. "I don’t think we pushed enough to do that. That’s something we of course have to learn from it, but I’m not happy about it and I addressed the locker room today about it. I’m very transparent and I’m going to tell you, we need winners. This is not Olympics. This is not about participating as I said before. We need real guys. We want guys only who will understand that and push forward where we are.”
Perhaps a more assertive Paunovic can get a bit more out of his players, but it's not going to get much easier in the short-term. Next up is a trip to the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union on Wednesday.
The Fire will still be without Matt Polster (concussion) and Collin Fernandez (ankle sprain). Arturo Alvarez suffered a knee contusion and a hyperextended knee in Colorado, according to Paunovic, and will also be out. Joey Calistri, who scored his first MLS goal on Saturday, had some swelling from an ankle injury as well and will not play in Philadelphia.
On the upside, Paunovic said John Goossens will return from his knee injury to be on the bench Wednesday. Fire Academy product Drew Conner was recalled from Saint Louis FC to give the team extra depth with all those absences.
With a league-worst 2-6-5 record, the Fire were minutes away from getting a draw at league-leading Colorado. However, Paunovic believed his team was settling for the draw instead of going for the win in the final minutes.
"After we tied the game, we had a game to win," Paunovic said. "I don’t think we pushed enough to do that. That’s something we of course have to learn from it, but I’m not happy about it and I addressed the locker room today about it. I’m very transparent and I’m going to tell you, we need winners. This is not Olympics. This is not about participating as I said before. We need real guys. We want guys only who will understand that and push forward where we are.”
Perhaps a more assertive Paunovic can get a bit more out of his players, but it's not going to get much easier in the short-term. Next up is a trip to the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union on Wednesday.
The Fire will still be without Matt Polster (concussion) and Collin Fernandez (ankle sprain). Arturo Alvarez suffered a knee contusion and a hyperextended knee in Colorado, according to Paunovic, and will also be out. Joey Calistri, who scored his first MLS goal on Saturday, had some swelling from an ankle injury as well and will not play in Philadelphia.
On the upside, Paunovic said John Goossens will return from his knee injury to be on the bench Wednesday. Fire Academy product Drew Conner was recalled from Saint Louis FC to give the team extra depth with all those absences.
USA 0-4 Argentina: No. 1 team in the world dominates, moving to Copa America final.
By Kyle Bonn
(Photo/Getty Images)
It was a humbling experience for the United States in Houston.
Against a far superior opponent, the Copa America run finally came to an end, with Argentina advancing to the finals with a dominant 4-0 win. Lionel Messi ran the US ragged, while the hosts had one shot all night – none on goal.
From start to finish, Argentina was by far the better team. It all came crashing down for the United States just four minutes into the game. Lionel Messi chipped the US defense, and Ezequiel Lavezzi was all alone behind the back line to head home easily past Brad Guzan.
Down early, the US pushed higher up but still struggled to hold meaningful possession on the ball thanks to the Argentina high press. Messi had an opportunity in the 15th minute when he snatched a wayward Michael Bradley pass and carved through five players, but his shot was saved by Guzan.
Argentina continued to get chances, with Gonzalo Higuain through on goal thanks to a quick restart on a free-kick at the top of the box, but a solid last-ditch tackle allowed Guzan to scoop up the ball.
With the top ranked team in the world pushing hard, the best player in the world put his seal of approval on the game. With Chris Wondolowski earning himself a yellow card for a foul at the top of the box, Messi stepped up and buried the free-kick into the top right corner, a pinpoint strike directly into the bullseye.
The US had its best chance on 42 minutes but it still didn’t come close. A cross from Gyasi Zardes flew into the box but just over the head of Chris Wondolowski.
Into the second half, Jurgen Klinsmann brought on young Christian Pulisic, but things continued to get ugly. Gonzalo Higuain snuck behind John Brooks and the US back line, and although Guzan saved the first attempt, the rebound fell back to Higuain and he finished for a 3-0 lead.
There was a scary moment just past the hour mark when Lavezzi fell over the signage on the edge, and appeared to seriously injure his arm, but he walked off under his own power. He was replaced by Erik Lamela. Higuain got a second, on a feed from Messi, leaving the Napoli striker to poke home from close range.
Messi and company saw the final 30 minutes out with ease, holding possession and hardly seeing their goal threatened. With the win, Argentina moves onto the final against the winner of the other semifinal between Colombia and Chile. The U.S. still has one more game to play, with the 3rd place game still to come against the loser of the other semifinal.
NCAAFB: 10 ways college athletes can get paid and remain eligible for their sport.
From modeling to competing in other sports, athletes have options to bring in money while in school.
Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, isn't just a three-star football player with Division I scholarship offers from schools such as Arizona, Cal, Colorado, Louisville and Vanderbilt. He also recently announced he signed a contract with Wilhelmina Models, a prominent modeling and talent agency.
Assuming Walsh plays college football, you may wonder how this will be allowed by the NCAA, which repeatedly fights to protect what it deems its amateurism model. Walsh's eligibility is safe. He can keep getting paid while an NCAA athlete because he signed with the modeling agency before he enrolled in college.
This particular NCAA bylaw is called "Continuation of Modeling and Other Non-athletically Related Promotional Activities After Enrollment." Yes, there's an NCAA rule for modeling. Who knew? The bylaw requires Walsh to have become involved in modeling for non-athletic reasons; forbids any reference to his name or involvement in college sports while modeling; doesn't allow him to endorse the commercial product; and requires that he get paid at a rate comparable to his skills and experience as a model.
That got us thinking: What other ways can college athletes and/or their families get paid while in school? The NCAA's definition of amateurism is more forgiving than you might think. In the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken shot down amateurism as an appropriate defense for the NCAA not to allow players to get paid for their names, images and likeness. Wilken wrote the NCAA changes its definition of amateurism when needed and sometimes "in significant and contradictory ways." Here are just a few ways college athletes already are allowed to get paid:
1. Cost of attendance. The NCAA and universities spin this as additional scholarship money, not a payment stipend. And while semantically that's true, just a decade ago, the NCAA argued in court that cost-of-attendance stipends were a form of "pay for play" and a threat to amateurism. Cost of attendance is the estimated extra money of the price to attend a particular college, as determined by financial aid offices. By 2015, many schools were providing all or some of their athletes with a couple extra thousand dollars a year through cost of attendance. Some coaches publicly worried that other schools' cost of attendance numbers were inflated for competitive reasons and the money would impact recruiting. One year into cost of attendance, there are virtually no stories about players choosing schools due to the extra stipend.
2. Pell Grants. The federal government provides financial aid to students who show a need for money to attend college. The maximum Pell Grant award in 2016-17 will be $5,815 per student. Since lots of college football and basketball players come from low-income homes, many of them receive some Pell Grant money. For instance, the University of Alabama had 131 athletes receive $566,495 in federal aid during 2012-13 (average of $4,324 per athlete). Slightly more than half of those Alabama athletes played football. Under NCAA rules, an athlete who receives a Pell Grant may also receive cost of attendance or the value of a full scholarship plus the Pell Grant, whichever is greater.
3. Pro money in a different sport. In the NCAA's confusing world of amateurism, you can be deemed an amateur in one sport while clearly a professional in another. A pro athlete paid in one sport can simultaneously play college athletics in a different sport and receive a scholarship. It doesn't happen much, but the sport most frequently impacted is a college football player who also participates in minor league baseball. In 2010, Kyle Parker was Clemson's quarterback after he got a $1.4 million signing bonus from the Colorado Rockies. Russell Wilson had a $200,000 signing bonus with the Rockies, some of which he had to return to the club when he left to play quarterback at Wisconsin. Roscoe Crosby had a $1.75 million signing bonus from the Kansas City Royals while a Clemson wide receiver in the early 2000s.
4. Bowl gifts/postseason awards. If a booster gives a player a gift, that's an NCAA no-no. If a bowl game gives a player a gift, this is called a postseason award. A football player can get gifts valued up to $550 from a bowl and up to $400 by his school. There are even bowl gift suites and Visa gift cards for players. In all sports, the NCAA allows schools to give awards to underclassmen (maximum value $225 each) and seniors ($425) for annual participation. There are awards for winning a national championship ($415 maximum per player) or winning a conference regular season/postseason championship ($325). If you win a national award such as the Heisman Trophy, that award is worth up to $325. If you're the MVP of a bowl game or all-star contest, you can get up to $350 in an award. And if you make special contributions to your team's season -- examples cited by the NCAA rulebook are best scholar-athlete, most improved player, most minutes played and most valuable player -- your max award value is $175.
5. Free injury insurance. An NCAA athlete can borrow against his or her future earnings from a lender for loss-of-value insurance in case of a serious injury. In recent years, as the NCAA lessened some restrictions, some schools have paid $50,000 to $60,000 for a very small number of elite football players to get this insurance premium for free. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are among the players who got their premium paid for by their school. Some coaches complained this is a recruiting advantage by offering the possibility of a premium during the recruiting process.
6. Prize money based on performance. In tennis, a player can receive up to $10,000 per year in prize money before or during college. The prize money can only come from the sponsor of an event in which the player participates. Once the $10,000 is reached, NCAA rules state the player can still get additional money if it doesn't exceed his or her necessary expenses for participating in the event. In sports other than tennis, an athlete can get prize money from a sponsor based on his or her finish as long as the amount doesn't exceed the cost to participate.
7. Money for training, international competition. An athlete may get expenses paid for by the United States Olympic Committee to cover development training, coaching, facility usage, equipment, apparel, supplies, comprehensive health insurance, travel, and room and board. Expenses for Olympic tours and exhibitions are allowed if the college athlete doesn't miss class time or conflict with university competition. Athletes can receive apparel, clothes, footwear and other commemorative items for participating in the Olympics or another international event through a national governing body. A company or local community members may provide expenses and other non-monetary benefits to an athlete's family to attend national team competitions.
8. Student assistance fund. The NCAA provides money to each school to assist athletes who have special financial needs. Some of this can go for needs such as clothing. Those suits you see players wearing before games? They're sometimes paid for from this fund. In addition, the NCAA recently began allowing schools to pay travel expenses for players' families to attend the men's and women's basketball Final Four and the College Football Playoff. The $3,000-$4,000 is meant to cover transportation, hotel and meals for two family members per athlete.
9. Outside employment. The NCAA allows players to have paying jobs. They may rarely have the time to do so, but it is permitted if the work is performed at an amount comparable to the going rate in that area for similar services. The payment isn't supposed to be due to athletic ability or publicity for the employer due to the athlete's presence. An athlete can be employed by his or university, another school, or a private organization to work in a camp or clinic as a counselor.
10. Self-employment. This NCAA rule still says an athlete may establish a business only if his or her name, photo, appearance or athletic reputation are not used to promote the business. But the NCAA now tackles this issue on a case-by-case basis and has said it will grant appropriate waivers if athletes have similar opportunities as other students for entrepreneurial aspirations. Most famously, Minnesota wrestler Joel Bauman tested the NCAA in 2013 by promoting that he was an NCAA wrestler on a music video he produced. Bauman declined to remove his name from any songs and eliminate any promotion of his status as an NCAA athlete. He got declared ineligible, a firestorm erupted, and he brilliantly turned the publicity into a marketing job.
Report: How the NFL could help college football reform satellite camps.
By Robby Kalland
The NCAA is reportedly considering shortening the satellite camp window or hosting NCAA sponsored camps at NFL facilities.
The satellite camp discussion will just not go away. According to the Virginian-Pilot, the NCAA is considering two different options for satellite camp reform that they will reportedly discuss this summer.
The first is a drastic change, which would eliminate team-sponsored joint camps and instead create NCAA-sponsored camps that would be hosted at NFL training facilities or high schools; any coach would be allowed to attend. Camps on college campuses would not go away, but coaches from other schools would no longer be able to attend them.
The second option the NCAA is considering is shortening the camp window to 10 days. Currently, coaches have 30 days in which they are allowed to attend camps. Cutting it down to a 10-day window would certainly limit the ability of coaches to go on massive camp tours, like Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has done this summer.
The first option seems to make the most sense when thinking of the stated concerns from coaches that satellite camps will be the "wild, wild west," as Nick Saban said, and that a lack of regulation can lead to improper recruiting practices. The real concern is that they're going to lose out on recruits, or not have as much power over their region, if other coaches spend more time there. By having NCAA-sponsored camps, they could have officials there to keep an eye on any potential violations and ensure that all contact is permissible under NCAA rules.
Cutting the camp window down to 10 days seems like a weird compromise that wouldn't offer any fix to potential satellite camp issues and instead would just limit the opportunities.
NCAABKB: A look at how freshmen have fared with NBA one-and-done rule.
By SAMANTHA PELL
Last season was the year of the senior in college basketball. Thursday's NBA draft is not.
LSU freshman Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram are expected to be the top picks this year, continuing the league's tendency to go with youthful potential over NCAA experience.
The numbers for the one-and-done picks are impressive.
Last season was the year of the senior in college basketball. Thursday's NBA draft is not.
LSU freshman Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram are expected to be the top picks this year, continuing the league's tendency to go with youthful potential over NCAA experience.
The numbers for the one-and-done picks are impressive.
Four one-and-done players - Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph - have captured NBA titles. The Cleveland Cavaliers' trio of Irving, Love and Thompson just won the NBA crown on Sunday; Joseph, who played one year at Texas before being drafted 29th overall by San Antonio in 2011, was a member of the Spurs championship team in 2014.
Since the one-and-done rule was enacted in 2006, 83 freshmen have been drafted, 11 have been named All-Stars, and six have been named rookie of the year.
Eight freshmen have gone No. 1 overall pick since 2007, and since 2006, 23 have been chosen in the top five. The only year a freshman did not go No. 1 since the rule was enacted was 2009 - Blake Griffin was the top pick that year after his sophomore season at Oklahoma.
A look at how some of the top freshmen selected have fared in the NBA:
2015 draft
No. 1 pick: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota.
Recap: Was the unanimous rookie of the year coming out of Kentucky, named rookie of the month every month in the Western Conference, and became 26th rookie in NBA history to average 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. Averaged 18.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.0 apg with Minnesota.
No. 2 pick: D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers.
No. 1 pick: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota.
Recap: Was the unanimous rookie of the year coming out of Kentucky, named rookie of the month every month in the Western Conference, and became 26th rookie in NBA history to average 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. Averaged 18.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.0 apg with Minnesota.
No. 2 pick: D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers.
Recap: Was in and out of the Lakers starting lineup; the former Ohio State standout ended the season with some friction with his teammates, including Nick Young. Averaged 13.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg for the Lakers.
No. 3 pick: Jahill Okafor, Philadelphia.
Recap: The big man out of Duke averaged 17.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.2 apg for the 76ers.
2014 draft
No. 1 pick: Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland.
Recap: Was the rookie of the year coming out of Kansas, has career average of 18.8 pig, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 app. The former Kansas star was traded to Timberwolves in deal that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland.
No. 2 pick: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee.
Recap: The former Duke forward suffered a season-ending injury in December 2014, tearing his ACL in December 2014. Has career average of 13.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg.
No. 3 pick: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia
Recap: The former Kansas star has yet to play in an NBA game after suffering a foot injury.
No. 4 pick: Aaron Gordon, Orlando
Recap: Has career average of 7.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg. After playing in the first 11 games, the former Arizona star suffered a fractured bone in his left foot. He came back and finished the season averaging 5.2 points. Last year was the runner-up to Zach LaVine in a memorable NBA dunk competition.
2013 draft
No. 1 pick: Anthony Bennett, Cleveland
Recap: Has struggled to have success in the NBA after becoming the first Canadian taken No. 1 the draft. Has career average of just 4.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg. After a mediocre showing in Cleveland his rookie year, the former UNLV standout was traded to Minnesota before the 2014-15 season where he averaged career highs of 5.2 ppg, 3.8rpg, and 15.7 minutes per game. The Timberwolves waived him and Bennett signed with Toronto and played 19 games before requesting to be sent to the D-League.
2012 draft
No. 1 pick: Anthony Davis, New Orleans
Recap: Was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team with the Pelicans and is a three-time All-Star. Youngest player to score 59 or more points in an NBA game. Former Kentucky big man won Olympic gold medal at the London Games. Has career average of 20.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg.
No. 2 pick: Michael Kidd-Gilchrest, Charlotte
Recap: Was named to the All-Rookie Second Team. Was taken after his Kentucky Wildcat teammate went No. 1, has career average of 9.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.3 apg; has been in and out of the Charlotte lineup after a couple of shoulder injuries.
No. 3 pick: Bradley Beal, Washington
Recap: The former Florida guard has career average of 16.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.7 apg; was All-Rookie First Team; battled injuries last season, had problems with his shoulder, lower right leg and a sprained pelvis.
2011 draft
No. 1 pick: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland
Recap: After playing just 11 games at Duke due to a toe injury, the point guard has career average of 20.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.5 apg. Named NBA rookie of the year, is a three-time All-Star (2013-15), All-Star game MVP (2014), All-NBA Third Team (2015), Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012), NBA Three-Point Shootout Champion (2013). Played in back-to-back Finals appearances with the Cavaliers in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Won his first NBA title on Sunday.
No. 3 pick: Enes Kanter, Utah
Recap: Has career average of 12.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg. Enrolled at Kentucky in 2010, but never played for the Wildcats due to being ruled ineligible by the NCAA. He stayed in school for a year. Jazz traded him to Oklahoma City, where he is helping anchor Thunder's imposing frontcourt.
No. 5 pick: Tristan Thompson, Cleveland
Recap: Has career average of 9.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg out of Texas. All-Rookie second team, has made back-to-back Finals appearances with the Cavaliers in 2014-15 and 2015-2016. Won his first NBA title on Sunday.
2010 draft
No. 1 pick: John Wall, Washington
Recap: The former Kentucky point guard has career average of 18.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 9.0 apg. All-Rookie first team, NBA Rookie Challenge MVP, three-time NBA All-Star, and All-Defensive Second Team (2015). Wall averaged 16.4 points per game his rookie year with the Washington Wizards and averaged 19.9 points per game last season.
No. 3 pick: Derrick Favors, New Jersey
Recap: Has career average of 11 ppg, 7.3 rag, 1.4 bpg. NBA All-Rookie second team. After averaging 6.3 points in his rookie year with the New Jersey Nets, former Georgia Tech standout was traded in February 2011 to the Utah Jazz. In the past two seasons with the Jazz Favors has averaged over 16 or more points per game.
No. 5 pick: De'Marcus Cousins, Sacramento
Recap: Another Kentucky standout, has career average of 20.2 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg; All-Rookie first team, two-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA second team (2015, 2016). After averaging 14 points his rookie season, Cousins has averaged 22 or more points since the 2013-14 season with the Kings.
2009 draft
No. 4 pick: Tyreke Evans
Recap: Has career average of 16.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5.3 apg; former Memphis guard named rookie of the year. All-Rookie first team, Rookie Challenge co-MVP. After averaging 20.1 points in his rookie campaign with the Kings, Evans hasn't averaged 20 or more points since. He was traded to Pelicans before 2012-13 season.
2008 draft
No. 1 pick: Derrick Rose, Chicago
Recap: The former Memphis guard has career average of 19.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.2 apg. NBA rookie of the year, NBA Skills Challenge champion (2009), three-time All-Star (2010-12), NBA MVP (2011), and All-NBA First Team (2011). Injuries have taken a toll and he missed the 2012-13 Chicago Bulls season entirely.
No. 2 pick: Michael Beasley, Miami
Recap: Has career average of 13.0 ppg, 1.3 apg, 4.8 rpg. The former Kansas State star was All-Rookie first team. After two seasons with the Miami Heat Beasley bounced around the league, even playing overseas, and is now currently with the Houston Rockets.
No. 3 pick: O.J. Mayo, Memphis
Recap: Has career average of 13.8 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.6 rpg. All-Rookie first team. Mayo averaged 18.5 points per game his rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies. Has also played with Dallas and Milwaukee, averaged 7.8 point per game with Bucks last season. On March 10, former USC standout was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a fractured right ankle.
No. 5 pick: Kevin Love, Minnesota
Recap: Has career average of 18.3 ppg and 11.5 rpg. The Timberwolves traded former UCLA star to Cleveland. Played in back-to-back NBA Finals and won his first title on Sunday. All-Rookie second team, NBA Most Improved Player (2011), three-time NBA All-Star (2011-12, 2014), NBA All-second team (2012, 2014), and NBA rebounding leader (2011).
2007 draft
No. 1 pick: Greg Oden, Portland
Recap: Has career average of 8.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.2 bpg. Is now out of the NBA after averaging just over 20 minutes per game in his first seasons in the league then took a three-year hiatus due to injury from 2010-2013. The former Ohio State star last played for the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association for the 2015-16 season. Has followed in the injury footsteps of Sam Bowie to become the latest Trail Blazers big man to have career derailed.
No. 2 pick: Kevin Durant, Seattle
Recap: Has career average of 27.4 ppg, 3.7 apg, 7.0 rpg. NBA rookie of the year, Rookie Challenge MVP, four-time NBA scoring champion (2010-12, 2014), five-time NBA First Team (2010-2014), seven-time NBA All-Star (2010-2016), NBA MVP (2014), All-NBA Second Team (2016).
No. 4 pick: Mike Conley, Memphis
Recap: Has career average of 13.6 ppg, 5.6 app, 2.9 rpg his rookie season out of Ohio State, where he was a teammate of Greg Oden. Has emerged as the floor general for the Grizzlies.
2006 draft
No. 4 pick: Tyrus Thomas, Portland
Recap: Has career average of 7.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg. After being drafted by Trail Blazers, was traded to Chicago. Made the All-Rookie second team. Bulls eventually traded him to Charlotte, where he last played in the NBA in 2013. Most recently played for Eisbaren Bremerhaven overseas in the 2015-16 season.
Will Ronda Rousey ever rebound from Holly Holm loss?
By Kevin Iole
Sometimes it seems that the Internet exists solely to celebrate the failings and problems of famous people. Ronda Rousey learned that lesson the hard way in November.
Minutes after she was knocked out by Holly Holm and lost her UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, the head-kick knockout had been viewed tens of thousands of times and there were many who mocked her with glee.
Rousey arrived home in Los Angeles a few days later, hiding her face from waiting photographers, the extraordinary accomplishments of her career being ignored while many celebrated one night gone horribly wrong.
Rousey hasn’t fought since that night, and there is no timetable for her return. She recently had arthroscopic surgery on her knee, and it’s possible that she may not fight at all in 2016.
One could have gotten appealing betting odds on Nov. 15, the day after she lost to Holm, wagering that Brock Lesnar would be back in the Octagon before Rousey. Sure enough, though, Lesnar will fight Mark Hunt on July 9 at UFC 200, while Rousey still isn’t scheduled.
UFC president Dana White said he hasn’t spoken to Rousey since her surgery, but said he disagrees with the growing contention that we’ve seen the last of Rousey in the Octagon.
I absolutely think she’s going to fight again,” White said. “One hundred percent, I believe that.”
Rousey was a star from the time she defeated Miesha Tate at UFC 168 on Dec. 28, 2013, in Las Vegas, but she really crossed over into superstardom the night of her fight with Bethe Correia in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 1 in the main event of UFC 190.
Some of the biggest A-list celebrities in sports and entertainment were tweeting about her that night and Rousey-mania was off and running.
Rousey won that fight in 34 seconds and it seemed as if she could do no wrong.
She was everywhere. She did everything. Sports shows. Entertainment shows. Magazine covers. Newspapers. Talk shows. She promoted herself, and her sport, relentlessly.
Not only did she do a lot – an awful, awful lot – of interviews, the vast majority of them were not just a recitation of memorized talking points. She gave interesting, witty and sometimes thought-provoking answers.
White said that the true extent of Rousey’s promotional effort isn’t well known, despite her notoriety.
“She wants some time off and just wants to chill,” White said. “She worked her ass off for three years. You saw her everywhere, but you don’t even have an idea of what she did. It got to a point where I’d call her and she’d pick up the phone and say ‘Yes,’ before she said hello.
“I’m not worried. Ronda has earned the right to do what she wants. She can take as much time as she needs.”
Her reaction to the loss remains puzzling, however. She has largely isolated herself from the media and, with very few exceptions, has done no interviews at all.
She hosted "Saturday Night Live," and appeared in a beer commercial that debuted at the Super Bowl, but media access to her was off limits.
The fact that she felt the need to hide her face after her loss is equally odd. The defeat to Holm did not erase the accomplishments she had up to that point.
The greatest fighters, the greatest athletes, lose. It’s part of sports. You compete at the highest level and eventually, you’re going to lose.
Rousey had nothing to be ashamed of for losing to Holm. Holm is an outstanding fighter and fought the perfect fight. She also had the exact style one would want in order to defeat Rousey.
Holm also was very well coached and those coaches, Mike Winkeljohn and Greg Jackson, devised the perfect game plan.
Rousey was good enough to defeat Holm on that night, even though as it turned out, she was never in the fight. She was the definition of a warrior; she battled and pushed forward even after being put out on her feet by a brutal forearm shiver from Holm early in the bout.
She kept attacking until Holm finally put an exclamation point on the greatest night of her life by landing the kick that finished Rousey and completed perhaps the biggest upset in the sport’s history.
Upon her return to Los Angeles, Rousey should have gotten off that plane and walked past the paparazzi with her hood down, sunglasses off and head held high. There was no reason for her to be embarrassed.
Sugar Ray Robinson, by far the greatest boxer who ever lived, was 40-0 when he lost for the first time. By the time he lost a second time, he was 128-1-2. He never hid his face, because he knew he was great and had no reason to be ashamed.
So, too, is Rousey. Her reaction to the defeat makes one wonder how mentally tough she’ll be when she comes back. Will she properly channel the anger and disappointment to come back better? Will she put the loss out of her mind and move ahead? Can she fix the flaws in her game that the Holm fight exposed?
Perhaps more significantly, now that the aura of invincibility has been lifted, will she ever have the intimidation factor going for her that she once did? Tate, her archrival whom Rousey beat in two title fights, now holds the belt and very much wants a third bout with her.
Tate has rebounded from those losses to Rousey to become a more complete, more mentally strong fighter.
Rousey’s decision to shun the media is understandable on some level. It can't be easy to handle the many requests when you ascend to the level Rousey reached.
It’s now more than eight months since the loss and Rousey still isn’t ready to talk about her fight career to any significant degree. Her lengthy silence leaves that nagging thought out there about whether she’s truly gotten past the loss.
But a single defeat isn’t crippling to a fighter’s career. It’s all in how a fighter deals with it. Rousey is dealing with her defeat very uniquely, but it’s apparently the same way she reacted when she lost in judo previously.
The loss to Holm can either be remembered by history as a blip, or as a defining moment of her career. The true sign of greatness will be the way she rebounds.
No one knows at this point how, or even when, that will be, though.
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1939 - The first U.S. water-ski tournament was held at Jones Beach, on Long Island, New York.
1939 - Joe Louis defeated Max Schmeling in 124 seconds.
1979 - Former WHA teams the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets joined the NHL. The NHL had expanded to 21 teams.
1979 - Troy Archer (New York Giants) died in a traffic accident.
1990 - Billy Joel became the first rock artist to perform at Yankee Stadium.
1991 - Eric Lindros was selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
2002 - Darryl Kile (St. Louis Cardinals) was found dead in his hotel room.
2003 - Michelle Wie won her first USGA title at the age of 13. She was the youngest person to win any adult USGA event.
1939 - Joe Louis defeated Max Schmeling in 124 seconds.
1979 - Former WHA teams the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets joined the NHL. The NHL had expanded to 21 teams.
1979 - Troy Archer (New York Giants) died in a traffic accident.
1990 - Billy Joel became the first rock artist to perform at Yankee Stadium.
1991 - Eric Lindros was selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
2002 - Darryl Kile (St. Louis Cardinals) was found dead in his hotel room.
2003 - Michelle Wie won her first USGA title at the age of 13. She was the youngest person to win any adult USGA event.
*****************************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you.
No comments:
Post a Comment