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Trending: Three growing questions facing Bears after two preseason games. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: What If The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls Are Actually Kind Of Good? (See the basketball section for Bulls and NBA updates).
Trending: Full schedule for Michigan and Road America. (See the NASCAR section for motor sports updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 80-45
Cubs 2016 Record: 80-45
White Sox 2016 Record: 60-64
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Three growing questions facing Bears after two preseason games.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Preseasons and training camps are about answering questions; every team comes out of off-seasons with them, ranging from Super Bowl winners (will they repeat?) to bottom-feeders (can the new guys play?).
The Bears have gotten some partial answers; tight end, for example, still has the unknown of health for Zach Miller and even pickup Tony Moeaki. But with converted defensive lineman Greg Scruggs coming back from a lung injury, prospects are arguably better than they appeared prior to the outset of camp. And if the contributions of running backs Ka’Deem Carey and Jordan Howard are still to come, that has not compromised the work of Jeremy Langford even as the Bears await the arrival of more members of the running-back “committee.”
Still, teams that lose their first two preseason games don’t always suggest that those questions are resolving. Indeed, teams that lose those first two preseason games as often as not are facing either new questions or an increasing pressure to answer the ones that hopefully were settling.
(Not that 0-2 preseason starts automatically portend darkness; the 1985 Bears opened 0-3 and the 2006 Bears began 1-2, and both of those reached Super Bowls.)
The 2016 Bears haven’t sparked comparisons with those just yet; both of those teams were coming off playoff seasons, something only one Bears team since that 2016 group has accomplished.
More to the immediate point, the 2016 team has reached the midpoint of its preseason with three questions standing out above others, and they were not necessarily ones that were foreseen as problems before this preseason began:
1. No. 2 quarterback
When the Bears signed Brian Hoyer as Jay Cutler’s understudy, it came with a bit of an exhale. No more Jimmy Clausen. No more Caleb Hanie. Enter Josh McCown Redux.
Except it has not gone close to expectations. Hoyer, who arrived with a better winning percentage as an NFL starter (15-11) than Cutler (67-67), has been abysmal, throwing two interceptions (the Bears’ only two this preseason) and compiling a 34.4 passer rating.
Preseason stats mean nothing, but preseason performances can and often do. And backup quarterbacks are simply caddies – until starters go down, and Cutler has not played a 16-game season since his first in Chicago (2009).
If there is a cause for concern with Hoyer, it is that his struggles have come against backups, not starters. David Fales posted a 125 rating last preseason. Clausen put up a 94 in 2014. Jordan Palmer registered a 103 in 2013. So Hoyer, with a 45.8 completion percentage, is puzzling.
“I don’t know that I’d call it struggling,” coach John Fox said after Thursday’s loss at New England. “He’s a new quarterback in our system. Everything is new to him. I’ve seen him improve since he’s been here.”
2. Turning (up) a corner
One cornerstone of winning defense is “rush-and-cover” – the complimentary combination of pass rush from the front and coverage by the back-end of the defense. The Bears have a growing question in the latter.
The play of Kyle Fuller at the cornerback spot opposite Tracy Porter was a matter of concern after last season, lessened to some extent by Fuller righting himself after a poor start to the year. But now his health is also an issue after knee surgery last week.
Unfortunately for the Bears, that is not their only question at a pivotal spot in their and any defense.
Jacoby Glenn got the start against the Patriots but left with a suspected concussion. Bryce Callahan, who emerged as a nickel corner with a future last year, missed Thursday entirely with a hamstring injury. De’Vante Bausby has flashed but not enough to move significantly up the depth chart after being a late-season addition to the practice squad. Sherrick McManis has played corner but not well enough to hold onto a job beyond special teams.
The Bears drafted Deiondre’ Hall in the fourth round and DeAndre Houston-Carson in the sixth. Both have potential but at this point that is all it is – potential, as in “possible.” But Hall in particular has impressed the dean of his position group.
“Deiondre, man, he’s always been that competitor,” Porter said. “Now it’s just trying to clean up little technique issues. It’s not anything terribly wrong that he’s doing. Either staying too high when he’s playing off coverage or not being in the right position when he’s playing press coverage. Aside from the closing speed and the athletic ability, he has everything you need. You just got to clean up the little things.”
3. At WR, numbers are there, but…
The offense is clear on its starting wideouts in the persons of designer (6-3, 220-ish pounds) Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, even if White has yet to dominate.
And that is an issue, until it’s not. White was the No. 7 pick of the draft to put explosion in the offense. Through his first two partial games, White has produced two catches for a total of nine yards.
“I just told him to play physical because he's big, he's strong and he's fast,” Jeffery said. “Coach CJ [Curtis Johnson] reminds him of that all the time. So just told him to go out and have fun, just play physical and just do what he’s been doing.”
Eddie Royal was penciled in as the veteran slot receiver. But Royal was penciled in there last year and managed to stay healthy for only nine games. He has not gotten back on the field yet from a training-camp concussion. He is guaranteed $4.5 million for 2016, but Bears Chairman George McCaskey has said that money will not be the prime determinant of roster decisions. And if there is a health concern, roster space is precious enough already.
Daniel Braverman was a camp phenom as a seventh-round pick, but has yet to spark any notice beyond three targets (two catches, seven yards) in 47 snaps played. Marc Mariani is a dependable Cutler target but Cameron Meredith, Kieren Duncan and others have not grabbed opportunities to make a statement that the Bears have impact options after the hoped-for ones in Jeffery and White.
UPDATE: Kevin White will take Bears offense to next level.
(Photo/Cover32)
Before anyone counts out the Chicago Bears offense this year, there is one last weapon still pending… wide receiver Kevin White.
Still looking to make his NFL debut, White missed all of last season due to a stress fracture in his left shin. The former 7th overall pick will play a big part in the Bears success on offense this season. For the Bears, it is not a matter of “if” he will be great, but a matter of “when” he will be great.
It has been one long year of recovery for Kevin White. Before undergoing surgery last summer, the wideout had big expectations for himself saying he was the Draft’s “best wide receiver” over Raiders’ Amari Cooper. Now, he is cautiously working on getting himself ready for the regular season. The Bears have given White all first team snaps. They are doing as much as possible to put him in different situations on the field to prepare him for opening day at the Texans on September 11.
White did see the field for the first time in Bears preseason opener against the Broncos. It was not the comeback he imagined catching the only ball thrown at him through ten snaps. However, it was a big step for him moving forward to finally get back on the field in a game atmosphere.
Head coach John Fox would agree it was not the team’s shiniest moment that night. The Bears were embarrassed on both ends of the ball losing with a score of 22-0. In his second preseason action, he railed in another reception but this time it came with one drop as well. Bears dropped their second game 23-22 to the Patriots. However, third team showed upside running the two minute drill with ease finishing on a 22 yard touchdown pass as time expired.
Chicago has focused on working to get White up to par with learning the offense and for the first time in his career, he will be lining up on the left side, opposite of Alshon Jeffery. Kevin White had great success on the right side at West Virginia, racking up more than 1400 yards receiving along with 10 touchdowns. With the duo of Jeffrey and White, the Bears are looking to take advantage of a great opportunity that could break this offense wide open.
It is time for White to step in and show the Bears why they drafted him. The Chicago Bears take on the Kansas City Chiefs in third preseason game on Saturday, August 27 at 1 pm ET.
Note: The post Kevin White will take Bears offense to next level appeared first on Cover32.
'Owies,' injuries, and the Bears trying to fuse together for Week 3 preseason.
By John Mullin
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Bears coach John Fox draws much the same distinction as your Mom might have, between real injuries and “owies,” those nicks and things that she could put a band-aid on and you would be back out playing before you’d missed a turn at bat.
Owies won’t keep players out of the Bears’ Sept. 11 opener in Houston against the Texans, so conclusions about whether it’s an injury or an owie don’t mean much at this point when thinking ahead for Week 1 availability.
But the seemingly endless drumbeat of players missing practice time – typically more than a dozen out of 90 on any given practice day – takes players out of the sessions they need to become parts of a whole on offense, defense or special teams. It means, for instance, that rookie outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, working to master pass-rush moves at the NFL level, misses time to work on those desperately needed moves against tackles and tight ends.
This time last year, linebackers Lamarr Houston and Willie Young were coming off injuries that ended their 2014 seasons. They were established veterans and it still took time, arguably the better part of a half season, for them to come all the way back physically, but also to integrate fully into the scheme with teammates.
Now with one of the NFL’s youngest rosters, the Bears could more than some other more veteran teams feel the effects of that lost time and chances to develop cohesion.
Fox has seen this situation before, and every preseason has injury stories. “I think it's pretty much the same in the other 31 [NFL] cities,” Fox said. “It's been about the same for me the last 15 years. So there's a difference between injuries and owies, so we've had a couple injuries and now it's just about getting everybody healthy for Houston.”
The sick-bay list by the time the Bears visit Houston is not expected to include guard Kyle Long, tight end Zach Miller, running back Jeremy Langford or nickel corner Bryce Callahan. But Long (shoulder) was working off to the side with right tackle Bobby Massie on footwork, not at full speed in practice. Callahan (hamstring) was just doing some light running, not in pads and not in concert with the rest of the nickel secondary projected to include him. Miller (concussion) was in a no-contact red jersey that called attention to his history of injury susceptibility.
They and others are not in any sort of game-week schedule.
“Everything is a schedule,” Fox said. “I don’t care who you are or where it is at home or at the office, there's a routine and a schedule. You like getting guys acclimated to the point of where we've got a 12 o'clock kickoff for a preseason game, which is a typical Sunday kickoff for us in our routine so I think the more you can expose guys to scheduling, kind of what you're expecting in the preparation, I think the better.”
Injuries, and owies, are doing that schedule no favors.
Balancing act: “Coach” Tracy Porter works at his own CB job while helping Bears wobbly young secondary.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
When Charles Tillman retired earlier this year, more than an elite cornerback was exiting the game. Tillman was a mentor to young defensive backs, even though he made it abundantly clear that he had no interest in moving on to coaching in his next career.
When the Bears re-signed Tracy Porter to a three-year contract this offseason, one that committed some $4.5 million to a cornerback who’d been with five different teams over the past five seasons, they were cementing in place more than just their top defensive back. They were committing to one of those hard-to-find individuals whose presence makes the whole greater than just the sum of the parts.
Porter, who has played 16 games just once (Oakland, 2009) in his eight NFL seasons, has started as many games in his career (79, including six in postseason) as the rest of the Bears defensive backs combined (75). The result is that Porter suddenly becomes the bell-cow for a group that is struggling to establish itself and a level of NFL competence.
“We’re young in the secondary outside of Tracy Porter for the most part and we’re just going to have to see what they’re capable of doing mentally as we go through the process here,” said coordinator Vic Fangio, “and how many schemes we can ask them to do effectively.”
A significant measure of how many of those schemes and everything else the secondary will be able to do traces (no pun intended) to Porter. He is not only the best defensive back on the roster; he also is the most experienced, from time in schemes with New Orleans, Denver, Oakland, Washington and now the Bears.
The situation is complex, however.
Veterans are too often assumed to be mentors to young players, even to the point of helping know where to line up, techniques and such. That involves in-game help, which is the nature of defense anyway. But a player assuming too much of a role in coaching others in his group can lose focus on his own job, a prelude to disaster.
“It can, but I try to do my best to focus in on what I need to do, and then once I see those guys taking their reps, then that’s when I go into the coaching mode,” Porter said. “But when I’m out there on the field, I’m locked in to what ‘21’ [his own number] and the rest of the defense has to do.
“But when the younger guys are in, I’m definitely in coaching mode. I’m getting my mental reps. At the same time, I’m watching those guys what they’re doing, if they’re having a missed assignment or having a not-so-good technique that I can help them with.”
The Bears had high hopes last year for tall cornerback Alan Ball, who started the first three games as Porter worked his way back from a preseason hamstring strain. Ball failed to capitalize on his opportunity and Porter replaced him at Seattle, then started the rest of the year.
And he has begun this year working at setting an example as he did last Nov. 26 when he intercepted one Aaron Rodgers pass and broke up four others – most by any player in Rodgers’ career. Last Thursday’s game at New England was preseason, meaning that stats are typically dismissed as meaningless (which they are decidedly not when they indicate a pattern or trend). Inside the Chicago 10 Porter stripped the football from a Patriots running back and recovered it. The play was one the Bears practiced and the result was a takeaway in a second straight game, something the Bears were unable to accomplish over the final seven games of 2015.
It also was the only pass breakup or forced/recovered fumble by any member of the secondary in the game.
But that is part of preseason, and with the spiraling injury list in the secondary, Porter’s work away from the football will continue to be an unofficial on-field “assistant” to defensive-backs coach Ed Donatell.
“My biggest challenge?” Porter reflected. “Just keeping the guys into it that are injured and bringing the guys that weren’t getting many reps, getting those guys up to speed, to catch up the first- and second-team defense.”
The situation is complex, however.
Veterans are too often assumed to be mentors to young players, even to the point of helping know where to line up, techniques and such. That involves in-game help, which is the nature of defense anyway. But a player assuming too much of a role in coaching others in his group can lose focus on his own job, a prelude to disaster.
“It can, but I try to do my best to focus in on what I need to do, and then once I see those guys taking their reps, then that’s when I go into the coaching mode,” Porter said. “But when I’m out there on the field, I’m locked in to what ‘21’ [his own number] and the rest of the defense has to do.
“But when the younger guys are in, I’m definitely in coaching mode. I’m getting my mental reps. At the same time, I’m watching those guys what they’re doing, if they’re having a missed assignment or having a not-so-good technique that I can help them with.”
The Bears had high hopes last year for tall cornerback Alan Ball, who started the first three games as Porter worked his way back from a preseason hamstring strain. Ball failed to capitalize on his opportunity and Porter replaced him at Seattle, then started the rest of the year.
And he has begun this year working at setting an example as he did last Nov. 26 when he intercepted one Aaron Rodgers pass and broke up four others – most by any player in Rodgers’ career. Last Thursday’s game at New England was preseason, meaning that stats are typically dismissed as meaningless (which they are decidedly not when they indicate a pattern or trend). Inside the Chicago 10 Porter stripped the football from a Patriots running back and recovered it. The play was one the Bears practiced and the result was a takeaway in a second straight game, something the Bears were unable to accomplish over the final seven games of 2015.
It also was the only pass breakup or forced/recovered fumble by any member of the secondary in the game.
But that is part of preseason, and with the spiraling injury list in the secondary, Porter’s work away from the football will continue to be an unofficial on-field “assistant” to defensive-backs coach Ed Donatell.
“My biggest challenge?” Porter reflected. “Just keeping the guys into it that are injured and bringing the guys that weren’t getting many reps, getting those guys up to speed, to catch up the first- and second-team defense.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? NHL Network ranks Corey Crawford No. 7 best goaltender in NHL.
By Brandon M. Cain
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(Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)
Chicago’s netminder is the best in the Central Division.
The NHL Network wrapped up its offseason position rankings with a top-10 list of goaltenders Saturday.
Two weeks ago, the Network ranked Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews the No. 1 and No. 5 best forwards, respectively. And then Duncan Keith earned the No. 4 ranking and Brent Seabrook took the No. 13 spot on the top-20 best defenseman.
Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford earned the No. 7 ranking, while Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby took the top spot. The only other Central Division goaltender on the list was Nashville Predators’ Pekka Rinne at No. 10.
Two weeks ago, the Network ranked Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews the No. 1 and No. 5 best forwards, respectively. And then Duncan Keith earned the No. 4 ranking and Brent Seabrook took the No. 13 spot on the top-20 best defenseman.
Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford earned the No. 7 ranking, while Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby took the top spot. The only other Central Division goaltender on the list was Nashville Predators’ Pekka Rinne at No. 10.
Crawford, 31, has won the Stanley Cup twice (2013, 2015) in six seasons. Last season, he was 35-18-5 with a 2.37 GAA and .924 save percentage, and led the League with seven shutouts. Crawford has had at least 30 wins in five straight 82-game NHL seasons and made the League's All-Rookie Team in 2010-11. His 48 career NHL playoff wins are third among active goalies, behind Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers (55) and Fleury (53). Crawford also has a 2.26 GAA, a .920 save percentage and five shutouts in 83 career postseason games for Chicago.
Blackhawks should turn attention to Jiri Hudler after missing out on Jimmy Vesey.
By Satchel Price
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The Hawks didn't land their Plan A, but veteran winger Jiri Hudler would be a nice alternative.
The Chicago Blackhawks aren't getting Jimmy Vesey, which means they could still really use some help on the wings entering next season. Vesey wasn't a sure thing, but he was clearly being pursued to come make an immediate impact. With him off the table, it's time to pursue a deal with Jiri Hudler.
The lack of talk about Hudler this deep into the offseason is, quite frankly, bizarre. He's one season removed from a 31-goal, 76-point campaign and his most recent season still delivered a respectable 46 points. He's been a solid 45-55 point scorer outside of that huge 2014-15 season. And yet, here we are in mid-August and not only is he still available, but there haven't been a ton of reports about him, either.
If the Hawks are after someone who can deliver offensively, Hudler is the best option left on the market. TSN's Travis Yost recently broke down Hudler's statistics and came away wondering why how nobody has signed him yet.
So you know that Hudler is a good option in general. In terms of his fit with the Blackhawks, his offensive ability would clearly be appealing. While he's not a big-bodied left winger like Vesey, there's little doubt the Hawks could find use for him. If the team did want to move Marian Hossa to the third line, Hudler could get a shot next to Jonathan Toews. Alternatively, Hudler could be used as a scoring weapon on the third line or even the second line if the team moved Patrick Kane up with Toews.
And most importantly, Hudler is a veteran with a track record. While Vesey wouldn't have solved this issue, the Hawks are betting big on unproven players like Nick Schmaltz, Vincent Hinstroza and Tyler Motte to help shoulder the load this season. Signing Hudler would take away at least one spot where those guys need to produce to be competitive and ease the pressure on the young guys to be huge contributors from Day 1. If one of the rookies needs a bit more time in Rockford, Hudler frees up the Hawks to do that without becoming painfully thin.
Now, there are some caveats here. Hudler is 32 years old, so he might already be declining. It's fair to wonder how his defense, which is actually pretty good, will hold up as he ages. He didn't exactly look light-footed in the playoffs with the Panthers last season. The forward is not a big-time shot producer and has long depended on stellar accuracy to shoot high percentages that many players can't sustain, with a career rate over 15 percent.
With that said, you can spin a lot of that in the right direction, too. He's still young enough that he shouldn't fall off a cliff next season, the Hawks can help ease his workload in practice and games, and his shooting ability could be valuable either next to Toews' playmaking or as a boost to the third line. There's more than enough there to believe it's worth doing if the terms are right.
It all comes down to the contract, and how cheap Hudler would come. The Hawks currently have a bit over $2 million in salary cap space. Hudler made $4 million last season, so he would need to be willing to take a significant pay cut for this to work. But it's late in the offseason, and Radim Vrbata settled for a deal with just $1 million guaranteed plus bonuses. Maybe the Hawks could come to a similar compromise, even if they can't give Hudler a bonus-laden deal because he's under 35 years old.
It's worth looking into for the Hawks, especially now that Vesey has spurned them in favor of the Rangers. Hudler was always an appealing option all along, and now that Plan A didn't work out, this would be a nice way for Chicago to finish its offseason.
CUBS: Jake Arrieta shuts down Padres, making another Cy Young push for Cubs.
By Satchel Price
(Photo/Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports)
The Hawks didn't land their Plan A, but veteran winger Jiri Hudler would be a nice alternative.
The Chicago Blackhawks aren't getting Jimmy Vesey, which means they could still really use some help on the wings entering next season. Vesey wasn't a sure thing, but he was clearly being pursued to come make an immediate impact. With him off the table, it's time to pursue a deal with Jiri Hudler.
The lack of talk about Hudler this deep into the offseason is, quite frankly, bizarre. He's one season removed from a 31-goal, 76-point campaign and his most recent season still delivered a respectable 46 points. He's been a solid 45-55 point scorer outside of that huge 2014-15 season. And yet, here we are in mid-August and not only is he still available, but there haven't been a ton of reports about him, either.
If the Hawks are after someone who can deliver offensively, Hudler is the best option left on the market. TSN's Travis Yost recently broke down Hudler's statistics and came away wondering why how nobody has signed him yet.
So, to recap: we know Hudler is still a very good 5-on-5 scorer. We know he’s still a very good individual shooter. And we can reasonably conclude that he’s a player that has a positive impact in the offensive zone for his teammates, who also become better shooters when working with him.
Is that enough to offset some of the lingering concerns around his game, be it mileage or defensive zone prowess? I think so. We are well beyond the point of silly season for free agent contracts, and it seems to me that he’s going to eventually sign to a low-term, low-financial risk contract with a team.
And most importantly, Hudler is a veteran with a track record. While Vesey wouldn't have solved this issue, the Hawks are betting big on unproven players like Nick Schmaltz, Vincent Hinstroza and Tyler Motte to help shoulder the load this season. Signing Hudler would take away at least one spot where those guys need to produce to be competitive and ease the pressure on the young guys to be huge contributors from Day 1. If one of the rookies needs a bit more time in Rockford, Hudler frees up the Hawks to do that without becoming painfully thin.
Now, there are some caveats here. Hudler is 32 years old, so he might already be declining. It's fair to wonder how his defense, which is actually pretty good, will hold up as he ages. He didn't exactly look light-footed in the playoffs with the Panthers last season. The forward is not a big-time shot producer and has long depended on stellar accuracy to shoot high percentages that many players can't sustain, with a career rate over 15 percent.
With that said, you can spin a lot of that in the right direction, too. He's still young enough that he shouldn't fall off a cliff next season, the Hawks can help ease his workload in practice and games, and his shooting ability could be valuable either next to Toews' playmaking or as a boost to the third line. There's more than enough there to believe it's worth doing if the terms are right.
It all comes down to the contract, and how cheap Hudler would come. The Hawks currently have a bit over $2 million in salary cap space. Hudler made $4 million last season, so he would need to be willing to take a significant pay cut for this to work. But it's late in the offseason, and Radim Vrbata settled for a deal with just $1 million guaranteed plus bonuses. Maybe the Hawks could come to a similar compromise, even if they can't give Hudler a bonus-laden deal because he's under 35 years old.
It's worth looking into for the Hawks, especially now that Vesey has spurned them in favor of the Rangers. Hudler was always an appealing option all along, and now that Plan A didn't work out, this would be a nice way for Chicago to finish its offseason.
CUBS: Jake Arrieta shuts down Padres, making another Cy Young push for Cubs.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
West Coast atmosphere, late August, almost no-hitter stuff for a Cubs team riding a wave of momentum. Jake Arrieta might be reentering the zone that made him the hottest pitcher on the planet last year.
It felt that way on Tuesday night at Petco Park, where Arrieta shut down the San Diego Padres during a 5-3 victory, making a statement in his Cy Young Award defense.
Arrieta allowed only two hits across eight scoreless innings, finishing with six strikeouts against three walks while efficiently using his 99 pitches. Alex Dickerson’s single leading off the second inning ended the no-hitter suspense before it ever really began, and the Padres wouldn’t get another one until Christian Bethancourt’s double with two outs in the eighth.
OK, the Padres are already 20 games under .500 and years away from being a serious contender. The Cubs also played spectacular defense behind Arrieta, turning three double plays while catcher Willson Contreras picked a runner off third base in the first inning. And a thunderous lineup led by Kris Bryant (33rd home run) and Addison Russell (fifth home run in his last five games) lowered the stress level.
But at a time when Clayton Kershaw (back) and Stephen Strasburg (elbow) are on the disabled list, leaving potential playoff opponents like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals in scramble mode, the Cubs can see Arrieta (16-5, 2.62 ERA) getting stronger and building toward October.
The way Arrieta did with that Aug. 30 no-hitter last year at Dodger Stadium on national TV.
Now it’s Kyle Hendricks’ turn, as the Cubs look for the majors’ ERA leader to finish off the three-game sweep on Wednesday afternoon in the Gaslamp Quarter.
No doubt, Addison Russell is becoming a star for Cubs.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
On a team bursting with MVP frontrunners and Cy Young Award candidates – and in
a clubhouse with louder, flashier personalities – Addison Russell can emerge as an All-Star shortstop and not become the center of attention.
But here at Petco Park last month, Russell drew scrutiny for his spot in the all-Cub infield, patiently answering questions from reporters about whether or not he deserved to be the National League starter the fans voted for in that popularity contest.
To be fair, Russell might actually be developing into a superstar now, a Gold Glove-caliber defender with legitimate middle-of-the-order power, someone absolutely essential to what the Cubs are doing now. Russell crushed the San Diego Padres again on Tuesday night, opening up a two-run game with a two-run homer in the fifth inning of a 5-3 victory.
“Just watch me over the course of a year,” Russell said. “My numbers may not be great or whatever, but I contribute to my team every single day. I play my heart out for my team.”
Super-agent Scott Boras pointed out that Russell is now only one of five shortstops within the last 40 years to have at least 19 homers during his age-22 season, joining Cal Ripken Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Troy Tulowitzki and Corey Seager.
Russell is the first Cubs shortstop to reach the 80-RBI mark since Ernie Banks did it in 1961. For all the comparisons to Barry Larkin, he didn’t make his big-league debut with the Cincinnati Reds until the age of 22, and didn’t exceed 12 homers in a season until five years later.
Russell has homered five times in his last five games, leads the best team in baseball with 23 multi-RBI games and exemplifies a no-panic approach that should translate in October.
“I’ve said all year, we have guys on our team that get on base and it’s my job to get them over or get them in,” Russell said. “I’ve taken that role to heart. It’s a lot of fun out there. I challenge myself whenever I’m in that situation.”
Russell’s highlight-reel play during Monday night’s victory inspired manager Joe Maddon to give him a bottle of Justin Isosceles wine with a “6-3” written on it. Imagine the reward if Russell wins a Gold Glove.
“Defensively, it’s as good as there is being played right now,” Maddon said. “It’s getting to the point where there’s nobody else like that right now.”
Whether or not Russell can stay healthy and remain productive enough to become another Mr. Cub – or come close to matching Larkin’s Hall of Fame numbers – you don’t get the sense he will be a one-time All-Star.
“I’m very happy for him, because I know prior to being selected, that was an issue,” Maddon said. “I’m so proud of him, how he came out and confronted it in his own way, very quietly, but in a distinguished manner. That’s who he is.
“Now he’s showing everybody how good he is. And I also believe that event has pretty much catapulted him to the point he’s at right now (with) the status that he felt by being here. In some ways, there was this negative dialogue going on. He’s turned it into a very positive one. Good for him.”
Jason Heyward resets after mental break and responds to playoff-lineup talk around Cubs.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
With Jason Heyward looking lost at home plate, could the Cubs be forced to sit their $184 million outfielder in October?
It’s a question Joe Maddon doesn’t have to answer directly now, one that the manager wishes will go away, because Heyward’s Gold Glove defense, baseball IQ and playoff experience should translate in cold-weather, low-scoring, one-run games.
Maddon didn’t frame this as a benching, hoping to reboot Heyward’s offensive game with a four-day break that ended with Monday night’s 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. It shouldn’t be like flipping a switch for a hitter who woke up with an overall .617 OPS, a .170 batting average after the All-Star break and one home run since June 11.
But maybe this fifth-inning sequence shows Heyward’s luck is about to change. Moments after what looked like an RBI double landed just foul on the wrong side of the right-field line, Heyward lifted an Edwin Jackson pitch 365 feet out toward the top of the right-field fence, where it bounced off a fan trying to make a catch for a two-run homer. The way this season has gone for Heyward, you sort of expected an interference call to erase it.
“I’m not worried about the playoffs,” Maddon said. “I just want to make the playoffs and then we’ll take it from there.
“You still got six weeks (left). There’s so much baseball to be played. So many different things are going to occur. He can become the hottest hitter in the National League over the next month. He’s very capable of that. I don’t even think about the playoffs. I don’t think about playoff rosters. I think about Monday night in San Diego.
“To get any further than that along mentally is a trap.”
It’s a question Joe Maddon doesn’t have to answer directly now, one that the manager wishes will go away, because Heyward’s Gold Glove defense, baseball IQ and playoff experience should translate in cold-weather, low-scoring, one-run games.
Maddon didn’t frame this as a benching, hoping to reboot Heyward’s offensive game with a four-day break that ended with Monday night’s 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. It shouldn’t be like flipping a switch for a hitter who woke up with an overall .617 OPS, a .170 batting average after the All-Star break and one home run since June 11.
But maybe this fifth-inning sequence shows Heyward’s luck is about to change. Moments after what looked like an RBI double landed just foul on the wrong side of the right-field line, Heyward lifted an Edwin Jackson pitch 365 feet out toward the top of the right-field fence, where it bounced off a fan trying to make a catch for a two-run homer. The way this season has gone for Heyward, you sort of expected an interference call to erase it.
“I’m not worried about the playoffs,” Maddon said. “I just want to make the playoffs and then we’ll take it from there.
“You still got six weeks (left). There’s so much baseball to be played. So many different things are going to occur. He can become the hottest hitter in the National League over the next month. He’s very capable of that. I don’t even think about the playoffs. I don’t think about playoff rosters. I think about Monday night in San Diego.
“To get any further than that along mentally is a trap.”
Heyward has talked repeatedly about ignoring his own personal numbers, focusing on how to help the Cubs win that night and getting a chance to start over in the postseason. He laughed when a reporter asked if he felt any better or different and believes his luck will even out and that hot streak could be around the corner.
“You always think you’re going up there every at-bat to get a hit,” Heyward said. “Right now, if I’m going to err, err on the aggressive side. That’s a good way to be. I’m going to be ready to hit and let the ball go if it’s not there. But I’m not worried about six weeks. I’m worried about tomorrow.
“Playoff-wise, my teammates know I can help this team win. My manager, my coaches know I can help this team win. I know I can help this team win. And that’s the bottom line. We’ve done this collectively, so it’s not about one person.”
Maybe Maddon reaching into his bag of motivational tricks and relaxation techniques will help unlock the player who created a bidding war among the Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals during the offseason.
“He’s endured a lot, in the sense that he hasn’t hit like he wanted to,” Maddon said. “Being the free-agent signing, honestly, that’s got to weigh on you a little bit.
“I’ve been really impressed with how he’s been able to maneuver through all of this, not hitting to the level that you would expect, but I know that he’s going to. But in the meantime, he’s just playing (a good game of) baseball.
“I give him a lot of credit. The guy is just dripping with emotional intelligence.”
OK, this home run came against Jackson, an ex-Cub who’s on his third team since getting released last summer in the middle of a $52 million contract. And Heyward committed his first error in a Cubs uniform in the sixth inning, running in hard for Brett Wallace’s line drive and misplaying it for a two-base mistake. But the Cubs are looking for any sort of confidence boost at this point.
“I want to see a smile on his face,” Maddon said. “Just play hard, like he always does. I’d rather see him cut back on his work right now and just play the game. I want him fresh, mentally and physically, because there are so many different ways he can help you win a baseball game.
“I just want him to go play. I mean that sincerely. He can’t do any more work. He can’t try anything differently. He can’t work any harder. He can’t do any of that. It’s impossible. Just go play.”
Jon Lester, Edwin Jackson and a Cubs rotation that keeps rolling.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs completely whiffed in their evaluation of Edwin Jackson and still built the best rotation in baseball, one filled with Cy Young Award candidates.
Whether or not This Is The Year, the Cubs will feel confident in any October matchup, even with John Lackey (strained right shoulder) on the disabled list, reliever Rob Zastryzny (2013 second-round pick) finally becoming the first pitcher from the Theo Epstein regime’s five draft classes to play for the big-league club and Jackson on his third team since getting released last summer in the middle of a $52 million contract.
The Cubs kept rolling through this summer of great expectations with Monday night’s 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, or about a mile from the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where team executives did shots in a hotel bar to toast the $155 million Jon Lester megadeal during the 2014 winter meetings.
Lester limited a rebuilding (again) Padres team to one run across six innings, giving the Cubs 15 quality starts through 20 games this month. The rotation has gone 13-1 with a 1.89 ERA in August, making the downturn that gave Cubs fans and the Chicago media All-Star-break fodder seem like ancient history.
Whether or not This Is The Year, the Cubs will feel confident in any October matchup, even with John Lackey (strained right shoulder) on the disabled list, reliever Rob Zastryzny (2013 second-round pick) finally becoming the first pitcher from the Theo Epstein regime’s five draft classes to play for the big-league club and Jackson on his third team since getting released last summer in the middle of a $52 million contract.
The Cubs kept rolling through this summer of great expectations with Monday night’s 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, or about a mile from the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where team executives did shots in a hotel bar to toast the $155 million Jon Lester megadeal during the 2014 winter meetings.
Lester limited a rebuilding (again) Padres team to one run across six innings, giving the Cubs 15 quality starts through 20 games this month. The rotation has gone 13-1 with a 1.89 ERA in August, making the downturn that gave Cubs fans and the Chicago media All-Star-break fodder seem like ancient history.
“I don’t really care,” Lester said. “I don’t care what’s being said or what’s being looked at or whatever. I just try to do my job. That’s all I worry about. At the end of the year – like I’ve said before – the main number for me that I’m always concerned about is 200 innings. So if that’s there, then all the other stuff is kind of gravy.”
Lester has accounted for 154 innings this year and his 20 quality starts are tied for the major-league lead with Justin Verlander and Madison Bumgarner. Not that Lester – who brought a sense of purpose and a competitive drive into this clubhouse – is satisfied with that or happy with a 100-pitch count on a night where he had bat-breaking stuff.
“I don’t really like quality starts,” Lester said. “I think it’s kind of a made-up stat that helps guys that don’t go deep into ballgames. I think quality starts should go to the seventh inning.”
Jackson – who went 16-34 with a 5.37 ERA in a Cubs uniform and whose four-year deal will finally come off the books after this season – couldn’t navigate this lineup. Jackson got through five innings and gave up five runs, including homers to Addison Russell (18), Kris Bryant (32) and Jason Heyward (after a Joe Maddon-imposed four-game mental break).
“I wasn’t here when Eddie came in, but I can understand why the guys did it,” said Maddon, who managed Jackson with the Tampa Bay Rays. “He’s got that kind of ability, man. It’s in there. There’s no question it’s in there.
“He’s had a couple really wonderful years where expectations and reality came together. But overall with him, it’s just a matter of command and where his fastball is going. Stuff-wise, athletically speaking, he is one of the better young pitcher athletes to come around in a long time.”
That never happened in Chicago. The Cubs once dreamed about Jackson’s under-30 potential, giving a long-term deal to a player who had already bounced around to seven different teams. The Cubs understood you have to take risks in the free-agent market and projected a durable right arm. The Cubs got a good clubhouse dude who’s not a front-of-the-rotation leader.
Lesson learned. In Lester, Epstein’s front office could leverage all their shared history with the Boston Red Sox – makeup, medical, big-market/championship experience – and have a much better idea of the return on that investment.
“He’s just been really rolling them out there,” Maddon said. “Game after game after game, you kind of know what to expect from him right now.”
WHITE SOX reward Carlos Rodon's outstanding start with win over Phillies.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Carlos Rodon has once again found the kind of groove that makes the White Sox hopeful about the direction in which he’s trending.
The left-hander continued a strong August on Tuesday night with his best start of the season.
The 2014 first-rounder pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the White Sox crushed the Philadelphia Phillies 9-1 in front of 18,843 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Rodon — who has a 1.46 ERA in 24 2/3 innings this month — won for the second time in four starts and Jose Abreu and Justin Morneau homered as the White Sox were victorious a third straight time.
“If (Rodon) keeps running like that, he’s going to be a superstar,” said rookie catcher Omar Narvaez.
Rodon’s second season has begun to shape up much like his rookie campaign.
He pitched better through his first 14 starts of 2016 than he did a year ago, allowing three earned runs or fewer in 10 of those turns. But Rodon didn’t have much to show for it as he surrendered leads or pitched with a razor thin margin of error because of lackluster run support.
Same as last season, Rodon has turned it on in August. Over his final eight starts in 2015, Rodon went 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA.
With some help from Narvaez and an overpowering fastball, Rodon looked strong throughout a 109-pitch effort.
He worked around a first-inning jam and took off. Rodon struck out Tommy Joseph and Cameron Rupp after he allowed a pair of one-out singles, which began a stretch where he retired 14 of 15 batters. Rodon also worked around a leadoff double in the sixth inning as he lowered his ERA to 4.02.
One key to the effort was finding a different way to make his slider more effective. Narvaez said he and Rodon began to use it as a backdoor slider after he struggled early with command and hitters laid off it.
“The slider wasn’t working too good down and in, they’d take it, so Omar set up a tad outside and just brought it back in,” Rodon said. “It was nice. It was huge. Had something to gauge off of to get that slider off the outside corner and it worked out well.
“Just comfortable, got on a roll and everything worked out.”
Rodon allowed three hits, walked one and struck out four. He has struck out 20 and walked only six batters in his last 24 2/3 innings.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Rodon’s effort has been in large part to improved power pitching. Rodon averaged 95.6 mph with his fastball on Tuesday, according to brooksbaseball.net.
“He’s made some strides from where he was before,” Ventura said. “He was trying to pick. When he’s like that he’s not that guy. Everything he does has effort, and its strength. When he has it going on it looks really good. He doesn’t need to get away from his strength and physicality is one of them. When he picks around and throws soft stuff he’s not as effective.”
Rodon’s offense rewarded him handsomely.
Adam Eaton tripled and scored on Tim Anderson’s RBI groundout in the first inning.
Anderson then tripled in Eaton in the third to make it a 2-0 game. Abreu, who blasted a two-run homer in the fifth, singled in a run in the third and Todd Frazier had a sac fly to put the White Sox ahead by four runs.
Morneau’s solo shot in the fifth followed Abreu’s two-run homer off Jake Thompson to put the White Sox ahead 7-0. Carlos Sanchez also had an RBI single and Melky Cabrera had an RBI double.
Rodon was victorious for only the fourth time in 12 decisions this season. Prior to the start of the second half, Rodon said he needed to throw out his rough first half and start over.
The way he has pitched of late has him confident in himself once again. The next step is putting it together from the start of the season, he said.
“When you’re in a zone you just try to stay in it, to be honest,” Rodon said. “Hopefully in the future you have a complete year instead of just doing it in the second half.
“It’s all a process, what Coop says. It’s building up to it and trying to get like Q and Sale. Those guys are very good, top of the line starters, left-handers in the game, probably the very best. I’d love to be like that.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... What If The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls Are Actually Kind Of Good?
johnwilmeswords, UPROXX
(Photo/Getty Images)
The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls are a big bag of question marks and potentially fast-ticking time bombs.
After signing Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo in July — two ball-dominant stars staring down the barrel of their thirties without their former athleticism — to then put around franchise player Jimmy Butler, the Bulls decidedly didn’t embrace the youth movement they had suggested undertaking at the end of a sourly disappointing 2015-16 campaign. This instead is a pivot into a mainstream-concerned roster weirdness that, while it suggests tons of fun of the cultural and celebrity kind, is perhaps too complicated, both emotionally and tactically, for sophomore head coach Fred Hoiberg to organize into an Eastern Conference contender.
What, though, if things worked out? What if these disparate, intricate puzzles of men formed a selfless and highly effective trio under the guidance of Hoiberg? How would that even look?
The most important hurdle towards this goal, for starters, is ball movement. Wade, Rondo, and Butler all lack fear-inspiring shooting depth — Butler is below 35 percent on his career, while Rondo and Wade are frighteningly worse, both shooting less than 30 percent. Doug McDermott projects to be the best three-point shooter on the team, but he’s still a big concern defensively and in most other regards as he enters his third season.
The best way for any team without a true three-point threat to compensate for their lack of presence at the arc is by way of a kinetic offense, in which the balls flies freely and is allowed to be what it is on all great teams: the fastest, most active player on the floor. Butler and Wade are both known to hold the rock for long stretches of time, dribbling and juking their defenders into submission over an extended series of tricks and slips before shooting, and Rondo — while a perennial league-leader in the assist category — takes a sort of artistic license himself with every possession. The former Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings point guard has bounced around the league in recent years at least in part due to the stubborn streak he takes on when teammates and coaches don’t share his grid-breaking vision for the game.
Rondo, Wade, and Butler need to be on the same wavelength for the Bulls to have any chance. The ideal manifestation of their shared talents involves a ton of back cuts and other old-school misdirection. All three are smart enough to make this happen and build a chemistry that ties the opponent into confused knots, but it’s a tricky piece of alchemy, and who knows if Hoiberg can make it happen? An optimistic reading has him being the ideal coach for the combative Rondo, due to his tranquil, hands-off approach, but the line between laissez-faire and mismanagement can often be quite fine.
Hoiberg and company will need more than a well-fused veteran Cerberus to thrive this year, though. Youngsters Nikola Mirotic, Bobby Portis, Jerian Grant, Denzel Valentine and Cristiano Felicio — along with the aforementioned McDermott — will need to fill in where the leading trio cannot. Center Robin Lopez, acquired from the New York Knicks trade that sent Derrick Rose away, is likely to start alongside power forward Taj Gibson and will also play a large role. Lopez can’t shoot either, so Portis and Mirotic especially will need to provide some spacing in the frontcourt to make up for Chicago’s lack of it in the backcourt.
The Bulls’ young core is talented and exciting but needs to execute consistently enough to make their veteran counterparts play into their strengths. If first- and second-year players are turning the ball over and missing assignments, Wade, Butler, and Rondo are all the more likely to lapse into the plodding, spaceless half-court tendencies all their skeptics expect. If the Bulls aren’t pushing the ball far, fast, and often, they won’t win many games.
Hoiberg’s biggest challenge is getting them to accept the strange intersection of ages and talents that his front office has given him, and develop an identity idiosyncratic enough to belly the roster’s trends into the wrong NBA directions.
Golf: I got a club for that..... The Barclays preview: Fed Ex Cup opener presents last chance for Ryder Cup points.
The Sporting News
Golf legend Sam Snead famously called Bethpage "an unfair test" after beating Byron Nelson in a 1940 exhibition. While the course presents a long, tough test for PGA Tour pros, modern technology has all but eliminated courses being too tough.
The top four golfers in the world (Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson) are all in the field this week, ready to host the $10 million trophy at the end of the four weeks.
Emiliano Grillo and Smylie Kaufman, who won the season's first two events back in October, top a list of six rookies in the field. Grillo seems like the favorite to win Rookie of the Year following a solid summer.
This is also the final week for Ryder Cup hopefuls to earn points and an automatic bid on their respective teams. The nine automatic bids on the European team are already filled, but three automatic American team spots remain open for the taking.
Here are this week's top golfers:
Jason Day (FedEx Cup standing: 1) — The world's best golfer has played like it this season winning three times with nine top 10s. Despite battling injuries off and on throughout the season, Day enters the week healthy and in charge of his game.
Fantasy Advice: Day is the most expensive player, but should be worth the price.
Fantasy Advice: Day is the most expensive player, but should be worth the price.
Dustin Johnson (2) — Johnson's baffling missed cut at the PGA Championship aside, no one has been as consistent as him throughout the season. With two wins and a whopping 12 top 10s, and the fact his game is perfectly suited for this bomber's course, makes him a favorite. Fantasy Advice: Start despise the cost. He has six top 10s in his last seven starts.
Rickie Fowler (28) — Motivation is a powerful tool, and Fowler desperately wants to make the Ryder Cup team. Though he's on the outside looking in, he did shoot four straight rounds in the 60s last week, and he has a ton of Ryder Cup experience. He's ranked eighth in the world, but has only one top 10 since May. Fantasy Advice: We like him this week. His game is rounding into form and he finally seems focused.
Jim Furyk (94) — Despite playing in just 12 events due to a wrist injury keeping him out to start the season, Furyk has made up for lost time in a big way. Mr. 58 has finished in the top 10 in his last two starts and still needs a Ryder Cup spot. Fantasy Advice: He's a solid play because he's motivated, relatively cheap and in good form.
Henrik Stenson (14) — Stenson has had a tremendous summer, highlighted by a British Open win and a silver medal at the Rio Olympics. The 40-year-old Swede has finished in the top 7 in five of his last seven starts. Expect the same during the playoffs. Fantasy Advice: He always seems like a sleeper. Don't sleep on him this week.
Others to watch:
Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose
Sleepers:
Ricky Barnes, Kyle Stanley, Emiliano Grillo, Paul Casey and Blayne Barber
The Barclays 2016: Tee Times, TV Schedule, Prize Money.
Golf.com Staff
Stars Kick Off FedEx Cup Playoffs at The Barclays The biggest names in golf head to Bethpage to kick off the FedEx Cup playoffs, including The Barclays defending champ, Jason Day.The PGA Tour's season-ending FedEx Cup playoff series kicks off on Thursday. First stop: The Barclays at Bethpage Black.
The top 125 points earners from the 2015-16 wraparound season compete for the chance to move on to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship and stay in the running for the biggest payday in golf.
Top-ranked Jason Day is the defending champion at this event. He tees off with fellow major winners Dustin Johnson and Adam Scott at 8:26 a.m. on Thursday.
Reigning FedEx Cup champion Jordan Spieth tees off to defend his title at 1:06 p.m. alongside Russell Knox and Brandt Sneaker.
What: The Barclays
Where: Bethpage State Park (Black), Farmingdale, N.Y.
When: Thursday-Sunday Aug. 25-28
Purse: $8.5 million
Defending champion: Jason Day (-19)
TV SCHEDULE
Thursday: 2 - 6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Friday: 2 - 6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Saturday: 1 - 2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 - 6 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday: 12 - 1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2 - 6 p.m. (CBS)
THURSDAY TEE TIMES (All times EST)
7:20 a.m.: Adam Hadwin, Chad Campbell, Chez Reavie
7:20 a.m.: Jerry Kelly, Brian Stuard, Jason Bohn (10th tee)
7:31 a.m.: Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Palmer, Vaughn Taylor
7:31 a.m.: Danny Lee, Billy Horschel, Kevin Streelman (10th tee)
7:42 a.m.: Alex Cejka, Chris Kirk, Ben Martin
7:42 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Justin Rose, Kyle Reifers (10th tee)
7:53 a.m.: James Hahn, Aaron Baddeley, Tony Finau
7:53 a.m.: David Lingmerth, Luke Donald, Jon Curran (10th tee)
8:04 a.m.: Emiliano Grillo, Charley Hoffman, Scott Piercy
8:04 a.m.: Kevin Chappell, Henrik Stenson, Si Woo Kim (10th tee)
8:15 a.m.: Smylie Kaufman, Graeme McDowell, Rickie Fowler
8:15 a.m.: Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na (10th tee)
8:26 a.m.: Brooks Koepka, Jason Dufner, Daniel Berger
8:26 a.m.: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott (10th tee)
8:37 a.m.: Brian Harman, Martin Laird, Hudson Swafford
8:37 a.m.: Jim Furyk, Robert Streb, Lucas Glover (10th tee)
8:48 a.m.: Andrew Loupe, Boo Weekley, John Huh
8:48 a.m.: Jonas Blixt, Brett Stegmaier, Robert Garrigus (10th tee)
8:59 a.m.: Blayne Barber, Mark Hubbard, Ben Crane
8:59 a.m.: Graham DeLaet, Troy Merritt, Luke List (10th tee)
12:00 p.m.: Webb Simpson, Bryce Molder, Spencer Levin
12:00 p.m.: Scott Brown, Harold Varner III, Russell Henley (10th tee)
12:11 p.m.: Paul Casey, Billy Hurley III, K.J. Choi
12:11 p.m.: Jason Kokrak, Ricky Barnes, Freddie Jacobson (10th tee)
12:22 p.m.: Roberto Castro, Colt Knost, Brendan Steele
12:22 p.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman, Patton Kizzire (10th tee)
12:33 p.m.: Jim Herman, Gary Woodland, Jamie Lovemark
12:33 p.m.: J.B. Holmes, Charles Howell III, Fabian Gomez (10th tee)
12:44 p.m.: William McGirt, Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar
12:44 p.m.: Harris English, Rory McIlroy, Daniel Summerhays (10th tee)
12:55 p.m.: Justin Thomas, Kevin Kisner, Hideki Matsuyama
12:55 p.m.: Bill Haas, Charl Schwartzel, Jhonattan Vegas (10th tee)
1:06 p.m.: Russell Knox, Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker
1:06 p.m.: Ryan Moore, Bubba Watson, Branden Grace (10th tee)
1:17 p.m.: David Hearn, Johnson Wagner, Peter Malnati
1:17 p.m.: Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, John Senden (10th tee)
1:28 p.m.: Zac Blair, Tyrone Van Aswegen, Francesco Molinari
1:28 p.m.: Keegan Bradley, Cameron Tringale, Sean O’Hair (10th tee)
1:39 p.m.: Sung Kang, Shawn Stefani
1:39 p.m.: Michael Kim, Kyle Stanley, Derek Fathauer (10th tee)
1:50 p.m.: David Toms, Seung-Yul Noh
FRIDAY TEE TIMES (All times EST)
7:20 a.m.: Scott Brown, Harold Varner III, Russell Henley
7:20 a.m.: Webb Simpson, Bryce Molder, Spencer Levin (10th tee)
7:31 a.m.: Jason Kokrak, Ricky Barnes, Freddie Jacobson
7:31 a.m.: Paul Casey, Billy Hurley III, K.J. Choi (10th tee)
7:42 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman, Patton Kizzire
7:42 a.m.: Roberto Castro, Colt Knost, Brendan Steele (10th tee)
7:53 a.m.: J.B. Holmes, Charles Howell III, Fabian Gomez
7:53 a.m.: Jim Herman, Gary Woodland, Jamie Lovemark (10th tee)
8:04 a.m.: Harris English, Rory McIlroy, Daniel Summerhays
8:04 a.m.: William McGirt, Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar (10th tee)
8:15 a.m.: Bill Haas, Charl Schwartzel, Jhonattan Vegas
8:15 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Kevin Kisner, Hideki Matsuyama (10th tee)
8:26 a.m.: Ryan Moore, Bubba Watson, Branden Grace
8:26 a.m.: Russell Knox, Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker (10th tee)
8:37 a.m.: Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, John Senden
8:37 a.m.: David Hearn, Johnson Wagner, Peter Malnati (10th tee)
8:48 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Cameron Tringale, Sean O’Hair
8:48 a.m.: Zac Blair, Tyrone Van Aswegen, Francesco Molinari (10th tee)
8:59 a.m.: Michael Kim, Kyle Stanley, Derek Fathauer
8:59 a.m.: Sung Kang, Shawn Stefani (10th tee)
9:10 a.m.: David Toms, Seung-Yul Noh (10th tee)
12:00 p.m.: Jerry Kelly, Brian Stuard, Jason Bohn
12:00 p.m.: Adam Hadwin, Chad Campbell, Chez Reavie (10th tee)
12:11 p.m.: Danny Lee, Billy Horschel, Kevin Streelman
12:11 p.m.: Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Palmer, Vaughn Taylor (10th tee)
12:22 p.m.: Zach Johnson, Justin Rose, Kyle Reifers
12:22 p.m.: Alex Cejka, Chris Kirk, Ben Martin (10th tee)
12:33 p.m.: David Lingmerth, Luke Donald, Jon Curran
12:33 p.m.: James Hahn, Aaron Baddeley, Tony Finau (10th tee)
12:44 p.m.: Kevin Chappell, Henrik Stenson, Si Woo Kim
12:44 p.m.: Emiliano Grillo, Charley Hoffman, Scott Piercy (10th tee)
12:55 p.m.: Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na
12:55 p.m.: Smylie Kaufman, Graeme McDowell, Rickie Fowler (10th tee)
1:06 p.m.: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott
1:06 p.m.: Brooks Koepka, Jason Dufner, Daniel Berger (10th tee)
1:17 p.m.: Jim Furyk, Robert Streb, Lucas Glover
1:17 p.m.: Brian Harman, Martin Laird, Hudson Swafford (10th tee)
1:28 p.m.: Jonas Blixt, Brett Stegmaier, Robert Garrigus
1:28 p.m.: Andrew Loupe, Boo Weekley, John Huh (10th tee)
1:39 p.m.: Graham DeLaet, Troy Merritt, Luke List
1:39 p.m.: Blayne Barber, Mark Hubbard, Ben Crane (10th tee)
NASCAR: Power Rankings: Kevin Harvick capitalizes on misfortune above, moves to No. 1.
By Nick Bromberg
(Photo/Getty Images)
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 6): Harvick makes a five-spot leap simply because four of the five drivers ahead of him had major issues throughout the race. Hell, so did Denny Hamlin, but we’ll get to him in a second.
Harvick didn’t qualify well (22nd), but that can be attributed to the lack of a qualifying run in practice. He had an incredibly fast car in race trim and when he fell back to second place behind Joey Logano with less than 150 laps to go, it simply felt like a matter of time before Harvick was going to get around Logano and set sail.
This is also a huge boost for the confidence of the No. 4 team. While that may sound crazy, this was a team that was excelling despite mistakes on pit road and other self-inflicted problems. Harvick has been so good that it may be hard to recognize when the team isn’t fully clicking. This is what happens when Harvick and team have a complete race.
2. Denny Hamlin (LW: 4): Stop speeding on pit road, Hamlin. The two-time 2016 winner got his 12th speeding penalty at Bristol and has the most speeding penalties of any driver in the Cup Series. Going fast on the track is good. Going fast on pit road is not.
That wasn’t the only problem Hamlin had as well. He had to pit for a loose wheel under green and ended up losing two laps. He got those laps back and ended up finishing third. Hamlin’s a title contender too (as is all of Joe Gibbs Racing), but given the preponderance of speeding penalties, it’s too easy to envision how an ill-timed penalty could bring his Chase to a premature end.
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 1): It’s not a stretch to say Busch had the race’s best car. But he also had a car that broke as evidenced by the spin he had while running near the front of the field.
If Busch’s parts failure was a broken shock or something similar, it’s very likely he wouldn’t have been able to finish the race. But wondering about the seriousness of the broken part became an extreme hypothetical when he got slammed into by Justin Allgaier. The car was toast after that.
Fun fact: Busch has led 529 laps (256 Sunday) over the past five Bristol races. His finishes are 29th, 36th, eighth, 38th and 39th.
4. Brad Keselowski (LW: 2): Keselowski was a man with nowhere to go. He was in position to capitalize on the racing for the lead between former teammate Kurt Busch and current teammate Joey Logano. But when Busch got loose he slid in front of Keselowski and the 2012 champion couldn’t avoid him. You’ve undoubtedly seen the replays of the 10-car pileup that ensued.
5. Joey Logano (LW: 3): Logano escaped that crash unscathed but didn’t finish anywhere in the vicinity of the lead. Logano finished 10th after a flat tire that could have been a hell of a lot more disastrous. Logano felt the tire going down after he was passed for the lead and almost hit the wall as a caution came out. He made it to pit road and was able to restart on the lead lap, but, coupled with another pit stop to fix some front-end damage, never contended for the lead over the last 75 laps.
6. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 10): Johnson survived and finished seventh on Sunday. He was the highest-finishing Hendrick car, though it wasn’t by much. All four Hendrick cars finished in the top 15. Given the way things have gone for HMS over the past few weeks, that’s a win. We’re probably not alone in thinking the team will find something before the second round of the Chase to give the JGR cars a run.
7. Jamie McMurray (LW: 12): Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyle Larson’s misfortune was McMurray’s gain on Sunday. Larson got crashed in the 10-car pileup and ended up 24th. Meanwhile, McMurray finished eighth. The 16-point gain means Jamie Mac has a 46-point lead over Larson with three races to go before the Chase. McMurray is the next-to-last driver in on points currently while Larson is the second driver outside the Chase after Trevor Bayne.
8. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 7): Ah, the Truex misfortune struck again at Bristol. After running in the top 10 for most of the day, Truex’s day was over through no fault of his own. He slowed up for Kyle Busch’s stopped car and looked like he was going to make it past Busch unscathed. Well, until Allgaier happened. After Allgaier hit Busch’s car he slammed into Truex’s. So long, top 10. Truex finished 23rd.
9. Kurt Busch (LW: 8): Busch was reflective after he exited the infield care center following getting loose and spurring the 10-car crash.
That inside with the rosin and the VHT if you don’t hit it exactly right you lose a lot of time. I tried to make up for it and got loose … We had a win in our sights and I just drove the car at 101 percent instead of that 99.”
Do you blame Busch for pushing the issue? We certainly don’t. Despite all his consistency this year he still has just one win.
10. Matt Kenseth (LW: 9): Kenseth got crashed in the 10-car pileup but much like the drivers ahead of him we couldn’t drop him too much. He also tweeted this after the race. We like Kenseth humor.
11. Tony Stewart (LW: 5): Stewart had a rear hub issue that derailed his race quickly after it resumed on Sunday. We also don’t blame Stewart for asking his team if it was worth it to get the car fixed and back out on the track given he’s going to make the Chase. The team didn’t quit, however, and Stewart finished 30th, one spot ahead of his successor Clint Bowyer.
12. TIE: Chris Buescher and Austin Dillon (LW: NR): We vacillated between the two drivers so we went with a tie. Dillon’s fourth-place finish solidifies himself as a likely member of the Chase. He’s now 11th in the standings, the highest of any driver without a win. Buescher finished fifth and unlike his win at Pocono thanks to the fog, no one has any right to call it close to a fluke. It goes an incredibly long way to putting Buescher in the Chase.
Lucky Dog: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. There’s something about Stenhouse and Bristol. He finished second on Sunday and three of his six career top-five finishes have come at the track. Stenhouse has three top-fives in 2016, the most he’s had in any season.
The DNF: Well, we’ve already talked about Kenseth and the Busch brothers and the only other driver who got a DNF (and finished below the three) is Justin Allgaier. Sorry, Allgaier. He was subbing for Michael Annett, who was sick and unable to race.
Dropped Out: Kyle Larson
Full schedule for Michigan and Road America.
NASCAR Staff Report
The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will gather for a doubleheader showing at Michigan International Speedway this weekend while the XFINITY Series makes a stop at Road America. Check out the full schedule below.
Note: All times are ET
FRIDAY, AUG. 26:
ON TRACK: MICHIGAN
-- Noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
-- 1:30-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS2 (Follow live)
-- 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS2 (Follow live)
-- 5:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
GARAGECAM (Watch live)
-- 11:30 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
ON TRACK: ROAD AMERICA
-- 10-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice (Follow live)
-- Noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice (Follow live)
-- 6:35 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
SATURDAY, AUG. 27:
ON TRACK: MICHIGAN
-- 8:30-9:25 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC (Follow live)
-- 9:45 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, CNBC (Follow live)
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Careers for Veterans 200 Presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski's Checkered Flag Foundation (100 laps, 200 miles), FS1 (Follow live)
ON TRACK: ROAD AMERICA
-- 3 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (45 laps, 182.16 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
SUNDAY, AUG. 28:
ON TRACK: MICHIGAN
-- 2 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 (200 laps, 400 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
SOCCER: Fire try to win second straight with LA Galaxy in town Wednesday on CSN+.
NASCAR Staff Report
(Photo/NASCAR.COM)
The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will gather for a doubleheader showing at Michigan International Speedway this weekend while the XFINITY Series makes a stop at Road America. Check out the full schedule below.
Note: All times are ET
FRIDAY, AUG. 26:
ON TRACK: MICHIGAN
-- Noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
-- 1:30-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS2 (Follow live)
-- 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS2 (Follow live)
-- 5:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
GARAGECAM (Watch live)
-- 11:30 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
ON TRACK: ROAD AMERICA
-- 10-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice (Follow live)
-- Noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice (Follow live)
-- 6:35 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
SATURDAY, AUG. 27:
ON TRACK: MICHIGAN
-- 8:30-9:25 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, CNBC (Follow live)
-- 9:45 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Follow live)
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, CNBC (Follow live)
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Careers for Veterans 200 Presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski's Checkered Flag Foundation (100 laps, 200 miles), FS1 (Follow live)
ON TRACK: ROAD AMERICA
-- 3 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (45 laps, 182.16 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
SUNDAY, AUG. 28:
ON TRACK: MICHIGAN
-- 2 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 (200 laps, 400 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
SOCCER: Fire try to win second straight with LA Galaxy in town Wednesday on CSN+.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Fire had its biggest, most important win of the season on Saturday. The next step is proving it wasn’t a fluke.
The Fire finally snapped that road winless streak Saturday in Montreal. Wednesday against the LA Galaxy the Fire won’t be on the road, but the game is still a chance to prove the Fire have actually improved.
The match will be televised on CSN+ at 7:30 p.m. with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. with Fire Pregame Live.
The match will be televised on CSN+ at 7:30 p.m. with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. with Fire Pregame Live.
It may be hard to believe given how poorly the Fire started the season and that they’ve been in last place for most of the season, but a win would go a long way to putting the Fire (5-11-7, 22 points) within striking distance of a playoff spot. Chicago sits six points out of the final playoff spot with 11 matches remaining and four teams to catch.
Picking up that win won’t be easy because the Galaxy (9-4-11, 38 points) have the second fewest losses in the league. One of those losses came Saturday, a 1-0 defeat at New York City FC.
“We have to take advantage of this momentum,” Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said. “We are playing against one of the best teams in the league.”
The Galaxy feature a number of big names, but Fire fans may recognize Mike Magee and Jeff Larentowicz before some of the stars. Both players return to Toyota Park for the first time after playing multiple seasons for the Fire.
The 31-year-old Magee has made 13 starts in 24 appearances and has six goals and four assists in 2016. Larentowicz has made 10 starts in 15 appearances.
The focus tactically for the Fire will likely revolve around the Galaxy’s talented attacking players. Beyond Magee, who won the 2013 MLS MVP with the Fire, Robbie Keane (7 goals in 13 matches this season), Gio Dos Santos (8 goals, 8 assists) and Gyasi Zardes (5 goals, 5 assists in 17 matches) are a handful.
The Galaxy have some similarities to the Fire’s last opponent, Montreal, in that they have big-name, high-producing forwards. In the case of the Impact it was Didier Drogba and Ignacio Piatti. However, Paunovic doesn’t see the Fire’s approach changing regardless.
“The similarity would be for sure the attitude and the approach to win the game we had against Montreal,” Paunovic said. “That’s going to be similar, but I believe even if we could play again the same game against Montreal it would be impossible to repeat. What I’m trying to say is that every game is different even if you’re trying to play the same lineup, even if you’re playing against the same lineup, the same everything, every game is different. Even if there are some similarities in their style in having experienced and quality guys in their team, it’s going to be different.”
Eric Gehrig will miss his second straight game due to a hamstring injury. Nick LaBrocca, who sat out against the Impact, was back in training this week, but not as a full participant. LaBrocca (quad), Arturo Alvarez (knee) and Razvan Cocis (knee) are all listed as questionable as of Monday. Fullback Robbie Rogers and goalkeeper Brian Rowe are questionable for LA.
Chicago Fire vs. LA Galaxy
When: 7:30 p.m. (coverage begins at 7 p.m. with Fire Pregame Live)
TV: CSN+
Where: Toyota Park
EFL Cup roundup: Chelsea, Liverpool advance; Watford, WBA lose to League 1 sides.
EFL Cup roundup: Chelsea, Liverpool advance; Watford, WBA lose to League 1 sides.
Associated Press
(Photo/Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Watford and West Bromwich Albion were beaten by third-tier opposition in the English League Cup on Tuesday, while fellow Premier League sides Liverpool and Everton enjoyed big wins in the second round.
Chelsea was pushed hard by third-tier Bristol Rovers before also advancing to the third round with a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
Watford lost 2-1 to Gillingham after extra time and West Brom was beaten 4-3 on penalties by Northampton after they finished 2-2 after 120 minutes.
Northampton famously ousted Liverpool in the 2010-11 competition, but the Reds easily avoided a so-called “giant-killing” this time round by thrashing Burton Albion 5-0. Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to score two goals and wrap up victory over the second-tier side managed by former Liverpool forward Nigel Clough.
Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino also scored for a full-strength Liverpool team, and there was an own goal.
“Very serious, very professional performance by my side,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who added that second-half injuries to Emre Can and Origi were not serious.
Everton also had a substitute striker scoring a late double, with Arouna Kone’s goals sealing a 4-0 home win over fourth-tier Yeovil.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte‘s decision to field a team largely made up of reserve players nearly backfired. Belgium striker BatshuayiMichy Batshuayi scored two first-half goals as Chelsea took a 3-1 lead into halftime, before Rovers scored a 48th-minute penalty and struck the crossbar as they went in search of an equalizer.
Devoid of European football this season, Liverpool and Chelsea will likely take the League Cup seriously. They are two of the most successful clubs in the competition’s history, having won it 13 times between them.
Stoke, Swansea, Hull and Crystal Palace were the other Premier League teams to progress to the third round, when clubs involved in Europe enter the draw that takes place Wednesday.
Peter Crouch scored a hat trick – including one goal from a scissor kick – in Stoke’s 4-0 win at Stevenage, Oliver McBurnie scored twice on his debut for Swansea in a 3-1 win at Peterborough, Hull beat Exeter 3-1 away and Palace was a 2-0 winner at home to Blackpool.
Palace gave a debut to new record-signing Christian Benteke, who played the first half before being substituted.
Derby beat Carlisle 14-13 on penalties to equal the most goals scored in a shootout in the competition’s history.
Champions League roundup: Roma self-destruct at home; Celtic sneak into group stage.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo/Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
A roundup of Tuesday’s action in the UEFA Champions League qualification play-off round…
Roma 0-3 (1-4) Porto
Roma finished Tuesday’s second leg with just nine players and no chance of Champions League glory this season after Daniele De Rossi and Emerson Palmieri were shown red cards either side of halftime. Of course, the home side had already conceded to go 1-0 down on the night (2-1 on aggregate). It was a simple header by Felipe that put the Portuguese side in front, a lead they would never relinquish.
Porto put the game and the tie away with a pair of goals scored by Mexican national teamers, Miguel Layun and Jesus Corona inside the game’s final 20 minutes.
Monaco 1-0 (3-1) Villarreal
Monaco came into the second leg with a 2-1 lead — and two away goals — meaning any drawing score would put them through. For 89 minutes on Tuesday, it was a scoreless stalemate with Villarreal, but Fabinho grabbed a late goal from the penalty spot and secured the Ligue 1 side’s place in the group stage.
Hapoel Beer Sheva 2-0 (4-5) Celtic
Brendan Rodgers‘ side made it as tight and nervy as they possibly could do, but Celtic are through to the group stage after dropping the second, 2-0 in Israel. It was 1-0 after 20 minute and 2-0 after 48 minutes, but the hosts needed a third goal to win the tie on away goals, and it never came.
Elsewhere in CL play-off action
Legia Warsaw 1-1 (3-1) Dundalk
Viktoria Plzen 2-2 (2-4) Ludogorets Razgrad
Wednesday’s schedule
Borussia Monchengladbach (3) vs. (1) BSC Young Boys
Rostov (1) vs. (1) Ajax
Red Bull Salzburg (1) vs. (1) Dinamo Zagreb
APOEL (0) vs. (1) Copenhagen
Changes to Champions League format, payouts up for discussion on Thursday.
Associated Press
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The richest clubs and biggest leagues in Europe are set to tighten their grip on the Champions League’s future format and prize money this week.
A deal being prepared by UEFA should end threats by some elite clubs to break away and form a closed European Super League before 2021.
However, it could ensure that more guaranteed places in the 32-team group stage and bigger shares of billion-dollar prize money each season will go to teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus from the four highest-ranked national leagues.
In the hours before the group-stage draw on Thursday, a series of meetings with clubs and UEFA executive committee members in Monaco is expected to agree changes to entry slots for the 2018-2021 seasons.
UEFA and the influential European Club Association declined to comment on reports that the top leagues – in Spain, Germany, England and Italy – will each get four direct entries into the groups.
In a statement to The Associated Press, UEFA said only that it “expects to announce the evolution” of the Champions League at a news conference on Friday.
Italian clubs are looking to be the big winner. Serie A would offer four direct entries to the group stage, compared to two in the current three-season commercial cycle which expires in 2018.
Spain, England and Germany would also benefit by ending the risk of its fourth-placed club losing in the playoff round each August. Advancing through the playoffs is worth tens of millions of euros (dollars) as UEFA will share 1.3 billion euros ($1.47 billion) among the 32 group-stage clubs this season.
Italy has a dire recent record in playoffs. Serie A sends its third-placed team to the final qualifying stage and only AC Milan in 2014 has advanced in the past six seasons.
Changing the Champions League format is possible only every three years. It must be agreed before UEFA’s retained marketing agency can sell Champions League and Europa League rights to broadcasters and sponsors for the next cycle.
The debate this year has been intense with clubs seeming to take advantage of a UEFA leadership gap since outgoing president Michel Platini was suspended by FIFA last year.
It should be resolved ahead of a Champions League draw missing recent winners Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan and Inter Milan. They all failed to qualify, but would expect to join an American-style closed European league where the likes of surprise English champion Leicester would not automatically appeal to most broadcasters.
Options favorable to the most influential clubs included more entries for the top leagues, bigger shares of the prize fund, protected places for storied clubs with a global fan base, and playing matches on Saturdays rather than midweek to appeal to Asian and American audiences. Outside Europe, viewers are judged to want more games between high-profile teams.
The deal now reportedly on UEFA’s table gives clubs some concessions, while keeping Platini’s vision for the world’s most prestigious club competition.
Platini, who played in the 1980s-era European Cup when only national champions were in a pure knockout bracket, had worked to protect entries for more teams from middle-ranking countries.
This season, Bruges, Basel and Besiktas – title winners in Belgium, Switzerland and Turkey – are among 22 teams with direct group-stage entry. It is unclear how those places could be squeezed if the big-four leagues get 16 guaranteed slots instead of 11 at present.
Basel president Bernhard Heusler declined to comment to The AP ahead of attending Thursday’s meeting of the UEFA club competitions committee.
UEFA acknowledged the next format is being agreed sooner than expected. A deadline of December’s meeting of the UEFA executive committee was set after tense meetings in Milan on May 28, ahead of the Champions League final.
The new timetable should see the tournament’s immediate future settled before the UEFA presidential vote on Sept. 14 to replace Platini.
The election front-runner, Aleksander Ceferin of Slovenia, has won public support from countries like Denmark and Sweden, whose title-holders regularly qualify for Champions League groups but are not seen as commercially attractive.
Some club leaders, including Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, say the Champions League is undervalued despite UEFA raising 2.24 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in annual commercial revenue for the Champions League and Europa League combined in the 2015-2018 cycle.
That gives a 12 million euro ($13.6 million) basic fee to each team in the Champions League groups. The top earner can get around 100 million euros ($113 million) from UEFA when results bonuses and TV rights shares are added.
Still, that is barely more than the English Premier League pays its last-place team from TV money, and the top European clubs want a bigger share of Champions League money from the next deal.
That deal could be struck, fittingly, on Thursday in a five-star hotel in Monte Carlo.
NCAAFB: Wildcat Shootaround: What would you consider a successful season for Northwestern?
By Zach Pereles
(Photo/Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports)
With the season less than two weeks away, we begin to take a look at the bigger picture heading into 2016. The Wildcats are likely the least-talked-about 10-win team in the country from last year, but that doesn’t seem to bother Pat Fitzgerald. He’s focused on proving that it’s a team that will be talked about once we get into the swing of things. Coming off back-to-back 5-7 seasons, last year’s 10-3 record was a major pleasant surprise, and overall a more successful season than anyone could have projected. What will we need to see in 2016 to consider it a success? Our writers discuss this purposely-open-ended question.
Zach Pereles: I think to truly consider this year a success, Northwestern needs to do three things. First, beat Iowa. Second, have no blowout losses. Third, win a bowl game.
To the first point (which overlaps with the second), Iowa is Northwestern’s biggest rival, at least in Pat Fitzgerald’s eyes. And look what the Hawkeyes have done to Fitzgerald’s team the past two seasons: a combined score of 88-17. In 2014, the Hawkeyes drubbed the Wildcats in Kinnick, the third straight loss in a row for NU that season. It was an embarrassment. Then in 2015, Northwestern needed to bounce back from its first loss of the season (at Michigan) but instead got throttled. It was the only game all year in which the defense truly looked bad. Time to get back at the defending B1G West champs.
Additionally, people aren’t taking Northwestern seriously because of the three big losses in 2015. Want to move up in the polls? Beat teams. Want to gain respect, though? At least hang with the elite ones.
Last, Northwestern is 2-10 in bowl games. That has to change. Remember 2012, when the Wildcats finished 10-3 and won their bowl game? Tons of respect and hype as a contender heading into 2013. But a 10-3 season and a bowl game blowout loss last year? It leads to nothing in terms of 2016 expectations, at least from national media. Time to earn some respect in addition to those wins.
Sam Brief: A trademark win. Last year, the Wildcats got that in Week 1 with a season-defining win over Stanford. It set the tone for the season and has proven to be the major positive talking point for Northwestern fans. A trademark win isn’t going to happen in Week 1 (Western Michigan <<< Stanford), but there are plenty of opportunities. In October alone, the Wildcats travel to Iowa City, East Lansing and Columbus. A win in one of those three games would be season-defining, and if they win the rest of the games they’re supposed to win, would cement this season as a success. Even more important is a second-consecutive winning season, preferably of nine-plus wins. After their practice in Kenosha yesterday, seniors Austin Carr, Ifeadi Odenigbo and Jaylen Prater were adamant that two winning seasons in a row (which hasn’t happened since the 2009-10 seasons), and even two consecutive 10-win seasons (which hasn’t happened in Northwestern football’s history) would help sustain a more serious national reputation for the program, as well as help their recruiting. In order to achieve that, a win against Iowa, Michigan State or Ohio State is essential, and I think a winning season with one of those three victories would be considered a success, especially given the success of last year. And, like Zach said above, a bowl win would go a long, long way.
Will Ragatz: Looking at Northwestern’s schedule, the magic number for a successful 2016 is eight. Eight regular season wins, with none of the four losses coming in Michigan/Iowa/Tennessee fashion, would be a successful season for the Wildcats. A bowl win would be a huge added bonus, but if Northwestern plays a close game and comes up short against a solid team, the season will have still been a good one. Now, how does Pat Fitzgerald get his team back to eight wins? By beating almost all of the teams Northwestern is better than or similar to, talent-wise. I don’t think a win against any of Iowa, OSU or MSU is necessary to call this season a success; all three of those would be shocking upsets on the road. What that means is the Wildcats have to go 8-1 against the rest of their schedule. A single close loss against Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota or Indiana is acceptable, but that’s it. Obviously, if one of those eight wins comes against one of the three elite teams, that’s even better. This scenario is highly doable, but will take plenty of strong performances. Even though an eight-win season without a marquee victory wouldn’t necessarily do much to change the national perception of Northwestern, Wildcat fans should hold their heads high if the team can reach that plateau.
Josh Burton: Success is obviously a vague word, so I’ll start with a vague answer. In order for this season to be termed a success, Northwestern has to build on its surprising 2015 season and continue the momentum from it, as opposed to taking a step back and reverting to the mediocre teams of previous years. By building on last year’s 10 wins, I mean that Northwestern has to string together multiple bowl seasons in a row, starting with 2016. The schedule is tougher, thanks to the new nine-game conference schedule, but there are enough winnable games (the three in non-conference, Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, etc.) for this team to post at least six wins. Sure, one or two of those games could easily result in a loss, but if Northwestern is going to continue to be in the top half of the Big Ten, bowl eligibility is a minimum.
Furthermore, in the losses to Michigan, Iowa and Tennessee in 2015, Northwestern was outscored by 107 points. Elite, even just good, teams don’t get beaten that badly against solid competition. When playing the Iowa’s and Ohio State’s of the conference, Northwestern has to be somewhat competitive or—like last season—the close wins against subpar foes will be severely overshadowed. In order to be a consistent contender, and use the 10-win season in a beneficial way going forward, Northwestern needs to be formidable all year long, not just in isolated pockets here and there.
Martin Oppegaard: After its last 10-win season in 2012 that ended with a Gator Bowl victory over Mississippi State, Northwestern took a big step backwards with two consecutive five-win seasons. That cannot happen again if Northwestern is looking to solidify itself among the Big Ten elite. The Wildcats absolutely need to start 3-0 and build on that momentum heading into conference play. Let’s follow up a great season with a great season.
This year’s schedule is daunting, but that gives Northwestern more opportunities for that trademark win. Last year, it was Week 1 against Stanford, or you could say it was on the road, in the snow, amidst some controversy at Camp Randall. This year, road games at Iowa City, East Lansing, and Columbus are great opportunities for Northwestern to get a signature upset win on the road. Winning one of these three would be great, but at the very least, keep it respectable.
Finally, I think success can be defined by ending the season on a high note with a bowl victory. I watched in horror as missed kicks doomed Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl and Outback Bowl, and saw Northwestern come up short in the Ticket City and Meineke Car Care Bowl. We don’t need to talk about last year. All I want is a bowl victory.
Zach Wingrove: I’m in agreement with Ragatz. I think with the schedule that Northwestern has this season, eight regular season wins should be the goal. In my opinion, Northwestern’s first three non-conference games, along with conference matchups against Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota and Illinois are all games that the Wildcats should win. Then I have the two home matchups against Nebraska and Wisconsin as toss ups and the road matchups against Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State as projected losses (although I’m still skeptical of Michigan State given all the talent it lost from last season). Essentially, if Northwestern can take care of business in all seven of the games that it should win and win at least one of the two toss up games I mentioned, the Wildcats will finish at that magic number of eight regular season wins and go to back-to-back bowl games. Some of the other goals listed above such as winning a bowl game and having no blowout losses would be added bonuses; but I think coming off a 10 win season in 2015, it would be huge if the Wildcats can show some consistency handling the lower-tier teams in Big Ten and reaching eight wins in 2016.
Rob Schaefer: To me, the biggest key to a successful 2016 season for Northwestern is putting 2015 as far in the rearview mirror as possible. While 10 wins and an Outback Bowl berth, regardless of the result, is definitely something to build on, it’s important for Northwestern players, coaches and fans alike to not let those accomplishments over-inflate expectations for this year. Northwestern over-achieved more than most anyone in college football in 2015, and while a lot of that is attributable to Pat Fitzgerald’s ability as a coach, there’s also reason to believe the Wildcats’ 2015 campaign could have just been a statistical anomaly. Success is ultimately defined by expectation, and maybe I’m being too much of a realist here, but I’d consider a ‘successful’ Northwestern football season winning all the games it should (there are seven of those), picking up a marquee win or two along the way (think Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa) and winning a Bowl game, something the program has done only twice in the last 68 years. For these reasons, my ‘magic number’ of wins for a successful Northwestern football season is eight (and a bowl win)... I’ll leave a little room for the Cardiac ’Cats to exceed expectations one more time.
Ian McCafferty: Three things: a winning record, a bowl game victory and statistical offensive improvement. These sort of all go hand in hand considering Northwestern will need improvement on offense to be better this season, but don’t exactly have to.
First things first, they have to have a winning record. They can’t pull a 2013 type season again, or they’ll lose all the momentum they gained last year. Whether this means 7-5 or 10-2, either would be a success. Just get at least a decent bowl game against a decent opponent and the season would be a base level success.
Now if that happens, that leads us to probably the most important factor here. Winning a bowl game. I’m sure most of you already know this, but Northwestern has only ever won two bowl games, and one of those was in 1948. Honestly, as long as a bowl victory doesn’t improve the Wildcats to 6-7, this by itself would make the season a success.
The third part of our trifecta would be offensive improvement. Thorson looks better, a couple wide receivers emerge as go-to guys, the running game is still potent, all of that and more. This should be considered a transition year by any means, especially after winning 10 games in 2015, but if the offense can improve this year, then that means 2017 (given the schedule) could truly be something special.
Bristol Motor Speedway turning into football field for Tennessee-Virginia Tech game.
Mike Strange, USA TODAY NETWORK
Trucks began laying gravel on the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway Monday, August 22, 2016 to transform it from a NASCAR short track to the location of what will be the world's largest college football game. (Photo: Michael Patrick / Knoxville News Sentinel)
Trucks and equipment were lined up early Monday in the fog outside Bristol Motor Speedway. They awaited the green flag to start the great conversion for the Battle at Bristol.
When the first load of gravel was dumped on the infield, the jumbo scoreboard overhead marked the countdown at 19 days and 12 hours to transform a speedway into a football venue fit to host a record crowd.
Tennessee plays Virginia Tech in the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol on Sept. 10. Attendance is expected to surpass 150,000.
The massive transformation couldn’t begin until after BMS hosted a regularly scheduled NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Rain forced postponement of the race from Saturday to Sunday, tightening the window to build a football field where none existed.
"We already had contingencies for two days built in,’’ Adam Rust, BMS senior purchasing director, said Monday morning. "We immediately switched over and added some resources.
"We will be caught up by the end of the day.’’
The trucks just kept coming. There will be 450 of them just to deliver nearly 11,000 tons of gravel from Vulcan Materials.
Other trucks from T&B Equipment arrived to begin erecting risers for 5,000 temporary premium seats. Yet other trucks from J.A. Street of Blountville launched the conversion of two infield buildings into locker rooms for the Vols and Hokies.
"We have staff placed almost like air traffic control to make sure we’re not running over the top of each other,’’ Rust said.
The project has been nearly three years in the planning. Speedway officials reached out to a range of consultants. That was helpful, but only to a point.
"We did not have anybody that had ever done what we’re doing,’’ said Logan McCabe, a Bristol vice president and UT alumnus.
"And we’re great at doing races and hosting a lot of people, but we’ve never done a football game.’’
Not since 1961. That’s when Bristol played host to an NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Both the speedway and the requirements to stage a football game have changed greatly since then.
Once the gravel and sand are in place for the base of the field, the artificial playing surface will be installed. Rust said that on Sept. 4 the field will be ready for painting.
UT and Virginia Tech will paint their respective end zones and the midfield logo will be added by Tuesday of game week, Rust said.
As if the Battle at Bristol weren’t grand enough, a Kenny Chesney concert will be held inside the speedway on the Friday night before the game. Tack on another 12 hours to disassemble the temporary concert seating.
On the Saturday following the UT-Virginia Tech game, a second football game will pit East Tennessee State against Western Carolina.
But the main event is the Battle at Bristol.
"Our hope,’’ said Rust, "is that we have impressed everyone and showed them how capable and how great this place is going to be for a football game. Both schools have been great to work with.’’
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, all parties hope ESPN’s popular College GameDay show will originate from Bristol.
One guest that is confirmed is the representative from the Guinness Book of World Records. The record for attendance at a college football game is 115,109. Bristol has already sold out the grandstand. Only several options of premium seating are still available.
"The Guinness folks are interesting people to deal with,’’ McCabe said. "They have a lot of rules.
"We’ll follow the right procedure and we’ll have an outside auditor to certify it and Guinness certifying it. We hope to announce that during the game.’’
In the meantime, the trucks keep rolling in.
NCAABKB: Point-guard luck finally turning at Illinois.
By Mark Tupper
(AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
For far too long the Illini basketball coaching staff chased with hell-bent gusto after big-time high school point guards.
Despite seeming to do things right in the pursuit, they were constantly left empty-handed on signing day.
Demetrius Jackson picked Notre Dame, played three seasons for the Irish and now draws a paycheck from the Boston Celtics.
Despite seeming to do things right in the pursuit, they were constantly left empty-handed on signing day.
Demetrius Jackson picked Notre Dame, played three seasons for the Irish and now draws a paycheck from the Boston Celtics.
Jalen Brunson picked Villanova and earned a starting spot as a freshman while helping the Wildcats win the national championship.
Jawun Evans picked Oklahoma State, missed the last nine games of his debut season due to injury and was still named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Quentin Snider actually did commit to the Illini but on signing day decided to stay in his home town, signing instead with Louisville. He’s the top returning scorer this season for the Cardinals.
There have been other near misses for the Illini, but they rank as mere body bruises by comparison to these backbreakers.
All of this heartache contributed mightily to an Illini team that had to piece and patch it together with a collection of emergency point guard solutions that included Jaylon Tate, Ahmad Starks and Khalid Lewis. Despite their best efforts, the fact that Illinois has missed the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons can be traced in large part to operating without an elite-level point guard to run John Groce’s offense.
Finally, that trend is turning. Te’jon Lucas, a true point guard from Milwaukee, will be a freshman this fall. And Tracy Abrams, a sixth-year senior who fans may not recognize after two seasons of injury-induced inactivity, will be the experienced bridge to a new era.
On Sunday, Groce and his staff received a much-needed boost when point guard Trent Frazier from Florida committed after an official visit during which the Illini pulled out all the stops to make him and his family feel welcome. He quickly cancelled a planned visit to Georgia.
Frazier said the weekend represented, “the best two days of my life and I made a decision and committed to a place I really wanted to be.”
Jawun Evans picked Oklahoma State, missed the last nine games of his debut season due to injury and was still named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Quentin Snider actually did commit to the Illini but on signing day decided to stay in his home town, signing instead with Louisville. He’s the top returning scorer this season for the Cardinals.
There have been other near misses for the Illini, but they rank as mere body bruises by comparison to these backbreakers.
All of this heartache contributed mightily to an Illini team that had to piece and patch it together with a collection of emergency point guard solutions that included Jaylon Tate, Ahmad Starks and Khalid Lewis. Despite their best efforts, the fact that Illinois has missed the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons can be traced in large part to operating without an elite-level point guard to run John Groce’s offense.
Finally, that trend is turning. Te’jon Lucas, a true point guard from Milwaukee, will be a freshman this fall. And Tracy Abrams, a sixth-year senior who fans may not recognize after two seasons of injury-induced inactivity, will be the experienced bridge to a new era.
On Sunday, Groce and his staff received a much-needed boost when point guard Trent Frazier from Florida committed after an official visit during which the Illini pulled out all the stops to make him and his family feel welcome. He quickly cancelled a planned visit to Georgia.
Frazier said the weekend represented, “the best two days of my life and I made a decision and committed to a place I really wanted to be.”
This red carpet treatment included the first measurable impact of having Dee Brown on Groce’s basketball staff. A fellow point guard and Illini legend, Brown seemed to hit it off brilliantly with Frazier.
A lot of credit must to go assistant coach Dustin Ford, who put in the leg work in Florida. And don’t forget Darren Hertz, the special assistant to the head coach, who during nearly 20 years at the University of Florida had plenty of contacts in the state.
The visit with Illini football coach Lovie Smith on Saturday didn’t hurt, but that was more for Frazier’s dad, Rod, who is a huge Chicago Bears and Lovie Smith fan.
A lot of credit must to go assistant coach Dustin Ford, who put in the leg work in Florida. And don’t forget Darren Hertz, the special assistant to the head coach, who during nearly 20 years at the University of Florida had plenty of contacts in the state.
The visit with Illini football coach Lovie Smith on Saturday didn’t hurt, but that was more for Frazier’s dad, Rod, who is a huge Chicago Bears and Lovie Smith fan.
The bonding with the current team, the one-on-one game with Malcolm Hill, a visit with Athletics Director Josh Whitman and the tour of the campus were all part of the full-court press, but the truth is, Frazier seemed likely to commit to Illinois before his flight ever touched down.
Losing Jordan Goodwin to St. Louis University was a disappointment, but the sting of that is eased by the commitment from Frazier and the promise of another to come.
Groce has commitments from four players and still has two open scholarships for the Class of 2017, although using just one and banking the other for 2018 makes sense in terms of creating class balance.
That said, if the right players wanted to jump aboard now, Groce might have a hard time saying no. Keep an eye on another Floridian, 6-9 Mayan Kiir from Bradenton.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Groce uses Lucas and Frazier together. The 2005 Illini team, which played for the national title, proved there’s no such thing as having too many point guards. Dee Brown and Deron Williams played beautifully together and the ball-sharing that can come from two unselfish guards can produce killer results.
There’s only six weeks until the official start of Illinois’ fall practice schedule and there should be a good deal of excitement building within the program.
The photos posted on fightingillini.com (check out the men’s basketball page) showing body transformations supervised by strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher are remarkable. He’s bringing a Muscle Beach look to a bunch of kids who needed to get stronger.
Based on what could be seen Saturday at football practice, Frazier is a nice-looking athlete who’s every bit of his advertised 6-foot-2 height. A little thin, perhaps, but wait until Fletcher introduces him to Muscle Beach.
Candid Coaches: Duke has 2 of the top 3 players coaches would want on their team.
By Gary Parrish
(Photo/cbssports.com)
The top player other coaches would want on their team is Duke's Grayson Allen.
There isn't a single First Team or Second Team AP All-American from last season playing college basketball this season, meaning the sport is missing obvious star power -- especially when you combine the lack of established high-level players with the fact that no incoming freshman is as hyped as Ben Simmons was a year ago.
So what's the best way to predict which players might fill that hole this season?
By asking college coaches the following question:
If you could pick any Division I player and put him on your team for this season, which player would you pick?
FIVE QUOTES THAT STOOD OUT
MY TAKEAWAY
It's interesting, but unsurprising, that there was not a consensus answer to this question. No player got more than 13 percent of the vote, which is way different from last year, when the votes basically all went to Providence's Kris Dunn (26 percent), LSU's Ben Simmons (21 percent) and Iowa State's Georges Niang (20 percent).
From talking to coaches, here's what I believe: If not for two torn ACLs, the leading vote getter would've been Duke's Harry Giles. Multiple coaches described him as "the next Chris Webber." But the 6-foot-10 freshman hasn't played since November of last year, and nobody knows how he'll respond to a second major surgery.
Consequently, Giles' teammate received the most votes.
And that makes sense for the exact reason lots of coaches said - because Grayson Allen is going to be one of the nation's best scorers for what should be the nation's best team. The 6-5 junior averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season while shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range. He's a lock for every preseason All-America team and will likely be most people's preseason National Player of the Year.
So, again, I was not surprised Allen led all vote-getters.
But the name I actually heard more often than any other is Markelle Fultz. The Washington freshman finished first among coaches I polled but was significantly lower among those Matt Norlander contacted, which led to Fultz finishing slightly behind Allen in the final tally. Still, it's clear, coaches really like Fultz. One coach who worked with the point guard this summer told me he was "by far" the best player on the USA team that won gold at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship last month. Several others predicted he'll be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. Just a special, special talent. If Washington is good enough, Fultz will stack hardware in what should be his lone season of college basketball.
If you're keeping track by school, Duke had three players (Grayson Allen, Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum) receive votes, which led all teams. Kentucky (Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo), Villanova (Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins) and Kansas (Devonte Graham, Josh Jackson) each had two players get votes. For what it's worth, those four schools are first, second, third and fourth in the CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 (and one).
Ronda Rousey will not return at UFC 205 in New York.
By Andreas Hale
(Photo/Getty)
If Ronda Rousey is going to return to the UFC in the future, it certainly won’t be at the fighting promotions highly anticipated debut in New York City.
UFC president Dana White appeared on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast to state that the former women’s bantamweight champion would not be fighting at UFC 205 on Nov. 12.
“She’s definitely not fighting in New York,” White said. “I’m actually going to start building the New York card this week.”
Rousey last fought at UFC 193, where she was knocked out in brutal fashion by Holly Holm and relinquished the UFC women’s bantamweight title last November. Since suffering her first MMA loss, Rousey hasn’t been heard from. But White has been adamant that she would make a return and hoped it would take place at the end of this year or early 2017.
With the New York card being a historic moment in the UFC considering MMA had been banned in the state since 1997, many fighters have sought to compete. And with it being such a momentous occasion, it appeared to be the most opportune time for Rousey to return. However, it simply won’t come to pass.
If Rousey is to return at the end of 2016, she would either appear at UFC 206 in Toronto on Dec. 10 or UFC 207 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, August 24, 2016.
emoriesofhistory.com
1963 - John Pennel pole-vaulted 17 feet and 3/4 inches becoming the first to break the 17-foot barrier.
1975 - Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers set a major league baseball record when he stole his 38th consecutive base.
2007 - The NFL suspended quarterback Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons) for his involvement in dogfighting.
1975 - Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers set a major league baseball record when he stole his 38th consecutive base.
2007 - The NFL suspended quarterback Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons) for his involvement in dogfighting.
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