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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Never go backward. Attempt, and do it with all your might. Determination is power." ~ Charles Simmons, Politician
Trending: Bears in dire need of RB Jordan Howard delivering latest rookie first-start impact. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling taking advantage of No. 1 reps. (Please
see the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
Trending: The Bulls will be must-watch in 2016 with Wade, Rondo. (Please see the basketball section for Bulls updates and NBA news).
Trending: Punch Shot: Predictions for 41st Ryder Cup. What's Your Take? (See the golf section for Ryder Cup and PGA updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 101-57-1, Clinched 09/15/2016
White Sox 2016 Record: 77-82
White Sox 2016 Record: 77-82
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears Preview.
By Sam Householder
The troubled Bears season rolls on as the divisional play starts with Chicago welcoming in the Detroit Lions.
The Lions, despite the fact that they do not have a strong history of winning, have had the better of the Bears for three seasons running.
As much as fans love to mock and hate on Detroit, the fact is is that they have been the superior team in head-to-head meetings for three straight seasons.
The Bears are 0-3 and desperate for a win. Can this finally be the week?
Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
Record: 1-2 (3rd in NFC North)
Last week: 34-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers. They trailed 31-3 at one point but came back to get the back door cover (thank you for that, Detroit).
Bears all-time record against: 96-71-5; the most wins Chicago has against any one franchise.
Last meeting: January 3, 2016 - Week 17, the Bears lost 24-20. I was at that game and remember very little about it because it was two crappy teams. It was also the first Bears loss I ever witnessed live.
Historical match ups: This long series has plenty of history to it. The Bears’ longest win streak is 11 straight between 1946 and 1951. The longest losing streak for Chicago is six straight, which is current, as well as back between 1968 and 1970.
Key injuries: Eric Ebron, Ezekiel Ansah and DeAndre Levy all missed practice Wednesday. Riley Reiff and Tavon Wilson were limited participants.
Offense: Since the Lions fired former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi after Week 7 last season, the offense has actually thrived under Jim Bob Cooter, his replacement. Matthew Stafford threw 20 TDs to just four INTs in the final nine games last season after throwing nine picks and just 12 TDs in the first seven games. So far in 2016 he has seven TDs and two picks. He is completing 67 percent of his passes and has a 105 QB rating.
Even without Calvin Johnson, the Lions have been able to move the ball through the air, entering this week with the third-ranked passing game, averaging 312.7 pass yards per game. The Lions rank fourth overall on offense with 413.7 yards per game and rank fifth in points with 27 PPG. Leading their corps is Marvin Jones (18/408/2), Eric Ebron (14/168/1) and Golden Tate (13/94/0). Anquan Boldin (11/105/2) lurks as well.
Their rushing attack ranks 16th though with 101 yards per game and a decent 4.3 YPC.
Their rushing attack took a hit after Ameer Abdullah was lost to a foot injury. Now Theo Riddick, who doubles as a potent passing option and Dwayne Washington are leading the backfield.
The Lions are averaging 40 pass attempts per game versus 27 rushing attempts. Those numbers aren’t even skewed by the blowout last week, here is the breakdown of pass attempts through three games in order; 39, 40, 41. That goes a long way to showing how they will attack the Bears.
Defense: The Lions come into Week 4 with the 21st ranked defense in terms of yards allowed per game and they rank 27th in points per game allowed.
Their passing defense is a weak link through three games, allowing the 16th fewest yards per game through the air but the team has just one interception to 10 pass TDs allowed and opposing QBs have the highest passer rating against them (120.2) of any team in the league. They have seven sacks, which is tied for 12th.
The rushing unit is allowing opposing offenses the 12th most yards per game (114.7) and the highest on per-carry basis (5.1 tied for worst with the Raiders) however no team has scored a rushing TD against them yet.
Key match ups: Matthew Stafford vs. the Chicago secondary. Stafford has been pretty good this year, limiting his mistakes (just two total turnovers) and finding receivers. His new favorite target is Marvin Jones, who has a team-high 29 targets, but Tate and Ebron are close behind with 22 and 20 apiece, respectively. Through three games five Lions receivers have double-digit receptions and at least one TD.
It will be important for the Bears to get pressure on Stafford but if the first three games are any indication, it’s going to be up to Deiondre Hall, Tracy Porter, Cre’Von LeBlanc, Bryce Callahan and Jacoby Glenn (depending on who plays out of that cast) to keep the Detroit WRs locked up downfield. The Lions haven’t had much of a rushing attack since Abdullah got hurt so the Bears should be able to attack a one-dimensional offense, but again, after three games, that is a huge “should.”
For the Bears’ offense, they need to establish the ground game early and often. There have been running lanes through this Detroit D and the Bears would be wise to take a crack at that unit giving up a healthy 5.1 YPC average. If the Bears can get the ground game going then perhaps that will open things up downfield for Alshon Jeffery and possibly Kevin White to build on his better Week 3. It will likely be Brian Hoyer under center but even if Jay Cutler should return, the run game is going to be an important crutch for the struggling offense.
Ansah being out is a win for the struggling Bears OL but Lion DE Kerry Hyder, a second-year man out of Texas Tech, has picked up some of that slack, notching four sacks in the first three weeks.
What to watch for: The Bears run game. The offensive line improved last week and John Fox has said that the running game needs to get going. Jordan Howard is going to be the lead man this week and there are no excuses why they can’t stick with it this week. Joique Bell should be able to help Howard out, even with just a couple practices under his belt. However, keep an eye on how the backs do in pass protection. The Lions could test them with blitzes and different looks and rushes to see how well they know their assignments. The Lions will be down their best pass rusher so ideally the offensive line should be able to hold their own.
On defense, can the inexperienced secondary contain Jones, Ebron, Tate, Riddick and Boldin? The defense had a poor showing in Dallas and the pass rush has to get home this week against a pocket passer like Stafford.
Key stats: Stafford is third in pass yards per game (328.3), tied for fourth in yards per pass attempt (8.2) and seventh in yards per completion (12.2).
The Bears rank 30th in rush yards per game (71.7) and rank dead last in rushing attempts (52), six fewer than the two teams ahead of them, New Orleans and Jacksonville.
The Lions have won six straight against the Bears. The last time the Bears won was Week 17 in 2012. Lovie Smith was fired the next day.
Bears in dire need of RB Jordan Howard delivering latest rookie first-start impact.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
A primary, weight-bearing philosophical pillar of the John Fox Bears – running the football – has been conspicuous by its absence, which of course is everything Fox and the offense precisely did not want. The team is 0-3. The starting quarterback is out. The plan was running-back-by-committee and the intended top two members of the committee are down with injuries.
And now a lead role in changing all of that and becoming the spear point of the offense falls to a rookie who was passed over until the fifth round of the draft and has a total of 12 NFL carries and who was the only player other than the backup quarterback who was dressed but coaches didn’t play in the team’s first game.
Jordan Howard is fine with all of that. He has chips on his shoulder, the kind that players use as motivation, from getting only one scholarship offer coming out of high school to slipping in the draft.
Now, with Ka’Deem Carey and Jeremy Langford expected to miss the Detroit game, Howard is positioned to be the featured back of an NFL team. That would be what’s called a “dream.”
“Coming into the league you always want to be the featured guy, but I definitely wasn’t expecting this or expecting it to come this fast,” said Howard. “I’m definitely grateful for the opportunity, but I’m not going to let it slip through my hands, either. I’m going to make the most out of my opportunity.”
Bears rookie running backs have some recent history of being anything but overwhelmed by that first opportunity.
Matt Forte rushed for 123 yards and caught passes for 18 more in his 2008 rookie start No. 1.
Anthony Thomas didn’t start til the Bears’ sixth game in 2001 but the rookie tailback responded with 127 yards on 27 carries.
Howard and the Bears would settle for any of those debuts. What Howard has done in recent weeks is focus on pass protection, typically the steepest learning curve for young backs coming from college careers where their running was the coin of the realm.
“He’s getting there,” said offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. “He’s getting closer. A lot of work in protections. In the NFL, it’s a little bit different than college football with all the different fronts and with all the different personnel packages. He’s working really hard to get caught up to speed with that, but he’s doing a nice job as a runner.”
Howard was billed as a power back when the Bears announced him as their fifth-round pick this spring. He is listed at 222 pounds but “he’s bigger than he looks,” said coach John Fox He’s a big body and has good feet, good vision, and those are pretty good qualities… .
“Every time he’s touched the ball, he’s been pretty impressive. Playing running back in the National Football League is a little bit more than just running the ball. Some of those things took a little longer to learn and to be able to execute consistently. I think he’s done that pretty well when we’ve called on him in the regular season.”
That will happen in earnest beginning around noon on Sunday.
Bears have run hurry-up offense, Brian Hoyer style.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Brian Hoyer spent Wednesday’s practice as the presumptive No. 1 quarterback, sources said, and with Jay Cutler limited due to his thumb injury, the Bears began prep for the Detroit Lions next Sunday in Soldier Field with Hoyer getting more used to the offense that he has only sparingly run since training camp.
Some of Hoyer’s teammates spent Wednesday’s practice getting a little more used to him.
A veteran of 27 NFL starts, Hoyer doesn’t do things the way Cutler does them. He doesn’t throw as hard. He doesn’t throw as far. And he runs a sort-of hurry-up offense compared to Cutler.
“Hoyer has a real good sense of urgency to him,” said left tackle Charles Leno Jr. “He’s more fast paced. He likes to quicken up things, whether it’s the cadence, the flow – he just has a real natural sense of urgency about himself.”
This involves more than just a feeling. The Bears ARE faster under Hoyer, based on one very unofficial measure, because game situations differ even though the Bears ultimately lost all three games.
Based on snaps and time played, the Bears have run 2.2 plays per minute with Cutler. They have run 2.6 per minute, approaching 20 percent more, under “urgent” Hoyer.
The play rate, however, is not entirely on the quarterback. Like all teams, the Bears build tempos into their system, and defenses also dictate some of how the Bears elect to work.
Still, “Jay is more laid back, more relaxed, even-keeled,” Leno said, smiling. “But that’s just Hoyer, more sense of urgency."
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks get shut out in preseason opener by Chris Kunitz, Penguins.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Scott Darling stopped 33 of 35 shots but Chris Kunitz scored twice, including the game-winning power-play goal, as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Blackhawks 2-0 in the preseason opener at the United Center.
Tristan Jarry stopped all 30 shots he saw for the Penguins.
The Blackhawks outshot the Penguins 13-3 in the first 20 minutes. But Darling’s quiet first period was followed by a very busy second, when he saw and stopped 23 shots.
The Penguins broke through 2:31 into the third period when Kunitz tipped Trevor Daley’s shot for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Kunitz batted home his own rebound for a 2-0 Penguins lead.
Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling taking advantage of No. 1 reps.
By Charlie Roumeliotis
Tristan Jarry stopped all 30 shots he saw for the Penguins.
The Blackhawks outshot the Penguins 13-3 in the first 20 minutes. But Darling’s quiet first period was followed by a very busy second, when he saw and stopped 23 shots.
The Penguins broke through 2:31 into the third period when Kunitz tipped Trevor Daley’s shot for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Kunitz batted home his own rebound for a 2-0 Penguins lead.
Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling taking advantage of No. 1 reps.
By Charlie Roumeliotis
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Life as a backup goaltender can be difficult.
The job entails being prepared at all times and performing at a high level when your number is called despite going sometimes weeks without seeing any action.
With Corey Crawford backing up Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey, Scott Darling is getting the No. 1 reps in the crease for the Blackhawks.
And he's taking full advantage of that.
"Yeah, obviously I miss Corey, but it's fun to be the guy right now," Darling said following a 2-0 loss in Wednesday's preseason opener to the Pittsburgh Penguins. "I'll take any starts I can get. I don't care if it's regular season or preseason, I just want to play as much as I can. It was nice to get the first game under my belt."
After facing just three shots in the first period, Darling stayed on his toes by denying all 23 shots he saw in the second period — a handful of them on the penalty kill.
"I definitely don't like sitting there," Darling said of the first period. "I don't think they had a shot for about 12 minutes, but you've got to learn how to play in those situations too. It's nice to get some game feels."
Darling finished with 33 saves overall in the Blackhawks' loss and was sharp in the first dress rehearsal of the year as both goals were out of his control — a redirect on the power play and a rebound tap-in at the doorstep, both by Chris Kunitz.
Credit his strong play to working hard in the offseason and maximizing on the opportunity he's been given.
"Darling certainly was a standout, not only when we got a little bit overwhelmed in the second period, but really throughout the game," Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Dineen said. "He was certainly a positive, which we always expect out of him but I think it's a testament to the way he prepared himself this summer and I think it certainly showed tonight."
Darling doesn't get many chances to anchor the blue paint on a nightly basis.
He started in 24 games last season, 11 of which came during the final portion of the season in March and April when Crawford was dealing with an upper-body injury.
Darling said that stretch was "probably the best I've ever felt" because you know you're the guy, which eliminates the stress factor of turning in a great performance to earn your next start.
He finished the 2015-16 campaign with a 12-8-4 record, 2.58 goals against average and .915 save percentage, including one shutout.
Not bad, not great.
This season is a chance to prove he can continue to be a consistent and reliable goaltender in any situation, and when the 27-year-old Lemont native gets the opportunity to represent the team he grew up rooting for — something he never loses sight of — Darling expects to be on top of his game when called upon.
"I'm seriously excited to be on the Chicago Blackhawks still," he said. "I just want to play the best I can when they give me a chance to play."
Erik Gustafsson knows landing roster spot with Blackhawks won’t be easy.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Erik Gustafsson looked around the Blackhawks’ room at where fellow defensemen stalls would probably be as the season approached.
“You have Brian (Campbell) back, (Michal) Kempny here, obviously and all the other guys,” Gustafsson said. “It’s going to be tough, but I like it.”
The Blackhawks’ biggest Achilles heel last season was defense, especially after Trevor Daley was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. That opened the door for young players, including Gustafsson, to get bigger opportunities. This year the defense should be stronger with Campbell’s return. So for guys like Gustafsson, cracking this lineup just got that much tougher.
During the summer, assistant coach Mike Kitchen talked potential pairings as Duncan Keith-Niklas Hjalmarsson, Campbell-Brent Seabrook, Kempny-Trevor van Riemsdyk. As of now, the team is expecting Keith to be ready for the season opener. Keith has been participating in a practice a day but whether or not he plays in any preseason games is uncertain right now.
If it starts out that way, Gustafsson would be on the outside looking in.
But first things first: Gustafsson is focused on building off experience gained last season — he played 41 games, recording 14 assists — and cleaning up a few errors committed in training camp practices.
“You know all the guys on the team, you know how they want to play over here and in the NHL. Just go out and show them. I didn’t do that [Saturday] but this was the first game,” Gustafsson said. “I felt good with the puck but I have to play more defense in my own zone. Just a couple of small things I have to be better.”
Nothing comes easy when you’re trying to make an NHL roster but it got that much tougher for a young defenseman with the Blackhawks this season. Hey, that’s the way it is, and players know it.
“Of course it’ll be tougher,” Gustafsson said. “It won’t be easy to take a spot. You just have to go out there, do your best and see what happens.”
BRIEFLY
- Patrick Kane could play in the Blackhawks’ game against St. Louis on Saturday. Assistant coach Kevin Dineen said, “don’t be surprised to see 88 politicking to get in the lineup. Pretty good chance we’ll see him on Saturday."
- The Blackhawks were off on Thursday. Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, Marcus Kruger and Hjalmarsson were expected to join the team at Friday’s practice
- Alexandre Fortin, who signed a three-year contract on Sunday, played 12 1/2 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. That included about two minutes of power-play time. Dineen wouldn’t mind seeing Fortin in another game. “He showed himself well all camp and I think [Wednesday] we saw some good spurts out there, and we’ll find that consistency in a young player as we move forward.”
CUBS: Rain-shortened Cubs-Pirates game ends in a tie.
By Bill Baer
(Photo/Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Here’s something you don’t hear too often about baseball games: we have a tie. Thursday night’s game between the Cubs and Pirates at PNC Park was shortened by rain. The game was officially suspended in a 1-1 tie and the game will not be made up, as announced on the Pirates’ official Twitter account. Major League Baseball has deemed it a tie game and all stats from the game will count. Neither team was involved in the playoff hunt as the Cubs had already clinched the NL Central and the Pirates were recently eliminated from Wild Card contention.
As Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports, this is the first tie the Pirates have been a part of since August 24, 1988 against the Cardinals. And it’s the first tie in baseball since the Astros and Reds on June 30, 2005.
Tim Federowicz drove in the Cubs’ only run on a sacrifice fly, scoring Wilson Contreras. Josh Bell brought home the Pirates’ only run on a sacrifice fly of his own, scoring Eric Fryer. As for the pitching, Rob Zastryzny allowed the one unearned run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings for the Cubs. Travis Wood pitched four perfect innings of relief. For the Pirates, Ivan Nova yielded the one earned run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
As Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports, this is the first tie the Pirates have been a part of since August 24, 1988 against the Cardinals. And it’s the first tie in baseball since the Astros and Reds on June 30, 2005.
Tim Federowicz drove in the Cubs’ only run on a sacrifice fly, scoring Wilson Contreras. Josh Bell brought home the Pirates’ only run on a sacrifice fly of his own, scoring Eric Fryer. As for the pitching, Rob Zastryzny allowed the one unearned run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings for the Cubs. Travis Wood pitched four perfect innings of relief. For the Pirates, Ivan Nova yielded the one earned run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Playing mind games, Joe Maddon fires back at frustrated Cubs players.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Joe Maddon’s job is an endlessly complex maze of egos and insecurities. His players want to make history and know they will be judged in October. His boss just signed a five-year extension in the neighborhood of $50 million, making Theo Epstein perhaps the highest-paid personnel executive in the game. Reporters covering this team will consider this season a failure if the Cubs don’t win the World Series.
But moments like this are why Maddon has his own $25 million deal, three Manager of the Year awards and the platform to become a multimedia star, liquor-store pitchman and T-shirt tycoon (for charity).
Maddon fired back after star pitcher Jake Arrieta and veteran catcher Miguel Montero questioned the manager’s in-game strategy during Wednesday night’s 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates – wondering why rookie Willson Contreras showed up behind the plate at PNC Park in the fifth inning – and overall spring-training philosophy since the Cubs clinched a National League Central title two weeks ago.
“My answer to that is we’re 7-2 in our last nine games,” Maddon said during Thursday’s pregame media session. “I don’t see any kind of real negative patterns right there. They all knew what was going to happen before that game. There were no surprises. And there has been no surprises.”
Except Arrieta had already done his paid weekly radio appearance on WMVP-AM 1000, telling “Waddle and Silvy” this: “Going into the game, I was really unaware we were going to go with a catching change.”
Still think this is entirely a media creation or something beat writers imagined while two established players made unsolicited comments?
The spring-training feel continued as the rain kept pouring down on PNC Park, with Thursday night’s game suspended and ending after five innings in a 1-1 tie. Major League Baseball considered this an official game – its first tie since it happened to the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros on June 30, 2005 – and stats will still count after an 83-minute delay.
But there is no need to make it up with the Cubs having already clinched the NL’s No. 1 seed and the Pirates eliminated from wild-card contention. The last time the Cubs finished in a tie – a 2-2 draw with the Montreal Expos on May 28, 1993 at Wrigley Field.
“Anything that changes your routine a little bit is a little frustrating,” said Ben Zobrist, who sat while Munenori Kawasaki started at second base in a Cactus League lineup. “Because this is such a routine-oriented game.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating at times. But I get it. I understand the overall goal of these games is not the same as it’s been the last six months of the year.”
But moments like this are why Maddon has his own $25 million deal, three Manager of the Year awards and the platform to become a multimedia star, liquor-store pitchman and T-shirt tycoon (for charity).
Maddon fired back after star pitcher Jake Arrieta and veteran catcher Miguel Montero questioned the manager’s in-game strategy during Wednesday night’s 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates – wondering why rookie Willson Contreras showed up behind the plate at PNC Park in the fifth inning – and overall spring-training philosophy since the Cubs clinched a National League Central title two weeks ago.
“My answer to that is we’re 7-2 in our last nine games,” Maddon said during Thursday’s pregame media session. “I don’t see any kind of real negative patterns right there. They all knew what was going to happen before that game. There were no surprises. And there has been no surprises.”
Except Arrieta had already done his paid weekly radio appearance on WMVP-AM 1000, telling “Waddle and Silvy” this: “Going into the game, I was really unaware we were going to go with a catching change.”
Still think this is entirely a media creation or something beat writers imagined while two established players made unsolicited comments?
The spring-training feel continued as the rain kept pouring down on PNC Park, with Thursday night’s game suspended and ending after five innings in a 1-1 tie. Major League Baseball considered this an official game – its first tie since it happened to the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros on June 30, 2005 – and stats will still count after an 83-minute delay.
But there is no need to make it up with the Cubs having already clinched the NL’s No. 1 seed and the Pirates eliminated from wild-card contention. The last time the Cubs finished in a tie – a 2-2 draw with the Montreal Expos on May 28, 1993 at Wrigley Field.
“Anything that changes your routine a little bit is a little frustrating,” said Ben Zobrist, who sat while Munenori Kawasaki started at second base in a Cactus League lineup. “Because this is such a routine-oriented game.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating at times. But I get it. I understand the overall goal of these games is not the same as it’s been the last six months of the year.”
Arrieta described himself as “a little bitter” on ESPN Radio and also admitted that he “let my emotions get away from me” and could have handled the situation differently. But this has been building, from the awkwardness of three catchers to the six-man rotation concept to starting pitchers getting pulled early to relievers now working on a set schedule and players wanting to stay in a rhythm.
“You probably heard some things last night – I think if they had more time to think about it, they probably would not have said those same things,” Maddon said. “Up until (John Jaso’s three-run homer), I thought (Jake) was throwing the ball really well.
“And with the catching situation, we didn’t change that until they had four runs. So there’s really not a whole lot of credence to that, as far as I’m concerned.
“I don’t think it was attributable to a spring-training attitude as much as the Pirates had a good approach.”
Maddon isn’t going to alter his big-picture outlook after hearing about some of the clubhouse grumbling and manage Games 160, 161 and 162 any differently against the last-place Reds this weekend at Great American Ball Park.
“No, why would I do that?” Maddon said. “I utilized the word ‘spring training’ on several occasions, just to indicate the context regarding getting guys in and out of the game, not from the perspective of not trying to win.
“It’s still going to be scripted. They’re going to get their at-bats. Again, when you talk about recreating a ‘feel,’ that would be individualistic. It’s hard to replicate fighting for a playoff spot if you’ve already clinched it and you’re playing against a team that is not playing for anything either.
“These are all mind games you have to play with yourself in order to replicate what you want.”
Of course, any portraits of frustration and miscommunication will be swept aside by those fun-loving Cubs posting photos on their social-media accounts of the football-jersey-themed road trip to Cincinnati. But this is a real issue for professionals who care about their craft and want to perform on the biggest stage of their lives.
“It’s a different kind of ‘on’ you have to be as a player,” Zobrist said. “That’s just weird for everybody right now to be experiencing that kind of feeling.”
Zobrist – who spent parts of nine seasons with Maddon’s Tampa Bay Rays, knows the manager as well as any player in the clubhouse and won a World Series ring with the Kansas City Royals last year – admitted the Cubs are getting a little stir crazy before their first postseason game at Wrigley Field.
“We’re all looking so forward to next Friday, but that’s over a week away still,” Zobrist said. “So we have to try to stay in the moment, even though our minds want to go in the future.
“That’s the tough thing right now – staying in the moment. It’s even tougher now than it is when you’re in the playoffs and everybody’s talking and there’s a lot of stuff going on off the field. It’s even tougher now, I think, because there’s not enough going on.”
What’s next for Cubs and Jason Hammel?
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Making a risk-reward decision, the Cubs will shut down Jason Hammel and not start him Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, leaving his playoff status and future in the organization uncertain.
Hammel said he’s been feeling tightness in his right elbow for weeks, which may have dulled the sharpness to his slider and explained some of his second-half struggles, which have put him on the postseason-roster bubble, if not on the outside looking in.
After Friday’s TBD, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks are still scheduled to start the season’s final two games at Great American Ball Park, putting them at the front of a playoff rotation that didn’t figure to include Hammel anyway.
“That decision lays in their hands,” said Hammel, who has been playing catch and throwing off flat ground during this week's spring-training-like series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. “Health-wise, I’m not stressing about it. Collectively, we talked about it. And for being available through October, is it really worth something right now happening in a game that – more or less – doesn’t really matter?”
The Hammel 2.0 reboot still has to be considered a success, with another All-Star-caliber first half, a career-high 15 wins, a 3.83 ERA and an overall resume that would look dramatically different if he didn’t have three starts allowing nine or 10 runs.
The Cubs hold a $12 million option – with a $2 million buyout – for next season that could make Hammel an attractive trade chip given this winter’s shallow pool of free agents.
“Obviously, not happy with the way things ended,” Hammel said. “But I would say for 9/10ths of the season, I was very good. I’ll take that into the offseason and add onto what I added (last) offseason.
“Some crazy freak incident like this can derail it, but overall my body feels good. I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, which was to make 30-plus starts and be competitive, save for five, six starts. Out of 30, I’d say that’s pretty good.”
Theo Epstein keeps the band together with Cubs extending Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod.
By Patrick Mooney
Hammel said he’s been feeling tightness in his right elbow for weeks, which may have dulled the sharpness to his slider and explained some of his second-half struggles, which have put him on the postseason-roster bubble, if not on the outside looking in.
After Friday’s TBD, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks are still scheduled to start the season’s final two games at Great American Ball Park, putting them at the front of a playoff rotation that didn’t figure to include Hammel anyway.
“That decision lays in their hands,” said Hammel, who has been playing catch and throwing off flat ground during this week's spring-training-like series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. “Health-wise, I’m not stressing about it. Collectively, we talked about it. And for being available through October, is it really worth something right now happening in a game that – more or less – doesn’t really matter?”
The Hammel 2.0 reboot still has to be considered a success, with another All-Star-caliber first half, a career-high 15 wins, a 3.83 ERA and an overall resume that would look dramatically different if he didn’t have three starts allowing nine or 10 runs.
The Cubs hold a $12 million option – with a $2 million buyout – for next season that could make Hammel an attractive trade chip given this winter’s shallow pool of free agents.
“Obviously, not happy with the way things ended,” Hammel said. “But I would say for 9/10ths of the season, I was very good. I’ll take that into the offseason and add onto what I added (last) offseason.
“Some crazy freak incident like this can derail it, but overall my body feels good. I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, which was to make 30-plus starts and be competitive, save for five, six starts. Out of 30, I’d say that’s pretty good.”
Theo Epstein keeps the band together with Cubs extending Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Theo Epstein namedropped Eddie Vedder in the middle of last year’s champagne-soaked celebration at Wrigley Field, comparing a Cubs team that won 97 games and bounced the St. Louis Cardinals from the playoffs to a band that bursts onto the scene and blows up with an amazing first album. It would only get more complicated, with expectations changing and the Cubs now having to deal with success, the egos and the backlash.
Whatever happens in October — either the franchise’s first World Series title since 1908 or a massive disappointment — Epstein will get to keep the band together and have his friends around for future Pearl Jam concerts at Wrigley Field.
General manager Jed Hoyer will also get a five-year contract extension to match the timeline of the team president’s new deal, which chairman Tom Ricketts announced before Wednesday night’s 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Jason McLeod, the senior vice president of scouting and player development already under contract for two more years, will also be extended through the 2021 season.
“When you have great leadership at the top, it normally filters into the rest of the group,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Every successful organization has that. We have that.
“It doesn’t happen everywhere. It’s not like this everywhere, the way it’s been built, the attention to detail. It’s not just numbers. There’s a very human side to all this. It’s a great balance.”
Epstein, Hoyer and McLeod had all won World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox and saw how New England responded to the 2004 team that ended an 86-year drought. They decided to reunite in the fall of 2011, with Hoyer taking on some of Epstein’s out-front, day-to-day responsibilities and dealing with the executives and agents he knew better. McLeod — who recently interviewed for a top job with the Minnesota Twins that will reportedly go to Cleveland Indians executive Derek Falvey — should continue to be linked to just about every GM job that opens.
“I see this contract, this show of faith from the Ricketts (family) in me as a validation of everybody,” Epstein said. “The contract is really a product of all the hard work that literally hundreds of people have performed to make this a healthier and better baseball operation, from Jed and Jason and Randy (Bush) and Shiraz (Rehman) and Scott (Harris) to all the guys in scouting and player development and the R&D team, the guys behind the scenes.
“Of course, (it’s) Joe and his staff and the players doing a remarkable job on the field at the big-league level the last couple years. So this is a product of everybody’s hard work, and I accept it kind of on their behalf. The strength and stability that we have now is a reflection of what happens when there’s trust, teamwork, transparency from a lot of talented people working together, starting from the very top with the Ricketts family.”
WHITE SOX: White Sox five-game winning streak snapped with loss to Rays.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The playoffs were the ultimate goal and he probably would have liked another victory on Thursday night.
But Jose Quintana has plenty to be proud about when he takes stock of his 2016 campaign, which ended with a 5-3 White Sox loss to the Tampa Rays in front of 14,792 at U.S. Cellular Field. The first-time All-Star’s record dropped to 13-12 after he allowed two earned runs in six innings in his final start, but not before Quintana established career highs for innings pitched, strikeouts and earned-run average. The loss guaranteed a fourth straight losing season for the White Sox, who haven’t reached the postseason since 2008.
“I’m happy with my year,” Quintana said. “But every time I say it’s not about me. It’s about the team. We’ll try to finish strong in the next series against the Twins and come back next year to have a better year than this one.”
Quintana had the best individual season of his career. If he’d received any kind of run support from his teammates, he’d be at or near the top of the leaders for wins, too.
But same as he has for the past four seasons, Quintana didn’t receive any run support yet again on Thursday, though this time can be attributed to a stellar performance by Chris Archer.
Archer held down early an offense that had Quintana ranked 116th out of 132 qualified starting pitchers in run support. The White Sox only had two runners reach scoring position in the time Quintana pitched (one scored). By the time Archer slowed down, the White Sox bullpen allowed three runs and the contest was nearly out of reach at 5-1.
Still, Quintana was good enough to win yet again in a season full of comparable efforts.
He allowed a run in the second inning on a bloop RBI single by Alexei Ramirez and another in the fourth on a solo homer by Mikie Mahtook. Other than that he was his normal efficient self, striking out seven and limiting the Rays to two runs and five hits in six innings.
The effort lowered Quintana’s ERA to 3.20 (his previous low was 3.32 in 2014). He also surpassed his previous high-inning mark of 206 1/3 with 208 this season. And, Quintana, who eclipsed the 10-win mark for the first time in his career, finished with 181 strikeouts, three more than he in 2014.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura thinks the overall production was a byproduct of the first All-Star nod for Quintana, who surpassed 200 innings for a fourth straight season.
“You wouldn’t think that would mean a lot, but it really does,” Ventura said. “I think that’s the stuff that can catapult somebody into things that are better and pushing him into the offseason, the optimistic stuff of going into next year.”
Quintana’s name often surfaces as an easy fix to some of the White Sox’ woes when it comes to next season.
With two guaranteed seasons and two club-friendly options left on his current contract, Quintana — who entered Thursday valued at 19.7 f-WAR for his career — is viewed as a stellar trade chip given the weak free agent class. It is believed the White Sox could solve several problem areas on the roster or add considerable depth to their farm system were they to make Quintana or Chris Sale available. Quintana knows the possibility exists but hopes he’s back with the White Sox next season and helping them end their postseason drought.
“I don’t have control about that,” Quintana said. “I don’t know nothing about trades. I’m here as a Chicago White Sox, and I want to be here for a long time. I’ll go home, rest and am going to be ready to start with my preparation for next year. I’ll be ready for that, but I don’t have control about trades.”
But Jose Quintana has plenty to be proud about when he takes stock of his 2016 campaign, which ended with a 5-3 White Sox loss to the Tampa Rays in front of 14,792 at U.S. Cellular Field. The first-time All-Star’s record dropped to 13-12 after he allowed two earned runs in six innings in his final start, but not before Quintana established career highs for innings pitched, strikeouts and earned-run average. The loss guaranteed a fourth straight losing season for the White Sox, who haven’t reached the postseason since 2008.
“I’m happy with my year,” Quintana said. “But every time I say it’s not about me. It’s about the team. We’ll try to finish strong in the next series against the Twins and come back next year to have a better year than this one.”
Quintana had the best individual season of his career. If he’d received any kind of run support from his teammates, he’d be at or near the top of the leaders for wins, too.
But same as he has for the past four seasons, Quintana didn’t receive any run support yet again on Thursday, though this time can be attributed to a stellar performance by Chris Archer.
Archer held down early an offense that had Quintana ranked 116th out of 132 qualified starting pitchers in run support. The White Sox only had two runners reach scoring position in the time Quintana pitched (one scored). By the time Archer slowed down, the White Sox bullpen allowed three runs and the contest was nearly out of reach at 5-1.
Still, Quintana was good enough to win yet again in a season full of comparable efforts.
He allowed a run in the second inning on a bloop RBI single by Alexei Ramirez and another in the fourth on a solo homer by Mikie Mahtook. Other than that he was his normal efficient self, striking out seven and limiting the Rays to two runs and five hits in six innings.
The effort lowered Quintana’s ERA to 3.20 (his previous low was 3.32 in 2014). He also surpassed his previous high-inning mark of 206 1/3 with 208 this season. And, Quintana, who eclipsed the 10-win mark for the first time in his career, finished with 181 strikeouts, three more than he in 2014.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura thinks the overall production was a byproduct of the first All-Star nod for Quintana, who surpassed 200 innings for a fourth straight season.
“You wouldn’t think that would mean a lot, but it really does,” Ventura said. “I think that’s the stuff that can catapult somebody into things that are better and pushing him into the offseason, the optimistic stuff of going into next year.”
Quintana’s name often surfaces as an easy fix to some of the White Sox’ woes when it comes to next season.
With two guaranteed seasons and two club-friendly options left on his current contract, Quintana — who entered Thursday valued at 19.7 f-WAR for his career — is viewed as a stellar trade chip given the weak free agent class. It is believed the White Sox could solve several problem areas on the roster or add considerable depth to their farm system were they to make Quintana or Chris Sale available. Quintana knows the possibility exists but hopes he’s back with the White Sox next season and helping them end their postseason drought.
“I don’t have control about that,” Quintana said. “I don’t know nothing about trades. I’m here as a Chicago White Sox, and I want to be here for a long time. I’ll go home, rest and am going to be ready to start with my preparation for next year. I’ll be ready for that, but I don’t have control about trades.”
White Sox announce Chris Sale will start Sunday's finale.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Chris Sale will establish a new career high when he takes the mound in Sunday’s regular season finale.
The White Sox ace is set to start one more time this season and in doing so will make a career-best 32nd turn. One of the top contenders for the American League Cy Young Award, Sale has already established career highs for complete games (six) and innings pitched (221 2/3). White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Thursday that Sale, who pitched on Tuesday, would start against the Minnesota Twins.
“At first you can look at it like he doesn’t necessarily have to throw,” Ventura said. “But I think he wants to throw and that’s a good sign. He’s motivated to throw and just to go do it. We’re not doing it for numbers or anything, but he wants to throw. I think that’s part of his commitment to being a teammate and all that stuff. So we’ll have a pretty good lineup out there.”
As for what to expect from Sale, Ventura said: “It won’t be four or five (innings), but it won’t be nine. Well, if he has a no-hitter, it’s a possibility. If there’s something special there and his pitch count and everything and he’s feeling good, he would go. But for the most part he’s not going to go nine.”
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... New tone set in Bulls training camp marked by role adjustments.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
With eight new players and likely three new starters for the Bulls, an adjustment period of roles has started to take place in the opening days of camp.
Shot creators turn into shot makers.
Full-time ball handlers revert back to being part-time dominators.
First-time leaders are supplemented by experienced leaders who bring an instant credibility and speak with a bluntness that wasn’t as present last year—even from the coach.
A new tone of sorts was set when Dwyane Wade didn’t give the stock “nobody cares what happened last year” spiel after being asked if he wondered about what went wrong on the floor and off with the Bulls.
“You ask the guys that were here last year, how rotten it was,” Wade said. “You want to hear from their perspective, whatever it was last year from the standpoint of losing. You don't do that. I come from a different place and a different culture. Things are done differently different places. So I sat down and listened to guys.
“But the thing is, some of the things they talked about I know are not going to take place. Not while I'm here, not while (Rajon) Rondo's here, not while Jimmy (Butler) continues to grow as a leader.”
It adds light to some of the thoughts that Butler expressed after Tuesday’s first practice, and what anyone with a set of eyes could see last season when the Bulls looked like a fractured group that didn’t enjoy playing with each other anymore.
There wasn’t outright disdain, but some of the damaged relationships were never repaired as the season went on. Putting that into an alphabet soup with losing, bad habits and injuries and it spelled out “something’s gotta give.”
“You definitely gotta like each other. If you don’t, and you can say this doesn’t happen, but I feel like if you don’t like a guy you’re not going to pass him the ball,” said Butler, who had some rocky moments last season as a leader. “I think there’s a lot of liking on this team. Like I said, everybody wants everybody to be successful. Do we like each other too much? I hope so.”
Shot creators turn into shot makers.
Full-time ball handlers revert back to being part-time dominators.
First-time leaders are supplemented by experienced leaders who bring an instant credibility and speak with a bluntness that wasn’t as present last year—even from the coach.
A new tone of sorts was set when Dwyane Wade didn’t give the stock “nobody cares what happened last year” spiel after being asked if he wondered about what went wrong on the floor and off with the Bulls.
“You ask the guys that were here last year, how rotten it was,” Wade said. “You want to hear from their perspective, whatever it was last year from the standpoint of losing. You don't do that. I come from a different place and a different culture. Things are done differently different places. So I sat down and listened to guys.
“But the thing is, some of the things they talked about I know are not going to take place. Not while I'm here, not while (Rajon) Rondo's here, not while Jimmy (Butler) continues to grow as a leader.”
It adds light to some of the thoughts that Butler expressed after Tuesday’s first practice, and what anyone with a set of eyes could see last season when the Bulls looked like a fractured group that didn’t enjoy playing with each other anymore.
There wasn’t outright disdain, but some of the damaged relationships were never repaired as the season went on. Putting that into an alphabet soup with losing, bad habits and injuries and it spelled out “something’s gotta give.”
“You definitely gotta like each other. If you don’t, and you can say this doesn’t happen, but I feel like if you don’t like a guy you’re not going to pass him the ball,” said Butler, who had some rocky moments last season as a leader. “I think there’s a lot of liking on this team. Like I said, everybody wants everybody to be successful. Do we like each other too much? I hope so.”
Refreshing honesty is a change at the Advocate Center, with Wade and Rondo being the adults in the room. The two have the latitude from Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg to stop practice to get on guys, and they did so Tuesday.
“You just want to cut down all the chatter; it’s early,” Rondo said. “Only a couple of guys should be talking in practice. As far as disrupting when they do stop practice, coach has the voice then assistant coach has the voice and then the older players.”
It’s not a surprise given Hoiberg won’t be one change his ways overnight, and having a player-run team are often the most successful, assuming everyone is on the same page.
It sort of speaks to Bulls vice president John Paxson’s statement on media day about the Bulls’ rebuilding their culture from the ground level.
“You talk about last year, but at the same time, last year doesn't matter,” Wade said. “We have a different core, and I think our culture is fairly different. We have guys now, Rondo's won a championship, I've won championships, we demand respect on the court. But we've got a lot of young guys as well, so they'll listen.”
Wade and Rondo have both said the Bulls are Butler’s team, but it doesn’t mean they’ll be wallflowers if they see things they don’t like. Wade has been a vocal leader in some form for the last decade and Rondo has rarely, if ever, held his tongue.
Rondo, along with being a primary facilitator for Butler to make scoring easier, imparted some wisdom to help Butler in his ever-evolving role as a leader.
“Not doing it with my mouth but with my actions, being consistent; I told Jimmy a leader can’t pick and choose when he wants to lead,” Rondo said. “He has to come out every day, every practice; we’re having two a days. If you are down, need something to get your head right, you have to bring it every day, every day.”
Hoiberg said there has to be a mutual respect amongst the team, which can lead to chemistry and camaraderie.
“It takes a lot of those moments when we all make mistakes and the coach is on us, that's when we come together,” Wade said. “In the locker room, when we're in there talking about anything, talking about whatever. it takes a lot of being on the road, traveling together. You're on a road trip, you go out dinner together. It's going to take a lot of moments to get the chemistry that we need.”
Chicago Mag is right: The Bulls will be must-watch in 2016 with Wade, Rondo.
By CSN Staff
(Drawing/csnchicago.com)
No one knows how all the new pieces the Bulls brought in this offseason - eight, to be exact - will fit together.
The team opened training camp on Tuesday, and it should come as no surprise that everyone seems to be getting along just fine. It won't be until the real games get going close to Halloween that we see how the new team, built by GM Gar Forman and VP John Paxson, fares. And realistically, the squad won't be a finished project until well into 2017.
But as Chicago Mag's Adam Waytz wrote earlier this week, no matter how the new faces - particularly two veteran champions in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo - mesh together, the Bulls will be must-watch television and live streaming in 2016-17.
The team opened training camp on Tuesday, and it should come as no surprise that everyone seems to be getting along just fine. It won't be until the real games get going close to Halloween that we see how the new team, built by GM Gar Forman and VP John Paxson, fares. And realistically, the squad won't be a finished project until well into 2017.
But as Chicago Mag's Adam Waytz wrote earlier this week, no matter how the new faces - particularly two veteran champions in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo - mesh together, the Bulls will be must-watch television and live streaming in 2016-17.
Yet for all of Rondo’s outward absurdity, a similar strangeness lurks just below Wade’s surface, manifesting in an occasional thrown elbow and, this summer, in his erratic exit from the Miami Heat. Wade had no reason to leave Miami, where he led the team in 2006 to its first championship and holds franchise records for points, games played, assists, and steals. Yet the looming presences of Shaquille O’Neal and Pat Riley on the 2006 team, followed by LeBron James’s arrival in Miami (and subsequent departure!) overshadowed Wade’s steadfast tenure as the most successful athlete in South Florida history. Then came this summer’s contract quibbles.
But Wade’s departure had little to do with money. It was about the Heat, and the league more broadly, slowly wallpapering over his relevance as a top five all-time shooting guard.
This slow burn of Wade’s ego is the flame to Rondo’s fuse. Rondo also unwillingly tumbled into obscurity, with each setback—a 2013 ACL injury, his acrimonious 48-game Dallas stay, and a purgatorial last season in Sacramento (where a national audience ignored his career bests in rebounding and 3-point shooting)—fueling his resolve. For both Wade and Rondo, arriving in Chicago signaled a pressure release—they have already vocally deferred team leadership duties to Jimmy Butler—yet their pride still smolders.
Bulls fans now get to sit back and watch the Wade-Rondo redemption tour, a revenge fantasy that Tarantino could not have stunt-cast better. If all goes as planned, Rondo’s eccentric aggression will allow Wade to access the strange spite he secretly harbors, and Wade’s polish will set an example for Rondo, guiding him to restore luster to his recently tarnished reputation. If nothing else, watching their rejuvenation will be way more fun than pondering the sadness behind Rose’s eyes or wondering whether Noah and Taj Gibson can play together.One has to wonder, too, about how much Wade's decision to return home had to do with his best friend, LeBron James, doing the same in Cleveland two years ago. And even though he's already dubbed the Bulls as Jimmy Butler's team, it thrusts him back into the spotlight playing for the team he dreamed about ever since he was a kid.
For both Wade and Rondo, it's also an opportunity to rebound from sub-par years. Wade played in 74 games, his most since 2010, but shot a career-worst 45.6 percent from the field, and his 19.0 points and 4.6 assists were the lowest since his rookie season 13 years ago. That's not to say the future Hall of Famer doesn't have plenty left in the tank - he does, at witnessed by his stellar playoff performance - but some added motivation in a new jersey will serve him well.
Rondo has even more to prove. The Bulls will be his fourth team since the start of the 2013 season, and while he led the NBA in assists per game last year (11.7) his shot and defense remain liabilities. Both Rondo and Wade can opt out of their deals after this season, and while that doesn't mean leaving the Bulls per se, there are financial games to be made by the pair having dominant seasons.
Combine that with Jimmy Butler attempting to prove he can play nice with a pair of Alphas, and as Waytz wrote, there will be something new to watch for every night.
Time will tell if Fred Hoiberg can harness the egos, talent and attitudes in the Bulls locker room. But one thing's for certain: no matter the outcome, it'll be worth watching and streaming.
Position battles to watch for at Bulls camp.
By Mark Schanowski
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
After the Bulls traded for veteran center Robin Lopez and signed guards Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo in free agency, the starting lineup for the 2016-17 season was 80 percent complete with Jimmy Butler moving over to small forward. The only real question remained: will Nikola Mirotic or Taj Gibson start at power forward?
Arguments can be made for both players, but early in camp it appears Mirotic will have the edge, based on his three-point shooting ability. The Bulls need to create floor spacing for their wing players (Wade and Butler) who are most effective driving to the basket, and Mirotic has the ability to knock down the three (.355 for his career, .390 last season). Mirotic is also an underrated defensive rebounder with decent size at 6-foot-10, 240 pounds.
Mirotic got off to a fast start last season in a starting role, but eventually went to the bench after a late November-early December shooting slump. His second NBA season was also sidetracked by an emergency appendectomy in late January that caused him to miss almost six weeks of action. Mirotic finished the season strong, and went on to play a lead role with his former Bulls teammate, Pau Gasol, on Spain’s national team at the Rio Olympics. Mirotic will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, so he has a lot riding on establishing himself as a bonafide NBA starter.
It's a similar story for Gibson, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and is looking to land one more big contract when he turns 32-years-old next June. Gibson is known for his relentless work on the boards and his ability to defend power forwards and centers. He’s also 100 percent healthy after dealing with the after-effects of ankle surgery last season. But given the Bulls’ spacing issues, it makes sense for the coaching staff to go with Mirotic alongside Wade, Rondo and Butler, and to pair Gibson with young perimeter threats like Doug McDermott, Denzel Valentine and Isaiah Canaan on the second unit. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg could use Gibson in a backup center role, with McDermott getting minutes at power forward in small ball lineups. Gibson will play, but don’t be surprised to see his name come up again in midseason trade rumors.
So, where does that leave 2015 first-round draft pick Bobby Portis? Portis looked good in Las Vegas Summer League play, showing off improved low-post skills and a consistent three-point shot. But unless Portis has a big preseason, it’s hard to imagine him getting consistent rotation minutes early in the season. Portis could earn some time as a stretch five backing up Lopez, but those minutes might also go to Gibson or second-year center Cristiano Felicio. Portis worked hard all summer, and should be a better all-around player in his sophomore season, but he faces an uphill battle to earn regular minutes. It will be interesting to see how many of the Bulls young players wind up logging time with the Bulls’ new D-League team in Hoffman Estates. Portis might not be involved as a No. 1 draft pick, but Felicio and second-round selection Paul Zipser might want to get familiar with the trip out to the Sears Center.
Arguments can be made for both players, but early in camp it appears Mirotic will have the edge, based on his three-point shooting ability. The Bulls need to create floor spacing for their wing players (Wade and Butler) who are most effective driving to the basket, and Mirotic has the ability to knock down the three (.355 for his career, .390 last season). Mirotic is also an underrated defensive rebounder with decent size at 6-foot-10, 240 pounds.
Mirotic got off to a fast start last season in a starting role, but eventually went to the bench after a late November-early December shooting slump. His second NBA season was also sidetracked by an emergency appendectomy in late January that caused him to miss almost six weeks of action. Mirotic finished the season strong, and went on to play a lead role with his former Bulls teammate, Pau Gasol, on Spain’s national team at the Rio Olympics. Mirotic will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, so he has a lot riding on establishing himself as a bonafide NBA starter.
It's a similar story for Gibson, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and is looking to land one more big contract when he turns 32-years-old next June. Gibson is known for his relentless work on the boards and his ability to defend power forwards and centers. He’s also 100 percent healthy after dealing with the after-effects of ankle surgery last season. But given the Bulls’ spacing issues, it makes sense for the coaching staff to go with Mirotic alongside Wade, Rondo and Butler, and to pair Gibson with young perimeter threats like Doug McDermott, Denzel Valentine and Isaiah Canaan on the second unit. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg could use Gibson in a backup center role, with McDermott getting minutes at power forward in small ball lineups. Gibson will play, but don’t be surprised to see his name come up again in midseason trade rumors.
So, where does that leave 2015 first-round draft pick Bobby Portis? Portis looked good in Las Vegas Summer League play, showing off improved low-post skills and a consistent three-point shot. But unless Portis has a big preseason, it’s hard to imagine him getting consistent rotation minutes early in the season. Portis could earn some time as a stretch five backing up Lopez, but those minutes might also go to Gibson or second-year center Cristiano Felicio. Portis worked hard all summer, and should be a better all-around player in his sophomore season, but he faces an uphill battle to earn regular minutes. It will be interesting to see how many of the Bulls young players wind up logging time with the Bulls’ new D-League team in Hoffman Estates. Portis might not be involved as a No. 1 draft pick, but Felicio and second-round selection Paul Zipser might want to get familiar with the trip out to the Sears Center.
The other major training camp battle involves the backup point guard spot behind Rondo. The coaches have a wide variety of options, starting with former Notre Dame star Jerian Grant, who came over in the Derrick Rose trade with the Knicks. The soon to be 24-year-old Grant is the son of long-time NBA player Harvey Grant and nephew of former Bulls star Horace Grant. The Bulls were interested in selecting Jerian Grant in the 2015 draft, but he went off the board a few picks before their turn in the first round.
Grant was a big-time scorer at Notre Dame, but struggled to get on the court in his rookie season with the Knicks. After Kurt Rambis replaced Derek Fisher as head coach of the Knicks, Grant finally got some consistent playing time, averaging 16.8 ppg over the last four games of the season. He’s not a great three-point shooter, hitting just 22 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie, but his ability to get to the basket and create open shots for teammates would give the Bulls consistent point guard play throughout the game.
Canaan was signed late in free agency to give the Bulls another long-range shooting option. He hit 36 percent of his 3’s with Philadelphia last season, averaging 11 points a game. The 25-year-old Canaan figures to be specialist with the Bulls, much like Aaron Brooks who could score points in bunches, but didn’t excel at running a half-court offense. Even though Canaan only stands 6 feet tall, he’s really a shooting guard in a point guard’s body, much like Brooks, D.J. Augustin, Nate Robinson and C.J. Watson who proceeded him.
6-foot-6 Spencer Dinwiddie was considered a potential lottery pick at Colorado before suffering a devastating knee injury that dropped him into the second round. Dinwiddie didn’t get a lot of playing time for Stan Van Gundy in Detroit, but he’s completely healthy now and showed during Summer League play he’s capable of scoring over smaller point guards in the post. His size, scoring ability and defensive skills might push him ahead of the other candidates when all is said and done.
The wild card in the backup point guard derby is this year’s first-round pick Denzel Valentine. Even though he played a wing spot at Michigan State, Valentine was the floor general for Tom Izzo, and is an exceptional passer with outstanding court vision. Since playing time behind Wade & Butler might be limited, Valentine could wind up running the point on the second unit, with Butler on the court as the primary initiator on offense. Valentine’s shooting ability gives the Bulls another floor spacer, and at 6-foot-5, he’ll have size advantage over smaller backup point guards.
Boiling it all down, Hoiberg and his assistants figure to do a lot of experimenting during the preseason to find out which players execute best together. But once the ball goes up for real on Oct. 27, Hoiberg has to decide on his best 9 or 10 players for a consistent regular-season rotation. Matchups could dictate which backup point guards find the floor, but even this early in camp it’s pretty obvious the Bulls are intrigued by Valentine’s potential, and he should get consistent playing time in his rookie season.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Ryder Cup: Will the force be with the U.S.?
By Ryan Lavner
(Photo/The Golf Channel)
If you think this week’s buildup to the Ryder Cup has been insufferable – with player-on-past-captain crime and a European team member’s brother penning a satirical column – then perhaps you’ve forgotten about the past two years.
Oh, we’ve long since reached the Ryder Cup saturation point.
The task forces and committees and pods and foundations and succession plans – sometimes, it’s hard to remember whether the Americans are trying to win 14 ½ points or stimulate the economy. And the thing is, the game plan all sounds so similar to, well, what Europe has done for years, for decades. Only they don’t require all the pomp and circumstance.
Finally, mercifully, they’ll play golf at 7:35 a.m. local time Friday.
Finally, mercifully, the Americans will put their much-ballyhooed system on display against a European team that, although it returns some of the usual suspects, also features plenty of new faces.
How those six rookies perform likely will swing these matches at Hazeltine. It’s the most first-timers Europe has had on away soil since 1999. That one, remember, didn’t end so well for the visitors.
As for the Americans, there has seemingly been as much focus on the guys with walkie-talkies as the team members with clubs. Tiger Woods is a vice captain. So far this week, he has stood stoically with his earpiece, Secret Service-style, and hustled to retrieve turkey sandwiches. Bubba Watson, the seventh-ranked player in the world, is also an assistant – and the resident cheerleader.
But make no mistake, Phil Mickelson is the alpha dog calling the shots – and he’s even firing them, too.
For all of the talk about a fresh start, Mickelson couldn’t resist dredging up the past this week. When asked about the impact a captain can have on these matches, Mickelson didn’t mention the leadership of Paul Azinger in 2008, who guided the Americans to their only win this century. No, he instead buried former captain Hal Sutton, saying he was put “in a position to fail.” A dozen years ago.
For those keeping score at home, that’s now two captains in two years that Mickelson – a 46-year-old veteran of 22 consecutive team competitions – has criticized in a news-conference setting. But this move was particularly odd, because the unprovoked takedown runs counter to the inclusive “Ryder Cup family” theme that was supposedly so prevalent in the task-force era. With players careful not to give the other team bulletin-board material, leave it to the Americans – losers of eight of the past 10 matches – to strike the first blow. Against themselves.
Despite the early-week drama, there remains a sense that this still might finally be the week that the U.S. side gets back on track in the biennial slugfest. Sure, some of that renewed optimism is because the players feel more invested in the process. But there’s also another component, a competitive reality: Throw out the Gleneagles loss – where a clearly dysfunctional American group was steamrolled by five points – and the previous two matches were both narrow defeats (14 ½ to 13 ½). Now, they receive the home-crowd bump.
“It’s not as bad as it seems,” Zach Johnson said. “If you want to break down the sessions, we’re not that far off. It’s a lull here, a lag there.”
Rather than wing it on-site, the Americans have had a plan in place for weeks, with pods and set pairings and fewer distractions (well, save for the unexpected Sutton saga, of course).
If that sounds familiar, it should – that’s the model Europe has used for years, and with great success. Lee Westwood said it was “very flattering” that the Americans have tried to replicate their system.
“It means we are successful and we are doing it right,” he said. “It gives us a lot of confidence and puts added pressure on them. You form a task force and it doesn’t go right this week, where do you go from there? You’ve done pretty much all you can. So we’ll see how it goes.”
With Ian Poulter driving a golf cart instead of a dagger into the Americans’ hearts, the new-look Europeans have kept a low profile in the run-up to Friday. That was until rookie Danny Willett’s brother, Pete, eviscerated American golf fans in a blog post, describing their incessant cries of “Mashed Potatoes!” and “Baba Booey!” as the work of a “baying mob of imbeciles,” among other insults. It figures to be a long, loud week for the Masters champion.
Westwood shook his head at the furor that has engulfed his likely Day 1 partner. “He should be left to just play golf,” he said.
If only it were so simple.
Johnny Miller viewed this bunch as the “worst team they’ve had in many years,” but the Europeans still boast the Masters champion, Open winner, Olympic gold medalist and, most recently, the FedEx Cup champion, after Mcllroy outlasted Ryan Moore, the newly minted U.S. Ryder Cupper, last Sunday.
“We’re always the underdogs, aren’t we?” European captain Darren Clarke said. “We’re always not supposed to win. But they’ve been doing OK.”
And now the next chapter is finally, mercifully here. Not a moment too soon.
Friday foursomes: Spieth-Reed vs. Rose-Stenson.
By Rex Hoggard
A task force, a handful of controversies and apologies, and two years of anticipation will finally give way to actual competition when the 41st Ryder Cup gets underway Friday morning.
Captains Davis Love III and Darren Clarke revealed their lineups for the opening foursome matches, and both will lead off with their strongest duo.
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, 2-0-1 as a team at Gleneagles, will play Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, who also led off the Europeans two years ago in Scotland and went 3-0 as a team, in the day’s first match.
“We knew what [Clarke] was going to do with that first group,” Love said. “But we just picked four of our best alternate-shot pairings, foursomes pairings, and lined them up in the best order we thought for getting started. So we're excited about our four.”
In the second group out, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler will play Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan; they're followed by Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson vs. Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer.
Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar will anchor the morning’s session against Lee Westwood and Thomas Pieters.
For the U.S., Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker, J.B. Holmes and Ryan Moore will sit out the first session; likewise, Chris Wood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Danny Willett – all Ryder Cup rookies – will sit for Europe.
Here are the tee times for Friday morning's opening session:
Match 1, 7:35 a.m. - Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson (EUR) vs. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed (USA)
Oh, we’ve long since reached the Ryder Cup saturation point.
The task forces and committees and pods and foundations and succession plans – sometimes, it’s hard to remember whether the Americans are trying to win 14 ½ points or stimulate the economy. And the thing is, the game plan all sounds so similar to, well, what Europe has done for years, for decades. Only they don’t require all the pomp and circumstance.
Finally, mercifully, they’ll play golf at 7:35 a.m. local time Friday.
Finally, mercifully, the Americans will put their much-ballyhooed system on display against a European team that, although it returns some of the usual suspects, also features plenty of new faces.
How those six rookies perform likely will swing these matches at Hazeltine. It’s the most first-timers Europe has had on away soil since 1999. That one, remember, didn’t end so well for the visitors.
As for the Americans, there has seemingly been as much focus on the guys with walkie-talkies as the team members with clubs. Tiger Woods is a vice captain. So far this week, he has stood stoically with his earpiece, Secret Service-style, and hustled to retrieve turkey sandwiches. Bubba Watson, the seventh-ranked player in the world, is also an assistant – and the resident cheerleader.
But make no mistake, Phil Mickelson is the alpha dog calling the shots – and he’s even firing them, too.
For all of the talk about a fresh start, Mickelson couldn’t resist dredging up the past this week. When asked about the impact a captain can have on these matches, Mickelson didn’t mention the leadership of Paul Azinger in 2008, who guided the Americans to their only win this century. No, he instead buried former captain Hal Sutton, saying he was put “in a position to fail.” A dozen years ago.
For those keeping score at home, that’s now two captains in two years that Mickelson – a 46-year-old veteran of 22 consecutive team competitions – has criticized in a news-conference setting. But this move was particularly odd, because the unprovoked takedown runs counter to the inclusive “Ryder Cup family” theme that was supposedly so prevalent in the task-force era. With players careful not to give the other team bulletin-board material, leave it to the Americans – losers of eight of the past 10 matches – to strike the first blow. Against themselves.
Despite the early-week drama, there remains a sense that this still might finally be the week that the U.S. side gets back on track in the biennial slugfest. Sure, some of that renewed optimism is because the players feel more invested in the process. But there’s also another component, a competitive reality: Throw out the Gleneagles loss – where a clearly dysfunctional American group was steamrolled by five points – and the previous two matches were both narrow defeats (14 ½ to 13 ½). Now, they receive the home-crowd bump.
“It’s not as bad as it seems,” Zach Johnson said. “If you want to break down the sessions, we’re not that far off. It’s a lull here, a lag there.”
Rather than wing it on-site, the Americans have had a plan in place for weeks, with pods and set pairings and fewer distractions (well, save for the unexpected Sutton saga, of course).
If that sounds familiar, it should – that’s the model Europe has used for years, and with great success. Lee Westwood said it was “very flattering” that the Americans have tried to replicate their system.
“It means we are successful and we are doing it right,” he said. “It gives us a lot of confidence and puts added pressure on them. You form a task force and it doesn’t go right this week, where do you go from there? You’ve done pretty much all you can. So we’ll see how it goes.”
With Ian Poulter driving a golf cart instead of a dagger into the Americans’ hearts, the new-look Europeans have kept a low profile in the run-up to Friday. That was until rookie Danny Willett’s brother, Pete, eviscerated American golf fans in a blog post, describing their incessant cries of “Mashed Potatoes!” and “Baba Booey!” as the work of a “baying mob of imbeciles,” among other insults. It figures to be a long, loud week for the Masters champion.
Westwood shook his head at the furor that has engulfed his likely Day 1 partner. “He should be left to just play golf,” he said.
If only it were so simple.
Johnny Miller viewed this bunch as the “worst team they’ve had in many years,” but the Europeans still boast the Masters champion, Open winner, Olympic gold medalist and, most recently, the FedEx Cup champion, after Mcllroy outlasted Ryan Moore, the newly minted U.S. Ryder Cupper, last Sunday.
“We’re always the underdogs, aren’t we?” European captain Darren Clarke said. “We’re always not supposed to win. But they’ve been doing OK.”
And now the next chapter is finally, mercifully here. Not a moment too soon.
Friday foursomes: Spieth-Reed vs. Rose-Stenson.
By Rex Hoggard
A task force, a handful of controversies and apologies, and two years of anticipation will finally give way to actual competition when the 41st Ryder Cup gets underway Friday morning.
Captains Davis Love III and Darren Clarke revealed their lineups for the opening foursome matches, and both will lead off with their strongest duo.
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, 2-0-1 as a team at Gleneagles, will play Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, who also led off the Europeans two years ago in Scotland and went 3-0 as a team, in the day’s first match.
“We knew what [Clarke] was going to do with that first group,” Love said. “But we just picked four of our best alternate-shot pairings, foursomes pairings, and lined them up in the best order we thought for getting started. So we're excited about our four.”
In the second group out, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler will play Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan; they're followed by Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson vs. Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer.
Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar will anchor the morning’s session against Lee Westwood and Thomas Pieters.
For the U.S., Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker, J.B. Holmes and Ryan Moore will sit out the first session; likewise, Chris Wood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Danny Willett – all Ryder Cup rookies – will sit for Europe.
Here are the tee times for Friday morning's opening session:
Match 1, 7:35 a.m. - Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson (EUR) vs. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed (USA)
Match 2, 7:50 a.m. - Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan (EUR)
Match 3, 8:05 a.m. - Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer (EUR) vs. Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson (USA)
Match 4, 8:20 a.m. - Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Thomas Pieters and Lee Westwood (EUR)
Punch Shot: Predictions for 41st Ryder Cup. What's Your Take?
By Golf Channel Digital
On the eve of the 41st Ryder Cup, where Europe is looking to win for a record fourth consecutive time. The red, white and blue are just hoping to stop the bleeding and would love to do so on home soil.
With that, our team at Hazeltine weighs in with answers to three questions.
WHO WILL BE THE MAN OF THE MATCH?
Rex Hoggard: Dustin Johnson. Expectations at the Ryder Cup are always tough to fulfill, but it is difficult to imagine how DJ doesn’t emerge as the U.S. team’s man of the match. No one has the ability to overpower courses, particularly sprawling courses like Hazeltine National, and compartmentalize setbacks better than DJ, which might be the best recipe for match-play success.
Randall Mell: Patrick Reed. The American will thrive wearing red, white and blue again, but this time he won’t be admonishing the crowd to be silent like he did at Gleneagles. He’ll be exhorting the home crowd to make a lot of noise. He’ll be giving them reason to do so as he further develops his image as the American Ian Poulter.
Ryan Lavner: Patrick Reed. Pumping his fist, shushing the crowd, he went 3-0-1 in a road Ryder Cup. He was so fired up Thursday that he was practically bouncing in his seat. Reed and Jordan Spieth will have the biggest target on their backs for the Americans, but that’s a spot both relish. Reed has played some terrific golf this season, and there’s no reason to expect any different in the event he loves most.
Jay Coffin: Rory McIlroy. He’s riding high after that huge payday last Sunday and will play lights-out for three days. Sure, his putting was spotty at the BMW Championship, but it’s the Ryder Cup and I expect to see his top form with every club in the bag. If Europe has any hope, Rory has to be its top dog.
WHO WILL BE A SURPRISE STAR?
Hoggard: Ryan Moore. He may have been a last-minute edition to the team and something of an unknown element to fans and even a few members of the U.S. team, but Moore will emerge from the 41st matches as the American team’s surprise star. He’s neither flashy nor powerful, but Moore enjoys that unknown quality that makes for a truly special match play and Ryder Cup player.
Mell: Thomas Pieters. Seems like everyone’s predicting stardom for this young Belgian. There’s no better place to launch that new arc to his career than in a Ryder Cup.
Lavner: Thomas Pieters. He may have been the last pick for the Europeans, but he’s still one of their best players. The big-hitting Belgian has three wins in the past year, and if given the chance by captain Darren Clarke, he’ll shine on the big stage. He has a history of giant slaying, whether it was winning the individual title at the 2012 NCAAs or providing a clinching point again at the NCAAs a year later. This kid’s the real deal and has immense skills.
Coffin: Rafael Cabrera Bello. It’s already been the most successful year of his career (he’s up to No. 30 in the world ranking) and that trend will continue here this week. At some point he’ll be paired with countryman Sergio Garcia and that Spanish Ryder Cup magic will continue just as it has the past three decades.
WHO WILL WIN?
Hoggard: United States. Europeans light up whenever someone mentions the task force, which to those from the Continent was a silly waste of time. But if the American makeover has done anything it’s given the U.S. players ownership of an event that had become a party where they never seemed entirely welcome. Despite Europe’s dominance of late, most have been decided by the slimmest of margins, and the task force will prove to be the winning edge.
Mell: United States. The Euros finally seem ripe for the taking. With the Euros on foreign soil with six Ryder Cup rookies on their roster, the Americans really are the favorites. After all the task force invested in overhauling the U.S. Ryder Cup effort, the Americans better win.
Lavner: United States. Lee Westwood said it best Thursday: “You form a task force and it doesn’t go right this week, where do you go from there?” Put simply, the Americans HAVE to win this week. They have the home crowd. They have the better team. (Don’t they always?) They have strong, confident pairings. But now comes the hard part – executing when everyone expects them to excel. Europe will keep it close, but the home crowd gives the Americans the 1 1/2-point bump they need.
Coffin: Europe. The Americans should win, they do have the better collection of players. But do they have the better team? The Americans always have more talent, but we all know how that has played out over the last two decades. Until the U.S. finally wins one, I’ll pick Europe.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We agree wholeheartedly, our American Ryder Cup team should win the tournament hands down. We blew "The Cup" in 2014 at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, IL, after going into the last day with a substantial lead. That's not going to happen this year. We're behind our team and we have their backs. There's no better time to start a new streak of American victories. Let's go team (Ryder Cup)!!! We had a great showing at the 2016 Summer Olympics so let's keep it going. This is going to be one heckuva weekend and we can't wait until Monday's edition to print that terrific headline. We won't jinx it now but be sure and look Monday as we hope it will be as joyous for you as it will be for us. Let's go American Ryder Cup Team!!!
We wear our feelings on our sleeves, tell us how you feel and who you think is going to win the 2016 Ryder Cup. We really want to know, what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and state your position. As always, we love to hear from you. Thanks for your time and consideration.
The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
NASCAR America: Is this the year for both Kurt Busch and his beloved Cubs?
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Kurt Busch, a lifetime Chicago Cubs fan, explains his relationship with the team and his experience singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch at a game at Wrigley Field a few years ago.
Busch is pulling for the Cubs all the way in 2016. Could he also win a Sprint Cup championship in 2016, as well?
Busch is pulling for the Cubs all the way in 2016. Could he also win a Sprint Cup championship in 2016, as well?
“I would be beside myself,” Busch said during an in-studio visit for Thursday’s NASCAR America.
Fanfest canceled for this year’s NASCAR Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/Getty Images)
The annual Fanfest on Fremont Street that is part of the NASCAR Champion’s Week in Las Vegas has been canceled for this year.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper was first to report on the event’s cancellation in Thursday’s edition.
Scheduling and logistic issues are partly cited for the reason of the cancellation, with Champion’s Week (Nov. 28 to Dec. 2) overlapping one of the biggest events held in Las Vegas each year, the National Finals Rodeo (Dec. 1 to Dec. 10).
“We anticipate a new Champion’s Week schedule, which will prevent the event (Fanfest) from taking place,” Las Vegas Motor Speedway Vice President of Communications Jeff Motley told NASCAR Talk in an email.
Fanfest has served as the unofficial kickoff to NASCAR Champion’s Week for the last several years.
Other signature events associated with Champion’s Week are still expected to be held as usual, including the “Victory Lap” on the Las Vegas Strip, and the “After the Lap” Q&A session with Chase drivers at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort.
And, of course, the highlight of the week’s festivities is the Champion’s Awards Banquet on Dec. 2 at Wynn Las Vegas Resort.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper was first to report on the event’s cancellation in Thursday’s edition.
Scheduling and logistic issues are partly cited for the reason of the cancellation, with Champion’s Week (Nov. 28 to Dec. 2) overlapping one of the biggest events held in Las Vegas each year, the National Finals Rodeo (Dec. 1 to Dec. 10).
“We anticipate a new Champion’s Week schedule, which will prevent the event (Fanfest) from taking place,” Las Vegas Motor Speedway Vice President of Communications Jeff Motley told NASCAR Talk in an email.
Fanfest has served as the unofficial kickoff to NASCAR Champion’s Week for the last several years.
Other signature events associated with Champion’s Week are still expected to be held as usual, including the “Victory Lap” on the Las Vegas Strip, and the “After the Lap” Q&A session with Chase drivers at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort.
And, of course, the highlight of the week’s festivities is the Champion’s Awards Banquet on Dec. 2 at Wynn Las Vegas Resort.
SOCCER: Fire shut out in loss at streaking Seattle.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Chicago Fire dropped another road game Wednesday night.
The Seattle Sounders topped the Fire 1-0 behind a first-half goal from Chad Marshall. It is the Fire’s 12th road loss in 15 matches this season.
Marshall headed in an Andreas Ivanschitz corner kick in the 24th minute for the game’s only goal. Marshall, one of Seattle’s best targets on set pieces, was all alone just outside the six-yard box.
Marshall headed in an Andreas Ivanschitz corner kick in the 24th minute for the game’s only goal. Marshall, one of Seattle’s best targets on set pieces, was all alone just outside the six-yard box.
Seattle had more than 70 percent of the possession in the first half. The Fire pushed forward more frequently in the second half, but could not find the tying goal. David Arshakyan had a pair of good looks in the box late, but couldn't put one away.
The loss at Seattle (12-13-5, 41 points), coupled with other results earlier on Wednesday, means the Fire (6-15-9, 27 points) are now officially eliminated from playoff contention. The Fire are the first team to be eliminated.
The shutout snapped a streak of 10 straight MLS matches in which the Fire had scored.
Midfielder John Goossens returned to action after missing the last two matches with a back injury. He replaced Arturo Alvarez in the 65th minute.
David Accam celebrated his 26th birthday on Wednesday. He was also called up to Ghana’s national team on the day. Ghana will host Uganda in a World Cup qualifier on Oct. 7 and play at South Africa on Oct. 11.
There are four games left in the Fire’s season, beginning with the finale of this three-game road trip Saturday at Columbus.
Premier League storylines: First vs second at WHL, Saints meet Foxes.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
My goodness, do these European weeks allow the Premier League to just reach out and smack you in the face or what?
The PL returns Friday with a match-up of two team on the precipice of the Top Four, and doesn’t stop until a thrilling Sunday leads us into an international break.
Let’s dig into our Top Five storylines for the PL weekend.
First versus second at White Hart Lane
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City — 9:15 a.m. EDT Sunday (NBCSN)
Pep Guardiola has already presided over a Manchester City win across town at Old Trafford, and scooping three points at White Hart Lane would be yet another gorgeous feather in his new sky blue cap. Want more insight into this 1v2? Here’s JPW with a PST Extra.
Gunners look to keep firing in classic trap game
Burnley vs. Arsenal — 11:30 a.m. EDT Sunday (NBCSN)
Arsene Wenger has Theo Walcott and the Gooners humming, with three-straight clean sheets and just four goals allowed in their last eight contests. With an international break coming, Arsenal just has to do what’s expected of it and take a week to revel in its fine form.
That’s kinda the problem. In the past, Arsenal would make a trip like this much harder than it looks on paper. If the Gunners are truly on the path to something special, that doesn’t happen at Turf Moor.
Will Chelsea responds to furious Conte?
Hull City vs. Chelsea — 10 a.m. EDT Saturday (NBCSN)
As good as Chelsea has been at times this year, there are still lingering worries that the group that quit on Jose Mourinho is lacking the leadership necessary to make a title push (and yes, we know that group won the title one year previous).
Manager Antonio Conte was ticked off after the Blues were bounced all over the Emirates by Arsenal, and are supposed to making the most of this season without a congested European schedule. That should mean a win at Hull, right?
Pretender alert, pretender alert
Leicester City vs. Southampton — 9 a.m. EDT Sunday (CNBC)
Here’s a tale of four teams in one two-team game. Leicester and Southampton have been solid, if not terrific, in Europe, and look threats to advance into the knockout rounds of both the Champions and Europa League.
Leicester and Southampton have also combined for a mere 15 points though 12 Premier League games, far off the pace for fans hoping both could become European fixtures. At least one, or two, maybe four of these teams will feel better come 11 a.m. Sunday. Not three, though. Definitely not three.
Last stop for Guidolin?
Swansea City vs. Liverpool — 7:30 a.m. EDT Saturday (NBCSN)
As the rumor vultures circle above Francesco Guidolin crowing, “Bob Bradley, Bob Bradley“, the Swansea boss looks to engineer a home win over Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool that could save his job. That won’t worry Klopp too much, who is hoping to lead his Reds into the international break as high as second in the PL table.
Premier League Power Rankings: Red Devils on the rise; City still the standard.
By Andy Edwards
The 2016-17 Premier League season is a month and a half old now, which means we think we know who some of these teams are.
Of course, that’ll change a handful of times between now and the end of the season, but it’s fun to pretend every Thursday before the latest round of shocking results completely upset the applecart.
With that said, feast your eyes on the latest round of PL power rankings…
| TEAM | RANKING | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | 20 (17) | West Ham: Four straight losses, by a combined score of 14-5, see the Hammers fall three more places to last place in the Power Rankings. They’re currently just two points clear of the bottom in the real-life table. Slaven Bilic needs a win, badly. | |
 | 19 (19) | Sunderland: Six games into the season, one of two sides without a win. Blew a 2-0 lead against Crystal Palace, and lost 3-2, at home. Yet another fight against relegation looks on the cards for the Black Cats. | |
 | 18 (20) | Stoke City: The other winless side. PL-worst four goals scored. The scheduled has gotten easier the last two weeks, but the Potters managed just one point from games against Crystal Palace and West Brom. Up next: Man United. Dun dun dun dunnnnn. | |
 | 17 (16) | Swansea City: Just a win and a draw thus far, but they’ve been in just about every game. Haven’t lost a game by more than two goals this season, unlike the aforementioned cellar dwellers. Don’t be surprised if that changes this weekend, against Liverpool. | |
 | 16 (13) | Middlesbrough: Three straight losses after winning five points from their first three games. Palace, Everton and Tottenham isn’t an easy stretch, though. Away to West Ham this weekend — just what the doctor ordered? | |
 | 15 (14) | Hull City: With just one point in their last four games, the early-season honeymoon is over. Fortunately for the Tigers, there have been far worse teams thus far. Unfortunately, they’re all more talented and figure to snap out of it eventually. | |
 | 14 (18) | Bournemouth: Handed Everton their first defeat of Toffees’ season, while keeping the second clean sheet of their own. Unexpected points are the best kind. | |
 | 13 (15) | Burnley: Unbeaten in their last three games at home following a 2-0 victory over Watford. Still without a point away from home. Arsenal visit Turf Moor this weekend. They wouldn’t, would they? | |
 | 12 (8) | Leicester City: Beating the side you’d expect them to do, and losing to the big boys with ambitions for the title. Exactly what you’d have expected from them last season. Southampton at home this weekend — it’s right in the coin-flip zone. | |
 | 11 (11) | Chelsea: Totally no-showed the first half against Arsenal, the biggest game of their season so far. A disaster defensively, Antonio Conte has a tall task ahead of him. And, Arsenal just scored again. | |
 | 10 (6) | Watford: The best, so far, of the five sides currently on seven points. That said, after topping Man United at home one week, you’d have expected a better showing away to Burnley the next. | |
 | 9 (9) | West Brom: Took a 1-0 lead into stoppage time against Stoke, but threw away a pair of points at the Britannia. 20 percent of the way to 40 points for the season, with just 15.7 percent of fixtures played. | |
| 8 (10) | Southampton: Sure it was only West Ham, but that’s more like it. Anytime you win 3-0 away in the PL, it’s cause for celebration. | |
 | 7 (12) | Manchester United: With Wayne Rooney dropped to the bench, the sky is the limit for Jose Mourinho’s United. I kid, I kid … kind of. It needed to be done, and now it must persist. | |
 | 6 (7) | Crystal Palace: Three straight wins, including the comeback against Sunderland, has Pardew’s Eagles all the way up to 7th in the league table. A massive test at Everton this week, under the lights on Friday. | |
 | 5 (3) | Everton: No longer unbeaten, but still a worthy candidate for European qualification. Romelu Lukaku is still only 23 years old (finally?), and he looks the best striker in the PL this season. Sky’s the limit under Ronald Koeman. | |
 | 4 (5) | Tottenham: For the second straight season, PL-best defensive record (three goals conceded). Eeked out a win (and two goals) without Harry Kane. Heung-Min Son has five goals in Spurs’ last three games (all competitions). Harry who? | |
 | 3 (2) | Liverpool: Three straight wins, by a combined score of 11-3. Jurgen Klopp‘s Reds are a terrifying attacking juggernaut, but a clean sheet would be nice. Most goals conceded (9) of any side in the top half, to go with 2nd-most goals scored (16) in the PL. | |
 | 2 (4) | Arsenal: Four straight wins, by a combined score of 12-3. Since the Gunners have started the season so brightly, they’ll fade around Christmas time and limp to a fourth-place finish. That’s how this works, right? They’re beyond brilliant to watch right now, though. | |
 | 1 (1) | Man City: Suffered their first blemish under Pep, but still perfect in the league. PL-best 18 goals scored. The season’s first adversity: Kevin De Bruyne is out three weeks. Will the onslaught of goals continue? |
NCAAFB: Lovie Smith needs wins in recruiting more than on the field this year.
By Shannon Ryan
When Illinois offensive coordinator Garrick McGee walks into a recruit's living room, he is ready with his introduction line.
"It's the opening statement when you're recruiting: 'Do you know who Lovie Smith is?'" McGee said. "And they go, 'Yes!' You sell that you're going to be playing for a proven professional football coach."
The Illini's best selling point is the man in charge.
The coaching staff hit the road during last week's open date on the schedule for the first time since getting hired in March, hampered by the NCAA's so-called "Saban Rule" that prohibits coaches from evaluating recruits in person during the spring.
"The message is the University of Illinois is a great place for an athlete to come to school," Smith said. "We flooded the country as much as we possibly could, seeing who's available and who will be available. The response was really good."
Illinois opens the Big Ten season Saturday at Nebraska (4-0) as three-touchdown underdogs. After a disappointing 1-2 start — which surely doesn't help recruiting efforts — it's hard to imagine this season ending with a winning record.
When Smith was hired, victory-starved Illini fans clamored about Big Ten championships and bowl victories. But Illinois isn't going to be a quick fix.
This season should be judged not by the victories on the field but by the commitments on the recruiting trail.
While most coaches have been targeting certain recruits for several years, the Illini staff was meeting many face to face for the first time. The 2017 class that signs in February should be graded on a curve given the late start, but it's fair to judge the direction the Illini are headed. And the 2018 class should be especially telling.
The current class of 12 players is ranked 55th nationally and 11th in the Big Ten in the recruiting service 247Sports.com's composite rankings, which aggregate the four major services. Scout.com ranks the Illini's 2017 class 46th nationally.
Brother Rice wide receiver Ricky Smalling, a four-star recruit according to some services, committed to Illinois in April over offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Syracuse. Guard Larry Boyd of St. Louis, at 6-foot-5 and 332 pounds, has the kind of size not seen lately on Illini recruits. Smith and his staff beat out Missouri for both Boyd and cornerback Tony Adams of St. Louis.
"All those doors that were closed before are open," said Jeremy Werner, publisher of Illini Inquirer, which is part of the Scout.com network.
They'll need to knock down some heavy doors for the 2018 class. Four-star Mount Carmel offensive tackle Verdis Brown — the top recruit in the state — is fielding offers from powerhouse programs such as Ohio State, Florida State and Michigan State.
"That's a litmus test," Werner said. "You have a year and a half to recruit him. You have to win those to be where you want to be eventually. Can Lovie Smith keep a kid like that in the state?"
He better get some like that. That's what counts right now. More than collecting wins, it's about collecting top recruits to build the program.
Smith hasn't been on the recruiting trail in more than 20 years, when he was last in the college ranks as an assistant at Ohio State.
"I do believe it's like riding a bike," Smith said. "It's not like I've been in a third-world country or anything like that. I've been dealing with people. I've dealt with parents before. I've talked to people before. We have a great product to sell here."
They just need buyers.
ACC makes football title game move to Orlando official.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Getty Images)
After originating in the state, the ACC championship game is headed back to Florida.
In an announcement that should come as a shock to absolutely no one, the ACC confirmed Thursday that the 2016 football title game will be played in Orlando. The game will be held at Camping World Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:45 p.m. ET.
The 65,000-seat stadium serves as the home of the Citrus Bowl postseason game and also played host to this year’s Ole Miss-Florida State opener on Labor Day. ACC officials met with their counterparts from the city earlier this week to finalize the deal.
An announcement on the new site likely would’ve come earlier were it not for a pair of high school football championship games scheduled for the same day at the same venue. Those games will now be played the following weekend.
The move to Charlotte comes almost two weeks to the day that the ACC announced it was yanking the title game away from the city of Charlotte and out of the state of North Carolina. The move was in response to the controversial House Bill 2 (HB2), a law which some claim fosters discrimination against members of the LGBT communities.
Charlotte had played host to the ACC football championship game every year since 2010. Prior or to 2010, the first three league title tilts were played in Jacksonville (2005-07) and the next two in Tampa (2008-09).
For Notre Dame, prepare like a champion maybe 'should be our new mantra’.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The “Play Like a Champion Today” sign in the cramped stairwell from the home locker room to the tunnel at Notre Dame Stadium has been a staple of tradition on this campus for decades. But at 1-3, maybe the 2016 Irish need to change that slogan a bit.
“You have to put everything that you can into each drill, each snap, each everything in this game,” offensive lineman and captain Mike McGlinchey said. “You can't overlook any detail. You can't leave any stone left unturned. It's so important that you prepare as a champion just as much as you want to play like one. And maybe that should be our new mantra.”
Notre Dame has had 10 underclassmen or first-time starters make starts this year, with a host of other inexperienced players seeing significant playing time, too. Right now, the team’s 1-3 record — with that only win coming over an entirely overmatched Nevada side — is a stern reminder of how sub-standard practices during the week can affect what happens on Saturday.
“You wake up pretty fast when you're 1 and 3,” McGlinchey said. “… What we have felt that good preparation is hasn't been good enough, and we will continue to ramp that up and continue to fight for the best play that we can. And it's about getting that understanding throughout the entire football team, whether you're a freshman or a fifth-year senior, that preparation is the most important thing in this game, and games aren't won on Saturdays in September. They're won in January in the weight room or in the summer doing your drills. And then each week it's won Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday when you're on the practice field. So if you can prepare the right way, prepare harder with the guys that we have on our team, I'm pretty confident that we can get our jobs done a little bit better.”
Linebacker and captain James Onwualu agreed with McGlinchey’s assessment.
“We've always tried to prepare to the best of our ability,” Onwualu said. “We practice hard. I think it's just the fact that we need to start practicing a little bit smarter, and the coaches have made a couple of changes, like I said, so practices are a little bit different. Still practicing with great intensity and continuing to push these younger guys to focus in on their job.”
For Notre Dame, everything is on the table when all of a sudden bowl eligibility could be at stake. Including even tweaking, for themselves, one of college football’s most famous sayings.
“You have to put everything that you can into each drill, each snap, each everything in this game,” offensive lineman and captain Mike McGlinchey said. “You can't overlook any detail. You can't leave any stone left unturned. It's so important that you prepare as a champion just as much as you want to play like one. And maybe that should be our new mantra.”
Notre Dame has had 10 underclassmen or first-time starters make starts this year, with a host of other inexperienced players seeing significant playing time, too. Right now, the team’s 1-3 record — with that only win coming over an entirely overmatched Nevada side — is a stern reminder of how sub-standard practices during the week can affect what happens on Saturday.
“You wake up pretty fast when you're 1 and 3,” McGlinchey said. “… What we have felt that good preparation is hasn't been good enough, and we will continue to ramp that up and continue to fight for the best play that we can. And it's about getting that understanding throughout the entire football team, whether you're a freshman or a fifth-year senior, that preparation is the most important thing in this game, and games aren't won on Saturdays in September. They're won in January in the weight room or in the summer doing your drills. And then each week it's won Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday when you're on the practice field. So if you can prepare the right way, prepare harder with the guys that we have on our team, I'm pretty confident that we can get our jobs done a little bit better.”
Linebacker and captain James Onwualu agreed with McGlinchey’s assessment.
“We've always tried to prepare to the best of our ability,” Onwualu said. “We practice hard. I think it's just the fact that we need to start practicing a little bit smarter, and the coaches have made a couple of changes, like I said, so practices are a little bit different. Still practicing with great intensity and continuing to push these younger guys to focus in on their job.”
For Notre Dame, everything is on the table when all of a sudden bowl eligibility could be at stake. Including even tweaking, for themselves, one of college football’s most famous sayings.
NCAABKB: 2016-17 CBT Expert Picks.
By Rob Dauster
We are now less than six weeks away from the start of the college basketball season, which means that it is time for us to officially get our picks on the record.
Here, our four writers pick who we think will win each league, the national title and the major awards:
At last, West Virginia and Pitt agree to revive their historic rivalry.
By Jeff Eisenberg
Pitt and West Virginia last played in 2012 (Photo/AP)
In the five years since both schools declared they were leaving the Big East to join other conferences, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins has always pushed to get longtime rival Pittsburgh back on his schedule.
Soon he’ll finally get his wish.
West Virginia and Pitt announced Thursday that they’ve agreed to a four-year series that will begin during the 2017-18 season. The Panthers will host the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl in 2017 and 2019 and will visit Morgantown in 2018 and 2020.
“I think this is great not only for both schools but for college basketball,” Huggins said in a statement. “This has been such a great rivalry, and it is a game that fans of both schools look forward to. I have great respect for Kevin Stallings, and I have followed his teams throughout the years. Pitt has been our biggest rival since I can remember and we have been theirs. The game makes sense.”
Pitt and West Virginia have played 184 times since 1904, with the Mountaineers holding a 96-88 lead in the series. The two schools split their final two games as Big East rivals, each winning on the other’s home floor during the 2011-12 season.
When Pitt left for the ACC and West Virginia bolted for the Big 12, it put the future of the rivalry in doubt. Huggins repeatedly told former Pitt coach Jamie Dixon that he’d like to restart the rivalry as soon as possible, but the Panthers were non-committal.
“I’ve said we’re willing to play,” Huggins told Yahoo Sports in 2012. “It’s a great rivalry. Why wouldn’t we play Pitt? You want to talk about the betterment of the student-athlete and doing what’s right by the student-athlete? We’re talking about an hour and a half drive. We’re not talking about flying across the country. It just makes sense. There’s not a downside.
“It’s great for the fans. The players really enjoy it. You can play the game and be home. There’s no problem waking up and going to class the next day. You’re not missing class time. All the reasons anyone could give for starting a series or maintaining a series, they’re all there. They’re all positive.”
The key to the series being restarted was surely the regime change at Pitt. Former Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes replaced Steve Pederson in April, 2015 and ex-Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings succeeded Dixon earlier this year.
“I saw the passion and intensity of the Pitt-West Virginia series from afar and felt it was important that we work to renew the series,” Stallings said in a statement. “Our goal in scheduling is to put together games that will generate great interest from our amazing fan base as well as prepare our team for conference and postseason play. Bob Huggins is an outstanding coach and competing against his program enables us to accomplish both of those things. I can’t wait to witness this rivalry firsthand.”
The rebirth of the rivalry is welcome news for a sport that has suffered greatly during conference realignment because so many of the football- and TV revenue-driven decisions came at the expense of basketball tradition.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has vowed never to play Maryland again after the Terps left for a payday in the Big Ten. Kansas coach Bill Self says he has no interest in scheduling longtime rival Missouri anymore after the Tigers bolted for the SEC. Texas-Texas A&M and Xavier-Dayton are both on hiatus as well thanks to lingering bitterness or scheduling conflicts created by conference switches by one or both schools.
Credit Stallings for being shrewd enough to recognize that Pitt-West Virginia is a rivalry with regional and national appeal. At a time when numerous historic rivalries have disappeared because of conference realignment, Pitt and West Virginia have ensured theirs won’t be one of them.
As Huggins said, “The game makes sense.”
California Chrome Preps For The Breeders' Cup: The Field And Post Positions For The Awesome Again.
Teresa Genaro
The Grade I, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes on opening weekend at Santa Anita is one of seven Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races taking place on Saturday and features America’s favorite race horse, 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, who is undefeated this year and will be a heavy favorite to get his sixth win of the year in his final prep for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The winner of the Awesome Again, like all winners of races in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, will receive an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup—in this case, into the Classic—along with pre-entry and entry fees, along with a travel allowance to ship to this year’s Breeders’ Cup, which will be held on November 4 and 5 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California.
The Awesome Again is one of three races that will be televised on NBC Sports Network on Saturday afternoon, beginning at 5:30 pm ET. The broadcast will include the Grade I Zenyatta Stakes from Santa Anita and the Vosburgh and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic from Belmont Park.
Post time for the Awesome Again is 6:30 pm ET. Morning line odds will be posted when Santa Anita makes them available.
The field, post positions, and morning line odds for the $300,000, Grade I Awesome Again
1) California Chrome
Owner: California Chrome LLC
Trainer: Art Sherman
Jockey: Victor Espinoza
The 2014 Horse of the Year that won the first two legs of the Triple Crown may well be the best horse in training, certainly in the United States and possibly in the world. He’s five-for-five this year and has been largely untested, winning two races in Dubai, including the $10 million World Cup. Two races back his rival here Dortmund put up a fight and almost held him off, but California Chrome got to him at the wire to win by a half-length. He’s earned $13.2 million, and while you won’t make money on him in this race on Saturday, the joy of watching him run may be payoff enough.
2) Dortmund
Owner: Kaleem Shah
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
A serious contender on last year’s Triple Crown trail, Dortmund had the misfortune to be born the same year as American Pharoah. Third in the Kentucky Derby, he was undefeated heading into that race, and he’s been lightly raced since then, logging two races late last year, and just two this year, after eight months on the sidelines. He was seven lengths behind California Chrome last out in the Grade I Pacific Classic, finishing third.
3) Hoppertunity
Owner: Karl Watson, Michael Pegram, Paul Weitman
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Flavien Prat
He’s earned $2.9 million in 21 lifetime races, and while he’s never become a superstar, he’s consistent, finishing in the top three 15 times. Winless since February, he’s finished fourth in his last two outings, including the Grade I Pacific Classic last out, behind California Chrome and Dortmund. His late-closing running style is a contrast to theirs, but California Chrome isn’t a horse that gets burned out by running fast late, so Hoppertunity seems likely to add yet another second- or third-place finish to his résumé.
4) Win the Space
Owner: Kretz Racing LLC
Trainer: George Papaprodromou
Jockey: Gary Stevens
He tangled with the big boys to his inside in his last race, and ended up being pulled up in the stretch. He walked off apparently uninjured, but he’s never won a stakes race of any sort, much less a Grade I against the likes of his rivals here. He was second in June in the Grade I Gold Cup—but he didn’t have to face either California Chrome or Dortmund there.
5. Soi Phet
Owner: Benowitz Family Trust, Mathilde Powell, Paul A. Viskovich
Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
At eight years old, he’s the old man in the group, with 48 races to his credit and a record of 11-6-4. He was third in this race three years ago, his lone placing in a graded stakes race, and while he comes to the Awesome Again on a two-race win streak, and with six top-two finishes in his last seven races, those performances have come in races well below the level of competition he’ll face here.
6. El Huerfano
Owner: Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber
Trainer: Peter Miller
Jockey: Martin Pedroza
This four-year-old is another that hasn’t had much success in graded stakes ranks, finishing sixth and fourth in his only two attempts, neither in a Grade I. He’s got one win in his last 13 years, his last trip to the winner’s circle coming in July of 2015.
7. Hard Aces
Owner: Hronis Racing LLC
Trainer: John Sadler
Jockey: Santiago Gonzalez
Hard Aces is a hard-knocker, a veteran of 34 races and earnings that stand at $999,990. Even finishing last would net him $250 and make him a millionaire. He’s good enough to do better than that, but he finished next to last and 25 lengths behind California Chrome in his last race. In eight starts this year, he’s finished in the top-three four times, and his last win came in July in the Grade III Cougar.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, September 23, 2016.
emoriesofhistory.com
1927 - George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit his 60th homerun of the season. He broke his own record with the homerun. The record stood until 1961 when Roger Maris broke the record.
1934 - Dizzy Dean won his 30th game of the season in a 9-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
1947 - The World Series was televised for the first time. The sponsors only paid $65,000 for the entire series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
1971 - The Washington Senators played their last game in Washington before moving to Arlington, TX. They were forced to forfeit the game to the New York Yankees when fans stormed the field in an effort to take souvenirs.
1972 - Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates) recorded his 3,000th career hit. It was his last as he was killed in Venezuela during the off season.
1973 - Hank Aaron finished the season one short of Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs. He broke the record in the first month of the 1974 season.
1973 - The New York Yankees completed their 50th season at the Stadium.
1984 - Mike Witt (California Angels) became only the 11th pitcher to throw a perfect game in major league baseball. He defeated the Texas Rangers 1-0.
1984 - The Los Angeles Rams set an NFL record when they registered three safeties in a 33-12 victory over the New York Giants.
1992 - George Brett (Kansas City Royals) reached his 3,000th career hit during a game against the California Angels. He was the 18th player to reach the mark.
1995 - Albert Belle (Cleveland Indians) became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season.
1999 - The San Francisco Giants played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last baseball game to be played at Candlestick Park (3Com Park). The Dodgers won 9-4 with 61,389 fans on hand.
2002 - Chris McAlister (Baltimore Ravens) returned a missed field goal 108 yards to set an NFL record.
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