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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective - people who know to see a problem as an opportunity." ~ Deepak Chopra, Author, Public Speaker and Alternative Medicine Advocate
Trending: With attention elsewhere, Kevin White quietly giving Bears what they hoped for. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
"The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective - people who know to see a problem as an opportunity." ~ Deepak Chopra, Author, Public Speaker and Alternative Medicine Advocate
Trending: With attention elsewhere, Kevin White quietly giving Bears what they hoped for. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: USA Men's Basketball team expected to dominate and win the Gold Medal in the 2016 Olympics. (See the basketball section for Bulls, NBA and Olympic updates).
Trending: Full Olympic soccer schedule for Rio 2016. (See the soccer section for Fire and Olympic updates).
Trending: Jimmy Butler ready for a new-look Bulls team. (See the basketball section for Bulls and NBA updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 65-41
Cubs 2016 Record: 65-41
White Sox 2016 Record: 51-55
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! With attention elsewhere, Kevin White quietly giving Bears what they hoped for.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jay Cutler came to have a sense of Kevin White’s game speed in what little practice time White had with the Bears last season before the team shut him down after he’d worked his way back from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left leg. “I can’t overthrow this guy,” Cutler reportedly told one of his coaches.
Cutler has the arm to overthrow just about any receiver, but he hasn’t missed often, going to White in all areas of the field this training camp, something the two never had a chance to do last training camp because of White’s injury.
“I think the sky is the limit,” Cutler said. “He’s an unbelievable kid. You know that every day he comes to work he’s going to give you everything he has. His demeanor on or off the field doesn’t change.
“Physically he can do anything he wants. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s got good hips. He can get out of breaks. It’s just a matter of him mentally getting there so that he can use all of his ability instead of thinking so much.”
Perhaps the best part of this year’s training camp for White is that this one is not all about him. Last year’s was too much about the rookie wide receiver and his injured leg, first whether he was going to ever practice, and then the furor around coach John Fox’s refusal to discuss details of White’s injury before he and the team had conclusive information that the situation was indeed a stress fracture.
That was then, this is now, and amid the health travails of this year’s No. 1 pick, Leonard Floyd, and the aftershocks from Alshon Jeffery’s offseason stay-away and contract issues, White has quietly demonstrated the speed, catch radius and physicality that the Bears hoped they were getting when they made him the No. 7 pick overall in the 2015 draft.
He has shaken off some of the shakiness of OTA’s and minicamp, when his drops were worrisome and he was still feeling his way, even if the stress fracture was last year.
“OTAs were a little rough,” White admitted. “Ups and downs. Minicamp felt good just getting more reps and getting used to the speed of the game.”
And getting used to his own speed. White ran a blistering 4.35 sec. in the 40 before the draft but was initially not making full use of that speed as a weapon. Cutler, who came to know White’s top-end while the two practiced last season before the Bears shut White down, noticed that the speed was coming out too late in some plays.
He told White, “Use all of my speed,” White recalled. “Sometimes I try to [ease] into the route sometimes and play like a little tempo game. He just told me to get up on them quick. He can obviously throw the ball, let the ball out, a little quicker and help put some pressure on the DBs.”
And those DB’s are feeling that pressure, coping with White home-run threat while trying to be physical with a receiver who is bigger than any of the Bears defensive backs.
“If you get in there and you try to jam him and you get caught up too much in the jam, he can throw you off,” said cornerback Tracy Porter. “So just his physicality is one of the bigger things. Once you have a guy who is as physical as he is and has the speed and athleticism that he has, you definitely have to be on top of your game when you line up against him.”
Cutler has the arm to overthrow just about any receiver, but he hasn’t missed often, going to White in all areas of the field this training camp, something the two never had a chance to do last training camp because of White’s injury.
“I think the sky is the limit,” Cutler said. “He’s an unbelievable kid. You know that every day he comes to work he’s going to give you everything he has. His demeanor on or off the field doesn’t change.
“Physically he can do anything he wants. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s got good hips. He can get out of breaks. It’s just a matter of him mentally getting there so that he can use all of his ability instead of thinking so much.”
Perhaps the best part of this year’s training camp for White is that this one is not all about him. Last year’s was too much about the rookie wide receiver and his injured leg, first whether he was going to ever practice, and then the furor around coach John Fox’s refusal to discuss details of White’s injury before he and the team had conclusive information that the situation was indeed a stress fracture.
That was then, this is now, and amid the health travails of this year’s No. 1 pick, Leonard Floyd, and the aftershocks from Alshon Jeffery’s offseason stay-away and contract issues, White has quietly demonstrated the speed, catch radius and physicality that the Bears hoped they were getting when they made him the No. 7 pick overall in the 2015 draft.
He has shaken off some of the shakiness of OTA’s and minicamp, when his drops were worrisome and he was still feeling his way, even if the stress fracture was last year.
“OTAs were a little rough,” White admitted. “Ups and downs. Minicamp felt good just getting more reps and getting used to the speed of the game.”
And getting used to his own speed. White ran a blistering 4.35 sec. in the 40 before the draft but was initially not making full use of that speed as a weapon. Cutler, who came to know White’s top-end while the two practiced last season before the Bears shut White down, noticed that the speed was coming out too late in some plays.
He told White, “Use all of my speed,” White recalled. “Sometimes I try to [ease] into the route sometimes and play like a little tempo game. He just told me to get up on them quick. He can obviously throw the ball, let the ball out, a little quicker and help put some pressure on the DBs.”
And those DB’s are feeling that pressure, coping with White home-run threat while trying to be physical with a receiver who is bigger than any of the Bears defensive backs.
“If you get in there and you try to jam him and you get caught up too much in the jam, he can throw you off,” said cornerback Tracy Porter. “So just his physicality is one of the bigger things. Once you have a guy who is as physical as he is and has the speed and athleticism that he has, you definitely have to be on top of your game when you line up against him.”
The Bears' offensive line may have a new nickname: The Goons.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Back in their prime during the 1980s, the Bears offensive line was featured on a poster, “The Black and Blues Brothers,” with Mark Bortz, Jimbo Covert, Jay Hilgenberg, Tom Thayer, Keith Van Horne and the rest of the linemen in uniform plus Blues Brothers chapeaus.
Despite some solid years with maulers like Big Cat Williams, Olin Kreutz and others, the Bears may have been secretly longing for an offensive line with a disposition and level of play worthy of a nickname.
One of their running backs may have taken care of that on Monday, a day marked with a couple of skirmishes during practice and by the offensive line continuing to spring backs for impressive runs by pounding against an improved defense, even without its best player (Kyle Long).
“Our offensive line are goons,” said running back Ka’Deem Carey, intending it as high praise in the NFL world. “First string, second string, whoever you’ve got on that offensive line, they’re all goons and they give a good push every time. You can’t argue with the holes they’re giving us. It’s unbelievable.”
Ted Larsen, filling in at right guard while Long recovers from a calf strain, has been involved in several dust-ups, including one on Monday that began with backup tackle Adrian Bellard. Feistiness should not be a surprise; Long and right tackle Bobby Massie got into a fight when they played each other in high school.
Now they are Twin Towers (matching 6-6, 320-plus pounds) on the right side and “man, you really can’t see the defense,” Carey marveled. “Those two are huge out there. You just stay low, stay low and a big old hole opens up and just be there and hit it. Those two is a good combination over there.”
But it is ultimately not about fighting, which brings fines and suspensions, so much as an attitude of taking nothing off anybody.
An odd question was posed to Long last Wednesday as to his feeling about running plays to the right side. Long’s answer was simple: “Call it.”
Akiem Hicks surprising new Bears teammates with rare size/speed combination.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Every Bears training camp comes with its surprises, usually the undrafted free agent who flashes the unexpected, sneaks up on people and expectations. The 2016 Bears camp has had those – smallish wide receivers Daniel Braverman, Kieren Duncan – but arguably and literally the biggest surprise to some, including teammates, has been the giant from New England.
The 6-5, 330-pound Hicks was signed this offseason to be paired with nose tackle Eddie Goldman as core components in the Bears’ base 3-4 scheme. But Hicks has provided a highlight a day, sometimes more, with pass rush in particular, breaking down protection enough to leave quarterback Jay Cutler mildly grumpy, and teammates on both sides of the football amazed.
“He’s quicker than I thought,” said inside linebacker Danny Trevathan, who knows something about interior defensive linemen from playing behind very good ones with the Denver Broncos. “He’s way quicker than what I thought. And that’s my mistake, judging him [prematurely] like that. But he’s quick, man. And he’s a beast, man. It’s going to be fun working with him.”
Hicks has overpowered different offensive linemen in pass-protection drills, which admittedly favor the pass rusher, and he has been a “welcome to the NFL” exercise for rookie guard Cody Whitehair. Hicks has blown up running plays to the point of stuffing tailback Jeremy Langford for a loss by running a play down.
The Bears were able to sign Hicks away from the Patriots with a two-year contract topping out at $10 million, with $5 million guaranteed. Skeptics questioned why the Patriots, with their record of talent evaluations, would let Hicks get away after having him for 13 games last season following a trade with the New Orleans Saints.
The 6-5, 330-pound Hicks was signed this offseason to be paired with nose tackle Eddie Goldman as core components in the Bears’ base 3-4 scheme. But Hicks has provided a highlight a day, sometimes more, with pass rush in particular, breaking down protection enough to leave quarterback Jay Cutler mildly grumpy, and teammates on both sides of the football amazed.
“He’s quicker than I thought,” said inside linebacker Danny Trevathan, who knows something about interior defensive linemen from playing behind very good ones with the Denver Broncos. “He’s way quicker than what I thought. And that’s my mistake, judging him [prematurely] like that. But he’s quick, man. And he’s a beast, man. It’s going to be fun working with him.”
Hicks has overpowered different offensive linemen in pass-protection drills, which admittedly favor the pass rusher, and he has been a “welcome to the NFL” exercise for rookie guard Cody Whitehair. Hicks has blown up running plays to the point of stuffing tailback Jeremy Langford for a loss by running a play down.
The Bears were able to sign Hicks away from the Patriots with a two-year contract topping out at $10 million, with $5 million guaranteed. Skeptics questioned why the Patriots, with their record of talent evaluations, would let Hicks get away after having him for 13 games last season following a trade with the New Orleans Saints.
But Hicks, a 2012 third-round pick of Saints and who’d started 30 games over 2013-14 for New Orleans, opted for the Bears over the Patriots and Detroit Lions. The money had to be right, but an attraction was the system.
The Bears have returned Hicks to the defensive end/5-technique role that had been ideal for him initially. The Saints went away from their 3-4, installed by Rob Ryan in 2013, when Ryan was fired during the 2015 season. The Patriots have tilted back toward a 4-3 as well, while the Bears have used four-down linemen typically in sub packages.
“This kind of reminds me of 2013 when I was in New Orleans and being able to adjust and go inside sometimes, go back outside so they can't really get a bead on you,” Hicks said. “Vic’s [Fangio, defensive coordinator) defense in general, it makes guys look good.
“In New Orleans — and you hate to point fingers, and I'm not — but things changed. I was being played in positions that weren't exactly beneficial to my style of play and body type. For the good of the team, I took that and tried to make the best out of it. But going to New England and being back in a system that really works to my strengths, it was a lot more comfortable and I think it was evident in my play.”
While still only training camp, and early in camp at that, the impact of Hicks’ play in pass rush cannot be overstated. Goldman was mild surprise last season in compiling 4.5 sacks, fourth among NFL rookies, and more than generally expected out of a nose tackle.
When the Bears had massive Keith Traylor and Ted Washington paired during the playoff season of 2001, the two combined for 3.5 sacks and one the next year.
Last season Bears opponents routinely schemed with personnel to get the Bears into nickel/4-3 personnel, then ran too successfully at the smaller front. Hicks and Goldman present an interior option that hints at stout vs. the run in addition to some middle-push collapsing pockets.
“There was a difference in his play in New England than in New Orleans,” Fangio said. “And he’s a guy that has good size, obviously. He’s got some explosive strength. He’s got brute strength. He’s a very strong guy.
“And I like the effort he plays with. I think he has a chance to be a very good d-lineman for us and give us some maybe disruption up front also.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa ready and able for whatever next season brings.
By Scott Powers
Marian Hossa and Marcus Kruger could end up on a line together again next season. (Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sport)
“I just feel like this offseason is a little bit different because we have more time for summer workouts,” Hossa said. “I think that definitely should help me, benefit me from a shorter season. I think I do more than I did before. Hopefully that’s going to be a benefit for the season.”
For the past few years and for the years going forward, Hossa has to deal with the question of retirement. He has five years remaining on his 12-year, $62.8 million contract. If Hossa retires before his contract concludes, the Blackhawks will face a recapture penalty. For example, if Hossa retired prior to the 2017-18 season, the Blackhawks would still have a cap hit of $4.275 million from him for four more years.
Hossa believes as of now he has enough left in him to complete his contract.
“I believe I do,” Hossa said. “I just go year by year. Hopefully [my injury status] is going to be like the year before when I played 82 games and that was wonderful. I had a great season and nothing stopping you and you can go with the flow. That’s what I’m looking forward to this year. But you never can calculate what’s going to happen, so I just go year by year.
“That point [of retirement] is going to come sooner or later, but I’m not too worried about it right now.”
Hossa’s focus is on hockey now. This upcoming season for the Blackhawks does bring some unusual uncertainty for him. In the past, it was safe to put Hossa’s name in permanent marker beside Jonathan Toews on the top line. That’s not a definite next season.
Quenneville toyed with his lines during the Blackhawks’ first-round series with the St. Louis Blues last season and thought he found something when he moved Hossa to the third line with Andrew Ladd and Marcus Kruger. The line was given a defensive responsibility and turned it into offensive opportunities.
Hossa was especially noticeable in the final three games of the series and had three goals and one assist during that stretch. Those numbers are significant considering Hossa didn’t score more than three goals in any month during the regular season last season.
Quenneville recently brought up the idea of uniting Hossa and Kruger again. With Ladd gone, Andrew Desjardins would be one candidate to fill the other winger spot on that line.
“Offense or not, I just think Hossa is always going to give you something that you can rely on, big contribution to your team game,” Quenneville said. “I thought that with him and Kruges as the playoffs progressed there was something there. I’m not going to say that’s for sure starting as a pair to begin the year, but I’d like to see that in time. Maybe he carves out a different niche and not even in a scoring role. But I’ll still see him producing whether it’s playing against the other team’s best players. Whether it’s 13 [goals] or the 20-something he’s accustomed to getting, still going to get a pretty good game without the puck.”
Hossa’s offensive production isn’t what it once was. He scored a career-low 13 overall goals and six 5-on-5 goals last season. He’s been trending that way as well. After scoring 1.02 goals per 60 minutes in 5-on-5 play in 2013-14, he was at 0.59 in 2014-15 and 0.43 last season. Despite that, he’s still created possession, still had a positive goal differential and has still been one of the league’s best back-checkers and leaders in takeaways.
If Quenneville asks Hossa to play more of a defensive role next season, Hossa said he’ll be okay with that.
“We’ll see what kind of role Joel is going to give me,” Hossa said. “If I’m going to have a more defensive role in the third line or going to still shift me on the first line, it’s going to be up to the coaching staff, but I don’t think my game is going to change. Sometimes when I play on the first line I played less ice time than when I was on the checking third line and I had more chances. We’ll see what’s going to happen. I just felt like I still got more than 13 goals [in me] like last year. In the playoffs, I felt like I had a pretty good playoffs. I just feel like I was getting scoring touches, scoring chances more and the puck went in. It definitely helps when the puck goes in early in the season.”
Kruger obviously is all for playing for Hossa, by the way.
“Obviously playing with a guy like that, it can’t get much better than that,” Kruger said at the convention. “He’s an unbelievable player. That doesn’t change too much how I prepare for the season. Obviously motivating hearing that I might get a chance to play with him. He’s been so good for so long. He’s such a great player. Obviously nice hearing that and motivates me coming back better.”
Hossa, like a number of his teammates, will have the springboard of the World Cup of Hockey to get him going this season. Hossa will be playing for Team Europe in Toronto in September.
This will be Hossa’s second World Cup. He played for Slovakia in 2004. Slovakia lost to Canada in the quarterfinals that year.
“It’s different,” Hossa said. “It’s going to be a different experience definitely. Not sure what to exactly expect because it’s going to be one team of guys from a few different countries. It’s going to be something new for me.”
What Hossa does expect to remain the same is the competitive level of the tournament and how that could positively affect the start of the NHL season.
“I’m sure the tempo is going to be so high that when you come to the training camp you’re just going to feel like you’re playing in a pickup league or something,” Hossa said. “But it’s going to even up pretty soon. But I think the tempo in the World Cup, I remember 2004 it was extremely high and I remember coming back, that was the lockout year, it was like way easy to play after in the league.”
That should be good news for Hossa and the Blackhawks. He may also just be able to quickly get rid of the monkey on his back of scoring his 500th career goal. He ended last season at 499.
The number wasn’t something on his mind until he was asked about it at the convention.
“This summer I didn’t think about it at all,” Hossa said. “I was just asked about it and I was like, ‘Here’s the question.’ But I’m not too worried about it. Obviously got another long season ahead of me. Hopefully I can get it sooner than later.”
Jason Hammel outduels Jose Fernandez as Cubs beat Marlins.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs have two months to perfect the playoff formula they used on Jose Fernandez and the Miami Marlins during Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory at Wrigley Field.
Jason Hammel outdueled Fernandez through six innings, allowing zero runs before turning the game over to a new-and-improved bullpen. Hammel (11-5, 3.07 ERA) continues to look recharged and reenergized, no longer resembling the guy who ran out of gas last October.
The Marlins might have been shut out if not for Pedro Strop’s throwing error and the ball that ricocheted off him into right field, giving J.T. Realmuto an RBI single during a two-run seventh inning. Strop, lefty reliever Travis Wood and ex-closer Hector Rondon combined to get six outs before Aroldis Chapman finished off the Marlins with his 100-mph heat in the ninth inning.
The Cubs got enough timely hitting with Dexter Fowler (3-for-4, RBI, two runs scored) and Willson Contreras (2-for-3, walk, RBI) setting the tone at the top of the order.
A crowd of 40,419 did not get to see Ichiro Suzuki’s 2,999th or 3,000th career hit, as the Japanese legend struck out swinging against Strop as a pinch-hitter for Fernandez with two runners on in the seventh inning.
John Lackey (8-7, 3.69 ERA) will grab the ball on Wednesday afternoon when the Cubs (65-41) go for the three-game sweep against a Marlins team trying to keep pace in the wild-card race.
Jason Hammel outdueled Fernandez through six innings, allowing zero runs before turning the game over to a new-and-improved bullpen. Hammel (11-5, 3.07 ERA) continues to look recharged and reenergized, no longer resembling the guy who ran out of gas last October.
The Marlins might have been shut out if not for Pedro Strop’s throwing error and the ball that ricocheted off him into right field, giving J.T. Realmuto an RBI single during a two-run seventh inning. Strop, lefty reliever Travis Wood and ex-closer Hector Rondon combined to get six outs before Aroldis Chapman finished off the Marlins with his 100-mph heat in the ninth inning.
The Cubs got enough timely hitting with Dexter Fowler (3-for-4, RBI, two runs scored) and Willson Contreras (2-for-3, walk, RBI) setting the tone at the top of the order.
A crowd of 40,419 did not get to see Ichiro Suzuki’s 2,999th or 3,000th career hit, as the Japanese legend struck out swinging against Strop as a pinch-hitter for Fernandez with two runners on in the seventh inning.
John Lackey (8-7, 3.69 ERA) will grab the ball on Wednesday afternoon when the Cubs (65-41) go for the three-game sweep against a Marlins team trying to keep pace in the wild-card race.
Six things we learned about the Cubs in July.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
If you thought Cubs fans were panicking in June, then July was clearly a rude awakening. The All-Star break came at a perfect time for Joe Maddon’s group, cutting off a stretch of 24 games in 24 days that made them look awfully weary. Of course, losing will do that to a team, too.
After ending June on a down note, the Cubs carried that right over into July, dropping eight of the first 10 games, including the last three of a four-game sweep in New York.
So the Cubs are not superhuman, but they still entered August with the high from one of the craziest wins in franchise history and the best record in baseball.
Let's run down what else we learned about the Cubs in July:
1. Rest is a top priority.
The Cubs showed that no matter how much talent a team possesses, these are still human beings who get tired, banged up and worn out.
That stretch of 24 games in 24 days - which veteran Ben Zobrist thinks is the longest he's ever played without a break in his 11-year career - was tough to watch for a fan base that may have started taking things for granted a little bit after such a hot start.
But that happens. Almost no team can cruise through a 162-game season without any extended down stretch, and the front office and coaching staff knew that even before July.
So the Cubs are prioritizing rest. Maddon is giving pretty much everybody regular days off, including two in a row for Zobrist during the first weekend after the All-Star break.
The Cubs brought up Brian Matusz to start Sunday night in an attempt to give their starting rotation an extra day off, and while that experiment was short-lived, the thought still remains the same - rest is key.
The Cubs aren't just focused on the regular season. They have their eyes fixed firmly on the World Series and they want to be healthy and fresh entering October. Which leads to the next point...
2. They are going all-in for a shot at a title.
The Cubs are pulling out all the stops, sending arguably their top prospect (Gleyber Torres), a big-league pitcher who had already served as a sixth man in the rotation (Adam Warren) and two minor-league outfielders for a rental closer who will become a free agent this winter.
Aroldis Chapman came to Chicago in the final week of July with some baggage, but he also brought the lightning rod of a left arm that makes him a "Game Over" closer.
The Cubs also traded away a couple of prospects for Mike Montgomery in the middle of July and dealt a minor-leaguer to the Los Angeles Angels before the Aug. 1 deadline to get right-hander Joe Smith.
The moves sent a clear message from Theo Epstein. As the president of baseball operations said after acquiring Chapman: "If not now, when?"
3. The bullpen is now a major strength.
Maddon is heralded as one of the best bullpen managers in the game, and he has plenty of options now.
With Chapman as the anchor, Maddon can roll out Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop as the top setup men while Montgomery and Smith can work as a lefty/righty tandem in the middle innings.
Oh, and then there's Carl Edwards Jr. (who is hitting his stride and looking dominant during his second stint in the big leagues), plus the always-reliable Travis Wood (who has also emerged as a valuable outfield glove in a pinch) and veteran Joe Nathan (who has 377 career saves and has not allowed a run - despite allowing four baserunners - in his first three appearances since returning from his second Tommy John surgery).
Who knows if Nathan can hold up, or if Edwards can keep this up? Montgomery and Smith have had their struggles this season. But this bullpen has all the makings of a major asset in the postseason.
After ending June on a down note, the Cubs carried that right over into July, dropping eight of the first 10 games, including the last three of a four-game sweep in New York.
So the Cubs are not superhuman, but they still entered August with the high from one of the craziest wins in franchise history and the best record in baseball.
Let's run down what else we learned about the Cubs in July:
1. Rest is a top priority.
The Cubs showed that no matter how much talent a team possesses, these are still human beings who get tired, banged up and worn out.
That stretch of 24 games in 24 days - which veteran Ben Zobrist thinks is the longest he's ever played without a break in his 11-year career - was tough to watch for a fan base that may have started taking things for granted a little bit after such a hot start.
But that happens. Almost no team can cruise through a 162-game season without any extended down stretch, and the front office and coaching staff knew that even before July.
So the Cubs are prioritizing rest. Maddon is giving pretty much everybody regular days off, including two in a row for Zobrist during the first weekend after the All-Star break.
The Cubs brought up Brian Matusz to start Sunday night in an attempt to give their starting rotation an extra day off, and while that experiment was short-lived, the thought still remains the same - rest is key.
The Cubs aren't just focused on the regular season. They have their eyes fixed firmly on the World Series and they want to be healthy and fresh entering October. Which leads to the next point...
2. They are going all-in for a shot at a title.
The Cubs are pulling out all the stops, sending arguably their top prospect (Gleyber Torres), a big-league pitcher who had already served as a sixth man in the rotation (Adam Warren) and two minor-league outfielders for a rental closer who will become a free agent this winter.
Aroldis Chapman came to Chicago in the final week of July with some baggage, but he also brought the lightning rod of a left arm that makes him a "Game Over" closer.
The Cubs also traded away a couple of prospects for Mike Montgomery in the middle of July and dealt a minor-leaguer to the Los Angeles Angels before the Aug. 1 deadline to get right-hander Joe Smith.
The moves sent a clear message from Theo Epstein. As the president of baseball operations said after acquiring Chapman: "If not now, when?"
3. The bullpen is now a major strength.
Maddon is heralded as one of the best bullpen managers in the game, and he has plenty of options now.
With Chapman as the anchor, Maddon can roll out Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop as the top setup men while Montgomery and Smith can work as a lefty/righty tandem in the middle innings.
Oh, and then there's Carl Edwards Jr. (who is hitting his stride and looking dominant during his second stint in the big leagues), plus the always-reliable Travis Wood (who has also emerged as a valuable outfield glove in a pinch) and veteran Joe Nathan (who has 377 career saves and has not allowed a run - despite allowing four baserunners - in his first three appearances since returning from his second Tommy John surgery).
Who knows if Nathan can hold up, or if Edwards can keep this up? Montgomery and Smith have had their struggles this season. But this bullpen has all the makings of a major asset in the postseason.
4. Dexter Fowler is one of the most valuable players on the roster.
Fowler's "you go, we go" approach as the leadoff hitter was sorely missed during that tough stretch, but the center fielder returned and has immediately brought another presence to the lineup.
When he's seeing pitches and drawing walks atop the order, it sets a tone for the rest of the Cubs.
It also allows Maddon to slot the rest of the hitters in behind Fowler, with Kris Bryant second, Anthony Rizzo third and Ben Zobrist fourth.
Fowler was the last player to sign - during the first week of spring training - but his stabilizing presence begs the question: Where would the Cubs be without him this season?
5. Depth is everywhere.
Despite trading for Chapman, Montgomery and Smith, the Cubs didn't feel any pressure to make any other moves at the trade deadline to add to their starting rotation or group of position players.
As it is, the Cubs have had some tough roster squeezes lately to accommodate the guys already on the team.
Tommy La Stella - a valuable role player with an .846 OPS - was sent down to the minor leagues to make room for veteran Chris Coghlan.
Justin Grimm - a reliever who has made 180 appearances for the Cubs over the last three seasons - was demoted to the minors to make room for Matusz (since designated for assignment).
Outfielder Jorge Soler and pitcher Trevor Cahill are on rehab assignments. Where will all these guys fit?
These kinds of roster moves have a way of working themselves out between injuries and performance, and the September roster expansion is just a few weeks out. But depth will be key for a team that is hoping to have another three months of baseball left to play in 2016.
6. They have another nice run in them.
The Cubs got off to a scorching hot start and have since fallen back to Earth, but they strongly feel that another long stretch of winning is just around the corner.
"We always believe we're capable of doing it," Zobrist said. "We don't think about a run of 30 games in a row. We think about today, and today only.
"But you have to get hot. We haven't been hot since May. We've been cold for a while. So we know that we've got it in us to get hot and get hot for a long time.
"We hope that's coming. We just have to play one game at a time."
Why Cubs swung and missed on a starting pitcher at trade deadline.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
To get the kind of young starter the Cubs covet, the San Francisco Giants gave up the third baseman who finished second to Kris Bryant in last season’s National League Rookie of the Year race (Matt Duffy), a $6 million international prospect (Lucius Fox) and a pitching project (Class-A right-hander Michael Santos).
The Tampa Bay Rays had so much leverage leading up to Monday afternoon’s non-waiver trade deadline and sold high on Matt Moore, a 27-year-old lefty who has never come close to throwing 200 innings in a single season, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and put up a 5.43 ERA in 12 starts last year.
Still, Moore would have looked pretty good in a Cubs uniform on Opening Day 2018, when Jake Arrieta could be enjoying his free-agent payday, John Lackey might have retired to Austin, Texas, and Jon Lester will be 34 years old and have more than 2,000 innings on his pitching odometer.
“That was a really significant area that we tried to focus on over the whole deadline period,” general manager Jed Hoyer said before Kyle Hendricks painted a complete-game masterpiece during a 5-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. “We know that controllable starting pitching is something that is really important to us now – and important to us going forward.
“There’s no question, the prices were exceptionally high on those guys.”
Here’s why the Cubs swung and missed and will have to keep thinking big:
• Ex-Cubs Rich Hill and Andrew Cashner might be the best options for teams looking to throw money at their rotation after this season. The late-blooming Hill – who got packaged with outfielder Josh Reddick on Monday and shipped from the Oakland A’s to the Los Angeles Dodgers – will be 37 years old next season. Cashner has never quite lived up to all that potential and will try to rebrand himself with the Marlins after being a headliner in last week’s trade with the San Diego Padres.
“That was a huge impact on this trade deadline,” Hoyer said. “You didn’t see a lot of starting pitching get moved at this deadline, (in part because) people that had starting pitching to sell know they can also sell that starting pitching this winter, (when) it’s a really weak free-agent market.”
• Forget about Chris Sale or Jose Quintana and the White Sox stomaching the idea of one of their pitchers wearing a Cubs uniform and performing in front of 40,000 fans in Wrigleyville. Hoyer talked about the degree of difficulty when the Cubs “had two active sellers in our division (and) one active seller in our city.”
“There’s probably a tax you have to pay,” Hoyer said, summing up The Chicago Way. “There’s going to be a lot more focus or scrutiny on a deal that’s made between those two teams.
“At some level, I think both teams are aware of that. I know that when we were sellers, we had some awareness. And I’m sure that on the other side of town, there’s some awareness of that as well.
“I wouldn’t say: ‘Never.’ There might be a deal that just makes sense someday. But it’s certainly not a team we look at as a likely trade partner.”
• The Cubs have such a strong belief in pitching coach Chris Bosio and the staff’s scouting edges and game-planning infrastructure that they won’t overreact to the shortage of legitimate pitching prospects in their organization or easily rationalize the sticker shock.
“It’s an ongoing search,” Hoyer said. “Finding those controllable, young starting pitchers is an easier thing to do when you’re a seller. That’s how we acquired a guy like Jake Arrieta. That’s how we acquired Kyle Hendricks. When you’re a seller, it’s easier to acquire those kind of young arms. But it’s a focus of ours – and something that we’re going to really try to do over the next 18-24 months.”
• The Cubs didn’t want to deal someone like Duffy off their major-league roster, or overpay for a left-handed hitting outfielder, holding onto their trade chips for the winter meetings. Maybe Jorge Soler will be healthy by then and coming off another good playoff performance and the Cubs can try to bundle some combination of Jeimer Candelario (22-year-old, Triple-A switch-hitter blocked by All-Star corner infielders), Ian Happ (last year’s first-round pick) and Victor Caratini (an advanced defensive Double-A catcher).
“How you deploy your assets is always something that you’re thinking about,” Hoyer said. “You have a finite amount of money. You have a finite amount of prospects. (So) you have to think about how much you can afford to sort of trade.
Rookie Charlie Tilson injured in debut, White Sox lose to Tigers.
The Tampa Bay Rays had so much leverage leading up to Monday afternoon’s non-waiver trade deadline and sold high on Matt Moore, a 27-year-old lefty who has never come close to throwing 200 innings in a single season, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and put up a 5.43 ERA in 12 starts last year.
Still, Moore would have looked pretty good in a Cubs uniform on Opening Day 2018, when Jake Arrieta could be enjoying his free-agent payday, John Lackey might have retired to Austin, Texas, and Jon Lester will be 34 years old and have more than 2,000 innings on his pitching odometer.
“That was a really significant area that we tried to focus on over the whole deadline period,” general manager Jed Hoyer said before Kyle Hendricks painted a complete-game masterpiece during a 5-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. “We know that controllable starting pitching is something that is really important to us now – and important to us going forward.
“There’s no question, the prices were exceptionally high on those guys.”
Here’s why the Cubs swung and missed and will have to keep thinking big:
• Ex-Cubs Rich Hill and Andrew Cashner might be the best options for teams looking to throw money at their rotation after this season. The late-blooming Hill – who got packaged with outfielder Josh Reddick on Monday and shipped from the Oakland A’s to the Los Angeles Dodgers – will be 37 years old next season. Cashner has never quite lived up to all that potential and will try to rebrand himself with the Marlins after being a headliner in last week’s trade with the San Diego Padres.
“That was a huge impact on this trade deadline,” Hoyer said. “You didn’t see a lot of starting pitching get moved at this deadline, (in part because) people that had starting pitching to sell know they can also sell that starting pitching this winter, (when) it’s a really weak free-agent market.”
• Forget about Chris Sale or Jose Quintana and the White Sox stomaching the idea of one of their pitchers wearing a Cubs uniform and performing in front of 40,000 fans in Wrigleyville. Hoyer talked about the degree of difficulty when the Cubs “had two active sellers in our division (and) one active seller in our city.”
“There’s probably a tax you have to pay,” Hoyer said, summing up The Chicago Way. “There’s going to be a lot more focus or scrutiny on a deal that’s made between those two teams.
“At some level, I think both teams are aware of that. I know that when we were sellers, we had some awareness. And I’m sure that on the other side of town, there’s some awareness of that as well.
“I wouldn’t say: ‘Never.’ There might be a deal that just makes sense someday. But it’s certainly not a team we look at as a likely trade partner.”
• The Cubs have such a strong belief in pitching coach Chris Bosio and the staff’s scouting edges and game-planning infrastructure that they won’t overreact to the shortage of legitimate pitching prospects in their organization or easily rationalize the sticker shock.
“It’s an ongoing search,” Hoyer said. “Finding those controllable, young starting pitchers is an easier thing to do when you’re a seller. That’s how we acquired a guy like Jake Arrieta. That’s how we acquired Kyle Hendricks. When you’re a seller, it’s easier to acquire those kind of young arms. But it’s a focus of ours – and something that we’re going to really try to do over the next 18-24 months.”
• The Cubs didn’t want to deal someone like Duffy off their major-league roster, or overpay for a left-handed hitting outfielder, holding onto their trade chips for the winter meetings. Maybe Jorge Soler will be healthy by then and coming off another good playoff performance and the Cubs can try to bundle some combination of Jeimer Candelario (22-year-old, Triple-A switch-hitter blocked by All-Star corner infielders), Ian Happ (last year’s first-round pick) and Victor Caratini (an advanced defensive Double-A catcher).
“How you deploy your assets is always something that you’re thinking about,” Hoyer said. “You have a finite amount of money. You have a finite amount of prospects. (So) you have to think about how much you can afford to sort of trade.
Rookie Charlie Tilson injured in debut, White Sox lose to Tigers.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox rookie player curse is looking pretty real.
For the fourth time this season, a first-year White Sox position player suffered an injury on or before the same day of their club debut.
On Tuesday night, rookie outfielder Charlie Tilson exited his major league debut when he suffered a left hamstring strain in pursuit of a fly ball. The White Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers 11-5 in front of 30,316 at Comerica Park and dropped to 51-55.
Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, Tilson, who singled in his first at-bat, will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, the club said. Tilson suffered the injury while chasing Miguel Cabrera’s drive to right center that resulted in a run-scoring double off pitcher James Shields. Shields allowed six earned runs and nine hits in five innings. White Sox manager Robin Ventura acknowledged the injury could include more than the hamstring and said the team would have more information on Wednesday.
“You feel for the kid just like the other ones that have come up,” Ventura said. “It’s crazy that we’ve had four guys come up and make their debut and end up getting taken off the field.
“It’s a little out there to think it has happened that many times. Good kids. They’re just playing hard. You look back over all of them, it’s some freak injuries.”
The injury is the latest blow for a team that is ill-prepared to handle the horrendous run of bad luck it has experienced this season.
With the farm system thinned out by a combination of poor drafts, no international signings for five seasons and several recent large trades, the White Sox spent the final part of the offseason adding depth pieces like Jimmy Rollins and Austin Jackson in order to fill out the roster. But it was widely known the White Sox were short on depth and could be in trouble if they suffered a rash of injuries.
So of course they have.
Hurt initially by the abrupt retirement of Adam LaRoche, the White Sox have since lost a number of key contributors. Jackson, catcher Alex Avila and relievers Jake Petricka, Zach Putnam and Daniel Webb all have missed significant time.
Avila’s hamstring injury in April, one which he suffered again in July and currently has him on the disabled list, led to the promotion of rookie Kevan Smith. Set to make his major league debut, Smith injured his back during pregame stretch on April 25 and had to be scratched from the lineup. With the exception of one Triple-A contest in May, Smith stayed on the DL until July. He has since returned to the Triple-A Charlotte lineup.
Coats joined the team in early June after Jackson was sidelined for six games. He made his major league debut at Comerica Park on June 4 and drew a walk and was hit by a pitch in three trips. But Coats and J.B. Shuck also collided in the outfield, forcing the rookie to exit the game in the bottom of the seventh inning in case of a potential concussion.
Coats did return to the lineup the next day.
Davidson was the next to go down.
Promoted after several tough seasons at Charlotte, Davidson, who still qualifies as a rookie even though he made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2013, looked to get the shot he longed for when the White Sox first acquired him. With Avisail Garcia struggling, the White Sox promoted Davidson with the potential for opportunity as the club’s designated hitter. Davidson singled in his second at-bat, but fractured his foot while running the bases in the fourth inning. The injury resulted in surgery that required a pin to be put in Davidson’s foot. He’s still on the 60-day disabled list and the team isn’t sure if he’ll be able to return in 2016.
The White Sox hoped to spend the next two months evaluating Tilson and his ability to play center field after they acquired him for reliever Zach Duke.
A local athlete who grew up rooting for the team, Tilson joined the White Sox in Michigan on Tuesday. Manager Robin Ventura immediately informed Tilson he would start in center field and bat eighth. Still in search of a long-term answer in center field, the White Sox hoped Tilson could fill the void and keep Adam Eaton in right field, where he has played Gold Glove caliber defense all season.
For the fourth time this season, a first-year White Sox position player suffered an injury on or before the same day of their club debut.
On Tuesday night, rookie outfielder Charlie Tilson exited his major league debut when he suffered a left hamstring strain in pursuit of a fly ball. The White Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers 11-5 in front of 30,316 at Comerica Park and dropped to 51-55.
Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, Tilson, who singled in his first at-bat, will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, the club said. Tilson suffered the injury while chasing Miguel Cabrera’s drive to right center that resulted in a run-scoring double off pitcher James Shields. Shields allowed six earned runs and nine hits in five innings. White Sox manager Robin Ventura acknowledged the injury could include more than the hamstring and said the team would have more information on Wednesday.
“You feel for the kid just like the other ones that have come up,” Ventura said. “It’s crazy that we’ve had four guys come up and make their debut and end up getting taken off the field.
“It’s a little out there to think it has happened that many times. Good kids. They’re just playing hard. You look back over all of them, it’s some freak injuries.”
The injury is the latest blow for a team that is ill-prepared to handle the horrendous run of bad luck it has experienced this season.
With the farm system thinned out by a combination of poor drafts, no international signings for five seasons and several recent large trades, the White Sox spent the final part of the offseason adding depth pieces like Jimmy Rollins and Austin Jackson in order to fill out the roster. But it was widely known the White Sox were short on depth and could be in trouble if they suffered a rash of injuries.
So of course they have.
Hurt initially by the abrupt retirement of Adam LaRoche, the White Sox have since lost a number of key contributors. Jackson, catcher Alex Avila and relievers Jake Petricka, Zach Putnam and Daniel Webb all have missed significant time.
Avila’s hamstring injury in April, one which he suffered again in July and currently has him on the disabled list, led to the promotion of rookie Kevan Smith. Set to make his major league debut, Smith injured his back during pregame stretch on April 25 and had to be scratched from the lineup. With the exception of one Triple-A contest in May, Smith stayed on the DL until July. He has since returned to the Triple-A Charlotte lineup.
Coats joined the team in early June after Jackson was sidelined for six games. He made his major league debut at Comerica Park on June 4 and drew a walk and was hit by a pitch in three trips. But Coats and J.B. Shuck also collided in the outfield, forcing the rookie to exit the game in the bottom of the seventh inning in case of a potential concussion.
Coats did return to the lineup the next day.
Davidson was the next to go down.
Promoted after several tough seasons at Charlotte, Davidson, who still qualifies as a rookie even though he made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2013, looked to get the shot he longed for when the White Sox first acquired him. With Avisail Garcia struggling, the White Sox promoted Davidson with the potential for opportunity as the club’s designated hitter. Davidson singled in his second at-bat, but fractured his foot while running the bases in the fourth inning. The injury resulted in surgery that required a pin to be put in Davidson’s foot. He’s still on the 60-day disabled list and the team isn’t sure if he’ll be able to return in 2016.
The White Sox hoped to spend the next two months evaluating Tilson and his ability to play center field after they acquired him for reliever Zach Duke.
A local athlete who grew up rooting for the team, Tilson joined the White Sox in Michigan on Tuesday. Manager Robin Ventura immediately informed Tilson he would start in center field and bat eighth. Still in search of a long-term answer in center field, the White Sox hoped Tilson could fill the void and keep Adam Eaton in right field, where he has played Gold Glove caliber defense all season.
A second-round draft pick in 2011, Tilson has the speed to track down balls in the gap and is a good contact hitter. The New Trier High School product singled to start the third inning in his first at-bat, which brought cheers from his family, who had made the trip. But two innings later, Tilson went down hard as he pursued Cabrera’s ball in the gap in right center. Eaton retrieved the ball and threw it back in and immediately signaled for the training staff. After he stayed down on the ground for several minutes, Tilson was helped off the field by trainer Herm Schneider and Ventura.
The team’s only rookie position players to have escaped injuries in their debuts this season are shortstop Tim Anderson and catcher Omar Narvaez.
“I don’t know what you would call that, man,” second baseman Tyler Saladino said. “That’s just bad luck.”
“It’s messed up. I thought about (Coats) before the game when the anthem was going on just because it’s a flash back and it’s in your head. I thought (Tilson) dove for it initially. But it was an early dive and he was just laying there.”
The team’s only rookie position players to have escaped injuries in their debuts this season are shortstop Tim Anderson and catcher Omar Narvaez.
“I don’t know what you would call that, man,” second baseman Tyler Saladino said. “That’s just bad luck.”
“It’s messed up. I thought about (Coats) before the game when the anthem was going on just because it’s a flash back and it’s in your head. I thought (Tilson) dove for it initially. But it was an early dive and he was just laying there.”
White Sox stay quiet as trade deadline passes.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
They listened to offers more than ever, but ultimately the White Sox couldn’t be convinced to move All-Star pitchers Chris Sale or Jose Quintana by Monday afternoon’s deadline.
While a flurry of deals was completed industrywide, including an impressive week-long selloff by the New York Yankees, the White Sox largely kept their 25-man roster together at the 2016 non-waiver trade deadline. Aside from Sunday’s trade of reliever Zach Duke to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfield prospect Charlie Tilson, who is expected to join the team in Detroit on Tuesday, the White Sox didn’t do anything else despite bringing an open mind into talks. In spite of strong interest, general manager Rick Hahn said Monday afternoon that the team didn’t receive the type of offer necessary to complete what would have been a franchise-altering trade.
“We did not get to a point where we felt strongly enough about anything to bring it to Jerry (Reinsdorf) to present a viable option for making us better going forward,” Hahn said. “In order to dip into that core and make a move that would have long-term impact on the Chicago White Sox, we were only going to do it if we felt it was going to have a much stronger long-term positive impact on the club’s competitiveness going forward. And that did not occur.”
Even though Hahn suggested on July 21 that it would be extreme, there was some belief the White Sox could deal Sale or Quintana and attempt to begin to replenish a thin farm system. Upset by the team’s poor play, Hahn said he, Reinsdorf and executive vice president Kenny Williams had discussed the team’s direction as the front office was sick of being “mired in mediocrity” in an attempt to win every year.
There’s little question the White Sox at least mulled trade offers for their two aces. Reports suggested the White Sox heavily scouted every level of the Boston Red Sox farm system last week.
While a flurry of deals was completed industrywide, including an impressive week-long selloff by the New York Yankees, the White Sox largely kept their 25-man roster together at the 2016 non-waiver trade deadline. Aside from Sunday’s trade of reliever Zach Duke to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfield prospect Charlie Tilson, who is expected to join the team in Detroit on Tuesday, the White Sox didn’t do anything else despite bringing an open mind into talks. In spite of strong interest, general manager Rick Hahn said Monday afternoon that the team didn’t receive the type of offer necessary to complete what would have been a franchise-altering trade.
“We did not get to a point where we felt strongly enough about anything to bring it to Jerry (Reinsdorf) to present a viable option for making us better going forward,” Hahn said. “In order to dip into that core and make a move that would have long-term impact on the Chicago White Sox, we were only going to do it if we felt it was going to have a much stronger long-term positive impact on the club’s competitiveness going forward. And that did not occur.”
Even though Hahn suggested on July 21 that it would be extreme, there was some belief the White Sox could deal Sale or Quintana and attempt to begin to replenish a thin farm system. Upset by the team’s poor play, Hahn said he, Reinsdorf and executive vice president Kenny Williams had discussed the team’s direction as the front office was sick of being “mired in mediocrity” in an attempt to win every year.
There’s little question the White Sox at least mulled trade offers for their two aces. Reports suggested the White Sox heavily scouted every level of the Boston Red Sox farm system last week.
But they also placed a high premium on Sale, who has team options through 2019, and Quintana, who has them through 2020. One source said the White Sox wanted “far more” than the Atlanta Braves’ haul for Shelby Miller from the Arizona Diamondbacks last December. The Braves acquired No. 1 pick Dansby Swanson and outfielder Ender Inciarte as part of the deal.
The price was apparently high enough to deter teams from putting Hahn in position to make a deal he said he had no pressure to make because both players are signed for several more seasons.
Hahn said the White Sox intend to take the same approach into the offseason, but could see an improved market given the poor expected free agent class. Veteran journeyman Rich Hill is one of the top free agents to be.
Hahn is hopeful that the offseason market will be better than the one the team encountered leading up to the Aug. 1 deadline. One aspect the White Sox think hurt the current market is that contending teams didn’t want to part with major league players in the thick of the pennant race.
“It’s going to be different and in all probability it could well be stronger,” Hahn said. “We are going to remain open-minded over the next few weeks and heading into the offseason with the desire to improve ourselves for the long-term, and the clubs involved at that point may well be quite different from the ones we were talking to over the last few weeks.
“We certainly expect a different dynamic at that point.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Jimmy Butler ready for a new-look Bulls team.
By Sam Smith
(Photo/Gary Dineen/Getty Images)
In the midst of preparing for Rio, Butler speaks on the Bulls.
Can that work? Will that work? Is it a three-car pileup or just the beginning of a smooth, comfortable trip?
Jimmy Butler isn’t concerned; he knows it will succeed and he cannot wait to start the engine of the new Bulls Big Three. And beyond.
“D-Wade’s here; I’m excited,” Butler said Thursday before USA Basketball practice in the United Center.
Butler is expected to start 8 p.m. Friday when the USA team plays Venezuela in the fourth game of its exhibition tour before the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro next month. Then it’s about a month off before the Bulls open training camp and the preseason Oct. 3 in the United Center. And while Butler said his focus and energies are directed now exclusively toward representing the country and winning a gold medal, he says he’s excited and anxious to start playing with his new teammates.
Though often overlooked with the addition of veterans Rondo and Wade is a mostly young Bulls roster with 10 of the 15 players 25 years old or less. The Bulls Thursday signed a 15th player, Spencer Dinwiddie, who was acquired last month from Detroit and played for the summer league team. The Bulls for now open the 2016-17 season with eight new players, five of whom are 25 or under.
“It’s a new start for a lot of us,” agreed Butler. “There are multiple ways to score the basketball. I don’t get into analytics and the numbers. I think D-Wade has put the ball in the basket for a lot of years. He’s a great player because of the way he scores the ball. I don’t think you can call him a non shooter because he can definitely shoot the ball. Rondo, call him what you want, but he’s effective at what he does. Same thing with myself. You can say you have to be able to knock down the open shot, but I think we’ll find ways.
“As long as I put the ball in the basket, I don’t think it matters whether it’s from outside or in the paint,” said Butler. “Shooting threes or not…as long as I’m productive and efficient.”
Shooting three pointers has become the fashion of the NBA with the success of the Golden State Warriors. But it’s hardly an exclusive panacea or answer for every team. When the Spurs won their last title in 2016, they were tied for 16th in the regular season in three pointers attempted. In the playoffs, they shot 35 percent on threes, which ranked 11th of the 16 teams. Last season, Houston attempted the second most threes and finished .500. Charlotte and Dallas, first round losers, were also in the top five in three-point attempts. The Bulls last season were actually third in three-point percentage in the regular season, but missed the playoffs. Three is worth more than two, sure, but a lot of twos can add up to a lot of wins. Wade’s Miami Heat was in the bottom five in three-point percentage last season, yet a strong playoff participant.
It’s also about having players who can make plays and who have made plays, All-Stars like all three and champions, like Wade and Rondo.
“I think I have to catch up with them, the winning mentality,” Butler said about his new veteran teammates with NBA titles. “I think I can learn a lot from those guys, what it takes to win each and every day. Obviously, D-Wade with multiple championships, Rondo his intensity; that’s something I need to get better at. So those two guys can show me that way.
“As a team we have to be chasing probably who, Cleveland, Boston?” Butler offered when asked about the coming Eastern Conference race. “Whoever people say are the top teams in the East. We want to be amongst those teams; obviously, win a championship here. That’s the goal. But, obviously, with the group of guys we have we’re fine. I think the front office did a great job in bringing in guys who can help us win. So we’re all chasing that championship.”
That’s, of course, the goal for every team.
At this time of year, there are sunny opportunities and plenty of optimism. Everyone is undefeated.
For Butler, it’s now his first chance to play for an Olympic gold medal, and he’s thrilled to have the opportunity.
“I’m happy anytime I get to suit up in an NBA uniform and compete against some of the guys on this team, obviously,” said Butler. “I’m with them. I like our chances. I’m excited I get to play with those guys (in the regular season). I’m ready to get it started, but right now I’m trying to win gold with these guys.”
Butler has had a limited role with the USA team, coming off the bench and averaging about three points, mostly used as a defensive specialist for a team 3-0 with an average margin of victory of about 45 points per game. He’ll probably get to shoot more at home in Friday’s game.
“I like going out there getting in shape, playing some defense; I like doing that, just guard. I like that job,” said Butler. “We’ve got enough guys who can score the ball. I can score the ball with the best of them, too. I’m not saying I can’t. I like to work on my passing game. I feel like when I’m in an NBA season I can’t just play defense anymore; I have to play both sides. We have so many good scorers I actually like picking up full court and guarding people like that because that takes me back to my rookie year where I could just play defense. It’s an honor to be playing with these guys, representing my country. I just want to win; I don’t give a damn about scoring.”
But Butler, who said he’s now weighing in at a muscular 240 pounds, said he’s also learned from this group of stars that include Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.
“See how they work on their game, their moves, how efficient they what to be,” said Butler. “You can learn a lot working with guys and watching their moves; they’ve been doing it longer than I have…watching these guys every day in practice, I see how efficient you have to be and work on this move and this move; that’s what you’ll be comfortable with. I just want to win; have fun obviously, but the fun is in the winning.”
With Team USA, Butler is playing with former coach Tom Thibodeau, who is a USA assistant and Minnesota Timberwolves coach and president. Thibodeau at practice was surrounded by so many reporters USA coach Mike Krzyzewski walked by and joked he was envious.
Thibodeau thanked Bulls managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf for the chance to start his head coaching career in Chicago and said he’s impressed with the Butler, Wade, Rondo trio.
“You’re talking about three guys who are going to add experience, intelligence and having been in big situations,” said Thibodeau. “Great players always figure out how to play with each other. When you look at Rondo, Wade and Butler, that’s very difficult to match up with.”
“I like Thibs,” added Butler. “I think everyone knows that. He kind of put me on the map, so to speak. I still remember like yesterday he put me in a game in New York to guard Carmelo, who hit me with the jab, tried to bruise my sternum. But I remember I hit a mid range jump shot because Derrick (Rose) was screaming at me to shoot the damn ball and stop passing. I remember that. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I’d be the player I am today. So I have a lot of love and respect for him.”
Butler also said he spoke with Rose at the USA game in Los Angeles last weekend and has been in contact with Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy. Butler said he’s not concerned about health issues in Brazil because he’s from Tomball, Texas and not afraid of anything. And though he acknowledged the business aspect of the profession—clearly given Wade’s surprising departure with his first Chicago press conference 2 p.m. Friday—he said it’s time to move forward.
“You have to respect when guys come together like that,” Butler noted of his new Bulls teammates. “But more than anything (guys from the USA team) say how it’s hard to play in this (United Center) building, how we’re a gritty team, how I hack a lot on defense. I think everybody knows we have a good team, a good trio of guards. I don’t know: Am I a small forward now? Whatever it is. We’ve got guys who can play, so you have to guard a lot of guys on our roster.”
Both in the next month and Butler believes for months to come in Chicago.
Olympic Basketball: USA lineup numbers and notes.
By John Schuhmann
The United States Men’s National Team wasn’t tested on either end of the floor in its exhibition schedule leading into the Olympics. Four of the team’s five games were against the three worst teams going to Rio: China (twice), Venezuela and Nigeria. And both Venezuela and Nigeria were missing their only players that played in the NBA last season.
The U.S. outscored its opponents by at least 41 points per 100 possessions with every player on the floor.
Mixing and matching
With coach Mike Krzyzewski starting players in their NBA or home city, the U.S. used five different lineups in the five games, and all 12 players started at least once. In total, Krzyzewski used 83 different lineups on the exhibition tour. Only six of those lineups played in more than one game, and none played in more than two. No five-man unit got extended run together.
With coach Mike Krzyzewski starting players in their NBA or home city, the U.S. used five different lineups in the five games, and all 12 players started at least once. In total, Krzyzewski used 83 different lineups on the exhibition tour. Only six of those lineups played in more than one game, and none played in more than two. No five-man unit got extended run together.
The USA's three most used lineups all included Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. Still, what could be the starting lineup when pool play opens against China on Saturday -- those three plus Klay Thompson and Carmelo Anthony -- has played 9:03 together so far.
The good news is that it outscored its opponent (Argentina and China), 25-5 in
Small-ball for defense
The U.S. centers, meanwhile, looked dominant against smaller frontlines. Cousins bullied opponents in the low post and DeAndre Jordan just jumped over them.
Yet, the U.S. was at its best with both Cousins and Jordan on the bench and with Green playing center. They outscored their opponents, 71-37, in just over 27 minutes with Green at the five.
Less than 28 minutes against bad teams isn’t much to go on, but the positive impact that Green made on the U.S. defense was as clear as how out of synch he was offensively. How the U.S. plays with its different centers will be something to keep an eye on going forward.
One point guard at a time
The U.S. played more than 28 minutes with neither on the floor, using Paul George as its third point guard until he injured his calf in the third game. With both George and Lowry out against Nigeria on Monday, Jimmy Butler and DeMar DeRozan (and even Green) played the point in the 13 minutes that Lowry rested.
It’s doubtful that we’ll see many no-point-guard minutes against good teams in Rio. Irving was the MVP of the 2014 World Cup (scoring 26 points in the gold medal game) and hit one of the biggest shots in NBA history just six weeks ago. Meanwhile, the U.S. has been at its best defensively with Lowry on the floor.
That may be because Lowry is defending the opponents’ reserves. But it’s also fair to wonder if Lowry better complements the other likely starting perimeter players (Thompson, Durant and Anthony), who are all as flammable as Irving.
Two-man data
With Irving and Lowry getting those 96 seconds together, the only two players who didn’t share the floor in the exhibitions were Cousins and Jordan. And it’s safe to guess that Krzyzewski won’t be playing any twin-tower lineups in Rio.
Among the 30 two-man combinations that played at least 30 minutes together, the U.S. was at its best offensively (143.0 points scored per 100 possessions in 52.8 minutes) with Thompson and Durant on the floor. It was at its best defensively (54.2 points allowed per 100 possessions in 46.6 minutes) with Lowry and Green on the floor together.
More blowouts coming
Again, we’re looking at small sample sizes against mostly bad teams. But that’s all you get with the Olympics. And then suddenly, you’re playing a 40-minute elimination game against other NBA talent, and you have to know what’s going to work best.
It’ll be another week before the U.S. faces any more NBA players, because it will play its first two pool-play games against China and Venezuela. The competition will get stronger each game after that, as pool play wraps up with games against Australia, Serbia and France.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: Travelers Championship.
By Ryan Ballengee
The PGA Tour moves from New Jersey into New England this week for the Travelers Championship. Typically played in June the week after the U.S. Open, the Hartford, Conn., area event made the move as part of the shuffling to accommodate golf’s return to the Olympics. Three of four American men heading to Rio next week are in the field here, including defending champion Bubba Watson, who won in a playoff over Paul Casey last year.
Here are our top five players for this week:
1. Bubba Watson – The Travelers is Bubba’s personal playground, winning twice, including last year in a playoff over Paul Casey.
2. Patrick Reed – Reed was a part of the story fairly early at the PGA Championship, but he faded in the end. Nonetheless, T-12 and T-13 in back-to-back major starts.
3. Zach Johnson – ZJ deserves a good look this week because he’s in overall solid form and he has a very consistent mark here at TPC River Highlands. Only missed two cuts in 10 starts with a slew of top-25 finishes.
4. Brooks Koepka – Koepka put on a gutsy performance at the PGA as he heals from a ligament injury in his right ankle. Conceivably, this is a course he can dominate if he can keep the ball in play.
5. Brendan Steele – Steele is a horse-for-course pick this week. He’s got three top-15 finishes here in the last five years. However, he’s missed the cut in his last two starts, the final majors of the year.
Time to move the PGA Championship to May.
By John Feinstein
(Photo/Golf Channel)
Four years ago, the final round of the PGA Championship was played in threesomes, with players going off two tees after a thunderstorm pushed the conclusion of the third round at Kiawah Island to Sunday morning.
Two years ago, the championship ended in pitch dark, with Rory McIlroy all but hitting into Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson on the 18th green at Valhalla in order to get his final putt into the hole before midnight.
A year ago, a violent summer storm at Whistling Straits on Friday afternoon destroyed a scoreboard near the first tee and pushed the completion of the second round to Saturday.
And then there was Baltusrol. After several days of enervating heat and humidity and a brief rain delay Friday, all of Saturday afternoon was wiped out by storms. The only way for the championship to finish before nightfall on Sunday was to re-start at 7 a.m.; schedule the last 10 players in the field to play 36 holes; not re-pair for the final round and allow lift, clean and place in the fourth round because the golf course was so saturated.
This is a major championship?
Kerry Haigh, the man who had to make all those decisions on behalf of the PGA of America, summed it up pretty well on Saturday: “This time of year, the possibility of thunderstorms exists just about every day.”
Exactly.
Which is why it is time to move the date of the PGA Championship once and for all. It should be played in May, when it is warm enough to go almost anywhere you want in the U.S. without dealing with summer storms and brutal heat on an almost daily basis. It would be good for the PGA, good for golf and would have the collateral benefit of taking care of the Olympic scheduling problem that has been such a nightmare this year when the next Games come around in Tokyo in 2020.
It would not be difficult to do but it will take a collective putting aside of egos by the men who run the PGA of America and the PGA Tour. That won’t be easy.
Now, though, is the time to do it. With Jay Monahan expected to take over as the Tour’s commissioner from Tim Finchem in January, this is a chance for him to show right out of the gate that – unlike Major League Baseball’s Rob Manfred – he isn’t going to insist on keeping the status quo just because it’s easier to not make changes.
Monahan and PGA CEO Pete Bevacqua need to sit down and talk about changing the dates for the event that is most important to each: Monahan needs to move The Players Championship back to March and Bevacqua needs to move the PGA to May.
Here’s why:
The tour moved The Players to May for several reasons. One was the hope that the golf course would be in better condition in May than in March. There was also the fact that the event always had to compete with the NCAA basketball tournament on TV and for media attention. And, there was the gnawing notion that the tournament came off looking like a lucrative warm-up for the Masters.
The golf course has remained a headache in the 10 years since the date-change – so much so that Finchem has publicly said, on multiple occasions, that moving back to March is a possibility. Even now, TPC Sawgrass is undergoing yet another renovation.
Bad weather – wind and rain – is more likely in Florida in March, but so is good weather – seasonable, comfortable temperatures. What’s more, the NCAA tournament TV issue is gone. The geniuses who run the event having moved virtually all their games on the regional weekend to evening starts. There would be very little, perhaps no conflict at all. As for media coverage: it will be the same in May as in March; the number of people who cover both golf and basketball regularly can be counted on both hands.
Then there’s the image issue. Several years before the date change, Greg Norman, the 1994 champion, was withdrew from The Players with an injury. He put out a statement expressing his disappointment saying, “The Players has always been a wonderful warm-up for me prior to the Masters.”
You could almost hear the screams of pain coming out of Ponte Vedra.
That shouldn’t worry Monahan. For one thing, The Players has established its niche as the most important non-major tournament in the world – regardless of date. Plus, if it was played three weeks prior to the Masters, rather than two as in the past, the separation would be the same as between the U.S. Open and The Open and between The Open and the PGA – in normal years. Moving the new WGC event in Mexico back a couple of weeks shouldn’t be an issue.
It’s also worth noting that, since the move, the newly-minted Masters champion has traditionally been a non-factor at TPC Sawgrass. None has finished in the top 10; the best finish for any of them was Angel Cabrera’s T-14 in 2009 and the last two, Jordan Spieth and Danny Willett, have both missed the cut. Neither Willett nor Spieth played this year between the Masters and The Players, eschewing any warm-up at all for the Tour’s biggest event.
Moving The Players back to March would leave an opening on the schedule for the PGA in May. It makes far more sense for the rhythms of the golf schedule to have one major a month beginning with the Masters in April. This would do that. Masters, PGA, U.S. Open and The Open. It would also boost the PGA to come in May rather than late in the summer when the heat is at its worst and many players are exhausted. And, it would allow top players a real break between the final major and the start of the playoffs.
Thirty-five years ago, the PGA was played in February, a move to get to the front of the majors calendar when people in snowbound areas were dying for golf. Jack Nicklaus won at PGA National, with Gary Player second. You can’t do much better than that. The problem was that the February date severely limited the golf courses where the championship could be played.
That’s not a problem in May. Next year’s championship is in Charlotte – a place where the May weather for the Tour’s annual event there is usually close to ideal. That won’t be the case in August. Bellerive is next up in 2018. Ever been to St. Louis in August?
And here’s the extra benefit: In 2020, the Olympics are scheduled to begin July 24th.
Whether the men play the first week – beginning July 30th – or the second – beginning August 6th – hasn’t been decided yet. If you put the men second and The Open ends on July 19th, there is a two-week gap between the season’s final major and the Olympics. There’s no need to change or squeeze the majors schedule.
If the PGA is still scheduled for the summer, where do you put it? Right on top of The Open again with no gap between it and the Olympics? Hardly ideal. Play the PGA in May and everyone’s happy.
It is always difficult for men who wear expensive suits to admit that major changes should be made to what has been their routine. This, though, makes absolute sense for everyone. Monahan and Bevacqua are both paid a lot of money.
This is their time to earn it.
U.S. Ryder Cup picture becomes clearer as Walker, Koepka strengthen hold on spots.
Two years ago, the championship ended in pitch dark, with Rory McIlroy all but hitting into Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson on the 18th green at Valhalla in order to get his final putt into the hole before midnight.
A year ago, a violent summer storm at Whistling Straits on Friday afternoon destroyed a scoreboard near the first tee and pushed the completion of the second round to Saturday.
And then there was Baltusrol. After several days of enervating heat and humidity and a brief rain delay Friday, all of Saturday afternoon was wiped out by storms. The only way for the championship to finish before nightfall on Sunday was to re-start at 7 a.m.; schedule the last 10 players in the field to play 36 holes; not re-pair for the final round and allow lift, clean and place in the fourth round because the golf course was so saturated.
This is a major championship?
Kerry Haigh, the man who had to make all those decisions on behalf of the PGA of America, summed it up pretty well on Saturday: “This time of year, the possibility of thunderstorms exists just about every day.”
Exactly.
Which is why it is time to move the date of the PGA Championship once and for all. It should be played in May, when it is warm enough to go almost anywhere you want in the U.S. without dealing with summer storms and brutal heat on an almost daily basis. It would be good for the PGA, good for golf and would have the collateral benefit of taking care of the Olympic scheduling problem that has been such a nightmare this year when the next Games come around in Tokyo in 2020.
It would not be difficult to do but it will take a collective putting aside of egos by the men who run the PGA of America and the PGA Tour. That won’t be easy.
Now, though, is the time to do it. With Jay Monahan expected to take over as the Tour’s commissioner from Tim Finchem in January, this is a chance for him to show right out of the gate that – unlike Major League Baseball’s Rob Manfred – he isn’t going to insist on keeping the status quo just because it’s easier to not make changes.
Monahan and PGA CEO Pete Bevacqua need to sit down and talk about changing the dates for the event that is most important to each: Monahan needs to move The Players Championship back to March and Bevacqua needs to move the PGA to May.
Here’s why:
The tour moved The Players to May for several reasons. One was the hope that the golf course would be in better condition in May than in March. There was also the fact that the event always had to compete with the NCAA basketball tournament on TV and for media attention. And, there was the gnawing notion that the tournament came off looking like a lucrative warm-up for the Masters.
The golf course has remained a headache in the 10 years since the date-change – so much so that Finchem has publicly said, on multiple occasions, that moving back to March is a possibility. Even now, TPC Sawgrass is undergoing yet another renovation.
Bad weather – wind and rain – is more likely in Florida in March, but so is good weather – seasonable, comfortable temperatures. What’s more, the NCAA tournament TV issue is gone. The geniuses who run the event having moved virtually all their games on the regional weekend to evening starts. There would be very little, perhaps no conflict at all. As for media coverage: it will be the same in May as in March; the number of people who cover both golf and basketball regularly can be counted on both hands.
Then there’s the image issue. Several years before the date change, Greg Norman, the 1994 champion, was withdrew from The Players with an injury. He put out a statement expressing his disappointment saying, “The Players has always been a wonderful warm-up for me prior to the Masters.”
You could almost hear the screams of pain coming out of Ponte Vedra.
That shouldn’t worry Monahan. For one thing, The Players has established its niche as the most important non-major tournament in the world – regardless of date. Plus, if it was played three weeks prior to the Masters, rather than two as in the past, the separation would be the same as between the U.S. Open and The Open and between The Open and the PGA – in normal years. Moving the new WGC event in Mexico back a couple of weeks shouldn’t be an issue.
It’s also worth noting that, since the move, the newly-minted Masters champion has traditionally been a non-factor at TPC Sawgrass. None has finished in the top 10; the best finish for any of them was Angel Cabrera’s T-14 in 2009 and the last two, Jordan Spieth and Danny Willett, have both missed the cut. Neither Willett nor Spieth played this year between the Masters and The Players, eschewing any warm-up at all for the Tour’s biggest event.
Moving The Players back to March would leave an opening on the schedule for the PGA in May. It makes far more sense for the rhythms of the golf schedule to have one major a month beginning with the Masters in April. This would do that. Masters, PGA, U.S. Open and The Open. It would also boost the PGA to come in May rather than late in the summer when the heat is at its worst and many players are exhausted. And, it would allow top players a real break between the final major and the start of the playoffs.
Thirty-five years ago, the PGA was played in February, a move to get to the front of the majors calendar when people in snowbound areas were dying for golf. Jack Nicklaus won at PGA National, with Gary Player second. You can’t do much better than that. The problem was that the February date severely limited the golf courses where the championship could be played.
That’s not a problem in May. Next year’s championship is in Charlotte – a place where the May weather for the Tour’s annual event there is usually close to ideal. That won’t be the case in August. Bellerive is next up in 2018. Ever been to St. Louis in August?
And here’s the extra benefit: In 2020, the Olympics are scheduled to begin July 24th.
Whether the men play the first week – beginning July 30th – or the second – beginning August 6th – hasn’t been decided yet. If you put the men second and The Open ends on July 19th, there is a two-week gap between the season’s final major and the Olympics. There’s no need to change or squeeze the majors schedule.
If the PGA is still scheduled for the summer, where do you put it? Right on top of The Open again with no gap between it and the Olympics? Hardly ideal. Play the PGA in May and everyone’s happy.
It is always difficult for men who wear expensive suits to admit that major changes should be made to what has been their routine. This, though, makes absolute sense for everyone. Monahan and Bevacqua are both paid a lot of money.
This is their time to earn it.
U.S. Ryder Cup picture becomes clearer as Walker, Koepka strengthen hold on spots.
By Kyle Porter
The Ryder Cup is less than two months away, and the U.S. team is starting to take form.
Brooks Koepka did the same by finishing at the top four at the PGA Championship and moving up to fifth in the Ryder Cup standings.
After the eight automatic qualifiers are announced at the end of this month (ranked 1-8), U.S. captain Davis Love III will select three wild cards on Sept. 11 and one more on Sept. 25 just before the Ryder Cup starts.
Here are your top 15 right now with points in parentheses.
- Dustin Johnson (11,860)
- Jordan Spieth (11,179)
- Phil Mickelson (5,764)
- Jimmy Walker (5,337)
- Brooks Koepka (4,688)
- Zach Johnson (4,297)
- J.B. Holmes (4,149)
- Brandt Snedeker (4,086)
- Bubba Watson (4,008)
- Patrick Reed (3,999)
- Matt Kuchar (3,933)
- Rickie Fowler (3,768)
- Scott Piercy (3,272)
- Bill Haas (3,194)
- William McGirt (2,959)
Dustin Johnson and Spieth are in for sure. As for who Love will pick, Mickelson, Walker and Koepka are almost assuredly going to be on the team. The latter two likely locked up their spots with stellar performances at Baltusrol last week. Zach Johnson, Holmes and Snedeker are more tenuous options, but let's say they all three stay where they are when the automatic qualifiers are decided on August 28.
Love would likely have to select Watson, Reed and Fowler and then wait to see how the FedEx Cup Playoffs play out and pick the hottest American on Sept. 25. This could legitimately be anyone, and Love has said as much.
"We know who our team wants as their teammates or their partners," said Love last week. "We have a longer list maybe than you would think. When you look at it, you look at, remember Jack Nicklaus saying, 'I'm just going to take the top 12 and make it easy.' When we look past the top 12, we are probably looking a little farther than people think."
Justin Thomas? Kevin Na? Jason Dufner? Steve Stricker? Like I said, that last spot could go to anyone.
Please, USGA, don't screw up the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
By Teddy Greenstein
It's a gorgeous, colorful place, a golf course of natural beauty that defies labels.
It's practically treeless and the wind can blow in any direction on the golden fescue-lined fairways, but don't call it links golf: It's not on a coastline, and the best approach shots will soar high and land soft.
"It's not heathland, it's not parkland, it's not linksland," Andy Ziegler said as he strolled from the 18th tee on a recent morning. "It's what it is. It's Erin Hills."
Ziegler owns the place. He purchased Erin Hills in 2009 for $10.5 million because it was a distressed property in danger of losing the 2011 U.S. Amateur, a blow he said "would have been a big embarrassment" for both golf and the state of Wisconsin.
The U.S. Amateur went smoothly, cementing Erin Hills as the destination for the 2017 U.S. Open. With the 2016 majors complete, golf's attention will soon turn to a course that did not even exist until 2006, a venue that will be Wisconsin's first to host a U.S. Open.
The event represents a chance for Chicago-area golf fans to drive to a U.S. Open for the first time since Olympia Fields hosted in 2003. And a chance for the USGA to end a losing streak marked by foolishness and carelessness.
A year ago, USGA officials were so consumed with water conservation and firm conditions, they allowed some greens at Chambers Bay to dry out and die. The Seattle-area course also was brutal for spectators, who were blocked from walking from the first tee to the first green.
In June at Oakmont, a rules fiasco involving Dustin Johnson led to widespread mockery by the media, public and players. "Amateur hour from @USGA," Rory McIlroy tweeted.
Then at the U.S. Women's Open, USGA President Diana Murphy misfired on champion Brittany Lang's name, repeatedly calling her "Bethany" during the trophy presentation. An embarrassed Murphy apologized, but it was another double bogey for an organization obsessed with protecting par.
In late June, a USGA contingent led by executive director Mike Davis spent two days at the Erin Hills property 35 miles west of Milwaukee, grinding over tee box options, potential hole locations and minute details.
"We have (fescue) islands in some of our bunkers," Ziegler recalled. "I stood there for 20 minutes as they debated whether they should be cut to one inch or 1 1/4 inch."
What did they decide?
"I think they're still talking it over coffee right now," Ziegler joked.
I shared my concern with Ziegler: What if the USGA does it again? And by "it," I mean find a way to mar its own 122-year-old championship.
"No, no," Ziegler replied. "We get to be in the room with them."
Here's what he means. Sometimes there's an adversarial relationship between USGA officials and the host club. Olympia Fields members are still steamed that the USGA cut down the rough on the eve of the '03 Open, leading to record-low scores. Some Oakmont members wished the USGA hadn't watered the fairways overnight in June so more balls would have found the thick rough.
Erin Hills has no members; it's a public course with a $265 green fee. Its lone decision-maker is Ziegler.
Erin Hills' literature refers to a "unique partnership with the USGA" — and there are countless examples.
Davis wanted a new tee box on the par-3 16th to create a semi-blind tee shot; he got it. He also got his wish for a tree removal near the first green, an expanded second green, a longer third hole, new tee boxes on No. 17 and shrinking No. 10 to a par-4.
"(Course architect) Dana Fry and I redesigned (No. 10) with Mike Davis standing right there," Ziegler said.
But Ziegler has not acquiesced on everything. The 14th hole is a par-5 that can be played anywhere from 438 to 613 yards. Davis wants players who miss the green short and right to pay a price as steep as the shaved-down bank that deposits balls into an existing trout stream.
Davis wanted to add a pond, but Ziegler rebuffed him. I'm thankful for it: My approach shot stayed dry.
One additional good sign is that Ziegler won't be offended if the winner shoots a healthy number under par. After all, did anyone ask for a refund after watching Henrik Stenson beat Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon by shooting 20 under?
"There's so much flexibility here," Ziegler said of a course that could stretch past 7,800 yards. "If Mike wanted to set it up where no one could break 80, he could. If he wanted to set it up for someone to shoot 62, he could do that too."
How about this: Set it up to showcase the game's best players — and perhaps the prettiest course in the Midwest.
NASCAR: Pennsylvania 400: Chris Buescher wins first fog-shortened Sprint Cup race in 44 years.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/yahoosports.com)
But in Monday’s rescheduled Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway, fog was definitely Buescher’s best friend as not being able to see the racetrack ultimately sent him to victory lane for the first time in his 27th career Sprint Cup start.
NASCAR halted the race, which was originally postponed from Sunday to Monday because of rain, with 22 laps remaining in the scheduled 160-lap event. Before it was called, the race had been red-flagged for an hour and 16 minutes by a heavy fog layer impeding visibility at the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle.”
While NASCAR drivers waited by their cars on pit road for the fog to lift, the rain returned to scrub the final 22 laps. As a result, Buescher — who took the lead on Lap 127 when race leader Austin Dillon pitted — earned his first career Sprint Cup win, as well as the first victory for Front Row Motorsports in 118 races (since FRM’s first Cup win as an organization with David Ragan behind the wheel at Talladega in May 2013).
“(This is) pretty awesome, wild circumstances here at Pocono,” Buescher said in a makeshift victory lane that was moved inside due to pounding rain outside.
“This is gonna change our whole year right here, so this puts us in a good situation where we had a good day. It was a lot of fun. The guys really toughed it out. We got a flat tire, but we’re headed in the right direction now, so that will help in points. We got a win here, so we’ll take it any way we can get it.”
The last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race to be so affected by fog was the 1972 Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway. Richard Petty won after the scheduled 191-lap race in Riverside, California, was shortened to 149 laps by fog.
With the win, Buescher moved closer but still isn’t quite eligible to make the 16-driver field for the upcoming Chase for the Sprint Cup. He leaves Pocono six points shy of 30th place in the standings.
Buescher, who becomes the 12th different driver to win a race this season, must be within the top-30 in the points standings after the regular-season finale Sept. 10 at Richmond International Raceway.
Buescher’s previous career-best finish in the Sprint Cup Series was 14th last week at the Brickyard 400 Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Prior to that, Buescher’s best finish was 18th at Dover in June.
Brad Keselowski finished second, followed by Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart.
Sixth through 10th were Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch.
HOW BUESCHER WON: Veteran crew chief Bob Osborne made an outstanding call to keep his driver on the racetrack while other drivers pitted around Laps 125-127. As a result, Buescher assumed the lead from Austin Dillon and earned his first career win. It was also Osborne’s 19th career win as a Sprint Cup crew chief.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Third-place finisher Regan Smith equaled Tommy Baldwin Racing’s best finish ever in Sprint Cup competition (Dave Blaney, Fall 2011, Talladega). … Tony Stewart earned his second consecutive fifth-place finish and fourth top-five (including his win at Sonoma) in the last six races. … Kyle Larson continues to get closer to his first career Sprint Cup win. He led 37 laps, second-most of any driver, before finishing sixth.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. had a day he’d rather forget, suffering three tire failures through the course of the race and finishing 38th. … Joey Logano, who led a race-high 38 laps, appeared as if he had the car to win until Chase Elliott made contact with Logano on Lap 105, sending the latter into the wall. Logano finished 37th, while Elliott finished 33rd. … Aric Almirola’s day came to an end early when he wrecked with Jeb Burton, each driver finishing 39th and 36th, respectively.
NOTABLE: Buescher becomes the third driver to earn his first career Sprint Cup win at Pocono. The others were Jeremy Mayfield (June 1998) and Denny Hamlin (June 2006). He also becomes the first Rookie of the Year contender to win a Cup race since Joey Logano did so in 2009. … Regan Smith’s runner-up finish is the best showing ever for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Yeah, we’ll walk in here. This is going to stir up our whole year. …. Now we have to make sure we’re top-30 in points (after Richmond to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup).” – Race-winner Chris Buescher on walking inside for victory celebration instead of driving into Victory Lane.
WHAT’S NEXT: Cheez-It 355 At The Glen, August 7, at Watkins Glen International. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on the USA Network. The series then has its final off-weekend of the season on Aug. 14 before the schedule resumes at Bristol on Saturday night, Aug. 20.
Power Rankings: Trying to make order of an odd race.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/Getty Images)
1. Kyle Busch (LW: 1): Pocono was a weird race so full warning, this is going to be a weird set of Power Rankings. It’s hard to make judgments on a race that would have been a straight-up fight over the last 20 or so laps had the race gone back green. And it was apparent that most everyone outside of Chris Buescher and Regan Smith thought the fog would pass. Busch finished ninth. We’re not putting much stock in that.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): Harvick finished fourth, and would have likely been battling with the man right below him in this week’s rankings for the win had the race been restarted. Buescher and Smith would have had to pit, leaving Harvick and Brad Keselowski to restart the race on the first row.
3. Brad Keselowski (LW: 4): Keselowski was ahead of Harvick and finished second because he pitted sooner. He also had some clear track after his pit stop and was able to click off some laps to get a pretty decent gap on Harvick and Tony Stewart. We still think Keselowski having crazy road course testing crashes is a Pocono omen. He’s finished first or second in the races after those crashes.
4. Joey Logano (LW: 3): A drop for Logano is probably a bit harsh after he swiped the lead away from Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon because of the gratuitous contact between the two while they were racing for the lead. But he ended up crashing after he got hit by Chase Elliott.
5. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 6): Johnson finished 16th but he moves up a spot because of the way his team fought back after early damage to the nose of the car. It’s not crazy to think Johnson could have finished in the top 10 despite having a ton of tape on the front of the car. But, as you know, the race was called early.
6. Kurt Busch (LW: 7): Busch finished 10th, keeping his run of top-10 finishes going and also keeping his run of completing every lap this season going as well. We’re not sure Busch is going to get another win before the Chase, but we’re still thinking he’s a top-three favorite to make it to the final round simply because of the sheer consistency of the team.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7): Kenseth, the winner of this race in 2015 after the two cars ahead of him ran out of gas, finished 17th, a spot behind Johnson. Could he have gotten into the top 10 too? Who knows. The fog may.
8. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9): Hamlin ended up finishing seventh, the highest-finishing Joe Gibbs Racing-equipped car. The last time the best JGR car finished that (relatively speaking) poorly was at the first Pocono race when Kenseth finished seventh.
9. Tony Stewart (LW: 8): Stewart didn’t have the speed that Keselowski and Harvick did, but he was positioned to be a spoiler in a race for the win between the two had the race been restarted. Instead, Stewart finished fifth and made up some significant ground on Aric Almirola in the points standings. Almirola is now just 12 points ahead of Stewart despite running in eight more races.
10. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 7): Truex’s misfortune struck early on Monday. Is a flat tire within the first 20 laps better than a flat tire within the last 20 laps? Truex is tied for seventh in the points standings with Johnson now and is just a point ahead of Hamlin. If the misfortune continues, he could fall out of the top 10.
11. Kyle Larson (LW: 11): Despite a damaged car from the contact with Dillon, Larson finished sixth and would have restarted the race in fourth. He’s 15th in the standings and the last car in the Chase currently. Of course, that’s with Buescher outside the top 30. Larson needs to go to work on teammate Jamie McMurray, who is nine points ahead.
12. Chris Buescher (LW: 12): We had to put Buescher in this week’s rankings, even if we all know he wouldn’t have won the race without the fog. But a win is a win and they played the heavy clouds better than anyone else did. It’s not a guarantee Buescher will work his way into the top 30 in points over the next five races, but it’d be surprising if he didn’t.
The Lucky Dog: Regan Smith for his third-place finish.
The DNF: Paul Menard had a transmission issue early and he’s 23rd in the points standings. The Chase ain’t happening.
Dropped Out: Austin Dillon.
SOCCER: STREAM: Full Olympic soccer schedule for Rio 2016.
By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/AP)
You can stream the entire Olympic soccer tournament live online via NBC Sports.
The men’s and women’s tournament runs from Aug. 3-20 with the U.S. women’s national team favorites to win a fourth-straight gold medal, plus host nation Brazil favorites to win gold as Neymar leads their charge.
[ STREAM: Every game at Rio 2016 live ]
Below is a full schedule for when each game is available to watch.
All you have to do is hit the link above to stream every game live online.
Women’s Group E
Sweden-South Africa
Aug. 3 12:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group F
Canada-Australia
Aug. 3 2:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group E
Brazil-China
Aug. 3 3:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group F
Zimbabwe-Germany
Aug. 3 5:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group G
United States-New Zealand
Aug. 3 6:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group G
France-Colombia
Aug. 3 9:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group A
Iraq-Denmark
Aug. 4 12:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group D
Honduras-Algeria
Aug. 4 2:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group A
Brazil-South Africa
Aug. 4 3:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group C
Mexico-Germany
Aug. 4 4:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group D
Portugal-Argentina
Aug. 4 5:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group B
Sweden-Colombia
Aug. 4 6:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group C
Fiji-South Korea
Aug. 4 7:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group B
Nigeria-Japan
Aug. 4 9:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group F
Canada-Zimbabwe
Aug. 6 2:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group G
United States-France
Aug. 6 4:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group F
Germany-Australia
Aug. 6 5:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group E
South Africa-China
Aug. 6 6:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group G
Colombia-New Zealand
Aug. 6 7:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group E
Brazil-Sweden
Aug. 6 9:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group C
Fiji-Mexico
Aug. 7 12:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group D
Honduras-Portugal
Aug. 7 2:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group C
Germany-South Korea
Aug. 7 3:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group D
Argentina-Algeria
Aug. 7 5:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group A
Denmark-South Africa
Aug. 7 6:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group B
Sweden-Nigeria
Aug. 7 6:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group A
Brazil-Iraq
Aug. 7 9:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group B
Japan-Colombia
Aug. 7 9:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group F
Australia-Zimbabwe
Aug. 9 3:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group F
Germany-Canada
Aug. 9 3:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group G
Colombia-United States
Aug. 9 6:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group G
New Zealand-France
Aug. 9 6:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group E
South Africa-Brazil
Aug. 9 9:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Group E
China-Sweden
Aug. 9 9:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s First Round
Algeria-Portugal
Aug. 10 12:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group D
Argentina-Honduras
Aug. 10 12:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group C
Germany-Fiji
Aug. 10 3:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group C
South Korea-Mexico
Aug. 10 3:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group B
Colombia-Nigeria
Aug. 10 6:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group B
Japan-Sweden
Aug. 10 6:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group A
Denmark-Brazil
Aug. 10 9:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Group A
South Africa-Iraq
Aug. 10 9:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Quarterfinal 1 – F1 vs G2
Aug. 12 12:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Quarterfinal 2 – G1 vs E3/F3
Aug. 12 3:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Quarterfinal 3 – E2 vs F2
Aug. 12 6:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Quarterfinal 4 – E1 vs F3/G3
Aug. 12 9:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Quarterfinal 1 – A1 vs B2
Aug. 13 12:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Quarterfinal 2 – B1 vs A2
Aug. 13 3:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Quarterfinal 3 – C1 vs D2
Aug. 13 6:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Quarterfinal 4 – D1 vs C2
Aug. 13 9:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Semifinal – Q2 vs Q4
Aug. 16 12:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Semifinal – Q1 vs Q3
Aug. 16 3:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Semifinal – Q1 vs Q3
Aug. 17 12:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Semifinal – Q2 vs Q4
Aug. 17 3:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Bronze Medal Match
Aug. 19 12:00 p.m. EDT
Women’s Gold Medal Match
Aug. 19 4:30 p.m. EDT
Women’s Victory Ceremony
Aug. 19 6:30 p.m. EDT
Men’s Bronze Medal Match
Aug. 20 12:00 p.m. EDT
Men’s Gold Medal Match
Aug. 20 4:30 p.m. EDT
Men’s Victory Ceremony
Aug. 20 6:30 p.m. EDT
Preview: USWNT opens 2016 Olympics with New Zealand.
By Kyle Bonn
(Photo/Getty Images)
As the United States women’s team opens its quest for a fifth Olympic gold medal when they take on New Zealand Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The team is fresh off a World Cup victory, and while the personnel is very similar to the squad that lifted the trophy, this team is still somehow very, very different. Arguably stronger.
World Cup hero Carli Lloyd was a question mark a few weeks ago, but is now fully healthy. Alex Morgan is leading the front line along with Christen Press. And Hope Solo remains in goal.
The team is fresh off a World Cup victory, and while the personnel is very similar to the squad that lifted the trophy, this team is still somehow very, very different. Arguably stronger.
World Cup hero Carli Lloyd was a question mark a few weeks ago, but is now fully healthy. Alex Morgan is leading the front line along with Christen Press. And Hope Solo remains in goal.
[ Watch every Olympics game ]
However, there are some new additions, and some exciting ones at that. Young Mallory Pugh, just 18 years old, looks like a star in the making, and will be joining Morgan and Press up front looking to dazzle in Rio. Although not technically new to the national team fold, midfielder Allie Long joins from the Portland Thorns and is looking at a starting spot if Morgan Brian’s hamstrings continue to cause her problems.
Gone are Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday and Shannon Boxx who all retired, opening places for younger newcomers. Also not present are Christie Rampone and Heather O’Reilly, with neither officially retired but having still succumbed to Father Time.
It will be head coach Jill Ellis’s job to meld the old with the new, and with a solid warmup series in the books, Ellis hopes the opener against New Zealand will provide a launching pad for the gold medal favorites.
Veteran striker Amber Hearn is the target up front, with 45 goals for her country, the most ever. She will be especially hungry after being held goalless at the most recent World Cup. Also featuring for New Zealand will be Hannah Wilkinson, a former Tennessee Volunteer who already has a whopping 73 caps for the national team at just 24 years old. Both those attackers scored in a 4-1 win over South Africa in their final tune-up at the end of July (their official website made sure to point out the US only beat South Africa 1-0 most recently), and an upset against the United States would be the perfect statement to start a tournament.
The United States will have to be ready, and have to be together. It’s no surprise at all if Jill Ellis already has both boxes checked.
105,000 fans for soccer in Michigan and the rest of the weekend attendance.
By Steven Goff
Michigan Stadium was full for Chelsea vs. Real Madrid friendly Saturday. (Tony Ding/Associated Press)
The latest attendance numbers in MLS (first-division men), NWSL (first-division women), NASL (second-division men) and USL (third-division men). This week, we’ve also included NPSL’s Chattanooga FC (fourth division) and the high-profile international friendlies.
1. Chelsea vs. Real Madrid in Ann Arbor, Mich.: 105,826
2. Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich in Charlotte: 53,629
3. Seattle Sounders (MLS): 48,458
4. AC Milan vs. Liverpool in Santa Clara, Calif.: 30,758
5. Orlando City (MLS): 27,768
6. New York City FC (MLS): 25,771
7. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Leicester City in Carson, Calif.: 25,667
8. Arsenal vs. Chivas Guadalajara in Carson, Calif.: 24,168
9. Toronto FC (MLS): 23,979
10. Portland Thorns (NWSL): 19,231
11. FC Cincinnati (USL): 19,229
12. Sporting Kansas City (MLS): 19,098
13. Philadelphia Union (MLS): 18,091
14. Chicago Fire (MLS): 17,221
15. D.C. United (MLS): 16,728
16. Houston Dynamo (MLS): 15,045
17. FC Dallas (MLS): 13,824
18. Chattanooga FC (NPSL): 12,251
19. Louisville City (USL): 8,351
20. Ottawa Fury (NASL): 5,225
21. Miami FC (NASL): 5,076
22. Saint Louis FC (USL): 4,379
(tie) Boston Breakers (NWSL): 4,379
24. Houston Dash (NWSL): 4,329
25. Rayo OKC (NASL): 3,512
26. New York Cosmos (NASL): 3,391
27. Wilmington Hammerheads (USL): 3,225
28. Richmond Kickers (USL): 3,113
29. Washington Spirit (NWSL): 2,930
30. Chicago Red Stars (NWSL): 2,550
31. Bethlehem Steel (USL): 2,176
32. Rio Grande Valley (USL): 1,920
33. FC Edmonton (NASL): 1,904
34. Orange County Blues (USL): 1,820
35. Swope Park Rangers (USL): 1,448
36. Arizona United (USL): 1,217
37. Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL): 1,158
38. FC Montreal (USL): not available
MLS weekend average: 22,598
(21,502 season average)
NWSL weekend average: 6,684
(5,480 season average)
NASL weekend average: 3,378
USL weekend average: 4,688
1. Chelsea vs. Real Madrid in Ann Arbor, Mich.: 105,826
2. Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich in Charlotte: 53,629
3. Seattle Sounders (MLS): 48,458
4. AC Milan vs. Liverpool in Santa Clara, Calif.: 30,758
5. Orlando City (MLS): 27,768
6. New York City FC (MLS): 25,771
7. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Leicester City in Carson, Calif.: 25,667
8. Arsenal vs. Chivas Guadalajara in Carson, Calif.: 24,168
9. Toronto FC (MLS): 23,979
10. Portland Thorns (NWSL): 19,231
11. FC Cincinnati (USL): 19,229
12. Sporting Kansas City (MLS): 19,098
13. Philadelphia Union (MLS): 18,091
14. Chicago Fire (MLS): 17,221
15. D.C. United (MLS): 16,728
16. Houston Dynamo (MLS): 15,045
17. FC Dallas (MLS): 13,824
18. Chattanooga FC (NPSL): 12,251
19. Louisville City (USL): 8,351
20. Ottawa Fury (NASL): 5,225
21. Miami FC (NASL): 5,076
22. Saint Louis FC (USL): 4,379
(tie) Boston Breakers (NWSL): 4,379
24. Houston Dash (NWSL): 4,329
25. Rayo OKC (NASL): 3,512
26. New York Cosmos (NASL): 3,391
27. Wilmington Hammerheads (USL): 3,225
28. Richmond Kickers (USL): 3,113
29. Washington Spirit (NWSL): 2,930
30. Chicago Red Stars (NWSL): 2,550
31. Bethlehem Steel (USL): 2,176
32. Rio Grande Valley (USL): 1,920
33. FC Edmonton (NASL): 1,904
34. Orange County Blues (USL): 1,820
35. Swope Park Rangers (USL): 1,448
36. Arizona United (USL): 1,217
37. Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL): 1,158
38. FC Montreal (USL): not available
MLS weekend average: 22,598
(21,502 season average)
NWSL weekend average: 6,684
(5,480 season average)
NASL weekend average: 3,378
USL weekend average: 4,688
By Pat Forde
(Photo/AP)
As the Big 12’s tortured expansion process continues, a much-prophesied future is becoming increasingly likely: The Power 5 conferences could well wind up becoming the Power 4 in less than a decade.
The Monday story from Sports Business Journal on the schism between the Big 12 and its TV partners, ESPN and Fox, further reveals the weakness of the conference.
An expansion gambit that would contractually add dollars to the league but also do little to improve its quality is meeting heavy resistance from the most powerful TV entities in college sports.
An expansion gambit that would contractually add dollars to the league but also do little to improve its quality is meeting heavy resistance from the most powerful TV entities in college sports.
This is one more example of a league that has lost significant ground in the athletic arms race and is unsure what to do about it.
At its spring meetings in early June, the Big 12 was clearly predisposed against expansion. By football media days seven weeks later, a transformation had occurred – the league said it was looking seriously at expansion. That was a presidential-level decision that seemed to come as startling news to some athletic directors and coaches.
Shortly thereafter, presidents were publicly backing candidates – Texas and Texas Tech got behind Houston – and those on the outside were feverishly elbowing for a ride on what looked like the last chopper out of mid-major Saigon. From Boise State in the west to Connecticut in the east, schools on the outside launched P.R. offensives to sell themselves as Big 12-worthy.
But now, as the calendar turns to August, here come the TV suits to slow the Big 12’s roll. ESPN and Fox are sending clear signals that an expanded Big 12 won’t be viewed as a better Big 12 – at least not a Big 12 worth more media rights fees. It is another remarkable plot twist, and it shows that the conference is very vulnerable when/if the next big realignment earthquake hits college sports.
That could happen by 2024 at the latest, when the current sets of major TV rights deals expire. The jockeying will begin before that. And the Big 12 could be poached.
With the announcement last month that there will be an ACC network in conjunction with ESPN, that leaves the Big 12 as the only Power 5 league without one. Which means the long-term revenue gap will continue.
It also is the only league without at least 12 teams. That means the stability gap will continue. And adding BYU and Houston – or BYU and Houston and Cincinnati and, say, Memphis, if the would-be expansion is by four schools – isn’t much of a guarantee against future poaching.
Topping it off, the disparity between the revenue, profile and influence of Texas and Oklahoma and the rest of the conference creates a greater power imbalance than in any other league. Nobody else has as many members who are simply along for the Power 5 ride and not making vital contributions to the overall betterment of the conference.
Given all that, the Big 12’s status among the Power 5 clearly is jeopardized. Which means the long-predicted Darwinian Final Solution seems more likely than at any other time.
Four conferences of 16 teams has been talked about forever, especially during the realignment panic of 2010. It nearly happened then, with Texas strongly considering an exit from the Big 12 at a time when Texas A&M and Missouri already were leaving for the SEC, Colorado had left for the Pac-12 and Nebraska for the Big Ten. The league was salvaged, but it has not kept pace with the others – most importantly the Atlantic Coast Conference, which faced its own vulnerability but has smartly maneuvered itself onto more solid ground.
Tennessee says it's unfazed by high preseason expectations.
By Steve Megargee
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs passes the ball during the first day of fall NCAA football practice, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Knoxville, Tenn. (Wade Payne/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Tennessee believes it won't be distracted by its unfamiliar status as a preseason division favorite.
The Volunteers opened preseason practice Monday, returning the nucleus of a team that went 9-4 last year and ended the season on a six-game winning streak. Southeastern Conference media have picked Tennessee to win its first Eastern Division title since 2007.
''When your internal expectations are very high, it doesn't matter what the external expectations are,'' coach Butch Jones said.
This marks the first time since 2005 that SEC media have picked Tennessee to win a division, but that distinction comes with a caveat. Tennessee finished only 5-6 in 2005 despite being picked to win the entire SEC that year.
It wants to avoid a similar fate this season.
''We always have high expectations,'' Jones said. ''We expect to compete for championships. That's why you compete. But you have to follow the process, and it's a journey. The more time you spend talking about winning championships and expectations, you're wasting time. That's taking you away from the task at hand - and that's being a better football player and a better football team.''
Jones enters his fourth season as the Vols' coach with the most experienced team he's had at Tennessee. That has allowed him to lean on his upperclassmen to help teach the newcomers what's expected.
''If somebody's doing something they're not supposed to do, we can (correct) it,'' junior defensive end Derek Barnett said. ''He trusts us because we're older.
''It's different because since I've been here, we've always been a young team. It's the first year since I've been here we've been a veteran team.''
The only starters from last season's Outback Bowl blowout of Northwestern missing from this season's roster are offensive tackle Kyler Kerbyson, wide receiver Von Pearson, defensive tackle Owen Williams and safeties Brian Randolph and LaDarrell McNeil.
On offense, the Vols must find a left tackle to replace Kerbyson, a two-year starter. They also are seeking reliable targets for quarterback Joshua Dobbs, as the Vols haven't had anyone accumulate more than 618 yards receiving in each of Jones' first three seasons.
''We have to stay healthy on the perimeter of our offense,'' Jones said. ''When you look at it, we've been decimated with injuries (at receiver) the last two years. Everything in the throw game is about rhythm and timing and trust and consistency. It's kind of been a revolving door there.''
Tennessee's defense must replace the Randolph-McNeill duo at safety. Jones called it an ''extremely, extremely, extremely competitive'' situation. Candidates include Todd Kelly Jr., Rashaan Gaulden, Evan Berry, Micah Abernathy and freshman Nigel Warrior.
The Vols also must determine who will line up at cornerback alongside senior Cam Sutton, entering his fourth year as a starter. Justin Martin, Emmanuel Moseley, Malik Foreman and freshman Marquill Osborne are among the contenders for that spot.
But with much of the lineup relatively set, the biggest concern for Tennessee may be how it handles its status as the team to beat in the SEC East. Jones likes the mindset his team has shown throughout the offseason.
''As we all know, it's a long journey,'' he said. ''It's not a sprint. It's a marathon and every day is critical. We put a lot of work into this, a lot of work that really started since we walked off the field in Tampa (after the Outback Bowl).''
NOTES: Jones said defensive tackle Shy Tuttle will be ''very, very limited'' at the start of preseason practice. Tuttle is recovering from a broken fibula and torn ankle ligament that caused him to miss the final seven games last season. Jones said wide receiver Jauan Jennings also will be limited at the start of practice but is expected ''to be full-go here real shortly.''... Kelly is switching his jersey number from No. 6 to No. 24 this season to honor Zaevion Dobson, a Knoxville high school football player who was shot to death at the age of 15 last year while shielding two girls from gunfire. ... Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord will earn $580,000, linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen will make $505,000 and running backs coach Robert Gillespie will make $480,000 this year according to contract information obtained Monday through a public records request. DeBord had made $505,000, Thigpen had made $405,000 and Gillespie had received $355,000 last season. Jones announced announced last month that Thigpen had added the title of defensive run game coordinator.
NCAABKB: NCAA changes rule to allow coaches to like, retweet recruits.
By Rob Dauster
(Photo/Getty Images)
As of midnight last night, when the calendar flipped from late-July to early-August, an NCAA rule change came into effect that allows college coaches to like, retweet or otherwise acknowledge a high school prospect’s social media activity so long as they aren’t commenting or replying on the post.
Before August 1st, coaches weren’t allowed to have public interaction with those players on social media before they were signed to a Letter of Intent. The reason for the change is that the NCAA believes that it reinforces good social media decorum and all that mumbo jumbo, but it also — and here’s the important part — provides a confirmation of that school’s recruitment.
So you know what this is going to lead to, right?
Let’s put it like this: I’m 31 years old. I’m supposed to be older than the millennial generation, someone who is somewhat immune to the powers that lie within the hearts of social media. I’m also on instagram, and if you go back and look through the last year of posts from that account, you’ll see roughly 95% of them are pictures of my son.
Part of that is that he is super-adorable and you better believe I love showing off just how super-adorable my kid is.
But the other part of it is that I get two or three times as many likes on a picture of my kid as I would on any other picture. When Chase isn’t part of a photo on instagram, I’ll struggle to get enough likes that the number of likes listed instead of the handles of the people that liked the photo, and I know I’m not the only one that will refresh my likes column and add that 11th like on my own if it’s not getting there.
I say all that to say this: I’m 31 years old! I didn’t get on instagram until I was 29. The kids that are heading into their junior and senior years in high school have likely been on it for nearly a quarter of their lives. If I’m this influenced by who is liking my pictures and when they’re doing so, I can imagine how some high school kids feel about it.
Which is why this is significant for college coaches.
Because we can all see where this is probably headed.
If the kids they’re recruiting value attention on social media, then coaches are going to have to give them attention on social media.
And speaking as someone that is far more addicted to twitter than I’m comfortable admitting, that’s going to make it even more difficult to separate from their iPhone.
Rio Olympic schedules for every sport.
By Nick Zaccardi
(Photo/NBC)
NBC Universal will air or live stream every event of the Rio Olympics, with competition starting Aug. 3, the Opening Ceremony on Aug. 5 and medal events beginning Aug. 6.
The 6,755 total hours of coverage beats the 5,535 hours from the 2012 London Games.
Of those hours, 260.5 will be on NBC. On most days, primetime broadcasts will be 8 p.m.-midnight ET/PT, daytime from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ET/PT, late night from 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET/PT and replays from 1:35-4:30 a.m. ET/PT.
OlympicTalk will provide timely updates on the biggest news during the Games. NBCOlympics.com will provide additional coverage, including all live streams.
The 6,755 total hours of coverage beats the 5,535 hours from the 2012 London Games.
Of those hours, 260.5 will be on NBC. On most days, primetime broadcasts will be 8 p.m.-midnight ET/PT, daytime from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ET/PT, late night from 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET/PT and replays from 1:35-4:30 a.m. ET/PT.
OlympicTalk will provide timely updates on the biggest news during the Games. NBCOlympics.com will provide additional coverage, including all live streams.
The NBCOlympics.com TV listings are here.
An Olympic daily roadmap with a few key events per day is here.
Here is the complete, daily schedule for every sport at the Rio Olympics:
Archery — SCHEDULE
Badminton — SCHEDULE
Basketball — SCHEDULE
Beach Volleyball — SCHEDULE
Boxing — SCHEDULE
Canoe/Kayak — SCHEDULE
Cycling — SCHEDULE
Diving — SCHEDULE
Equestrian — SCHEDULE
Fencing — SCHEDULE
Field Hockey — SCHEDULE
Golf — SCHEDULE
Gymnastics — SCHEDULE
Handball — SCHEDULE
Judo — SCHEDULE
Modern Pentathlon — SCHEDULE
Rowing — SCHEDULE
Rugby — SCHEDULE
Sailing — SCHEDULE
Shooting — SCHEDULE
Soccer — SCHEDULE
Swimming — SCHEDULE
Synchronized Swimming — SCHEDULE
Table Tennis — SCHEDULE
Taekwondo — SCHEDULE
Tennis — SCHEDULE
Track and Field — SCHEDULE
Triathlon — SCHEDULE
Volleyball — SCHEDULE
Water Polo — SCHEDULE
Weightlifting — SCHEDULE
Wrestling — SCHEDULE
Archery — SCHEDULE
Badminton — SCHEDULE
Basketball — SCHEDULE
Beach Volleyball — SCHEDULE
Boxing — SCHEDULE
Canoe/Kayak — SCHEDULE
Cycling — SCHEDULE
Diving — SCHEDULE
Equestrian — SCHEDULE
Fencing — SCHEDULE
Field Hockey — SCHEDULE
Golf — SCHEDULE
Gymnastics — SCHEDULE
Handball — SCHEDULE
Judo — SCHEDULE
Modern Pentathlon — SCHEDULE
Rowing — SCHEDULE
Rugby — SCHEDULE
Sailing — SCHEDULE
Shooting — SCHEDULE
Soccer — SCHEDULE
Swimming — SCHEDULE
Synchronized Swimming — SCHEDULE
Table Tennis — SCHEDULE
Taekwondo — SCHEDULE
Tennis — SCHEDULE
Track and Field — SCHEDULE
Triathlon — SCHEDULE
Volleyball — SCHEDULE
Water Polo — SCHEDULE
Weightlifting — SCHEDULE
Wrestling — SCHEDULE
On
emoriesofhistory.com
1949 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed. The league was formed by the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League.
1984 - Mary Lou Retton won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
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