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"Sports Quote of the Day"
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” ~ Confucius, Teacher, Editor, Philosopher and Politician
Trending: A Bears turnaround involves more than just winning at Green Bay. (See the football section for Bears and NFL updates).
Trending: Marian Hossa scores 500th career goal as Blackhawks top Flyers. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
Trending: Love, Woosnam, Mallon, Ochoa in '17 HOF class. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
Trending: The latest AP Top 25 poll suggests the college football season is heading toward a major controversy. (See the college football section for NCAA team news and game updates).
Trending: Cubs road to the "World Series". (Series tied Cubs 1 - Dodgers 1)
Series Record: Dodgers lead Cubs 2-1.
NLCS Game 1, Saturday, 10/15/2016. Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Chicago Cubs 8 (W)
NLCS Game 2, Sunday, 10/16/2016. Los Angeles Dodgers 1, Chicago Cubs 0 (L)
NLCS Game 3, Tuesday, 10/18/2016. Chicago Cubs 0 (L), Los Angeles Dodgers 6
NLCS Game 4, Wednesday, 10/19/2016 Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:08PM
NLCS Game 5, Thursday, 10/20/2016 Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:08PM
NLCS Game 6, Saturday, 10/22/2016 Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs*
NLCS Game 7, Sunday, 10/23/2016 Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs*
* If Necessary
NLCS Game 7, Sunday, 10/23/2016 Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs*
* If Necessary
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! A Bears turnaround involves more than just winning at Green Bay.
By John Mullin
The Bears have repeatedly failed to finish winnable games, and not just this season, which saw them lose a fourth-quarter lead at Houston and again against Jacksonville. Last season the Bears led or were tied at the end of three quarters in five games and won just two of those.
During the John Fox tenure, the Bears are 3-5 with the lead or tied after three quarters.
The problem is “learning” to win at the NFL level, particularly for a relatively young team that has myriad players accustomed to college games decided long before fourth quarters.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys,” said end/linebacker Willie Young, whose two sacks gave him six for the season, a half-sack short of his total for 2015. “I can’t say guys aren’t giving it their all every snap. I can’t say that. But we definitely have got a lot of young guys in place right now. So we’ll see what happens.”
What happens next will happen Thursday in Green Bay, against a wounded Packers team with quarterback Aaron Rodgers uncharacteristically shaky and a 3-4 mark over Rodgers’ last seven games.
The Bears set about eliminating errors over the past couple of weeks, referring to it as playing not to lose but really just taking care not to self-destruct with mistakes. The problem is that the mistakes didn’t disappear – 10 penalties vs. Jacksonville, misplays by multiple young players – but some element in the drive to win did.
Fox, who has made a career out of changing losing cultures and sought that from the outset of his Chicago time, now faces a problem of restoring fire into the team.
“The game is about confidence,” Fox said. Obviously win, good stuff wins, that’s how you breed that. I think our guys can see how close we are. [The Jacksonville game] was no different than the week before against Indy. Just the week before, winning a close game. The difference, it’s four or five plays. The problem is you don’t know which four or five it’s going to be. That’s always the case. With all teams, and particularly a young team, it can be challenging but it can be very doable, too.”
Fox references teams turning around seasons from slow starts and reaching postseasons. The Bears obviously need a win at Green Bay – something they have accomplished two of the past three times there – but the focus is not on the game as a whole.
“One play at a time,” Young said. “I don’t think there’s a case where anyone is playing conservative. It’s just one play at a time as hard as you can play. One play at a time, not two.
“You have to do that not worrying about the outcome of the game. At some point you should not even know where you guys are at on the field because you’re not worried about the score is or how much time is left. You just come out there and play this call and give it all you’ve got for that one play and that has to be consistent… .
“If we can do that, then we'll come out the way that we want to come out.”
Bears In-Foe: Packers fans are not R-E-L-A-Xing about offense.
By Chris Boden
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It got to the point in Sunday’s 30-16 loss to Dallas at Lambeau Field that Aaron Rodgers was being booed. Or maybe it was the Packers’ offense in general. But two years after telling those same fans to “R-E-L-A-X” after a 1-2 start, days before he made them in a 38-17 surgical procedure on the Bears at Soldier Field, the two-time MVP doesn’t sound very comfortable, either.
After starting 6-0 a year ago, the Packers are 7-8 in the regular season. The NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating at 103.5 (“K-HITS!!!!”) stands 20th in the league in that category this year (88.4) on the heels of a 92.7 rating in 2015, Rodgers’ worst since his first year as the starter.
His accuracy has been off (60.2 percent, ranking 25th), and while he still has a 10-to-4 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio, he has six picks in his last seven games and has gone a career-high 12 games without throwing for 300 yards. I know, I know. It’s the last thing Bears fans want to hear heading north for yet another prime time game there. But sandwiched around the 55-14 embarrassment two years ago have been a pair of wins: when Shea McClellin broke his collarbone in 2013, and the pedestrian (for Rodgers) 22-of-43 Thanksgiving night win last November, in which he threw for only 202 yards, a Tracy Porter pick and one touchdown.
The postgame thought that night involved being thankful Jordy Nelson and his torn ACL weren’t around to burn The Beloved like he usually does. But Nelson is back now, and while he has five scoring receptions in as many games, he’s caught only 26 passes, with a 12-yard average. And Vic Fangio’s defense could well be without Tracy Porter (knee), who had the interception last year and had four other pass breakups, something no one else had ever done in a game to Rodgers.
Randall Cobb leads the club with 28 catches, but with a 10.5 average. Davante Adams, who struggled to fill Nelson’s shoes a year ago, has three TD’s among his 15 grabs, but enters the week under concussion protocol. GM Ted Thompson took a rare dip into free agency to address the lack of a threat at tight end, but Jared Cook’s been sidelined after spraining an ankle three weeks ago.
The other urgent issue facing Rodgers and company is at running back. Eddie Lacy worked out with P90X guru Tony Horton to get in his best shape since his rookie season (after reportedly spinning the sacle around 250 last season). But Lacy sprained his ankle two games ago, tried to battle his way through it Sunday, and while averaging five yards a carry, is also averaging just 72 yards a game. The added twist is backup James Starks’ Sunday morning knee surgery. Promoting undrafted rookie Don Jackson from the practice squad could be an option after Mike McCarthy tried to get by sprinkling Cobb and fellow wideout Ty Montgomery into Sunday’s backfield. Aaron Ripkowski has replaced John Kuhn for an occasional handoff at fullback.
Then there’s the Josh Sitton-less offensive line. Lane Taylor has slid it at left guard, between David Bakhtiari and center JC Tretter, while T.J. Lang and Marian Central High School product Bryan Bulaga. The latter left Sunday’s game early with a back injury but in the past has found a way to grind through. While Sitton may have been the financial sacrifice with Lang and Tretter heading towards free agency, Bakhtiari was re-upped before the season before hitting the market.
McCarthy took back the play-calling this season, but is being criticized up north for remaining too conservative. After kicking field goals on fourth-and-short in Sunday’s loss, the Pack went the next five possessions before scoring their lone touchdown of the day with just seven minutes left versus a defense that’s not exactly the 1985 Bears. Green Bay enters this game 25th in passing yards, 26th in total yards, 17th in points per game, but first in third-down percentage. An odd mix, sort of what the Bears are going through. But we know the weapons, and that quarterback, are present. Now the Bears hope they don’t figure things out for four more days.
Bears In-Foe: Pack’s defensive backfield in motion.
By Chris Boden
Sam Shields has been out since the Packers’ opener with a concussion. Their first- and second-round cornerbacks from the 2015 draft, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, have groin injuries (Randall’s being suffered in the second quarter Sunday with Rollins in street clothes). That left Dom Capers with undrafted free agents Ladarius Gunter and Josh Hawkins exposed, even without Dez Bryant on the field.
That’s the main concern for Green Bay’s 10th-ranked defense (21st against the pass) heading towards Thursday night. Alshon? You want some targets?
Morgan Burnett slid over to help from his safety position, too, while Micah Hyde replaced him alongside HaHa Clinton-Dix. When the regulars are together, it’s one of the league’s top safety tandems, while paining Bears fans for passing up Clinton-Dix at a still-unstable position in favor of Kyle Fuller.
One area that’s widely paid off the last two years (again) in Green Bay are fourth-round investments in inside linebackers. Clay Matthews (three sacks thus far) needed to be freed up to return to the outside to wreak havoc with 36-year-old ex-Bear Julius Peppers (2.5 sacks). And wouldn’t you know it, Jake Ryan leads this defense in tackles and tackles-for-loss, while rookie Blake Martinez is second in that category, “just” producing, like he did at Stanford despite the “too slow” rap. Peppers actually rotates in because the light finally seems to be going on for 2012 first-rounder Nick Perry. He had 3.5 sacks in the Pack’s two playoff games last January, and leads them so far this season with 4.5. In a contract year. Third-round rookie Kyler Fackrell is also getting on the field regularly.
Yes, Bears. Depth is good.
Speaking of getting paid, lineman Mike Daniels was rewarded $42 million over four years last December, thanks to ever-increasing production as opponents have underestimated him based on his unique frame (6-foot, 291 pounds). But he wreaks havoc with leverage and bull-rushing, joining forces in the trenches with 6-4, 322 Letroy Guion. Mike Pennel returned from his four-game PED suspension against the Cowboys, but look who’s holding down a starting job at defensive end – Dean Lowry. The Pack plucked the 6-6 Northwestern product in the fifth round, and relegated first-rounder Kenny Clark to backup duty. Clark’s just 20 years old, but was thought to fill a need after the surprising retirement of B.J. Raji.
The Packers were leading the NFL in rush defense by a huge margin (42.9 per game, 1.99 per attempt). They met their match Sunday in both the Cowboys’ elite offensive line and Ezekiel Elliott shredding them even more (28 carries, 157 yards) than he shred the Bears in Week 3 (30-140). As a result, the Pack dropped to third in that category (72.4 yards per game).
Special Teams
The Packers have turned to a couple of backup wideout burners from the past two drafts in their return game, Ty Montgomery (24.5-yard average on kickoffs) and Trevor Davis (9.7 on punts). Green Bay’s kickoff coverage team ranks 31st (allowing 27.9 per return). Kicker Mason Crosby’s struggles from a few years ago are now deep in the past. He’s gone 10-of-10 on field goals this season and 94-of-108 dating to the start of 2013. Veteran punter Tim Masthay was replaced by Jacob Schum, who ranks 32nd (40.8), three spots ahead of Pat O’Donnell.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Marian Hossa scores 500th career goal as Blackhawks top Flyers
After starting 6-0 a year ago, the Packers are 7-8 in the regular season. The NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating at 103.5 (“K-HITS!!!!”) stands 20th in the league in that category this year (88.4) on the heels of a 92.7 rating in 2015, Rodgers’ worst since his first year as the starter.
His accuracy has been off (60.2 percent, ranking 25th), and while he still has a 10-to-4 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio, he has six picks in his last seven games and has gone a career-high 12 games without throwing for 300 yards. I know, I know. It’s the last thing Bears fans want to hear heading north for yet another prime time game there. But sandwiched around the 55-14 embarrassment two years ago have been a pair of wins: when Shea McClellin broke his collarbone in 2013, and the pedestrian (for Rodgers) 22-of-43 Thanksgiving night win last November, in which he threw for only 202 yards, a Tracy Porter pick and one touchdown.
The postgame thought that night involved being thankful Jordy Nelson and his torn ACL weren’t around to burn The Beloved like he usually does. But Nelson is back now, and while he has five scoring receptions in as many games, he’s caught only 26 passes, with a 12-yard average. And Vic Fangio’s defense could well be without Tracy Porter (knee), who had the interception last year and had four other pass breakups, something no one else had ever done in a game to Rodgers.
Randall Cobb leads the club with 28 catches, but with a 10.5 average. Davante Adams, who struggled to fill Nelson’s shoes a year ago, has three TD’s among his 15 grabs, but enters the week under concussion protocol. GM Ted Thompson took a rare dip into free agency to address the lack of a threat at tight end, but Jared Cook’s been sidelined after spraining an ankle three weeks ago.
The other urgent issue facing Rodgers and company is at running back. Eddie Lacy worked out with P90X guru Tony Horton to get in his best shape since his rookie season (after reportedly spinning the sacle around 250 last season). But Lacy sprained his ankle two games ago, tried to battle his way through it Sunday, and while averaging five yards a carry, is also averaging just 72 yards a game. The added twist is backup James Starks’ Sunday morning knee surgery. Promoting undrafted rookie Don Jackson from the practice squad could be an option after Mike McCarthy tried to get by sprinkling Cobb and fellow wideout Ty Montgomery into Sunday’s backfield. Aaron Ripkowski has replaced John Kuhn for an occasional handoff at fullback.
Then there’s the Josh Sitton-less offensive line. Lane Taylor has slid it at left guard, between David Bakhtiari and center JC Tretter, while T.J. Lang and Marian Central High School product Bryan Bulaga. The latter left Sunday’s game early with a back injury but in the past has found a way to grind through. While Sitton may have been the financial sacrifice with Lang and Tretter heading towards free agency, Bakhtiari was re-upped before the season before hitting the market.
McCarthy took back the play-calling this season, but is being criticized up north for remaining too conservative. After kicking field goals on fourth-and-short in Sunday’s loss, the Pack went the next five possessions before scoring their lone touchdown of the day with just seven minutes left versus a defense that’s not exactly the 1985 Bears. Green Bay enters this game 25th in passing yards, 26th in total yards, 17th in points per game, but first in third-down percentage. An odd mix, sort of what the Bears are going through. But we know the weapons, and that quarterback, are present. Now the Bears hope they don’t figure things out for four more days.
Bears In-Foe: Pack’s defensive backfield in motion.
By Chris Boden
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Sam Shields has been out since the Packers’ opener with a concussion. Their first- and second-round cornerbacks from the 2015 draft, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, have groin injuries (Randall’s being suffered in the second quarter Sunday with Rollins in street clothes). That left Dom Capers with undrafted free agents Ladarius Gunter and Josh Hawkins exposed, even without Dez Bryant on the field.
That’s the main concern for Green Bay’s 10th-ranked defense (21st against the pass) heading towards Thursday night. Alshon? You want some targets?
Morgan Burnett slid over to help from his safety position, too, while Micah Hyde replaced him alongside HaHa Clinton-Dix. When the regulars are together, it’s one of the league’s top safety tandems, while paining Bears fans for passing up Clinton-Dix at a still-unstable position in favor of Kyle Fuller.
One area that’s widely paid off the last two years (again) in Green Bay are fourth-round investments in inside linebackers. Clay Matthews (three sacks thus far) needed to be freed up to return to the outside to wreak havoc with 36-year-old ex-Bear Julius Peppers (2.5 sacks). And wouldn’t you know it, Jake Ryan leads this defense in tackles and tackles-for-loss, while rookie Blake Martinez is second in that category, “just” producing, like he did at Stanford despite the “too slow” rap. Peppers actually rotates in because the light finally seems to be going on for 2012 first-rounder Nick Perry. He had 3.5 sacks in the Pack’s two playoff games last January, and leads them so far this season with 4.5. In a contract year. Third-round rookie Kyler Fackrell is also getting on the field regularly.
Yes, Bears. Depth is good.
Speaking of getting paid, lineman Mike Daniels was rewarded $42 million over four years last December, thanks to ever-increasing production as opponents have underestimated him based on his unique frame (6-foot, 291 pounds). But he wreaks havoc with leverage and bull-rushing, joining forces in the trenches with 6-4, 322 Letroy Guion. Mike Pennel returned from his four-game PED suspension against the Cowboys, but look who’s holding down a starting job at defensive end – Dean Lowry. The Pack plucked the 6-6 Northwestern product in the fifth round, and relegated first-rounder Kenny Clark to backup duty. Clark’s just 20 years old, but was thought to fill a need after the surprising retirement of B.J. Raji.
The Packers were leading the NFL in rush defense by a huge margin (42.9 per game, 1.99 per attempt). They met their match Sunday in both the Cowboys’ elite offensive line and Ezekiel Elliott shredding them even more (28 carries, 157 yards) than he shred the Bears in Week 3 (30-140). As a result, the Pack dropped to third in that category (72.4 yards per game).
Special Teams
The Packers have turned to a couple of backup wideout burners from the past two drafts in their return game, Ty Montgomery (24.5-yard average on kickoffs) and Trevor Davis (9.7 on punts). Green Bay’s kickoff coverage team ranks 31st (allowing 27.9 per return). Kicker Mason Crosby’s struggles from a few years ago are now deep in the past. He’s gone 10-of-10 on field goals this season and 94-of-108 dating to the start of 2013. Veteran punter Tim Masthay was replaced by Jacob Schum, who ranks 32nd (40.8), three spots ahead of Pat O’Donnell.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Marian Hossa scores 500th career goal as Blackhawks top Flyers
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Artemi Panarin added two goals and an assist. Patrick Kane had a goal and three assists as the second liners easily had their biggest game of the early season.
Hossa’s milestone goal came 5:04 into the second period and with three seconds remaining on a Blackhawks power play. His teammates congratulated him as he skated to the bench and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Unfortunately Hossa wouldn’t make it to the end of the game; he appeared to be hurt blocking a shot in the third period and would not return.
That goal seemed to be just adding to a comfortable lead at the time. The Flyers hadn’t done much to that point. But at the end of the second and start of the third that changed.
Matt Read scored twice and Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds also added goals as the Flyers tied the game 4-4 by the 3:49 mark of the third period. The Flyers scored four times in a span of 5:26 over the second and third periods.
Dennis Rasmussen also scored his first of the season. Brent Seabrook added two assists.
Michal Neuvirth was pulled after allowing Hossa’s goal in the second period. Steve Mason replaced him.
Corey Crawford stopped 23 of 27 shots.
Five Things from Blackhawks-Flyers: Second line gets going.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Just when you thought it was safe to write a Blackhawks game story midway through the second period.
There’s a reason I write two versions of a quick post-game story: it’s just a good safety net. The last two games, however, it’s been a necessity. The Blackhawks survived another one on Tuesday, pulling out a wild 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Now that you’ve caught your breath, let’s look at Five Things to take away from that game.
1. Congratulations, Marian Hossa. We’re not sure if it was more relief or happiness for Hossa when he collected his 500th career goal in the second period. Actually, yes we do. Hossa was clearly ecstatic, celebrating with teammates along the bench following that power-play goal. Now the question is, will he be back on Friday to look for goal No. 501? Hossa was injured in the third period and was seen wearing a walking boot after the game. That could be more precautionary than anything – coach Joel Quenneville said he’s hoping Hossa plays Friday vs. Columbus – but we’ll know more later.
2. The second liners get going. Patrick Kane was talking on Monday about how the veterans needed to get going. He, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov had been quiet, especially when we all recall what they did last season, seemingly right out of the gate. But on Tuesday the three broke were noticeable and productive. Anisimov had a four-point night, as did Kane. Panarin had three points. That line can’t be the only consistent trio as it was most of last season, but the Blackhawks will obviously take anything it does produce.
3. What the heck happened? We’ll talk more about this following Wednesday’s practice but the Blackhawks have now squandered sizeable leads in two consecutive games – 3-0 vs. Nashville on Saturday and 4-0 vs. Philadelphia Tuesday. The Blackhawks pulled both out of the fire but this is not their style. And much like the penalty kill, it’s something they’ve got to clean up quickly. Oh, and speaking of…
4. That penalty kill is still a problem. Eventually it’s going to turn around – everything goes through its ebbs and flows – but the Blackhawks gave up two more power-play goals on Tuesday, and these were to a team that hadn’t done anything on its advantage prior to tonight’s game.
5. Dennis Rasmussen scores his first of the season. We’re throwing this in for a reason, so stick with us. Rasmussen’s in the lineup right now because Ryan Hartman was injured last weekend in Nashville. Hartman, once expected to be out for a while, could be back Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Should Rasmussen stay in too? Quenneville’s been very happy with him, he knows to get to the net and added some offense. Just a thought.
There’s a reason I write two versions of a quick post-game story: it’s just a good safety net. The last two games, however, it’s been a necessity. The Blackhawks survived another one on Tuesday, pulling out a wild 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Now that you’ve caught your breath, let’s look at Five Things to take away from that game.
1. Congratulations, Marian Hossa. We’re not sure if it was more relief or happiness for Hossa when he collected his 500th career goal in the second period. Actually, yes we do. Hossa was clearly ecstatic, celebrating with teammates along the bench following that power-play goal. Now the question is, will he be back on Friday to look for goal No. 501? Hossa was injured in the third period and was seen wearing a walking boot after the game. That could be more precautionary than anything – coach Joel Quenneville said he’s hoping Hossa plays Friday vs. Columbus – but we’ll know more later.
2. The second liners get going. Patrick Kane was talking on Monday about how the veterans needed to get going. He, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov had been quiet, especially when we all recall what they did last season, seemingly right out of the gate. But on Tuesday the three broke were noticeable and productive. Anisimov had a four-point night, as did Kane. Panarin had three points. That line can’t be the only consistent trio as it was most of last season, but the Blackhawks will obviously take anything it does produce.
3. What the heck happened? We’ll talk more about this following Wednesday’s practice but the Blackhawks have now squandered sizeable leads in two consecutive games – 3-0 vs. Nashville on Saturday and 4-0 vs. Philadelphia Tuesday. The Blackhawks pulled both out of the fire but this is not their style. And much like the penalty kill, it’s something they’ve got to clean up quickly. Oh, and speaking of…
4. That penalty kill is still a problem. Eventually it’s going to turn around – everything goes through its ebbs and flows – but the Blackhawks gave up two more power-play goals on Tuesday, and these were to a team that hadn’t done anything on its advantage prior to tonight’s game.
5. Dennis Rasmussen scores his first of the season. We’re throwing this in for a reason, so stick with us. Rasmussen’s in the lineup right now because Ryan Hartman was injured last weekend in Nashville. Hartman, once expected to be out for a while, could be back Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Should Rasmussen stay in too? Quenneville’s been very happy with him, he knows to get to the net and added some offense. Just a thought.
Cubs' offensive troubles deepen as Dodgers take control of NLCS.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
This is exactly the situation the Cubs were hoping wouldn't crop up this postseason.
There's no magical formula to create offense in the playoffs, and for the second straight game in the National League Championship Series, the Cubs' bats went MIA.
Joe Maddon did what he could to shake things up, inserting Jorge Soler over Jason Heyward and moving Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell down in the order.
None of that worked against ex-Cub Rich Hill, as the Dodgers dominated the Cubs, 6-0, in front of 54,269 fans at Dodger Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in the NLCS.
The Cubs managed just two hits — a pair of singles from Kris Bryant — and two walks against Hill, who struck out six in six innings.
Dexter Fowler doubled with two outs in the eighth inning, and Rizzo got a broken-bat infield single for the only other Cubs hits.
The Cubs are now hitting .185 (43-for-233) in the postseason and over the last 18 innings, they have only six hits (five singles and a double), three walks and zero runs.
They were shut out just six times in the regular season and never held scoreless two times in a week, let alone in back-to-back games.
After running into the New York Mets' power pitching in the 2015 NLCS, Theo Epstein's front office worked to improve the lineup by adding Ben Zobrist and Heyward and bringing back Fowler.
But the same offensive woes have cropped up again, and now the Cubs are just two losses away from going home short of their World Series goal.
In his return to Dodger Stadium where he threw a no-hitter in 2015, Jake Arrieta surrendered four runs in six innings, including a two-run homer to Yasmani Grandal in the fourth inning and a solo shot to Justin Turner in the sixth.
The Cubs turn to John Lackey in what has become an all-important Game 4 on Wednesday night with the possibility of Clayton Kershaw looming for Game 5.
There's no magical formula to create offense in the playoffs, and for the second straight game in the National League Championship Series, the Cubs' bats went MIA.
Joe Maddon did what he could to shake things up, inserting Jorge Soler over Jason Heyward and moving Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell down in the order.
None of that worked against ex-Cub Rich Hill, as the Dodgers dominated the Cubs, 6-0, in front of 54,269 fans at Dodger Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in the NLCS.
The Cubs managed just two hits — a pair of singles from Kris Bryant — and two walks against Hill, who struck out six in six innings.
Dexter Fowler doubled with two outs in the eighth inning, and Rizzo got a broken-bat infield single for the only other Cubs hits.
The Cubs are now hitting .185 (43-for-233) in the postseason and over the last 18 innings, they have only six hits (five singles and a double), three walks and zero runs.
They were shut out just six times in the regular season and never held scoreless two times in a week, let alone in back-to-back games.
After running into the New York Mets' power pitching in the 2015 NLCS, Theo Epstein's front office worked to improve the lineup by adding Ben Zobrist and Heyward and bringing back Fowler.
But the same offensive woes have cropped up again, and now the Cubs are just two losses away from going home short of their World Series goal.
In his return to Dodger Stadium where he threw a no-hitter in 2015, Jake Arrieta surrendered four runs in six innings, including a two-run homer to Yasmani Grandal in the fourth inning and a solo shot to Justin Turner in the sixth.
The Cubs turn to John Lackey in what has become an all-important Game 4 on Wednesday night with the possibility of Clayton Kershaw looming for Game 5.
WHITE SOX: Davidson reflects on 'whirlwind' 2016 season.
By Scott Merkin
(Photo/MLB/whitesoxnews.com)
Over the course of three days in 2016, Matt Davidson lived a snapshot of the highs and lows of a Major League career -- the long-awaited return to The Show, his first hit with a new club and a season-ending injury.
"It was such a whirlwind, you know," said Davidson, 25, speaking during a recent workout at the White Sox's Spring Training home at Camelback Ranch. "It took a couple of months, a month or two, to kind of digest it."
"It was such a whirlwind, you know," said Davidson, 25, speaking during a recent workout at the White Sox's Spring Training home at Camelback Ranch. "It took a couple of months, a month or two, to kind of digest it."
Davidson's time with the White Sox since being traded from the D-backs for Addison Reed has featured more of those unfortunate lows than the uplifting highs. He hit .201 in 1,006 at-bats between 2014-15 with Triple-A Charlotte, while striking out a combined 355 times.
But after changing his swing this past Spring Training and dealing with a tough opening month, something clicked for the third baseman with the Knights to the tune of a .268 average, 10 home runs and 46 RBIs.
Davidson's debut for the White Sox took place on June 30 at U.S. Cellular Field against the Twins. It also served as Davidson's final appearance of the season.
After delivering a run-scoring single in the fourth, Davidson felt something in his right foot as he rounded the base. He stayed in the game and went from first to third on J.B. Shuck's double, eventually scoring when Adam Eaton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, despite having sustained a broken right foot.
"Those two years, you kind of are just struggling so bad, but you know it's a phone call away," Davidson said. "You kind of wait for that phone call. Then I got in Chicago that night before, played that next day, surgery the next day and the next day fly back home to California.
"So literally, in three days, it was like finally waiting for two days, and now I'm done. But I'm glad to be back out here and excited I could do stuff again."
A CT scan from two weeks ago showed the bone in his right foot almost fully healed, per Davidson. He took batting practice last Tuesday at Camelback Ranch, where he has been working out diligently to get ready for '17.
"That was one of the coolest things," Davidson said of taking BP. "It's been about 3 1/2 months since I've done that. We are working out, hitting, and we are starting to jog out on the field and hit and throw and everything like that."
The abrupt finish to his '16 season after two at-bats didn't dampen Davidson's renewed confidence, with the adjustments he made sustainable for success. Davidson worked hard to earn that June promotion, a promotion he didn't want to end even knowing his foot wasn't right.
"Yeah, it instantly went numb, and there was a ton of swelling right away," Davidson said. "You never hope that something like that would happen. At the same time, I didn't want to tell [then-manager] Robin [Ventura], "My foot hurts and I want to come out.'
"You never really want to come out of your debut because of pain. But overall, I'm very pleased with my season and just grateful I got a chance: Just getting ready to be able to do it again."
But after changing his swing this past Spring Training and dealing with a tough opening month, something clicked for the third baseman with the Knights to the tune of a .268 average, 10 home runs and 46 RBIs.
Davidson's debut for the White Sox took place on June 30 at U.S. Cellular Field against the Twins. It also served as Davidson's final appearance of the season.
After delivering a run-scoring single in the fourth, Davidson felt something in his right foot as he rounded the base. He stayed in the game and went from first to third on J.B. Shuck's double, eventually scoring when Adam Eaton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, despite having sustained a broken right foot.
"Those two years, you kind of are just struggling so bad, but you know it's a phone call away," Davidson said. "You kind of wait for that phone call. Then I got in Chicago that night before, played that next day, surgery the next day and the next day fly back home to California.
"So literally, in three days, it was like finally waiting for two days, and now I'm done. But I'm glad to be back out here and excited I could do stuff again."
A CT scan from two weeks ago showed the bone in his right foot almost fully healed, per Davidson. He took batting practice last Tuesday at Camelback Ranch, where he has been working out diligently to get ready for '17.
"That was one of the coolest things," Davidson said of taking BP. "It's been about 3 1/2 months since I've done that. We are working out, hitting, and we are starting to jog out on the field and hit and throw and everything like that."
The abrupt finish to his '16 season after two at-bats didn't dampen Davidson's renewed confidence, with the adjustments he made sustainable for success. Davidson worked hard to earn that June promotion, a promotion he didn't want to end even knowing his foot wasn't right.
"Yeah, it instantly went numb, and there was a ton of swelling right away," Davidson said. "You never hope that something like that would happen. At the same time, I didn't want to tell [then-manager] Robin [Ventura], "My foot hurts and I want to come out.'
"You never really want to come out of your debut because of pain. But overall, I'm very pleased with my season and just grateful I got a chance: Just getting ready to be able to do it again."
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Who the Bulls are getting in point guard Michael Carter-Williams.
By Mark Strotman
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Bulls finalized a deal Monday morning to acquire Michael Carter-Williams from the Bucks in exchange for Tony Snell.
The move gives the Bulls depth at point guard behind Rajon Rondo, to go along with reserves in Jerian Grant and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Carter-Williams will be a restricted free agent after this season, but he could be a potential long-term fit with the Bulls if they decide to walk away from Rondo, who is owed just $3 million if waived before July 1, 2017.
The Good
Age: The obvious here is that Carter-Williams is still just 25 years old. He's got three years of experience under his belt, and while he hasn't been ultra-efficient (see below) in that time he has started 170 games. His situation in Philadelphia was a unique one in that the Sixers turned him loose as a rookie - he averaged 34.5 minutes per game. That resulted in plenty of counting numbers (16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists) that earned him Rookie of the Year honors in 2014. There's something to be said for that, even in what has become a fairly weak draft class. It's difficult to see Carter-Williams' ceiling getting much higher, but there's room for growth that may be seen in a new setting.
Defense: As the tallest and longest point guard in the league, Carter-Williams is a plus defender at the position. He shows good lateral quickness, is a smart defender (1.7 steals per game in three years) and uses his height to his advantage; his 0.8 blocks per game were tied for the lead league among guards. Both the Sixers and Bucks were better per 100 possessions with Carter-Williams on the floor than off it the past two years. Don't be fooled by Rondo's 2.0 steals per game last season; Carter-Williams is now the top defender at point guard on the Bulls by a wide margin. It wouldn't be surprising to see MCW close games if the Bulls need defensive stops. Also, only Russell Westbrook had a better defensive rebounding percentage among point guards (18.1%) than Carter-Williams' 15.7 percent; the Bulls were 21st in defensive rebounding percentage last year as a team, and 22nd among guards (for what that's worth).
Distributing: Carter-Williams knows his limitations as a player (again, see below), averaging just 10.1 field goal attempts per game. Among players who averaged 30 minutes or more per game, MCW's FGAs were fifth fewest among guards (K. Korver, R. Rubio, G. Hill, G. Harris). Where Carter-Williams earns his paycheck on offense is distributing. He was 21st among guards in passes per game (55.8) and 22nd in minutes, and his 5.2 assists per game led the Bucks. His decision-making isn't ideal (see below) but he's a natural passer and, as mentioned before, understands his limitations as a shooter.
The Bad
Shooting: Let's just say Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry won't be seeing MCW in the 50/40/90 club anytime soon. Carter-Williams is a career 25.5 percent 3-point shooter, though to his credit his attempts have gone down in each of his past three seasons. Fred Hoiberg would like to make that 4-for-4 this season, especially if he's playing on a second unit with Doug McDermott, Denzel Valentine and potentially Nikola Mirotic. The lack of 3-point shooting will hurt in Hoiberg's offense, but he'll find other ways to contribute (see above). Carter-Williams actually shot a career-best 47.2 percent on 2-pointers last season, helping bump his field goal percentage to 45.2 percent, also the best of his career. He struggled at the free throw line (65.4 percent), which would have been 11th worst among guards had he qualified. Carter isn't a terrible dribble-and-driver, and his height helps him finish over smaller defenders, but outside of that he's pretty limited.
Turnovers: For as good as Carter-Williams is finding his own teammates, he's found opponents quite a bit, too. Carter-Williams was sixth in the NBA in turnovers per game each of his first two seasons. And even in a diminished role in Milwaukee a year he managed to rank 25th in the league at 2.8 turnovers per game; to put that in perspective, Derrick Rose averaged 2.7 turnovers per game while playing more minutes. His taking care of the ball will be crucial on a second unit void of true ball handlers. Many of Carter-Williams miscues come from trying to force too often, so if Hoiberg can put him in drive-and-kick situations or more structured sets that number could go down.
Injuries: Carter-Williams missed 12 games as a rookie, 16 in his sophomore year and 28 last season. His season was cut short a year ago after he suffered a torn labrum in his left hip that required surgery. He recovered in full in time for training camp and has played in the preseason this year for Milwaukee, but it's something to keep an eye on if it should ever pop up again. He also battled a knee injury last year before the hip shut him down in early March.
The value of a number: Michael Carter-Williams' decision to wear No. 7.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Given the political climate of the day, it’s fitting Michael Carter-Williams’ first lesson as a member of the Chicago Bulls was the art of diplomacy.
In a span of a few short hours, Carter-Williams went from preparing for a game against the Chicago Bulls Saturday night to finding out he was traded to the Bulls and had to deal with everything that came with being traded during the NBA season: Moving on short notice, saying goodbyes while saying hello to new people and experiences.
And in a few short hours Monday night, he went from picking out his old jersey, No. 1, to letting it go and selecting No. 7, after being told by the team he could reclaim the number he had throughout his life and his rookie year.
Whether it was the Twitterverse or the Bulls changing their minds about giving away Derrick Rose’s old jersey number, diplomacy prevailed by 10 p.m.
“I know the discussion is probably gonna be D-Rose’s old number,” Carter-Williams said in the hallway of the United Center while meeting the media for the first time before Monday’s game. “That has nothing to do with D-Rose. He was great for the city, he’s an excellent player. I’m not trying to step on anybody’s toes or boundaries. It’s just a number I like.”
His introduction to the Bulls won’t come with the mixed reaction of being compared to the hometown kid, and one would wonder why, given the bad luck Rose endured after his MVP campaign, Carter-Williams would even want to claim the number as his own again.
“I was (No.) 1 in college, (No.) 1 in Philly,” Carter-Williams said. “I feel like I had success in Philly, Rookie of the Year. I was (No.) 5 in Milwaukee. It’s a new place. I’m trying to get the chip on my shoulder back.”
He couldn’t wear No. 1 in Milwaukee due to Oscar Robertson’s jersey being retired there, and if he asked for it then, he was likely given a history lesson he’ll never forget.
The discussion about jersey numbers temporarily obscured the actual discussion about the Bulls’ acquiring a former Rookie of the Year to bolster their bench as a backup point guard and in addition, changed the narrative for why such a talented and productive player has been traded twice before hitting restricted free agency.
Before then, most discussion revolved around why the Bulls picked up yet another perimeter player whose 3-point shooting was closer to the Mendoza line than the league average.
“I don’t really know. Some places work for some people,” Carter-Williams said. “Some places don’t. I was able to have success my rookie year and I got moved. That’s the business of the game. Crazy things happen in this league. Those are things you can’t focus on.”
In context, though, the Philadelphia 76ers were trading away and all assets during the short time Carter-Williams was there, as they went through their “tanking for the sake of tanking” phase.
And in Milwaukee, despite playing for a coach whose playing style was similar to his in Jason Kidd, the Bucks found a more dynamic wing man to initiate offense from the point guard spot than Carter-Williams in Giannis Antetokounmpo, making Carter-Williams expendable and thus, available for the Bulls to acquire him in exchange for Tony Snell.
“It really comes down to who fits best around him,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “You know, for us, again, it gives us a guy who can facilitate offense. The thing I'm excited about with our group is that we have multiple ballhandlers, multiple playmakers, and Michael certainly fits into that category. He's a guy that can get into the paint and make plays. For us, I think it's a good fit, and I'm excited to see what he brings to our team.”
Perhaps Carter-Williams will become a bit of a defensive irritant off the bench, given his history against the Bulls. In the deciding game of the Bulls-Bucks playoff series in 2015, Carter-Williams took a shot to the jaw from then-Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy on a drive. Subsequently, Dunleavy was speared, wrestling-style, from Antetokounmpo on a 3-point make.
“I think it was a great series, a great learning experience for me and the team then. I got to experience the playoffs. It was a fun series, things get physical. That’s how the playoffs are, guys get physical. That’s the game, the beauty of the game.
Whatever he did it worked. They won by a lot. It’s part of the game, I’m sure (Dunleavy) is a pretty good dude.”
The details of why an incident began were sketchy, but the series was chippy from the start, and Carter-Williams did a good job defending Rose for stretches. He knows that’s a big reason why the Bulls targeted him, in addition to seemingly being injury or disaster insurance for Rajon Rondo.
“I think I’m a defensive guy, pretty good at pressuring the ball, forcing turnovers,” Carter-Williams said. “Offensively, getting in the lane, getting rebounds and pushing it up the floor and finding my teammates.”
“I think I’m a basketball player and basketball players can adapt to any situation. I have been fortunate to start a lot in my career. I’m looking to learn a lot from Rondo.”
Learning the Bulls’ system and his teammates is priority number one, as Carter-Williams said, “We’re definitely a playoff team, so I’m looking to help the team in any way I can. That’s my main focus.”
Battling the ghost of the old number one wasn’t a battle worth fighting, showing if nothing else, he’s a quick learner.
Four observations from Bulls' preseason loss to Hornets.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Here are four observations from the Bulls’ 108-104 overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night at the United Center.
Late arrival
At times, the Bulls’ defense was a whirling dervish Monday: blocking shots, defending the passing lanes, suffocating ballhandlers on the perimeter for spells at a time.
Too bad it usually occurs 30 minutes after the game’s start, as the first quarter looked like a team playing a step slow and gambling to try to keep up. It’s been a preseason-long trend, one that hasn’t shown many signs of changing with the season-opener 10 days away.
It put the Bulls in a 14-point deficit late in the first as the Hornets shot 55 percent.
“We’re watching clips of when we gamble, and it does break our defense down,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Other teams make us pay when that happens. I think we’re doing it a little less than early on (in the preseason). We just have to fight harder.”
They fought back, and it showed, especially with Robin Lopez chasing down fast breaks for blocked shots and Dwyane Wade snuffing out two Nic Batum jumpers in succession to cause a shot clock violation. As a whole, the Bulls had 17 blocked shots, so the potential is there.
“I like our resolve, our fight,” Hoiberg said. “I like how we’re getting back into the game. We have to play a complete 48-minute game.”
The two Alphas
Each had his moment where he put his imprint on the game through some form, giving credence to some of the optimism that surrounds Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo.
Wade was able to get into the lane multiple times for good looks and even hit a corner triple in transition. He and Butler both shot 5-for-11 from the field, looking every bit as comfortable on offense, despite the lack of space.
Wade seems to get his footing when he re-enters late in the first quarter as opposed to starting out aggressively, and Hoiberg likes bringing him back to finish quarters because of his ability to create shots so easily.
For the preseason, and yes this is a small sample size, Wade is shooting 55 percent (6-for-11) from 3-point range.
“I don’t have any worries about Dwyane, he’s had a great preseason so far and I’m happy to have him on our side,” Hoiberg said.
Cutting back on mistakes
Late arrival
At times, the Bulls’ defense was a whirling dervish Monday: blocking shots, defending the passing lanes, suffocating ballhandlers on the perimeter for spells at a time.
Too bad it usually occurs 30 minutes after the game’s start, as the first quarter looked like a team playing a step slow and gambling to try to keep up. It’s been a preseason-long trend, one that hasn’t shown many signs of changing with the season-opener 10 days away.
It put the Bulls in a 14-point deficit late in the first as the Hornets shot 55 percent.
“We’re watching clips of when we gamble, and it does break our defense down,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Other teams make us pay when that happens. I think we’re doing it a little less than early on (in the preseason). We just have to fight harder.”
They fought back, and it showed, especially with Robin Lopez chasing down fast breaks for blocked shots and Dwyane Wade snuffing out two Nic Batum jumpers in succession to cause a shot clock violation. As a whole, the Bulls had 17 blocked shots, so the potential is there.
“I like our resolve, our fight,” Hoiberg said. “I like how we’re getting back into the game. We have to play a complete 48-minute game.”
The two Alphas
Each had his moment where he put his imprint on the game through some form, giving credence to some of the optimism that surrounds Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo.
Wade was able to get into the lane multiple times for good looks and even hit a corner triple in transition. He and Butler both shot 5-for-11 from the field, looking every bit as comfortable on offense, despite the lack of space.
Wade seems to get his footing when he re-enters late in the first quarter as opposed to starting out aggressively, and Hoiberg likes bringing him back to finish quarters because of his ability to create shots so easily.
For the preseason, and yes this is a small sample size, Wade is shooting 55 percent (6-for-11) from 3-point range.
“I don’t have any worries about Dwyane, he’s had a great preseason so far and I’m happy to have him on our side,” Hoiberg said.
Cutting back on mistakes
It didn’t always feel like it, with the frenetic and aggressive pace of the game overall, but Rondo didn’t have any of the Bulls’ 19 turnovers credited to him on the stat sheet.
The 10 assists he compiled, though, seem to show his teammates are learning him more and getting accustomed to where those passes are going and where they need to be as he creates space.
“We have showed him some clips of his high-risk passes, I think he’s taking less risks,” Hoiberg said. “Sometimes he tries to squeeze the ball into a small space, and I think it goes both ways. He’s such a smart guy with a high basketball IQ. He’s going to figure it out.”
Niko hurt
If there was a turnover that could be attributed to Rondo, it was Nikola Mirotic’s back injury he suffered early in the second half when he tried to pull Mirotic through a screen. Mirotic took a fall, came up grimacing and was soon pulled out to head to the locker room. He didn’t return, the team calling it a lower back strain.
“Rondo pushed me hard in the back, and I felt a sharp pain,” Mirotic said. “I took some treatments, and I’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I was defending the pick and roll, and he pushed me to defend. I didn’t expect it, and I couldn’t move.”
Mirotic said he would undergo some treatment Monday night, and with three days before the final preseason game, he’s not overly concerned with it being a long-term ailment.
He struggled in his nine minutes, missing all four of his shots — all 3-point attempts, it should be said. He’s certainly pressing, especially as Taj Gibson certainly cements his place as a deserving starter — though Mirotic could very well wind up having his name called on opening night against the Celtics at the United Center.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Power Rankings: CIMB Classic.
By Rob Bolton
Hideki Matsuyama is in good form and finished inside the top 5 at last year's CIMB Classic. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
It often requires a couple of spins around a new track to understand where to ease off on the throttle and where a few dozen of the best golfers on the planet can open it up, but they always figure it out.
That’s one of the countless interpretations to explain what happened a year ago at TPC Kuala Lumpur (formerly Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club’s West Course), host of the CIMB Classic. The 78-man field decimated the course for a scoring average of 69.619, lowest on any par 72 that serves as a stand-alone host in seven years (2008 Shriners). Thanks to a new tee at the par-4 ninth hole, it’s 20 yards longer this year, but at just 7,005 yards with four par 5s, you can understand the litany of red numbers on the board.
Known for his affinity for scoring on par 5s, Justin Thomas converted an eagle and eight birdies on the set (finishing T3 in par-5 scoring) en route to his breakthrough title on the PGA TOUR. He moved into position with a course-record 61 in the second round and didn’t relinquish the lead, eventually posting 26-under 262 for a one-stroke victory over Adam Scott.
Thomas missed only 17 greens in regulation all week and still ranked a middling T29 in scoring opportunities. However, he connected for par breakers on those looks 30 times to pace the field in birdies-or-better percentage at a gaudy 54.55. He also led the field in putts per GIR (1.527) and buried a pair of birdies from lies off the green.
Central Malaysia experienced a relative dry summer, but nothing like the drought that prefaced last year’s third edition of the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Still, because of its tropical climate, rain and the potential for thunderstorms are almost always included in the conversation. They are again this week, but the threat is low, at least mid-tournament. Hot and humid conditions are expected, and wind is unlikely to be a factor, so expect another volume of low scores on a course that yielded a greens-in-regulation split of 74.21 percent last year, third-highest for any host all season. The rough will measure no more than two-and-a-half inches, while paspalum greens will peak at a TOUR-familiar and –friendly 11 feet on the Stimpmeter.
Power Rankings: CIMB Classic
It often requires a couple of spins around a new track to understand where to ease off on the throttle and where a few dozen of the best golfers on the planet can open it up, but they always figure it out.
That’s one of the countless interpretations to explain what happened a year ago at TPC Kuala Lumpur (formerly Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club’s West Course), host of the CIMB Classic. The 78-man field decimated the course for a scoring average of 69.619, lowest on any par 72 that serves as a stand-alone host in seven years (2008 Shriners). Thanks to a new tee at the par-4 ninth hole, it’s 20 yards longer this year, but at just 7,005 yards with four par 5s, you can understand the litany of red numbers on the board.
Known for his affinity for scoring on par 5s, Justin Thomas converted an eagle and eight birdies on the set (finishing T3 in par-5 scoring) en route to his breakthrough title on the PGA TOUR. He moved into position with a course-record 61 in the second round and didn’t relinquish the lead, eventually posting 26-under 262 for a one-stroke victory over Adam Scott.
Thomas missed only 17 greens in regulation all week and still ranked a middling T29 in scoring opportunities. However, he connected for par breakers on those looks 30 times to pace the field in birdies-or-better percentage at a gaudy 54.55. He also led the field in putts per GIR (1.527) and buried a pair of birdies from lies off the green.
Central Malaysia experienced a relative dry summer, but nothing like the drought that prefaced last year’s third edition of the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Still, because of its tropical climate, rain and the potential for thunderstorms are almost always included in the conversation. They are again this week, but the threat is low, at least mid-tournament. Hot and humid conditions are expected, and wind is unlikely to be a factor, so expect another volume of low scores on a course that yielded a greens-in-regulation split of 74.21 percent last year, third-highest for any host all season. The rough will measure no more than two-and-a-half inches, while paspalum greens will peak at a TOUR-familiar and –friendly 11 feet on the Stimpmeter.
Power Rankings: CIMB Classic
1. Paul Casey, No recent non-winner is hotter right now. In his last four starts, he’s gone 2nd-2nd-4th-T3 with an adjusting scoring average of 68.52 in those 16 rounds.
2. Hideki Matsuyama, Fresh off a three-stroke win at the Japan Open Golf Championship. Solo fifth at both East Lake in previous start and TPC Kuala Lumpur in 2015.
3. Patrick Reed, Embarking on busy fall abroad, just how he loves it. Rested since historic singles match at Ryder Cup. Fourth start at TPC Kuala Lumpur; T10 last year.
4. Ryan Moore, The two-time champ at TPC Kuala Lumpur placed T10 last year. Recently finished T2 at East Lake and clinched victory in singles at the Ryder Cup.
5. Justin Thomas, Defending first title, so it’s a new experience. Otherwise, all systems are go coming off a T8 at Silverado. Placed T6 in East Lake debut three weeks prior.
6. Kevin Na, Continues to thrive in the fall. Solo seventh last week in Napa. He’s gone T2-T3 at the CIMB Classic with an actual scoring average of 67.25.
7. Adam Scott, Missed cut in Japan last week was first anywhere since 2015 Barclays! Runner-up in debut here last year. Led the field in par-5 scoring (4.13).
8. Gary Woodland, Runner-up to Ryan Moore twice. Opened with 75 and finished T56 last year. Punctuated consistently strong 2016 with T4-T15-T24-T10 in Playoffs.
9. Scott Piercy, Missed only 15 GIR at Silverado last week en route to a T3; led outright after 18 and 36 holes. Opened a solo seventh here last year with 10-under 62.
10. Brendan Steele, Ranked sixth in strokes gained: putting and co-led Safeway field in par-5 scoring en route to victory. Co-led CIMB after 54 holes last year; finished T3.
11. Sergio Garcia, The regular at TPC Kuala Lumpur has finished a respective T11, T2 and T24 and averaged 69.08 in 12 rounds. Relatively quiet of late, but doesn’t slump.
12. Ryo Ishikawa, On fire since returning to competition in earnest in August after sitting out several months due to lumbar discopathy: Win-T2-3rd-T7, all in Japan.
13. Emiliano Grillo, With eight top 15s in his last 13 starts worldwide (including the Olympics), he’s a proven contender. Ranked 27th in GIR on the 2015-16 PGA TOUR.
14. Byeong Hun An, Options abound thanks to a fruitful 17-month stretch, but just two starts since Olympics’ T11: solo third (KLM Open), T15 (Shinhan Donghae Open).
15. Si Woo Kim, Two weeks after T10 at East Lake, finished T2 at the K.J. Choi Invitational in native South Korea. Four top 15s in six starts since Wyndham breakthrough.
Love, Woosnam, Mallon, Ochoa in '17 HOF class.
By Ryan Lavner
Davis Love III’s rewarding year got even better Tuesday when it was announced that he was among the five new inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The 21-time PGA Tour winner will be enshrined along with Ian Woosnam, Lorena Ochoa, Meg Mallon and Henry Longhurst next September in New York City.
Love won 12 of his 21 titles during the 1990s, including his lone major, the 1997 PGA. He also captured a pair of Players victories, and in 2015, at the age of 51, he took the Wyndham to become the third-oldest winner in Tour history. Last month, he guided the U.S. Ryder Cup team to just its second win since 1999 and its largest margin of victory in 35 years.
Woosnam, 58, won the Masters in 1991 and earned 29 European Tour titles, which ranks sixth all time. He also was a two-time European Tour Player of the Year (1987 and ’90).
Ochoa surprised many by announcing her retirement in 2010, in the prime of her career. Just 28 at the time, the Mexican star stepped away to start a family. She had been No. 1 in the world for three years, winning 27 events in a six-season span. This is the first year that Ochoa, who turns 35 next month, was eligible for induction, after being five years removed from active membership.
Mallon, 53, got the call after a career that included 18 LPGA titles, four majors (most recently the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open) and eight Solheim Cup appearances. She retired in 2010.
Longhurst, who died in 1978, was a British golf writer and commentator who spent 45 years with the Sunday Times.
The induction ceremony will be held Sept. 26, in conjunction with the Presidents Cup at Liberty National.
Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and Nancy Lopez served as co-chairs of the 18-person selection committee. The five inductees received at least 75 percent of the vote.
Mickelson's winless year still a success.
A 4-foot par putt amid a drizzling rain at the Safeway Open closed out of the strangest years in the long career of Phil Mickelson.
In many ways, Mickelson's maiden appearance in Napa served as a microcosm for his past 10 months. He did a lot of things well, and left with a respectable T-8 finish. But he also made enough errors along the way to keep himself from ever getting closer than the fringe of contention.
Mickelson was making a rare fall start this week, his first since the 2013 WGC-HSBC Champions. He's unlikely to tee it up again until the CareerBuilder Challenge in January, meaning that his year - from a competitive standpoint - is now over.
Make no mistake, Mickelson's 2016 was nothing short of a renaissance. After combining for only four top-10 finishes in the 2013 and 2014 seasons and struggling with consistency, Lefty notched six such results last season and added a seventh on Sunday in soggy Napa. At age 46, he seems as devoted to his craft as ever.
"I don't feel like it's been physically more demanding, because maybe it's just because I'm in better shape this year than I have been," Mickelson said to start the week. "My energy level is up, and I'm excited to play."
There were plenty of highlights on the Mickelson 2016 reel, notably led by his 10-birdie performance in his epic match against Sergio Garcia at the Ryder Cup earlier this month. It was a tournament in which Mickelson was incredibly invested, for better or worse, and an outcome that he relished as a result.
But on the stroke-play side, Mickelson's best performances were tinged with disappointment.
There was, of course, his unforgettable duel with Henrik Stenson at the Open Championship, where Mickelson's score was good enough to win all but a handful of Opens - but not enough to match the Swede. And there was Pebble Beach, where Mickelson rekindled a bit of his old magic on a familiar layout but missed a short putt on the 72nd hole to lose to Vaughn Taylor.
They are results that kept a good year from becoming a great one. Mickelson's winless drought became a notable storyline many months ago, as his most recent victory remains the 2013 Open. For perspective, that spell is three weeks longer than the winless drought of Tiger Woods, who withdrew earlier in the week and whose return to competition remains in question.
The lack of hardware continues to be a sticking point, but it shouldn't distract from the fact that Mickelson made significant improvements in a variety of areas at an age when many players are simply counting the days to the Champions Tour.
While his short game has been a trademark for more than two decades, Mickelson found a way to improve his putting: from 52nd in strokes gained in 2014 and 41st in 2015 to ninth this past season. There was an even more pronounced spike in his strokes gained on approach shots, where Mickelson vaulted from 104th to fifth on Tour in a single season.
The area that remains a concern, and the issue that continued to nag him this week at Silverado Resort & Spa, is the driver, and it's an issue Mickelson fully intends to address in the coming months as he steps away from competition.
"I feel like from the irons on in after the drive, my game is as good or better than just about anybody in the world, but off the tee I'm playing from such a disadvantage that I have to fix that," Mickelson said Wednesday. "If I can fix my drive and drive it effectively, I'm very confident in my abilities thereafter, so it should hopefully be a good year."
Few knew what to expect from Mickelson entering this year, and given his stat line and performance in several of the biggest tournaments, you might have expected him to have a couple tournament victories to reflect on this holiday season.
But while the wait continues for career win No. 43, Mickelson was able to make clear and substantial strides after beginning the year with more questions than answers.
It's not the end result he would have liked, but it's certainly a start.
NASCAR: Power Rankings: Kevin Harvick stakes his claim to No. 1.
2. Hideki Matsuyama, Fresh off a three-stroke win at the Japan Open Golf Championship. Solo fifth at both East Lake in previous start and TPC Kuala Lumpur in 2015.
3. Patrick Reed, Embarking on busy fall abroad, just how he loves it. Rested since historic singles match at Ryder Cup. Fourth start at TPC Kuala Lumpur; T10 last year.
4. Ryan Moore, The two-time champ at TPC Kuala Lumpur placed T10 last year. Recently finished T2 at East Lake and clinched victory in singles at the Ryder Cup.
5. Justin Thomas, Defending first title, so it’s a new experience. Otherwise, all systems are go coming off a T8 at Silverado. Placed T6 in East Lake debut three weeks prior.
6. Kevin Na, Continues to thrive in the fall. Solo seventh last week in Napa. He’s gone T2-T3 at the CIMB Classic with an actual scoring average of 67.25.
7. Adam Scott, Missed cut in Japan last week was first anywhere since 2015 Barclays! Runner-up in debut here last year. Led the field in par-5 scoring (4.13).
8. Gary Woodland, Runner-up to Ryan Moore twice. Opened with 75 and finished T56 last year. Punctuated consistently strong 2016 with T4-T15-T24-T10 in Playoffs.
9. Scott Piercy, Missed only 15 GIR at Silverado last week en route to a T3; led outright after 18 and 36 holes. Opened a solo seventh here last year with 10-under 62.
10. Brendan Steele, Ranked sixth in strokes gained: putting and co-led Safeway field in par-5 scoring en route to victory. Co-led CIMB after 54 holes last year; finished T3.
11. Sergio Garcia, The regular at TPC Kuala Lumpur has finished a respective T11, T2 and T24 and averaged 69.08 in 12 rounds. Relatively quiet of late, but doesn’t slump.
12. Ryo Ishikawa, On fire since returning to competition in earnest in August after sitting out several months due to lumbar discopathy: Win-T2-3rd-T7, all in Japan.
13. Emiliano Grillo, With eight top 15s in his last 13 starts worldwide (including the Olympics), he’s a proven contender. Ranked 27th in GIR on the 2015-16 PGA TOUR.
14. Byeong Hun An, Options abound thanks to a fruitful 17-month stretch, but just two starts since Olympics’ T11: solo third (KLM Open), T15 (Shinhan Donghae Open).
15. Si Woo Kim, Two weeks after T10 at East Lake, finished T2 at the K.J. Choi Invitational in native South Korea. Four top 15s in six starts since Wyndham breakthrough.
Love, Woosnam, Mallon, Ochoa in '17 HOF class.
By Ryan Lavner
Davis Love III’s rewarding year got even better Tuesday when it was announced that he was among the five new inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The 21-time PGA Tour winner will be enshrined along with Ian Woosnam, Lorena Ochoa, Meg Mallon and Henry Longhurst next September in New York City.
Love won 12 of his 21 titles during the 1990s, including his lone major, the 1997 PGA. He also captured a pair of Players victories, and in 2015, at the age of 51, he took the Wyndham to become the third-oldest winner in Tour history. Last month, he guided the U.S. Ryder Cup team to just its second win since 1999 and its largest margin of victory in 35 years.
Woosnam, 58, won the Masters in 1991 and earned 29 European Tour titles, which ranks sixth all time. He also was a two-time European Tour Player of the Year (1987 and ’90).
Ochoa surprised many by announcing her retirement in 2010, in the prime of her career. Just 28 at the time, the Mexican star stepped away to start a family. She had been No. 1 in the world for three years, winning 27 events in a six-season span. This is the first year that Ochoa, who turns 35 next month, was eligible for induction, after being five years removed from active membership.
Mallon, 53, got the call after a career that included 18 LPGA titles, four majors (most recently the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open) and eight Solheim Cup appearances. She retired in 2010.
Longhurst, who died in 1978, was a British golf writer and commentator who spent 45 years with the Sunday Times.
The induction ceremony will be held Sept. 26, in conjunction with the Presidents Cup at Liberty National.
Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and Nancy Lopez served as co-chairs of the 18-person selection committee. The five inductees received at least 75 percent of the vote.
Mickelson's winless year still a success.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel)
A 4-foot par putt amid a drizzling rain at the Safeway Open closed out of the strangest years in the long career of Phil Mickelson.
In many ways, Mickelson's maiden appearance in Napa served as a microcosm for his past 10 months. He did a lot of things well, and left with a respectable T-8 finish. But he also made enough errors along the way to keep himself from ever getting closer than the fringe of contention.
Mickelson was making a rare fall start this week, his first since the 2013 WGC-HSBC Champions. He's unlikely to tee it up again until the CareerBuilder Challenge in January, meaning that his year - from a competitive standpoint - is now over.
Make no mistake, Mickelson's 2016 was nothing short of a renaissance. After combining for only four top-10 finishes in the 2013 and 2014 seasons and struggling with consistency, Lefty notched six such results last season and added a seventh on Sunday in soggy Napa. At age 46, he seems as devoted to his craft as ever.
"I don't feel like it's been physically more demanding, because maybe it's just because I'm in better shape this year than I have been," Mickelson said to start the week. "My energy level is up, and I'm excited to play."
There were plenty of highlights on the Mickelson 2016 reel, notably led by his 10-birdie performance in his epic match against Sergio Garcia at the Ryder Cup earlier this month. It was a tournament in which Mickelson was incredibly invested, for better or worse, and an outcome that he relished as a result.
But on the stroke-play side, Mickelson's best performances were tinged with disappointment.
There was, of course, his unforgettable duel with Henrik Stenson at the Open Championship, where Mickelson's score was good enough to win all but a handful of Opens - but not enough to match the Swede. And there was Pebble Beach, where Mickelson rekindled a bit of his old magic on a familiar layout but missed a short putt on the 72nd hole to lose to Vaughn Taylor.
They are results that kept a good year from becoming a great one. Mickelson's winless drought became a notable storyline many months ago, as his most recent victory remains the 2013 Open. For perspective, that spell is three weeks longer than the winless drought of Tiger Woods, who withdrew earlier in the week and whose return to competition remains in question.
The lack of hardware continues to be a sticking point, but it shouldn't distract from the fact that Mickelson made significant improvements in a variety of areas at an age when many players are simply counting the days to the Champions Tour.
While his short game has been a trademark for more than two decades, Mickelson found a way to improve his putting: from 52nd in strokes gained in 2014 and 41st in 2015 to ninth this past season. There was an even more pronounced spike in his strokes gained on approach shots, where Mickelson vaulted from 104th to fifth on Tour in a single season.
The area that remains a concern, and the issue that continued to nag him this week at Silverado Resort & Spa, is the driver, and it's an issue Mickelson fully intends to address in the coming months as he steps away from competition.
"I feel like from the irons on in after the drive, my game is as good or better than just about anybody in the world, but off the tee I'm playing from such a disadvantage that I have to fix that," Mickelson said Wednesday. "If I can fix my drive and drive it effectively, I'm very confident in my abilities thereafter, so it should hopefully be a good year."
Few knew what to expect from Mickelson entering this year, and given his stat line and performance in several of the biggest tournaments, you might have expected him to have a couple tournament victories to reflect on this holiday season.
But while the wait continues for career win No. 43, Mickelson was able to make clear and substantial strides after beginning the year with more questions than answers.
It's not the end result he would have liked, but it's certainly a start.
NASCAR: Power Rankings: Kevin Harvick stakes his claim to No. 1.
Kevin Harvick led 74 laps on Sunday. (Getty)
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 7): There’s only one time Kevin Harvick hasn’t gotten a win when he’s needed it in the Chase. And that was at last year’s season finale at Homestead when he finished second to Kyle Busch. Not bad at all.
Had Harvick not gotten a win at Kansas to move on to the third round his Talladega could have been a bit more distracting than most. Remember what happened in 2015 with the cautions at the end of last year’s race and Trevor Bayne? It’s impossible to forget. The win means Harvick can simply laugh at any and all mentions and simply flash three fingers for the third round instead of wondering if a similar situation will dictate his Chase chances once again.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): We are so brutal. After vaulting Johnson seven spots thanks to his Charlotte win last week, the six-time champion drops a spot despite finishing fourth. Poor guy.
Johnson had a fast car throughout most of Sunday’s race, though it wasn’t as fast as the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs Racing or Harvick’s car. We’re interested to see what the Talladega strategy is for Johnson and Harvick. How much do they work with their teammates to get them (Harvick teammate Kurt Busch and Johnson teammate Chase Elliott) into the third round?
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): Busch was one of those fast Toyotas, but he wasn’t really, really fast. For a brief moment it looked like Busch was going to be a contender for the win late in the race after he exploded from seventh to second immediately after the race’s final restart.
But once Carl Edwards’ tires heat-cycled, Edwards had a car that could run with Busch and the side-by-side racing between the two derailed any hopes of either car catching Harvick. Busch ended up finishing fifth and is a healthy 27 points ahead of the Chase cutoff.
4. Matt Kenseth (LW: 2): The only guy who has more points than Busch in the second round of the Chase is Kenseth, who finished ninth after starting first. Kenseth is in the best position of any non-winner this round, a stark contrast to where he was in the standings after Kansas a year ago.
But Kenseth was unhappy after the race given how dominant his car was at the beginning of the race. He said some contact with the wall and contact with Alex Bowman made his car refuse to turn, hence his backslide throughout the second half of the race.
5. Carl Edwards (LW: 9): Edwards has perhaps the best poker face of any driver in the garage, but it’s clearly obvious how much he wants to win at Kansas. And yes, Edwards was disappointed after Sunday’s race.
He looked like he was in position to get his first Cup win at what he considers his home track, but Harvick rocketed past him on the final restart with 30 laps to go and zipped away for the win.
On the bright side, it’s the most speed Edwards has shown in quite some time. His second was the best finish he’s had since Kentucky and his 61 laps led were the most laps he’s led since Richmond … in the spring.
6. Joey Logano (LW: 11): Logano showed why he’s one of the best drivers at restarts on that final restart. He got a great jump on Jimmie Johnson ahead of him and put Johnson three-wide entering turn 1 to cleanly make the pass.
Logano finished third, even if he might not have had the third-fastest car throughout the race. The finish means that Logano can go to Talladega knowing that if he finishes ahead of the four cars behind him in the standings he’s moving on in the Chase.
7. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5): Is the second round the return of the crazy luck that Truex has shown throughout the season? Truex won two races in the first round of the Chase but his car stalled leaving pit road on the final pit stop of the race at Charlotte a week ago.
Sunday Truex’s team had an issue with fueling the car as the engagement between the fuel can and the car’s fuel intake was problematic. The issue meant Truex’s car wasn’t full of gas multiple times, though the issues could have been worse had it not been for a fortuitous caution in the middle of the race. Truex ended up finishing 11th.
8. Kurt Busch (LW: 6): Busch is surviving and advancing. After finishing eighth at Charlotte, Busch was 13th at Kansas with a backup car. Busch was forced to go to a backup on Saturday when his car dug through the infield grass after a tire went flat off turn 4.
If only we knew Busch’s practice misfortune would be a sign of things to come during the race. In addition to Keselowski’s car getting blown up because of the grass, Aric Almirola’s car was also eaten by the infield on Sunday.
9. Austin Dillon (LW: 12): Major props to the No. 3 team for again trying the two-tire strategy that backfired so hideously at Charlotte.
A late two-tire stop put Dillon on the front row for the second-to-last restart of the race. He was gobbled up by the field in turns 1 and 2, but that gobbling refers to simply being passed by other cars and not getting bumped into the wall.
Dillon finished sixth and is tied with Joey Logano for the final spot in the third round. Expect a lot of references to Dale Earnhardt if the No. 3 is successful at Talladega.
10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 4): Keselowski better capitalize on that Talladega magic.
After crashing at Kansas — well, being eaten by the infield grass monster — Keselowski needs another successful day at Talladega if he wants to move on in the Chase. Or, because he’s just seven points outside the top eight, he could also benefit from other drivers’ misfortune.
Keselowski was right when he said Sunday that he wasn’t in a win-and-in situation at Talladega. His good finish at Charlotte means he’s in striking distance, unlike where he was in 2014 when his only way of advancing in the Chase was at Talladega. Watching NASCAR’s best restrictor plate racer (remember, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is out) in a situation where he must run up front all day will be a hell of a storyline.
11. Denny Hamlin (LW: 8): There’s Martin Truex Jr. luck and there’s Denny Hamlin luck. That Hamlin finished 15th on Sunday at Kansas is nothing short of amazing given the calamity that he experienced throughout the race.
The caution that happened when Hamlin was limping his car around the track for a damaged splitter will be the moment of the Chase for Hamlin if he moves on at Talladega. Had he been forced to pit under green for the problem he would have lost multiple laps, either because of being slow on the track or because of the repairs on pit road.
Instead, Hamlin’s team got the problem fixed … and then committed multiple pit road penalties late in the race.
12. Chase Elliott (LW: 10): If there’s a driver who needs to win at Talladega to advance, it’s Elliott. He’s 25 points behind eighth after a disastrous day at Kansas. Much like Charlotte, it was going well — Elliott led laps again — and then the boulder fell off a cliff.
A left-rear wheel issue led to a tire rub that Elliott had to pit for. Then he hit the wall a couple times and the problem got worse. Elliott was forced to limp his car to pit road late in the race and ultimately finished three laps down.
Lucky Dog: Alex Bowman hit the wall (and Matt Kenseth, apparently) and finished seventh. And he was sick too.
The DNF: Jamie McMurray hit the wall and finished 37th.
Who is hot and cold entering the Alabama 500 at Talladega.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Getty Images)
Recent races at Talladega Superspeedway usually deliver in the last 10 laps, if not the last one.
Only twice in the last 26 races has the final green-flag run lasted longer than 10 laps. In the 94-race history of the 2.66-mile track, there have been 23 last-lap passes for the win. In the 12 Chase for the Sprint Cup races it’s held, there have been seven.
However, four of the last six races, including the last two visits, have ended under caution.
But this is Talladega. None of these numbers mean anything. Bring on the chaos.
Here’s who is hot and cold entering the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Brad Keselowski
- Lost 32 points to the bubble at Kansas after an accident left him with his season-worst finish of 38th and his first DNF since the 2015 Daytona 500.
- Finished top 10 in seven of the last eight races.
- Won the fall 2014 Talladega race in a must-win situation. Has won at Talladega three times in 11 races and is the only repeat winner in that time.
- Won May Talladega race and the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.
Kyle Busch
- Top-10 finishes in the last six races, best streak of 2016.
- One of two drivers with top-10 finishes in all five Chase races in 2016 (Matt Kenseth).
- Finished 25th or worse in 11 of 22 Talladega starts.
- Finished in the top three in all three restrictor-plate races this season.
- Kansas was first Chase race this year he didn’t lead a lap in.
Matt Kenseth
- Top-10 finishes in the last five races, including two runner-up results.
- Since 2013 Daytona, has finished 14th or worse in 12 of 15 restrictor-plate races.
- Only one finish of 20th or better in last six Talladega starts.
Jimmie Johnson
- Finished top 10 in the last four races, best streak of 2016 after having only four top 10s in the
prior 18 races. - 363 laps led in the Chase, 266 in the regular season.
- One top 10 in last six Talladega starts.
- Already advanced to Round of Eight with Charlotte win.
WHO IS COLD?
Carl Edwards
- Finished fifth in this race last year, his only top-20 finish in the last five races at Talladega.
- Two top 10s in last seven races.
- Seven DNFs in 24 Talladega starts.
- Top five at Kansas was first since Kentucky in July.
- Won pole at Talladega in May and finished fifth.
- Results of 31st and 33rd (DNF) at Kansas and Charlotte.
- Top 10s in four of the last eight races.
- Last on the Chase grid, 25 points back from eighth.
- After winning two races in the first round, finished outside top 10 at Charlotte and Kansas.
- Had an issue in 23 of the 31 races this season, including a fueling problem at Kansas.
- Four top 10s in the last seven races at Talladega (finished 13th in May).
- Five top 10s in the last 14 plate races (nearly won the 2016 Daytona 500).
Other notes of interest ahead of the Alabama 500.
- The No. 24 car has won the last three poles at Talladega. Two with Jeff Gordon in 2015 and one with Chase Elliott in May.
- Team Penske has won three of the last four Talladega races. All four of its Talladega wins have come in the last nine races.
- Hendrick Motorsports has led the most laps in four of the last six Talladega races, but won only once (Dale Earnhardt Jr., May 2015).
- The driver leading the most laps won only two of the last 13 races at Talladega (Keselowski, May 2016; Earnhardt, May 2015).
NASCAR America: Should Sprint Cup drivers be allowed in Xfinity races?
By Dustin Long
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
After a weekend that saw Sprint Cup regular Kyle Busch win the Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway and Cup driver Kyle Larson hinder Xfinity title contender Erik Jones‘ chances of a win or strong finish, talk has again surfaced on if Cup drivers should be competing in the Xfinity Series.
Earlier this week, NASCAR executive Steve O’Donnell told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that fans should “stay tuned” for an announcement “fairly soon” on the issue.
With all of that brewing, NBC Sports analysts Jeff Burton and Parker Kligerman debated the issue.
“It’s a very difficult solution,” Burton said on NASCAR America. “The reason I became a Cup driver is because of the opportunity to run in the Xfinity Series and race against Harry Gant, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt. Every now and then I could run with them. If none of them were there, I could win. But that propelled me, that gave me the opportunity to get to the Cup Series. A Cup owner, Billy Stavola and Mickey Stavola, they watched me run in the Xfinity Series, they said, ‘Hey, that guy every now and then can run with Mark Martin, maybe he can be a Cup driver.’ Without that opportunity I don’t think I’m ever a Cup driver.
“I will say this, when I raced against Mark Martin, he didn’t drive (in the Xfinity Series) for Jack Roush. When I raced (against) Harry Gant, he did not drive for his Cup team. When I raced Dale Earnhardt, he ran his Xfinity team out of a small shop on his property. I wasn’t racing against Richard Childress Racing. I was racing against smaller race teams. As the Xfinity Series has evolved, they’re not miniature Cup teams.”
Burton also said that permitting Cup drivers to race in the series allows Xfinity drivers to stand out to show that they can compete in the Cup level.
Kligerman said: “I’m going to play some devil’s advocate with you and say, ‘OK, if tomorrow Kyle Busch and all the other Sprint Cup regulars could not run the Xfinity Series, then we would not evaluate drivers, young drivers coming up by saying ‘If they can beat Kyle Busch or beat Brad Keselowski.’ ”
Burton noted that “the way we’ve always done things doesn’t mean that is the right way to do it. Racing is always an evolution … and we need to be looking at better ways to do things.”
SOCCER: Can an MLS team make the Club World Cup?
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Major League Soccer’s unorthodox calendar has been a ready-made excuse any time a team is bounced from the CONCACAF Champions League.
But MLS sides have found more success in the tournament as the league has grown in renown, and Montreal made a rare trip to the CCL final in 2014-15.
And we’ve also got your breakdown for the 2017-18 tournament, which begins next summer.
Current CCL group stage — 2016-17
Vancouver and the New York Red Bulls have already clinched spots in the quarterfinals next Spring ahead of this week’s final group stage matches, and both Dallas and Portland have decent shots to advance.
The Timbers need to win when Costa Rica powers Saprissa visit on Wednesday, and you can expect some serious bunkering down from El Glorioso Monstruo Morado.
Meanwhile, FC Dallas’ Thursday trip to Guatemala will see it through to the quarters if it can draw or beat Suchitepéquez. The two sides drew blanks in Frisco earlier this summer.
Next season’s CCL group stage — 2017-18
Three of the five slots have been clinched. Since FC Dallas won the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, it’s fate is clinched in next summer’s tournament.
Colorado is also in, as it will either win the Supporters’ Shield or finish second to FC Dallas.
Also in the tourney is Toronto FC, which won its first Canadian Championship since 2012.
Also set to advance is the Eastern Conference Champion, which is extremely likely to be the Red Bulls. RBNY has a three-point lead on New York City FC and the edge in the likely tiebreakers.
Finally, the MLS Cup winner will advance. Should it be one of the above five teams, it would fall to the runner-up. From that point, it goes to the highest remaining team in the Supporters’ Shield table.
Champions League roundup: Real, Leicester win; Pulisic goes 90 for Dortmund.
By Matt Reed
(Photo/Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
While both Premier League sides in action on Tuesday took points away from their UEFA Champions League matches, there were several other intriguing fixtures elsewhere in Europe’s top competition.
Leicester City earned a key win to remain perfect in three matches, while Tottenham fought endlessly to preserve a point against Bayer Leverkusen.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund each earned victories of their own, and Juventus pulled out a late winner against Lyon.
Real Madrid 5-1 Legia Warsaw
With four different goalscorers and an own goal on the afternoon as well as three points in the bag, Tuesday’s result was everything Real Madrid could have wanted against their lesser opponent. Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio each scored for the hosts prior to halftime, while Lucas Vasquez and Alvaro Morata gave Real its fourth and fifth goals, respectively, on the other side of halftime.
Miroslav Radovic gave Warsaw temporary life in the 22nd minute when the attacker cut the Real lead to 2-1, however, it wasn’t his side’s day.
Sporting Lisbon 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
While U.S. international Christian Pulisic went the full 90 minutes for Dortmund, the German side was given everything it could handle against Sporting. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Julian Wiegl each found the back of the net for Dortmund in the first 45 minutes, while Bruno Cesar made things interesting for the hosts in the 67th minute.
Note: Pulisic hit the crossbar in the 78th minute, but the young attacker’s effort stayed out.
Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Tottenham
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez thought he had given his side the lead in the 48th minute but Hugo Lloris had other ideas as the Tottenham keeper narrowly kept the ball out of his net. Both sides had devastatingly close chances in the attacking third but the teams had to settle for a point apiece.
Lyon 0-1 Juventus
Despite going down to 10 men early in the second half Juventus fought back and earned the win by way of Juan Cuadrado‘s finish 14 minutes from time.
Club Brugge 1-2 FC Porto
Andre Silva waited until about as late as possible to give Porto all three points, but the Portuguese side came away victorious nonetheless. After Jelle Vossen handed Brugge the advantage after just 12 minutes, second-half tallies from Miguel Layun and Silva
Leicester City 1-0 Copenhagen
Despite only taking eight points in as many matches in the Premier League, Leicester kept its unbeaten run alive in the Champions League on Tuesday. Riyad Mahrez cleverly finished Islam Slimani‘s nodded cross, and that was enough for the Foxes to remain firmly atop Group G.
CSKA Moscow 1-1 AS Monaco
Lacina Traore gave Moscow the lead in the first half, but Bernardo Silva’s late heroics earned the French side a share of the points to keep Monaco at the top of Group E.
Dinamo Zagreb 0-1 Sevilla
Samir Nasri netted prior to halftime to give the Spanish side the lead, and the visitors simply never looked back from there.
UEFA Champions League preview: Barcelona hosts Man City, Arsenal meets Ludogorets.
By Matt Reed
(Photo/Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Manchester City and Arsenal are both in action in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League play, while several other of Europe’s top sides will also take the pitch.
The day will be dominated by Barcelona‘s clash with the Citizens as both sides look to further separate themselves in Group C. The Blaugrana have scored nine times in their opening two UCL matches this season, while City isn’t far behind with seven of their own. Pep Guardiola‘s side is winless in its last three matches across all competitions, and Wednesday’s meeting with Lionel Messi and co. won’t make things any easier.
FC Rostov put in a solid effort against PSV Eindhoven the last time out on the pitch in UCL action, however, the Russians will face a significantly more challenging fixture when they host Atletico Madrid. After a slow start to the domestic season, Atletico has come on strong as of late, including netting seven goals in their last time out against Granada.
In Group A play, both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain look to pull away from the pack as the two clubs set their sights on the knockout phase. The Gunners host Ludogorets from the Emirates, while Parisians take on Basel. While both big boys will be considerable favorites on the day and to advance out of the group, Arsenal and PSG each need strong performances as they search for the top spot in Group A.
Wednesday’s UCL matches (all matches at 2:45 p.m. ET
Barcelona vs. Manchester City
Napoli vs. Bestikas
Arsenal vs. Ludogorets
FC Rostov vs. Atletico Madrid
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Benfica
Paris Saint-Germain vs. FC Basel
Celtic vs. Borussia Monchengladbach
Bayern Munich vs. PSV Eindhoven
NCAAFB: Big 12 expansion was a complete waste of time, which isn't much of a surprise.
By Dennis Dodd
In the end, the Big 12 stood pat at 10 teams, and no one is better off for it.
The Big 12's expansion process ended like it began. That would be as a waste of everyone's time.
After almost three months and seemingly endless speculation, the Big 12 finalized what a lot of us already knew from the beginning: The conference is not going to expand now or in the foreseeable future.
What that exactly means was not fleshed out in an hour-plus press conference that followed a six-hour presidents meeting Monday in Dallas. It only brought us right back around to where we started.
At the minimum, the Big 12 has eight years to live. That's not to say it will be eventually picked apart for spare parts by other power conferences. That's not to say it will be around when Baker Mayfield starts collecting social security.
Expansion wasn't going to decide that one way or the other. It just means the conference went through a convoluted, wasteful process to re-establish the obvious: There are no two schools out there that would enhance Big 12 football.
"The marketplace has, in essence, made that decision for us. We cannot command the marketplace," Oklahoma president Dave Boren said.
That's also not news. We knew that in July when this process began. Heck, we knew in July 2012 that the likes of UConn and Colorado State didn't bring much to Big 12 football.
Expansion or no, that's daily life in a conference that orbits the power, leverage and whims of Oklahoma and Texas.
The Big 12 has knee-jerked since the December day in 2014 that TCU and Baylor were left out of the first College Football Playoff. Instead of practicing patience, it acted out.
In the end, the Big 12 is the conference that cried wolf -- or Cincinnati or BYU or ... wait for it ... Tulane. It's the league that doesn't know what it wants.
The expansion process was a taffy pull with no winner, but everyone still felt very sticky at the end.
"Yes, I made one recommendation and that was we should bring this process to closure," commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. "We shouldn't kick the can down the road."
Bravo, but within minutes of proclaiming expansion dead, Boren the contrarian then uttered, "We would never say never."
Huh? Boren also kept making vague references to technology as if driverless cars were going to save the Big 12. If ESPN can't yet figure out how to monetize its WatchESPN app, what fiber optic cable is the Big 12 going to ride to success?
Big 12 Network? Dead. Expansion? Dead. Boren got one of the three enhancements he demanded in June 2015 (a conference championship game) when this "psychologically disadvantaged" process took off.
The marketplace decided that for you, too, Dave.
Yes, what a waste of time. Oklahoma, Texas and probably Oklahoma State were against expansion from the beginning. Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas were probably for it philosophically. More teams meant those programs didn't have to play Oklahoma, Texas, TCU and Baylor each year.
But all that was evident three months ago when the presidents shockingly decided to take this carnival ride. All indications are that Bowlsby was in favor of expansion. So were the league's consultants (Navigate and BHV), which stood to enhance their resumes if the conference added schools.
"I made an hour and a half presentation [to the presidents] so I hope that had some influence on it," Bowlsby said.
Except the commissioner said he made no formal recommendation of individual schools. Bowlsby told me in March if the Big 12 did "nothing, 12 years from now we'll be $20 million per school behind the SEC and Big Ten."
Adding any schools would have triggered the infamous pro rata clause that would have netted the Big 12 millions. So does this decision begin the financial road to ruin?
"We're always concerned about revenue," Bowlsby said Monday.
So much so that the rightsholders might end up paying the Big 12 to not expand. It would be wrapped inside the negotiation for the price of the reinstated championship game that begins in 2017.
That game was once said to be worth $3 million annually to Big 12 schools. Don't be surprised if it ends up being worth, say, $5 million.
Expansion doesn't even have to enter the conversation. It's a negotiation. In reality, it's $50 million per year ESPN and Fox are paying instead of the $800 million to a $1 billion.
That's what they would have been on the hook for if the Big 12 expanded by four. Overpaying for the championship game actually becomes a net "savings" of $750 million to $950 million.
In that scenario, ESPN and Fox come out less pissed had the Big 12 exercised the Big Pro Rata.
Had any of the reported 11 finalists been chosen, they were looking at a revenue bump (in some cases) from $2 million to $30 million per year. Another friendly reminder: ESPN and Fox aren't in business to pay more for properties they already own.
They also didn't want a lot of Cincinnati-Iowa State inventory. This was such a bad move for those entities that Fox Sports president Eric Shanks went on the record recently with SportsBusiness Daily.
He called Big 12 expansion "harmful to the future of the conference."
What the heck were SMU, Tulane and Rice doing in the mix anyway?
"We knew our chances [of getting in] were one-tenth of one percent," said Rice athletic director Joe Kaarlgard. "It was more about showing our constituents we had ambition."
The real hurt has to be felt at Houston, Cincinnati and BYU. All three invested millions in presenting themselves as Power Five schools. In many ways, they are. For now and for a long time, they now remain relegated to conference football's discount store -- the Group of Five.
Their access to the College Football Playoff remains akin to getting the last crumb of an Oreo. Whatever emotions they're having right now -- jilted, misled, left at the altar -- are all valid.
Yes, what a waste of time. Those 11 finalists schlepped their way to Dallas last month for their presentations. The entire process cost each school about $10,000 to $15,000.
That's not a budget breaker by any means. But it was like Charlie Brown staring down that football. You just know, no matter what, Lucy is going to pull it out from under you.
"Gathering of information is never a waste of time," Boren said.
Tell that to the folks you put through this.
The latest AP Top 25 poll suggests the college football season is heading toward a major controversy.
By Cork Gaines
(Photo/AP/Business Insider)
Alabama is now the near unanimous No. 1 team in the country after its convincing 49-10 win over then No. 9 Tennessee in Knoxville. But it's what is going on right behind the Crimson Tide that hints at a brewing controversy.
We are still two weeks away from the first College Football Playoff ranking, but it is hard to argue with the AP's top three teams.
After Alabama, Ohio State remains No. 2 after beating eighth-ranked Wisconsin. More importantly, Michigan has leapfrogged Clemson, after the Tigers' latest close call — a 24-17 overtime win at home over unranked North Carolina State.
If this ranking is mirrored in the College Football Playoff rankings, we are heading toward a monster showdown between Ohio State and Michigan on November 26 in Columbus, Ohio.
If both teams win their games before November 26 — Michigan has no games remaining against teams currently ranked, and Ohio State has one such game, at home against No. 8 Nebraska — the winner will go on to the Big Ten Championship game, where they will be a heavy favorite to advance to the playoff.
But what about the loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game? Are we sure that is an elimination game?
There is a good chance that the ACC, Big 12, and Pac-12 will all have champions with at least one loss. Even if just two of those conferences have a one-loss champion, the final spot in the playoff could come down to those one-loss champions and a clearly superior one-loss Michigan or Ohio State that didn't make it to the Big Ten Championship game.
The playoff committee seems to favor conference champions. But this year might be the one when one conference deserves two spots in the playoff.
Of course, this would all be solved with an eight-team playoff. But until then, it looks as though chaos will continue to reign.
Here is the latest AP Top 25 poll, with first-place votes in parentheses:
Here is the latest AP Top 25 poll, with first-place votes in parentheses:
1. Alabama (60)
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan (1)
4. Clemson
5. Washington
6. Texas A&M
7. Louisville
8. Nebraska
9. Baylor
10. Wisconsin
11. Houston
12. West Virginia
13. Florida State
14. Boise State
15. Florida
16. Oklahoma
17. Arkansas
18. Tennessee
19. Utah
20. Western Michigan
21. Auburn
22. North Carolina
23. Ole Miss
24. Navy
25. LSU
NCAABKB: NCAA clears Army veteran Isaiah Brock to play immediately.
By Steven J. Gaither
(Photo/Getty Images)
A United States Army veteran has been cleared to play as a freshman by the NCAA.
The NCAA has granted Oakland University's Isaiah Brock immediate eligibility, according to the school.
“We’re appreciative of the NCAA initially awarding Isaiah with the ability to receive athletics financial assistance in addition to eligibility for practice,” Oakland AD Jeff Konya said in a school-issued statement . “And we are even more thankful that the reconsideration has resulted in this decision for Isaiah.”
Originally the NCAA wanted the 22-year-old forward to sit out the 2016-17 season due to his below-qualifying grades when the Baltimore native completed high school in 2011. The NCAA's initial ruling on his eligibility was widely criticized.
“I just want to thank the NCAA for giving me the opportunity to play this year and I also want to thank all of my teammates, family and friends for all of their support through this process," Brock said in a release. "I'm very grateful and I won't let this opportunity go to waste!”
During his time in the Army, Brock's job included walking dead soldier's bodies from the battlefield to burial prep.
Syracuse's wild 2006 Big East title run among games vacated by NCAA penalties.
By Chip Patterson
The NCAA provided some clarity on which 101 games Syracuse will have to vacate.
After a lengthy investigation, the NCAA ruled last season Syracuse basketball must vacate victories that included players who were later found to be ineligible. This week, Syracuse.com reached out to the NCAA to get specifics on the impact of those 101 vacated victories on the school's basketball program history.
The vacated victories include every win from the 2005-06 season (23), which includes the memorable Gerry McNamara run through the 2006 Big East tournament championship.
Syracuse also lost every victory from the 2011-12 season (34), 15 victories from the 2004-05 season, 22 victories from the 2006-07 season and even victories from the 2010-11 season.
The tricky part here for Syracuse fans and basketball historians is that the school and the NCAA are not required to identify the ineligible players that caused the losses to be wiped from the record books. However, according to Syracuse.com, "ineligible players will have any records that he set removed from the school's record book."
The Syracuse media guide will be made available to reporters at the ACC media day on Oct. 26 in Charlotte.
After a lengthy investigation, the NCAA ruled last season Syracuse basketball must vacate victories that included players who were later found to be ineligible. This week, Syracuse.com reached out to the NCAA to get specifics on the impact of those 101 vacated victories on the school's basketball program history.
The vacated victories include every win from the 2005-06 season (23), which includes the memorable Gerry McNamara run through the 2006 Big East tournament championship.
Syracuse also lost every victory from the 2011-12 season (34), 15 victories from the 2004-05 season, 22 victories from the 2006-07 season and even victories from the 2010-11 season.
The tricky part here for Syracuse fans and basketball historians is that the school and the NCAA are not required to identify the ineligible players that caused the losses to be wiped from the record books. However, according to Syracuse.com, "ineligible players will have any records that he set removed from the school's record book."
The Syracuse media guide will be made available to reporters at the ACC media day on Oct. 26 in Charlotte.
Northwestern back? Cats look like different team in last two games.
By Vinnie Duber
By Vinnie Duber
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Northwestern back?
It was a brutal start to the season for the Wildcats, who were stunned in embarrassing fashion with losses to Western Michigan and Illinois State in the campaign’s first two contests, hardly the ideal beginning for a team coming off a 10-win 2015.
But in its last two games, Northwestern has looked like a brand-new squad. Wins over Iowa and Michigan State both came on the road and both featured electric performances and a combined 92 points from an offense long believed incapable of such things.
The explanation for the turnaround might not be terribly complicated, according to head coach Pat Fitzgerald, but one thing is for sure: The team that started the season in such awful fashion is no more.
“That team stunk,” Fitzgerald explained during his weekly press conference Monday. “So I just hope we don’t have that team show back up. I think that team is dead. I think, I don’t know for sure yet. I’ll know a little bit more tomorrow. That was a really bad football team.
It’s my fault. I think we’re working to get better, I think we’re working to get things fixed.”
Things have looked so much better in the last two games, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, where the Cats have the Big Ten’s leading rusher in Justin Jackson (116.3 yards per game) and leading receiver in Austin Carr (99.2 yards per game). This past weekend’s game against Michigan State was particularly explosive, with Northwestern racking up 490 total yards, Jackson rushing for a career-high 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Carr catching a career-high 11 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Fitzgerald said quarterback Clayton Thorson had the best game of his career with an 18-for-30, 164-yard, three-touchdown game at Iowa. Well then how would he rate Thorson’s efforts against Michigan State, when the redshirt sophomore completed 27 of his 35 passing attempts for 281 yards and a trio of touchdowns?
The huge amounts of production and the back-to-back victories in hostile Big Ten environments couldn’t have been predicted as little as three weeks ago, when Northwestern was coming off a nasty home loss to Nebraska, the Cornhuskers offense shredding the Cats defense and Fitzgerald’s team shooting itself in the foot left and right.
But a change has come.
“I think it’s the way that we’ve been preparing,” Fitzgerald said Monday. “You start to get the DNA of your squad, and we were so inconsistent. We needed to have a much greater attention to detail, and that was my challenge to the coaches. Obviously for us being as inconsistent as we were early, it comes to coaching, it comes to attention to detail, it comes to discipline, it comes to focus, it comes to fundamentals, it comes to competitive nature, it comes to toughness, it comes to the standard that we have. And we weren’t playing to our standard, and that’s on us as coaches.
“I think that’s what we’re doing, we’re just grinding. We’ve got our focus in the right spot. I think we’re embracing that improvement mentality. I think every team is that way right now, you’re six or seven games in. You know who you are, whether you look in the mirror and go, ‘Wow, you’re pretty hot,’ or you look in the mirror and go, ‘You’re pretty ugly.’ It doesn’t matter. You are who you are, and you’ve got to find a way to win.
“Those who embrace that grind and that improvement mentality typically do the right things during the week to put themselves in a position to be prepared. If you’re prepared, you’ve got a chance to win. If you don’t, you beat yourself during the week, you go into the game and you lose because you’re not prepared and you don’t have an opportunity. To me it’s not rocket science, it’s really a simple formula. The challenge is doing it.”
The Cats have done it, apparently, because things are much different.
Of course, Fitzgerald knows there’s still work to be done. Northwestern’s defense — including a banged-up secondary that’s been much maligned all season — allowed a combined 71 points in those two wins.
But the No. 1 thing on Fitzgerald’s mind Monday was his team’s slow start against Michigan State. Northwestern was in a 14-0 hole after a short 39-yard Spartans touchdown drive and a Clayton Thorson interception was returned for an easy touchdown. Of course the Cats woke up, but Fitzgerald was not pleased at how long it took them to do so.
“I really think we were kind of out watching the Homecoming parade till Joe (Gaziano)’s sack (of Brian Lewerke),” Fitzgerald said. “That’s what was frustrating to me, and at halftime I was very, very demonstrative. I was not very pleased at all with how played in the first half.
It was a brutal start to the season for the Wildcats, who were stunned in embarrassing fashion with losses to Western Michigan and Illinois State in the campaign’s first two contests, hardly the ideal beginning for a team coming off a 10-win 2015.
But in its last two games, Northwestern has looked like a brand-new squad. Wins over Iowa and Michigan State both came on the road and both featured electric performances and a combined 92 points from an offense long believed incapable of such things.
The explanation for the turnaround might not be terribly complicated, according to head coach Pat Fitzgerald, but one thing is for sure: The team that started the season in such awful fashion is no more.
“That team stunk,” Fitzgerald explained during his weekly press conference Monday. “So I just hope we don’t have that team show back up. I think that team is dead. I think, I don’t know for sure yet. I’ll know a little bit more tomorrow. That was a really bad football team.
It’s my fault. I think we’re working to get better, I think we’re working to get things fixed.”
Things have looked so much better in the last two games, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, where the Cats have the Big Ten’s leading rusher in Justin Jackson (116.3 yards per game) and leading receiver in Austin Carr (99.2 yards per game). This past weekend’s game against Michigan State was particularly explosive, with Northwestern racking up 490 total yards, Jackson rushing for a career-high 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Carr catching a career-high 11 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Fitzgerald said quarterback Clayton Thorson had the best game of his career with an 18-for-30, 164-yard, three-touchdown game at Iowa. Well then how would he rate Thorson’s efforts against Michigan State, when the redshirt sophomore completed 27 of his 35 passing attempts for 281 yards and a trio of touchdowns?
The huge amounts of production and the back-to-back victories in hostile Big Ten environments couldn’t have been predicted as little as three weeks ago, when Northwestern was coming off a nasty home loss to Nebraska, the Cornhuskers offense shredding the Cats defense and Fitzgerald’s team shooting itself in the foot left and right.
But a change has come.
“I think it’s the way that we’ve been preparing,” Fitzgerald said Monday. “You start to get the DNA of your squad, and we were so inconsistent. We needed to have a much greater attention to detail, and that was my challenge to the coaches. Obviously for us being as inconsistent as we were early, it comes to coaching, it comes to attention to detail, it comes to discipline, it comes to focus, it comes to fundamentals, it comes to competitive nature, it comes to toughness, it comes to the standard that we have. And we weren’t playing to our standard, and that’s on us as coaches.
“I think that’s what we’re doing, we’re just grinding. We’ve got our focus in the right spot. I think we’re embracing that improvement mentality. I think every team is that way right now, you’re six or seven games in. You know who you are, whether you look in the mirror and go, ‘Wow, you’re pretty hot,’ or you look in the mirror and go, ‘You’re pretty ugly.’ It doesn’t matter. You are who you are, and you’ve got to find a way to win.
“Those who embrace that grind and that improvement mentality typically do the right things during the week to put themselves in a position to be prepared. If you’re prepared, you’ve got a chance to win. If you don’t, you beat yourself during the week, you go into the game and you lose because you’re not prepared and you don’t have an opportunity. To me it’s not rocket science, it’s really a simple formula. The challenge is doing it.”
The Cats have done it, apparently, because things are much different.
Of course, Fitzgerald knows there’s still work to be done. Northwestern’s defense — including a banged-up secondary that’s been much maligned all season — allowed a combined 71 points in those two wins.
But the No. 1 thing on Fitzgerald’s mind Monday was his team’s slow start against Michigan State. Northwestern was in a 14-0 hole after a short 39-yard Spartans touchdown drive and a Clayton Thorson interception was returned for an easy touchdown. Of course the Cats woke up, but Fitzgerald was not pleased at how long it took them to do so.
“I really think we were kind of out watching the Homecoming parade till Joe (Gaziano)’s sack (of Brian Lewerke),” Fitzgerald said. “That’s what was frustrating to me, and at halftime I was very, very demonstrative. I was not very pleased at all with how played in the first half.
“You achieve what you emphasize, and we talk all the time here about starting fast. We start our practices fast, everything we do is that way, that nature. And not to do that, to me, is a choice, and I didn’t like the choices we were making early.”
The Cats bounced out of that hole against Michigan State, but it sure is a bad habit with a tough Indiana team up next and top-10 squads Ohio State and Wisconsin after that. With those three teams still on the schedule, reaching the requisite six wins for a bowl berth will be a challenge.
But if the last two games are any indication, Northwestern should be feeling much better about that challenge than it did after the season’s first four games.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, October 19, 2016.
emoriesofhistory.com
1998 - Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson got his boxing license back after he had lost it for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight.
2014 - DeMarco Murray (Dallas Cowboys) became the first NFL player to run for more than 100 yards in each of the first 7 games of a season.
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