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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome." ~ William James, Philosopher, Psychologist and Physician
"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome." ~ William James, Philosopher, Psychologist and Physician
Trending: Reasons for Bear Down Offseason Hope. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: U.S. 'best golfing nation' as Team USA takes the UL International Crown. (See the golf section for tournament and PGA updates).
Trending: Chris Froome won his third Tour de France. (See the Tour de France section for racing updates).
Trending: Chris Sale suspended for five days by White Sox. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 59-38
White Sox 2016 Record: 48-50
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! Reasons for Bear Down Offseason Hope.
By General Zimpok
When I found out that we got Trevathan, Freeman, and Hicks in free agency, my first real hopes for this season began. Add Bullard and Floyd and our front seven looks fierce. We have enough depth now in the front seven that if anyone slacks, many are ready to get sacks in their place.
The secondary is bound to have better stats by virtue of their new front seven rushing opposing QBs. While Fuller and Porter are slotted to be starters, Pace has a group of young playmakers competing to get playing time. If any prove to be a better fit, Fox won't hesitate to put them in. I also foresee some interceptions coming from the slot this year.
Forte is gone but Fox knows how to roll with a stable of running backs. I foresee a one, two, three, and four punch coming from all angles. Plus Fox likes to play the hot hand, so if anyone shows the talent and vision to play all three downs, you can expect to see a lot of them.
Slauson was pushed overboard and landed with the Charges, yet Whitehair seems to be looking the part in shorts. I couldn’t imagine a better role model for him at guard than Kyle Long. Add in Kyle’s friend Grasu who I expect a lot of improvement from with an offseason of actually knowing and doing what he is supposed to. If two out of the four Leno, Massie, Chandler, and Kling can show up and earn their weight as starting tackles, we can have a solid offensive line.
Jeffery plays this year. Period. He won’t have a contract beyond this year when August comes. Alshon will play his tail off like you have never seen. We have White healthy and he looks ripped. We have Royal healthy. We have a ton of replacements fighting to fill the void left by the injured Wilson. I am sure hoping it’s our seventh round pick for he looks productive and explosive.
Loggains and Cutler are synced. They have been friends for years. Both fluently know what we did last year and both are ready to add their own spin on the offense in year two. Yes this is year two. That’s what happens when you promote from within; continuity.
Cutler is coming off a good year. You can insert an entire article gushing over his attributes in this very spot, but personally I believe Pace did the right thing keeping Cutler. I believe in our QB. I always have. He is clearly the best quarterback to have ever played for the Chicago Bears.
I believe in the Chicago Bears. You can troll all you want, but I don’t believe a real Bears fan wants to wallow in the sadness that could be when you could savor the sweet smell of being in a new season with no losses. We’ve had a full draft under our belts that helps reload our depth, a free agency period that looked productive yet inexpensive, and John Fox has the team he wanted but couldn’t have last year; younger, faster, high team character, and competitive roster depth.
We have lots to look forward to Bears fans.
By Adam L. Jahns
Bears head coach John Fox and receiver Kevin White talk during mandatory minicamp. (Photo/AP)
Heading to Bourbonnais for training camp? Here are three things to watch for during coach John Fox’s second camp in charge.
Speaking up
Last year, the music at practice was a new addition. This year, a couple of coaches will be overheard at Olivet Nazarene University.
Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains is more vocal (at least on the practice field) than predecessor Adam Gase. It was the most noticeable difference during the open practices of Fox’s offseason program.
‘‘He’s not quiet at all, and that’s a good thing,’’ running back Jeremy Langford said.
‘‘He’s got a bit of swagger,’’ guard Kyle Long said. ‘‘It emanates through the building, and there’s a trickle-down effect there.’’
The same is true for receivers coach Curtis Johnson, who replaced Mike Groh.
All of it culminated in some banter between offensive and defensive coaches during minicamp, which Fox was asked about.
‘‘This game’s a lot of hard work, and you like to do it enthusiastically,’’ Fox said, smirking. ‘‘A lot of times your players are a mirror of their coach, so it keeps it competitive, interesting, fun.’’
Star attraction
Say hello to receiver Kevin White. The talent that made him seventh overall pick in 2015 will be on full display.
White isn’t only healthy after having surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left shin, but he’s confident again. He has overcome every mental and physical hurdle he has faced thus far.
Next up? Hitting. The first full-pad practice is Saturday.
Don’t wait
There are only 10 open practices in Bourbonnais this year because the Bears are practicing with the Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during the second week of the preseason.
The Bears had 12 open practices in Bourbonnais last year and 13 each in the two years under Marc Trestman.
Fueling the Bears’ fire: Meet nutrition guru Jennifer Gibson.
By Adam L. Jahns
Bears nutritionist and sports-science coordinator Jenn Gibson. (Photo/Bears)
“It is like my favorite thing in the world,” Long said. “So when I get that pre-dinner hunger, I crush that. It’s awesome.”
The shake is part of Long’s personal plan with Jennifer Gibson, the Bears’ dietician and sports-science coordinator.
In just over a year on the job, Gibson has become an integral part of the Bears’ behind-the-scenes efforts to get the best and most from Bears players under general manager Ryan Pace. She’s first full-time dietician hired by the team, but also much more: the first woman to work in the Bears’ football operations.
Positioned a row higher and just two staff members over from coach John Fox, Gibson smiled with the rest of the team in front of Halas Hall.In just over a year on the job, Gibson has become an integral part of the Bears’ behind-the-scenes efforts to get the best and most from Bears players under general manager Ryan Pace. She’s first full-time dietician hired by the team, but also much more: the first woman to work in the Bears’ football operations.
Afterward, when told that she was the first woman to appear in the official team picture, she didn’t believe it. But a look at every team picture on the walls of Halas Hall confirmed it.
“It was a pretty unique moment to realize that,” Gibson said in an interview with the Sun-Times.
Women have made significant strides in the NFL recently, and Gibson is part of them.
Jen Welter became the NFL’s first female coach when she hired by the Cardinals as an intern for their 2015 training camp and preseason. Last August, the Jets promoted Jacqueline Davidson to director of football administration. In January, the Bills named Kathryn Smith a quality-control coach for special teams, making her the NFL’s first full-time female coach.
“Every time there’s a female hired, you’re kind of like ‘Yeah!’ ” Gibson said. “But it definitely takes a certain personality to want to do this.”
Pace wasn’t thinking about making history when he and Fox decided to recruit her away last year from the U.S. Olympic team, where she was a senior sport dietitian and applied physiologist.
A fitness freak who competes in triathlons, he wanted to overhaul and modernize the Bears’ health, fitness and training programs, and he remembered what Gibson did for the New Orleans Saints while he was in their front office.
“I knew how good she is,” Pace said. “She’s intelligent. She’s driven. She’s really passionate about what she does.”
Pace first learned about Gibson in an article he randomly came across while researching ways to revamp the Saints’ methods. He was so impressed by what he read that he fired off a blind email, as he called it, to Gibson. It turned into dinner meeting that included Saints coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis.
Halfway through dinner, discussions became less about picking Gibson’s brain, but more about how they could hire her.
For the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Gibson served as a consultant, overhauling the Saints’ cafeteria, building a recovery shake area and creating a nutrition plan where there wasn’t one before.
“As time has gone on, the whole sports-science, nutrition, dietician aspect of what we do has become more and more important,” Pace said.
As the Bears’ sports-science coordinator, Gibson monitors new developments in the health and fitness world that can benefit players. But she also is an essential part of a major collaborative effort under Pace.
When new players arrive, Gibson receives briefings from the scouting department before meeting with them, then communicates often with coaches about players’ needs and goals.
“It’s definitely a collaboration with our young rookies because [the coaches are] still trying to feel them out and see where they want to go,” Gibson said.
Gibson works closely with head trainer Nate Breske and strength coach Jason George on nearly everything.
“We are all building the Bears program together,” she said.
Gibson can’t take credit for quarterback Jay Cutler’s improved health and fitness. That began years ago with his wife, former reality TV star Kristin Cavallari.
“Kristin has been the catalyst,” Cutler said. “It starts at home. If you’re not eating well at home, then you really don’t have a chance here [at Halas Hall].”
But Cutler, Long and many other players consult with Gibson on what they’re putting in their bodies.
“We more went into the science of things,” Cutler said. “It’s how my body reacts during practice, during games. That’s where our focus is.”
Gibson, who’s from Toronto, brings a world of experiences to the Bears after working with Olympic medalists on the U.S. and Canadian teams from 2006 to 2015. She designed nutrition plans for U.S. athletes in boxing, wrestling, judo, tae kwon do, diving, gymnastics and synchronized swimming, and she worked for Canada during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Her high-profile clients include former NBA star Kobe Bryant.
Working in different sports prepared her for the NFL. Position groups have different needs, and players vary within those groups. Gibson maintains a long-term vision instead of just a performance-based outlook.
“Injury prevention is the name of our game,” Gibson said. “It’s basically looking at the small little edges we can incorporate to get the little extra bits of performance out of our guys that is going to keep them on the field longer, keep them out of the training room, keep them healthy.”
Gibson won’t divulge state secrets, but in general, she said it’s important for players who run more to eat more carbohydrates and to stay hydrated. For linemen, the goal is to keep mass and protein levels high because of the constant contact.
“You want to keep that muscle repaired and their armor more dense,” she said.
The biggest benefit is how Gibson individualizes plans. Long, one of about 20 players with custom shakes, said Gibson has provided him with structure. He was missing too many meals.
“I’d eat huge dinners and it would just sit in my belly, and I would have a little pooch in the morning,” Long said. “She’s made it easy, and I know of guys who work with her in that regard.
Cutler said he spends most of his time with Gibson going over green juices, vegetables and immune boosters.
“We’re just trying to really zero my sugars in during game time and make sure they’re at a prime number for me to be able to perform,” said Cutler, who has Type-1 diabetes. “She did an unbelievable job of doing that and making sure that each and every game, we’re right where we want it to be.”
Over the years, Gibson has seen athletes become more knowledgeable about their nutrition and eating habits, which makes pushback from players minimal.
Pace said players trust her.
“There are some guys that I work with [where] we work through every single gram of everything,” Gibson said. “And then there’s guys you’re just saying to them, ‘Have you ever tried pistachios before?’ Can we incorporate a little bit more healthy fat into your diet for anti-inflammatory purposes?’ If they just try something new, that could be a dramatic change.”
Long said he connects with Gibson because she’s a fighter. Before becoming a dietician for Olympians, Gibson competed in an amateur North American kickboxing league.
What began as workouts with a cousin when she was 17 turned into five fights — and she won them all.
“I was just doing it for just doing it,” she said. “It was fun.”
Gibson attributes her love of food to her Italian heritage and her love of sports to her upbringing, with parents who “never ever told me that I couldn’t do something because I was a girl.” In school, she played volleyball and softball and ran cross country. She’s an avid cyclist and has a competitive side.
“She shares mentality that a lot of us have,” Long said.
It shows up differently now. Gibson fuels the players. At Halas Hall, she’s in charge of breakfast, lunch, snacks and shakes. There are pre- and post-game meals to arrange and menus to plan for training camp.
During practices, Gibson has various nutritional drinks ready. Before and during games, she monitors players’ hydration and energy levels.
The days of post-game team pizza have ended. Anything players put in their bodies can become an advantage.
“That post-game meal can be a weapon for us in terms of recovery,” Gibson said. “For me, I know the science behind that moment, and I’m like, ‘We can’t let this opportunity go to waste.’ ”
If players want to have “fun foods,” Gibson said it must come on their own dime.
“It’s important that we get it right because we’re fueling our assets,” Gibson said. “Sixty to 75 percent of their body is being fueled by us [in the season], especially performance-wise.”
Gibson knows what the end results can be.
“What happens on the field,” Gibson said, “is the most important thing.”
Former NFL, Northwestern coach Dennis Green - famous for Bears rant - dies.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/vebidoo.com)
Former NFL coach Dennis Green passed away Friday morning, according to Adam Schefter:
"Former Vikings and Cardinals coach Dennis Green died early this morning after suffering cardiac arrest, per friend Ray Anderson. He was 67.
Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
10:10 AM - 22 Jul 2016"
Green was the head coach for Northwestern from 1981-85, his first head coaching position.
He later went on to become head coach for the Minnesota Vikings for 10 years from 1992-2001 and held the same position with the Arizona Cardinals from 2004-06.
It was in 2006 when Green really became a household name.
Following a loss to the Bears, Green delivered maybe the most memorable postgame press conference tirades in the last couple decades, if not ever:
https://youtu.be/aYKIcnj1MJY
In that game on Oct. 16, 2006, the Bears clawed back from a 20-point deficit to beat Green's Cardinals 24-23.
The Bears committed six turnovers and were trailing 23-3 with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter when safety Mike Brown recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
From there, Charles Tillman also recorded a fumble return TD and then Devin Hester put the finishing touches on the comeback with an 83-yard punt return TD.
During his time at Northwestern, Green was named the Big Ten Coach of the year in 1982. He was also the second African-American head coach in Division I-A history.
The Bears committed six turnovers and were trailing 23-3 with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter when safety Mike Brown recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
From there, Charles Tillman also recorded a fumble return TD and then Devin Hester put the finishing touches on the comeback with an 83-yard punt return TD.
During his time at Northwestern, Green was named the Big Ten Coach of the year in 1982. He was also the second African-American head coach in Division I-A history.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Seabrook and TVR Will Benefit from Campbell Signing.
By David Tews
The Blackhawks’ signing of Brian Campbell to a one-year, $1.5 million contract this offseason has been widely regarded as one of the best free agent signings this offseason.
The veteran defender is coming off five solid seasons with the Florida Panthers where he appeared in every regular season game and helped Aaron Ekblad develop into the exceptional player that he is today. With a résumé like that, it isn’t hard to see why the Blackhawks were so excited to have him back in the fold.
The longtime standout is expected to play on the team’s second defensive pairing, presumably with holdover Niklas Hjalmarsson. That duo — along with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook — combined to form what might have been the best top-four in the NHL from 2008 to 2011. With all four players now back on the team, a return to the strong blue line play that drove those Chicago teams is a very real possibility.
And while Hjalmarsson certainly stands to benefit from the extra time he will be able to play with his former defensive partner in Campbell, the benefits that Campbell’s presence brings will extend throughout the lineup — especially within the rest of the blueline.
Why Seabrook Will Benefit
To be more specific, I anticipate that the Blackhawks will see improved performances from both Brent Seabrook and Trevor van Riemsdyk this upcoming season. Seabrook’s massive contract extension from last summer combined and his decline in play has made him a scapegoat of sorts within some hockey circles.
And while his play certainly doesn’t justify the size of his contract at this point in his career, he is still a valuable player that can be successful in the right situation. And thanks to last season, at least the Blackhawks now know that playing the longtime Hawk next to TVR is definitely not the right situation.
The pair played over 400 5v5-minutes together this past regular season (according to corsica.hockey) with relatively terrible results. It’s pretty hard to find a positive in the pairing’s performance when they recorded a 41.21 CF% and 40.27 xGF% in a top-four role. Thankfully the two didn’t spend all of their time together throughout the season and playing with different partners ended up producing better results.
Which is where Campbell comes in. Some have speculated that he will form a pairing with Seabrook in order to maintain the Keith-Hjalmarsson shutdown combination at the top of the lineup, but I see things playing out differently.
The previous chemistry between Campbell and Hjalmarsson make them almost perfectly suited to form the team’s new second defense pairing while playing alongside Keith has always brought out the best in Seabrook (even if the same can’t be said about Keith when playing alongside his former partner).
Which is all to say that the potential for a Keith-Seabrook reunion is part of what makes the Campbell deal so valuable. And even if Seabrook is the one pegged to play alongside #51, the pairing will be an improvement mostly because it can’t be as bad as the Seabrook-TVR duo from last season.
The veteran defender is coming off five solid seasons with the Florida Panthers where he appeared in every regular season game and helped Aaron Ekblad develop into the exceptional player that he is today. With a résumé like that, it isn’t hard to see why the Blackhawks were so excited to have him back in the fold.
The longtime standout is expected to play on the team’s second defensive pairing, presumably with holdover Niklas Hjalmarsson. That duo — along with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook — combined to form what might have been the best top-four in the NHL from 2008 to 2011. With all four players now back on the team, a return to the strong blue line play that drove those Chicago teams is a very real possibility.
And while Hjalmarsson certainly stands to benefit from the extra time he will be able to play with his former defensive partner in Campbell, the benefits that Campbell’s presence brings will extend throughout the lineup — especially within the rest of the blueline.
Why Seabrook Will Benefit
To be more specific, I anticipate that the Blackhawks will see improved performances from both Brent Seabrook and Trevor van Riemsdyk this upcoming season. Seabrook’s massive contract extension from last summer combined and his decline in play has made him a scapegoat of sorts within some hockey circles.
And while his play certainly doesn’t justify the size of his contract at this point in his career, he is still a valuable player that can be successful in the right situation. And thanks to last season, at least the Blackhawks now know that playing the longtime Hawk next to TVR is definitely not the right situation.
The pair played over 400 5v5-minutes together this past regular season (according to corsica.hockey) with relatively terrible results. It’s pretty hard to find a positive in the pairing’s performance when they recorded a 41.21 CF% and 40.27 xGF% in a top-four role. Thankfully the two didn’t spend all of their time together throughout the season and playing with different partners ended up producing better results.
Which is where Campbell comes in. Some have speculated that he will form a pairing with Seabrook in order to maintain the Keith-Hjalmarsson shutdown combination at the top of the lineup, but I see things playing out differently.
The previous chemistry between Campbell and Hjalmarsson make them almost perfectly suited to form the team’s new second defense pairing while playing alongside Keith has always brought out the best in Seabrook (even if the same can’t be said about Keith when playing alongside his former partner).
Which is all to say that the potential for a Keith-Seabrook reunion is part of what makes the Campbell deal so valuable. And even if Seabrook is the one pegged to play alongside #51, the pairing will be an improvement mostly because it can’t be as bad as the Seabrook-TVR duo from last season.
TVR Returns To Form
As for van Riemsdyk, much of the same can be said in terms of his expected improvement. Sometimes lost in the inconsistencies of last season is the fact that TVR was actually a very good player in his first 18 NHL games in 2014. Coach Joel Quenneville grew to trust him more as the season progressed until a fractured leg ended his regular season.
Those 18 games saw him play most of his time with Michal Rozsival, a player who was recently brought back on a one-year contract. Rozsival wasn’t the same player last season after recovering from a terrible injury suffered in the previous year’s playoffs, and I would be surprised if he made the team as a regular contributor out of camp. But losing his former defensive partner won’t actually be a negative for van Riemsdyk.
Instead, an influx of young talent in Ville Pokka, Michal Kempny, Gustav Forling, and Erik Gustafsson means that there will be intense competition to lock down the sixth defense position next to van Riemsdyk. Those four players are all talented puck-movers who play intelligent defense when called upon, a style that should work well alongside the opportunistic TVR. It’s difficult to project the success of any of those pairings, but as with Seabrook’s pairing, the standard of play they would have to exceed is fairly low.
Of those four, I think Kempny and Forling have the best chances of playing regular roles this season, so tracking how they play with TVR in camp can go a long way in determining if one of them ends up sticking around.
Review: The Campbell Effect
In addition to signing an incredibly team-friendly contract with the Blackhawks this summer, Brian Campbell is expected to benefit the team in multiple ways this coming season. His steadying presence should help improve the play of whichever defenseman he eventually skates with, while his addition to the top-four should allow Trevor van Riemsdyk to join a more productive pairing.
The positive effects of this move will extend throughout the Blackhawks’ defense, and should help both Seabrook and TVR raise their performance levels in 2016-17.
Cubs score five runs in seventh to power past Brewers.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The franchise sensitive to being the other team in town is catching the Cubs at the worst possible time, another you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up story coming out of the White Sox clubhouse.
While Chris Sale serves a five-game suspension for playing with scissors, the Cubs will start Jake Arrieta, the National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner, on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
The perception will be hot-seat manager Robin Ventura has lost control over this White Sox season, while Manager of the Year Joe Maddon actually answered a question this weekend about how the Cubs might align their playoff rotation.
One week out from the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the debates will be which players White Sox executives Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn should sell off, and which Cubs prospects Theo Epstein’s front office should put down to buy the big-ticket item for a World Series run.
Optics, marketing and promotional throwback jerseys aside, the Cubs also appear to be hitting their stride again after a much-needed vacation, winning their third straight series out of the All-Star break with Sunday afternoon’s 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
The Cubs did it with their $155 million ace (Jon Lester) throwing only four innings, getting charged with four runs and giving up five walks and five stolen bases. The Cubs could also absorb one quarter of their All-Star infield (Addison Russell) leaving in the middle of the game with a left heel contusion.
The Cubs stormed back with five runs in the seventh inning as MVP candidate Anthony Rizzo delivered the biggest swing, a bases-loaded, three-run double into right-center field off lefty reliever Will Smith.
Three sellout crowds here over the weekend watched the Cubs welcome back All-Star leadoff guy Dexter Fowler to the top of the order, give the ball to six-time All-Star closer Joe Nathan in his return from a second Tommy John surgery and keep the St. Louis Cardinals seven games out of first place heading into Sunday night and what should be a gut check for the entire White Sox organization.
“I anticipate that same wonderful crosstown rivalry kind of atmosphere, which I love,” Maddon said. “It’s great for the city. It’s great for the sport. I don’t think fans really care much about records at that particular moment. They just care about your team winning.”
Cubs closing in on Aroldis Chapman deal with Yankees.
By Patrick Mooney
While Chris Sale serves a five-game suspension for playing with scissors, the Cubs will start Jake Arrieta, the National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner, on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
The perception will be hot-seat manager Robin Ventura has lost control over this White Sox season, while Manager of the Year Joe Maddon actually answered a question this weekend about how the Cubs might align their playoff rotation.
One week out from the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the debates will be which players White Sox executives Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn should sell off, and which Cubs prospects Theo Epstein’s front office should put down to buy the big-ticket item for a World Series run.
Optics, marketing and promotional throwback jerseys aside, the Cubs also appear to be hitting their stride again after a much-needed vacation, winning their third straight series out of the All-Star break with Sunday afternoon’s 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
The Cubs did it with their $155 million ace (Jon Lester) throwing only four innings, getting charged with four runs and giving up five walks and five stolen bases. The Cubs could also absorb one quarter of their All-Star infield (Addison Russell) leaving in the middle of the game with a left heel contusion.
The Cubs stormed back with five runs in the seventh inning as MVP candidate Anthony Rizzo delivered the biggest swing, a bases-loaded, three-run double into right-center field off lefty reliever Will Smith.
Three sellout crowds here over the weekend watched the Cubs welcome back All-Star leadoff guy Dexter Fowler to the top of the order, give the ball to six-time All-Star closer Joe Nathan in his return from a second Tommy John surgery and keep the St. Louis Cardinals seven games out of first place heading into Sunday night and what should be a gut check for the entire White Sox organization.
“I anticipate that same wonderful crosstown rivalry kind of atmosphere, which I love,” Maddon said. “It’s great for the city. It’s great for the sport. I don’t think fans really care much about records at that particular moment. They just care about your team winning.”
Cubs closing in on Aroldis Chapman deal with Yankees.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs are in the final stages of a blockbuster deal that could bring superstar closer Aroldis Chapman to Chicago and would involve sending elite shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres to the New York Yankees, a source familiar with the situation said Sunday night.
The exact details aren’t clear, but the talks reached a point where the Cubs pulled Torres from the lineup at advanced Class-A Myrtle Beach, at least sensing the strong possibility of a trade that would add a 105-mph closer to a first-place team that entered the year as World Series favorites.
Chapman began this season serving a 30-game suspension covered by Major League Baseball’s new domestic violence policy after a dispute with his girlfriend in South Florida last fall. In absorbing a supremely talented player with real baggage, the Cubs would have to believe in manager Joe Maddon’s personality and a strong clubhouse culture, figuring it might only be a two-month-plus rental before Chapman cashes in as a free agent.
That incident scared the Cubs away during the offseason, when a Chapman trade between the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers collapsed at the winter meetings as those police reports surfaced. The Yankees waited for the price to drop and acquired the flame-throwing closer at a discount. Chapman didn’t mind the spotlight in New York, converting 20-of-21 save opportunities and striking out 44 batters in 31-plus innings.
Torres is only 19 years old and a consensus top prospect, showing up in the midseason rankings on ESPN (No. 26), Baseball America (No. 27) and Baseball Prospectus (No. 34). The Cubs had signed Torres out of Venezuela during the summer of 2013, giving him a $1.7 million bonus and trying to stockpile enough assets to build a perennial contender. It sounds like it’s almost time to cash in one of those huge trade chips.
White Sox top Tigers with two walk-offs on Sunday.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox are somehow still afloat. But just barely.
Melky Cabrera’s game-winning, one-out single in the ninth inning Sunday afternoon got David Robertson off the hook and helped the White Sox to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers in front of 30,281 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Cabrera singled past Nick Castellanos to score Adam Eaton, who reached base four times, and give the White Sox their second victory of the day. Eaton’s two-out, ninth-inning RBI single earlier helped the White Sox win a rain-suspended contest 4-3 over the Tigers. Cabrera's hit arrived just minutes after Robertson surrendered three solo home runs — all with two strikes — and blew a victory for Jose Quintana, who may have made his final start in a White Sox uniform. The victories kept the White Sox from entirely slipping out of the wild-card race as they remain 6.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I love the guys that are in our clubhouse,” Eaton said after the first game. “We’ve got a tight-knit group of guys that really want to fight for each other. To get the big hit and have everyone rush out there, especially with what we’ve had the past couple of days, the whole year has really been a roller coaster both on and off the field.”
The season’s topsy-turvy nature potentially could lead to a trade of mainstays Quintana or Chris Sale, who earlier Sunday was suspended five games for insubordination and destroying team property on Saturday. It has been widely speculated the White Sox could move Quintana before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline in an attempt to rebuild a roster that general manager Rick Hahn said Thursday has been “mired in mediocrity.” An All-Star and one of the top pitchers in the American League, Quintana and his team-friendly contract could fetch a handsome return were the White Sox to part with him in a deal.
Sunday’s 118-pitch effort displayed exactly why Quintana is an attractive option for a contender as he shut down a Detroit lineup that has given him trouble over the years.
Quintana kept the Tigers off balance throughout the effort, never allowing more than one runner to reach base in any inning. He faced two over the minimum through five innings and struck out Miguel Cabrera to end the sixth after he surrendered a two-out double to Jose Iglesias.
Though he started the inning at 107 pitches, Quintana returned in the seventh and recorded two more outs before he allowed a bloop-base hit to Justin Upton. Nate Jones struck out Mike Aviles to end the inning.
Quintana allowed three hits, walked one and struck out four. He also lowered his earned-run average to 2.97.
“He’s been helping through the long run and if he gets traded he’s going to help whoever gets him,” catcher Dioner Navarro said. “But I think he’s going to be a great part of this team for many years to come.”
That would give the White Sox plenty of chances to make up for all the heartbreak they’ve caused Quintana over the years. Sunday’s no-decision was his major-league leading 56th since 2012.
It’s no secret the White Sox have struggled to score runs for Quintana since he arrived in the majors. Even though he owns a career ERA of 3.39, Quintana’s career record remained at 41-42 after Robertson blew his fourth save in 27 tries. Robertson, who earned the win in the first game of the day and also pitched before Saturday night’s game was suspended, allowed solo homers to Castellanos, Tyler Collins and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Quintana’s sub-.500 record is in large part because the White Sox never seem to score with him on the hill. This season, Quintana ranked 126th out of 136 qualified starters with a 3.2 runs per start headed into Sunday.
But the White Sox followed Eaton’s lead. Less than 45 minutes after he won the opener, Eaton singled in the bottom of the first and scored on a two-out RBI single by Jose Abreu. An inning later, Eaton took advantage of singles by Dioner Navarro and J.B. Shuck went he lined a three-run homer with two outs off Anibal Sanchez to give the White Sox a four-run lead.
The four runs scored for Quintana marks the team’s second-highest output for one of his starts this season.
But it wasn’t enough until Cabrera came through against Bruce Rondon with two outs. Eaton led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on Tim Anderson’s sac bunt. Cabrera then singled on the first pitch from Rondon to produce the game-winner.
“I'm proud of the guys for what they did over the weekend and how they handled it,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “All of them reached down for the ball. They all wanted to be in there, so I'm proud of them for that. Robbie is disappointed. It's the first time I've seen that one, but I don't know if it was that he was out of gas. Probably some poor pitches and a day like today, you get it up in the air and it's gone.”
Chris Sale suspended for five days by White Sox.
By CSN Staff
Melky Cabrera’s game-winning, one-out single in the ninth inning Sunday afternoon got David Robertson off the hook and helped the White Sox to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers in front of 30,281 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Cabrera singled past Nick Castellanos to score Adam Eaton, who reached base four times, and give the White Sox their second victory of the day. Eaton’s two-out, ninth-inning RBI single earlier helped the White Sox win a rain-suspended contest 4-3 over the Tigers. Cabrera's hit arrived just minutes after Robertson surrendered three solo home runs — all with two strikes — and blew a victory for Jose Quintana, who may have made his final start in a White Sox uniform. The victories kept the White Sox from entirely slipping out of the wild-card race as they remain 6.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I love the guys that are in our clubhouse,” Eaton said after the first game. “We’ve got a tight-knit group of guys that really want to fight for each other. To get the big hit and have everyone rush out there, especially with what we’ve had the past couple of days, the whole year has really been a roller coaster both on and off the field.”
The season’s topsy-turvy nature potentially could lead to a trade of mainstays Quintana or Chris Sale, who earlier Sunday was suspended five games for insubordination and destroying team property on Saturday. It has been widely speculated the White Sox could move Quintana before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline in an attempt to rebuild a roster that general manager Rick Hahn said Thursday has been “mired in mediocrity.” An All-Star and one of the top pitchers in the American League, Quintana and his team-friendly contract could fetch a handsome return were the White Sox to part with him in a deal.
Sunday’s 118-pitch effort displayed exactly why Quintana is an attractive option for a contender as he shut down a Detroit lineup that has given him trouble over the years.
Quintana kept the Tigers off balance throughout the effort, never allowing more than one runner to reach base in any inning. He faced two over the minimum through five innings and struck out Miguel Cabrera to end the sixth after he surrendered a two-out double to Jose Iglesias.
Though he started the inning at 107 pitches, Quintana returned in the seventh and recorded two more outs before he allowed a bloop-base hit to Justin Upton. Nate Jones struck out Mike Aviles to end the inning.
Quintana allowed three hits, walked one and struck out four. He also lowered his earned-run average to 2.97.
“He’s been helping through the long run and if he gets traded he’s going to help whoever gets him,” catcher Dioner Navarro said. “But I think he’s going to be a great part of this team for many years to come.”
That would give the White Sox plenty of chances to make up for all the heartbreak they’ve caused Quintana over the years. Sunday’s no-decision was his major-league leading 56th since 2012.
It’s no secret the White Sox have struggled to score runs for Quintana since he arrived in the majors. Even though he owns a career ERA of 3.39, Quintana’s career record remained at 41-42 after Robertson blew his fourth save in 27 tries. Robertson, who earned the win in the first game of the day and also pitched before Saturday night’s game was suspended, allowed solo homers to Castellanos, Tyler Collins and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Quintana’s sub-.500 record is in large part because the White Sox never seem to score with him on the hill. This season, Quintana ranked 126th out of 136 qualified starters with a 3.2 runs per start headed into Sunday.
But the White Sox followed Eaton’s lead. Less than 45 minutes after he won the opener, Eaton singled in the bottom of the first and scored on a two-out RBI single by Jose Abreu. An inning later, Eaton took advantage of singles by Dioner Navarro and J.B. Shuck went he lined a three-run homer with two outs off Anibal Sanchez to give the White Sox a four-run lead.
The four runs scored for Quintana marks the team’s second-highest output for one of his starts this season.
But it wasn’t enough until Cabrera came through against Bruce Rondon with two outs. Eaton led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on Tim Anderson’s sac bunt. Cabrera then singled on the first pitch from Rondon to produce the game-winner.
“I'm proud of the guys for what they did over the weekend and how they handled it,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “All of them reached down for the ball. They all wanted to be in there, so I'm proud of them for that. Robbie is disappointed. It's the first time I've seen that one, but I don't know if it was that he was out of gas. Probably some poor pitches and a day like today, you get it up in the air and it's gone.”
Chris Sale suspended for five days by White Sox.
By CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox announced Chris Sale was suspended on Sunday.
Sale was involved in an incident in the clubhouse on Saturday that was reportedly
related to Sale not wanting to wear retro jerseys for his start that day. Matt Albers started the game after Sale was scratched. The game was later suspended due to rain after eight innings.
The White Sox didn't say much about the incident after play concluded on Saturday.
However, general manager Rick Hahn addressed the situation on Sunday. Hahn spoke to the media after it was announced that Sale was suspended for five days. According to the White Sox release, the suspension began with Saturday's game and concludes on Wednesday. Sale could return on Thursday, the final game of four against the Cubs.
Sale was also fined as a result of the incident.
Trade rumors had already begun to surface regarding Sale, but Hahn said this will not change his status regarding any possible trades.
Anthony Ranaudo was called up to replace Sale on the active roster. Ranaudo made two appearances with the Texas Rangers earlier this season, one of which came against the White Sox.
In a May 10 outing against the Sox, Ranaudo retired the first three batters he faced before walking five out of the next six. The White Sox traded for him two days later. With Triple-A Charlotte, the 26-year-old was used as a starting pitcher and had a 3.20 ERA with 53 strikeouts and eight walks in 78 2/3 innings.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Jimmy Butler Eager To Play with Wade & Rondo.
Sale was involved in an incident in the clubhouse on Saturday that was reportedly
related to Sale not wanting to wear retro jerseys for his start that day. Matt Albers started the game after Sale was scratched. The game was later suspended due to rain after eight innings.
The White Sox didn't say much about the incident after play concluded on Saturday.
However, general manager Rick Hahn addressed the situation on Sunday. Hahn spoke to the media after it was announced that Sale was suspended for five days. According to the White Sox release, the suspension began with Saturday's game and concludes on Wednesday. Sale could return on Thursday, the final game of four against the Cubs.
Sale was also fined as a result of the incident.
Trade rumors had already begun to surface regarding Sale, but Hahn said this will not change his status regarding any possible trades.
Anthony Ranaudo was called up to replace Sale on the active roster. Ranaudo made two appearances with the Texas Rangers earlier this season, one of which came against the White Sox.
In a May 10 outing against the Sox, Ranaudo retired the first three batters he faced before walking five out of the next six. The White Sox traded for him two days later. With Triple-A Charlotte, the 26-year-old was used as a starting pitcher and had a 3.20 ERA with 53 strikeouts and eight walks in 78 2/3 innings.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Jimmy Butler Eager To Play with Wade & Rondo.
By APBullsHoops
(Photo/Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports)
"I'm not going to take a step backward because I have new players on my team."
In case you hadn't heard, Jimmy Butler is a member of the USABMNT. Also in case you hadn't heard, Dwyane Wade is a member of the Bulls...as is Rondo. What we hadn't yet heard are Jimmy's thoughts on his new teammates.
As the men's national team gears up its practice schedule, Butler met with media and gave his first extended interview since the June draft. In true Butler fashion, he intends to be the same guy:
"Like I tell everyone: I'm going to still be the player I am," Butler said after he tacked on an hour of extra work following a two-hour practice. "I'm not going to take a step backward because I have new players on my team. I'm going to still be aggressive. I'm going to still guard. I'm going to still play hard. I just hope that that's enough to make us win."
As the men's national team gears up its practice schedule, Butler met with media and gave his first extended interview since the June draft. In true Butler fashion, he intends to be the same guy:
"Like I tell everyone: I'm going to still be the player I am," Butler said after he tacked on an hour of extra work following a two-hour practice. "I'm not going to take a step backward because I have new players on my team. I'm going to still be aggressive. I'm going to still guard. I'm going to still play hard. I just hope that that's enough to make us win."
Recently, many local and national media have questioned whose team is it. Butler's team, Noah's team, Rose's...oops, wrong year. True, Noah and Rose are now members of the Knicks, but to be fair, the "whose team is it" questions still remain this offseason.
Rondo himself has acknowledged the Bulls now have "3 alphas" in the locker-room. But to his credit, he has called the Bulls "Butler's team". Wade has yet to give an extended interview since becoming a member of the Bulls. Though I'm sure he will be looked at as a main alpha figure. But if you think Jimmy will become some quiet laid-back person, guess again.
"I've made a name for myself in this league. I'm going to continue to build upon that," he said. "I want my name to be in there with the greats. I'm not saying it will be, but I'm not saying that it won't be."
"I'll have a voice in the locker room. I'll say what needs to be said. What I want (those) guys to do, whenever I'm on some (B.S.), I want them to tell me. I want you to say my name, man to man. That goes along with everybody. Say my name. And I'm going to do the same to you."
"Whenever you're (B.S.)ing and not doing what you're supposed to be doing in practice and the game or not taking care of your body, you need somebody holding you accountable. You can't beat around the bush and say: 'Hey, guys, we need to take care of our body. Hey, guys, we're taking bad shots.' It's: 'Jimmy, you need to do this. You need to do that.' "
Without trying to parse Jimmy's words too much, his statement definitely implies that he wants to be called out when it's necessary and that he plans on doing the same. So it's fair to expect a decent dose of Jimmy Leader next season. Which isn't to say that's necessarily a bad thing, but hopefully it doesn't backfire. I don't recall someone ever calling out D-Wade...not quite sure how that would work for Jimmy if it came to that. Next season should be an entertaining ride, to say the least.
To finish the earlier thought on Noah and Rose, Butler wishes them well on their new team, but he isn't getting too caught up in their departure.
"I’ve been playing with them since I was a first-year player," Butler said. "But I can’t hang my head on that. When I go on the floor, I’ve still got to help this team, the Chicago Bulls, win games. I’m sorry they’re gone, but eventually I’ve got to move on from it."
"Moving On" is definitely a theme for the upcoming season. The Bulls moved on from the Rose/Noah era. Wade moved on. Rondo moved on. Hey, maybe Gar will move on soon?
Baby steps.
To finish the earlier thought on Noah and Rose, Butler wishes them well on their new team, but he isn't getting too caught up in their departure.
"I’ve been playing with them since I was a first-year player," Butler said. "But I can’t hang my head on that. When I go on the floor, I’ve still got to help this team, the Chicago Bulls, win games. I’m sorry they’re gone, but eventually I’ve got to move on from it."
"Moving On" is definitely a theme for the upcoming season. The Bulls moved on from the Rose/Noah era. Wade moved on. Rondo moved on. Hey, maybe Gar will move on soon?
Baby steps.
Doug McDermott reveals jersey number after giving Dwyane Wade No. 3.
By CSN Staff
McDermott, who had worn the No. 3 jersey since his days at Creighton and over the past two seasons in the NBA, unselfishly gave up his number to new Bulls guard and future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, who has worn the No. 3 every game throughout his 13-year career.
As for what Wade had to give up in return? McDermott hasn't revealed his prize.
"It's in the works," McDermott said via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
McDermott becomes the first player to wear the No. 11 jersey on the Bulls since Ronnie Brewer in 2014.
Other notables to wear No. 11 for Chicago include B.J. Armstrong, Sam Vincent, Lindsey Hunter, Clem Haskins and A.J. Guyton.
Golf: I got a club for that..... U.S. 'best golfing nation' at International Crown.
As for what Wade had to give up in return? McDermott hasn't revealed his prize.
"It's in the works," McDermott said via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
McDermott becomes the first player to wear the No. 11 jersey on the Bulls since Ronnie Brewer in 2014.
Other notables to wear No. 11 for Chicago include B.J. Armstrong, Sam Vincent, Lindsey Hunter, Clem Haskins and A.J. Guyton.
Golf: I got a club for that..... U.S. 'best golfing nation' at International Crown.
By Randall Mell
(Photo/Golf Channel)
The words washing over Stacy Lewis were sweeter than any douse of celebratory champagne.
“To be called the best golfing nation is pretty satisfying, just to hear that being announced when we're getting those trophies,” Lewis said Sunday evening after the United States won the UL International Crown. “That was so cool for me, because we're under constant scrutiny of, `Why aren't the Americans playing well? Why aren't they winning?’ I don't know how else to say it, other than it's just really satisfying.”
This looked like it might be an epically bad year for the United States in women’s golf, when June rolled around and Lexi Thompson was the only American winner of an LPGA event. Now, there looms the possibility it might be an epically grand summer, with Brittany Lang winning the U.S. Women’s Open two weeks ago, with the Ricoh Women’s British Open next week and the Olympics a couple weeks after that.
All of a sudden, the Americans have momentum working for them.
“I think we're all pumped for the major next week,” Lewis said. “Everybody is playing well.
“I had a feeling that this could happen, because we were all playing well at the U.S. Open. Cristie Kerr and I kind of talked about that. Hopefully, the four of us can ride some momentum and bring another trophy back to the U.S.”
“To be called the best golfing nation is pretty satisfying, just to hear that being announced when we're getting those trophies,” Lewis said Sunday evening after the United States won the UL International Crown. “That was so cool for me, because we're under constant scrutiny of, `Why aren't the Americans playing well? Why aren't they winning?’ I don't know how else to say it, other than it's just really satisfying.”
This looked like it might be an epically bad year for the United States in women’s golf, when June rolled around and Lexi Thompson was the only American winner of an LPGA event. Now, there looms the possibility it might be an epically grand summer, with Brittany Lang winning the U.S. Women’s Open two weeks ago, with the Ricoh Women’s British Open next week and the Olympics a couple weeks after that.
All of a sudden, the Americans have momentum working for them.
“I think we're all pumped for the major next week,” Lewis said. “Everybody is playing well.
“I had a feeling that this could happen, because we were all playing well at the U.S. Open. Cristie Kerr and I kind of talked about that. Hopefully, the four of us can ride some momentum and bring another trophy back to the U.S.”
The Americans beamed when they were “crowned as the best golfing nation” in the women’s game at the trophy presentation. They were literally crowned champions. UL CEO and president Keith Williams placed sterling silver Tiffany crowns upon the heads of Lewis, Kerr, Thompson and Gerina Piller in the festive aftermath.
Best golfing nation?
The Americans haven’t heard words like that to describe them in a long time.
“This week has been unbelievable for us,” Lewis said.
Just as they did at the Solheim Cup in Germany last fall, the Americans dug themselves out of a hole to win.
After getting swept Thursday in the opening round of fourballs at the Merit Club, the Americans rallied hard, losing just one of their next eight matches.
This comeback wasn’t as epic or historic as what the Americans mounted against the Europeans at St. Leon-Rot last September, but it was impressive nonetheless, given how a first-round sweep led to their elimination in the inaugural International Crown two years ago.
Lewis, Thompson, Piller and Kerr were all members of that winning Solheim Cup team last fall.
In fact, they were the best American pairings in Germany, going undefeated as partners. Kerr paired with Thompson at the Merit Club, just as she did for three matches at the Solheim Cup. And Lewis paired with Piller, just as she did for two matches at St. Leon-Rot.
Cumulatively, they were 4-0-1 in Germany.
So there was comfort and confidence carrying over from that Solheim Cup.
“We didn't really talk about that,” Piller said. “But I know for me, and I'm sure everyone else, that deep down inside, it was kind of like `We can do this. We've done this before. We've done the unthinkable, and now we're kind of in a similar situation.’ There wasn't a whole lot of panic going on within our team, which was great.”
Kerr, the veteran, clinched the victory with a two-putt birdie at the 16th hole in Sunday singles, defeating England’s gritty Mel Reid, 3 and 2. The Americans took three of their four singles matches.
“It's so complicated trying to figure out all the points, I was like, `Just handle my match, and we'll worry about it later,’” Kerr said.
The United States won the second rendition of the UL with 13 points, one point ahead of the Republic of Korea, the top seed. That’s the equivalent of winning by a halved match. England finished third with 11 points.
“We had zero points the first day, and we still ended up with the most,” Lewis said. “It's just a testament to [my teammates] and their will to want to win this thing.”
Lewis, the former Rolex world No. 1, led off for the Americans, defeating Japan’s Mika Miyazato. It was Lewis’ first singles victory as a professional golfer. She is 0-2-1 in Solheim Cup singles and lost her singles match at the Crown two years ago.
It was also Lewis’ first victory on American soil playing for a United States team.
It all made the victory that much more special to her.
“I never won an amateur event on U.S. soil, so it’s really nice,” Lewis said.
Piller came out after Lewis and defeated Chinese Taipei’s Yani Tseng, 4 and 3.
Thompson lost her match to So Yeon Ryu (2 and 1), but she was a force in fourballs, going 2-1 with Kerr.
“Being out here representing my country, it's always the highest honor,” Thompson said. “To be alongside these girls, it's the best. Words can't describe it.”
But the words “best golfing nation” were sweet anyway.
Vegas rallies to win RBC Canadian Open.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel)
It was a wild end to the RBC Canadian Open, but when the dust settled it was Jhonattan Vegas whose name was atop the leaderboard. Here's how things ended up at Glen Abbey, where Vegas rallied for his second career PGA Tour victory:
Leaderboard: Jhonattan Vegas (-12), Dustin Johnson (-11), Martin Laird (-11), Jon Rahm (-11), Brandt Snedeker (-10), Steve Wheatcroft (-10)
What it means: Vegas started the day five shots behind Snedeker, but he made up ground quickly with five straight birdies early in his round. He added three more to close things out and posted the early clubhouse number, then watched as a number of players failed to match his total. It's Vegas' first win since his breakthrough at the 2011 CareerBuilder Challenge, and after playing this season on past champion status he now has a Tour card through the 2017-18 season and a spot in next week's PGA Championship.
Round of the day: Geoff Ogilvy made an early charge up the standings, firing a 9-under 63 that briefly gave him sole possession of the lead as the 54-hole leaders began their final rounds. Ogilvy eagled both Nos. 16 and 18 to close his round, and after starting the day outside the top 40 he finished up inside the top 10, three shots behind Vegas.
Best of the rest: Vegas made a quick jump with birdies on Nos. 2-6, then was one of the few players on the final leaderboard who capitalized on the closing holes at Glen Abbey. One week after shooting a 60 at the Barbasol Championship, Vegas closed with birdies on Nos. 16-18 to post an 8-under 64 that ultimately earned him the hardware.
Biggest disappointment: Snedeker looked to be the man to beat, having won here in 2013, but he wasn't able to put together much of a charge and ended up two shots back after a pedestrian 71. It was also a bitterly disappointing end for Wheatcroft, who needed a birdie on No. 18 to tie but instead bladed his greenside bunker shot over the green, leading to a closing bogey.
Shot of the day: After a 329-yard drive, Vegas found the green with his approach from 176 yards on No. 18. The subsequent two-putt birdie sealed a 64 for Vegas and, though he didn't know it at the time, provided the winning margin.
Quote of the day: "It's incredible. There's just a ton of emotions running through my head right now. This is just a fun feeling." - Vegas
Leaderboard: Jhonattan Vegas (-12), Dustin Johnson (-11), Martin Laird (-11), Jon Rahm (-11), Brandt Snedeker (-10), Steve Wheatcroft (-10)
What it means: Vegas started the day five shots behind Snedeker, but he made up ground quickly with five straight birdies early in his round. He added three more to close things out and posted the early clubhouse number, then watched as a number of players failed to match his total. It's Vegas' first win since his breakthrough at the 2011 CareerBuilder Challenge, and after playing this season on past champion status he now has a Tour card through the 2017-18 season and a spot in next week's PGA Championship.
Round of the day: Geoff Ogilvy made an early charge up the standings, firing a 9-under 63 that briefly gave him sole possession of the lead as the 54-hole leaders began their final rounds. Ogilvy eagled both Nos. 16 and 18 to close his round, and after starting the day outside the top 40 he finished up inside the top 10, three shots behind Vegas.
Best of the rest: Vegas made a quick jump with birdies on Nos. 2-6, then was one of the few players on the final leaderboard who capitalized on the closing holes at Glen Abbey. One week after shooting a 60 at the Barbasol Championship, Vegas closed with birdies on Nos. 16-18 to post an 8-under 64 that ultimately earned him the hardware.
Biggest disappointment: Snedeker looked to be the man to beat, having won here in 2013, but he wasn't able to put together much of a charge and ended up two shots back after a pedestrian 71. It was also a bitterly disappointing end for Wheatcroft, who needed a birdie on No. 18 to tie but instead bladed his greenside bunker shot over the green, leading to a closing bogey.
Shot of the day: After a 329-yard drive, Vegas found the green with his approach from 176 yards on No. 18. The subsequent two-putt birdie sealed a 64 for Vegas and, though he didn't know it at the time, provided the winning margin.
Quote of the day: "It's incredible. There's just a ton of emotions running through my head right now. This is just a fun feeling." - Vegas
PGA Championship 2016 tee times: Pairings for the first two rounds.
By Brendan Porath
(Photo/Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
Wait, the PGA is here already? Your tee times and marquee groups for the first two rounds at Baltusrol.
The PGA of America annually boasts that it has the strongest field of the year. They try to ensure all of the top 100 in the world rankings are exempt or have an invitation. The other three majors are either too small — the Masters would have a panic attack if their entire field hit triple digits — or reserve too large swaths for "open qualifiers" that are usually not highly-ranked tour pros.
The PGA has no such "open" qualifying process. There are no amateurs invited. It's 156 professionals. There is, of course, that slice of the field reserved for the PGA's membership, the club and teaching pros from across the country that get in via the PGA Professional National Championship. These are the pros who give lessons and negotiate that deal on the sweater you're interested in at the pro shop. There are 38 club pros in the field this year, and the PGA spreads these members out across the tee sheet. No two club pros play in the same group.
It seems like we were just watching Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson put on a show at Royal Troon and it's hard to believe we already have tee times for the season's final major. But this is the manic pace that the Olympics have thrust upon us in this 2016 summer. We knew the PGA was always going to be the one major that would have to adapt the most. There was discussion and speculation about moving it to the spring, or even winter, and playing it abroad. Or perhaps pushing it back to some point in the fall. A lot of that was far-fetched speculation, and what we ended up with was the PGA crammed in at the end of July, just two weeks after the traditional British Open date.
Stenson will play with Danny Willett and Dustin Johnson for the first two rounds next week at Baltusrol. That's what the PGA does every year, putting the first three major winners together for the opening rounds. That will obviously be one of the marquee groups. The other two headliners are probably the trio of Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, and Sergio Garcia, and then on the opposite side of the draw, the group of Mickelson, Jason Day, and Rory McIlroy.
The PGA gets a bad rap just because it comes last and doesn't have the instantly recognizable identity of the other three majors, but it's as quality as any of them out there. The field is strong, the course is always set up fair and for an exciting leaderboard, and they don't mess around or get too cute with the pairings sheet.
Here's the full tee sheet for the first two rounds at the PGA:
Thursday, July 28 off No. 1 tee
Thursday, July 28 off No. 1 tee
7:00 a.m.--Mark Brown, Patton Kizzire, Bradley Dredge
7:10 a.m.--Tommy Sharp, Jon Curran, K.J. Choi
7:20 a.m.--Josh Speight, Kristoffer Broberg, Jason Kokrak
7:30 a.m.--Daniel Berger, Darren Clarke, David Lingmerth
7:40 a.m.--Aaron Baddeley, Kevin Kisner, Emiliano Grillo
7:50 a.m.--Vijay Singh, John Daly, Padraig Harrington
8:00 a.m.--Victor Dubuisson, Marcus Fraser, James Hahn
8:10 a.m.--Soren Kjeldsen, Scott Hend, Billy Hurley III
8:20 a.m.--Charley Hoffman, Matt Jones, Rikard Karlberg
8:30 a.m.--Robert Streb, Vaughn Taylor, Kevin Na
8:40 a.m.--Roberto Castro, Jonas Blixt, Gregory Bourdy
8:50 a.m.--Omar Uresti, Greg Chalmers, Ross Fisher
9:00 a.m.--David Muttitt, Smylie Kaufman, Zac Blair
12:15 p.m.--Colt Knost, Joe Summerhays, Yuta Ikeda
12:25 p.m.--Ryan Palmer, Rob Labritz, Gary Woodland
12:35 p.m.--Scott Piercy, Alex Noren, Andrew Johnston
12:45 p.m.--Rocco Mediate, Rich Berberian Jr., Shaun Micheel
12:55 p.m.--Anirban Lahiri, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick
1:05 p.m.--Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Danny Lee
1:15 p.m.--Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk
1:25 p.m.--Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson
1:35 p.m.--Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel
1:45 p.m.--Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson
1:55 p.m.--Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Louis Oosthuizen
2:05 p.m.--Ben Polland, Ryan Moore, Kyle Reifers
2:15 p.m.--Mitch Lowe, Younghan Song, Kevin Streelman
Thursday, July 28 off No. 10 tee
7:10 a.m.--Tommy Sharp, Jon Curran, K.J. Choi
7:20 a.m.--Josh Speight, Kristoffer Broberg, Jason Kokrak
7:30 a.m.--Daniel Berger, Darren Clarke, David Lingmerth
7:40 a.m.--Aaron Baddeley, Kevin Kisner, Emiliano Grillo
7:50 a.m.--Vijay Singh, John Daly, Padraig Harrington
8:00 a.m.--Victor Dubuisson, Marcus Fraser, James Hahn
8:10 a.m.--Soren Kjeldsen, Scott Hend, Billy Hurley III
8:20 a.m.--Charley Hoffman, Matt Jones, Rikard Karlberg
8:30 a.m.--Robert Streb, Vaughn Taylor, Kevin Na
8:40 a.m.--Roberto Castro, Jonas Blixt, Gregory Bourdy
8:50 a.m.--Omar Uresti, Greg Chalmers, Ross Fisher
9:00 a.m.--David Muttitt, Smylie Kaufman, Zac Blair
12:15 p.m.--Colt Knost, Joe Summerhays, Yuta Ikeda
12:25 p.m.--Ryan Palmer, Rob Labritz, Gary Woodland
12:35 p.m.--Scott Piercy, Alex Noren, Andrew Johnston
12:45 p.m.--Rocco Mediate, Rich Berberian Jr., Shaun Micheel
12:55 p.m.--Anirban Lahiri, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick
1:05 p.m.--Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Danny Lee
1:15 p.m.--Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk
1:25 p.m.--Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson
1:35 p.m.--Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel
1:45 p.m.--Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson
1:55 p.m.--Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Louis Oosthuizen
2:05 p.m.--Ben Polland, Ryan Moore, Kyle Reifers
2:15 p.m.--Mitch Lowe, Younghan Song, Kevin Streelman
Thursday, July 28 off No. 10 tee
7:00 a.m.--Chris Kirk, Wyatt Worthington II, Freddie Jacobson
7:10 a.m.--Brian Gaffney, Jeunghun Wang, Jason Bohn
7:20 a.m.--J.B. Holmes, Brian Stuard, Hideki Matsuyama
7:30 a.m.--Matt Dobyns, Tyrrell Hatton, Harris English
7:40 a.m.--Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson
7:50 a.m.--Jimmy Walker, Chris Wood, Branden Grace
8:00 a.m.--Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey
8:10 a.m.--Brandt Snedeker, Brooks Koepka, Lee Westwood
8:20 a.m.--Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott, Jamie Donaldson
8:30 a.m.--Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day
8:40 a.m.--Bill Haas, Andy Sullivan, Jamie Lovemark
8:50 a.m.--Rod Perry, George Coetzee, Hideto Tanihara
9:00 a.m.--Nicolas Colsaerts, Ryan Helminen, TBD
12:15 p.m.--Michael Block, John Senden, Harold Varner III
12:25 p.m.--Johan Kok, Troy Merritt, Kevin Chappell
12:35 p.m.--Thorbjorn Olesen, Fabian Gomez, Russell Henley
12:45 p.m.--David Toms, Rich Beem, Steve Stricker
12:55 p.m.--James Morrison, Brandon Stone, Billy Horschel
1:05 p.m.--Jason Dufner, Y.E. Yang, Martin Kaymer
1:15 p.m.--Brendan Steele, Bernd Wiesberger, Byeong Hun An
1:25 p.m.--Marc Leishman, Russell Knox, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
1:35 p.m.--Thongchai Jaidee, Jim Herman, Thomas Pieters
1:45 p.m.--Soomin Lee, Joost Luiten, William McGirt
1:55 p.m.--K.T. Kim, Brad Lardon, Peter Malnati
2:05 p.m.--Daniel Summerhays, Rick Schuller, Cameron Tringale
2:15 p.m.--Bryce Molder, Brad Ott, Si Woo Kim
Friday, July 29 off No. 1 tee
7:10 a.m.--Brian Gaffney, Jeunghun Wang, Jason Bohn
7:20 a.m.--J.B. Holmes, Brian Stuard, Hideki Matsuyama
7:30 a.m.--Matt Dobyns, Tyrrell Hatton, Harris English
7:40 a.m.--Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson
7:50 a.m.--Jimmy Walker, Chris Wood, Branden Grace
8:00 a.m.--Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey
8:10 a.m.--Brandt Snedeker, Brooks Koepka, Lee Westwood
8:20 a.m.--Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott, Jamie Donaldson
8:30 a.m.--Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day
8:40 a.m.--Bill Haas, Andy Sullivan, Jamie Lovemark
8:50 a.m.--Rod Perry, George Coetzee, Hideto Tanihara
9:00 a.m.--Nicolas Colsaerts, Ryan Helminen, TBD
12:15 p.m.--Michael Block, John Senden, Harold Varner III
12:25 p.m.--Johan Kok, Troy Merritt, Kevin Chappell
12:35 p.m.--Thorbjorn Olesen, Fabian Gomez, Russell Henley
12:45 p.m.--David Toms, Rich Beem, Steve Stricker
12:55 p.m.--James Morrison, Brandon Stone, Billy Horschel
1:05 p.m.--Jason Dufner, Y.E. Yang, Martin Kaymer
1:15 p.m.--Brendan Steele, Bernd Wiesberger, Byeong Hun An
1:25 p.m.--Marc Leishman, Russell Knox, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
1:35 p.m.--Thongchai Jaidee, Jim Herman, Thomas Pieters
1:45 p.m.--Soomin Lee, Joost Luiten, William McGirt
1:55 p.m.--K.T. Kim, Brad Lardon, Peter Malnati
2:05 p.m.--Daniel Summerhays, Rick Schuller, Cameron Tringale
2:15 p.m.--Bryce Molder, Brad Ott, Si Woo Kim
Friday, July 29 off No. 1 tee
7:00 a.m.--Michael Block, John Senden, Harold Varner III
7:10 a.m.--Johan Kok, Troy Merritt, Kevin Chappell
7:20 a.m.--Thorbjorn Olesen, Fabian Gomez, Russell Henley
7:30 a.m.--David Toms, Rich Beem, Steve Stricker
7:40 a.m.--James Morrison, Brandon Stone, Billy Horschel
7:50 a.m.--Jason Dufner, Y.E. Yang, Martin Kaymer
8:00 a.m.--Brendan Steele, Bernd Wiesberger, Byeong Hun An
8:10 a.m.--Marc Leishman, Russell Knox, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
8:20 a.m.--Thongchai Jaidee, Jim Herman, Thomas Pieters
8:30 a.m.--Soomin Lee, Joost Luiten, William McGirt
8:40 a.m.--K.T. Kim, Brad Lardon, Peter Malnati
8:50 a.m.--Daniel Summerhays, Rick Schuller, Cameron Tringale
9:00 a.m.--Bryce Molder, Brad Ott, Si Woo Kim
12:15 p.m.--Chris Kirk, Wyatt Worthington II, Freddie Jacobson
12:25 p.m.--Brian Gaffney, Jeunghun Wang, Jason Bohn
12:35 p.m.--J.B. Holmes, Brian Stuard, Hideki Matsuyama
12:45 p.m.--Matt Dobyns, Tyrrell Hatton, Harris English
12:55 p.m.--Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson
1:05 p.m.--Jimmy Walker, Chris Wood, Branden Grace
1:15 p.m.--Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey
1:25 p.m.--Brandt Snedeker, Brooks Koepka, Lee Westwood
1:35 p.m.--Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott, Jamie Donaldson
1:45 p.m.--Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day
1:55 p.m.--Bill Haas, Andy Sullivan, Jamie Lovemark
2:05 p.m.--Rod Perry, George Coetzee, Hideto Tanihara
2:15 p.m.--Nicolas Colsaerts, Ryan Helminen, TBD
Friday, July 29 off No. 10 tee
7:10 a.m.--Johan Kok, Troy Merritt, Kevin Chappell
7:20 a.m.--Thorbjorn Olesen, Fabian Gomez, Russell Henley
7:30 a.m.--David Toms, Rich Beem, Steve Stricker
7:40 a.m.--James Morrison, Brandon Stone, Billy Horschel
7:50 a.m.--Jason Dufner, Y.E. Yang, Martin Kaymer
8:00 a.m.--Brendan Steele, Bernd Wiesberger, Byeong Hun An
8:10 a.m.--Marc Leishman, Russell Knox, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
8:20 a.m.--Thongchai Jaidee, Jim Herman, Thomas Pieters
8:30 a.m.--Soomin Lee, Joost Luiten, William McGirt
8:40 a.m.--K.T. Kim, Brad Lardon, Peter Malnati
8:50 a.m.--Daniel Summerhays, Rick Schuller, Cameron Tringale
9:00 a.m.--Bryce Molder, Brad Ott, Si Woo Kim
12:15 p.m.--Chris Kirk, Wyatt Worthington II, Freddie Jacobson
12:25 p.m.--Brian Gaffney, Jeunghun Wang, Jason Bohn
12:35 p.m.--J.B. Holmes, Brian Stuard, Hideki Matsuyama
12:45 p.m.--Matt Dobyns, Tyrrell Hatton, Harris English
12:55 p.m.--Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson
1:05 p.m.--Jimmy Walker, Chris Wood, Branden Grace
1:15 p.m.--Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey
1:25 p.m.--Brandt Snedeker, Brooks Koepka, Lee Westwood
1:35 p.m.--Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott, Jamie Donaldson
1:45 p.m.--Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day
1:55 p.m.--Bill Haas, Andy Sullivan, Jamie Lovemark
2:05 p.m.--Rod Perry, George Coetzee, Hideto Tanihara
2:15 p.m.--Nicolas Colsaerts, Ryan Helminen, TBD
Friday, July 29 off No. 10 tee
7:00 a.m.--Colt Knost, Joe Summerhays, Yuta Ikeda
7:10 a.m.--Ryan Palmer, Rob Labritz, Gary Woodland
7:20 a.m.--Scott Piercy, Alex Noren, Andrew Johnston
7:30 a.m.--Rocco Mediate, Rich Berberian Jr., Shaun Micheel
7:40 a.m.--Anirban Lahiri, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick
7:50 a.m.--Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Danny Lee
8:00 a.m.--Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk
8:10 a.m.--Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson
8:20 a.m.--Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel
8:30 a.m.--Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson
8:40 a.m.--Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Louis Oosthuizen
8:50 a.m.--Ben Polland, Ryan Moore, Kyle Reifers
9:00 a.m.--Mitch Lowe, Younghan Song, Kevin Streelman
12:15 p.m.--Mark Brown, Patton Kizzire, Bradley Dredg
12:25 p.m.--Tommy Sharp, Jon Curran, K.J. Choi
12:35 p.m.--Josh Speight, Kristoffer Broberg, Jason Kokrak
12:45 p.m.--Daniel Berger, Darren Clarke, David Lingmerth
12:55 p.m.--Aaron Baddeley, Kevin Kisner, Emiliano Grillo
1:05 p.m.--Vijay Singh, John Daly, Padraig Harrington
1:15 p.m.--Victor Dubuisson, Marcus Fraser, James Hahn
1:25 p.m.--Soren Kjeldsen, Scott Hend, Billy Hurley III
1:35 p.m.--Charley Hoffman, Matt Jones, Rikard Karlberg
1:45 p.m.--Robert Streb, Vaughn Taylor, Kevin Na
1:55 p.m.--Roberto Castro, Jonas Blixt, Gregory Bourdy
2:05 p.m.--Omar Uresti, Greg Chalmers, Ross Fisher
2:15 p.m.--David Muttitt, Smylie Kaufman, Zac Blair
7:10 a.m.--Ryan Palmer, Rob Labritz, Gary Woodland
7:20 a.m.--Scott Piercy, Alex Noren, Andrew Johnston
7:30 a.m.--Rocco Mediate, Rich Berberian Jr., Shaun Micheel
7:40 a.m.--Anirban Lahiri, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick
7:50 a.m.--Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Danny Lee
8:00 a.m.--Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk
8:10 a.m.--Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson
8:20 a.m.--Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel
8:30 a.m.--Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson
8:40 a.m.--Graeme McDowell, Webb Simpson, Louis Oosthuizen
8:50 a.m.--Ben Polland, Ryan Moore, Kyle Reifers
9:00 a.m.--Mitch Lowe, Younghan Song, Kevin Streelman
12:15 p.m.--Mark Brown, Patton Kizzire, Bradley Dredg
12:25 p.m.--Tommy Sharp, Jon Curran, K.J. Choi
12:35 p.m.--Josh Speight, Kristoffer Broberg, Jason Kokrak
12:45 p.m.--Daniel Berger, Darren Clarke, David Lingmerth
12:55 p.m.--Aaron Baddeley, Kevin Kisner, Emiliano Grillo
1:05 p.m.--Vijay Singh, John Daly, Padraig Harrington
1:15 p.m.--Victor Dubuisson, Marcus Fraser, James Hahn
1:25 p.m.--Soren Kjeldsen, Scott Hend, Billy Hurley III
1:35 p.m.--Charley Hoffman, Matt Jones, Rikard Karlberg
1:45 p.m.--Robert Streb, Vaughn Taylor, Kevin Na
1:55 p.m.--Roberto Castro, Jonas Blixt, Gregory Bourdy
2:05 p.m.--Omar Uresti, Greg Chalmers, Ross Fisher
2:15 p.m.--David Muttitt, Smylie Kaufman, Zac Blair
NASCAR: Kyle Busch scores second consecutive win at Indianapolis.
By Kelly Crandall
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
Kyle Busch never gave the field a chance in the 23rd running of the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The dominating performance saw Busch lead 149 of the race’s 170 laps after starting on the pole. He also added a new page in the history books by becoming the first driver to sweep a NASCAR weekend by winning both pole positions and the race in the Xfinity and Sprint Cup Series.
The victory was Busch’s second at Indianapolis in 12 starts and his fourth of the 2016 season.
Four restarts inside seven laps to go put the pressure on the defending Sprint Cup Series champion, but as he had been all day, Busch remained untouchable. The final restart was the second attempt at overtime and saw Busch quickly drive away from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Matt Kenseth, and Jimmie Johnson.
Denny Hamlin finished fourth, Kyle Larson finished fifth with Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Austin Dillon, and Paul Menard rounding out the top 10.
The dominating performance saw Busch lead 149 of the race’s 170 laps after starting on the pole. He also added a new page in the history books by becoming the first driver to sweep a NASCAR weekend by winning both pole positions and the race in the Xfinity and Sprint Cup Series.
The victory was Busch’s second at Indianapolis in 12 starts and his fourth of the 2016 season.
Four restarts inside seven laps to go put the pressure on the defending Sprint Cup Series champion, but as he had been all day, Busch remained untouchable. The final restart was the second attempt at overtime and saw Busch quickly drive away from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Matt Kenseth, and Jimmie Johnson.
Denny Hamlin finished fourth, Kyle Larson finished fifth with Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Austin Dillon, and Paul Menard rounding out the top 10.
“This Toyota was awesome today,” Busch told NBCSN in victory lane. “Man, it was just so fast and being able to get out front and stay out front, and not even some of my teammates could challenge us. We just had it hooked up, man. This thing was on rails.”
The victory also marked the second consecutive for Toyota at Indianapolis after Chevrolet went to victory lane 12 years in a row.
HOW BUSCH WON: Busch survived two overtime attempts and drove away from Matt Kenseth.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Kyle Larson had a quiet day and finished fifth … Richard Childress Racing placed two cars in the top 10 with Austin Dillon finishing ninth and Paul Menard finishing 10th … Rookie Chris Buescher scored a career-best finish of 14th.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Brad Keselowski led 15 laps early but was collected in a late wreck and finished 17th … Kasey Kahne struggled all day and finished 18th … Carl Edwards crashed while running inside the top 10 and finished 35th.
NOTABLE: Kyle Busch led 149 laps, which is an Indianapolis Motor Speedway record.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “That was cool. I knew when we got the checkered you just didn’t want to come in quite yet, I wanted to run one more lap. Jeff (Gordon) was around us and before that last green run and I told my spotter to go get his spotter and after this thing’s over we need to go a lap around here together because it most likely is the last time we’ll both get a chance to do that.” — Tony Stewart
WHAT’S NEXT: The Sprint Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway for the Pennsylvania 400 on July 31 at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Harvick remains atop Sprint Cup standings, Edwards drops two spots.
By Jerry Bonkowski
Kevin Harvick maintained his lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings after Sunday’s Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Harvick leads Brad Keselowski by 20 points, while Kurt Busch is in third place, 44 points behind Harvick.
Joey Logano (-65) is fourth, while Sunday’s race winner, Kyle Busch (-70) is fifth.
Carl Edwards took the biggest points hit of drivers in the top 10. Edwards was involved in a late-race crash and dropped from fourth to sixth place, 78 points now behind Harvick.
Also of note, Kyle Larson moved into contention for the upcoming Chase for the Sprint Cup. Larson climbed four spots to 15th in the standings.
Here’s how the standings look after Sunday’s race:
The victory also marked the second consecutive for Toyota at Indianapolis after Chevrolet went to victory lane 12 years in a row.
HOW BUSCH WON: Busch survived two overtime attempts and drove away from Matt Kenseth.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Kyle Larson had a quiet day and finished fifth … Richard Childress Racing placed two cars in the top 10 with Austin Dillon finishing ninth and Paul Menard finishing 10th … Rookie Chris Buescher scored a career-best finish of 14th.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Brad Keselowski led 15 laps early but was collected in a late wreck and finished 17th … Kasey Kahne struggled all day and finished 18th … Carl Edwards crashed while running inside the top 10 and finished 35th.
NOTABLE: Kyle Busch led 149 laps, which is an Indianapolis Motor Speedway record.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “That was cool. I knew when we got the checkered you just didn’t want to come in quite yet, I wanted to run one more lap. Jeff (Gordon) was around us and before that last green run and I told my spotter to go get his spotter and after this thing’s over we need to go a lap around here together because it most likely is the last time we’ll both get a chance to do that.” — Tony Stewart
WHAT’S NEXT: The Sprint Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway for the Pennsylvania 400 on July 31 at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Harvick remains atop Sprint Cup standings, Edwards drops two spots.
By Jerry Bonkowski
Kevin Harvick maintained his lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings after Sunday’s Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Harvick leads Brad Keselowski by 20 points, while Kurt Busch is in third place, 44 points behind Harvick.
Joey Logano (-65) is fourth, while Sunday’s race winner, Kyle Busch (-70) is fifth.
Carl Edwards took the biggest points hit of drivers in the top 10. Edwards was involved in a late-race crash and dropped from fourth to sixth place, 78 points now behind Harvick.
Also of note, Kyle Larson moved into contention for the upcoming Chase for the Sprint Cup. Larson climbed four spots to 15th in the standings.
Here’s how the standings look after Sunday’s race:
SOCCER: Late goal dooms Fire to another road loss.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Sean Johnson had made a number of big saves late in Saturday’s match at New England, but one mistake was costly.
Johnson had three saves on well-struck shots in a span of less than two minutes. On a third corner kick during that period of sustained pressure, New England finally got one past the Chicago Fire goalkeeper.
Je-Vaughn Watson headed in a Chris Tierney corner kick in the 85th minute after Johnson came out to punch away the corner and failed to reach it. Johnson totaled 10 saves, but ultimately played a role in New England’s lone goal.
The 1-0 win for New England (6-7-8, 26 points) is a blow to the Fire’s already dwindling playoff hopes. The Revolution, which currently sit in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, are now nine points ahead of the Fire (4-10-5, 17 points), which remain in last place in the league.
The Fire’s league-record road winless streak trudges on, now at 35, and the team has now lost eight straight away from Toyota Park.
While Johnson was busy making 10 saves, the Fire didn’t register a shot on target. For periods of the second half the Fire had the better of the play and created some chances, but the Revolution’s finishing kick ended up being the difference.
The Fire’s best chance came in the 57th minute when David Accam’s low cross from the left almost resulted in an own goal. Bobby Shuttleworth was able to save the deflection, his only notable action of the night, and then John Goossens missed the bouncing ball on the rebound.
The Fire’s best chance came in the 57th minute when David Accam’s low cross from the left almost resulted in an own goal. Bobby Shuttleworth was able to save the deflection, his only notable action of the night, and then John Goossens missed the bouncing ball on the rebound.
On the CSN+ broadcast, coach Veljko Paunovic was asked early in the second half about any possible tactical changes he might make and Paunovic said he liked how things were going. He backed that up by not making any subs until the 76th minute and only used two in the match.
Paunovic gave a slightly different look defensively with Johan Kappelhof, who has been a staple at centerback, starting at right back. Joao Meira took his place in central defense. Offensively, Michael de Leeuw, David Accam, Kennedy Igboananike and John Goossens started together for the first time.
The Fire return home for a Sunday match against the New York Red Bulls.
Ronaldo seeking new contract, says he’ll miss UEFA Super Cup.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s long summer has earned him an extended vacation, but the knee injury he suffered in the EURO 2016 Final would’ve kept him from this season’s first big club match anyway.
The 31-year-old star will not be available for the Aug. 9 UEFA Super Cup match between Real Madrid and Sevilla, saying he’ll be back in the mix just one day later.
Ronaldo also said he’s going to speak with the club about extending his contract, which runs through the 2017-18 season. He’s very been vocal about his desire to finish his career at the Bernabeu, and will put pen to paper in order to prove it.
From Sky Sports:
“I spoke to the president on the phone and when I get to Madrid, we will talk about it.
“Obviously it’s something I want, I have mentioned it many times, and the club also wants it. But we only spoke briefly, and there will be more concrete things to come.”No surprises here, though it would’ve been nice to have Ronaldo on our screens for the match-up between his Champions League winners and the Europa League champions.
Preseason roundup: 10 Premier League clubs in action Saturday.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
A roundup of Saturday’s preseason friendlies involving Premier League clubs…
Celtic 1-1 Leicester City
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Leicester City winger (and 2015-16 PFA Player of the Year) Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring with a sensational, curling goal guided inside the far post by his magical left foot (WATCH HERE). The Foxes conceded an equalizer just before the hour mark (Eoghan O’Connell), but Claudio Ranieri‘s side still has a number of key players to welcome back into the starting lineup ahead of the opening day for the 2016-17 Premier League season, which is just three weeks from today.
PEC Zwolle 0-4 Southampton
Southampton continued their preseason preparations, under the direction of new manager Claude Puel, with a 4-0 victory over Eredivisie side Zwolle. Nathan Redmond, who arrived from Norwich City in the summer, scored twice on the day (second goal below), while Charlie Austin and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg bagged a goal each.
Portsmouth 3-3 Bournemouth
Bournemouth managed a 3-3 draw with fellow South Coast side Portsmouth, with Lewis Grabban, Jordan Ibe (fresh off signing from Liverpool) and Dan Gosling scoring for the Premier League side.
Barnsley 0-3 Everton
Ross Barkley scored twice and Kevin Mirallas netted the other goal, as Everton, under new boss Ronald Koeman, brushed aside Championship side Barnsley
Elsewhere in preseason action
Bradford City 1-4 Burnley
Rotheram 1-2 Sunderland
Preston North End 1-1 Stoke City
Scunthorpe United 0-2 Hull City
Watford 0-0 Anzhi Makhachkala
PSV Eindhoven vs. West Bromwich Albion — canceled.
How low will some Group of Five schools go to win a Big 12 expansion invite?
By Jon Solomon
With the Big 12 opening its expansion doors, it will likely have to fend off a stampede of Group of Five schools hoping for one last shot at major-conference glory.
Let the bidding begin for One True Discount. How low can you go in your bid to win the Big 12 auction? This is one auction where the lower the better so the Big 12 can pocket some of your money.
Forget summer vacations for these Group of Five presidents and athletic directors. The tantalizing combination of money and exposure -- the cornerstones of college sports -- are staring these schools square in the face. It's right there within their grasp to finally get a seat at the adult table.
The pressure is on to not get left behind again as the haves and have-nots continue their separation to wherever the great chase for money leads the NCAA's future. The Big 12 may expand since it doesn't want to be left financially behind the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12. So there will be a free-for-all by Group of Five schools who don't want to be left behind in a chase that will dominate headlines into the 2016 football season.
This is how college sports works. Eat or be eaten.
American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco, whose league formed after getting eaten by the ACC and by eating Conference USA, sounded frustrated Wednesday. He tried to put on a brave face after the latest twist in "As The Big 12 Turns." The stark reality is this: While the American tries to build off its very successful 2015 football season, Aresco's schools will be competing to get the first ticket out of town.
"We're going about our business," Aresco said. "We have initiatives we're working on. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I'm working hard for this conference, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished with this conference. You just tune out the distractions. We've got members here who are relying on the conference to support them. That's our focus."
Aresco wouldn't say if he has spoken with some of his schools' presidents and athletic directors since the latest Big 12 news. "I really don't want to bring a lot of attention on this," he said.
Understandable. But that ship sailed a long time ago. Cincinnati, Memphis, Houston, UCF, Connecticut, Colorado State and BYU have made pitches behind-the-scenes for months that they want in the Big 12. Now Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is formally accepting their bids.
"I would say that we are looking for members that will grow over time as we grow," Bowlsby said, "that will bring stability to the conference and that have a high top end, will benefit from an affiliation with the schools that are currently in our conference."
The timing stinks for the American, whose current TV deal runs through the 2019 season. Earlier this spring, Aresco said negotiations with ESPN could start at the end of 2018, making the next couple seasons pivotal for the American to build on its 2015 success. CBS Sports Network airs American football games through a sublicensing agreement with ESPN.
"You might argue with [cable] cord cutting it may not be the best time to soon be negotiating," Aresco said this spring. "But I go back to my old statement: Content is king. I keep telling our membership, if we continue to be relevant and get fans interested in what we're doing and we're a really scrappy underdog that becomes a competitor, the networks will have an interest in us. It's that simple."
But no one in college sports turns down an "Advance to Boardwalk" card. It's the lottery ticket that gives you a chance to win in major college football and guarantees you'll spend a whole lot of money trying.
It's the chance to improve your school's visibility and donations. It's a chance to increase your enrollment with more out-of-state students. It's a chance to share company with a major research university like Texas.
TCU demonstrated the blueprint on how to get invited into the Big 12: Sell your academics, of course, so Texas is willing to be your neighbor; but also build yourself up athletically in advance so you're ready to win immediately in the Big 12.
A Power Five invite is why Memphis has FedEx vowing to sponsor the Big 12 Championship Game and the school promising $500 million in academic and athletic infrastructure improvements over the next five years.
It's why BYU touts its national reach compared to the competitors by talking up the school's high football TV ratings and football and basketball attendance.
It's why Cincinnati spent $86 million to expand its football stadium with new luxury suites and sells itself as a good geographic partner for West Virginia.
It's why Colorado State hired football assistants from the SEC to be head coaches, is building a $238.5 million football stadium scheduled to open in 2017, and touts a large Big 12 alumni base.
It's why Houston built a 40,000-seat football stadium, has made $240 million in facility improvements, paid Tom Herman $3 million a year to stick around, and sells its location in America's fourth-largest city as a huge plus for TV and recruiting.
To understand what this lottery ticket would mean for a Group of Five school, follow the dollars. The Big 12's average payout to its full-sharing members in 2014-15 was $23.3 million, according to tax records. TCU and West Virginia did not yet get full shares and each received about $20 million.
Bowlsby has said Big 12 schools each got about $30 million in 2016. The payout increases to $35 million next year and $43 million by the end of the Big 12's current football TV deal in 2024, a source told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd.
Now look at tax records in 2014-15 for the American Athletic Conference. They show the American distributed $10.6 million to Connecticut, $10.2 million to Cincinnati, and about $4.5 million each to UCF, Houston and Memphis. No wonder Houston board of regents chairman conducted a 1 a.m. interview Wednesday with the Houston Chronicle while on vacation in Monte Carlo.
Bowlsby has said the Big 12's TV deal allows any schools that are added to get the same payout as current members. I can't help but wonder if this latest round of Big 12 expansion talk is a negotiating ploy to get ESPN and Fox to pay the Big 12 more to not expand. In other words, "How much will you pay us to not contractually force you to pay us more?"
The timing of the Big 12 news can't be lost given reports that ESPN is going to create a digital network for the ACC this summer and a linear channel in 2019. This is the great chase by the ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 to stay within shouting distance financially of the SEC and Big Ten, which have created their own penthouse because they have more rabid fan bases.
If Big 12 expansion happens, it's hard to imagine why ESPN and Fox would extend their current Big 12 deals anytime soon with eight years left on the contracts. There's no expansion candidate that immediately moves the TV needle. That would have to occur over time if the new members have success and show there's an appetite to watch them.
Sure, expansion might upset ESPN and Fox in the next round of TV negotiations. The Big 12, though, appears to be saying it's willing to take that risk in order to add immediate cash to keep up with the Joneses and not get eaten by someone else.
"In both the case of the championship game and in the case of the pro rata adjustments, we're in complete compliance with the contract," Bowlsby said. "I don't think we have to make apologies for activating around stipulations that we both agreed to."
So let's try to take the Big 12 at face value that it seriously wants to expand, even though the conference flips positions on this topic more often than a politician during election season. The Big 12 doesn't have to share that new contractually-obligated TV money equally with the new schools.
Group of Five schools can allow their imagination to run wild while lining up to make their bids. How low will you go? The answer is simple: as low as necessary.
Because when it's Christmas in July, you don't want to be left standing alone under the mistletoe.
NCAAFB: Bill Snyder thinks Nebraska has buyer’s remorse in the Big Ten.
By Zach Barnett
(Photo/Getty Images)
There may be something to the fact that life in the Big Ten hasn’t proved to be all Nebraska thought it was. The money is nice, sure, but it hasn’t translated to Big Ten championships, and it’s not like the Huskers are cutting their fans in on any of the profits.
So, yes, Nebraska may have found, half a decade in now, that life in the Big Ten West is more similar to life in the Big 12 North than they’d ever admit publicly.
But that doesn’t mean they would ever actually go back to the Big 12.
And whatever amount of remorse the ‘Huskers may feel in the Big Ten doesn’t nearly equate to the desire some have in the Big 12 to make everyone think Nebraska has buyer’s remorse about its big move.
Case in point: K-State head coach Bill Snyder.
“When push comes to shove,” Snyder told ESPN, “I don’t want to speak for anybody, but I’m not so sure they’re pleased with the decision they made.”
Snyder also said he missed the Wildcats’ rivalry with Nebraska and thinks the two should still be playing.
And considering the state of affairs in Lincoln, perhaps Nebraska should feel the same way. The see-saw was somewhat even from the late-90’s through the early 2000’s — K-State actually held a 5-2 advantage from 1998-04, and the winner of their annual meeting went on to claim the Big 12 North title every year from 1996 through 2000. But other than that seven-year spurt, Nebraska-Kansas State was about as competitive as bugs vs. windshields — the Huskers hold a 76-10-2 edge, including a six-game winning streak.
So, yes, Nebraska may have found, half a decade in now, that life in the Big Ten West is more similar to life in the Big 12 North than they’d ever admit publicly.
But that doesn’t mean they would ever actually go back to the Big 12.
And whatever amount of remorse the ‘Huskers may feel in the Big Ten doesn’t nearly equate to the desire some have in the Big 12 to make everyone think Nebraska has buyer’s remorse about its big move.
Case in point: K-State head coach Bill Snyder.
“When push comes to shove,” Snyder told ESPN, “I don’t want to speak for anybody, but I’m not so sure they’re pleased with the decision they made.”
Snyder also said he missed the Wildcats’ rivalry with Nebraska and thinks the two should still be playing.
And considering the state of affairs in Lincoln, perhaps Nebraska should feel the same way. The see-saw was somewhat even from the late-90’s through the early 2000’s — K-State actually held a 5-2 advantage from 1998-04, and the winner of their annual meeting went on to claim the Big 12 North title every year from 1996 through 2000. But other than that seven-year spurt, Nebraska-Kansas State was about as competitive as bugs vs. windshields — the Huskers hold a 76-10-2 edge, including a six-game winning streak.
NCAABKB: The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament just got a huge reward.
By Matt Norlander
Changes coming to NCAA Tournament include a new committee chairman and seeding procedures.
Even though the NCAA Tournament is eight months away, we've got a hefty update on some upcoming changes.
One twist coming next season: The No. 1 overall seed will be able to choose the location of its first two games of the tournament. So if that team is Duke, or Kentucky, or Kansas, or whichever school gets put atop the 1-68 seed list, that program will get to pick where it plays its first and second-round games.
"Preferences would be communicated by teams in contention for the overall No. 1 seed far in advance of Selection Sunday in a process to be determined," the NCAA said in a statement.
This means a handful of teams will look at all eight first-weekend sites and let the selection committee know which one it prefers. The top-seeded program won't know which team(s) it'll be playing, but it will get dibs on digs, which is a nice little update.
Cities playing host to first and second-round NCAA tournament games next March are Buffalo, Milwaukee, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Greensboro, Indianapolis, Tulsa and Sacramento.
The other teams in the field will continue to be at the mercy of the selection committee. If anything, this adds even more emphasis to overall résumé and could keep importance on league tournaments.
Speaking of that, in an effort to put more meaning on league tournament results throughout the sport, the committee -- per the request of the National Association of Basketball Coaches' newly formed ad hoc committee -- will continue to weigh a regular-season title with just as much meaning as a league postseason championship.
Remember, the NABC's ad hoc group was put into motion this year for the first time in order to keep the selection committee's process more educated on considerate of many facets of the selection, seeding and bracketing undertaking.
The NABC also wants an updated composite ranking system -- something as a substitute to RPI -- and so the NCAA says it will take a close look at altering its analytical measures in that regard. But a change there isn't coming until 2017-18 at the earliest, stating, "The basketball committee supported in concept revising the current ranking system utilized in the selection and seeding process, and will work collaboratively with select members of the NABC ad hoc group to study a potentially more effective composite ranking system."
Additionally, the NABC seems to be on track with insisting certain criteria as critical to seeding and selection. Namely, asking the selection committee to put even more emphasis on non-conference strength of schedule, road and neutral victories, quality wins and overall strength of schedule. (These practices are in place, but there is still tweaking to be done, evidenced by Monmouth's inexcusable absence from last year's field.)
Last year, for the first time, the NCAA opted to hold its selection process for the tournament in New York City. It will do so again in 2017, from March 7-12.
Personnel-wise, longtime Creighton AD Bruce Rasmussen has been named the chair for the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He'll succeed Michigan State AD Mark Hollis, who will serve his fifth and final year on the committee this upcoming season.
"I am humbled and honored to be selected by my peers for a leadership role on the Men's Basketball Committee," Rasmussen, who coached Creighton in women's basketball for 12 seasons, from 1980-1992, said. "It is an incredible honor to be a part of it and see up close how meaningful it is to each of the students who are also athletes to participate in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. I never imagined that I would be able to serve the NCAA membership, our students, coaches and basketball fans as a committee member. I am excited about working with our committee, Dan Gavitt and the extremely talented and committed NCAA staff over the next two years."
California Chrome wins the San Diego Handicap on a day of tragedy.
By John Cherwa
California Chrome will head a field of seven in the $200,000 San Diego Handicap. (Garry Jones/Associated Press)
It was a day designed to celebrate the greatness of California Chrome, the most popular horse in the world. But amid the euphoria of his stirring stretch duel with Dortmund was the underlying sadness of a sport whose harsh realities have been on display since the opening of the Del Mar meeting a week ago Friday.
Chrome delighted the crowd with his half-length victory in the $200,000 San Diego Handicap on Saturday. It was the first race for the 5-year-old Cal-bred since winning the $10 million Dubai World Cup, which made him the all-time winningest horse in North America. Dortmund gave Chrome everything he could handle over the 1 1/16-mile race, but in the end, when Chrome need a couple late jumps to beat his rival, he answered.
Still, the backstretch talk revolved around the death of two horses Saturday, bringing the total to four since the track opened this summer. Three horses broke down during training Saturday morning and Whisky And Wine was euthanized. The other two are likely to survive. In the second race, Dutchessa was being smartly eased by jockey Joe Talamo when the horse collapsed 40 yards past the finish line. She had broken both sesamoids in her front leg. The green tarp and the white van followed to spare the crowd the sight of a horse being put to death.
This followed the opening day death of a horse during a race and one Sunday during training.
The track, having survived a high volume of breakdowns two years ago on its turf course, explored every option for an answer but found none. Among the trainers who canceled workouts after the breakdowns were Richard Mandella, who was supposed to work his highly respected mare Beholder, Doug O’Neill and Phil D’Amato.
“When something like that happens and you have a mare like Beholder, I can work tomorrow,” Mandella said. “Imagine how stupid I’d feel if I worked her and something happened.”
Mandella cited Karma for his decision to cancel workouts. O’Neill used the word superstition and leading trainer D’Amato said he “wanted to err on the side of caution.” All of the trainers said they have heard nothing but good things about the track and have no complaints with the surface or Del Mar.
“It’s our everyday nightmare,” said Joe Harper, president and chief executive at Del Mar. “We’re all in this business because we love horses and it affects us. Our track superintendent this morning, Stevie Wood, was crying, blaming himself even though he shouldn’t have been. I spent the morning telling him how good he was and how much confidence we have in him. These kind of things get to all of us.”
Harper offered the makings of an explanation that is partially tied to the track’s popularity.
“The problem, in my opinion, is that everybody wants to be at Del Mar,” Harper said. “We’ve got more horses on the backstretch than anywhere in the country, 2,000 head of horses. They come into Del Mar and they want to run. It’s the big show out here. It’s the big show everywhere. I think we’ve always kind of worried at the beginning of the meet that horses that come from other racetracks, different surfaces … we just try and put together a racing surface that is forgiving.”
Perry Martin, California Chrome’s principal owner, also did not want to make a bad decision about running his star colt.
“I called Art and told him if he felt we had to scratch, then to scratch him,” Martin said of trainer Art Sherman. “But Art said he thought the track was in fine shape. Horses break down, statistically once in a while you’re going to get a group. But we thought the track was in fine shape.”
By the time the featured ninth race rolled around shortly after 6 p.m., the silence of the second race was replaced by the sounds of a rock star entering the building. The mere mention of California Chrome’s name by track announcer Trevor Denman brought loud and long cheers from the crowd of 21,336.
Chrome broke sharply in the five-horse field and was comfortable setting off the pace in second behind Dortmund. The two circled the track in that order until just entering the stretch. California Chrome poked his head in front and the crowd let out simultaneous cheers. It appeared as if Dortmund was ready to come back on Chrome, but the 2014 horse of the year would have no part of it.
California Chrome paid $3.60, $2.20 and $2.10. Dortmund returned $2.40 and $2.10 and Win The Space paid $2.20 to show.
“I saved something for the end,” said winning jockey Victor Espinoza. “I have a lot of respect for Dortmund and he made me run hard. … When we came down the stretch I was concerned. This horse was carrying a lot of weight. But he was a runner all the way today.”
California Chrome was carrying a high weight of 126 pounds, Dortmund had 121.
“They both ran terrific,” Sherman said, wedging his way out of a winner’s circle that must have had at least 50 people in it. “Dortmund made him work for it. It’s going to be an interesting few races coming up. … [Dortmund] is a really game horse. I think both horses needed a race and you’ll see two stronger horses coming back in the Pacific Classic.”
The Pacific Classic, on Aug. 20 at Del Mar, will be the rematch of these two plus the addition of Beholder. It will be a preview of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Del Mar is certainly hoping that this week has been a statistical anomaly and that all the concerns of the first week will be forgotten by the time its signature race is run. After all, triumph is a much easier sell than tragedy.
Tour De France: Stage 18, Around the Mont Blanc.
Le Tour France
(Photo/Le Tour France)
André Greipel doubles up on the Champs-Elysées
Like last year, André Greipel won the prestigious conclusive stage on the Champs-Elysées as he outsprinted Peter Sagan and Alexander Kristoff. This is the first win of the German national champion at the Tour de France this year and his eleventh in total. Chris Froome won his third Tour de France after 2013 and 2015 to rejoin Philippe Thys, Louison Bobet and Greg LeMond in the record books one line below five-time winners Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Good bye “Purito”
175 riders started stage 21 in Chantilly. Chris Froome celebrated his third Tour de France victory. Joaquim “Purito” Rodriguez, 7th on GC at the age of 37, was given the green light to enter the Champs-Elysées alone in the lead to salute the crowd before retiring at the end of this year. French champion Arthur Vichot (FDJ) gave the go to the real race and an eight-man breakaway was formed with 50km to go: Alexis Gougeard (AG2R-La Mondiale), Lawson Craddock (Cannondale-Drapac), Markus Burghardt (BMC), Daniel Teklehaimanot (DiData), Jérémy Roy (FDJ), Jan Barta (Bora), Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) and Brice Feillu (Fortuneo-Vital Concept).
Kittel and Coquard in trouble
Burghardt was ejected from the leading group due to a mechanical. Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quick Step) also had a mechanical with 35km to go. The German who had won the Champs-Elysées in 2013 and 2014 was forced to a solo chase whereas his team-mate Tony Martin pulled out due to a left knee injury. The seven escapees had a maximum of 25 seconds lead. Luke Rowe and Wout Poels (Sky) showed off and joined them at the front with 18km to go. As the breakaway got reined in, Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) counter attacked. He was caught by Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) with 12km to go. It was all together again 6.5km before the end. Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) had a flat tyre with 2.5km to go. Lotto-Soudal did the most impressive work at the front of the peloton and André Greipel was smart enough to mark Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and pass him right on time while Peter Sagan was coming fast from behind. Riders representing 12 different teams and 10 nations have won the 21 stages of the 103rd Tour de France.
On
emoriesofhistory.com1850 - In Worcester, MA, Harvard and Yale University freshmen met in the first intercollegiate billiards match.
1947 - Fortune Gordien of Oslo, Norway set a world record discus throw of 178.47 feet.
1978 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) broke the National League record for consecutive base hits as he got a hit in 38 straight games.
1987 - The Salt Lake City Trappers set a professional baseball record as the team won its 29th game in a row.
1999 - Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France. He was only the second American to win the race.
1990 - Rosanne Barr sang the National Anthem in San Diego before a Padres baseball game. She was booed for her performance.
2004 - Lance Armstrong won his record sixth consecutive Tour de France.
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