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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Victory is the child of preparation and determination." ~ Sean Hampton, Actor, Director and Producer
Trending: Cubs come through in the clutch again to top Giants. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Trending: Bulls boss Reinsdorf achieves a goal he never sought. (See the basketball section for Bulls and NBA updates).
Trending: Rules experts trying to simplify the complex game of golf. (See the golf section for tournament and PGA updates).
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Trending: Cubs and White Sox road to the "World Series".
Cubs 2016 Record: 86-47
White Sox 2016 Record: 63-70
(See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears' Leonard Floyd proving he can play well against run despite weight.
By Rich Campbell
When the Bears traded up to draft linebacker Leonard Floyd ninth overall in April, general manager Ryan Pace insisted he would be a capable run defender because of his long arms. Despite Floyd's relatively light weight — about 235 pounds — he can extend and avoid getting wired to blocks, Pace said then.
Throughout the summer, Floyd repeatedly has proven Pace right. Although the speed pass rush Floyd was known for in college did not surface in exhibition games, Floyd has shown he can defend the run.
That was again the case Thursday night in the 21-7 victory over the Browns in the exhibition finale. On second-and-goal from the Bears' 1-yard line, Browns running back Isaiah Crowell tried to score around the left end, which was Floyd's side.
But Floyd set the edge against second-string tackle Dan France and helped string the play out for a loss of 3.
"It's all about technique," Floyd said. "It's getting your inside foot down so you can set the edge and things like that. I've felt confident in that area."
Floyd played the first five series before being poked in the eye. The equipment staff fitted his helmet with a visor shield and he returned to action in the third quarter.
Night off: As expected, coach John Fox rested most of the Bears' first stringers. Eighteen healthy players attended the game but only watched after doing conditioning work on the field about two hours before kickoff.
On offense, quarterback Jay Cutler sat out. So did running back Jeremy Langford; receivers Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and Marc Mariani; tight end Zach Miller; offensive linemen Charles Leno, Cody Whitehair, Ted Larsen and Bobby Massie.
From the defense, linemen Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Mitch Unrein sat out, as did outside linebackers Willie Young and Lamarr Houston, inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman; and safeties Harold Jones-Quartey and Adrian Amos.
Receiver Kevin White was the only projected starter who played.
A handful of injured players did not travel to Cleveland, including right guard Kyle Long, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan and cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Kyle Fuller.
Making case: Cornerback Jacoby Glenn made his case for Saturday's 53-man roster by picking off Browns quarterback Josh McCown in the second quarter.
Defensive lineman Will Sutton disrupted McCown's footwork with a late surge into the pocket and McCown floated a ball toward the sideline that Glenn undercut. Later in the first half, though, Glenn was flagged for pass interference.
Hoyer fine: Second-string quarterback Brian Hoyer played the first half before yielding to David Fales. Hoyer finished a rocky preseason by completing 12 of 16 passes for 112 yards. He also lofted a fade to White in the end zone that netted a 26-yard pass-interference penalty that set up Ka'Deem Carey's 1-yard touchdown plunge.
"Improvement upon the last few weeks," Hoyer said. "There was rhythm, and we were able to hit some good throws."
Hoyer was sacked twice behind the Bears' second-string offensive line.
Washington hurt: Defensive end Cornelius Washington left the game in the first half with a left knee injury. He remained on the sideline with his helmet into the third quarter.
Washington has played well during the preseason, making a convincing push for the roster, but he continues to be dogged by durability questions.
Scar tissue: Former Bears receiver Brandon Marshall believes his desire to appear regularly on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" contributed to the new regime's decision to trade him in 2015, he told MMQB.com Thursday.
As the former Pro Bowler described it, Pace insisted Marshall limit his appearances on the show to the offseason. It would have been a departure from his weekly appearances during the season in 2014 under then-general manager Phil Emery.
That year, which ended with Emery and coach Marc Trestman being fired, Marshall would fly round-trip to New York for filming on Tuesdays, which were off days for players.
"Right then, I knew I wouldn't be a Bear anymore," Marshall told the site, "because I think that the business of the NFL is growing every single day, and players are being told to stay in a box and just play football. We're missing out on a lot of opportunities, not only to grow as men and businessmen but to experience different things."
Marshall was traded for a fifth-round draft pick to the Jets, who allow him to appear on the show.
The Bears' new regime concluded his priorities and personality didn't match what they were trying to build. The show was just one piece of evidence. But Marshall, who fancied himself a team leader, never publicly took responsibility for his role in the team's free fall in 2014. Marshall went on a tirade in the locker room after an October loss to the Dolphins. He finished the 5-11 campaign on injured reserve with a collapsed lung.
Bears O-line will benefit from ripple effect whenever Kyle Long returns.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Pro Bowl right guard Kyle Long continued doing work on the side of Bears practice on Tuesday. He won’t play Thursday at Cleveland, but he represents a looming one-man shakeup of the offensive line — in a positive way — when he returns from a shoulder injury, presumably next week.
Coach John Fox demurred from saying that Long will be in the lineup when the Bears open the regular season Sept. 11 in Houston.
“We’re anticipating him at least being back out there to get ready for Houston,” was as far as Fox would go on Tuesday.
But Ted Larsen, who has filled in for Long at right guard while Cornelius Edison worked as the No. 1 center, has been taking some snaps at center, a hint that Long might be on course for a return for Houston.
When that happens, it will effectively improve all three interior-line positions at the same time.
The upgrade at right guard is immediate and obvious. When Long was pressed into an emergency shift to right tackle the week before the opener vs. Green Bay last year, it sent Vlad Ducasse into the starting lineup at Long’s preferred spot. Long now represents an obvious upgrade over Larsen.
Installing Larsen at center, where he went after Hroniss Grasu suffered his season-ending knee injury, upgrades the center position over Edison, who has never played an NFL game.
The third upgrade happens at left guard, where rookie Cody Whitehair has settled in at the job he stepped into when Larsen was out late in the offseason. Whitehair is a rookie; Larsen, who has played center during his career, is better able to help Whitehair than Edison, certainly at this point in the latter’s career.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? NHL unveils Blackhawks players’ jersey numbers for 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Coach John Fox demurred from saying that Long will be in the lineup when the Bears open the regular season Sept. 11 in Houston.
“We’re anticipating him at least being back out there to get ready for Houston,” was as far as Fox would go on Tuesday.
But Ted Larsen, who has filled in for Long at right guard while Cornelius Edison worked as the No. 1 center, has been taking some snaps at center, a hint that Long might be on course for a return for Houston.
When that happens, it will effectively improve all three interior-line positions at the same time.
The upgrade at right guard is immediate and obvious. When Long was pressed into an emergency shift to right tackle the week before the opener vs. Green Bay last year, it sent Vlad Ducasse into the starting lineup at Long’s preferred spot. Long now represents an obvious upgrade over Larsen.
Installing Larsen at center, where he went after Hroniss Grasu suffered his season-ending knee injury, upgrades the center position over Edison, who has never played an NFL game.
The third upgrade happens at left guard, where rookie Cody Whitehair has settled in at the job he stepped into when Larsen was out late in the offseason. Whitehair is a rookie; Larsen, who has played center during his career, is better able to help Whitehair than Edison, certainly at this point in the latter’s career.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? NHL unveils Blackhawks players’ jersey numbers for 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
By Brandon M. Cain
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin will wear their usual international numbers.
The NHL revealed the numerical rosters for all eight teams competing in the World Cup of Hockey on Thursday. There will be 10 players representing the Chicago Blackhawks at the tournament, which starts Sept. 17 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto: Corey Crawford and Jonathan Toews (Canada), Michal Kempny (Czech Republic), Marian Hossa (Europe), Ville Pokka (Finland), Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin (Russia), Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marcus Kruger (Sweden) and Patrick Kane (United States).
Three players on Canada’s roster wear No. 19 with their NHL teams: Toews, St. Louis Blues’ Jay Bouwmeester and San Jose Sharks’ Joe Thornton. But Tyler Seguin, who dons No. 91 for the Dallas Stars, will take No. 19. Toews will wear his usual international No. 16, while Bouwmeester will have No. 4 and Thornton goes with No. 97.
Panarin and Pokka will also wear different numbers than Chicago fans are use to seeing. The remaining seven Hawks players will have the same numbers they wear with Chicago.
Much like Toews, the 2016 Calder Trophy winner has a number he normally wears for international competition - No. 27. Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will wear No. 72.
Pokka, who wears No. 29 with the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate - Rockford IceHogs, will have No. 22. Patrik Laine, who was selected second overall by the Winnipeg Jets in this year’s draft, will have No. 29. Pokka most recently wore No. 2 for Finland at the World Championships, but Calgary Flames’ blue liner Jyrki Jokipakka will have the number.
CUBS: Cubs come through in the clutch again to top Giants.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Another game another late comeback for the Cubs.
Ho hum.
The Cubs keep demonstrating that "it" factor, utilizing an Addison Russell broken-bat single with two outs in the seventh to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in front of 38,536 fans on Thursday night at Wrigley Field.
Russell's 87th and 88th RBIs bailed out the Cubs (86-47) in their fourth straight victory as they continued to cruise into the season's final month.
The Giants (72-61) jumped all over Mike Montgomery in the first inning with a Denard Span double and then a Hunter Pence homer smacked into the teeth of a 15 mph wind blowing in from left field.
But the resilient Cubs bounced right back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first off Kris Bryant's bloop single, Jason Heyward's RBI single and Chris Coghlan's run-scoring double.
Montgomery allowed solo tallies in the second and third innings, but the Cubs proved they had one more late rally in them.
Despite Strop setback, Cubs pitching staff returning to full health.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Pedro Strop suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, but the hiccup currently falls in the "minor" category.
Strop strained his groin while working out Wednesday and will shut down for a week or so. Once he gets the green light, he will head out on a rehab assignment and the Cubs still plan on having the veteran setup man available in late September and for a potential World Series run.
Meanwhile, the Cubs received good news Thursday as John Lackey's bullpen session went well and he is on track to return from the disabled list and start Sunday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants.
Lackey has been dealing with a sore shoulder. He spoke to the media before Thursday night's game and said he feels good to go.
When he does return, Joe Maddon acknowledged the Cubs could still go with a "soft" six-man rotation to help keep starters fresh down the stretch. That means Mike Montgomery will likely still get a few starts in the final month of the season, but could appear out of the bullpen in between turns in the rotation.
Hector Rondon (triceps) is heading out on a rehab stint with Triple-A Iowa, where he will throw Saturday and then likely Monday. He could rejoin the big-league club sometime next week.
The Cubs also got some reinforcements with rosters expanding Thursday, activating veterans Joe Smith and Chris Coghlan off the disabled list and calling up right-hander Jake Buchanan from Triple-A.
Maddon immediately inserted Coghlan into Thursday's lineup and said the two pitchers are available, which should help a bullpen that has been taxed of late.
Maddon said closer Aroldis Chapman was unavailable Thursday and possibly Friday after working all three games of the Pirates series.
As of his media session a couple hours before Thursday's game, Maddon still didn't know who else would be unavailable out of the bullpen besides Chapman.
"When you're winning often, you're gonna use up a lot of good bullpen," Maddon said. "That's what happens. When you're winning a lot of games, the guys that you normally like to have in the game are going to get utilized a lot in a lot of close games and thus they get tired.
"It's just part of the way this thing flows."
With Thursday's moves, the Cubs' big-league roster sits at 28 players.
In addition to the injured players returning to full health, more call-ups are still on the way, likely including reliever Spencer Patton (who has shuttled back and forth between Iowa and Chicago this season), young outfielder Albert Almora (who spent time with the big-league club earlier in the summer when Jorge Soler was on the DL) and entertaining infielder Munenori Kawasaki.
5 things we learned about the Cubs in August.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
For the second straight year, the Cubs took off in August.
Last season, an upstart team turned a corner as the calendar flipped to August, sweeping the San Francisco Giants in a four-game series at Wrigley Field and marching to 97 victories before taking down the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals in the postseason.
In 2016, the Cubs once again shifted to a higher gear in August, storming out to a 22-6 record and their best month since at least 1946:
Best #Cubs winning percentages in a month (1946-present; min. 20 games)
.786 AUG 2016 (22-6)
.773 APR 2016 (17-5)
.750 May 1977 (21-7)
1. The Aroldis Chapman move now looks like it was a necessity.
When the Cubs first traded for the dominant closer, it looked like a luxury item for Joe Maddon's bullpen. After all, Hector Rondon had taken the next step into the "elite" category of stoppers, Pedro Strop was rolling along and Carl Edwards Jr. was emerging as a force in the late innings.
Just a few weeks after the game-changing trade with the New York Yankees, both Rondon and Strop hit the disabled list and Chapman suddenly turned into a necessity at the back end of the Cubs' bullpen.
Strop could be back this week, Rondon is just around the corner, and with a month left in the regular season, there is currently no concern about either's status for the playoffs.
But August still gave Cubdom a snapshot at what life would be like without those guys, and it'd be a whole lot scarier if Chapman wasn't already in the fold.
2. Getting off to a great start was crucial.
The Cubs stomped on the gas pedal from Opening Day and they're reaping the benefits now with the stretch run looming.
Jumping out to a big lead in the division afforded the Cubs the luxury to take things slow with injured players like John Lackey, who hit the disabled list with a strained shoulder.
If the Cubs needed to grind out every game in August in a tight postseason race, things may have gone differently with Lackey, Rondon and others.
The huge cushion also gives Maddon the opportunity to rest everyday guys like Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Ben Zobrist to keep them fresh down the stretch.
3. The only thing Kyle Hendricks has lost is a label.
Ain't nobody calling Hendricks a fifth starter anymore.
Instead, he may be the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award.
After another stellar outing against the playoff-hopeful Pirates Tuesday night, Hendricks not only leads the majors with a 2.09 ERA, but he's 40 points up on the next closest guy (Madison Bumgarner - 2.49 ERA).
Since June 24, Hendricks has gone 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 13 games (12 starts) and he was 4-0 in August with six quality starts.
4. These Cubs have "it."
From the last day of July through Monday's wild walk-off, the Cubs have repeatedly shown their TWTW (The Will To Win).
With the big cushion in the division, it would be understandable if the Cubs had an off game here or there with a lack of focus or effort falling short of 100 percent.
Yet this club is keeping their foot on the gas, putting together late comebacks against contenders like the Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers.
These are the kinds of victories that can give the Cubs confidence if they're trailing late in a game in October.
5. The Cubs will be in the playoffs.
Look, entering August, there wasn't exactly a doubt the Cubs would be playing in October. But a huge month reinforced the notion that the lull right before the All-Star Break was the outlier.
The Cubs' 6-15 stretch at the beginning of summer created a sense of panic within the fan base, but Theo Epstein was never worried.
"No. I was just waiting for that to happen. It's baseball," Epstein said. "When you get off to such a ridiculous start, I think it's skewed everybody's perception about how easy this season might go. It just doesn't work that way.
"It's kinda interesting 'cause as we were going through that stretch, if you recall, the players just kept saying, 'We just need to get to the break. We just need to get to the break.' That might sound like an excuse or whistling past the graveyard.
"But in the end, the players know best. We did just need to get to the break. Just as we made really good use of the last week in spring training to focus on getting off to a good start to the season, I think they made really good use of the All-Star Break and focus on getting off to a great start in the second half. That's impressive.
"There's a clear goal and it's time to focus and adopt a team-wide approach and really lock in, and we have. I hope that bodes well going forward."
WHITE SOX: Twins rock Jose Quintana in White Sox loss.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The White Sox offense had a chance to help out Jose Quintana, who had his worst start of the season on Thursday night.
Even though Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu homered, the White Sox missed out on too many scoring chances. Quintana allowed seven runs and the White Sox stranded 13 base runners in an 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins in front of 20,329 at Target Field.
The win snapped a 13-game losing streak for the Twins, who would have tied a franchise-record with 14 losses.
Perhaps the White Sox should have known how their night would go only three batters into the game. That’s when Melky Cabrera’s line-drive single produced the second out of the inning as it clipped Tim Anderson, who was standing off first after he singled. Abreu also singled but Ervin Santana struck out Justin Morneau to strand two.
Though Frazier’s 34th homer made it 1-0 in the second, the White Sox stranded two more. They left the bases loaded in the third inning, stranded another man in the fourth and left on a pair in the fifth inning.
Despite allowing 11 hits and walking two, Santana held the White Sox to two runs.
Quintana wasn’t as lucky.
The Twins hit four straight one-out singles in the second inning and Byron Buxton followed with a three-run homer to put the Twins ahead 5-1. Quintana, whose 2.77 ERA was tops among American League starters entering Thursday, then retired 10 in a row. But Minnesota got a two-out hit from Joe Mauer in the fifth inning and Trevor Plouffe homered to make it a 7-2 game.
Quintana allowed seven earned runs and seven hits with eight strikeouts in five innings.
Abreu blasted a two-run homer off Taylor Rogers in the sixth inning as the White Sox closed within 7-4.
Juan Minaya and Kevan Smith, who both got called up with roster expansions on Thursday, both made their major league debuts. The pair ended the eighth inning with a Minaya strike out of Kurt Suzuki followed by Smith throwing out Jorge Polanco at second base for a double play.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Bulls boss Reinsdorf achieves a goal he never sought.
By Steve Aschburner
Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has overseen six Bulls championships since taking his role in 1985. (Photo/NBA via Getty Images)
A place in Hall of Fame spot was not why Jerry Reinsdorf got into owning NBA team.
Enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame wasn't among Jerry Reinsdorf's early goals. And the fact that he was around 23 years before the joint opened its doors is a mere technicality.
Reinsdorf's ambitions lay elsewhere during his Wonder years.
"The only real goal I had was, I wanted to own a car," said Reinsdorf, who nonetheless is a member of the Hall's Class of 2016, to be enshrined Sept. 9 in Springfield, Mass. "Because my father, most of the time, he couldn't afford a car. Once in a while he would have a car but it would be 10 or 15 years old, an old jalopy."
Reinsdorf took another puff on the cigar, leaning back in the desk chair in his office at the Chicago Bulls' Advocate Center practice facility.
"Then when I owned a car, my next goal was to own a car I didn't make payments on."
Reinsdorf did get what he wanted: a 1953 Ford with 34,100 miles on the odometer he bought at age 20 in 1956. After its engine blew four years later, sending a mechanic to the hospital, his father-in-law dragged him to the bank and co-signed a loan, enabling the young tax attorney for the IRS to buy a Rambler.
In time, there would be a succession of Cadillacs. None of them with payments.
Reinsdorf, chairman of the Bulls for the past 31 years and chairman of MLB's Chicago White Sox for 35 is one of the few owners whose teams have won championships in two of the four major U.S. team sports. The multi-sport owner has kept things seemingly simple along the way. Seizing opportunities as they presented themselves, suffering little apparent doubt, brushing himself off briskly after missteps and sticking to a few core principles have him, at age 80, fit and nearly as involved as ever.
"He wants to win," said Michael Reinsdorf, 49, the second-born of Reinsdorf's three sons and the president and COO of the Bulls since 2010. "After the World Series [won by the White Sox in 2005], he was like, 'Well, this will make it easier now. I won't get so emotional now during games.' And it's never changed. Easier said than done."
'A tax attorney for life'
Reinsdorf, the oldest of Max's and Marion's three children, grew up in Brooklyn back when it wasn't just a gentrified annex of Manhattan. He loved baseball and got to Ebbets Field as often as he could to watch the Dodgers. But this wasn't a father-son thing -- Max wasn't much on sports, and usually was too busy working.
"My father only saw two baseball games in his life and that was after I owned the White Sox," Reinsdorf said. "He worked six days a week, and on Sundays he could barely get out of bed. He worked as a mechanic in a Chevrolet dealership for a while. He drove a cab. He drove an ice cream truck. He put together enough money to buy a truck once and would drive around upstate New York buying old sewing machines. He had a guy in Mexico, he would ship them there to be resold.
"He never made any money but he also fed his family."
Reinsdorf said he dreamed of being a lawyer from the age of 8 or 9, and that's what led him to George Washington for undergrad and Northwestern for law school. A job with the IRS and marriage to a local girl, Martyl Rifkin, kept him in Chicago. Eventually he joined a law firm.
"I thought I would spend the rest of my life being a good tax lawyer," Reinsdorf said. "The interesting thing about being a tax lawyer is, none of your clients are poor. I had clients come to me and say, 'Can you help us make investments?' That led to me getting into the real estate business."
Get into it? Reinsdorf co-founded a company, Balcor, in 1972 that he sold a decade later to American Express for more than $100 million.
Reinsdorf's move into sports was more of a fluke. He had answered an ad in the Wall Street Journal's classified section seeking investors to bid for a MLB team. The fellow who placed the ad, John Alevizos, had bounced around baseball while working as a real-estate developer, and landed a six-month stint as Ted Turner's GM with the Atlanta Braves in 1976. Alevizos then tried (and failed) to buy the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians and New York Mets.
Each time, Reinsdorf was a willing partner. Until one morning a light bulb went on above his head: Why invest in a team in another city? Why be only a partner?
In Chicago, Bill Veeck owned the White Sox. As usual, he was underfunded. And true to form, Veeck never held onto anything for long. Reinsdorf learned that, sure enough, with free agency beginning to send baseball costs skyward, Veeck was looking to get out. After an arduous process, Reinsdorf's group purchased the team in January 1981 for $20 million.
That's when he got his first taste of running an organization that people looked at as their own.
"We'd do literally billions of dollars in business [at Balcor] every year. Compared to that, this was easy," Reinsdorf said. "The only thing about sports is making sure you don't read the papers too often."
Reinsdorf saw a White Sox front office badly in need of restructuring. He boosted the number of scouts on the payroll and got aggressive in free agency. Attendance at old Comiskey Park more than doubled to 2.1 million from strike-ruptured 1981 to 1983, when Chicago finished 99-63 to reach the American League playoffs.
Baseball begets basketball
In the summer of 1984, Reinsdorf was at dinner in New York with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner when he started complaining about one of his investments back in Chicago -- the Bulls.
"He's moaning and groaning he's got to write checks every year for the Bulls," Reinsdorf recalled. "I told him, 'George, the reason you're not making money is your [primary] owners are not personally invested in the operation.' These were giants of industry, they didn't have time for the Bulls.'
"About a week later, one of his partners called and said, 'Do you want to buy everybody out?' There were two partners who wanted to stay in, but everybody else wanted out."
Reinsdorf knew that controlling two Chicago franchises offered business leverage unavailable if he owned only one. What he didn't realize initially was what the Bulls had among its assets: a shooting guard drafted that June by GM Rod Thorn, one Michael Jordan.
By the time Reinsdorf's deal closed in March 1985 -- he had controlling interest for $9.2 million -- people had a better idea of Jordan's prowess and his potential.
Reinsdorf had decided to fire Thorn for a fresh start. That's when a White Sox scout named Jerry Krause called to inquire about the Bulls GM position.
"I said, 'What's your vision?' He said basically what I wanted to do, which was to copy the New York Knicks," the owner said. Reinsdorf had admired the Knicks' tenacity on defense under coach Red Holzman, as well as their egalitarian offense based on ball and player movement.
"I give him credit for coming in and asking for the job. I give me credit for taking a chance on him," Reinsdorf said. "After it was announced, I had a number of people come to me saying, 'Are you out of your mind?' They didn't think he was good enough."
Krause did so well building a team around Jordan -- working a Draft-night trade for Scottie Pippen, swapping Charles Oakley for Bill Cartwright -- that the ambitions to get past Detroit's "Bad Boys" and the Knicks in the East turned soon enough into NBA titles from 1991-93. After Jordan gave up baseball (Reinsdorf indulged him in the Sox farm system) and un-retired the first time, the Bulls three-peated again 1996-98.
That's why Reinsdorf tells almost anyone who'll listen that Krause is the Jerry who should be going into the Hall first. But Krause was a stout, gruff man who became a target for Jordan, Pippen and coach Phil Jackson. The rancor between them believed to be hurting Krause as a Hall candidate.
Reinsdorf's core principles
Krause is an example, both good and bad, of one of Reinsdorf's keys to management success. Essentially they line up as:
1. Find good people
2. Delegate
3. Stay loyal
Reinsdorf considers his ability to read and select the best possible personnel for his enterprises to be one of his "few" skills. Once he has done that, he gives them responsibility, trusts (but verifies) their performance and demands that they keep talking to each other.
As he noted soon after buying his MLB and NBA franchises, "only in sports are your partners your competitors. And we derive maybe half of our money together. Any other business, you want your competitors to go out of business. In sports, you just don't want them to have as good a record as you do."
If competitors can share info, then so too can various departments within a franchise. "I don't want silos," he said, veering close to the reasons offered when coach Tom Thibodeau was fired in May 2015. "Your basketball people have to be talking to your marketing people, because they do interact. I make sure they talk to each other, I make sure they talk to me."
Reinsdorf bankrolled seven championships and developed United Center (in partnership with the NHL's Blackhawks) and U.S. Cellular Field into profitable venues. But it's his loyalty that is legendary on the Chicago sports landscape, both on and away from the job.
Reinsdorf has seen White Sox and Bulls employees through illnesses, surgeries, scrapes with the law and other setbacks. He has backed his decision-makers (currently Kenny Williams of the White Sox and John Paxson and Gar Forman of the Bulls) perhaps to a fault (according to some local pundits).
Reinsdorf grew so close with former Bulls coach Doug Collins that, after firing him in 1989, he ruled out Collins' return to the position 19 years later because of the toll another go-round would take on their friendship. He reportedly was so emotional about trading White Sox outfielder Harold Baines in 1989 that he ordered Baines' uniform number to be retired -- even though Baines was only 31, was halfway through his career and would return for two more stays with the team.
Reinsdorf has been known to cut longtime employees sizable checks upon their retirement, several multiples of their annual salary. But maybe more impressive, he made sure to bring front-office staffers to The Finals or the World Series and seemed to think it odd that anyone else might think it was odd.
"If I were in the marketing department and the team was in The Finals or the World Series and I didn't get to go or I didn't get a ring, I'd feel under-appreciated," Reinsdorf told the Sports Daily Journal in May 2013. "Why shouldn't I do that for people? It never dawned on me it was a big deal."
It's not foolproof. Fans point to Reinsdorf backing broadcaster Ken Harrelson who, in his don't-blink tenure as GM, fired manager Tony La Russa. La Russa went on to win 2,206 more games and three World Series titles with Oakland and St. Louis after that.
Supporting Krause through his ineffective rebuild of the post-Jordan Bulls with coach Tim Floyd and youngsters Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler didn't work. Plenty also question the need to shed Thibodeau.
Said Michael Reinsdorf: "At times, we don't agree on everything when it comes to that. Sometimes I don't know it's being 'loyal' as much as it is, if he feels he has the right people in place, why make changes?
"He's the farthest thing from a micro-manager. He feels that every decision you can off-load to someone else, that frees your time up to be more creative and think big picture."
'You've got to have help from other people'
Reinsdorf has been influential within the ranks of owners in both sports. He was considered to be a hard-line voice during some of baseball's labor strife in the '90s.
When a proposal he had drafted on revenue sharing during the 2011 NBA lockout came to a vote, he got high praise when Jordan, now in ownership, said simply, "I'm with Jerry." Reinsdorf became close with Bud Selig and David Stern, his sports' longtime commissioners, though he admitted favoring Selig's collaborative style more than Stern's successful (but often autocratic) approach.
It's the "team" thing again for Reinsdorf.
"At the end of the day, it's up to the players," he said. "But somebody drafted them, somebody generated money to pay them. You can have the greatest players in the world and they're not going to win without the coaches. The greatest coaches aren't going to win without the players.
"I don't think there's anybody who's been super-successful who did it by himself or herself. You've got to have help from other people."
Golf: I got a club for that..... Why is the Deutsche Bank Championship starting on Friday?
By Kyle Porter
The Deutsche Bank Championship is played Friday-Monday every year which is kind of odd.
It surprises me every year. Really it does. And I cover golf for a living. The Deutsche Bank Championship is played from Friday to Monday on Labor Day weekend every year, and I still never remember that it's happening.
Part of this is because it always coincides with the beginning of the college football season, but the other part is because golf is the one sport you can count on having the same schedule week in and week out. Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon for 40 or so weeks a year.
This week is different though, and that's so the tournament can catch some of the holiday crowd winding down on Monday before starting their workweek next Tuesday. It makes for a really long, fun Labor Day weekend if you're also a college football fan (like me).
It also makes for a short week for PGA Tour pros next week when the BMW Championship starts, like usual, on a Thursday. Players will have to get from Boston to Crooked Stick in Indiana for the third round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs between Monday evening and Thursday morning while trying to squeeze in some extra practice time.
It makes for a tight schedule especially if there is a lot of rain or bad weather in Boston. Still, it's a nice reprieve from the normal PGA Tour grind in a sport that could use a few more reprieves.
This is the second of four playoff events preceding the Ryder Cup. Only 70 of the 100 players playing this week will advance to the BMW Championship next week. Rory McIlroy is my pick.
Ryder Cup 2016: The Case for Rickie Fowler as a U.S. Captain's Pick.
By Jeff Ritter
Tour Confidential: After Barclays, Who Makes Ryder Cup Team? Jeff Ritter, Peter Bukowski and Alan Shipnuck debate which players Davis Love III is most likely to choose to fill out Team USA's final four Ryder Cup roster spots. U. S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III has a daunting job ahead of him: filling the four spots on his squad reserved for wildcard picks. Who's on DLIII's short list? Presumably he already has his favorites -- and we have ours. Each day in the run-up to Sept. 12, when Love will announce three of his picks (he won't name his final pick until Sept. 26, the Monday after the Tour Championship), a GOLF.com staffer will make the case for a player who deserves the nod. Up next, fan favorite Rickie Fowler. Who do you think belongs on the team? Let us know here.
Rickie Fowler will be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Davis Love hasn’t officially announced the pick, but it’s a certainty: Rickie is in. Of all the options Love has at his disposal, and there are many, Fowler is his easiest call. Let us count the reasons why:
In January Fowler earned exactly zero Ryder Cup points for his win at the European tour’s loaded-field Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which paid out a tidy €409,686 for first place. If that event, in which Fowler beat Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, was weighted like a regular PGA Tour stop, Fowler would’ve earned one point for every $1,000 in prize money. Even without factoring the exchange rate, that’s 409 points, which would’ve vaulted him to 7th in the year-end R.C. standings. This week, instead of trying to impress Captain Love, Rickie would be getting fitted for star-spangled sweaters.
THE CASE FOR: Bill Haas | J.B. Holmes
Fowler is also a founding member of the world-renowned, awesomely powerful United States Ryder Cup task force. (At 27, he’s also the youngest member, by far.)
Here's the full list of 11 original members:
-- Pete Bevacqua, PGA of America chief executive
-- Derek Sprague, PGA of America president
-- Paul Levy, PGA of America vice president
-- Davis Love III, U.S. Ryder Cup captain
-- Tom Lehman, vice captain
-- Ray Floyd, eight-time Ryder Cupper, 2014 vice captain
-- Phil Mickelson, team member
-- Rickie Fowler, ???
Everyone on the Force has a defined role on the 2016 team, except for Floyd and Fowler. (Furyk may even have his vice-captaincy upgraded to a playing role.) You think the committee will pass on Rickie and leave one of its founding fathers in the dust?
To be sure, Fowler hasn’t had a banner year. In 2014 he famously finished top five in all four majors. This wasn’t that kind of season, but it’s been plenty good enough. Fowler hasn’t missed a cut since the U.S. Open at Oakmont, and Hazeltine is nothing like Oakmont. (Few courses are.) He also led the Barclays for much of last weekend at mighty Bethpage Black.
His Sunday fade, from both the lead and the top-three that would’ve secured his Ryder spot, was discouraging. But Fowler is still a lead-pipe lock for this team for one more reason that has nothing to do with his on-course talents, his Ryder Cup experience (0-3-5 lifetime record), or his reputation as a gritty match-play competitor. He will strut onto this team because he stands alone as golf’s preeminent marketing force.
Drop into a pro tournament and check out all the kids in orange shirts and flat hats. Or flip on a television, where his mug appears in seemingly every other advertisement on Golf Channel (we are Farmers!). Last month Rickie’s brand reached new heights when he competed in the Rio Olympics while other big-name players took a pass. Rory McIlroy said at the British Open that he couldn’t give one balata about growing the game. Jason Day fretted over Amazonian mosquitos. Jordan Spieth had someplace else to be. But Fowler flew to Rio, and he went all in. Did you see his pics with Michael Phelps on social media? Or in the stands at the volleyball arena? Or hanging with the diving team? Rickie didn’t stay in some palatial, suburban Rio McMansion; he bunked in the athletes’ village. No other golfer more fully embraced the Olympic experience. Millions were watching. So was DLIII.
So take it the bank: Rickie’s on this team, and I’m looking forward to it. You might have noticed that he’s grown a FedEx Cup “playoff mustache.” What do you think he’ll do in Hazeltine? Shave USA into the side of his head like he did in Gleneagles two years ago? Perhaps he’ll raise the jingoistic ante and buzz LAND OF THE FREE into his ‘stache. Anything is possible.
Maybe he’ll even win a match this time.
Rules experts trying to simplify the complex game of golf.
By Doug Ferguson
In this June 19, 2016, file photo, Dustin Johnson, right, talks to a rules official on the fifth green during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. Top rules experts from around the world have been meeting privately the last five years to simplify the rules in what could be the most expansive rules overhaul ever. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
For the last five years, the top rules experts in golf have come together from around the world to study a jigsaw puzzle.
That's what Thomas Pagel of the USGA refers to as the book more commonly known as the Rules of Golf.
The purpose of these private meetings essentially is to break up the puzzle and start over so the rules make more sense, without losing sight of the tradition or ethos of a game with six centuries behind it. Sessions can last at least eight hours. The singular goal is to make the rules less complicated.
It has not been easy.
"Everyone wants the game to be simple, but it's a complex game," Pagel, the USGA's senior director of rules, said in an interview at the Olympics. "You have a little white ball that can and will go anywhere, and the rules try to handle all those situations. There's always going to be a level of complexity. But how can we modernize the rules so they're easier to understand and easier to apply so golfers can play confidently that they at least understand the basics?"
The group is closing in on its first draft.
Pagel declined to give a timetable, though USGA executive director Mike Davis said it could be released next year. A modern set of rules is still years away. The development was welcomed by top players who have loads of experience and still can't confidently handle a rules issue without calling an official.
"I'd be behind it 100 percent," Kevin Kisner said. "The game is too slow, too hard and there's too many rules. I wouldn't know where to begin with how many rules there should be. I would think as minimal as possible. And we don't need all these dashes and a's and b's and c's. It's too confusing."
Jordan Spieth recalls getting a Rules of Golf book at a junior tournament with instructions to keep it in his bag for quick reference.
"I never opened it," he said.
Neither did Dustin Johnson. He lost out on a chance to win the 2010 PGA Championship for grounding his club in sand that he didn't realize was a bunker. And he won the U.S. Open this year at Oakmont by playing the final seven holes without knowing if he would have to add one penalty stroke to his score.
He's not sure reading the book would have helped.
"The USGA sends you that rule book, but I don't think it's ever made it out from the envelope to the trash can," Johnson said. "There so many rules that don't make any sense. They could make it a lot simpler and a lot better."
If only it were that simple.
"You can't change one piece because the tentacles ... it's going to break something else," he said. "It's tough to handle something in isolation. So let's look at everything, step back and take the puzzle part and see where we can make improvements."
The result could be the most comprehensive overhaul of the rules, which in this case might shrink the book.
The first set of rules was published in 1744, but that was specific to one club. As golf grew, and the number of clubs increased, so did the rules. The Royal & Ancient took over and produced a set of rules in 1899, which the USGA adopted. The R&A and USGA issued the first joint code of rules in 1952, and there were significant changes in 1984. Not to be overlooked is the "Decisions on the Rules of Golf," which amounts to a Q&A of specific incidents.
The most recent edition has 1,200 decisions.
"I don't like the size of the book, but it's one of those deals where you try to address the questions that come up," Pagel said. "In the future, how can you provide guidance to committees so they can get to the correct answers without having 1,200 Q&As? And that's one of our objectives."
The first draft will be made available to everyone, from recreational players to tour administrators to rules gurus. What will follow surely will be the largest comment period ever for the R&A and USGA. "This is a book that impacts millions of golfers," Pagel said. They should have the opportunity to comment."
And then it will be back to work on the puzzle.
Pagel said five years into this project "we still haven't addressed everything."
"But we think we can do it more efficiently, perhaps change some outcomes, make them more reasonable and overall simplify the way the rules are written and look at how the rules are delivered," he said. "It's still going to look like golf, feel like golf, still have the challenge of golf. We're going to make it easier for golfers to play by the rules and feel comfortable playing by the rules.
"Golfers want to play by the rules," he said. "They just find it challenging at times for the book to allow them to do that."
By Doug Ferguson
For the last five years, the top rules experts in golf have come together from around the world to study a jigsaw puzzle.
That's what Thomas Pagel of the USGA refers to as the book more commonly known as the Rules of Golf.
The purpose of these private meetings essentially is to break up the puzzle and start over so the rules make more sense, without losing sight of the tradition or ethos of a game with six centuries behind it. Sessions can last at least eight hours. The singular goal is to make the rules less complicated.
It has not been easy.
"Everyone wants the game to be simple, but it's a complex game," Pagel, the USGA's senior director of rules, said in an interview at the Olympics. "You have a little white ball that can and will go anywhere, and the rules try to handle all those situations. There's always going to be a level of complexity. But how can we modernize the rules so they're easier to understand and easier to apply so golfers can play confidently that they at least understand the basics?"
The group is closing in on its first draft.
Pagel declined to give a timetable, though USGA executive director Mike Davis said it could be released next year. A modern set of rules is still years away. The development was welcomed by top players who have loads of experience and still can't confidently handle a rules issue without calling an official.
"I'd be behind it 100 percent," Kevin Kisner said. "The game is too slow, too hard and there's too many rules. I wouldn't know where to begin with how many rules there should be. I would think as minimal as possible. And we don't need all these dashes and a's and b's and c's. It's too confusing."
Jordan Spieth recalls getting a Rules of Golf book at a junior tournament with instructions to keep it in his bag for quick reference.
"I never opened it," he said.
Neither did Dustin Johnson. He lost out on a chance to win the 2010 PGA Championship for grounding his club in sand that he didn't realize was a bunker. And he won the U.S. Open this year at Oakmont by playing the final seven holes without knowing if he would have to add one penalty stroke to his score.
He's not sure reading the book would have helped.
"The USGA sends you that rule book, but I don't think it's ever made it out from the envelope to the trash can," Johnson said. "There so many rules that don't make any sense. They could make it a lot simpler and a lot better."
If only it were that simple.
"You can't change one piece because the tentacles ... it's going to break something else," he said. "It's tough to handle something in isolation. So let's look at everything, step back and take the puzzle part and see where we can make improvements."
The result could be the most comprehensive overhaul of the rules, which in this case might shrink the book.
The first set of rules was published in 1744, but that was specific to one club. As golf grew, and the number of clubs increased, so did the rules. The Royal & Ancient took over and produced a set of rules in 1899, which the USGA adopted. The R&A and USGA issued the first joint code of rules in 1952, and there were significant changes in 1984. Not to be overlooked is the "Decisions on the Rules of Golf," which amounts to a Q&A of specific incidents.
The most recent edition has 1,200 decisions.
"I don't like the size of the book, but it's one of those deals where you try to address the questions that come up," Pagel said. "In the future, how can you provide guidance to committees so they can get to the correct answers without having 1,200 Q&As? And that's one of our objectives."
The first draft will be made available to everyone, from recreational players to tour administrators to rules gurus. What will follow surely will be the largest comment period ever for the R&A and USGA. "This is a book that impacts millions of golfers," Pagel said. They should have the opportunity to comment."
And then it will be back to work on the puzzle.
Pagel said five years into this project "we still haven't addressed everything."
"But we think we can do it more efficiently, perhaps change some outcomes, make them more reasonable and overall simplify the way the rules are written and look at how the rules are delivered," he said. "It's still going to look like golf, feel like golf, still have the challenge of golf. We're going to make it easier for golfers to play by the rules and feel comfortable playing by the rules.
"Golfers want to play by the rules," he said. "They just find it challenging at times for the book to allow them to do that."
NASCAR: Southern 500 qualifying canceled; Kevin Harvick will start first.
By Nick Bromberg
Kevin Harvick is once again the beneficiary of a rained-out qualifying session.
Since NASCAR decided to axe everything at Darlington Raceway on Friday because of Hurricane Hermine, Saturday’s qualifying session for Sunday night’s Southern 500 was canceled to give teams practice time to prepare for the race.
It’s Harvick’s fourth rainout pole of the season. He “won” it earlier in the year at Richmond and also started first at Dover and Kentucky because of rain. Cup practice is now scheduled from 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. local time Saturday.
Here’s how the entire field will line up on Sunday.
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kurt Busch
5. Joey Logano
6. Kyle Busch
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Matt Kenneth
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Matt Kenneth
11. Chase Elliott
12. Austin Dillon
13. Jamie McMurray
14. Ryan Newman
15. Jeff Gordon
16. Kyle Larson
17. Tony Stewart
18. Kasey Kahne
19. Trevor Bayne
20. Ryan Blaney
21. AJ Allmendinger
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
23. Greg Biffle
24. Paul Menard
25. Danica Patrick
26. Aric Almirola
27. Clint Bowyer
28. Casey Mears
29. Landon Cassill
30. Michael McDowell
31. Chris Buescher
32. David Ragan
33. Regan Smith
34. Brian Scott
35. Matt DiBenedetto
36. Cole Whitt
37. Michael Annett
38. Jeffrey Earnhardt
39. Reed Sorenson
40. Josh Wise
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kurt Busch
5. Joey Logano
6. Kyle Busch
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Matt Kenneth
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Matt Kenneth
11. Chase Elliott
12. Austin Dillon
13. Jamie McMurray
14. Ryan Newman
15. Jeff Gordon
16. Kyle Larson
17. Tony Stewart
18. Kasey Kahne
19. Trevor Bayne
20. Ryan Blaney
21. AJ Allmendinger
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
23. Greg Biffle
24. Paul Menard
25. Danica Patrick
26. Aric Almirola
27. Clint Bowyer
28. Casey Mears
29. Landon Cassill
30. Michael McDowell
31. Chris Buescher
32. David Ragan
33. Regan Smith
34. Brian Scott
35. Matt DiBenedetto
36. Cole Whitt
37. Michael Annett
38. Jeffrey Earnhardt
39. Reed Sorenson
40. Josh Wise
By Nick Bromberg
Brad Keselowski and his team lost 10 points on Wednesday after the car’s laser inspection failure following Sunday’s race at Michigan.
Keselowski has four wins, tied for most in the series with Kyle Busch, and the Chase begins in three races. Given Keselowski is already in the Chase, the point penalty doesn’t harm his standing or his chances for the championship in the slightest. If you care about how it affects Keselowski for the next two races, he’s still in second in the standings and now 35 points back of points leader Kevin Harvick.
While the points penalty is meaningless, the $10,000 fine given to crew chief Paul Wolfe is in real money.
The penalty was considered a P2 penalty, a level lower than the post-race penalty given to Matt Kenseth after the July New Hampshire race for his car’s laser inspection failure. Kenseth won that race and got to keep the three Chase bonus points for the win. He was instead penalized 15 points, another virtually meaningless penalty because the win was Kenseth’s second of the season. He was not going to be missing the Chase after the New Hampshire race.
While we point out the, pardon the pun, pointlessness of the penalties to show the absurdity of NASCAR’s penalty system as it fits within the structure of the Chase, we also make these observations not knowing the best way to make the penalty arrangements fit better. Kenseth could have (and probably should have) been denied his Chase bonus points for the win, but since Keselowski didn’t win on Sunday there’s no win to take away.
And given that NASCAR deemed Keselowski penalty to be relatively minor, any Chase repercussions would be a strong overreaction. The penalty would be a much bigger deal if it happened to a driver like Chris Buescher, who needs to be in the top 30 after Richmond to qualify for the Chase thanks to his win at Pocono. If it was Buescher’s car that failed inspection and got the same penalty Keselowski did, he’d be in 31st, three points behind David Ragan.
This simply seems to be a case of NASCAR being in a position to give a penalty because it’s defined as one in the rulebook while knowing full well it means nothing given the circumstances of the team being penalized.
SOCCER: Rumors of a move surface, but David Accam stays with the Fire.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Rumors surfaced on Wednesday that David Accam could be on the move this transfer window.
However, just like in the winter, the rumors didn’t lead to anything and Accam is staying with the Chicago Fire.
Taylor Twellman of ESPN first reported that French club Nantes was going after the Ghanaian. Nantes was American international Alejandro Bedoya’s club before he joined Philadelphia earlier this month. Doug McIntyre followed up with a report saying Nantes offered $3 million for Accam.
However, the transfer deadline for the big leagues in Europe closed tonight and Accam is still with the Fire. Accam is currently with Ghana’s national team for a African Cup of Nations qualifier.
Interest in Accam is no surprise and nothing new. When healthy, Accam has been the Fire’s most dangerous attacker and is the most valuable asset on the team.
This winter rumors started of a possible move for Accam after he trained with English Premier League club Stoke City. Accam has expressed interest in moving to Europe, specifically England, at some point in his career.
The sticking point for a move to England is that he would not be able to get a work permit without going through the tricky appeal process. Accam does not hold an EU passport so he would need to get a work permit to play in England. The only way to get a waiver for one is to have played a certain percentage of games with your national team in a given period. Accam is with Ghana now, but missed the last international window due to injury.
DONE DEALS: Every Premier League move on Deadline Day.
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
There have been plenty of deals around the Premier League on Transfer Deadline Day, from the routine to the mind-expanding (See: Luiz, David).
Three big money moves occurred early with Marcos Alonso signing for Chelsea, Didier Ndong heading to Sunderland in a club record deal, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou arriving at Tottenham and Burnley have broken their club-record transfer fee for Jeff Hendricks.
Below is a full list of all the ins and outs from around the Premier League on Deadline Day so far, while you can click on the link above to get more on every deal.
Into the Premier League
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal – Bournemouth) Loan
Didier Ndong (Lorient – Sunderland) $17.8 million
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (Marseille – Tottenham) $14.4 million
Jeff Hendricks (Derby County – Burnley) $13.4 million
Wilfried Bony (Manchester City – Stoke City) Loan
Bruno Martins Indi (FC Porto – Stoke City) Loan
Enner Valencia (West Ham United – Everton) Loan
Lee Grant (Derby County – Stoke City) Loan
Islam Slimani (Sporting Lisbon – Leicester City) Undisclosed
James Weir (Manchester United – Hull City)
David Luiz (PSG – Chelsea) Undisclosed
Dieumerci Mbokani (Dynamo Kyiv – Hull City) Loan
Allan Nyom (Watford – West Bromwich Albion) Undisclosed
Marcos Alonso (Fiorentina – Chelsea) $30 million
Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid – West Ham) free
Adama Traore (Aston Villa – Middlesbrough) Undisclosed
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Sheffield United – Everton) Undisclosed
Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United – Tottenham Hotspur) Undisclosed
Out of the Premier League
Matt Miazga (Chelsea – Rapid Vitesse) Loan
Joe Hart (Manchester City – Torino) Loan
Mario Balotelli (Liverpool – Nice) Undisclosed
Juan Cuadrado (Chelsea – Juventus) Loan
Philip Wollscheid (Stoke City – Wolfsburg) Loan
Lukas Jutkiewicz (Burnley – Birmingham) Loan
Samir Nasri (Manchester City – Sevilla) Loan
Aiden McGeady (Everton – Preston North End) Loan
Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City – Valencia) Loan
Andre Wisdom (Liverpool – Red Bull Salzburg) LoanS
hani Tarashaj (Everton – Eintracht Frankfurt) Loan
Rickie Lambert (West Brom – Cardiff City) Undisclosed
Luke Croll (Crystal Palace – Exeter) Loan
Fredrik Ulvestad (Burnley – Charlton Athletic) Loan
Jake Clarke-Salter (Chelsea – Bristol Rovers) Loan
Charlie Colkett (Chelsea – Bristol Rovers) Loan
Kenneth Omeruo (Chelsea – Alanyaspor) Loan
Mustapha Carayol (Middlesbrough – Nottingham Forest) Free
Eunan O'Kane (Bournemouth – Leeds United) Undisclosed
Rhoys Wiggins (Bournemouth – Birmingham) Loan
Cristian Cuevas (Chelsea – Sint-Truidense) Loan
Serge Gnabry (Arsenal – Werder Bremen) Undisclosed
Jonny Williams (Crystal Palace – Ipswich) Loan
Dominic Gape (Southampton – Wycombe Wanderers) Loan
Dean Henderson (Manchester United – Grimsby) Loan
Alex Baptiste (Middlesborough – Preston North End) Loan
Transfer grades: How did Premier League teams do this summer?
By Joe Prince-Wright
The summer transfer window is shut.
That was fun.
A record $1.5 billion was spent on new players by all 20 Premier League teams this summer as stars like Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Luiz, Islam Slimani, Sofiane Boufal and Jack Wilshere were on the move.
Let’s take a look at the deals and give each PL team a grade based on the business they did this summer.
| TEAM | GRADE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | A | Man United: The Red Devils went big and did their business early as Jose Mourinho just beat Pep Guardiola to win the summer window. A world record fee for Paul Pogba, plus Zlatan on a free, Bailly is a beast in defense and Mkhitaryan will deliver assists. Mourinho cut out plenty of bit-part players and has a tight squad who are already being as ruthless on the pitch as their manager is off it. Box office rebuild from United. | |
 | A | Man City: A huge overhaul for City. Hart, Bony, Mangala and Nasri left, as Sane, Gundogan, Nolito, Stones and Bravo arrived for almost $200 million. Guardiola has been ruthless in his recruitment but you can already see his clear style of play flowing through this team. When you hire Guardiola, you let him rip the team apart and start again. He has done that this summer and City look much better for it. Great window. | |
 | A- | Chelsea: What a Deadline Day for Chelsea. David Luiz arrived in a sensational deal from PSG and he will give Antonio Conte the option of playing a three-man defense and he’s a huge character. Marcos Alonso is a solid buy, plus N'Golo Kante has slotted in seamlessly and Batshuayi is already contributing. Conte hasn’t changed much but the players he has signed will contribute massively. No big names left either. Bellissimo. | |
 | B+ | Leicester City: The Foxes focused on keeping all of their stars this summer and the only one they lost was N’Golo Kante. Signing Vardy and Mahrez to new deals was massive but then adding Slimani for a club record deal plus Musa was the icing on the cake. Mendy and several depth players will also help them in their UCL quest. Brilliant business, once again, from Leicester. | |
 | B | Bournemouth: Jack Wilshere arrived on Deadline Day on loan from Arsenal. Incredible signing and the biggest in club history by far. Eddie Howe has pulled of a masterstroke but his side did start the season poorly after he put all his trust in youngster Jordon Ibe and others. That said, getting in Wilshere and beating the likes of Roma and AC Milan to his signing is a major coup. Wilshere will suit the Cherries’ style and as a leader he will make their young team tick. | |
 | B | Burnley: The Clarets broke their transfer record twice during the window as Defour and Hendrick arrived in midfield and suddenly Burnley look much better suited to staying up this season than they did two years ago. With Gray and Vokes up top, they can score goals. Now they need to stay tight and let Hendrick and Defour build a partnership. Well done, Sean Dyche. | |
 | B | Stoke City: Strong Deadline Day saved Stoke’s window. Wilfried Bony is perhaps the missing piece of the jigsaw, as he joined on loan from Man City. The Ivorian striker is the clinical finisher they’ve been searching for. Martins Indi was also a good buy, as was Joe Allen. All in all, very good business from a very well run club. | |
 | C+ | Arsenal: Arsene Wenger spent a record amount for a summer window as Xhaka, Perez and Mustafi arrived for a combined total of $115 million. Some Arsenal fans still won’t be happy but the Gunners added a striker and center back, plus shipped out some squad players on loan. Overall, a decent window. | |
 | C+ | Crystal Palace: The Eagles saved themselves late in the window after signing Christian Benteke for a club record fee and then adding Loic Remy on loan. Alan Pardew sold Bolasie for big money and missed out on Jack Wilshere, which was disappointing, but overall Palace addressed their needs with two international strikers. | |
 | C+ | Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp still has plenty of issues in defense, especially at left back. The signing of Sadio Mane was expensive but already looks like good business and Klopp has cut so much deadwood he could be a lumberjack in his spare time. Seriously though, the jury is out on Wijnaldum, Klavan and Matip although the latter has showed signs of promise. All in all, good outs but could’ve done with two marquee defenders arriving. | |
 | C | Everton: A solid summer of business for Ronald Koeman, who was the biggest signing by far, but you get the sense Everton’s fans were a little underwhelmed. They sold Stones for a huge fee which covered the costs for Bolasie and Williams. Lukaku is staying around but they missed out on Sissoko and Lucas Perez late in the window. Close, but no cigar. This squad is stronger than last May, though. | |
 | C | West Ham: The Hammers had a rough summer with injuries and we have to remember that, but Slaven Bilic had plenty of deals fall down after their early Europa League exit. Feghouli, Zaza and Arbeloa will become starters but you worry about their strikers staying fit, especially after letting Valencia leave. | |
 | C | Middlesbrough: Some very shrewd signings from Aitor Karanka as newly-promoted Boro added firepower with Alvaro Negredo and Gaston Ramirez plus added depth all over the pitch. They didn’t spend a huge amount of money but they did enough business to give their fans plenty of hope they will survive this season. | |
 | C | Southampton: Sofiane Boufal was a fine pickup for Saints for a club record fee and Claude Puel‘s other arrivals are also young but Redmond and Hojbjerg have shown promise. Losing Mane, Pelle and Wanyama was a big blow but Saints should be okay and they kept hold of captain Jose Fonte. They needed one more striker in the window to make it a success. | |
 | C | Tottenham: Spurs somewhat salvaged their transfer window by snapping up Moussa Sissoko but he’s still a temperamental character. Let’s see how this goes. Vincent Janssen will take time to settle and Wanyama is a midfield destroyer but they already had that in Dier. After qualifying for the UCL and having a great campaign last season, Spurs missed a chance to go big and solidify their title credentials. That said, they do have a new stadium to pay for… | |
 | D | Swansea City: The Swans have lost Ashley Williams and Andre Ayew, their talismanic captain and top scorer from last season. Guidolin didn’t really replace them. Swansea are really lacking up top with Llorente experienced but unproven in the PL, while you also worry about them in central defense. New American owners may have to pump money in during the January window. | |
 | D | Hull City: It has been a turbulent offseason for the Tigers and although they tried incredibly hard in the latter days of the window to rectify their sluggishness, there wasn’t much quality let for them to hoover up. Ryan Mason, Will Keane and Mbokani have arrived but Mike Phelan will feel like it was too little too late. More strengthening was needed to save them from a relegation battle but with a takeover deal close, it was a difficult situation. | |
 | D | Watford: New manager Walter Mazzarri has done plenty of business this summer but you have to argue if many of the signings strengthen the Hornets at all. It will largely be the same starting lineup which faded badly last season and after a shaky start this season, it could be a long campaign at Vicarage Road. | |
 | D- | West Brom: The Baggies signed Hal Robson-Kanu on Deadline Day but will he really add more than 5-6 goals? Nacer Chadli was a decent signing but it feels like the Baggies have got so many central midfielders. A poor window for West Brom, especially with new owners in charge. Pulis won’t be happy. | |
 | F | Sunderland: There’s no two ways about this. It was a shocking window for Sunderland. David Moyes came in late after Sam Allardyce left for England and he managed to keep hold of Kone but signed a handful of Man United youngsters and a DM in Didier Ndong. With no experienced goalkeeper, holes in central defense and a lack of firepower, Moyes and the Black Cats are struggling. |
NCAAFB: Here's who to thank for the greatest opening weekend in college football history.
By Dan Wetzel
Bob Stoops and Oklahoma open the season against No. 15 Houston. (Photo/AP)
It’s been hailed as the greatest opening weekend in college football history, and even someone with a natural suspicion of hyperbole would have to agree, yeah, it appears to be just that.
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 20 Southern California. No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Houston. No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss. No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina.
That’s four non-conference games between ranked opponents, which is just a part of it. There’s also No. 2 Clemson at Auburn, No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, No. 10 Notre Dame at Texas, No. 16 UCLA at Texas A&M, Kansas State at No. 8 Stanford, and so on.
In other years – and certainly when the games were scheduled – those all could have featured two ranked teams rather than just one. The effort is acknowledged and appreciated.
As college football settles in for a dream weekend, a dream that seemed impossible just a half decade or so ago, it needs to thank – and hope for the continued support of – one group of people that made it happen: the college football playoff selection committee.
It’s that body that upon creation sent out a clarion call that strength of schedule would play a major role in the selection process for the four-team playoff.
Almost overnight, scheduling philosophies changed as athletic directors and coaches didn’t want to experience the regret that might come from being left out of playing for a championship because it went full cupcake-mode during non-conference play.
This was a near full reversal from the Bowl Championship Series, when there was little incentive to play anyone that might beat you. Some teams might schedule one good non-conference opponent, but that was it. Many didn’t bother to even try that.
The old BCS relied on mathematically suspect computer formulas and voters who had proven again and again to favor undefeated records over teams with a so-called good loss. The key was just getting to 12-0 or 13-0. Schedules were made to achieve that, with little consideration for fans, players or entertainment value.
How incredible is it to have four non-conference games between preseason ranked teams in one weekend?
Consider that in 2009 there were four of those … the entire season. In 2010 there were five.
With no glory possible, why bother with guts?
“They took the strength of schedule and minimized it,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops lamented at the time. The Sooners, along with USC, Notre Dame and a few others, still tried to schedule multiple major non-conference opponents (or in the independent Irish’s case, major opponents) each season … and often paid for it at the hands of unimaginative, record-obsessed poll voters.
Schedules overloaded with purposeful mismatches didn’t just lead to boring early season football, undoing the entire concept of “every game matters.” It was a drain on the entire championship chase.
Schedules overloaded with purposeful mismatches didn’t just lead to boring early season football, undoing the entire concept of “every game matters.” It was a drain on the entire championship chase.
Consider 2007, a wild year overall, which featured a late November clash, a sort of BCS elimination game between the nation’s No. 2 and No. 4 teams – Kansas and Missouri. Yes, Kansas and Missouri.
Kansas got to No. 2 by going 11-0. The Jayhawks were fun and perhaps a truly great team, but they achieved an inside track on the BCS title game without defeating a single ranked team (in or out of conference). Their 11 victories included just two against teams that would finish the season with winning records (both 7-6).
Missouri was 10-1 and somehow the fourth-ranked team in America despite owning victories over just three teams that would finish with winning records. Its best win was probably over a Texas Tech club that ended up 9-4. That was still way better than Kansas.
That’s the kind of system the BCS was.
And that was the sensibility that the playoff committee brought to the table. Today, presumably, it wouldn’t work. Or, so college football hopes.
The playoff is just two years old and thus far has avoided an imposter built on clearly cowardly scheduling. That doesn’t mean all teams have delivered upon arrival in the playoff or that there hasn’t been debate – most notably in 2014.
A four-team playoff will never be perfect. There is no simple way to choose just four out of 128 teams with few common data points.
It is an improvement, though. And will remain so if the playoff committee stays true to its established protocol.
“When circumstances at the margins indicate that teams are comparable, then the following criteria must be considered,” the CFP rules state. “Championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition [if it occurred], comparative outcomes of common opponents [without incenting margin of victory].”
Preferably strength of schedule would be listed first, not second. A championship of a weak league is an arbitrary distinction, especially when bloated membership can allow teams to slip through the cracks.
A team such as Iowa, playing in the less arduous Big Ten West, is one program that hasn’t embraced tougher scheduling – Miami of Ohio, Iowa State and FCS North Dakota State dot the non-conference schedule this year. In Big Ten play there is just one ranked opponent – a home date with Michigan. (The Big Ten title game will almost certainly provide another opportunity).
It’s not that Iowa couldn’t be one of the top four teams in the country, but the Hawkeyes should have to prove it. They appear to feel comfortable with their position, however. There is no major opponent other than Iowa State on future schedules.
For the most part, the strength of schedule criteria has already served its purpose. Other programs have ramped up things even as some conferences have expanded shrinking available opponents (the annual Baylor-TCU game, once non-conference, is now a Big 12 game). Likewise, some leagues have added conference games, dropping non-conference options from four to three. Yet scheduling is better.
Opening weekends like this should become the norm – or they could even improve. When one good game is not an advantage and instead just the expected, then maybe more teams will schedule two or three as some do now.
And it’s not just games between possible title contenders, but creative matchups that are sheer fun. In Week 2, Tennessee and Virginia Tech will play on the infield of Bristol Motor Speedway in front of an expected 150,000 fans.
Before that, though, the best opening weekend ever.
That is enough reason to be thankful for the playoff. Hopefully, come December, the selection committee remembers.
Tennessee squeaks by App State thanks to OT fumble recovered in end zone.
By Nick Bromberg
Jalen Hurd recovered Josh Dobbs’ fumble in OT. (Photo/Getty)
Tennessee’s march to fulfill lofty preseason expectations almost got derailed as soon as it started.
The No. 9 Volunteers survived a huge upset scare from Appalachian State on Thursday and won in overtime 20-13. The winning touchdown came from running back Jalen Hurd, who recovered a Josh Dobbs fumble in the end zone. Dobbs lost the ball when he took a helmet to the chest while leaping towards the goal line.
App State’s possession to tie ended when a fourth-down pass from Lamb fell incomplete in the end zone.
The Mountaineers had a shot to win the game in regulation but it ended thanks to some horrible clock management. App State had a chance for a game-winning field goal but tossed it away by refusing to call its final timeout facing third and 5.
The second-down play ended with approximately 25 seconds left and App State tried to run the hurry-up. It didn’t work as Taylor Lamb dove out of bounds after the clock had expired.
Even if Lamb had gotten out of bounds with time on the clock, a game-winner was not guaranteed. Redshirt freshman kicker Michael Rubino had previously missed a 42-yard field goal in the second half and missed an extra point in the second quarter after Appalachian State had taken a 13-3 lead.
Overtime was the first time App State had trailed all night. The close nature of the game was no fluke. Heck, if you’re going to argue for a fluke, you can make a pretty convincing one that Tennessee got a fluke win.
The game came nine years to the day after App State’s win over Michigan. In 2007, App State was an FCS team that few around the country had heard of. Thursday night, it entered the game as one of the favorites in the Sun Belt.
The Mountaineers stood toe-to-toe with Tennessee and controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the first half especially. Tennessee turned the ball over twice and it could have been more. Hurd grabbing Dobbs’ fumble in overtime was a gift and Hurd also had a fumble that was recovered by a teammate in the second half.
But even though Tennessee got the win, it’s still fair to question if the Vols were overrated being a preseason top 10 team. Tennessee hasn’t fulfilled the lofty (and perhaps unfair) preseason expectations placed upon it recently, but 2016 was supposed to be different. This was supposed to be the year UT charged back to the top of the SEC thanks to the accumulation of talent coach Butch Jones had recruited to Knoxville.
It still can be that season. A loss wouldn’t have meant anything in terms of the SEC standings, and there’s still a lot of reasons to think Tennessee is the favorite in the East (especially if RB Alvin Kamara gets more than the six carries he got Thursday).
But a loss would have increased the pressure, even if it was only perceived. App State is good. Tennessee should have been a lot better. And UT will have to be better in a hurry. Virginia Tech is up next, along with Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama over the course of the next six weeks.
NCAABKB: Big 12 releases conference schedule.
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
For the first time in conference history, the Big 12 will be playing its league games on both sides of New Year’s Day.
The Big 12 will have a showcase day on Friday, Dec. 30, with Texas Tech at Iowa State (4 p.m. eastern), followed by Baylor at Oklahoma (7 p.m.) and Kansas at TCU ( 9 p.m.). Kansas State will host Texas and Oklahoma State will welcome West Virginia as well, though times have yet to be determined, on the league’s first-ever December day of games.
The league’s first signature Big Monday contest is Jan. 16, with Kansas traveling to Hilton Coliseum to face Iowa State.
Final day of league action is Saturday, March 4, before all 10 teams travel to Kansas City for the conference’s tournament starting March 8.
While the league may be starting at a new time, one thing will remain the same: Kansas is the heavy favorite to claim its 13th-straight conference championship.
To see the full Big 12 schedule, click here.
Rutgers’ twitter ‘gaffe’ is a pretty standard recruiting technique.
By Rob Dauster
Rutgers has been the butt of quite a few jokes on social media the last 24 hours, as the school’s official men’s basketball twitter account posted the following picture late on Tuesday night:
It’s the Rutgers coaching staff that has a connection to them.
New head coach Steve Pikiell, who was hired from Stony Brook less than six months ago, used to be on the UConn staff. Karl Hobbs, who was an assistant at UConn for both Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie, joined Pikiell. Another assistant coach, Brandin Knight, a former star player at Pitt, was on Jamie Dixon’s staff with the Panthers last season.
None of those guys have coached a single Rutgers player yet.
And they won’t for another month, when practice finally starts.
So what do they have to pitch to recruits? How can they market the Rutgers program? How do they make it appealing to the loads of talent playing basketball in New Jersey high schools? By selling kids on what these coaches were able to accomplish with the players they actually have worked with, the stars from their former schools. If you don’t think that is what Rutgers’ new staff — or any new staff, for that matter — is using as a recruiting pitch then you don’t know a damn thing about recruiting.
Or Rutgers.
The program has no basketball history worth mentioning. None. But neither did SMU when Larry Brown took over, and he turned the Mustangs into a program perennially in or around the top 25 that literally beat out Kentucky for a recruit (Emmanuel Mudiay).
Do you think that Brown was selling players on SMU’s past or his past? Did he say “Come hoop at a football school in a football state” or did he brag about coaching Allen Iverson and the rings he won with Kansas in 1988 and Detroit in 2004?
The bottom line is this: The tweet missed its mark, highlighting player earnings over professional success, and the responses to it have been pretty hilarious.
But I also find it funny that people are up in arms about Rutgers promoting the players their brand new coaching staff has worked with, because if you don’t think that Jim Fox uses Steph Curry to recruit to Appalachian State or Rick Barnes references Kevin Durant in his pitches to Tennessee targets, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you can buy.
The 2016 NFL season starts 6 days from today, are you ready for some football? What's your take?
New head coach Steve Pikiell, who was hired from Stony Brook less than six months ago, used to be on the UConn staff. Karl Hobbs, who was an assistant at UConn for both Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie, joined Pikiell. Another assistant coach, Brandin Knight, a former star player at Pitt, was on Jamie Dixon’s staff with the Panthers last season.
None of those guys have coached a single Rutgers player yet.
And they won’t for another month, when practice finally starts.
So what do they have to pitch to recruits? How can they market the Rutgers program? How do they make it appealing to the loads of talent playing basketball in New Jersey high schools? By selling kids on what these coaches were able to accomplish with the players they actually have worked with, the stars from their former schools. If you don’t think that is what Rutgers’ new staff — or any new staff, for that matter — is using as a recruiting pitch then you don’t know a damn thing about recruiting.
Or Rutgers.
The program has no basketball history worth mentioning. None. But neither did SMU when Larry Brown took over, and he turned the Mustangs into a program perennially in or around the top 25 that literally beat out Kentucky for a recruit (Emmanuel Mudiay).
Do you think that Brown was selling players on SMU’s past or his past? Did he say “Come hoop at a football school in a football state” or did he brag about coaching Allen Iverson and the rings he won with Kansas in 1988 and Detroit in 2004?
The bottom line is this: The tweet missed its mark, highlighting player earnings over professional success, and the responses to it have been pretty hilarious.
But I also find it funny that people are up in arms about Rutgers promoting the players their brand new coaching staff has worked with, because if you don’t think that Jim Fox uses Steph Curry to recruit to Appalachian State or Rick Barnes references Kevin Durant in his pitches to Tennessee targets, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you can buy.
The 2016 NFL season starts 6 days from today, are you ready for some football? What's your take?
M. P. Jelks
Each year at this same time, I become like a kid locked up in a candy store because the start of the new NFL season is less than a week away. This is a great time of the year, the Autumn/Fall season of college and professional football. It's special and it doesn't get any better than this. Everything associated with this wonderful season is magical. The competition, the fans, the tailgating, throwing a football around, trash talking, the anxiety while waiting for the game to start, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, road trips, drinking, meeting and making new friends; that's what it come down to and that's what it's all about. Your favorite team will take you for a ride on that mythical emotional roller coaster but at the same time instill pride in you that you don't often experience especially when they win a championship. Ahhhhhhhh for the good times. I'm in football mode, I gotta go fill out my Pick 'em football sheet for the first week, hopefully I'll win at least once in this 17 week regular season. So much to look forward to.
Now you know how I feel, how do you feel about this upcoming football season? What's your take? Take a moment and go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. I can't wait to see how you feel about the Autumn/Fall football season.
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, September 02, 2016.
Now you know how I feel, how do you feel about this upcoming football season? What's your take? Take a moment and go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. I can't wait to see how you feel about the Autumn/Fall football season.
Marion P. Jelks, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Director
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, September 02, 2016.
emoriesofhistory.com
1917 - Grover Cleveland Alexander (Philadelphia Phillies) pitched and won two entire games of a doubleheader versus Brooklyn (5-0 and 9-3).
1924 - Bill Tilden won his fifth straight U.S. Open men's singles title.
1957 - Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves) set a record for left-handed pitchers when he recorded his 41st shutout.
1961 - The estate of Ty Cobb was estimated at $11.78 million. Cobb had died two months earlier.
1962 - Ken Hubbs (Chicago Cubs) set a record for a second baseman when he played his 74th game without an error.
1966 - The Miami Dolphins played their first regular-season game. They lost the game to the Oakland Raiders 23-14.
1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) set a National League record when he played in his 1,117th consecutive game.
1970 - Jimmy Connors played in his first match at the U.S. Open. He lost to Mark Cox.
1971 - Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors won their first U.S. Open singles matches.
1973 - Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers. Martin was relieved of his duties three days after ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs against Cleveland Indians batters.
1981 - The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners played to a 7-7 tie after 19 innings. It was the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was resumed the following day and the Mariners won 8-7 in 20 innings.
1986 - The Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs played 14 innings and used 53 players in the game. Houston won the game 8-7 when the game resumed the next day.
1990 - Bobby Thigpen (Chicago White Sox) set a major league record with his 47th save.
1996 - Mike Greenwall (Boston Red Sox) set a major league record when he drove in all nine runs in a 9-8 win over the Seattle Mariners.
1996 - David Cone (New York Yankees) pitched in a game for the first time in four months after an aneurysm was removed from his shoulder.
1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis) hit his 58th and 59th home runs of the season. The record at the time was 61 held by Roger Maris.
1998 - Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs) hit his 56th home run of the season.
1998 - Nomar Garciaparra (Boston Red Sox) hit his 30th home run of the season. He joined Mark McGwire, Rudy York, Ron Kittle and Jose Canseco as a player that hit 30+ home runs in his first two years.
1998 - Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) signed a six-year contract for $36 million. The deal made him the highest paid wide receiver in the league.
1999 - Cal Ripken (Baltimore Orioles) hit his 400th career home run.
2003 - Eric Gagne (Los Angeles) established a major league record with his 55th consecutive save.
1924 - Bill Tilden won his fifth straight U.S. Open men's singles title.
1957 - Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves) set a record for left-handed pitchers when he recorded his 41st shutout.
1961 - The estate of Ty Cobb was estimated at $11.78 million. Cobb had died two months earlier.
1962 - Ken Hubbs (Chicago Cubs) set a record for a second baseman when he played his 74th game without an error.
1966 - The Miami Dolphins played their first regular-season game. They lost the game to the Oakland Raiders 23-14.
1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) set a National League record when he played in his 1,117th consecutive game.
1970 - Jimmy Connors played in his first match at the U.S. Open. He lost to Mark Cox.
1971 - Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors won their first U.S. Open singles matches.
1973 - Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers. Martin was relieved of his duties three days after ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs against Cleveland Indians batters.
1981 - The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners played to a 7-7 tie after 19 innings. It was the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was resumed the following day and the Mariners won 8-7 in 20 innings.
1986 - The Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs played 14 innings and used 53 players in the game. Houston won the game 8-7 when the game resumed the next day.
1990 - Bobby Thigpen (Chicago White Sox) set a major league record with his 47th save.
1996 - Mike Greenwall (Boston Red Sox) set a major league record when he drove in all nine runs in a 9-8 win over the Seattle Mariners.
1996 - David Cone (New York Yankees) pitched in a game for the first time in four months after an aneurysm was removed from his shoulder.
1998 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis) hit his 58th and 59th home runs of the season. The record at the time was 61 held by Roger Maris.
1998 - Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs) hit his 56th home run of the season.
1998 - Nomar Garciaparra (Boston Red Sox) hit his 30th home run of the season. He joined Mark McGwire, Rudy York, Ron Kittle and Jose Canseco as a player that hit 30+ home runs in his first two years.
1998 - Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) signed a six-year contract for $36 million. The deal made him the highest paid wide receiver in the league.
1999 - Cal Ripken (Baltimore Orioles) hit his 400th career home run.
2003 - Eric Gagne (Los Angeles) established a major league record with his 55th consecutive save.
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