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Once a Cubs fan, always a Cubs fan." ~ Bailey Chase, Stage and Television Actor
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Trending: 2016 World Series schedule, dates, times and TV info.
(Al Bello/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports)
Trending: Blackhawks searching for offense in clash with Flames. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
Trending: Bulls 3-4 preseason was mixed bag --- consistent with 9 new faces. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
Trending: College Basketball 5 biggest rule changes this season: things to know. (See the college basketball section for NCAA news and team updates).
NFL SCORES, Sunday 10/23/2016.
Chicago Bears 10
Green Bay Packers 26
New York Giants 17
Los Angeles Rams 10
New Orleans Saints 21
Kansas City Chiefs 27
Indianapolis Colts 34
Tennessee Titans 26
Minnesota Vikings 10
Philadelphia Eagles 21
Cleveland Browns 17
Cincinnati Bengals 31
Washington Redskins 17
Detroit Lions 20
Oakland Raiders 33
Jacksonville Jaguars 16
Buffalo Bills 25
Miami Dolphins 28
Baltimore Ravens 16
New York Jets 24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34
San Francisco 49ers 17
San Diego Chargers 33
Atlanta Falcons 30
New England Patriots 27
Pittsburgh Steelers 16
Seattle Seahawks 6
Arizona Cardinals 6
Houston Texans Monday night Game
Denver Broncos 10/24/2016
CUBS: World Series, first glance: Cubs and Indians battle each other - and history.
By Jorge L. Ortiz
Bottles of beer and champagne kept getting carted into the Chicago Cubs ’ madhouse … er, clubhouse, and just as soon as they went in, they got emptied out in non-stop spraying.
When you trace your last World Series appearance to 1945 and your last championship to 1908, you’re entitled to keep it going longer than the norm.
The Cubs, though, are not the only ones left standing seeking to reward generations of frustrated fans. In fact, their World Series matchup with the
The Indians have been underestimated much of the year and especially in the playoffs, and that figures to continue now.
Not only will they be tabbed as heavy underdogs against the Cubs, but even the extent of their fans’ suffering will be downplayed. After all, the Indians only measure their championship drought in decades, not centuries.
The Cubs’ 71-year World Series gap is the longest spell for any team in the four major American sports in between trips to the crowning event.
Cleveland played for the title in 1954, ’95 and ’97, coming closest the last time, when the then-Florida Marlins prevailed in 11 innings in Game 7.
While the Cubs’ pursuit of their first championship in 108 years looms as the dominant theme of this Fall Classic, there are several other intriguing storylines worth exploring.
One involves the managerial matchup between two-time World Series winner
It just so happens some of the key members of Chicago’s current brass, including president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer, were in the Boston Red Sox front office when Francona won those titles. So they know what to expect from Francona, who has deployed his bullpen expertly all postseason.
“He’s going to do everything he can to win that night’s game,’’ Hoyer said. “Joe manages the same way. I love that. Tito’s aggressive. I thought he set the tone for the whole postseason in Game 1 against Boston when he went to (Andrew) Miller in the fifth inning or so. He’s going to win that night’s game. He’s going to worry about tomorrow night the next night. Players respect that.’’
Especially considering how the depleted Indians won seven out of eight playoff games against the favored Red Sox and
Three days removed from their five-game dusting of the Blue Jays in the ALCS, it’s still astonishing to realize the Indians blanked such an explosive offense twice and held it to eight runs total – all the while missing three starters.
Cleveland’s sensational bullpen has accounted for close to half the team’s 71 innings in the postseason – 32 1/3 to be exact – fashioning a 1.67 ERA.
The Cubs will counter with a more classic staff, one fronted by a rotation that led the majors with a 2.96 ERA in the regular season and features two strong Cy Young Award candidates in
“Winning tonight meant we didn’t have to fire any extra bullets tomorrow,’’ Hoyer said, happy that the Cubs will have Lester and Arrieta fully rested for the first two games. “All season the rotation has been really good. They’ve gotten into the sixth or seventh inning over and over.’’
Hendricks went beyond that Saturday, tossing 7 1/3 brilliant innings while facing just one batter above the minimum.
By clinching Wednesday, the Indians have been able to rest their taxed bullpen, and they will have their own Cy Young candidate, 2014 AL winner
Chicago will probably counter with Lester, who has gone 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA in three postseason starts, in what has that makings of a pitchers’ duel.
“Lester’s been lights-out all year,’’ shortstop
Besides having a decided edge in hype, the Cubs bring into the series a more potent offense, and one that found its groove after enduring back-to-back shutouts at the hands of the Dodgers.
While the Indians managed a meager 12 runs in five games against the Blue Jays, Chicago averaged nearly eight over its last three games, as the likes of
That figures to be too much for the Indians to shut down, but then again, the same thing was said about the Red Sox and Blue Jays.
The lesson here: Underestimate the Indians at your own risk.
Kyle Hendricks outduels Clayton Kershaw and delivers legendary performance that puts Cubs in World Series. (Saturday night's National League Championship Series winning game, 10/22/2016).
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
John Hendricks sent a text message to his son at 11:24 a.m. on Saturday: “Good luck tonight!! Remember, great mechanics and preparation will prevail. Just let it go!!” It ended with three emoji: a smiley face with sunglasses, the thumbs-up sign and a flexed biceps.
The Cubs have bonded fathers and sons for generations, and Hendricks immediately understood what it meant for his boy when the Cubs traded Ryan Dempster to the Texas Rangers minutes before the deadline on July 31, 2012, telling Kyle: “You win in this city, you will be a legend. There is no doubt about it. This is the greatest sports town in the United States.”
This is the intoxicating lure of the Cubs. It didn’t matter that Kyle had been an eighth-round pick out of Dartmouth College, and hadn’t yet finished his first full season in professional baseball, and would be joining an organization enduring a 101-loss season, the third of five straight fifth-place finishes.
Kyle’s low-key personality will never get him confused with an ’85 Bear, but he delivered a legendary performance in Game 6, outpitching Clayton Kershaw at the end of this National League Championship Series and leading the Cubs to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.
Five outs away from the pennant, a raucous crowd of 42,386 at Wrigley Field actually booed star manager Joe Maddon when he walked out to the mound to take the ball from Kyle and bring in closer Aroldis Chapman. Kyle, the silent assassin, did briefly raise his hand to acknowledge the standing ovation before descending the dugout steps.
After a 5-0 win, Kyle stood in roughly the same spot with Nike goggles on his head and finally looked a little rattled, his body shivering and teeth chattering in the cold, his Cubs gear soaked from the champagne-and-beer celebration.
“It’s always been an uphill climb for me, honestly,” Kyle said. “But that really has nothing to do with getting guys out. My focus from Day 1 – even when I was young, high school, college, all the way up until now – all it’s been is trying to make good pitches.
“And as we moved up, you just saw that good pitches get good hitters out.”
At a time when the game is obsessed with velocity and showing off for the radar gun, Kyle knows how to pitch, putting the ball where he wants when he wants, avoiding the hot zones that lead to trouble, mixing his changeups, fastballs and curveball in an unpredictable way that takes advantage of the team’s intricate scouting system and keeps hitters completely off-balance.
“Kyle didn’t even give them any air or any hope,” general manager Jed Hoyer said.
Amid the celebration, scouting/player-development chief Jason McLeod spotted Kyle’s dad and yelled at John: “You f------ called it!” John – who once worked in the Angels ticket office and as a golf pro in Southern California – had moved to Chicago two years ago to work for his good friend’s limo company and watch his son pitch at Wrigley Field. John had told McLeod that Kyle would one day help the Cubs win a championship.
“That was one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever seen,” McLeod said. “Ever.”
The media framed Kyle as The Other Pitcher, even though he won the ERA title this season, with all the pregame buzz surrounding Kershaw, the three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP. Except Kershaw gave up five runs and got knocked out after five innings, while Kyle only gave up two singles to the 23 batters he faced, finishing with six strikeouts against zero walks and looking like he had even more left in the tank at 88 pitches.
“It was incredible,” Ben Zobrist said. “That was the easiest postseason game we’ve had yet and it was the clincher to go to the World Series.
“He’s just so good, so mature for his age. He just has a knack to put the ball where he needs to. He’s smart and he’s clutch. He deserves to win the Cy Young this year.”
Where Kershaw’s presence loomed over the entire playoffs, Kyle has always been underestimated, coming into this season as a fourth or fifth starter with something to prove, and even he didn’t see all this coming. But big-game pitchers can come in all shapes and sizes and don’t have to throw 97 mph.
“He wants the ball,” John said. “Every big game – I don’t care if it was Little League or wherever – he wants the ball. Plain and simple, (he’ll) get the job done.”
The new Cubs are out to write their own history.
By Patrick Mooney
The Cubs have bonded fathers and sons for generations, and Hendricks immediately understood what it meant for his boy when the Cubs traded Ryan Dempster to the Texas Rangers minutes before the deadline on July 31, 2012, telling Kyle: “You win in this city, you will be a legend. There is no doubt about it. This is the greatest sports town in the United States.”
This is the intoxicating lure of the Cubs. It didn’t matter that Kyle had been an eighth-round pick out of Dartmouth College, and hadn’t yet finished his first full season in professional baseball, and would be joining an organization enduring a 101-loss season, the third of five straight fifth-place finishes.
Kyle’s low-key personality will never get him confused with an ’85 Bear, but he delivered a legendary performance in Game 6, outpitching Clayton Kershaw at the end of this National League Championship Series and leading the Cubs to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.
Five outs away from the pennant, a raucous crowd of 42,386 at Wrigley Field actually booed star manager Joe Maddon when he walked out to the mound to take the ball from Kyle and bring in closer Aroldis Chapman. Kyle, the silent assassin, did briefly raise his hand to acknowledge the standing ovation before descending the dugout steps.
After a 5-0 win, Kyle stood in roughly the same spot with Nike goggles on his head and finally looked a little rattled, his body shivering and teeth chattering in the cold, his Cubs gear soaked from the champagne-and-beer celebration.
“It’s always been an uphill climb for me, honestly,” Kyle said. “But that really has nothing to do with getting guys out. My focus from Day 1 – even when I was young, high school, college, all the way up until now – all it’s been is trying to make good pitches.
“And as we moved up, you just saw that good pitches get good hitters out.”
At a time when the game is obsessed with velocity and showing off for the radar gun, Kyle knows how to pitch, putting the ball where he wants when he wants, avoiding the hot zones that lead to trouble, mixing his changeups, fastballs and curveball in an unpredictable way that takes advantage of the team’s intricate scouting system and keeps hitters completely off-balance.
“Kyle didn’t even give them any air or any hope,” general manager Jed Hoyer said.
Amid the celebration, scouting/player-development chief Jason McLeod spotted Kyle’s dad and yelled at John: “You f------ called it!” John – who once worked in the Angels ticket office and as a golf pro in Southern California – had moved to Chicago two years ago to work for his good friend’s limo company and watch his son pitch at Wrigley Field. John had told McLeod that Kyle would one day help the Cubs win a championship.
“That was one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever seen,” McLeod said. “Ever.”
The media framed Kyle as The Other Pitcher, even though he won the ERA title this season, with all the pregame buzz surrounding Kershaw, the three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP. Except Kershaw gave up five runs and got knocked out after five innings, while Kyle only gave up two singles to the 23 batters he faced, finishing with six strikeouts against zero walks and looking like he had even more left in the tank at 88 pitches.
“It was incredible,” Ben Zobrist said. “That was the easiest postseason game we’ve had yet and it was the clincher to go to the World Series.
“He’s just so good, so mature for his age. He just has a knack to put the ball where he needs to. He’s smart and he’s clutch. He deserves to win the Cy Young this year.”
Where Kershaw’s presence loomed over the entire playoffs, Kyle has always been underestimated, coming into this season as a fourth or fifth starter with something to prove, and even he didn’t see all this coming. But big-game pitchers can come in all shapes and sizes and don’t have to throw 97 mph.
“He wants the ball,” John said. “Every big game – I don’t care if it was Little League or wherever – he wants the ball. Plain and simple, (he’ll) get the job done.”
The new Cubs are out to write their own history.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Cubs felt so nervous just before a 7:09 first pitch on Saturday night that Javier Baez found the camera looking into the home dugout, waved with a big smile and started pumping his fist, hamming it up for the video board as Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” blasted through the Wrigley Field sound system.
The Cubs then ran out onto the field and systematically destroyed the Los Angeles Dodgers, ending this National League Championship Series in six games with a 5-0 win that featured almost no tension or suspense, obliterating for now the narrative around this franchise.
The old stadium still kept shaking, from Kris Bryant’s RBI single in the first inning to the clapping to Anthony Rizzo’s “Intoxicated” walk-up music to a standing ovation for Kyle Hendricks, who outpitched the supposed best pitcher on the planet in Clayton Kershaw.
“We don’t care about history,” Bryant said. “This is a completely different team, different people all around. It doesn’t matter. This is a new Chicago Cubs team. And we are certainly a very confident group.”
Sure, 1908 will hover over the entire World Series, which begins Tuesday night against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. But this is the new normal for Bryant, who within two years has won 200 games, four playoff rounds, a Rookie of the Year award and probably MVP hardware.
This team isn’t going away, either. With a chance to win the pennant for the first time since the Truman administration, the Cubs started two rookies who began this season at Triple-A Iowa – catcher Willson Contreras and outfielder Albert Almora Jr. – in a lineup that featured Bryant (24), Rizzo (27), Baez (23), Addison Russell (22) and Hendricks (26).
Contreras caught a shutout and posed for a moment at home plate watching his line-drive homer off Kershaw fly into the left-field bleachers in the fourth inning. Rizzo – who had looked overmatched earlier in the playoffs – became the first left-handed hitter to homer off Kershaw during this calendar year.
And when Rizzo tried to wave off Baez for the ball Josh Reddick popped up to the right side of the infield in the fifth inning, Baez cut right in front of Rizzo to catch it, continuing a long-running gag among the Cubs infielders.
“I don’t think they’re oblivious, because that’s sort of insulting in some ways,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “They know the history. I just don’t think they care. They think they’re a good team and they love to play. And we have some guys that definitely shine on the big stage.”
Baez – a September call-up last year who couldn’t get an everyday spot during the regular season – showed off his bat speed and unbelievable defensive instincts and emerged as the NLCS co-MVP along with big-game pitcher Jon Lester. Sold on the idea of all this young talent someday coming together, Lester joined a last-place team after the 2014 season, taking a leap of faith, even at $155 million.
“I don’t feel like there’s pressure at all in our clubhouse,” said Almora, the first player Theo Epstein’s front office drafted here in 2012. “There’s just hunger and excitement and desire to win.
“None of us were around in 1945…so we just got to write our own history.”
This is what the Cubs have been talking about since the New York Mets swept them out of last year’s NLCS, since the Ricketts family invested almost $290 million more in free agents, since unconventional manager Joe Maddon made “Embrace The Target” the theme of spring training.
Whatever your preconceived notions of the old Cubs are, know that this group has an amazing sense of balance. They are youthful and experienced. They play as a team and with individual flair. They have style and get dirty. They are analytical and sort of oblivious. They are loose and intense. And the ending hasn’t been written yet.
“We still got a long ways to go,” Lester said. “We’ll enjoy tonight – don’t get me wrong – we’ll have a celebration. We’ll have a good time. We’ll smile, we’ll hug each other, probably get drunk a little bit…but we got some work to do.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks searching for offense in clash with Flames.
Associated Press
(Photo/democratandchronicle.com)
The Chicago Blackhawks are off to an inconsistent start while the Calgary Flames are among the NHL's worst clubs in 2016-17.
Struggles by stars on both teams could explain a lot.
Jonathan Toews will try to help the Blackhawks continue their recent offensive surge at home Monday night when they play host to Johnny Gaudreau and the Flames.
Toews, Chicago's captain, has just two assists in six games after averaging 28 goals and 35 assists during his previous nine NHL seasons. Part of the reason for his slow start may be as simple as letting a relationship with new linemates Tyler Motte and Richard Panik develop.
Motte and Panik each scored in regulation and Toews found the back of the net in the shootout as Chicago (3-3-0) rallied to beat Toronto 5-4 on Saturday night. The Blackhawks scored 16 of their 23 goals in their last three games at the United Center.
Motte, a rookie and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft after a solid career at Michigan, has goals in each of his last two games. In a huge surprise, Panik leads the league with six goals despite taking only nine shots.
If Toews is panicking over his slow start, he's not showing it.
"You only get better and better when you really start understanding and really knowing everything (about your linemates)," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "It just becomes feel. Sometimes you have to just go out there and let things happen, and use your instincts. That really kicks in with guys that you play with for a long time."
Toews, though, has only one goal and four assists in his last nine matchups with the Flames (1-4-1), who are waiting for Gaudreau to start putting together numbers like he did last season.
Through six games, Gaudreau has a goal and two assists but is also a team-worst minus-7. Last season, Gaudreau was sixth in the league in scoring with 78 points on 30 goals and 48 assists, and he was rewarded Oct. 10 with a six-year extension worth a reported $40.5 million.
Gaudreau has one assist in three career games at the United Center.
Another key offseason acquisition is key to the Flames' lackluster start under new coach Glenn Gulutzan. Goaltender Brian Elliott, who helped St. Louis eliminate the Blackhawks in seven games during the opening round of last season's Western Conference playoffs, has yet to win in any of his three starts this season while posting a 4.72 goals-against average and .839 save percentage.
Elliott didn't face his former team on Saturday night in the Flames' 6-4 loss to the Blues. He also could sit when Calgary caps its road trip Tuesday night in St. Louis.
"He's a confident guy. He's a well-structured guy. We know he'll be fine," Flames captain Mark Giordano told the Calgary Sun. "When he gets back in there, I'm sure the players will be looking to shut it down and really tighten up defensively, because we haven't really given him a game where he's had much of a chance."
Calgary's 27 goals allowed are most in the league. Chicago is only slightly better than the Flames with 22 goals given up.
Corey Crawford, who didn't play in the win over the Maple Leafs, is 4-2-3 with a 2.67 GAA and .895 save percentage versus the Flames. Scott Darling was 2-0-1 versus Calgary last season, stopping 91 of 95 shots.
Blackhawks rally to beat Maple Leafs in shootout.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
As the clock ticked down to under three minutes remaining in regulation, the Blackhawks were looking at more negatives than positives.
Their power play wasn’t working. Their penalty kill was 1-for-2 and they were trailing 4-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. But just when it looked like the Blackhawks were headed for their second consecutive loss, they pulled out a comeback.
Richard Panik scored the game-tying goal against his former team and Artemi Panarin scored the shootout winner as the Blackhawks came back to beat the Leafs 5-4 on Saturday night.
Tyler Motte scored his second goal in as many nights and Artem Anisimov had two goals. Scott Darling stopped 30 of 34 shots through regulation and overtime. The victory didn’t erase some of the issues the Blackhawks still have, some of which showed in this one, too. But it brought some needed relief.
“It was a big win in a lot of different ways,” said Duncan Keith, who had two assists, including the primary one on Panik’s goal. “I know it’s still early but I think we were able to put some pressure on there. And anytime you get big goals like that late in the game when they’re needed, it’s a confidence boost and something we can build off.”
The end looked like it was going to be frustrating, especially after William Nylander’s second goal of the night gave the Leafs a 4-2 lead about five minutes into the third. But Anisimov scored his second goal of the evening with 2:28 remaining to pull the Blackhawks to within 4-3. Just one minute later, Panik scored his sixth of the season to tie it 4-4.
Panarin’s shot in round three of the shootout, coupled with Darling stopping Mitchell Marner’s wrist shot, sealed it.
“Obviously we were down 4-2 and came back against a great team. That helps our confidence,” Panik said. “Everybody’s pumped about a win so that’s a good sign.”
The Blackhawks will take it but they know they had their problems in this one. Their power play went 0-for-6. That included two 4-on-3 opportunities in overtime. They allowed another goal on their penalty kill, although they did snuff out another Toronto power-play opportunity in the third period.
“It’s one,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We need several, several, several to get excited. But certainly that was, we’ll say, timely.”
The Blackhawks still have a long way to go this season. That penalty kill still needs work. They want more consistent play. But considering how this was looking with about three minutes remaining in regulation, they’ll take it.
“We’re certainly fortunate to come back in a game like that,” Quenneville said. “There have been a lot of comebacks in the league this year and we’ve given up some leads ourselves. That was a little different way of going about it. There are some positives but more so how we played in the third period. But we still lose a lot of momentum in the game. That’s what we’ve got to shore up.”
Richard Panik fueling Blackhawks' top line.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Richard Panik was coming off his first career hat trick last week when he was asked about solidifying his spot on the top line with Jonathan Toews.
“I wouldn’t call it mine, for now,” Panik said.
The right wing’s hesitancy was understandable: Outside of some Blackhawks veterans, your place on a line is only as good as your last game.
But considering how he’s playing right now and the amount of goals he’s scored, you’d think Panik will be a top liner for a little while longer.
Panik scored the game-tying goals against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 88 seconds remaining in regulation on Saturday night. There was probably a little feeling of vindication for Panik on that goal – Panik spent last season with the Leafs’ minor-league team until he was traded to the Blackhawks. But no matter the opponent, Panik’s been a scoring threat.
“We didn’t expect six goals in six games but we knew he’d be an offensive threat for us,” Toews said. “He’s showing consistently. He had the hat trick – when you have a game like that, the puck keeps finding you and he’s making no mistakes around the net. He’s shown he can score goals in any which way.”
“I wouldn’t call it mine, for now,” Panik said.
The right wing’s hesitancy was understandable: Outside of some Blackhawks veterans, your place on a line is only as good as your last game.
But considering how he’s playing right now and the amount of goals he’s scored, you’d think Panik will be a top liner for a little while longer.
Panik scored the game-tying goals against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 88 seconds remaining in regulation on Saturday night. There was probably a little feeling of vindication for Panik on that goal – Panik spent last season with the Leafs’ minor-league team until he was traded to the Blackhawks. But no matter the opponent, Panik’s been a scoring threat.
“We didn’t expect six goals in six games but we knew he’d be an offensive threat for us,” Toews said. “He’s showing consistently. He had the hat trick – when you have a game like that, the puck keeps finding you and he’s making no mistakes around the net. He’s shown he can score goals in any which way.”
Part of the reason Panik’s back on the top line was the Blackhawks wanted to get more balance among the forwards. Marian Hossa, a longtime sight on that line, is on the third. But again, it’s all in what you do with the opportunity.
“The position he ended up being in was probably more so [for] being ready every game, consistent, doing the right things,” coach Joel Quenneville said after Saturday’s game. “He has all the tools we look for. He’s coming up with loose pucks, hanging around the net, going to the hard areas, giving us some physicality and finish as well. That was a big one, for sure, so he’s been a very pleasant start for us and for himself.”
The Blackhawks will always take goals no matter who scores them. But it’s how and from where Panik’s scoring those goals that’s especially good for the Blackhawks. Constantly looking for a net-front presence, Panik’s providing it. Most of his goals have been within a few feet of the net.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to find the space in front of the net and the goals are scored from there,” he said. “That’s the area I want to go to and it’s working.”
In six games Panik has already reached the totals he had in his 30 games with the Blackhawks last season (six goals, two assists). Panik approaches every game on the first line like it could be his last up there, and considering how often the Blackhawks change combinations that’s a smart approach. But the Blackhawks were looking for more consistent scoring on that top line, and as long as Panik helps provide that, he’ll stay put.
“Consistency was my biggest weakness. I’m just focusing on that, bringing it every night,” Panik said. “I think I know what I’m capable of. I know I can play on this level. Now I have an opportunity. I just have to take advantage of it and keep playing this way.”
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! For Bears QB Jay Cutler, an unwanted second chance – audition? – presents itself.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Some decisions have ways of simply making themselves. Decisions like, say, who will be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
Regrettably, one aspect of that decision was made for the Bears when Brian Hoyer went down with a broken left arm in the second quarter of Thursday’s 26-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. At that moment the Hoyer-or-Cutler question was rendered moot. As FOX’s Jay Glazer had reported, the No. 1 job was Hoyer’s to lose, and the injury unfortunately took care of that. Coaches never had to make that decision.
This is clearly not the way Cutler would like to have been returned to his job. No player is pleased to have an opportunity made possible by a catastrophic injury to a teammate.
Bigger picture: The 2016 season was always a prove-it year for Jay Cutler, more so than even last year because of guaranteed money, which is now gone. The rest of the 2016 now becomes a condensed prove-it crucible, where Cutler is playing for his job in Chicago or his next team. His price for 2017 ($15 million) is modest by starter standards, but so is his resume.
Without a strong final nine games, assuming his injured thumb is sufficiently recovered after nearly six weeks off, Cutler may find himself as next offseason’s Ryan Fitzpatrick, sort-of wanted by a team but for money nowhere close to the value he and his agent had in mind.
Regrettably, one aspect of that decision was made for the Bears when Brian Hoyer went down with a broken left arm in the second quarter of Thursday’s 26-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. At that moment the Hoyer-or-Cutler question was rendered moot. As FOX’s Jay Glazer had reported, the No. 1 job was Hoyer’s to lose, and the injury unfortunately took care of that. Coaches never had to make that decision.
This is clearly not the way Cutler would like to have been returned to his job. No player is pleased to have an opportunity made possible by a catastrophic injury to a teammate.
Bigger picture: The 2016 season was always a prove-it year for Jay Cutler, more so than even last year because of guaranteed money, which is now gone. The rest of the 2016 now becomes a condensed prove-it crucible, where Cutler is playing for his job in Chicago or his next team. His price for 2017 ($15 million) is modest by starter standards, but so is his resume.
Without a strong final nine games, assuming his injured thumb is sufficiently recovered after nearly six weeks off, Cutler may find himself as next offseason’s Ryan Fitzpatrick, sort-of wanted by a team but for money nowhere close to the value he and his agent had in mind.
The play of rookies Dak Presott in Dallas and Carson Wentz in Philadelphia will reinforce the message that you can start and win with a rookie right away, which projects to depress any Cutler market. Why pay a marginal veteran, which Cutler has been and certainly is at this point and age (34 next April), when a rookie can be had at a fraction of the cost?
Without a massive contract renegotiation, a scenario of Cutler staying on as a bridge to a young successor is beyond a longshot. Hoyer, far more likely to fit that role, and his price will not approach Cutler’s.
Cutler now has his second chance. Whether he likes it or not, it’s an audition.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Bulls 3-4 preseason was mixed bag --- consistent with 9 new faces.
By K.C. Johnson
In many ways, Michael Carter-Williams' Bulls debut Thursday night can serve as a metaphor for their entire preseason.
"I thought he was solid, got fouled on a couple post-up opportunities," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "He can get into the paint and make plays with his size. He guards.
"But we called a couple plays and he kind of looked at me with his arms up in the air like, 'What the hell is that?' It's about getting him comfortable with what we're trying to do. This will be a good week for him."
This isn't to pick on Carter-Williams, who, by all accounts, has a high basketball IQ and had practiced with the Bulls only once after they acquired him from the Bucks on Monday.
But Hoiberg's assessment of the 6-foot-6 guard's initial outing could apply to the team's 3-4 preseason as a whole. There were moments of promise, to be sure. But any training camp featuring nine new faces among 15 players will feature growing pains and moments of confusion.
"It's been what I would've thought it would be when you bring so many new guys together," said Dwyane Wade, the most prominent of the newcomers. "There have been some games where our defense has been awful and our offense has really clicked. And there are games where our defense was good and our offense wasn't there.
"As a team, we're not going to be Grade A by Game 1. That's unrealistic. Our goal is to continue to learn each other and get better as the season goes along. We've got a good week ahead of us to continue to learn from the film and the games. We have to keep working."
After taking Friday off, save for a mandatory team charity function, the Bulls will return to the practice court Saturday. Hoiberg said one day of preparation for Thursday's opener at home against the Celtics will feature an intrasquad scrimmage.
Carter-Williams’ arrival appeared to bring some clarity to the rotation. Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t play and was waived Friday, and Jerian Grant didn’t appear until garbage time. Carter-Williams and Isaiah Canaan appear to be the reserve guards, with rookie Denzel Valentine likely to see minutes once he returns from a sprained left ankle.
Hoiberg has consistently pulled Wade early for a break before returning him to finish the first quarter. This staggering of Wade's minutes will try to ensure either he, Jimmy Butler or Rajon Rondo is on the court at all times.
Though Hoiberg hasn't said so publicly, Taj Gibson's strong camp and Nikola Mirotic's strained lower back would make it shocking if Gibson didn't start alongside Robin Lopez. Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio should battle for minutes once Mirotic returns.
The Bulls averaged 104.3 points on 44.2 percent shooting in the preseason. That included just 31.8 percent from 3-point range. And despite Wade matching his regular-season total over 74 games last season with seven 3-pointers, it's clear opponents plan to pack the paint against the Bulls.
Hoiberg said playing with more pace, both in transition and in half-court sets, and cutting with more purpose must combat the lulls in 3-point shooting. That could prove an ongoing theme throughout the season.
"There are going to be moments where (defenses are) going to get set. We have to make shots," Wade said. "There are going to be moments where we can go out in the open court in transition and mid-transition and be aggressive and score. It's not one remedy.
"We've shown throughout this preseason we can score. It's about putting it all together consistently. They're going to go under screens on certain guys. We have to step up with confidence and make the shots. You won't make it every night, but keep shooting."
Turnovers (17.3 per game) and slow starts also were issues in the exhibition games. Defensively, the Bulls allowed 101.7 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting and forced 15.1 turnovers per game, an area Hoiberg has said must improve.
"If we guard, we'll always put ourselves in position to win," Butler said.
Bulls vs. Hawks Final Score: Poor Shooting Dooms Chicago in a 97-81 Defeat. (Thursday night's preseason finale, 10/20/2016).
By Easy Eis
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(Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports)
The Chicago Bulls dropped their final game of their NBA preseason tonight to the Atlanta Hawks 97-81 in a contest where the Bulls never led after the first eight minutes. This game was unique in that it was played in Omaha, Nebraska; which meant that it acted as a pseudo-homecoming for Creighton University’s two biggest NBA exports: Kyle Korver and Doug McDermott.
The Bulls started the game in a very active fashion thanks mostly to Dwyane Wade and Robin Lopez. Wade opened the game with a beautiful bank-in jumper, then later picked the pocket of Kent Bazemore and finished in transition through two defenders. He came out fairly early on (as Tyler alluded will probably happen often this season) to allow arena favorite Doug McDermott to enter the game. Meanwhile, Robin Lopez did an excellent job of frustrating newly-acquired Dwight Howard, recording two blocks and baiting Howard into a goaltend out of the post within the first six minutes.
Michael Carter-Williams made his Chicago Bulls debut with a little under four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Offensively, he was iffy, as he committed a pretty bad charge and his jumper looked hopeless, but he also had a nice drive-and-kick to a wide open Bobby Portis in the corner (who unfortunately missed) and a nice finish on an alley-oop from Wade.
Elsewhere, the Bulls got beat pretty badly by Mike Muscala, whom Cristiano Felicio just couldn’t seem to keep up with as the former hit open jumper after open jumper. As a result, the Bulls concluded the first quarter down 25-21.
Both teams struggled to score when the game resumed, as each team logged only nine points each through the first six minutes of the second quarter. McDermott hit a beautiful turnaround jumper over Kyle Korver (to which the Omaha faithful roared in approval) and Wade hit an obscene fadeaway corner three to beat the shot clock, but other than that the Bulls proceeded to brick most of their shots. There was a particularly bad sequence with about a minute left where Paul Millsap successfully defended a 3-on-1 break against McDermott, Rajon Rondo, and Isaiah Canaan underneath the basket.
Michael Carter-Williams made his Chicago Bulls debut with a little under four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Offensively, he was iffy, as he committed a pretty bad charge and his jumper looked hopeless, but he also had a nice drive-and-kick to a wide open Bobby Portis in the corner (who unfortunately missed) and a nice finish on an alley-oop from Wade.
Elsewhere, the Bulls got beat pretty badly by Mike Muscala, whom Cristiano Felicio just couldn’t seem to keep up with as the former hit open jumper after open jumper. As a result, the Bulls concluded the first quarter down 25-21.
Both teams struggled to score when the game resumed, as each team logged only nine points each through the first six minutes of the second quarter. McDermott hit a beautiful turnaround jumper over Kyle Korver (to which the Omaha faithful roared in approval) and Wade hit an obscene fadeaway corner three to beat the shot clock, but other than that the Bulls proceeded to brick most of their shots. There was a particularly bad sequence with about a minute left where Paul Millsap successfully defended a 3-on-1 break against McDermott, Rajon Rondo, and Isaiah Canaan underneath the basket.
Thankfully, the Bulls actually played some pretty good defense, especially when Lopez stayed in the paint. RoLo finished the first half with six blocks to help keep the Bulls within two scores for almost the entirety of the period. The Bulls ended the first half down 44-39 after shooting a grotesque 28.6%, and both teams combined to shoot only 4-22 from beyond the arc in the first twenty four minutes of action.
The Bulls got it going early on in the third quarter thanks to Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez dialing in. The two of them combined to score nine of the first thirteen points for Chicago through the first four minutes, including a beautiful and-1 hookshot from Lopez over Dwight Howard. It was a short-lived offensive explosion, however, as the three alphas all proceeded to stink up the CenturyLink Center. Through three quarters, Rondo/Butler/Wade shot a combined 8-30 from the field, and Butler himself would have finished the third quarter 2-13 were it not for two late makes. As a result, the Bulls concluded the period down 68-62.
The offensive struggles would continue for Chicago during the final quarter, as the Hawks proceeded to go on a 19-4 run after the first minute that lasted through the next five. Kyle Korver hit two bombs in a sequence of back-to-back-back threes, one of which turned into a four point play thanks to an off-ball foul.
Speaking of Korver, the much-hyped Creighton vs. Creighton matchup saw McDermott get thoroughly outplayed by his fellow Bluejay. Although McDermott scored sixteen points off the bench, he shot only 5-15 and 2-6 from three in what was a wild and inefficient game for him (although he did his all four of his freethrows). Meanwhile, Korver hit four of his eight attempts from beyond the arc and equalled McDermott’s point total on six less shots while shooting 60% from the field. As Tyler (who had press credentials for tonight’s game as an Omaha resident!) will likely attest, McDermott seemed to get bigger cheers from the crowd, but the night belonged to the former Hot Sauce King of Chicago.
The game concluded with a final score of 97-81 in favor of the Hawks, and the Bulls ended the game shooting 30.5% overall and made only four of their twenty-two threes. Meanwhile, the Hawks rebounded in the second half to shoot 7-14 from three and shot 47.1% from the field overall. Despite Lopez playing him well for almost the entire game, Dwight Howard still finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Although the three alphas each dished out six assists, they finished the game shooting 9-37 combined, while Rondo and Wade in particular put up clunkers with respective shooting performances of 1-7 and 3-14.
Let’s hope this game was an anomaly and not a sign of things to come, as the three best players on the Bulls simply cannot shoot an aggregate 24% from the field if this team wants to win games. The Bulls conclude the preseason with a 3-4 record and will have a week off before opening the season at home versus the Boston Celtics next Thursday. Until then, Go Cubs Go.
Bulls waive Spencer Dinwiddie.
ChicagoBulls.com
Dinwiddie (6-6, 200) appeared in five preseason games and averaged 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14.9 minutes.
The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie (6-6, 200) appeared in five preseason games and averaged 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14.9 minutes. He was originally acquired in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on June 17, 2016, was waived on July 7, and signed a contract with the Bulls on July 28.
Dinwiddie was also a member of the Bulls’ 2016 NBA Summer League squad, and he averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 24.6 minutes through seven games during the team’s successful tournament run in Las Vegas.
Let’s hope this game was an anomaly and not a sign of things to come, as the three best players on the Bulls simply cannot shoot an aggregate 24% from the field if this team wants to win games. The Bulls conclude the preseason with a 3-4 record and will have a week off before opening the season at home versus the Boston Celtics next Thursday. Until then, Go Cubs Go.
Bulls waive Spencer Dinwiddie.
ChicagoBulls.com
Dinwiddie (6-6, 200) appeared in five preseason games and averaged 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14.9 minutes.
The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie (6-6, 200) appeared in five preseason games and averaged 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14.9 minutes. He was originally acquired in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on June 17, 2016, was waived on July 7, and signed a contract with the Bulls on July 28.
Dinwiddie was also a member of the Bulls’ 2016 NBA Summer League squad, and he averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 24.6 minutes through seven games during the team’s successful tournament run in Las Vegas.
Bulls waive Avila, Smith-Rivera and Walkup.
ChicagoBulls.com
The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived forward J.J. Avila, guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and guard/forward Thomas Walkup.
The players originally signed with Chicago as free agents on Sept. 26, 2016.
WHITE SOX: Chris Getz's new player development role is to carry out 'vision of the scouts'.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
He may be limited on experience, but Chris Getz already has a strong idea about player development.
Getz -- who on Friday was named the White Sox director of player development -- worked the past two seasons as an assistant to baseball operations in player development for the Kansas City Royals. A fourth-round pick of the White Sox in the 2005 amateur draft, Getz replaces Nick Capra, who earlier this month was named the team’s third-base coach. A quick learner whom a baseball source said the Royals hoped to retain, Getz described his new position as being “very task oriented.”
“(The job) is carrying out the vision of the scouts,” Getz said. “The players identified by the scouts and then they are brought in and it’s a commitment by both the player and staff members to create an environment for that player to reach their ceiling.
“It’s a daily process.”
Getz, a University of Michigan product, played for the White Sox in 2008 and 2009 before he was traded to the Royals in a package for Mark Teahen in 2010. Previously drafted by the White Sox in 2002, he described the organization as “something that always will be in my DNA.”
Getz stayed in Kansas City through 2013 and began to consider a front-office career as his playing career wound down. His final season in the majors was with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore hired Getz as an assistant to baseball operations in January 2015 and he quickly developed a reputation as both highly intelligent and likeable, according to a club source.
“He is extremely well-regarded throughout the game, and we believe he is going to have a positive impact on the quality of play from rookie ball through Chicago,” GM Rick Hahn said.
Getz had as many as four assistant GMs ahead of him with the Royals, who couldn’t offer the same kind of position as the White Sox did. Getz spent the past week meeting with other members of the White Sox player development staff and soon will head to the team’s Dominican Republic academy. After that he’ll head to the Arizona Fall League as he becomes familiar with the department. Though he’s still relatively new, Getz knows what’s expected of his position.
“It’s focused on what’s in front of you,” Getz said. “Player development people are trying to get the player better every single day.”
“With that being said, the staff members need to be creative in their thinking. They need to be innovative at times. They need to know when to press the gas or pump the brakes. They need to be versatile in all these different areas.”
Getz -- who on Friday was named the White Sox director of player development -- worked the past two seasons as an assistant to baseball operations in player development for the Kansas City Royals. A fourth-round pick of the White Sox in the 2005 amateur draft, Getz replaces Nick Capra, who earlier this month was named the team’s third-base coach. A quick learner whom a baseball source said the Royals hoped to retain, Getz described his new position as being “very task oriented.”
“(The job) is carrying out the vision of the scouts,” Getz said. “The players identified by the scouts and then they are brought in and it’s a commitment by both the player and staff members to create an environment for that player to reach their ceiling.
“It’s a daily process.”
Getz, a University of Michigan product, played for the White Sox in 2008 and 2009 before he was traded to the Royals in a package for Mark Teahen in 2010. Previously drafted by the White Sox in 2002, he described the organization as “something that always will be in my DNA.”
Getz stayed in Kansas City through 2013 and began to consider a front-office career as his playing career wound down. His final season in the majors was with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore hired Getz as an assistant to baseball operations in January 2015 and he quickly developed a reputation as both highly intelligent and likeable, according to a club source.
“He is extremely well-regarded throughout the game, and we believe he is going to have a positive impact on the quality of play from rookie ball through Chicago,” GM Rick Hahn said.
Getz had as many as four assistant GMs ahead of him with the Royals, who couldn’t offer the same kind of position as the White Sox did. Getz spent the past week meeting with other members of the White Sox player development staff and soon will head to the team’s Dominican Republic academy. After that he’ll head to the Arizona Fall League as he becomes familiar with the department. Though he’s still relatively new, Getz knows what’s expected of his position.
“It’s focused on what’s in front of you,” Getz said. “Player development people are trying to get the player better every single day.”
“With that being said, the staff members need to be creative in their thinking. They need to be innovative at times. They need to know when to press the gas or pump the brakes. They need to be versatile in all these different areas.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Thomas bags back-to-back CIMB Classic wins in Malaysia.
AFP
Both of the 23-year-old Thomas's two PGA Tour wins have been at the CIMB Classic.
Thomas also put in a solid showing at last week's Safeway Open, the PGA Tour's season-opener, finishing just four strokes off the lead.
"I feel like I just need to continue to build on this momentum and try to use this as kind of a springboard to the start of the year," he said.
"To try to move up in the world rankings and get in that top ten, get in that top five."
Widely regarded as one of golf's up-and-coming young players, Thomas's deft wedge play and approach shots were a major plus in Malaysia's hot and humid conditions, which were ideal for scoring.
Thomas said he especially drew confidence from being able to lead the first two rounds and come back for the win after faltering in round three.
On Saturday he was cruising toward the title when he dropped four shots in a three-hole stretch to start the back nine.
That put India's Anirban Lahiri in the driver's seat with a four-stroke lead coming into the final round.
But on Sunday it was Lahiri's turn to falter, stumbling on the par-five third hole with a quadruple-bogey nine after his errant tee shot got stuck in a tree, forcing him to take a penalty and return to the tee.
Although he clawed back with a birdie and an eagle on the next two holes, a bogey quickly followed and failure to convert putts down the stretch sealed his fate.
"I fought back as best I could, but I just couldn't get the putts to fall on the back nine," he said, calling the outcome a "tough pill to swallow".
Lahiri, the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, ended up tied for third at 19-under with Derek Fathauer of the United States, with Australia's Marc Leishman two strokes further back.
Thomas pockets $1.26 million, 500 FedEX Cup points and an invite to the winners-only 2017 Tournament of Champions.
He now leads in the race for the FedEX Cup Championship, though the season remains young.
Thomas and several others in the field head next week to Shanghai for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.
The CIMB Classic is co-sponsored by the Asian and PGA Tours and is the second event of the PGA Tour's 2017 schedule. It debuted in 2010.
After Further Review: What is Woods' future?
By Golf Channel Digital
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
On Tiger Woods' plan to win more majors:
Tiger Woods plans to play golf again. He plans to win more majors, which should be no surprise given the 40-year-old’s history of delivering historic performances. But if that blueprint seems obvious, what wasn’t as clear this week is how Woods plans to deliver on that lofty second chapter of his career.
In an interview with Charlie Rose, Woods said he’s “accepted” he’s going to win more majors; but he also revealed he withdrew from the Safeway Open two weeks ago because his “scoring” wasn’t ready.
A recent Golf Digest article painted a picture of a “ghost,” who is rarely seen practicing. Maybe that’s by design and Woods is preparing for his second chapter in private, but sooner or later he’ll have to take his game back into the spotlight. - Rex Hoggard
On Woods' possible future as a ceremonial golfer:
Tiger Woods is still playing to win, but it is apparent the focus now is shifting to winning in the business world.
The unveiling of TGR last week as his new brand, with his appearances on "Charlie Rose" and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," are setting up “Chapter 2” of his life, as he explained. The question now is when he will make the full transition to ceremonial golfer, because while great players often say they’ll retire before becoming a ceremonial player, they almost never do. It’s important to a player’s brand that he stay in front of audiences.
When Woods says he’s still playing to win, we should believe him. It’s just uncertain whether that will be to win trophies or pieces to build his business empire and philanthropic interests. - Randall Mell
On the PGA Tour adding an event in South Korea:
The PGA Tour took a step toward easing overseas travel for its players with the addition of an event in South Korea next fall. But the schedule tweak fails to address a larger issue – in fact, it exacerbates it.
By the time the calendar reaches mid-October and beyond, those pining for additional golf are few and far between. Certainly the Tour can’t be faulted for accepting a check from a sponsor ready, willing and able to front the tournament. But if anything, the season is already too long. The recent offseason went by in the blink of an eye, and top players from Jason Day to Justin Rose are having to take unexpected breaks to recover from an arduous summer.
Of those still with a full bill of health, many skipped tournaments they would have otherwise played earlier in the year in order to rest for a hectic stretch later in the season. By adding a Korean event, the Tour is tapping into a new market and creating an easier commute for those playing in the WGC-HSBC Champions. But the overall theme of adding events until the calendar bursts may be having a counterproductive effect. – Will Gray
By Jerry Bonkowski
Joey Logano wins at Talladega to advance to the next round of the Chase. (Photo/Getty)
There are three ways to race at Talladega:
-Run in the front.
-Run in the pack.
-Run far behind the pack.
No matter which option you pick, one of the other two was probably a better choice.
Joey Logano won the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega, punching a guaranteed ticket through to the next round of the Chase. Drivers whose Chase hopes ended on Sunday included Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, and Austin Dillon.
Sunday’s race demonstrated just how tricky restrictor-plate racing can be, particularly when such a valuable prize as advancement is at stake. Keselowski and Truex lost out on their bids to advance when their engines failed them. Elliott wasn’t able to work his way through the pack, and Dillon lost out on a tiebreaker with Hamlin.
The tiebreaker goes to the driver with the best finish in a round. Hamlin finished third Sunday, higher than any finish Dillon had in the second round.
Three Joe Gibbs Racing cars pursued a counterintuitive racing strategy: running strong by running in the rear. Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth spent most of their afternoon far behind the lead pack, clocking laps within sight of the field but far enough back to, in theory, avoid any devastating wrecks. It worked out well enough, advancing all three drivers into the next round, but it wasn’t quite the most thrilling strategy.
During the race, the difference between the first driver and the last in the Chase narrowed to as little as 19 points—less than half of the field—meaning literally everyone in the Chase field had a chance to advance, and a chance to fall out. But as the day wore on, the field spread out. Keselowski and Truex took eight combined wins to the sideline with them, robbing the Chase of two top contenders but easing the path into the next round for the remaining drivers.
Eight drivers now remain in the Chase: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Logano, Kenseth, Edwards, Hamlin, and Kyle Busch. Everyone who’s advanced can breathe a short sigh of relief … and then prep for next week’s race at Martinsville.
Sprint Cup race results from Talladega Superspeedway.
By Nate Ryan
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Logano’s win in the Hellmann’s 500 was the third straight for Team Penske on the 2.66-mile oval.
Brian Scott finished a career-best second place, followed by Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Click here for results of the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega.
Sprint Cup points after Talladega race.
By Nate Ryan
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
NASCAR finalized its Round of 8 lineup Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where Joey Logano won to clinch a berth in the penultimate round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Also advancing were Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch.
Those six drivers joined Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick, who already had advanced via victories in the past two races.
Austin Dillon, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski were eliminated at Talladega.
Dillon and Hamlin finished tied for the eighth and final spot in the standings, but Hamlin won the tiebreaker by virtue of best finish in the round — his third Sunday at Talladega.
Click here for the Sprint Cup points after Talladega.
Denny Hamlin advances in the Chase by a matter of inches.
By Kelly Crandall
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Denny Hamlin started the season by winning the sport’s biggest race by inches. He saved his season Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway in the same manner.
Hamlin advanced to the third round of the Chase by six-thousandths (0.006) of a second when he beat Kurt Busch to the finish line for third place. It was enough to tie Hamlin for the final transfer spot with Austin Dillon, which Hamlin won on a tiebreaker courtesy of his best finish (third) in the second round.
In February, Hamlin won the Daytona 500 by one-hundredth (0.010) of a second.
“We needed some things to fall our way if we didn’t win the race, today things fell our way,” Hamlin said. “The last lap, we went out and earned it.”
Hamlin lined up fourth on the final restart, a green-white-checkered attempt. It was the final lap, however, that determined the final Chase spot. It occurred when Hamlin made a last-minute decision to jump from the bottom lane up high to block a charging Busch.
After derailing Busch’s progress, Hamlin jumped back to the bottom and edged Busch at the finish line.
“I wasn’t sure whether I needed to finish third,” Hamlin said of the final lap. “I told (the team) I didn’t want points updates, but that’s almost when I probably should have got one to figure out what I was going to do. But the 3 (Dillon) is in the middle of the pack. He’s fighting and getting positions. He could change positions in the last hundred years, so you can’t really predict it.
“I knew I just had to try to finish as good as I could. I just somehow was able to hang onto third right there. I know the 4 (Kevin Harvick) definitely cut me a break when I was trying to get back down on the bottom line. Like I said, I knew that if I finished inside the top five we had the tiebreaker with the 3. I did know that information. But I didn’t know where Austin was in the field.”
Hamlin succeeded without the help of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, who chose to play defense instead of offense. Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards rode far behind the field all afternoon in hopes of missing the expected wrecks. It left Hamlin fighting on his own at the front of the field, which he knew would be the case coming into the day.
“When you have three guys that realistically just don’t need to wreck to get in, and you have one that needs to go out there and almost win to get in, you can’t sacrifice the three guaranteed spots that you got to try and get one more in,” Hamlin said. “That would just be bad gamesmanship … so it was on me to go out there and do it.”
Hamlin moves into the third round of the Chase for the second time in three years under this format. In 2014, the No. 11 advanced all the way to the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway before ultimately finishing third in points.
The next three tracks in the round, Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway are all facilities Hamlin has previously won. Not surprisingly, now that he’s escaped Talladega, Hamlin considers his chances for a return trip to the championship round “pretty good.”
“It’s new life for us,” Hamlin said. “We’re on house money at this point. Honestly, the cards were stacked against us before we entered the day and now we’re moving on and we have a clean slate. My focus will be on Martinsville solely this week and then after that we’ll go to Texas and try to do that. It’s just week to week for us at this point, but obviously we have to go out here and perform at a high level if we want to make it to Homestead.”
Hamlin advanced to the third round of the Chase by six-thousandths (0.006) of a second when he beat Kurt Busch to the finish line for third place. It was enough to tie Hamlin for the final transfer spot with Austin Dillon, which Hamlin won on a tiebreaker courtesy of his best finish (third) in the second round.
In February, Hamlin won the Daytona 500 by one-hundredth (0.010) of a second.
“We needed some things to fall our way if we didn’t win the race, today things fell our way,” Hamlin said. “The last lap, we went out and earned it.”
Hamlin lined up fourth on the final restart, a green-white-checkered attempt. It was the final lap, however, that determined the final Chase spot. It occurred when Hamlin made a last-minute decision to jump from the bottom lane up high to block a charging Busch.
After derailing Busch’s progress, Hamlin jumped back to the bottom and edged Busch at the finish line.
“I wasn’t sure whether I needed to finish third,” Hamlin said of the final lap. “I told (the team) I didn’t want points updates, but that’s almost when I probably should have got one to figure out what I was going to do. But the 3 (Dillon) is in the middle of the pack. He’s fighting and getting positions. He could change positions in the last hundred years, so you can’t really predict it.
“I knew I just had to try to finish as good as I could. I just somehow was able to hang onto third right there. I know the 4 (Kevin Harvick) definitely cut me a break when I was trying to get back down on the bottom line. Like I said, I knew that if I finished inside the top five we had the tiebreaker with the 3. I did know that information. But I didn’t know where Austin was in the field.”
Hamlin succeeded without the help of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, who chose to play defense instead of offense. Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards rode far behind the field all afternoon in hopes of missing the expected wrecks. It left Hamlin fighting on his own at the front of the field, which he knew would be the case coming into the day.
“When you have three guys that realistically just don’t need to wreck to get in, and you have one that needs to go out there and almost win to get in, you can’t sacrifice the three guaranteed spots that you got to try and get one more in,” Hamlin said. “That would just be bad gamesmanship … so it was on me to go out there and do it.”
Hamlin moves into the third round of the Chase for the second time in three years under this format. In 2014, the No. 11 advanced all the way to the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway before ultimately finishing third in points.
The next three tracks in the round, Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway are all facilities Hamlin has previously won. Not surprisingly, now that he’s escaped Talladega, Hamlin considers his chances for a return trip to the championship round “pretty good.”
“It’s new life for us,” Hamlin said. “We’re on house money at this point. Honestly, the cards were stacked against us before we entered the day and now we’re moving on and we have a clean slate. My focus will be on Martinsville solely this week and then after that we’ll go to Texas and try to do that. It’s just week to week for us at this point, but obviously we have to go out here and perform at a high level if we want to make it to Homestead.”
SOCCER: Fire wrap 2016 season with loss at Toronto.
By Dan Santaromita
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It wasn’t a full youth movement on the season's last day, but there was one new face in the Chicago Fire’s lineup and that could signal something to come in the offseason.
Goalkeeper Patrick McLain made the start in goal for the Fire in a 3-2 loss at Toronto FC to close out the season.
With the Fire out of contention weeks ago, arguably more notable than the result is the absence of Sean Johnson. Johnson did not travel to Toronto as a healthy scratch while McLain got the start and Matt Lampson was the backup. Considering coach Veljko Paunovic's repeated assurance that he would play what he thought was the strongest lineup and not rotate players just to give younger players more playing time, this decision stands out.
This will fuel further speculation that Johnson could leave in the offseason. Johnson, 27, has been with the Fire since being drafted in 2010. He is the longest tenured Fire player.
With the Fire out of contention weeks ago, arguably more notable than the result is the absence of Sean Johnson. Johnson did not travel to Toronto as a healthy scratch while McLain got the start and Matt Lampson was the backup. Considering coach Veljko Paunovic's repeated assurance that he would play what he thought was the strongest lineup and not rotate players just to give younger players more playing time, this decision stands out.
This will fuel further speculation that Johnson could leave in the offseason. Johnson, 27, has been with the Fire since being drafted in 2010. He is the longest tenured Fire player.
McLain finished with three saves, including a nice reaction save following a corner kick in the first half.
Johan Kappelhof also did not play due to a right hip injury. Rodrigo Ramos started at right back in his absence.
As for the actual game, the Fire (7-17-10, 31 points) took the lead via Michael de Leeuw’s seventh goal of the season in the 18th minute. Arturo Alvarez picked up his ninth assist by sliding a pass to de Leeuw, who finished from a tight angle.
Toronto (14-9-11, 53 points) tied things up just before halftime when Sebastian Giovinco was tripped in the box by Joao Meira for a penalty kick. Giovinco buried the penalty and the match was tied at halftime.
Giovinco showed why he is the reigning MLS MVP on the second goal. He managed to control a ball while being double teamed in the box and cut by his man to get to the end line and crossed to Justin Morrow, who finished with a powerful header in the 54th minute.
Jonathan Osorio made it 3-1 when he dribbled around McLain and scored in the 62nd minute.
John Goossens, who came off the bench in the first half for an injured Matt Polster, scored in the 83rd minute to make for a closer finish to the game. Goossens half-volleyed a loose ball in the box with a hammered left-footed strike and his third goal of the season. Polster left with a knee injury.
The loss meant the Fire became the first team in MLS history to finish last place in back-to-back seasons.
PL roundup: Liverpool join Arsenal at the top; Bradley’s first point.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
A roundup of all of Saturday’s action in the Premier League…
Liverpool 2-1 West Bromwich Albion — FULL RECAP
Liverpool were less than 10 minutes from going top of the league — ahead of Arsenal on goals scored, the second tiebreaker — but Gareth McAuley grabbed a consolation goal in the 81st minute to upset the Reds’ pursuit of the PL summit. Instead, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho‘s first-half goals were only enough to send Liverpool second in the league — behind the Gunners on goal differential.
Arsenal 0-0 Middlesbrough — FULL RECAP
The door was left wide open by Arsenal, thanks to the Gunners’ disappointing draw with previously-18th-place Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium a couple hours earlier in the day. Arsenal enjoyed a whopping 75 percent of possession, but were nullified in the final third by a dogged defensive performance by Boro. The one time Arsenal found the back of the net, through Mesut Ozil in the final few minutes, the German playmaker’s goal was (correctly) ruled out as offside.
Bournemouth 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur — FULL RECAP
Speaking of underwhelming 0-0 draws featuring a side from north London with title aspirations, let’s talk about Tottenham. If not for back-to-back draws with West Brom and now Bournemouth, Spurs would be top of the league. Alas, the unbeaten start has reached nine games, though Mauricio Pochettino‘s side has been blunted since Harry Kane was lost to injury on Sept. 18. Fortunately for Spurs, Kane is back in full training and expected to return to action in the near future.
Leicester City 3-1 Crystal Palace — FULL RECAP
That’s more like it from Leicester. The defending champions had won just one point from their last three league games before racing out to a 3-0 lead against Palace. Ahmed Musa, Shinji Okazaki and Christian Fuchs bagged the goals for Claudio Ranieri‘s side before Yohan Cabaye grabbed a late consolation goal in the final few minutes. All is not well for the Foxes, though, as Jamie Vardy is without a goal in his last nine games played (all competitions). Saturday marked just the fourth time this season that Leciester managed to score multiple goals (all competitions).
Swansea City 0-0 Watford — FULL RECAP
Bob Bradley’s Swansea earned a point on the American’s PL home debut, a game which the Swans had the upper hand for most of the 90 minutes, but failed to put away a handful of key chances. Still, it’s a clean sheet for a side with one of the worst defensive records in the PL this season, and a massive improvement on the dodgy defending away to Arsenal last weekend.
Burnley 2-1 Everton — FULL RECAP
Scott Arfield scored a 90th-minute winner at Turf Moor, as Burnley dropped Everton to four games without a victory. Sam Vokes put the home side ahead not long before halftime, but Yannick Bolasie‘s first goal for Everton pulled the visitors level just before the hour mark. After starting the season five games unbeaten, Ronald Koeman‘s Toffees have just two points to show for their last four games and have slipped to sixth in the league table, and could finish the weekend as low as eighth.
West Ham United 1-0 Sunderland — FULL RECAP
The West Ham reclamation continues, at a snail’s pace, thanks to Winston Reid‘s 93rd-minute winner against last-place (now just 2 points from 9 games) Sunderland. After an horrific start to the season, the Hammers are unbeaten in three, including back-to-back 1-0 wins, and just two points stand in between themselves, in 15th, and Southampton, in eighth. Slaven Bilic has survived.
Hull City 0-2 Stoke City — FULL RECAP
If Stoke City are winning games, chances are Xherdan Shaqiri is amongst the goals. On Saturday, Shaqiri was the goals for the Potters, bagging a brace either side of halftime to make it back-to-back wins for Mark Hughes‘ side as the ascent up the league table follows a nearly identical path to that of West Ham.
La Liga & Serie A roundup: Messi wins it late for Barca; AC Milan shock Juve.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
A roundup of Saturday’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…
Valencia 2-3 Barcelona
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez led Barcelona back from 2-1 down to take all three points at the Mestalla Stadium and reclaim the top spot in La Liga. There’s lots to unpack here, beginning with the nasty tackle that’ll keep Andres Iniesta (knee ligament damage) out of action for up to two months. Then there was the controversial fashion in which Messi gave Barca an early lead.
Valencia hit back twice before Suarez drew the visitors level again, and Messi converted from the penalty spot in the 93rd minute to seal the victory, at which point Neymar was hit by a bottle thrown onto the field by someone in the stands. In the end, Barca are back on top, until Real Madrid are allowed to have their say on Sunday.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Espanyol 3-3 Eibar
Real Sociedad 3-0 Alaves
Granada 0-0 Sporting Gijon
AC Milan 1-0 Juventus
The kids are (a whole lot more than) alright at AC Milan. 18-year-old midfielder Manuel Locatelli unleashed a stunning strike in the 65th minute, as Milan shocked the world by upsetting the five-time (and six-time, presumably) defending champions, Juventus, at the San Siro. Then it was 17-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s turn to play his part, in the form of a stunning save to deny Sami Khedira an equalizer with the last kick of the game.
Juve remain top of the Serie A table, but it’s Milan who now sit second, just two points behind them.
Elsewhere in Serie A
Sampdoria 2-1 Genoa
La Liga: Real Madrid win late, stay top; Atleti lose to Sevilla.
Associated Press
(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Coach Jorge Sampaoli felt Sevilla needed a big win against a top opponent to establish itself as a true contender in Spain.
He got just that on Sunday as his team defeated previously unbeaten Atletico Madrid 1-0 to stay near the top of the Spanish league.
French midfielder Steven N’Zonzi netted the winner in the 73rd minute at a packed Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium to give the hosts their third straight win.
“It was an important game to consolidate ourselves against a team that looked unbeatable,” Sampaoli said. “We did well against one of the best teams in the world. This victory makes me proud.”
Sevilla, which has won six straight at home, reached 20 points from nine rounds, one point behind Real Madrid, which is top after a 2-1 home win against Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona, which defeated Valencia 3-2 Saturday thanks to an injury-time penalty kick converted by Lionel Messi, is third with 19 points.
“It’s going to be tight like this the entire season,” Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said.
There had been some early doubts about Sampaoli as Sevilla lost in the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona and the UEFA Super Cup to Real Madrid. But after the up-and-down start, the Argentine coach has finally been able to put Sevilla on track. As well as contending in Spain, the Andalusian club is also in a good position to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Atletico, which had the lead coming into the weekend, dropped to fifth place, three points behind Madrid.
Diego Simeone’s team played with 10 men from the 77th on Sunday because of a second yellow card shown to midfielder Jorge “Koke” Resurreccion.
Sampaoli made key adjustments at halftime, allowing his team to take control of the game and earn the hard-fought victory under pouring rain in Seville.
N’Zonzi scored the winner on a fast breakaway, speeding past two defenders after receiving a great throughball from striker Luciano Vietto. The Frenchman entered the area and calmly sent a low shot into the far corner as Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak charged from the net.
Real Madrid needed an 83rd-minute winner by substitute Alvaro Morata to earn a hard-fought win against Athletic Bilbao.
Karim Benzema put Madrid ahead just seven minutes into the game at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Sabin Merino equalized in the 27th and held on for most of the match.
Morata, celebrating his 24th birthday, scored from close range less than 10 minutes after replacing Benzema. Athletic goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz made the initial save but Morata persisted and found the open net off the rebound.
“I feel like a 10-year-old,” Morata said. “We won and we are in the lead, it couldn’t have been better.”
It was Madrid’s second straight win after three consecutive draws in the league.
Madrid and Villarreal are the only unbeaten clubs in the league after nine rounds.
Athletic is sixth on 15 points, six behind Madrid.
French striker Cedric Bakambu scored the winner in second-half injury time for Villarreal, but it was Las Palmas’ Kevin-Prince Boateng who attracted all the attention with a remarkable goal before halftime.
Boateng’s side volley from inside the area came after a mid-air, back-heel pass by Pedro Tana, who flicked the ball across the area for Boateng to shoot firmly into the corner.
Still unbeaten in the league this season, Villarreal has won three of its last four games and is in fourth place with 19 points.
Celta Vigo rebounded from two consecutive losses with a comfortable home win over Deportivo La Coruna behind a pair of goals by striker Iago Aspas.
After a 4-3 loss to Barcelona and a 5-0 defeat against Villarreal, Celta cruised to victory against struggling Deportivo to move to eighth place with 13 points.
The teams were tied 1-1 when Aspas converted a 60th-minute penalty kick. Chilean midfielder Fabian Orellana added to the lead in the 78th and Aspas closed the scoring in the 83rd at the Balaidos Stadium.
Deportivo, which has lost four of its last five games, dropped to 17th in the 20-team standings.
Serie A: Napoli end losing streak; Inter Milan beaten again.
Associated Press
(Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
A visit to last-place Crotone was just what Napoli needed to end a three-match losing streak.
Roma also won against a lowly opponent, beating Palermo to reclaim second place from AC Milan.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, lost its third straight Serie A match to increase the pressure on coach Frank de Boer.
Despite losing center forward Manolo Gabbiadini to a red card, 10-man Napoli won 2-1 Sunday to spoil Crotone’s first top-division game in its home stadium.
Jose Callejon scored 17 minutes in and Nikola Maksimovic doubled the lead in the 33rd, shortly after Gabbiadini was sent off.
Aleandro Rosi pulled one back for Crotone in the 89th.
Gabbiadini was on the ground after being fouled by Gian Marco Ferrari and reacted by flicking his boot into the back of Ferrari’s leg.
It was Gabbiadini’s first red card in 153 career Serie A matches.
Ferrari was shown a yellow.
Both of Napoli’s goals were aided by poor defense.
Callejon redirected the ball in by the far post after a cross from Dries Mertens was deflected right toward him. Recently called up to Spain’s national team, Callejon has been involved in a league-best eight goals this season with six goals and two assists.
Maksimovic also scored near the far post, following a corner.
Napoli had lost two straight in Serie A and was also beaten by Besiktas in the Champions League this week.
Napoli is fourth, four points behind Juventus and two behind Roma and Milan, which beat Juve 1-0 on Saturday.
Promoted to the top division for the first time in its 106-year history, Crotone played its first three home matches 600 kilometers (375 miles) away in Pescara while its Ezio Scida stadium was expanded to meet league regulations.
The Calabrian club remained with one point.
“We did well in a situation that could have been very difficult, because Crotone was playing at home for the first time, the pitch wasn’t worthy of a professional match and we were down to 10 men after a half-hour,” Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri said. “I’m happy that the lads will rediscover some confidence.”
Here’s a look at the rest of the action in the Italian league Sunday:
Mohamed Salah scored from a tight angle shortly after the half-hour mark after being set up by Edin Dzeko.
Leandro Paredes made it 2-0 in the 51st with a free kick that surprised Palermo goalkeeper Josip Posavec.
Dzeko added another in the 68th, finishing off a pretty series of passes with a low shot from the edge of the area for his league-best eighth of the season – the same number of goals he scored in his 31 appearances last season.
Robin Quaison pulled one back for Palermo in the 80th but Stephan El Shaarawy quickly restored Roma’s three-goal advantage.
Mauricio Pinilla scored the winner for Atalanta with a penalty two minutes from time.
After Davide Santon was whistled for a foul on Franck Kessie, Pinilla drilled the spot kick into the top left corner, leaving Samir Handanovic no chance even though the Inter goalkeeper guessed the right direction.
Andrea Masiello had put Atalanta in front with an early header and Eder equalized for Inter with a free kick after the break.
While Inter defeated Juventus in September, it’s been a difficult debut campaign in Italy for De Boer, who was hired when Roberto Mancini resigned less than two weeks before the season started.
“The only thing we can do is work hard to get out of this situation,” De Boer said. “I want to see the squad have more courage with the ball. … It’s a tough time for everyone.”
Inter captain Mauro Icardi failed to put a single shot on target after being punished by the club for his comments about the team’s hard-core “ultra” fans in his autobiography.
Atalanta, which extended its unbeaten streak to four matches, moved up to eighth while Inter dropped to 14th.
Torino and Lazio remained level on points, six points behind Juventus, after a draw that was determined with a penalty kick from Torino’s Adem Ljajic in added time.
After Iago Falque put Torino ahead midway through the first half, Ciro Immobile equalized for Lazio against his former club in the 71st with an acrobatic effort.
Substitute Alessandro Murgia scored his first Serie A goal in the 84th for Lazio before Marco Parolo was whistled for a questionable hand ball to set up Ljajic’s spot kick.
Nikola Kalinic scored a hat trick and Federico Bernardeschi added two more goals as Fiorentina won 5-3 at Cagliari.
Sassuolo and Bologna drew 1-1 in an Emilia-Romagna derby, Empoli and Chievo Verona played to a 0-0 draw in which Chievo protested for a goal even though goal-line technology showed that the ball wasn’t fully in; and French forward Cyril scored twice for Udinese in a 3-1 win over visiting Pescara.
NCAAFB: 2016 NCAA Associated Press Football Rankings, 10/23/2016.
AP
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (60) | 1524 | 8-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Michigan (1) | 1446 | 7-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Clemson | 1382 | 7-0 | 4 |
| 4 | Washington | 1373 | 7-0 | 5 |
| 5 | Louisville | 1276 | 6-1 | 7 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 1143 | 6-1 | 2 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 1083 | 7-0 | 8 |
| 8 | Baylor | 1063 | 6-0 | 9 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 1007 | 6-1 | 6 |
| 10 | West Virginia | 997 | 6-0 | 12 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 980 | 5-2 | 10 |
| 12 | Florida State | 725 | 5-2 | 13 |
| 13 | Boise State | 716 | 7-0 | 14 |
| 14 | Florida | 654 | 5-1 | 15 |
| 15 | Auburn | 641 | 5-2 | 21 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 626 | 5-2 | 16 |
| 17 | Utah | 584 | 7-1 | 19 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 572 | 5-2 | 18 |
| 19 | LSU | 352 | 5-2 | 25 |
| 20 | Western Michigan | 349 | 8-0 | 20 |
| 21 | North Carolina | 328 | 6-2 | 22 |
| 22 | Navy | 251 | 5-1 | 24 |
| 23 | Colorado | 207 | 6-2 | NR |
| 24 | Penn State | 193 | 5-2 | NR |
| 25 | Virginia Tech | 110 | 5-2 | NR |
Dropped out: No. 11 Houston, No. 17 Arkansas, No. 23 Ole Miss
Others receiving votes: Washington St. 84, Houston 67, Oklahoma St. 62, Arkansas 14, Troy 6, Southern Cal 5, San Diego St. 2, Pittsburgh 2, SMU 1
Despite loss, Ohio State still has good shot to reach College Football Playoff.
By Kevin McGuire
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The impact a single loss can have on a team’s national championship aspirations has been reduced with the introduction o the College Football Playoff. That could be a glimmer of light for Ohio State after losing in unbelievable fashion on the road at Penn State Saturday night.
For Ohio State, the overall picture remains just as in focus as it was before, if the goal is merely to reach the College Football Playoff. Win, and they should be in. Winning out would put Ohio State at 11-1 in the regular season, capped b a win over what could be a highly-ranked Michigan in the regular season finale. That would also give Ohio State a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Wolverines to reach the Big Ten Championship Game. Penn State now owns a critical head-to-head tiebreaker with Ohio State, but in the event of a three-way tie between the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and Wolverines, Penn State’s overall record could end up being an advantage or Ohio State (if Michigan happens to lose twice and Penn State wins out, Penn State would play for the Big Ten title).
So you see, Ohio State still has a seemingly clear path to the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff, for now. Bur Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer admitted there is work to do, dropping the suggestion his team is not great right now. But a team with as much talent and potential and god coaching as Ohio State has should be able to recapture the momentum. If they do, then look out.
The first batch of College Football Playoff rankings will be telling to figure out jus where Ohio State fits into the conversation, but odds are they will most certainly be on the radar with time to spare and make up any lost ground that came with the road loss last night.
No. 21 Auburn rushes for 543 yards in 56-3 win over No. 17 Arkansas.
By Kevin McGuire
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
No. 21 Auburn (5-2, 3-1 SEC) rushed for more yards against No. 17 Arkansas (5-3, 1-3 SEC) than any team has since before the turn of the century en route to a smashing 56-3 victory over the Razorbacks Saturday evening in Jordan Hare Stadium. When all was said and done, the Tigers racked up 543 rushing yards.
Kamryn Pettway led the ground attack with 192 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Eli Stove had a 78-yard touchdown run to boost his 94-yard day and Stanton Truitt rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns to add to Auburn’s wildly productive day on the ground. Quarterback Sean White was a part of the fun too, with 61 rushing yards and a score to go with his 77 passing yards and passing touchdown.
On the other side, Auburn’s defense never allowed Arkansas to get a running game going. The Razorbacks ran 31 running plays and managed just 25 rushing yards in the game. A combined loss of 14 yards were credited to Arkansas quarterbacks Austin Allen and Ty Storey. Allen was forced to leave the game in the first half due to an apparent knee injury but he returned after a brief absence. Rawleigh Williams III was the leading rusher for the Razorbacks with 22 yards on 13 carries.
Auburn also played a pretty clean game with just two penalties for 10 yards and no turnovers (Arkansas had two turnovers). The Razorbacks are going to have to think long and hard about this one, or simply put the game film in the trash and forget about it. Either way, there was no denying this was one of the worst losses Arkansas has experienced under Bret Bielema.
Arkansas will get a little extra time to prepare for their next game. The Razorbacks have a much-needed bye week coming up next weekend, giving them an extra week to prepare for a home game against Florida.
OK, so time to look forward for Auburn. Before you start looking to the end of the year with the Iron Bowl matchup with Alabama, Auburn has to go on the road next week to play Ole Miss. Yes, the Rebels may be a fringe top-25 team this season, but there is no question they can be a dangerous opponent. However, Auburn’s defense has been playing very well the past month and has now held each of their past four opponents to fewer than 15 points. Doing that against Ole Miss may be difficult, especially on the road, but Auburn is playing with confidence.
Kamryn Pettway led the ground attack with 192 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Eli Stove had a 78-yard touchdown run to boost his 94-yard day and Stanton Truitt rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns to add to Auburn’s wildly productive day on the ground. Quarterback Sean White was a part of the fun too, with 61 rushing yards and a score to go with his 77 passing yards and passing touchdown.
On the other side, Auburn’s defense never allowed Arkansas to get a running game going. The Razorbacks ran 31 running plays and managed just 25 rushing yards in the game. A combined loss of 14 yards were credited to Arkansas quarterbacks Austin Allen and Ty Storey. Allen was forced to leave the game in the first half due to an apparent knee injury but he returned after a brief absence. Rawleigh Williams III was the leading rusher for the Razorbacks with 22 yards on 13 carries.
Auburn also played a pretty clean game with just two penalties for 10 yards and no turnovers (Arkansas had two turnovers). The Razorbacks are going to have to think long and hard about this one, or simply put the game film in the trash and forget about it. Either way, there was no denying this was one of the worst losses Arkansas has experienced under Bret Bielema.
Arkansas will get a little extra time to prepare for their next game. The Razorbacks have a much-needed bye week coming up next weekend, giving them an extra week to prepare for a home game against Florida.
OK, so time to look forward for Auburn. Before you start looking to the end of the year with the Iron Bowl matchup with Alabama, Auburn has to go on the road next week to play Ole Miss. Yes, the Rebels may be a fringe top-25 team this season, but there is no question they can be a dangerous opponent. However, Auburn’s defense has been playing very well the past month and has now held each of their past four opponents to fewer than 15 points. Doing that against Ole Miss may be difficult, especially on the road, but Auburn is playing with confidence.
NCAABKB: College Basketball 5 biggest rule changes this season: things to know.
By Matt Norlander
Coaches complained and will get some of their chances to call timeouts back.
Small but significant rule changes are coming to college basketball this season, tweaks to the system that every fan should know about. I spoke with head of NCAA officiating J.D. Collins this week to discuss the changes, why they were made and the NCAA's overall push to get this information out there as general knowledge in advance of the 2016-17 regular season.
The way it works is, every two years the NCAA has a chance to adopt big changes to its rule book. (That's why we had the change from a 35-second to a 30-second shot clock last season, for instance.) But it's a non-rules change year, in fact, so widespread legislation isn't on the table. However, points of emphasis and alterations to current rules are allowed. The rules committee did just that.
There are four focal points the NCAA and college basketball are honing in on. First and foremost, reducing physicality -- especially in the post -- is pivotal. Things like body-bumping the ball handler, outward bumps on screens, freedom of movement for offensive players with the ball, and "offensive-initiated" contact for legal defenders are also going to be strictly legislated on the floor.
The NCAA wants more offense, less brute force and better flow to its game. It saw gains in this last year but there is plenty of work to be done. Here's what to know and look for this season.
1. Coaches got some of their calling-timeout capability back
Last season, the most common lament from coaches was how they could not call a timeout in any live-ball situation. That is still the case ... mostly. Now, coaches will have the ability to call a timeout when a ball is "live" after a made basket on an inbound situation.
The idea behind getting rid of coaches calling TOs in live-ball situations came down to a lot of guys just yelling "timeout!!" when a ball was in a scrum and possession wasn't determined.
"We got rid of it, it's effective," Collins said.
This is probably going to be the rule from here on out, a compromise between total autonomy with a coach calling timeout while still allowing them to stop the game during important, pivotal moments when the ball is not yet inbounds.
2. Double-foul calls are going to rise dramatically this season
Post play physicality and "rebounding displacement" are two huge points of emphasis. The latter is mostly about officials' placement on the floor, but the former is going to take teams and coaches time to adjust. To put it frankly, when a guy with the ball is in the post, he can "shape up" by bending his elbows. He cannot use his arms to prevent a defender from getting around him, though. If that happens, it's now an automatic foul.
Alternatively, when a defender in the post "lays" on an offensive player or attempts to put a hand through or go under the offensive player's arm -- it's called "swim-stroking" -- that's a foul. The legal way to defend is to get around the player, to front him or to "three-quarter" him. A single forearm is legal in post area, but a defender can't use a forearm and a hand.
"Fifty to 60 percent of the time, both of those actions happen at the same time," Collins said. "So it will be a foul on both players, the offense retains the ball and the shot clock is not reset."
3. Travels are also going to spike
Collins calls it a "focus on obvious travels on the perimeter and post travels -- picking up the pivot foot."
It's become normal basketball movement to accept a pass and then take a tiny hop to set/square one's self. That's technically a travel. It will now be called as such. Players in the post who use that ever-so-slight adjustment to their pivot foot to set before dribbling the ball to make a move will also be whistled.
"They seem incidental, but it's a huge advantage to be able to reset his feet like that," Collins said.
4. Charges should continue to go down, and the Big Ten and MAC are going to conduct an unprecedented review experiment
This is the item getting attention because the NCAA announced the Big Ten and the MAC will now have the ability to review block/charge plays and overturn calls when applicable in the final two minutes of a game. The decision has come with some speculation and pushback, but it's important to note this is only going to be applied in those two specific leagues' conference games. They are guinea pigs to see if reviewing block/charges proves worthwhile -- and if so, would be something that is adopted throughout Division I in a year from now.
"If it shows that 15 games that could have had outcomes changed, let's make it a sport-wide rule change for next year," Collins said.
Collins also said college basketball's average time to complete a game was faster last year, the efficiency of using monitor reviews was up, and the sport is finishing games, on average, in under two hours.
"During the majority of the game, get in and get out, because people don't want to be delayed in watching their games," Collins said. "But when the game is in the balance, you have to take the time necessary to get the play right."
Reviews on block/charge calls can be prompted by a coach's protest (if wrong, the coach/his team would lose a timeout) or at the discretion of the officiating crew.
In terms of charges, the NCAA is encouraging defenders to jump, to use their athleticism. When starting inside the semi-circle near the hoop, if a defender jumps straight up and his hands continue to "wall up" by staying vertical, the defender will have the right to that space and not be called for a foul. Also, if a defender is sliding into a spot to draw a charge at the last second, charges will not be called unless forward momentum by the offensive player is egregious.
"You'll have more plays where a guy on offense creates contact, perhaps incidental," Collins said. "Could it be a charge? Yes, but he would have to come in too hard. The opposite side is when a defender remains grounded, feet on the floor, and any contact for a foul it has to be a blocking foul. The original purpose of the arc is to get people out of there, so there's not all these crashes at the hoop. This new rule is going to allow players to be in there but they are encouraging good defensive players to wall up there. We don't want player standing in there to create contact or draw charges."
A byproduct of this: By getting defenders out of the circle, flagrant-elbow calls should also drop this season.
5. Offensive players will be granted more natural movement with the ball
"When you think about where the game has come in the past 25 years, in the post, the rules today are exactly the same as they were 25 years ago. And yet we've allowed more and more physical contact to happen, and that can't be acceptable. And what you're seeing from the rules committee is allowing offensive players the freedom to be able to allowed what they're able to do within the rules."
Collins said when teams trap or double team, fouls will likely go up as players and coaches adapt to the nuanced difference between resolute defense vs. completing impeding an offensive player's rightful space to make a basketball move. Defense is important, but smothering a player to the point of paralysis is no longer allowed.
By Mike DeCourcy
(Photo/Getty Images)
That seems an astonishing résumé for someone who never was viewed as an elite college prospect. And yet, to some, his presence at Big Ten Conference media day Thursday rendered him as something of a failure.
Those who believe in the mock draft culture would have you believe Trimble blew it by not blowing out of college after his outstanding freshman season, and now he’s still in college two years later.
If there is a unifying theme to Big Ten basketball this season, and it’s not all that easy to find one with 14 members spread from College Park, Md. To Lincoln, Neb., it is how richly the league benefited from the decision by so many key players to postpone NBA Draft entry.
You could make a strong all-conference team from those who either entered the 2016 draft and withdrew or opted against filing the paperwork despite projections they might be selected. And several of the 10 members of the Big Ten’s preseason team fit one of those two categories: Malcolm Hill of Illinois, Peter Jok of Iowa, Thomas Bryant of Indiana, Nigel Hayes of Wisconsin, Caleb Swanigan of Purdue and Trimble, of course. Though overlooked by the media who voted for this team, Indiana’s OG Anunoby was another.
"There were some key guys in our league that I thought might go but stayed," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "In all honesty, I'm happy for those coaches, I'm happy for those players. I think we are trying to rush the process sometimes too much."
This may be the biggest problem with the basketball development process — and where college fits into it — at the moment. It’s not that "one-and-done" is bad for college basketball, the NBA or the players who fit comfortably into that designation. It’s that the pressure to become one of those players has escalated beyond reason, beyond reality.
It’s not hard to figure out who those guys really are. You don’t have to be the GM of the 76ers to recognize the outsized talent of a Ben Simmons, Jahlil Okafor or Joel Embiid. But that doesn’t mean that every player who has a great first season is immediately ready to play in the NBA, or even to be drafted.
Izzo is one of the few Big Ten coaches this season who was a loser in early entry game; freshman forward Deyonta Davis believed first-round projections and was disappointed to be chosen in the second round. Izzo thought Davis would have benefited "in every aspect" from another season.
"If it works out for him — D.D. was great when he was with us; I had no problems with him — I’ll be as happy as ten men," Izzo said. "I like my team. I like what we’ve got. I’d be lying to you that I don’t lay in bed some nights and say, ‘Wow, that 6-11 son-of-a-gun was good. He was a good player. What would it be like (to have him back?)"
Bryant, a 6-10 center, actually out produced Davis as a freshman, averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds to Davis’ 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Bryant also showed a developing perimeter game toward the end of his first season, something that more NBA teams are valuing in big men.
"When you talk about running your own race, Thomas is a great example of that," IU coach Tom Crean said. "Because he had to do what was absolutely going to be best for his long-term career, and I don't think he made a short-term decision. He made a long-term decision."
Bryant said he knew he needed to return for a second season at IU before he’d even finished the first. "I thought that would go better for me as a player. I want to be ready if I make that jump to the next level. I really talked to my parents, the coaching staff, and I prayed about it, as well. At the end, I knew it was the best decision for me to come back."
It would have been easy for Hill, Illinois' senior wing, to depart after the disastrous season the Illini endured in 2015-16. They lost one big man to an offseason incident well before the games began, then two more with season-ending injuries. Point guard Tracy Abrams missed a second consecutive season because of knee injuries. Only three of 14 players on the roster appeared in every game. Illinois finished 15-19. In some games, coach John Groce said, Hill played every single position on the floor at one time or other.
Hill averaged 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds as a junior. But instead of packing up those stats and moving out — looking for an escape, as so many do now in college sports — he embraced his Illinois legacy. If he matches his junior-year stats, he will leave the Illini as their No. 3 career scorer. He is talented enough to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors, or better.
"When you talk about running your own race, Thomas is a great example of that," IU coach Tom Crean said. "Because he had to do what was absolutely going to be best for his long-term career, and I don't think he made a short-term decision. He made a long-term decision."
Bryant said he knew he needed to return for a second season at IU before he’d even finished the first. "I thought that would go better for me as a player. I want to be ready if I make that jump to the next level. I really talked to my parents, the coaching staff, and I prayed about it, as well. At the end, I knew it was the best decision for me to come back."
It would have been easy for Hill, Illinois' senior wing, to depart after the disastrous season the Illini endured in 2015-16. They lost one big man to an offseason incident well before the games began, then two more with season-ending injuries. Point guard Tracy Abrams missed a second consecutive season because of knee injuries. Only three of 14 players on the roster appeared in every game. Illinois finished 15-19. In some games, coach John Groce said, Hill played every single position on the floor at one time or other.
Hill averaged 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds as a junior. But instead of packing up those stats and moving out — looking for an escape, as so many do now in college sports — he embraced his Illinois legacy. If he matches his junior-year stats, he will leave the Illini as their No. 3 career scorer. He is talented enough to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors, or better.
The team was close to making the NCAAs in his freshman season, a bit farther removed his sophomore year, and then came last year’s implosion. But with Abrams back, big man Mike Thorne healthy and Hill around, there’s a chance to break that drought.
"I told myself, 'Would it really be worth it for the things I would have to give up?' Such as never going to the NCAA Tournament, not getting my degree and missing out on an opportunity of getting another solid summer of workouts," Hill told SN. "I made the best decision for myself just by staying."
The players who chose to return to college this season, in the Big Ten or elsewhere, almost certainly understood they would end up competing in 2017 with one of the deepest, most talented freshman classes in college basketball history. But as Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have demonstrated in different ways, draft position is not the only variable in establishing a successful pro career. And as Michigan State's Denzel Valentine and Oklahoma's Buddy Hield showed a year ago, playing a full college career isn't an obstacle to being selected prominently in the draft.
In entering the draft last spring, Trimble received an invitation to the NBA’s Draft Combine in Chicago. He said the process taught him he needs to be mentally tougher. He would encounter media mentions that projected him as a first-rounder, and then, "One bad game, you’re not getting drafted."
Trimble also believes the journey that led him back to Maryland for his junior taught him to focus on where he is, not where he wants to be in the future.
"I thought I was going to do all four years. I didn’t expect to do what I did my freshman year. But it happened," Trimble said.
"I think last year I was too ahead of myself just thinking about the next level too much. I think that really hurt me. But the main thing Coach Turgeon told me: When I come back this year, think about the team. Don’t think about if I should have left because practice is too hard or whatever. Just worry about the team and getting better."
Kerry Wood on Cubs World Series berth: 'More emotional than I thought it was gonna be'.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Kerry Wood couldn't resist a 5 Outs joke.
The iconic Cubs pitcher was a huge part of that 2003 team that famously came just five outs from the World Series before a Game 6 meltdown in the National League Championship Series.
As if to toy with history and laugh in its face, Joe Maddon made the five outs drama last even longer Saturday night.
Kyle Hendricks gave up a one-out single in the eighth inning with the Cubs up five and Maddon came out to make a pitching change.
Of course, it all turned out just fine. The Cubs went on to win and silence any talk of curses or jinxes and made Steve Bartman and that 2003 just another chapter in history.
"I was good once we got past five outs away," Wood joked with reporters outside the champagne-soaked Cubs clubhouse about 90 minutes after the Cubs clinched a trip to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.
"These guys got to experience what we didn't get to experience. We got to play in this game, we just didn't get to celebrate after. Obviously extremely happy for the city. These guys have cemented themselves in history and they're gonna be linked forever.
"It's just great. We got four more to go and it's the right group to go with."
Wood said he "felt" it coming to the game, predicting with his buddies that the Cubs would jump on Clayton Kershaw and score on him early in the game.
The Cubs scored twice in the first, once in the second and then added on with solo tallies in the fourth and fifth innings off Kershaw.
"They don't listen to the history," Wood said. "It doesn't bother them. These guys come out and seem unaffected by the history. So, obviously, we're in a good place we haven't been in a long time. It's a great night.
"It's mind-blowing. Being out there with the crowd, it's such a cool experience."
Wood pitched 12 seasons for the Cubs, but if you include the year he missed for injury (1999) and the time he's worked for the organization since retirement in 2012, he's spent nearly two decades on the North Side of Chicago.
So when he saw the Cubs record their final out and put history in the rearview mirror, Wood was overcome with emotion.
"Surprisingly a bit more than I was expecting," he said. "Just watching the guys do their thing on the field and celebrate. [MLB chief baseball officer] Joe Torre's talking and tryin to do his thing and the guys just split up and spread out and went and saw the fans - which is exactly what they should've done.
"It's a little more emotional than I thought it was gonna be."
Wood said he really started believing it was all possible when Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo woke up with the bats in Game 4 in Los Angeles and the Cubs looked like they got their mojo back.
He also marveled at the team's youth and how poised they were throughout the entire season, especially in the face of adversity.
"I don't think [the weight of history affected them]," Wood said. "That's the key. And not saying it affected us. I don't think it affected us either. We'd go out there and play the game.
"S--t, half these guys weren't born when this stuff was going on. It's great. They got a young group and I think Joe leads them in the right direction and doesn't let them get caught up in the off-the-field stuff. It's just a great combination top to bottom."
Wood threw out the first pitch before the historic Game 6 Saturday night, wearing a Ron Santo jersey.
Three hours later, he was still wearing the jersey, even celebrating with fans.
And he plans right on wearing the No. 10 jersey for at least another week.
"Ronnie didn't get to see this," Wood said of Santo, who died in 2010. "He didn't get to witness this night. Definitely going to wear it all the way through. Hopefully that will let him experience it a little bit with me.
"I expect big things and I'll see you guys in Cleveland."
The iconic Cubs pitcher was a huge part of that 2003 team that famously came just five outs from the World Series before a Game 6 meltdown in the National League Championship Series.
As if to toy with history and laugh in its face, Joe Maddon made the five outs drama last even longer Saturday night.
Kyle Hendricks gave up a one-out single in the eighth inning with the Cubs up five and Maddon came out to make a pitching change.
Of course, it all turned out just fine. The Cubs went on to win and silence any talk of curses or jinxes and made Steve Bartman and that 2003 just another chapter in history.
"I was good once we got past five outs away," Wood joked with reporters outside the champagne-soaked Cubs clubhouse about 90 minutes after the Cubs clinched a trip to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.
"These guys got to experience what we didn't get to experience. We got to play in this game, we just didn't get to celebrate after. Obviously extremely happy for the city. These guys have cemented themselves in history and they're gonna be linked forever.
"It's just great. We got four more to go and it's the right group to go with."
Wood said he "felt" it coming to the game, predicting with his buddies that the Cubs would jump on Clayton Kershaw and score on him early in the game.
The Cubs scored twice in the first, once in the second and then added on with solo tallies in the fourth and fifth innings off Kershaw.
"They don't listen to the history," Wood said. "It doesn't bother them. These guys come out and seem unaffected by the history. So, obviously, we're in a good place we haven't been in a long time. It's a great night.
"It's mind-blowing. Being out there with the crowd, it's such a cool experience."
Wood pitched 12 seasons for the Cubs, but if you include the year he missed for injury (1999) and the time he's worked for the organization since retirement in 2012, he's spent nearly two decades on the North Side of Chicago.
So when he saw the Cubs record their final out and put history in the rearview mirror, Wood was overcome with emotion.
"Surprisingly a bit more than I was expecting," he said. "Just watching the guys do their thing on the field and celebrate. [MLB chief baseball officer] Joe Torre's talking and tryin to do his thing and the guys just split up and spread out and went and saw the fans - which is exactly what they should've done.
"It's a little more emotional than I thought it was gonna be."
Wood said he really started believing it was all possible when Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo woke up with the bats in Game 4 in Los Angeles and the Cubs looked like they got their mojo back.
He also marveled at the team's youth and how poised they were throughout the entire season, especially in the face of adversity.
"I don't think [the weight of history affected them]," Wood said. "That's the key. And not saying it affected us. I don't think it affected us either. We'd go out there and play the game.
"S--t, half these guys weren't born when this stuff was going on. It's great. They got a young group and I think Joe leads them in the right direction and doesn't let them get caught up in the off-the-field stuff. It's just a great combination top to bottom."
Wood threw out the first pitch before the historic Game 6 Saturday night, wearing a Ron Santo jersey.
Three hours later, he was still wearing the jersey, even celebrating with fans.
And he plans right on wearing the No. 10 jersey for at least another week.
"Ronnie didn't get to see this," Wood said of Santo, who died in 2010. "He didn't get to witness this night. Definitely going to wear it all the way through. Hopefully that will let him experience it a little bit with me.
"I expect big things and I'll see you guys in Cleveland."
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, October 24, 2016
emoriesofhistory.com
1857 - The Sheffield Football Club of England was formed.
1943 - The Green Bay Packers intercepted nine passes in a 27-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.
1948 - The Chicago Cardinals scored 35 points in the third quarter on the way to a 49-27 victory over the Boston Yanks.
1965 - Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota Vikings) threw for 407 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-41 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
1970 - In Athens, Christo Papanikolaou (Greece) pole vaulted 18' 1/4". He was the first pole vaulter to clear the 18-foot mark.
1971 - Texas Stadium officially opened in Irving, TX.
1976 - Chuck Foreman (Minnesota Vikings) rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
1992 - The Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-U.S. team to win the World Series.
1996 - The Atlanta Braves played their last game at Fulton County Stadium. They lost to the New York Yankees 1-0 in Game 5 of the World Series. The next season the Braves began playing at Olympic Stadium.
1997 - In Arlington, VA, former NBC sportscaster Marv Albert was spared a jail sentence after a courtroom apology to the woman he'd bitten during a sexual encounter.
1998 - Ricky Williams (University of Texas) became the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history. At the end of the game he had a total of 428 points.
2003 - The Chicago Blackhawks fired general manager Mike Smith.
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