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Trending: Olympic Medal Count. (See the Olympic section, (Last section on this blog) for Team USA and Olympic updates).
Trending: When is it time to panic over Bears injuries? (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: Bubba Watson explains uniqueness of Olympics, contrast to Masters. (See the golf section for Olympics, tournament and PGA updates).
Trending: Twelve Sprint Cup drivers scheduled for Aug. 23 test Chicagoland. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR and racing updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 75-43
Cubs 2016 Record: 75-43
White Sox 2016 Record: 56-62
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Patriots-Bears Observations: Joint Practices Show Discipline Differences.
By Doug Kyed
The New England Patriots have spent nearly three weeks working on technique and fundamentals. This week’s joint practices with the Chicago Bears have been an exercise in keeping one’s cool for the Patriots.
A Patriots player was booted from practice for the second straight day Tuesday, as head coach Bill Belichick continues to have a no-tolerance policy on fighting. Center Bryan Stork was kicked out of the training camp session for swinging at Bears linebacker John Timu. Timu didn’t leave practice, just as wide receiver Alshon Jeffery didn’t Monday after fighting with cornerback Malcolm Butler.
The Bears, led by head coach John Fox, almost seem to embrace the scraps. Julian Edelman caught a pass over the middle in 11-on-11 drills and was popped by Bears cornerback Harold Jones-Quartey in a no-tackling practice. Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson gave him a shove to protect his teammate.
Fights are an extremely rare occurrence on the Patriots’ practice field, but their self-control has been put to the test with the Bears being both physical and vocal after positive plays. Since fights are such a no-no for the Patriots, it will be interesting to see if Belichick and Fox combine for joint practices in the future.
Here’s what else went down at practice:
— Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was 4 of 8 in 11-on-11 drills and 16 of 26 overall. Jimmy Garoppolo was 4 of 9 in 11-on-11s and 12 of 21 overall. Rookie QB Jacoby Brissett was 7 of 9 in 11s and 9 of 15 overall.
— Bears starter Jay Cutler was 5 of 6 in 11s and 8 of 10 overall. Brian Hoyer was 6 of 9 in 11s and 15 of 20 overall. Connor Shaw was 6 of 9 in 11-on-11s, and David Fales was 1 of 2.
— Patriots cornerbacks Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler had pass breakups during team drills.
— Defensive end Rob Ninkovich, wide receivers Keshawn Martin, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola, tight end Bryce Williams and running backs Donald Brown and D.J. Foster went off to a side field to work with trainers on conditioning during practice. They likely won’t play Thursday in the Patriots-Bears preseason game.
Cornerback Logan Ryan was a full participant but was wearing a red non-contact jersey, so he likely won’t play, either.
— Here’s how the Patriots’ receivers fared in 1-on-1s:
— Edelman made Porter give up halfway through his win early in 1-on-1s, because the receiver gained so much separation on a cut.
— Here’s how the Patriots’ defensive backs fared:
— The Patriots and Bears will practice in shells and shorts Wednesday in a much lighter practice. Perhaps that will limit the fights.
Follow-Up: Tempers flare once again in Bears-Patriots joint practice.
By Scott Krinch
John Fox still sees some rust with Kevin White, so it's WD-40 time.
By Doug Kyed
The New England Patriots have spent nearly three weeks working on technique and fundamentals. This week’s joint practices with the Chicago Bears have been an exercise in keeping one’s cool for the Patriots.
A Patriots player was booted from practice for the second straight day Tuesday, as head coach Bill Belichick continues to have a no-tolerance policy on fighting. Center Bryan Stork was kicked out of the training camp session for swinging at Bears linebacker John Timu. Timu didn’t leave practice, just as wide receiver Alshon Jeffery didn’t Monday after fighting with cornerback Malcolm Butler.
The Bears, led by head coach John Fox, almost seem to embrace the scraps. Julian Edelman caught a pass over the middle in 11-on-11 drills and was popped by Bears cornerback Harold Jones-Quartey in a no-tackling practice. Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson gave him a shove to protect his teammate.
Fights are an extremely rare occurrence on the Patriots’ practice field, but their self-control has been put to the test with the Bears being both physical and vocal after positive plays. Since fights are such a no-no for the Patriots, it will be interesting to see if Belichick and Fox combine for joint practices in the future.
Here’s what else went down at practice:
— Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was 4 of 8 in 11-on-11 drills and 16 of 26 overall. Jimmy Garoppolo was 4 of 9 in 11-on-11s and 12 of 21 overall. Rookie QB Jacoby Brissett was 7 of 9 in 11s and 9 of 15 overall.
— Bears starter Jay Cutler was 5 of 6 in 11s and 8 of 10 overall. Brian Hoyer was 6 of 9 in 11s and 15 of 20 overall. Connor Shaw was 6 of 9 in 11-on-11s, and David Fales was 1 of 2.
— Patriots cornerbacks Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler had pass breakups during team drills.
— Defensive end Rob Ninkovich, wide receivers Keshawn Martin, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola, tight end Bryce Williams and running backs Donald Brown and D.J. Foster went off to a side field to work with trainers on conditioning during practice. They likely won’t play Thursday in the Patriots-Bears preseason game.
Cornerback Logan Ryan was a full participant but was wearing a red non-contact jersey, so he likely won’t play, either.
— Here’s how the Patriots’ receivers fared in 1-on-1s:
- WR Aaron Dobson beat CB De’Vante Bausby
- CB Deiondre Hall beat WR Chris Hogan
- CB Jacoby Glenn beat WR Chris Harper
- WR Julian Edelman beat DB Tracy Porter
- WR Nate Washington beat CB Taveze Calhoun
- TE Steve Scheu beat DB Harold Jones-Quartey
- CB Sherrick McManis beat WR DeAndre Carter
- TE Scheu beat DB Adrian Amos
- CB Joel Ross beat WR Devin Lucien
- DB DeAndre Houston-Carson beat TE Scheu
- DB Chris Prosinski beat TE Scheu
- WR Hogan beat CB Bausby
- WR Dobson beat CB Glenn
- WR Edelman beat CB Calhoun
- WR Harper beat DB Demontre Hurst
- WR Washington beat CB Ross
- CB Bausby beat WR Hogan
- CB McManis beat WR Edelman
- CB Calhoun beat WR Dobson
— Edelman made Porter give up halfway through his win early in 1-on-1s, because the receiver gained so much separation on a cut.
— Here’s how the Patriots’ defensive backs fared:
- WR Alshon Jeffery beat CB Logan Ryan
- WR Kevin White beat CB Malcolm Butler
- WR Deonte Thompson beat CB Cyrus Jones
- WR Joshua Bellamy beat CB Justin Coleman
- WR Cameron Meredith beat CB Darryl Roberts
- WR Marc Mariani beat CB E.J. Biggers
- S Patrick Chung beat WR Kieren Duncan
- WR Daniel Braverman beat CB Jonathan Jones
- WR Jeffery beat CB Ryan
- WR White beat CB Butler
- CB Thompson beat CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
- WR Bellamy beat CB Coleman
- WR Meredith beat S Devin McCourty
- WR Mariani beat CB Biggers
- WR Darrin Peterson beat CB Cyrus Jones
- WR Braverman beat S Chung
- WR Duncan beat CB Roberts
- WR Jeffery beat CB Butler
- WR White beat CB LeBlanc
- CB Coleman beat WR Thompson
— The Patriots and Bears will practice in shells and shorts Wednesday in a much lighter practice. Perhaps that will limit the fights.
Follow-Up: Tempers flare once again in Bears-Patriots joint practice.
By Scott Krinch
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Bears haven't exactly been gracious house guests of the New England Patriots.
The same could be said for the Patriots in their role as hosts.
For the second straight day, tempers flared during a joint practice between the two clubs in Foxborough.
On Monday, it was Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler who was ejected from practice following a skirmish with Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
The bad blood spilled over into Tuesday's practice as Patriots center Bryan Stork was sent home by head coach Bill Belichick for "a jab to the throat and another wild swing,” according to CSNNE.com's Tom Curran.
Former Bears and current Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett also got into a skirmish with Bears outside linebacker Lamarr Houston on Monday, but neither player was ejected from practice.
Bears head coach John Fox downplayed the multiple post-whistle occurrences.
"Those weren't fights. Those were just pushing matches," Fox said.
The two teams will hold one more joint practice on Wednesday before finally getting the opportunity to tee off on each other during Thursday's preseason tilt.
The same could be said for the Patriots in their role as hosts.
For the second straight day, tempers flared during a joint practice between the two clubs in Foxborough.
On Monday, it was Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler who was ejected from practice following a skirmish with Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
The bad blood spilled over into Tuesday's practice as Patriots center Bryan Stork was sent home by head coach Bill Belichick for "a jab to the throat and another wild swing,” according to CSNNE.com's Tom Curran.
Former Bears and current Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett also got into a skirmish with Bears outside linebacker Lamarr Houston on Monday, but neither player was ejected from practice.
Bears head coach John Fox downplayed the multiple post-whistle occurrences.
"Those weren't fights. Those were just pushing matches," Fox said.
The two teams will hold one more joint practice on Wednesday before finally getting the opportunity to tee off on each other during Thursday's preseason tilt.
John Fox still sees some rust with Kevin White, so it's WD-40 time.
CSN Staff
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
That's why the Bears likely have a can or two handy.
Head coach John Fox dropped a reference to the household spray Tuesday, when he was asked about wide receiver Kevin White, who's set to see the field for the first time as an NFL player after his rookie season was wiped away with an injury last year.
Understandably, White is still showing some effects of coming off the injury, according to Fox, and so the Bears are still working him back into shape.
"There's some rust. Any time somebody doesn't practice and play, we call it 'bring the WD-40 out and spray the rust off,'" Fox said. "I'm seeing progress in him getting back into football condition."
There are high hopes for White, who the Bears picked with the No. 7 pick in last year's NFL Draft. At West Virginia, White wowed, catching 109 passes during his senior season for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But White isn't the only Bears wideout coming off injury. That's the story, too, for Alshon Jeffery, and both the rookie and the veteran are working their way back this summer ahead of the 2016 campaign.
"They're both very, very talented players. We're trying to get them in condition for a regular football season," Fox said. "I think being out here at practice, the more they get that timing with the quarterback and the rest of their offensive teammates the better. We've had a little bit of a string there — knock on wood — but when they're healthy they're capable."
When is it time to panic over Bears injuries?
By Sam Householder
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Bears have gotten off to a rough start for their 2016 season.
Setting aside their first preseason game, which told us virtually nothing about the long-term picture of what the Bears are going to be in 2016, the rest of the start of the season has raised plenty of issues for the team.
Namely injuries.
The Bears have been without several starters on each side of the ball for anywhere from a couple practices to all their practices. Pernell McPhee, Alshon Jeffery, Marquess Wilson, Zach Miller, Eddie Royal, Leonard Floyd, Hroniss Grasu and Kyle Fuller have all missed (or in Fuller’s case; will miss) time this preseason.
In the case of Wilson and McPhee they’ve missed all of it. Grasu will miss everything going forward because he’s already on Injured Reserve.
The season hasn’t even started in full and practices are not yet a month old and already the team has a significant list of walking wounded.
But when is the right time to really start becoming concerned with injuries?
Everyone and their brother has shared their hottest take on the Grasu injury and it’s ramifications (this is NOT a post about Matt Slauson), but the Bears have plenty of other injuries to be concerned about.
Coach John Fox said Sunday that Fuller has been battling a knee injury all offseason and would miss the New England trip to receive treatment to it. Fuller has had some ups and downs in his first two seasons and this will be a big year for him under a regime which did not draft him.
There has been virtually no word yet on when McPhee could return from the Physically Unable to Perform list but he’s already missed all of the Bourbonnais portion of training camp and will miss the first two preseason games and likely three, if not all of them.
Even if he were to be activated from the PUP when the team comes back to Chicago he’s going to need a week of practices to get back into playing shape and by then would you really want to throw him out into the fourth preseason game when most starters are held out to begin with?
The story is the same with Wilson. While Wilson doesn’t have quite the same role as McPhee, those are two contributors to the team that they will have been without for nearly all of July and August.
Royal is in a similar boat. He missed a ton of time last year and then has found himself in concussion protocol for a couple weeks. The concussion protocol is scary enough these days but if he can’t find himself out of it before the third preseason game it’s going to be a concern for the projected slot WR. Sure rookie Daniel Braverman has been getting high praises but he still hasn’t been lighting up starters and is far from a sure thing making the leap from Western Michigan to the NFL.
There is already reason to be concerned with the offensive line and center play but there are a lot of other injuries to be as concerned or more concerned about.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Chicago's Artemi Panarin has set a high standard to live up to.
By Dakota Case
(Get used to these two; they're not going anywhere for a long time. - Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports)
The reigning Calder Trophy winner as the National Hockey League's Rookie of the Year, dynamic Russian Artemi Panarin has set the bar for individual success with a phenomenal freshman campaign. Can he match it next season? More importantly, will it be enough to lift the Blackhawks into May or even June?
It doesn't hurt to have a world-class player like Patrick Kane - however you might feel about him - on your line, but Panarin was no slouch in his first year of action at the game's highest level either.
Kane ran away with the team and league scoring title with 46 goals and 106 points, but "The Bread Man" wasn't far behind, leading all rookies with 30 goals and 77 points for a near point-per-game pace over 80 games. Granted, who knows how the rookie point scoring race would've ended with a healthy Connor McDavid, yet Panarin proved dangerously consistent as one of the best players on the ice night in and night out.
If there could be any flaw found in Panarin's game, it would have more to do with how Coach Q used him - and I don't think anyone would call it a flaw. The Blackhawks' newest star rarely saw time in the defensive end, starting 76.2% of his shifts in the offensive zone. It makes sense, the Panarin-Anisimov-Kane line was never designed to be a premier shutdown line, particularly when captain Jonathan Toews is so effective in that role. No, whenever he was on the ice, odds were good Panarin's team had the puck, as he posted season Corsi and Fenwick percentages of 53 and 51.7, respectively.
As anyone can see, it was a pretty good regular season for the former KHL vet, and he took that momentum with him into the playoffs, scoring two goals, seven points and a plus-2 rating in seven games. His average ice-time saw a significant boost as well, rising from 18:31 in the regular season to 20:10. Take it with a grain of salt, however; Chicago loves overtime playoff hockey.
The Hawks loaded up for bear heading into the 2016 postseason, and crashed out in surprising fashion in the first round. Minus such names as Andrew Ladd, Andrew Shaw, Tuevo Teravainen and Trevor Daley, they'll look to regain form, which means they'll need as good of a campaign or more from Panarin in a second season infamously known as the dreaded "sophomore slump". Fortunately for Chicago, less so for the rest of the teams in the league's toughest division, he's no 21-year-old fresh out of college or the Canadian major juniors. Instead, Panarin worked out the kinks during his first five seasons of professional hockey at home in the KHL, then scored a combined 46 goals and 102 points in 105 games between seasons six and seven before signing with the 2015 Stanley Cup winners.
He may have stepped up a league, but the 24-year-old played more like a seasoned All-Star than a rookie last year. This year, all eyes will be on him as he battles with the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko and Evgeni Kuznetsov for the title of the NHL's next great Russian superstar. He'd probably settle for a Stanley Cup first, though.
CUBS: Anthony Rizzo delivers MVP moment as Cubs sweep Brewers in doubleheader.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
“MVP! MVP! MVP!” the crowd chanted Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, Cubs fans recognizing Anthony Rizzo’s acrobatic catch and thanking the All-Star first baseman for what has so far been a magical season for the best team in baseball.
Jason Hammel stepped off the rubber in the fifth inning and allowed Rizzo to soak in the standing ovation. Rizzo waved his glove after a Derek Jeter moment, the highlight-reel play that will be remembered more than the final score — 4-1 — from Game 2 of this doubleheader sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Milwaukee rookie Keon Broxton fouled off a 3-1 pitch that drifted out toward the blue rolled-up tarp, where Rizzo had made a spectacular diving catch into the stands almost exactly a year ago against the Brewers.
Rizzo tracked the ball, planted his right leg onto the ledge and lifted himself up, sticking out his right arm into two rows of seats while balancing his left leg in the air. Rizzo snapped his glove, raised his arms and hopped back onto the dirt with a huge smile on his face, signaling two outs with his left hand.
It became an amazing gymnastics routine for a player listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, but Rizzo always brings pieces of flair to the Cubs, as a clubhouse DJ, Party Room designer and theme-trip enthusiast. That attitude — relaxed while focused, supremely confident, hypercompetitive without letting it become all-consuming paralysis — pushes the Cubs toward October.
Combine that with Gold Glove defense and elite heart-of-the-order production (25 homers, 85 RBIs), and you have a leading MVP candidate in the National League.
Even if Rizzo might not have been the most valuable Cub on a night where Hammel didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, striking out six of the first 12 batters he faced, chipping in with two hits of his own — while limiting the Brewers to just two — and extending his scoreless streak to 22 consecutive innings.
Or in the middle of a lineup where Kris Bryant knocked out Brewers starter Chase Anderson (left quadriceps contusion) after 11 pitches with a first-inning line drive back to the mound — and keeps making his own MVP case as an All-Star third baseman with 28 homers and 73 RBIs and the ability to play all over the outfield.
But in so many ways, this franchise revolves around Rizzo, who only turned 27 last week and could have fallen into the trap of putting up good numbers on a decent team and enjoying life in The Show. The Cubs (75-43) won their 75th game last year on Sept. 1 and surged ahead toward 97 victories and through two playoff rounds. Rizzo wants to be great on the team that lives forever in Chicago.
Trevor Cahill beats Brewers in Game 1, looking like good insurance if Cubs put John Lackey on DL.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
In a perfect world, the Cubs wouldn’t need to start Trevor Cahill again, riding arguably baseball’s best rotation into October and then figuring out which pitcher to drop for the playoffs.
But everything hasn’t gone according to The Plan, even as the Cubs pile up the most wins in baseball and the computer simulations on Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs almost give them a 100-hundred percent chance to win the National League Central.
Whatever the Cubs decide to do with their 25-man roster crunch, Cahill made a strong impression in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Wrigley Field, shutting down the Milwaukee Brewers for five innings during a 4-0 victory.
The 26th man maxed out at 84 pitches and allowed only two hits to a weakened lineup that no longer has Jonathan Lucroy (traded to the Texas Rangers) while Ryan Braun came off the bench to get booed as an eighth-inning pinch-hitter.
“It’s obvious he gave us something to talk about,” Maddon said. “We will discuss that. And we have to have an answer by tomorrow.”
One potential way to keep Cahill around would be putting John Lackey on the disabled list after the veteran right-hander exited Sunday night’s start against the St. Louis Cardinals with a tight shoulder.
“No clarity yet” on Lackey’s health situation, Maddon said. “He felt a little bit sore today, so we’re still talking about it, and we haven’t concluded anything yet.”
Cahill stretched out with six starts at Triple-A Iowa after going on the disabled list with patellar tendinitis in his right knee on July 15, becoming an insurance policy the Cubs hoped they wouldn’t really need, but might have to cash in again if Lackey’s shoulder issue is more serious than first believed.
“We’re absolutely looking at different scenarios,” Maddon said. “Those are different things that are within our purview right now – poom! – Larry David (reference). The fact that (Cahill) pitched as well as he did today – and he’s as stretched out as he is – just opens up possibilities.”
A strong pitching infrastructure helped Cahill revive his career and reinvent himself as a playoff-caliber reliever late last season – after getting released by the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers – and score a one-year, $4.25 million contract to return to Chicago.
Maybe Cahill can again help stabilize a bullpen filled with questions marks, though Mike Montgomery and Hector Rondon did combine for three scoreless innings before Aroldis Chapman (fifth save in a Cubs uniform) bailed out Joe Smith (two walks) in the ninth.
“Who knows?” Cahill said. “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do it. I don’t know. I don’t want to speculate. Whenever you speculate, it always seems like it ends up completely different.”
While Cahill, a one-time All-Star, rebooted his game, Matt Garza (4-5, 4.87 ERA) has struggled to find focus and consistency since getting traded from the Cubs to the Rangers in the summer of 2013, one of many win-later deals that transformed this franchise. The Cubs wore down Garza, making him throw 103 pitches across five innings and manufacturing three runs with an Addison Russell sacrifice fly, a wild pitch that scored Dexter Fowler and Cahill’s RBI sacrifice bunt.
For all the contributions they’ve gotten from all over the roster, Cahill is only the eighth starting pitcher the Cubs have used this season. Veteran catcher Miguel Montero – who worked with Cahill extensively on the Arizona Diamondbacks – briefly turned away from some of the reporters at his locker and did the knock-on-wood motion.
“We count on every single individual in the clubhouse,” Montero said. “Everybody has to contribute someway, somehow. Cahill stepped it up.”
But everything hasn’t gone according to The Plan, even as the Cubs pile up the most wins in baseball and the computer simulations on Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs almost give them a 100-hundred percent chance to win the National League Central.
Whatever the Cubs decide to do with their 25-man roster crunch, Cahill made a strong impression in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Wrigley Field, shutting down the Milwaukee Brewers for five innings during a 4-0 victory.
The 26th man maxed out at 84 pitches and allowed only two hits to a weakened lineup that no longer has Jonathan Lucroy (traded to the Texas Rangers) while Ryan Braun came off the bench to get booed as an eighth-inning pinch-hitter.
“It’s obvious he gave us something to talk about,” Maddon said. “We will discuss that. And we have to have an answer by tomorrow.”
One potential way to keep Cahill around would be putting John Lackey on the disabled list after the veteran right-hander exited Sunday night’s start against the St. Louis Cardinals with a tight shoulder.
“No clarity yet” on Lackey’s health situation, Maddon said. “He felt a little bit sore today, so we’re still talking about it, and we haven’t concluded anything yet.”
Cahill stretched out with six starts at Triple-A Iowa after going on the disabled list with patellar tendinitis in his right knee on July 15, becoming an insurance policy the Cubs hoped they wouldn’t really need, but might have to cash in again if Lackey’s shoulder issue is more serious than first believed.
“We’re absolutely looking at different scenarios,” Maddon said. “Those are different things that are within our purview right now – poom! – Larry David (reference). The fact that (Cahill) pitched as well as he did today – and he’s as stretched out as he is – just opens up possibilities.”
A strong pitching infrastructure helped Cahill revive his career and reinvent himself as a playoff-caliber reliever late last season – after getting released by the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers – and score a one-year, $4.25 million contract to return to Chicago.
Maybe Cahill can again help stabilize a bullpen filled with questions marks, though Mike Montgomery and Hector Rondon did combine for three scoreless innings before Aroldis Chapman (fifth save in a Cubs uniform) bailed out Joe Smith (two walks) in the ninth.
“Who knows?” Cahill said. “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do it. I don’t know. I don’t want to speculate. Whenever you speculate, it always seems like it ends up completely different.”
While Cahill, a one-time All-Star, rebooted his game, Matt Garza (4-5, 4.87 ERA) has struggled to find focus and consistency since getting traded from the Cubs to the Rangers in the summer of 2013, one of many win-later deals that transformed this franchise. The Cubs wore down Garza, making him throw 103 pitches across five innings and manufacturing three runs with an Addison Russell sacrifice fly, a wild pitch that scored Dexter Fowler and Cahill’s RBI sacrifice bunt.
For all the contributions they’ve gotten from all over the roster, Cahill is only the eighth starting pitcher the Cubs have used this season. Veteran catcher Miguel Montero – who worked with Cahill extensively on the Arizona Diamondbacks – briefly turned away from some of the reporters at his locker and did the knock-on-wood motion.
“We count on every single individual in the clubhouse,” Montero said. “Everybody has to contribute someway, somehow. Cahill stepped it up.”
WHITE SOX: White Sox don't support Quintana in 3-1 loss to Indians.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox still haven’t figured out how to solve the Cleveland Indians.
Their issues with the American League Central’s first-place team meant that Jose Quintana went unrewarded again on Tuesday night.
Quintana pitched well enough to win again, but Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen were even better as the White Sox lost to the Indians 3-1 in front of 13,857 at Progressive Field. Kluber limited the White Sox to a run and his bullpen pitched three scoreless. The White Sox have lost seven in a row to Cleveland and eight of 10 overall even though Quintana only allowed two earned runs and seven hits in six innings.
“You know (Kluber) has the movement going in on a lefty, but tonight the biggest one is he’s moving it back over,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He’s throwing at the front hip, it’s coming back on the inner half and that’s the one you freeze for a second and you can’t pull the trigger on it. Really good movement. You’re seeing a really good matchup with both guys kind of controlling what’s going on out there.”
Their issues with the American League Central’s first-place team meant that Jose Quintana went unrewarded again on Tuesday night.
Quintana pitched well enough to win again, but Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen were even better as the White Sox lost to the Indians 3-1 in front of 13,857 at Progressive Field. Kluber limited the White Sox to a run and his bullpen pitched three scoreless. The White Sox have lost seven in a row to Cleveland and eight of 10 overall even though Quintana only allowed two earned runs and seven hits in six innings.
“You know (Kluber) has the movement going in on a lefty, but tonight the biggest one is he’s moving it back over,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He’s throwing at the front hip, it’s coming back on the inner half and that’s the one you freeze for a second and you can’t pull the trigger on it. Really good movement. You’re seeing a really good matchup with both guys kind of controlling what’s going on out there.”
The White Sox made some hard contact early against Kluber, but couldn’t cash in on any of their doubles in the game’s first three innings.
Kluber used his two-seam fastball to perfection to end the second inning with a called third strike to Omar Narvaez with two in scoring position. He did the same to strikeout Justin Morneau with two on to end the third inning.
They went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded five runners in the first three innings and never had another opportunity after that.
Morneau blasted a solo homer off Kluber in the sixth inning to get the White Sox within 2-1. But that was it as Miller set down six straight and Allen retired the side in the ninth.
Quintana fell behind quickly 1-0 on first-inning doubles by Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor. They made it a 2-0 game in the third when Rajai Davis drew a leadoff walk and stole second. He scored on Mike Napoli’s two-out RBI single to left.
Quintana settled in from there to keep the White Sox within striking distance. His record dropped to 9-9 with the loss.
“I feel pretty good,” Quintana said. “I was always in trouble with runners on base. But that’s a good game situation when you work out. You try to throw quality pitches and get a lot of ground balls and it was a tough game.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... USA remains overwheming betting favorite to win men’s basketball gold medal.
By Kurt Helin
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
USA basketball fans have reason to be a little concerned as the Rio Olympics basketball tournament heads into the win-or-go-home tournament phase. Not a ton of concern, but some is justified.
Betters have fewer concerns.
Team USA remains the overwhelming favorite to win gold in Rio, according to online betting site Bovada.
Here are the gold odds for the eight teams in the tournament.
USA 1/20
Spain 14/1
Australia 20/1
Lithuania 22/1
Serbia 22/1
France 28/1
Croatia 33/1
Argentina 40/1
To be clear, that means if you bet $100 on the USA to win the gold, you would win $5 (plus your bet back). That’s a lot of risk for not much reward. No smart gambler is going to make that bet.
The smart money might be on Spain, which after a couple of unimpressive games has dominated in their last couple games in Rio (but next they face a fierce rival in France). Australia and Lithuania have had their moments and have real talent as well.
Still, betting against the USA just doesn’t seem wise. Instead donate that money to a local food bank, where it can do some good, rather than making some casino owner wealthier.
Betters have fewer concerns.
Team USA remains the overwhelming favorite to win gold in Rio, according to online betting site Bovada.
Here are the gold odds for the eight teams in the tournament.
USA 1/20
Spain 14/1
Australia 20/1
Lithuania 22/1
Serbia 22/1
France 28/1
Croatia 33/1
Argentina 40/1
To be clear, that means if you bet $100 on the USA to win the gold, you would win $5 (plus your bet back). That’s a lot of risk for not much reward. No smart gambler is going to make that bet.
The smart money might be on Spain, which after a couple of unimpressive games has dominated in their last couple games in Rio (but next they face a fierce rival in France). Australia and Lithuania have had their moments and have real talent as well.
Still, betting against the USA just doesn’t seem wise. Instead donate that money to a local food bank, where it can do some good, rather than making some casino owner wealthier.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power Rankings: 2016 Wyndham Championship.
By Will Gray
The 2016 fantasy golf season rolls right along, as the PGA Tour heads to North Carolina this week for the Wyndham Championship. A field of 144 players will tackle Sedgefield Country Club in the final event of the PGA Tour regular season.
Be sure to join the Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge to test yourself against our panel of experts, including defending champion Ryan Lavner. Click here for full fantasy assistance, including stats and picks.
Davis Love III won this event last year but will not defend his title. Here are 10 players to watch in Moline:
1. Patrick Reed: Reed captured his first career win at Sedgefield back in 2013 in a memorable playoff against Jordan Spieth. He returns after a solid T-11 showing at the Olympics that extended a run of five straight finishes of T-13 or better in worldwide events.
2. Webb Simpson: How much does this event mean to Simpson? He and his wife named their daughter after this event's title sponsor. Simpson won here back in 2011, the highlight of a run of five finishes of T-11 or better over the last six years for the Charlotte resident.
3. Ryan Moore: Moore cruised to victory last week at the Deere, now returns to the site of his first PGA Tour win back in 2009. After a rocky summer, Moore is now taking advantage of a run of three straight events played across three of the tracks where he feels most comfortable, including Sedgefield where he was T-10 last year.
4. Bill Haas: Haas went to nearby Wake Forest and has three top-10 finishes over the last four years at this event, including a runner-up in 2014. He has played sparingly in recent weeks but does have two top-10 finishes in his last four starts overall and tends to bring his best to this de facto home game.
5. Jim Furyk: How do you follow up a 58? Furyk will give it a shot this week in Greensboro, where he has made only one start in recent memory. But that resulted in a T-9 finish in 2011 and Sedgefield is the type of ball-striker's layout that should favor an accurate player like Furyk as he continues a strong return from early-season injury.
6. Brandt Snedeker: Snedeker has made this event one of his favorite stops, with three top-10 finishes since 2009. That includes a T-5 finish two years ago, and Snedeker capped a run of three straight top-25 finishes with a T-5 result last month at the RBC Canadian Open.
7. Jimmy Walker: Walker hasn't had much success at this event outside of a T-4 finish in 2012, but he will head to Greensboro with unprecedented confidence after winning the PGA Championship three weeks ago. That victory at Baltusrol highlighted a run of three T-16 or better finishes over his last four starts overall.
8. Rickie Fowler: Fowler was a late addition to this week's field as he looks to make the Ryder Cup squad, with only one top-10 finish in his last eight PGA Tour starts. But a third-round 64 at the Olympics showed that the form he displayed en route to early-season success isn't lying very far beneath the surface.
9. Jon Rahm: Rahm quietly continued his impressive late-season run with a T-14 finish at the Deere, his fifth top-25 finish in his last seven starts. With his PGA Tour card for next season all but secure, Rahm seems a likely contender again at Sedgefield and could even possibly snag a victory that would qualify him for the postseason.
10. Hideki Matsuyama: Matsuyama hasn't played since a T-4 finish at the PGA Championship, but his reliable ball-striking makes him a threat at nearly any venue. While he has missed the cut each of the last two years at Sedgefield, Matsuyama did finish T-15 in his tournament debut back in 2013.
Bubba Watson explains uniqueness of Olympics, contrast to Masters.
By Kyle Porter
(Photo/Twitter)
Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar are proud Olympians, and they should be.
Bubba Watson finished T8 in his first Olympics, nine shots away from winner Justin Rose. Nevertheless, Watson raved about the experience he had in going to Rio for the 2016 Olympics. It was a thrill all week and the generally mercurial Watson was upbeat and positive no matter how the shots were going.
His take on Sunday was smart as he noted how unique the Olympics are.
"The Masters, I get the Masters for the rest of my life, but it's just golf," said Watson. "There's no other events going on. And so when you talk about a sporting event, this is a dream come true, and to be a part of it, it's the greatest event I've ever been a part of."
Watson basked in the unique nature of the Rio Olympics by going to a variety of sports and meeting every Olympian he could find. This is the essence of why the Olympics matter. The experiences you get at an Olympics are so different than every other golf tournament, and I thought Watson summed that up well.
"I met Greg Louganis," added Watson. "The guy is a legend. Then I got the cowbell rang. The field hockey team loves me now. Matt Kuchar got a medal. I'm an Olympian. You want me to keep going? I ran into some track and field people. I can just keep going on and on. This is an absolute thrill of a lifetime ... this is the greatest sporting event I've ever been a part of and associated with, and it's a thrill of a lifetime."
Watson's point is not that Olympic golf is better than other golf. Just that the Olympics as a whole are the greatest sporting event on earth. This is a take I think most humans who consume sports would agree with.
Matt Kuchar certainly does.
"I'm guessing I speak for all of us up here, but we're all fans of sport," said Kuchar. "Olympics come around only once every four years, and as a fan of sport you just can't wait to watch and root on the guys for your country and just see great things happen."
Justin Rose explained this in his own way.
"I've never seen my little boy in tears," Rose told Golf Channel. "I've never seen it resonate so much with him. He's 7, he's just starting to understand what sports is all about. He was crying when I phoned him."
Well said. And well done by all.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Cold going into Sprint Cup Night Race at Bristol.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
In the last few years, Bristol Motor Speedway has been a frontrunner track.
The race winner started in the top five in six of the last seven races at the .533-mile track. The exception was Carl Edwards winning from 12th in the spring 2014 race.
The pole winner has won two of the last three Bristol races including Edwards last April. Edwards assumed the lead with 104 laps remaining and became the third winner in the last nine Bristol races to lead the final 100 laps. That came as the track has enjoyed an average of 18 lead changes among nine drivers in the eight races since grinding on the top groove was done in hopes of creating two-lane racing.
Now BMS has recently “polished” the bottom lane of the track surface with similar intentions.
When Kyle Busch won his five Bristol races in 2007 and 2009-2011, they were all after he started worse than 12th. Now Busch has failed to finish in top 10 in all but one of his last five Bristol starts.
WHO'S HOT
Brad Keselowski – Finished in the top 10 in 10 of the last 13 races this season, including three wins and top-three finishes in the last two races. Two-time Bristol winner but last victory came in spring 2012.
Joey Logano – Finished in the top 10 in eight of the last 10 races of 2016, including a win at Michigan and top fives in six of the last nine races. Won the last two Bristol night races.
Tony Stewart – Six top 10s including a win at Sonoma in the last eight races. Finished top five in five of the last seven races, had only five top-fives in the 82 races prior. One Bristol win, which came in 2001.
Kurt Busch – Sixteen top-10 finishes in 2016, second most. Finished top 10 in 14 of the first 16 races this season, but only twice in the last six races. Finished on the lead lap in the first 22 races of 2016, a Sprint Cup record to start a season. Five Bristol wins, last coming in 2006. Has three top fives and six finishes of 14th or worse in the last 10 Bristol races.
Finished third in April.
Ryan Newman – Finished 12th or better in seven of the last 10 races of 2016. Top-10 finishes in the last three races at Bristol including ninth in April. Best Bristol finish is second in 2004 night race.
WHO'S COLD
Martin Truex Jr – Only four top-10 finishes in the nine races since his Charlotte win despite having a pole and 197 laps led. Finished seventh at Watkins Glen after running second on the final turn and then being hit by Brad Keselowski. Only two top-10 finishes in 21 starts at Bristol. Finished second in 2011 night race and third in spring 2012. Finished 14th in April for best finish at Bristol in the last six races.
Jimmie Johnson – Finished last at Watkins Glen, the first time he has ever finished last in a Sprint Cup race; only two top-10 finishes in the last 13 races of 2016. One Bristol win, spring 2010. Finished top five in three of the last four races at Bristol. Finished 23rd in April. Top-10 finishes in six of the last eight races on short tracks. Twelve short-track wins but his last was in April 2013 at Martinsville.
Kasey Kahne – Only one top 10 in the last eight races of 2016, none in the last six. One Bristol win, spring 2013. Finished 16th or worse in the last four races at Bristol.
Ryan Blaney – Does not have a top-10 finish in the last eight races after having four top 10s in the prior five races of 2016. Finished 22nd and 11th in his two Cup starts at Bristol. Has won at Bristol in both Xfinity and Trucks.
Other interesting notes heading into this weekend at Bristol:
- JGR drivers won the pole for six of the last seven Bristol races including the last three with three different drivers.
- Chevrolet has 43 Bristol wins (most) but is winless in the last six Bristol races and has not won the night race since Dale Earnhardt Jr. won it in August 2004.
- The last time a driver got their first win of the season in the Bristol night race was Matt Kenseth in 2005.
- The last eight short track race winners have all started seventh or better, including twice from the pole.
- Only six drivers have won the last 11 Bristol August races: Matt Kenseth (three), Kyle Busch (two), Carl Edwards (two), Joey Logano (two), Brad Keselowski (one) and Denny Hamlin (one).
Twelve Sprint Cup drivers scheduled for Aug. 23 test Chicagoland.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Getty Images)
Twelve Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to take part in a organizational test at Chicagoland Speedway next week ahead of the Sept. 18 race at the 1.5-mile track.
Each Sprint Cup organization is allowed to send one team to take part in the test, which is Aug. 23.
The drivers are:
Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing)
Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing)
Joey Logano (Team Penske)
David Ragan (BK Racing)
Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing)
Chris Buescher (Front Row Motorsports)
Brian Scott (Richard Petty Motorsports)
Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports)
Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing)
Michael McDowell (Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing)
From 1 – 4 p.m. the test will be open to fans who have proof of purchase of tickets for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400. The track’s box office will be open to fans wanting to purchase tickets prior to the start of the test.
The Sept. 18 race at Chicagoland marks the beginning of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Denny Hamlin is the defending winner of the race.
SOCCER: Fire rank first in Chicago fan satisfaction according to J.D. Power study.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
All the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup titles and sold out crowds apparently haven't led to fan satisfaction.
At least, that's what a study from J.D. Power released on Tuesday said.
Perhaps surprisingly the Fire took the top spot while the Blackhawks finished just fourth out of the six Chicago men's professional sports teams. The Fire have been the worst team in the city as far as results in recent years, but that's not one of the main factors that J.D. Power used.
At least, that's what a study from J.D. Power released on Tuesday said.
Perhaps surprisingly the Fire took the top spot while the Blackhawks finished just fourth out of the six Chicago men's professional sports teams. The Fire have been the worst team in the city as far as results in recent years, but that's not one of the main factors that J.D. Power used.
The Fan Experience Study measures customer satisfaction of major pro sports teams in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston across seven factors. They are (in order of importance): seating area and game experience; security and ushers; leaving the game; arriving at the game; food and beverage; ticket purchase; and souvenirs and merchandise. Satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale. Additional factors that were measured—but not included in the official ranking—were loyalty and future intentions; team performance (on-field); and team image.
According to the study, the Fire ranked first in Chicago in souvenirs and merchandise, security and ushers, ticket purchase, food and beverage and leaving the game.
The Bulls were second, followed by the White Sox, the Blackhawks and the Cubs. The Bears came in last.
Champions League roundup: Manchester City storms Steaua, Ajax draws at home.
(Photo/Associated Press)
Despite a pair of missed penalties by Sergio Aguero, Manchester City eased past Steaua Bucharest in Romania and set themselves up for a cruise into the group stage with a 5-0 away win in the Champions League playoff round first leg.
Aguero missed penalties in the eighth and 21st minutes, but his teammates picked him up, and the Argentinian still managed a trio himself from open play to overshadow any negatives. David Silva started things off in the 13th minute, and it only got worse for the home side from there.
Raheem Sterling looked bright all match, and the youngster fed Aguero for City’s second in the 41st minute. After halftime, City was clinical as they put the matchup away. New signing Nolito got his first goal for City in the 49th minute on a threaded pass by Kevin De Bruyne. Aguero’s second came in the 78th minute thanks to a ball from Nolito, and the hat-trick came in the 89th minute when Fernandinho fed Aguero from midfield, and the Argentinian burst forward towards the box and finished under pressure.
Aguero missed penalties in the eighth and 21st minutes, but his teammates picked him up, and the Argentinian still managed a trio himself from open play to overshadow any negatives. David Silva started things off in the 13th minute, and it only got worse for the home side from there.
Raheem Sterling looked bright all match, and the youngster fed Aguero for City’s second in the 41st minute. After halftime, City was clinical as they put the matchup away. New signing Nolito got his first goal for City in the 49th minute on a threaded pass by Kevin De Bruyne. Aguero’s second came in the 78th minute thanks to a ball from Nolito, and the hat-trick came in the 89th minute when Fernandinho fed Aguero from midfield, and the Argentinian burst forward towards the box and finished under pressure.
City deserved the monstrous scoreline, outshooting Steaua 24-8 (12-2 on target), and holding 70% of possession through the match.
Elsewhere, Borussia Monchengladbach also took control of its matchup with Swiss side Young Boys, as the Germans won 3-1 on the road behind a brace from 31-year-old Brazilian striker Raffael. Andre Hahn scored as well to put Bonchengladbach well in front heading back home.
Dutch giants Ajax played to a disappointing 1-1 draw at Amsterdam Arena against Russian side FC Rostov. Ecudorian veteran Christian Noboa handed the visitors a surprising lead just 13 minutes in with a low free-kick that squirted through the wall and past goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. Davy Klaassen bagged a penalty 34 minutes in to equalize, but the hosts will be disappointed to concede an away goal and will head to Russia with work to do.
FC Copenhagen took care of APOEL Nicosia 1-0 in Denmark, with young Serbian attacker Andrija Pavlovic collecting the winner just before halftime after a poor decision by APOEL’s Dutch goalkeeper Boy Waterman to come out and challenge Pavlovic on the wing, leaving his net vacated.
Finally, Dinamo Zagreb drew 1-1 at home with Austrian side FC Salzburg. Valentino Lazaro opened the scoring with a diving header in the 59th minute for Salzberg’s away goal. Croatian youngster Marko Rog leveled things in with a penalty in the 76th minute after Bernardo hacked down the 21-year-old in the box.
Olympic roundup: Swedish women oust Brazil, will meet Germany in gold medal match.
By Kyle Bonn
(Photo/Getty Images)
Sweden just keeps on rolling, one “cowardly” performance after another.
Pia Sundhage parked the bus again against Brazil, and it worked again, hanging on for dear life to preserve a 0-0 draw, and a win 4-3 win in penalties pushed them into the gold medal match. The hosts held 67% of possession and ripped a whopping 32 efforts at goal, but could put just nine of those on target against the defensively stout Swedes.
Andressinha missed the decisive penalty for Brazil in the final round of kicks, handing Lisa Dahlkvist with a chance to win it, which she did by burying hers. The penalty round in general was sloppy, with multiple savable kicks. Cristiane saw her kick saved to start things off, which was cancelled out when Barbara saved on a kick from Kosovare Asllani.
Through regulation, Brazil looked to target the Swedish defense with a host of crosses looking to bag a header, with the best chance falling to Beatriz late on, but she headed it straight at goalkeeper Hedvig Lindhal.
On the other side, Germany eased past Canada 2-0 thanks to a thumping penalty by Melanie Behringer in the 21st minute and a second on the hour mark from young Sara Dabritz. Canada maintained the majority of possession throughout the game, but rarely threatened on goal, managing just four shots, two on target.
The penalty was given when Kadeisha Buchanon ripped down Alexandra Popp, earning a yellow card for the tackle. Behringer hammered home the resulting kick, expertly smashing it into the top left corner. Dabritz doubled the score in the 60th minute, with Anja Mittag feeding her on a breakaway and the 21-year-old cut past a defender and rifled her finish inside the near post.
Germany and Sweden meet for the gold medal match Friday at 4:30pm E.T. Brazil and Canada will play for the bronze medal on Friday as well, with a noon E.T. kick.
NCAAFB: Illini's Whitman lights fuse at stadium.
By Mark Tupper
(Photo/Heather Coit, The News-Gazette via AP)
Just days after he had been hired, somewhere between walking on water and parting seas, Josh Whitman paused to point out that he now ran a football stadium that was only half full.
“One of our biggest areas of unrealized potential is unfilled football seats,” Whitman said almost immediately after being hired as the new Athletics Director at the University of Illinois.
At every major university, football is supposed to be the money machine that drives the entire athletics department. Football helps pay the bills for soccer, wrestling, swimming. Football lights the fuse that causes campus-wide excitement to explode.
Enter Whitman, who moved at the speed of light to steal national attention by hiring long-time NFL coach Lovie Smith to run a downtrodden football program.
That was more than five months ago, and now Whitman is starting to make good on his promise to make Memorial Stadium a more popular entertainment destination again.
On Monday, Whitman spoke at the Illini Club of Decatur’s 30th annual corn roast and he’s making the rounds before football kicks off on Sept. 3.
Ideally, Whitman would sell every football ticket at full price. But that’s not how it works when the product has been cut-rate for too many years.
So the university will first offer a variety of specials and last week it announced that Deloitte Tax LLC will help sponsor a promotion that will give two free tickets to any student for that opening game against Murray State.
In the first day, 3,000 ticket requests poured in.
“We want to get people in the stands, and we want them to get a taste of Illinois football and see what that experience is like,” Whitman said. “We want to introduce our athletic program to a new generation of fans and that starts with our student body.”
Ticket deals aren’t the only thing Illinois is doing to help people get in on the ground floor of the Lovie Smith era. More musical events are coming to the Grange Grove tailgating area. A new marketing emphasis is being placed on the overall fan experience with a keen eye on student involvement.
Eventually, as the product improves, discounted tickets won’t be so necessary.
Whitman said he’s been too busy to dwell on that achievement, but he did admit that the dots were connected in a rather spectacular way in early March.
“When it’s happening, you’re just doing it,” he said. “We mapped out a plan and we knew exactly what had to happen.
“Now, the more I reflect on it, the more I appreciate our Board of Trustees, our president, our chancellor.
“I mean, here I am, seven or eight days on the job. I was 37 years old. They just hired me and I have a big idea that is pretty out of the box. And it was a bold move at an odd time on the calendar and it was going to cost us some money and they didn’t bat an eye.
“I just can’t emphasize enough how much that support meant to me then and continues to mean to me now. I think the fact that they were willing to stand up and support me and that moment sent a very strong message to our fans and it sent a very strong message to me.
“It worked out about as well as it could have.”
Two weeks from Saturday, the plan hits high gear when Smith leads the Illini onto the Memorial Stadium turf to open the season.
Whitman, a former Illini player, admits it will be a banner day for him.
“To be able to go into that stadium and see the Illini play a football game with the staff we put together and with a group of student-athletes who have persevered through an incredibly difficult period of time, it will be emotional.
“I hope to be down on the field at kickoff. I look forward to meeting the guys when they come off the field.
“It will be a very emotional moment for me.”
“I mean, here I am, seven or eight days on the job. I was 37 years old. They just hired me and I have a big idea that is pretty out of the box. And it was a bold move at an odd time on the calendar and it was going to cost us some money and they didn’t bat an eye.
“I just can’t emphasize enough how much that support meant to me then and continues to mean to me now. I think the fact that they were willing to stand up and support me and that moment sent a very strong message to our fans and it sent a very strong message to me.
“It worked out about as well as it could have.”
Two weeks from Saturday, the plan hits high gear when Smith leads the Illini onto the Memorial Stadium turf to open the season.
Whitman, a former Illini player, admits it will be a banner day for him.
“To be able to go into that stadium and see the Illini play a football game with the staff we put together and with a group of student-athletes who have persevered through an incredibly difficult period of time, it will be emotional.
“I hope to be down on the field at kickoff. I look forward to meeting the guys when they come off the field.
“It will be a very emotional moment for me.”
Muhammad Ali’s grandson commits to play football for Cal.
By John Taylor
(Photo/i.dailymail.co.uk)
Earlier this year, the nation shared in Biaggio Ali Walsh‘s grief over the passing of his iconic grandfather. On Sunday, Ali Walsh shared with the nation his decision on his future in football.
On his personal Twitter account this weekend, Ali Walsh revealed that he has decided to verbally commit to play his college football at Cal. In the tweet, Ali Walsh included a photo of himself with, among others, Golden Bears head coach Sonny Dykes.
Ali Walsh’s grandfather is the legendary Muhammad Ali, who died this past June.
A three-star 2017 prospect, Ali Walsh is rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 11 all-purpose running back in the country and the No. 8 player at any position in the state of Nevada. A product of national power Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School, Ali Walsh was named the Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year last fall, rushing for 2,451 yards and 36 touchdowns while averaging 12.1 yards per carry.
In addition to Cal, Ali Walsh held offers from, among others, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisville, UNLV and Vanderbilt.
NCAABKB: Will Coaches succeed at new schools?
By Dick Vitale
Former Pitt coach Jamie Dixon played at TCU and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1987 NBA draft. (Photo/Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
The summer is winding down, so we are getting closer to the college basketball season. I cannot wait for it to start, baby!
One thing that always interests me before the start of a new season is the list of coaching changes. I know there can be a lack of job security in coaching, and at times a veteran coach will go for a change of scenery.
This season, there are a number of coaching moves that have piqued my interest.
Here are seven coaching changes to keep an eye on this season. We'll see if these veterans can continue to have success at their new schools.
Jamie Dixon, TCU Horned Frogs
After serving 13 seasons as head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, Dixon decided to take over at his alma mater. Dixon returns home to TCU where he played for Jim Killingsworth and led the Horned Frogs to Southwest Conference titles as a junior and senior. Dixon is one of only eight coaches nationally to guide their program to 11 NCAA tournament appearances in the last 13 seasons. It will be a challenge to add to that streak in the competitive Big 12. Give him time and he will build a winner.
Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
He opted to leave Memphis, where he compiled a 167-73 record over seven seasons. The Tigers earned bids to the NCAA tournament four times during his tenure. Moving to the ACC is tough enough, but the Yellow Jackets lost several key players from last season.
Rebuilding will not be easy, and Pastner has added a couple of transfers to help out. Fans must be patient as Pastner really knows and loves the game. He eats, drinks and sleeps basketball. Pastner made a good move bringing in former Portland coach Eric Reveno to join his staff.
Jerod Haase, Stanford Cardinal
A former California Golden Bear as a player, Haase takes over for Johnny Dawkins. He comes to Palo Alto after completing his fourth season as the head coach at UAB, where he led the Blazers to a regular-season Conference USA championship in 2016 and the program's 15th all-time NCAA tournament appearance in 2015. Haase compiled an 80-53 overall record while improving the Blazers' win total every year. Haase led the Blazers to a 26-7 overall record and a 16-2 conference mark last season.
Johnny Dawkins, UCF Knights
The former Duke All-American wasn't out of work for long. Dawkins arrives in Orlando after an eight-year stint at Stanford, where he led the Cardinal to five postseason appearances, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2014. Dawkins also guided the Cardinal to two NIT Championships during his tenure (2012, 2015). Stanford put together four 20-win seasons in Dawkins' time as head coach. He is only the second coach in Stanford history with at least four 20-win seasons. Now he should make a difference in the American.
Bryce Drew, Vanderbilt Commodores
He replaces Kevin Stallings. Drew, a three-time Horizon League Coach of the Year, comes to the Commodores after a five-year stint at Valparaiso, where he averaged 25 wins per season. He won four regular season championships and made four postseason appearances, two in the NCAA Tournament and two in the NIT. In his five seasons at Valparaiso, Drew compiled a 124-49 overall record and in 2016, led the Crusaders to a 30-7 overall record, the most wins in program history, and a berth in the NIT title game. The cupboard is not bare as the Commodores have Luke Kornet among the veterans returning.
Kevin Stallings, Pittsburgh Panthers
Going from the SEC to the ACC is not easy. After spending the previous 17 seasons at Vanderbilt. Stallings enters his 24th season as a head coach with an impressive 455-283 (.617) record overall. His passion and energy should help make the transition work at Pittsburgh, but filling Dixon's shoes is a challenge too.
Herb Sendek, Santa Clara Broncos
He sat out a season after being let go by Arizona State. Sendek has been a winner everywhere he has been, and he knows his Xs and Os. Heading into his 23rd season as a head coach, he has the advantage of getting to work with his team on a trip to Italy during the offseason. Sendek also has a roster with six players at 6-foot-9 or taller, which should help. It is never easy facing the likes of Gonzaga and Saint Mary's in the WCC.
OLYMPICS: Medals Count (08/16/2016).
| Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States (USA) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 84 |
| 2 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 19 | 19 | 12 | 50 |
| 3 |  China (CHN) | 17 | 15 | 18 | 50 |
| 4 |  Russia (RUS) | 12 | 12 | 14 | 38 |
| 5 |  Germany (GER) | 11 | 8 | 7 | 26 |
| 6 |  Italy (ITA) | 8 | 9 | 6 | 23 |
| 7 |  Netherlands (NED) | 8 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| 8 |  France (FRA) | 7 | 11 | 9 | 27 |
| 9 |  Australia (AUS) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 24 |
| 10 |  Japan (JPN) | 7 | 4 | 18 | 29 |
| 11 |  South Korea (KOR) | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| 12 |  Hungary (HUN) | 6 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 13 |  Spain (ESP) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 14 |  New Zealand (NZL) | 3 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| 15 |  Brazil (BRA)* | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 16 |  Kenya (KEN) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 17 |  Canada (CAN) | 3 | 2 | 9 | 14 |
| 18 |  Croatia (CRO) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 19 |  Jamaica (JAM) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 20 |  Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 21 |  North Korea (PRK) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 22 |  Cuba (CUB) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 23 |  Poland (POL) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 24 |  Colombia (COL) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 25 |  Belgium (BEL) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
 Switzerland (SUI) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 27 |  Greece (GRE) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
 Thailand (THA) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 29 |  Argentina (ARG) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 30 |  Uzbekistan (UZB) | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 31 |  Iran (IRI) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 32 |  South Africa (RSA) | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 33 |  Ukraine (UKR) | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 34 |  Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 35 |  Denmark (DEN) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 36 |  Armenia (ARM) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 37 |  Belarus (BLR) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 38 |  Slovenia (SLO) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 39 |  Czech Republic (CZE) | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 40 |  Ethiopia (ETH) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
 Georgia (GEO) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| 42 |  Romania (ROU) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 43 |  Bahrain (BRN) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Slovakia (SVK) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
 Vietnam (VIE) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 46 |  Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 47 |  Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 48 |  Bahamas (BAH) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Fiji (FIJ) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Kosovo (KOS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Puerto Rico (PUR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Serbia (SRB) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Singapore (SIN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 54 |  Azerbaijan (AZE) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 55 |  Turkey (TUR) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 56 |  Indonesia (INA) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 Ireland (IRL) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 58 |  Lithuania (LTU) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 59 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Mongolia (MGL) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 61 |  Algeria (ALG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Grenada (GRN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Philippines (PHI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Venezuela (VEN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 66 |  Norway (NOR) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 67 |  Egypt (EGY) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Israel (ISR) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 69 |  Austria (AUT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Estonia (EST) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Moldova (MDA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Morocco (MAR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Portugal (POR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Tunisia (TUN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total (76 NOCs) | 204 | 204 | 226 | 634 | |
OLYMPICS: Simone Biles, Aly Raisman win gold and silver in floor final.
By Julia Fincher
(Photo/Associated Press)
Simone Biles finished her Rio Olympics with a fifth Olympic medal, fourth gold. Putting yesterday's mistake on the balance beam behind her, Biles added to her three consecutive world titles on floor with an Olympic gold.
In today's floor exercise final, Biles was better than her best. On her tumbling passes, always high-flying, she got so much air that she seemed in danger of smacking her head on the rafters. She had no problem staying in control when it was time to come back down to earth, and her dance work to Brazilian-themed music, including a piece from the animated movie "Rio,"got the crowd roaring.
With a score of 15.966, Biles was untouchable. As usual.
Not even the reigning Olympic champion on floor, Aly Raisman, could top her. Looking even better than she did in London, Raisman scored a 15.500 for her precise tumbling and own arsenal of extremely difficult tumbling skills.
In today's floor exercise final, Biles was better than her best. On her tumbling passes, always high-flying, she got so much air that she seemed in danger of smacking her head on the rafters. She had no problem staying in control when it was time to come back down to earth, and her dance work to Brazilian-themed music, including a piece from the animated movie "Rio,"got the crowd roaring.
With a score of 15.966, Biles was untouchable. As usual.
Not even the reigning Olympic champion on floor, Aly Raisman, could top her. Looking even better than she did in London, Raisman scored a 15.500 for her precise tumbling and own arsenal of extremely difficult tumbling skills.
In third place was Amy Tinkler, becoming the first British female gymnast to win an Olympic medal in Rio and first British woman ever to win an Olympic medal on floor exercise.
Final standings:
1. Simone Biles: 15.966
2. Aly Raisman: 15.500
3. Amy Tinkler: 14.933
4. Vanessa Ferrari: 14.766
5. Wang Yan: 14.666
6. Erika Fasana: 14.533
7. Mai Murakami: 14.533
8. Giulia Steingruber: 11.800
Jennifer Simpson wins first American medal in women's 1500m.
By Jay Busbee
(Photo/AP)
The women’s 1500 meter race historically has not been kind to Americans. In fact, you could classify it as downright rude. Not one American woman had ever won a medal in the 1500 meter run. Not until Tuesday night. Not until Jennifer Simpson.
Simpson had competed in the past three Olympic Games with, until Tuesday, no hardware to show for it. She remained in the pack for much of the opening laps of the race, an uncharacteristically slow start that broke into a sprint with two laps remaining.
Ahead of Simpson, Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia were staging a full-out duel that Kipyegon would go on to win decisively. Indeed, Dibaba faded so badly after Kipyegon passed her that Simpson nearly caught her for silver. In the end, Simpson finished in 4:10.53.
Simpson’s Team USA teammate Shannon Rowbury finished in fourth, just off the medal stand but a step up from her sixth-place finish in London.
With two silvers, Danell Leyva makes the most of his second chance.
By Associated Press
(Photo/USA Today Sports)
Danell Leyva wasn't even supposed to be competing in the Rio Games.
A dog bite to his leg slowed his preparations this spring and he was relegated to alternate status when the U.S. men's Olympic gymnastics team was announced in late June. He wasn't added to the five-man squad until John Orozco injured his left knee a month ago.
"Nobody has a perfect day, but I feel like this was as close to perfect as I could possibly have done," he said. "I'm incredibly happy."
Leyva was thrilled to have navigated through his many obstacles to win two medals.
However, there was one person that was probably just a bit more jazzed about his triumph.
His stepfather and coach Yin Alvarez ran around jumping and screaming — basically freaking out — after both of his performances.
"No matter what I do Yin is always more excited," Leyva said.
Alvarez maintained that energy long after the final medal ceremony. He bounded through the mixed zone high-fiving people and sporting a huge grin.
"I always say any medal, any color is good," Alvarez said. "So two silver medals in one competition in the same day is amazing."
Leyva, who won a bronze medal in the all-around competition in London, went first on the parallel bars on Tuesday. He pulled off a nearly flawless routine, and when he stuck the landing without so much as a hop he knew he'd be on the medal stand. He was even more confident after seeing his score of 15.900. But that didn't make the long wait for the final results any easier.
"It was a little stressful waiting for all the scores," he said.
He wasn't able to let up and fully soak in the moment after he won his first medal with only about an hour until he'd take on the high bars. He even issued a silent warning the apparatus as he was receiving his first medal of the day.
"Even when I was on the podium I was looking over at the high bar and I was like: 'I'm going to get you now, boy,'" he said.
Leyva fell on high bar during the team competition a week ago as the Americans finished a disappointing fifth. Even though they were too far back for his late fall to have mattered much in the standings, Leyva was hard on himself about the miscue and was relieved to stick his routine in the event finals.
"This was absolutely redemption, not only for me but for the team as well," he said.
He went last on the high bars, and his score of 15.500 knocked teammate Sam Mikulak out of a bronze medal and into fourth place. Leyva's big day gave the Americans three medals in men's gymnastics after Alex Naddour won bronze in the pommel horse.
Leyva's work not only allowed him to bounce back after his tough day in team competition, it was validation for the 24-year-old.
"Things didn't happen the way I expected, and it was unfortunate the way I was named onto this team," he said. "But that's what this medal is for — to show that I deserved to be on that team just as much as John did. And this is for him just as much as it's for me."
United States clobbers Japan to advance to semifinals.
By Bill Leopold
(Photo/nbcolympics.com)
For one half of basketball, it appeared as if Japan would hang with the United States and force them to play in their most competitive game in over a decade.
For the first 18 minutes and 48 seconds, Japan played the United States within two points, trailing just 48-46. But, in the next 72 seconds, the United States would go on an 8-0 run to close the second quarter.
In the second half, that run would turn into more, much more. With just under five minutes left in the third quarter, the U.S. lead was up to 17. By the end of that period, the U.S. led by 22.
In the final 21 minutes and 12 seconds, of the game, the U.S. outscored Japan 62-18. A two-point lead grew into a 46-point win. And once again the United States would march on to the semifinals, undefeated, but not unharmed.
Sue Bird went down with a knee injury in the second quarter. Details on her injury were not immediately available, but she did not return to the game.
Diana Taurasi may be the team’s best player, but Bird is the team’s leader, their heartbeat. Her absence will be felt if she cannot play going forward.
With Bird watching on, Taurasi continued her sprint towards the record for most threes in a single Olympic tournament. She already owns the record for most threes all-time by a woman in the Olympics and the most threes in a single game by a player wearing the stars and stripes. With five more today, she sits just one triple from tying the record, two from owning yet another.
Taurasi finished with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, tied with Maya Moore for the game-high. Moore added three rebounds, three assists and a steal to her line.
The U.S. finished with seven players in double digits, tying an Olympic record for the second time in the Rio tournament. No team has ever had eight players score 10 or more points in a game. The lone player not to score for the U.S. was Bird.
Depth again proved to be the difference in the game. The U.S. bench combined for 62 points, just two shy of the total for the entire Japanese squad.
Japan, a pesky young team without a player over 28 years old, kept it close for a half, and against the United States that’s an accomplishment.
They were paced by Ramu Tokashiki’s 14 points, three rebounds and four assists. Mika Kurihara and Sanae Motokawa each had 12.
With their 47th straight Olympic win, the U.S. continues on to the semis where they will play France, who has never beaten the U.S. in Olympic play.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, August 17, 2016.
emoriesofhistory.com
1894 - John Wadsworth of Louisville set a major league record when he gave up 28 base hits in a single game.
1973 - Lee Trevino got the first hole in one of his career at the U.S.I. Golf Classic, in Sutton, MA.
1986 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) was struck out for his last at bat by San Diego Padres relief pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage.
1973 - Lee Trevino got the first hole in one of his career at the U.S.I. Golf Classic, in Sutton, MA.
1986 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) was struck out for his last at bat by San Diego Padres relief pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage.
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