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"Sports Quote of the Day"

“Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.” ~ Cavett Robert, Businessman, Inspirational and Motivational Speaker 

TRENDING: Blackhawks beat Red Wings in overtime to win fourth straight. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).   

TRENDING: What the Bears can learn from NFL  wild-card weekend? (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).

TRENDING: Shorthanded Bulls fall to Wizards on John Wall's late jumper. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

TRENDING: Jake Arrieta's future and how Cubs plan to build their rotation for 2017 and beyond. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

TRENDING: Rematch revenge! Clemson knocks off Alabama to win the 2017 National Championship Game. (See the college football section for NCAA football news and Bowl updates).

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks beat Red Wings in overtime to win fourth straight.

By Charlie Roumeliotis

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks and Red Wings square off only twice a year now after the NHL realignment sent Detroit to the Eastern Conference at the start of the 2013-14 season, so it's only fitting the former division rivals brought their A-games in the first meeting of the year.

And it was a wild one.

The Blackhawks knocked off the Red Wings 4-3 in overtime at the United Center on Tuesday night, but Detroit didn't make it easy on Chicago, as usual.

Brian Campbell got the scoring started when he blasted home his fourth goal of the season on the power play from the point to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead. Twenty-six seconds later, Richard Panik cleaned up Ryan Hartman's shot off a breakaway for his 10th goal of the season.

The Blackhawks held a 16-7 shot advantage and they appeared destined to coast to a victory.

But the ice tilted in Detroit's favor at the start of the second period when Andreas Athanasiou snapped a wicked wrist shot past Corey Crawford to cut the Blackhawks' lead to 2-1.

Tomas Tatar, who committed two penalties on the evening, evened up the score at 2-2 seconds after coming out of the box for serving a hooking penalty at 9:09, silencing a sold-out crowd of 22,019.

Tanner Kero reignited the Blackhawks though when he potted his first goal of the season with 1:42 left in the second. It was his second consecutive game with a point, but he's continuing to show he's reliable on both ends of the ice.

"I think he’s been good, watching him playing and work his way where all of a sudden we’re giving him more important ice time," Joel Quenneville said of Kero. "He’s been killing penalties. You want him out there in defensive-zone situations and offensively he’s got some game, as well. We’ll see how it all sorts out, but he’s certainly helping himself."

But again, the Red Wings responded after Luke Glendening got it right back with 19 seconds remaining to even it up at 3-3.

After a scoreless third period, Duncan Keith netted the game-winner 38 seconds into overtime on the power play to extend the team's winning streak to four games.

They also improved to 12-1-4 against the Red Wings over their last 17 meetings, and are now 17-6-5 in one-goal games this season.

"We've played a lot of tight games, and I think that's a good thing," Keith said. "We're finding ways to win some of them. I think we know that there's still room for improvement if we want to be a team that goes all the way. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We know there's still half a season here, but we've done good things. We're trying to get better."

The Blackhawks knew they had to steer the ship in the right direction entering this four-game homestand after going 1-4-1 in their previous six games. 

And they did just that, collecting eight out of a possible eight points before hitting the road for three of their next four games. 

"It was good," Quenneville said of the homestand. "We wanted to take advantage of our home schedule here, getting back on track. I thought we had a good December, slowed down right around Christmas coming out of it. But we've been playing better. I thought tonight was a real solid game. A little slow in the second, but I thought we did some good things across the board. Obviously a great play on the winner there in overtime. Big win for us."

Five Things from Blackhawks-Red Wings: Winning another tight one.

By Charlie Roumeliotis

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Let's look at Five Things to take away from the Blackhawks' 4-3 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night:

1. Blackhawks' recent dominance against Detroit continues.

The Red Wings own a 336-269-14-84 record all-time in the regular season against Chicago, but it's the Blackhawks that have had their way with their arch rival in recent years.

With Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win, the Blackhawks improved to 12-1-4 in their last 17 meetings against Detroit. The final meeting of the season will be March 10 at the Joe Louis Arena.

"We were asked today, is there still a rivalry between Detroit and us?" Joel Quenneville said after the game. "I think you could sense it right off the bat, in the building, and the fans, and the chants, and the enthusiasm. ... It was fun playing against these guys. I think the players look forward to it because it’s always a good game and playing the right way against them is something we talk about a lot, that you have to do.

"But I still think there’s still some history there that it’s fun playing these guys. There’s a lot of mutual respect."

2. A productive night for the power play.

The Blackhawks had six power-play opportunities, and cashed in on two of those, most notably the game-winner in overtime thanks to a Duncan Keith slapper from the point.
It's an area the Blackhawks are trying to be more consistent in, and it could serve as a springboard going forward.

"The first one was OK, the second and third one we had a lot of chances," said Brian Campbell, who scored the first of two power-play goals. "We had a couple penalties, so you get 10 seconds on the power play, so it's still an 0-for — I know that makes the PP coach not very happy," he joked. "And obviously [Keith], 4-on-3, we haven't had one in a while but we struggled there early in the season so that was big to get that going."

3. Brian Campbell back on the scoresheet.

Campbell had a 423-game iron-man streak that ended in December, in large part due to a crowded blue line. Nonetheless, he was still a healthy scratch in two of four games last month, but is starting to get more comfortable as of late.

He scored his fourth goal of the season on the power play in the win, which is now tied for second on the team among defensemen. 

"I think we're starting to roll our lines a lot better," he said. "We're picking up the tempo of the game a little more."

That suits Campbell's style.

4. Third line keeps shining.

The Blackhawks' third line of Ryan Hartman, Tanner Kero and Richard Panik combined for two goals and three assists, continuing their hot stretch. 

While they didn't have great possession numbers — they're certainly improving — the trio is most importantly gaining Joel Quenneville's trust on both ends of the ice.

"They were great tonight," Quenneville said. "You can talk about each one of them and describe their game. They’ve got some physicality in the puck area, they’ve got some separation, counter hits where they’ve got the puck protected. And made some good plays off the rush. They go to the net, they hang around the net. All their goals were like that.

"But they generated a lot of offense and offensive zone time, as well. They’re getting better. That line was outstanding."

5. Blackhawks win another tight one.

The Blackhawks' success in tight games continued with Tuesday's overtime win, improving to 17-6-5 in one-goal games this season. 

What gives?

Keith: "We've played a lot of tight games, and I think that's a good thing. We're finding ways to win some of them. I think we know that there's still room for improvement if we want to be a team that goes all the way. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We know there's still half a season here, but we've done good things. We're trying to get better."

Quenneville: "We had a lot of close games. Every game, you look around the league, they’re close games. I think the number of overtime games is a little higher than we’ve seen in the past. Everybody plays comparable. All the teams are pretty even. You look at the standings, you see just about every team .500 or above. I think 28 of the 30 are almost in that same neighborhood. I think teams know how to play to keep themselves in games. And then the score dictates a lot of the way the game is being played. Seems like there’s so much balance in the league, the parity’s as good as it’s ever been, or close as it’s ever been."

Blackhawks will be well represented at NHL All-Star Game.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks players started banging their sticks on the ice following coach Joel Quenneville’s announcement.

One year after having just one representative at the NHL All-Star Game, the Blackhawks are slated to have four this year.

Patrick Kane, Corey Crawford, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews were named to this year’s All-Star Game, which will be Jan. 29 in Los Angeles. It was a privilege for all selected and for one, somewhat of a surprise.

“I really didn’t expect to hear my name get called for the all-star game this year, knowing how great of a season (Marian Hossa, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov) are having. No doubt about it, they’re much more deserving,” said Toews, who was also selected last season but had to bow out due to illness. “In some ways maybe they can take advantage of the rest and continue the way they’re playing after the game. But definitely would like to see those guys get what they deserve and get that recognition.”

Indeed, based on their performances this season, there’s certainly a case for all three of those players who aren’t going. Anisimov leads the Blackhawks with 18 goals. Hossa has 16 goals and Panarin is second on the team with 41 points (Kane leads with 44).

For Kane and Toews, this is the sixth time they’ve been selected for the game. This is Keith’s fourth selection and Crawford’s second. Kane, last year’s lone Blackhawks representative after Toews fell ill, said it’ll be nice to have a few teammates along.

“It’s a lot more enjoyable, a lot more fun when you have your teammates there,” said Kane, who agreed others could have easily been selected, too. “You could throw Anisimov in there, Hossa, Hjalmarsson, [Brent Seabrook], we could have a bunch of guys going. I guess there are only so many spots given.”

There are always guys who get left off these rosters. It’s the way it goes with trying to get other teams’ represented. But the Blackhawks will still get a good group of players headed to the game, and they’ll enjoy the weekend.

“Every time you get named to something like this, special feeling. A lot of great players in the league who could go but aren’t going,” Keith said. “I’m fortunate to be part of a group of great players that make me play better, too.”

Ryan Hartman's hat trick latest example of continued impact of Blackhawks' rookies.

By Tracey Myers 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Ryan Hartman’s latest contribution was a memorable one.

For him, it was a special individual moment getting that first career hat trick. Ultimately, however, it’s about how it helps and how he can help the Blackhawks.

“You’re not just in here just being another body. You’re trying to produce and help the team win,” Hartman said. “It feels good when you can put a few points up on the board and make some plays while you’re there.”

We’ve talked about the Blackhawks’ youth movement a lot this season, and with reason. This is a big part of the Blackhawks’ present, thanks in part to their constant salary-cap issues. And while there have been moments where the rookies have looked like rookies, more often they’ve shown they can hold their own.

Hartman, thanks to Sunday’s hat trick, now has 10 goals this season. Vinnie Hinostroza’s speed has benefited the top line — see this past weekend, when that speed helped the Blackhawks avoid a few icings. Tanner Kero has filled Marcus Kruger’s absence on the third line, which continues to look good regardless of personnel changes.

The rookies aren’t satisfied just making the roster. They want to make an impact, and the Blackhawks’ success depends on them doing that.

“We need these guys,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Sometimes they get more important minutes, so there’s some progression in their game. We’ll need them to play some important shifts and faceoffs in their own end and playing against top guys.”

Kero is the latest to join the Blackhawks, making his season debut prior to the Christmas break. When Kruger got hurt Dec. 30 in Carolina it looked like the Blackhawks would lose a third line that was becoming very reliable. Now reconfigured with Hartman, Kero and Richard Panik, the third line has picked up where it left off.

“I feel like we’re creating chances,” said Kero, who has also been part of the Blackhawks’ penalty kill. “We’re just trying to work hard, be good defensively to start and then use our speed, get on their D, make them turn pucks over and try to create offense off the rush.”

General manager Stan Bowman said the Blackhawks will be patient with the rookies because their development is “more of a progression than it is an overnight thing.”

“These guys were all pretty big players on whatever team they were on the year before. They were a go-to guy. They don’t have that role here. But I think they’ve got that in them if we can stick with them and they can learn how to be in the NHL and be a professional,” Bowman said. “I think that’s the difference.”

The Blackhawks are trying to integrate everyone, regardless of age or experience. As Patrick Kane said earlier this season, “We don’t want to have young guys and veterans. We just want to be a team that’s firing on all cylinders.”

The rookies who are here now are making good contributions. A few in Rockford already have and could again. Tyler Motte and Nick Schmaltz, especially, have been playing well for the IceHogs. Motte has three goals and an assist in four games, and Schmaltz has six goals and two assists in 11 games.

There’s always a learning curve with rookies. But the progression and production has been there.

“That’s a learning curve that you’ll be playing against some top defensemen and top lines — see how you handle that — and play in some tight situations when games are on the line and the shifts get that much more importance. You get to find out a little more about the guys when they’re in that situation,” Quenneville said. “We need these guys to show progression in that area because we’re going to be counting on these guys in key times.”

For the record: Jonathan Toews sports USA jersey to pay off bet with Patrick Kane.

By Charlie Roumeliotis 

Patrick Kane had a great week.

He has seven points in his last three games, including a three-point effort in Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators to help the Blackhawks win their third consecutive contest, and is up to 44 points on the season, tying Sidney Crosby for No. 2 in the NHL's scoring race.

But Kane also won an important wager with teammate Jonathan Toews when Team USA beat Team Canada 5-4 in a shootout in the gold medal game at the World Junior Championships on Thursday.

The Blackhawks captain paid up after Sunday's game, sporting a No. 88 Kane road USA jersey.

Toews' face says it all:

(Photo/Twitter)

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! What the Bears can learn from NFL wild-card weekend?

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The NFL is nothing if not a copycat league, with successful innovations or stratagems invariably being replicated by others. So with the opening playoff weekend of the playoffs finished, did situations unfold in the four games that can provide useful object lessons for a Bears team that may not yet have talent to pull of certain things but certainly can learn from them?

Absolutely. Even allowing for a degree of oversimplification, consider:

Playoff Lesson 1: Teams without their No. 1 quarterbacks lost by double digits.

The Miami Dolphins may have earned new coach Adam Gase serious consideration for AFC coach of the year by reaching the playoffs. But forced to start Matt Moore instead of Ryan Tannehill (No. 12 passer rating, No. 6 completion percentage), the Dolphins were beaten 30-12 by the Steelers. Moore lost 2 fumbles and was intercepted once.

The Oakland Raiders dropped down from MVP candidate Derek Carr to rookie Connor Cook, who threw 3 interceptions on his way to a 30.0 passer rating in his first NFL start.

Bears Lesson 1: Don’t get down to your fourth quarterback.

Playoff Lesson 2: Every winning team out-rushed their opponent and ran the football at least 25 times.

The Green Bay Packers ran just 25 times in their rout of the New York Giants, which was more than the Giants did, and also, any team with Aaron Rodgers as its quarterback is by definition an outlier anyway.

Bears Lesson 2: Run the football 25 times.

Or at least start with that as a minimum. Obviously game and scoreboard situations can unravel any plan, but the Bears ran the ball 25 or more times in seven of their 16 games. They won three of those games; in one (Jacksonville) the defense gave up 17 fourth-quarter points and a 13-0 lead; in one (Giants) the quarterback (Jay Cutler) threw a late interception on a potential winning drive; and in two (Washington, Minnesota II) the Bears turned the ball over a combined 10 times (see Lesson 1).

Playoff Lesson 3: 10 of the 12 playoff teams drafted their No. 1 quarterback.

Houston acquired their quarterback (Brock Osweiler) in free agency. Kansas City traded for theirs (Alex Smith). All the rest drafted the quarterback who eventually led them into this season’s playoffs.

Of those 10 drafted quarterbacks, only Oakland’s Derek Carr (2014 draft) and Dallas’ Dak Prescott (2016) have been with their teams less than five years. Of those 10 quarterbacks, more than half were drafted when their teams already had a starter in place (e.g., Tom Brady behind Drew Bledsoe, New England; Aaron Rodgers behind Brett Favre, Green Bay).

Bears legend Brian Urlacher named to College Football Hall of Fame.

By CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Before Brian Urlacher turned in a Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Bears, he was doing something similar in college, and he will be honored for his college career with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

The National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame announced the 2017 class on Monday, and Urlacher was among the names.

Urlacher, who starred with the Bears for 13 seasons, played defensive back at the University of New Mexico from 1996 to 1999. He's the first member of that program to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Urlacher was the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 1999. That year he registered 154 tackles, forced five fumbles and recovered another three. The year prior Urlacher led the country with 178 tackles.

Urlacher is joined in the 2017 class by other former college stars who went on to have terrific pro careers in Marshall Faulk, Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson. Other members of the 2017 class include Kirk Gibson — who starred as a football player at Michigan State before his noteworthy career in Major League Baseball — former USC quarterback Matt Leinart and former Florida and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.

Bears sign former second-round pick Rueben Randle to reserves/futures contract.

By Scott Krinch

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Bears are going to take an extended look at a former top draft pick this offseason.

On Tuesday, the Bears announced they have signed wide receiver Rueben Randle to a reserves/futures contract. 

Randle, 25, was a second-round selection (63rd overall) out of LSU in the 2012 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.

In 64 career games with the Giants (2012-15), Randle compiled 188 receptions for 2,644 yards and 20 touchdowns. Randle's best NFL season came in 2014 in which he registered 71 receptions for 938 yards and three touchdowns. Randle has also returned 44 punts in his career for 345 yards.

Randle spent the 2016 offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was released following the preseason.

Randle joins cornerbacks De'Vante Bausby, Jacoby Glenn and Rashaad Reynolds, offensive linemen Cornelius Edison, Cyril Richardson and William Poehls, running back David Cobb and wide receiver Dres Anderson as players the Bears have signed to reserve/futures contracts since the 2016 season concluded.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Shorthanded Bulls fall to Wizards on John Wall's late jumper.

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It wasn’t exactly a wasted effort by the Chicago Bulls, as they learned a couple valuable lessons in their 101-99 loss to the Washington Wizards once Doug McDermott's fifth triple try wound up like all the rest: Not getting to the bottom of the net.

"I just gotta make that shot," McDermott said, going through the shooting motion in the Verizon Center hallway, wishing he could have come off his opposite shoulder, believing had he been just as open, the Bulls would have pulled off the improbable upset as opposed to licking their wounds after blowing a surprising 61-43 first half lead.

McDermott's confidence in himself and Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg's confidence in him was evident, as the play was drawn up for McDermott to win the game late—a position many didn't predict the Bulls to be in with Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Nikola Mirotic out.

Another position many didn't expect the Bulls to be in was the re-emergence of Rajon Rondo, who apparently earned himself an opportunity to play with the attrition of the existing personnel, and did enough in 27 minutes to make Hoiberg say he'll play Thursday in New York against the Knicks.

Rondo was a whirling dervish at times, playing with as much energy as some of the wide-eyed youngsters who finally got off the pine, playing without looking over their shoulders.

Defending well, getting three steals and pushing the pace, Rondo scored 12 points with six assists and four rebounds, making six of his 13 shots after being the first substitution off the bench, helping the Bulls storm a Wizards team that was obviously disappointed to be playing against something other than top-flight competition.

"I thought Rondo was really good," Hoiberg said. "I thought our pace, especially in the first half, was excellent. When he was in the game, it was good to see him aggressive, looking to score. He gave us a real lift."

Rondo didn't seem too impressed with his play one way or the other, preferring to heap praise on the younger players, like Denzel Valentine.

"He put the ball in the hole. Given an opportunity, a little bit more freedom today," Rondo said. "I was just trying to bring energy off the bench and push the pace. It's what I do."

Another lesson is that Valentine and Bobby Portis proved they belonged on an NBA court, displaying the verve and moxie that usually doesn't come with just playing a handful of games three months into an NBA season.

Portis hit shot 5-for-8 in 17 minutes, including three triples to score 13 points with seven rebounds. He played the way that hasn't been seen since his rookie year when filling in for Joakim Noah in the early going.

Valentine did his best to make up for what McDermott lacked at the 3-point line, hitting five triples on his way to 19 points in 30 minutes, hitting 7 of 11 overall. Spot-up shots and step-in triples, he didn't seem fazed by the task of going against more seasoned players in John Wall and Bradley Beal.

"I had a big first half, I shot it well, did some good things," Valentine said. "I probably could've made a couple more plays down the stretch but credit to them. They turned it up."

The Bulls offense came back to earth after a sterling first half, as they hit just 2 of 17 in the second half from the 3-point line when trying to keep the Wizards at bay.

"We had some good looks that didn't go down," Hoiberg said. "It wasn't because of lack of effort that we lost the game. We went out there and fought them to the end."

Six Bulls scored in double figures despite shooting just 40 percent from the field, and turning it over 18 times didn’t help matters, but the Wizards gave it away 21 times for 28 Bulls points.

After Valentine hit a triple to put the Bulls up 92-85 with seven minutes left in the fourth, he did a bit of a shimmy on the Wizards' end of the floor, filled with adrenaline and positive reinforcement.

Unfortunately, he learned a rookie lesson because Wizards All-Star guard John Wall was watching and used that little dance as motivation. Wall took over down the stretch, hitting a free-throw line jumper to tie the game and then another mid-range shot with 5 seconds left to give the Wizards a 101-99 lead.

It put a finishing touch on Wall's 26-point, 14-assist night and he passed on a message to Valentine before the final part of the onslaught.

"I play with a lot of emotion just like him," Wall told CSNMA.com's J.Michael. "I understand where he's coming from. I just said, 'Don't celebrate this early. You're a rookie. You haven't earned those stripes yet.' I told him, 'That's how you feel? You woke up a monster.' I just went on a scoring spree."

Usually, it's the Bulls who have their closer handling business down the stretch. For a night, they got to see what life was like on the other side—with a little drama and intrigue on their end, because that's seemingly what they do best.

Thunder bigs too much for Bulls with ailing Jimmy Butler. (Tuesday night's game, 01/09/2017).

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Oklahoma City center Enes Kanter grabbed a rebound after a Bulls miss at the elbow and swiftly dribbled downcourt before throwing a bounce pass 20 feet between two defenders to Alex Abrines for a layup.

When Abrines came up short, Kanter swooped in for a tip-in layup and galloped back the other way as if he didn’t do something guards are supposed to do with the dribble, as if his swift finish was something reserved for athletic swingmen.

And he’s the backup center for the Thunder.

That was the gaping hole in talent with the frontcourt positions, with the Thunder throwing their girth, speed and athleticism around the United Center floor.

Oh yeah, and they have Russell Westbrook, the NBA’s version of Looney Tunes’ Tasmanian Devil.

That, along with Jimmy Butler’s illness meant the Bulls were no match for the Oklahoma City Thunder, falling 109-94 Monday, dropping them back to .500 mark before they head to Washington D.C. and New York for two road games.

Butler was a game-time decision with flu-like symptoms before the game, only mustering up a groggy “I’m good” when spotted in the locker room an hour prior to tipoff.

Butler started but missed all six of his shots in 29 minutes, scoring one point with seven assists on the day he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

“We appreciate him going out and giving it a shot,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg while adding neither Butler nor Dwyane Wade (scheduled rest) will play against the Wizards Tuesday in Washington D.C.. “It says a lot about him as a competitor. But he was obviously struggling and they sent him home after we took him out in the third quarter.”

Without him, the Bulls were seemingly rudderless against a team that was probably a bad matchup on a good day, shooting just 40 percent and being outscored 60-36 in the paint.

The Thunder jumped on the Bulls from the onset, as starting center Steven Adams and Kanter picked the Bulls apart on the interior, going 12 of 15 in the first half for 26 points and nine rebounds.

“That was the key to the game,” Hoiberg said. “We talked about their bigs being the best rim runners in the league, going down and getting deep position in transition.”

They were just too much for Robin Lopez, Taj Gibson and whomever the Bulls had in uniform, taking big leads before the half while getting Gibson and Nikola Mirotic in foul trouble.

They could’ve used Mirotic with Butler being little more than a decoy but he picked up silly fouls in the first half before being pulled and playing a handful of minutes in the second half before Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg called in the available reserves for garbage time in the last 10 minutes as the Bulls trailed by 22.

“Those guys, Adams and Kanter, they are good,” said Wade, who led the Bulls with 22. “Very underrated for what they do. They get nasty down there. They came in and kicked our butts tonight. We weren’t prepared for the fight the bigs were bringing.”

Wade gave the Bulls their only real spurt, leading an 18-4 charge in the second quarter, hitting a few long range jumpers and putting fellow Tom Crean disciple Victor Oladipo in the torture chamber for some inside scores.

Wade added six assists and four rebounds, and Michael Carter-Williams had 15 points in 25 minutes.

Adams led the demolition with 22 and five rebounds, while Westbrook tried for another triple-double but finished a rebound short with 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds in 33 minutes. Kanter had a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards in 27 minutes as the Thunder shot 57 percent and led by 25 in the second half.

It was a glimpse of life without Jimmy Butler and although extreme, it sure was ugly.

CUBS: Jake Arrieta's future and how Cubs plan to build their rotation for 2017 and beyond.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Even if Jake Arrieta would never admit to feeling slighted, there were times where he almost appeared to be an afterthought during a playoff run where big, bad pitchers like Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber were all supposed to shut down the Cubs and end their dream season.

"Not at all," Arrieta said after beating the Cleveland Indians a second time in the World Series to force a Game 7 for the ages. "I feel like I've already proved the naysayers wrong a long time ago."

If Arrieta's historic Cy Young Award performance in 2015 set impossible standards for the encore, he still won 18 games, put up a 3.10 ERA, threw a second no-hitter and earned his first All-Star selection. He showed durability by making 31 starts and accounting for almost 200 innings, finishing first in the majors in batting average against (.194) and second in opponents' OPS (.583).

Arrieta might not be truly appreciated until after the 2017 season, when he will become a free agent and the Cubs could be faced with replacing 60 percent of their rotation. That uncertainty surrounding the pitching staff might be the fastest way to silence the giddy dynasty-building talk that will fuel Cubs Convention this weekend at the Sheraton Grand Chicago.

"We knew this day was coming," team president Theo Epstein said after making this offseason's signature move, trading a wildly talented, inconsistent extra outfielder (Jorge Soler) to the Kansas City Royals for an All-Star rental closer (Wade Davis).

"One of the reasons that we've invested heavily in position players in the draft and in the international markets and some trades we've made is because they're good bets to return value.

"We've identified a core of guys who we really believe in and have gotten here and helped us win a championship already. Those guys are going to be guys who are really hard to move. We feel like some of our prospects have a chance to join that core. But other ones, we're going to end up trading. That was part of the plan all along."

A glamorous lineup obscured the fact that the Cubs really thrived as a pitching-and-defense unit. But by Opening Day 2018, Jon Lester will be 34 years old and feeling the strain of throwing more than 2,000 innings in The Show (plus so much accumulated playoff experience that it essentially equals another season of stress on his left arm).

John Lackey is 38 years old and entering the final season of a two-year, $32 million contract. The Cubs believe the pitching infrastructure that helped transform Kyle Hendricks into a Cy Young Award finalist will benefit Mike Montgomery, but the 6-foot-5 lefty is still a project with only 18 big-league starts on his resume.

Reports continue to link the Cubs to Tyson Ross — who's making a deliberate decision while recovering from surgery to fix thoracic outlet syndrome — with Travis Wood (last seen shirtless holding the World Series trophy at the Grant Park rally) mentioned as a possible fallback option.

Of the organization's top-10 prospects on the Baseball America list released last week, only four are pitchers and none have played above the A-ball level yet.

"That’s the nature of it," Epstein said. "You can't necessarily develop all your position players and all your pitching both homegrown. The plan all along was to take some of the position players and turn it into pitching.

"We've done a good job building a young nucleus of position players, and then finding some more established pitching, whether it's on the free-agent market or in trade. That served us well, finding a way, year to year, of putting the pitching staff together around a nucleus of position players that is going to have a nice, long run together.

"I'm not saying it's on the immediate horizon. But over the next couple years, we'll certainly make more trades where we say goodbye to some position players who are hard to part with but bring us the pitching that we need.

"A lot of that was by design. We knew coming into this winter that we didn't love the free-agent market for pitching — starting pitching especially — and we planned in advance to not have to dive too deep into these waters."

MLB Trade Rumors projects Arrieta will earn a $16.8 million salary through his final year in the arbitration system. Super-agent Scott Boras has compared Arrieta to another Cy Young Award-winning client — Max Scherzer — who two winters ago signed a seven-year, $210 million megadeal with the Washington Nationals.

"Our attitude is that we're open to listening to the Cubs about anything they choose to do with Jake," Boras said during the winter meetings. "Like we did last year, we'll evaluate it. Our doors are open to listen to what they have to say."

There's also a sense that Arrieta simply wants to become a free agent and experience that process — and Boras Corp.'s track record certainly points in that direction. The Cubs have a fear of long-term commitment with over-30 pitchers and a strong belief that their scouting/game-planning systems can identify and shape a next generation of arms.

The Cubs also shouldn't take aces for granted or think that they can patch together a pitching staff every season with overpays, change-of-scenery guys and rehab cases.

"My main motivation now is just to win for the 24 other guys that I have in the clubhouse with me," Arrieta said. "I know (how) much guys appreciate it when they have teammates they can count on and trust that when they're out there, they're giving it everything they got. Whether they win or lose, they're giving us their best effort and best chance to win every time they go out."

Sources: Cubs will visit Obama White House as part of World Series victory tour. 

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Cubs have accepted President Barack Obama’s White House invitation and will go to Washington next week as part of their World Series victory tour.

Two sources confirmed the decision – first reported by NBC Chicago – before Obama’s farewell address on Tuesday night at McCormick Place.

The team will visit the Oval Office on Monday, which coincides with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and the end of Cubs Convention weekend, the only obvious offseason time where it would be logistically possible to coordinate so many players’ schedules.

This also negates a photo opportunity with Donald Trump, who plans to install Cubs board member Todd Ricketts as his deputy secretary of commerce after the Jan. 20 inauguration.

Obama, the world’s most famous White Sox fan, made the offer over Twitter and called Cubs manager Joe Maddon from Air Force One after the franchise won its first championship since 1908.

A surreal season began in spring training with Trump cryptically threatening the Ricketts siblings over Twitter – Pete is the Republican governor of Nebraska while Laura is active in Democratic politics and backed Hillary Clinton – and telling The Washington Post editorial board that the family has done a “rotten job” running the team.

Either way, the Cubs would be making a political statement after a bruising and polarizing election that saw the billionaire Ricketts family flip-flop from bankrolling an anti-Trump Super PAC to fundraising for the Republican nominee and ultimately grabbing a Cabinet position.

Cubs announce list of attendees for championship edition of Cubs Convention.

By CSN Staff 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Cubs announced Monday the complete list of current and former players who will be attending this weekend's Cubs Convention, a special championship edition of the annual event.

It will be an opportunity for fans to celebrate the 2016 World Series champs as well as Cubs alumni.

CSN will have complete coverage of Friday's opening ceremonies. SportsTalk Live comes to you live from the Sheraton Grand Chicago at 5 p.m. on CSN and CSN Plus, and the opening ceremonies follow as part of a 90-minute live special beginning at 5:30 p.m. on CSN Plus. You can catch a re-air of the opening ceremonies later Friday night on CSN following Blackhawks coverage.

Here's the complete list of players who will be in attendance this weekend.

Current players

Albert Almora Jr.
Jake Arrieta
Javier Baez
Kris Bryant
Jeimer Candelario
Willson Contreras
Wade Davis
Brian Duensing
Carl Edwards Jr.
Justin Grimm
Kyle Hendricks
Jason Heyward
Jon Jay
John Lackey
Jon Lester
Miguel Montero
Mike Montgomery
Felix Pena
Anthony Rizzo
Hector Rondon
Jose Rosario
Addison Russell
Kyle Schwarber
Pedro Strop
Matt Szczur
Rob Zastryzny
Ben Zobrist

Cubs alumni

John Baker
Jim Bullinger
Jose Cardenal
Jody Davis
Ryan Dempster
Bobby Dernier
Bob Howry
Randy Hundley
Fergie Jenkins
Jay Johnstone
Pete LaCock
Ted Lilly
Bill Madlock
Gary Matthews
Sean Marshall
Brian McRae
Dave Otto
Mike Remlinger
David Ross
Glendon Rusch
Ryne Sandberg
Scott Sanderson
Dwight Smith
Lee Smith
Tim Stoddard
Steve Trout
Todd Walker
Billy Williams
Kerry Wood

Coaching staff

Joe Maddon
Mike Borzello​
Chris Bosio
Tim Buss
Franklin Font
Eric Hinske
Brandon Hyde
Gary Jones
John Mallee
Dave Martinez
Chad Noble
Lester Strode

Baseball staff and broadcasters

Theo Epstein
Jed Hoyer
Jason McLeod
Randy Bush
Shiraz Rehman
Jaron Madison
Matt Dorey
Andrew Belleson
Ron Coomer
Jim Deshaies
Pat Hughes
Len Kasper

Team executives

Tom Ricketts
Laura Ricketts
Todd Ricketts
Crane Kenney

Special guest

Clark the Cub

WHITE SOX top prospect Yoan Moncada has own 'expectations' after Chris Sale trade.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Yoan Moncada wants the White Sox to look good for making him the centerpiece of the Chris Sale trade.

The second baseman, who is rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com, is aware of the good publicity he has received since he received a $31.5-million signing bonus from the Boston Red Sox two years ago. Moncada, one of four prospects acquired in the deal for Sale, has drawn comparisons to Robinson Cano, albeit with more speed. And while the praise has been lofty, Moncada, who is participating this week in a White Sox hitters minicamp in Glendale, Ariz., seems to embrace the attention.

"I also have expectations about myself because of the trade," Moncada said through an interpreter. "This team gave up a lot to get me. I feel very humbled for this opportunity. I expect to be a big part of this team in the future and to help this team to win so many games and to win a World Series. That's my goal and that's the mindset that every one of us have to have."

Moncada is one of 15 White Sox minor leaguers to attend the three-day camp along with 2016 draftees Zack Collins, Jameson Fisher and Alex Call, among others. 

The action is his first in a White Sox uniform since he was acquired last month and gave him the opportunity to meet with new manager Rick Renteria. Moncada believes that Renteria's Spanish fluency will allow him to be understood and on the same page with his new coaching staff. One area that could come in handy is Moncada's preferred position — second base.

Last season, Moncada temporarily moved to third base to attempt to fill a void for the Red Sox. While he has no problem helping out whenever his team asks, he'd like to stay at second base, if possible. The White Sox intend to make Moncada, 21, a second baseman. He's expected to begin the season in the minor leagues.

"I prefer to play second base," Moncada said. "That's my favorite position, my natural position. Last year I played 10 games at third base because Boston asked me to do it and I said yes. But yes, my favorite position is second base. But I don't have any trouble if the team asks me to play any other position. I'm here to help the team win games and that's it. But I prefer to play second base."

Golf: I got a club for that..... Power rankings: Sony Open in Hawaii.

By Ryan Ballengee

Jordan Spieth hopes to carry over good mojo from Sunday at Kapalua. (Photo/Getty Images)

The PGA Tour remains in the Aloha State for the Sony Open in Hawaii, the second event of 2017 and the first full-field event of the year.

Fabian Gomez defends his title in a tournament where Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas and Justin Rose headline one of the event’s deeper fields in recent memory.

Here are our top five players this week:

1. Hideki Matsuyama – Yes, Matsuyama’s putter didn’t show up when he needed it down the stretch against Justin Thomas. But Justin Thomas is the only guy who has beaten him in the last three months.

2. Jordan Spieth – Spieth had a very nice Sunday to back-door himself a top-three finish. He had a lot of wild numbers on a course where those are hard to pull off. He MC’d here last time in 2014.

3. Jimmy Walker – Walker is a past winner here and absolutely loves this golf course. He’s a no-brainer.

4. Justin Thomas – Thomas has two wins on the season, and they’ve come in tournaments where you have to go low. However, they haven’t been in places quite this tight. Hard to overlook, though.

5. Pat Perez – Perez is a putting machine, folks. He rolls ’em in, and when he doesn’t, he avoids three-putts. Coming off a T-3 at Kapalua is another great sign.

New PGA Tour commissioner looking for broader audience.

By Doug Ferguson

A week into his job as the fourth PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan is looking to broaden golf's appeal.

Whether that means a new schedule is too early to tell.

Monahan said Saturday he was awake from 2 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. thinking about various challenges facing golf, though that was more a product of jet lag after getting to Hawaii for the PGA Tour's opening two events of the year.

He took over Jan. 1 for Tim Finchem, who oversaw two decades of international growth and exponential increases in prize money during a generation driven by Tiger Woods. The tour already is working on new television deals that expire in 2021, along with renewing the title sponsorship of the FedEx Cup that ends this year.

What got his attention, however, was a trip to Silicon Valley last summer to meet with executives of Google, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and Apple.

''As much progress as we've made with our platforms, we weren't moving fast enough. We're not producing enough video content,'' Monahan said. ''Our players are their own networks and have their own profiles. We had - and I'll take full responsibility for this - a tendency to think about what we didn't want to have happen at our tournaments. ... We're taking away from our ability to grow.''

He cited restrictions on players using smartphones during pro-ams as one example.

As for the schedule, the PGA Tour has been exploring whether it can end its season at the Tour Championship before the NFL season starts. A simple plan on paper, there are so many moving parts that Monahan said it was so early in the process that the tour hasn't even decided what it would do.

Whatever happens, he indicated that the tour would try to stay at the same number of events.

He also made it clear that the tour wants to start the new year in Hawaii. The SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua has been the first event of the year since 1999, followed by the Sony Open in Honolulu. The title sponsorship with SBS ends in 2019. SBS had Hyundai serve as the title sponsor until this year, when the Korea automaker took over title sponsorship at Riviera.

''I expect to be doing this with you for a long time to come - this week, and then next week,'' Monahan said. ''We've been here for 50 years. I think it's part of the fabric and part of the core of who we are as an organization. It's an important part of our season and we'll do everything we can to be here.''

On other topics:

- Monahan said he thought it was ''awesome'' to have a golf-loving president, and he called President-elect Donald Trump ''probably the best golfer to ever sit in office, and certainly the most golf knowledgeable.'' He said the tour left Trump National Doral because it couldn't find a sponsor - ''That's on us,'' he said - but that the tour wants to be ready to have a tournament in Miami if a spot becomes open.

- The FedEx Cup sponsorship began in 2007, providing $35 million in bonus money at the end of the year and $10 million to the winner. The deal expires after this year. Monahan said he was at FedEx headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, just before Christmas. ''I would just say that we have more work to do, but we're very hopeful,'' he said of negotiations.

- The PGA Tour is the only sport that doesn't announce fines or other punishment. That doesn't sound as if it will change.

''I know that there is a desire to know everything that happened but ... we're a family. If there is an issue in your family, you deal with it, and you deal with it with your family member,'' he said. ''That has worked really well for us. If it weren't, we'd be making changes.''

Randall's Rant: This is it, Tiger's last run at Jack.

By Randall Mell

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Tiger Woods’ last chapter was stolen from all of us.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Woods fan or a Jack Nicklaus fan, Tiger’s pursuit of Jack was the epic we once thought we were going to get to see go to the 18^th hole, so to speak.

Whether you wanted Woods to catch Nicklaus or not, no storyline in golf held the power to captivate all of sports more than Tiger’s chase.

Psychological and physical injury didn’t just rob Tiger. It robbed us all. We fully invested ourselves. That’s the wonderful nature of sports.

Tiger made me believe I was going to get to see golf’s version of Hank Aaron’s pursuit of Babe Ruth, the most riveting sports chase in my lifetime.

And so that’s the real excitement behind last week’s news that Woods felt strong enough to commit to playing in four events in a five-week window in January and February. Maybe this quest isn’t over. Maybe this story doesn’t yet have its ending.

Yes, it’s a giant leap from making his first official PGA Tour start in almost 18 months to resuming his chase of Jack, but Tiger sounds like a believer again. And that’s what gives this comeback its meaning.

There’s only one way we all get to see this stolen chapter returned to us. It’s if Tiger returns it – and this is his last hurrah.

The PGA Tour’s new year may have begun in Hawaii with Justin Thomas winning Sunday, but the year gets its big bang start in La Jolla, Calif., in three weeks, when Woods tees it up at the Farmers Insurance Open.

You can couch Tiger’s return in less dramatic framing, underplay the larger story, cut him some slack, but one way or another this run is his hurrah. It’s his last chapter.

Tiger’s quest won’t survive another significant setback.

We heard Tiger begin to wonder last year whether the chase was over. He’s 41 now. A fourth back surgery, more neck, knee or Achilles problems will end the chase once and for all. It will fully launch the TGR brand into Tiger’s next phase, his life “as a competitor off the course.”

By the Masters, we may already know if life after Jack is already Tiger’s new path.

We may already know if the stolen chapter’s never going to be returned to us.

I don’t really care if Tiger breaks Jack’s record or not, but I really want to see him get to 17 major championship victories. I want to see the chase resume. I don’t believe it’s going to happen, but I’d love to be wrong.

NASCAR: Carl Edwards will not race in 2017 to pursue other interests.

By Jay Busbee

Carl Edwards walks at Homestead. (Photo Via Fox Sports)

Carl Edwards, the 37-year-old driver who was only ten laps from a NASCAR championship just two months ago, will be retiring effective immediately, and will not race in 2017, according to a report in Fox Sports. The report, citing multiple sources and backed up with corroborating reports, indicates that Edwards will retire to pursue interests outside of racing.

Joe Gibbs Racing will hold a press conference Wednesday, at which it is expected to announce that Daniel Suarez, the reigning Xfinity Cup champion, will take over Edwards’ seat in the No. 19 Arris Toyota.

Edwards is one of the most accomplished drivers in NASCAR never to have won a championship, and was on the losing end of two of the most tense finishes in the sport’s history. In 2011, he tied Tony Stewart in points at the conclusion of the season’s final race, but lost on a tiebreaker. Then, just two months ago, he was dominating the winner-take-all Homestead race when he wrecked with just 10 laps remaining, giving Jimmie Johnson the opening to win a seventh title. Edwards handled that loss with dignity; perhaps he knew even then that this would be his final turn in a Cup car.

Edwards broke into NASCAR’s top series in 2004 when he began driving the No. 99 for Roush Fenway. He jumped to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015. Over 445 starts, Edwards won 28 races and 22 poles, placing in the top 10 in almost exactly half (220) of his races. He finished in the top 10 in eight of his 12 full seasons behind the wheel.

As for what’s next for Edwards: that’s a mystery, too. He’s won acclaim for his performance behind a microphone, and could slide into a broadcasting job with no problem whatsoever. While always one of the most quotable and thoughtful drivers in interviews, he’s also intensely private, and does not offer the view of his life on Twitter and other social media that other drivers do. For now, the NASCAR world will have to wait and see where Edwards backflips next.

Darlington race weekend gets ‘official throwback’ title.

By Daniel McFadin

It was all but official, but NASCAR has finally put its rubber stamp of approval on the retro weekend at Darlington Raceway.

The Southern 500 race weekend is now “The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR” the track announced on Tuesday.

Beginning in 2015, the “Track Too Tough to Tame” has hosted a retro themed weekend full of old paint schemes, vintage team uniforms, legendary announcers and bad … sorry, “vintage” facial hair.

Now it comes with its own official title.

“We have worked closely with NASCAR to ensure that Darlington Raceway now has the exclusive rights to the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR for promotions and advertising of our event,” said Kerry Tharp, Darlington Raceway’s president in a press release. “Our return to Labor Day weekend, coupled with the Throwback theme has elevated our event across the entire sport and this move only solidifies that among our fans, race teams, sponsors, broadcast partners and media, among others.”

Darlington, which opened the gates to its 1.366-mile facility in 1950, returned to its traditional Labor Day weekend spot on the schedule in 2015 after a decade of being held in May and April.

Toyota unveils new Camry for NASCAR.

By Nate Ryan

(Photo/Michael L. Levitt)

The “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” mantra won’t hold true immediately with Toyota’s latest entry in NASCAR.

Oh, the redesigned Camry – with a distinctive front end and aggressive stylings for a typically conservative automaker – might have its sales numbers goosed by strong results on the track.

But if a Toyota takes the checkered flag next month at Daytona International Speedway, it’ll be several months before fans can invest their loyalty in their showroom.

That’s because it’ll be a 2018 Camry that will be competing in the 2017 Daytona 500.

In a Monday afternoon announcement at the North American International Auto Show (where more than 5,000 journalists were credentialed for this week’s event), Toyota revealed an overhauled Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race car in conjunction with the unveil of its production counterpart that will make a debut in late summer.

Ed Laukes, vice president of integrated marketing for Toyota Motor Sales, said the car’s design was the impetus for the unprecedented move of bringing it to track ahead of market (it likely will be available to the public in August).

“As soon as they unveiled the drawings (of the 2018 car) to us, we looked and said, ‘This is such a radical design, that we really need to figure out a way to get it on the racetrack as soon as possible,’ ” Laukes said. “Rather than wait until the year after it went on sale.”

Camry chief designer Masato Katsumata was involved in helping approve the race car design along with engineers from Calty Design Research, Inc. (Toyota’s North American design studio) and Toyota Racing Development. Calty (Newport Beach) and TRD (Costa Mesa) are headquartered in neighboring cities in Southern California.

The development of the 2018 model started two years ago as TRD rolled out an update of the Gen 6 Camry that made its debut in 2013 and won 16 of 36 Cup points races last year.

David Wilson, TRD president and general manager, said the new Camry was tested last June with NASCAR and representatives of Ford and General Motors, but Monday’s announcement mostly had been kept under wraps during the building process.

To preserve the secrecy of the project, Toyota had its NASCAR team members sign non-disclosure agreements. Last September, Joe Gibbs Racing installed new windows in its fan viewing area to obscure the work done with the new car on the shop floor of its Huntersville, N.C., headquarters.

Wilson said Toyota involved its teams more heavily in the car’s aerodynamic development.

“We had them work with us side by side as we’re designing this because they’ve got very, very smart aerodynamicists,” Wilson said. “So the intent is to hit the ground running at Daytona with being further along than the past two generations” of the Gen 6 car.

Wilson said NASCAR sets limits on the advances made with increasing downforce while lowering drag but “every time a manufacturer has a shot at building a new car and evolving a new car, you try to work closer and closer to the corner of the lowest drag and highest downforce.”

Said Laukes: “Everyone operates within the box on downforce and drag, and as long as you’re operating in that box, it passes the test. So there are always minor tweaks that everyone is doing as far as sheet metal, but it’s still going to operate within that NASCAR-approved box of downforce and drag. I think we’re always looking to try to make things better, but you can’t get radical, because then you’re outside the rules.”

The Camry will make its competitive debut Feb. 18 in The Clash at Daytona exhibition race. There will be no preseason testing at the track for the new model, but Wilson said the high fidelity of computer simulations would mitigate the lack of real-world experience.

“The tools that each of us have available now, you know what (the car) should do,” Wilson said. “There’s a tangible ‘We want to get it on the track’ feeling, but it’s not necessary.”

Laukes said the next step for Toyota in NASCAR car development would be a new model for the Xfinity Series. While Ford (Mustang) and Chevrolet (Camaro) use different models in the second-tier circuit than in Cup, Toyota campaigns a Camry.

“The current Xfinity car will live on at least a year, probably two within Xfinity,” Laukes said. “Then we’ll redesign or talk about some other future model to unveil in that time.”

The Camry has been the No. 1-selling vehicle in the country for 15 consecutive years (more than 400,000 sold last year), but Laukes said consumers overwhelmingly are moving toward trucks and SUVs away from mid- and luxury sedans.

“Things like this hopefully will stop the bleeding of people making that transition from a four-door sedan to an SUV,” Laukes said.

It’s the second straight year that a manufacturer has introduced an update to its Cup Series model. Ford updated its Fusion model last year.

SOCCER: How will the new 48-team World Cup format work?

By Joe Prince Wright

(Photo/AP}

With the FIFA Council unanimously voting in favor of a 48-team World Cup from 2026 onwards there are plenty of questions on how it will all work.

Here are a few answers to those, as we map out exactly what changes will take place.

Are you with us?

Okay. Here we go…

Increase from 32 to 48 teams at 2026 World Cup

Number of overall games will increase from 64 to 80

16 groups of three teams each

Each team will play twice in group stage

If a group stage game ends in a draw, penalty shootouts to decide who gets a bonus point could be introduced

Top two teams go through from each group to a Round of 32

Round of 32 will be straight-elimination, and then Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinal, final

Teams will only play a maximum of seven games if they reach the final, the same as in the 32-team format

The tournament will only last 32 days, the same amount of time as the 2014 World Cup

Four extra teams from Asian and African confederations will quality, while three more teams from Europe will also quality

CONCACAF is likely to move up from 3.5 to 6.5 teams (.5 signifying a playoff spot) plus 6 of the 10 teams from the CONMEBOL region will qualify

NASL shrinks to 8 teams, parts ways with president Peterson.

Associated Press

Bill Peterson is out as president of the troubled North American Soccer League, which is cutting from 12 teams to eight.

The league Monday called the move a mutual decision. Peterson led the league since 2012, a year after the current NASL started play. Appointed interim commissioner was Rishi Sehgal, the NASL’s director of business development and legal affairs.

The NASL said it will play with four fewer teams this year. Its second-division status was extended provisionally Friday by the U.S. Soccer Federation. The 30-team United Soccer League also was given provisional second division status by the USSF, up from third tier from 2011-16.

Aaron Davidson was the NASL board chairman and an NASL investor before he was indicted in 2015 as part of a U.S. Justice Department investigation into soccer corruption. He pleaded guilty last October to federal racketeering conspiracy and wire-fraud conspiracy charges and is awaiting sentencing.

The league said it cut ties with Davidson’s soccer management company in November.

The Cosmos, the defending champions, said they will discuss on Tuesday their ownership status and financial obligations to players. Seamus O’Brien has been the team’s chairman team since it resumed play in 2013.

USWNT’s Carli Lloyd wins 2016 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

USA! USA!

U.S. women’s national team captain Carli Lloyd has won the 2016 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award.

Lloyd, 34, has been crowned as the best player on the planet for the second-straight year as the Houston Dash midfielder continued to drive on the U.S. in 2016.

Speaking at FIFA’s The Best awards in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday, Lloyd looked shocked to receive the accolade ahead of Germany’s Melanie Behringer and Brazil’s Marta.

“I honestly wasn’t expecting this,” Lloyd said. “I wouldn’t be standing up here without the help of my teammates. I also want to thank Jill Ellis and the coaching staff for really believing in me and really helping to evolve my game.”

In 2016 Lloyd scored 15 goals in 11 games for the USWNT and she was the captain of the U.S. side which suffered a shock defeat to Sweden in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Lloyd’s award marks the third time in the last five years that an American has won the voted as the best female player on the planet.

Cristiano Ronaldo wins 2016 FIFA World Player of the Year.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the best player on the planet for a fourth time in his glittering career.

In FIFA’s newly launched “The Best Awards” Ronaldo, 31, won the top individual award ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann.

Speaking in Zurich, Switzerland on Monday, the Real Madrid star was delighted.

“As I mentioned many times, last year was a dream year,” Ronaldo said. “With Real Madrid we win the Champions League and with the national team we won the first time in history. Unbelievable season. So proud and happy. I have to say thank you to my teammates in Real Madrid and the national team and the coaches. Amazing year.”

Ronaldo has previously won this award in 2008, 2013 and 2014 as the tussle between himself and Messi for world dominance has dominated much of the past decade.

The award was handed out in a glitzy ceremony as FIFA started up its own awards ceremony after sharing the Ballon d’Or award with France Football from 2010-15 which formerly crowned its best player.

Ronaldo also won the Ballon d’Or for 2016 and it is not difficult to understand why.

The Portuguese forward scored 51 goals in 48 games in all competitions for Real Madrid in the 2015-16 season and led them to the UEFA Champions League tittle against crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid. Ronaldo was then influential in Portugal winning EURO 2016 as he captained his nation to its first-ever major trophy.

That victory cemented Ronaldo’s spot among the legends of the game, if that was ever in any doubt, and this final award for his heroics in 2016 was well deserved as he continues his personal quest with Messi.

In terms of World Player of the Year awards the scoreline now reads: Messi 5-4 Ronaldo.

Claudio Ranieri named 2016 FIFA Coach of the Year.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

There was only going to be one winner.

Claudio Ranieri was named as the best coach on the planet in 2016 at FIFA’s The Best awards on Monday.

Ranieri, 65, led Leicester City to one of the greatest upsets in sporting history as the 5000-1 shots for the Premier League title at the start of the 2015-16 season beat everyone to the crown in stunning fashion.

It was truly one of the most amazing moments in soccer history as the world watched on in disbelief.

Accepting his award from Argentine legend Diego Maradona in Zurich, Switzerland on Monday, Ranieri was as humble as ever.

“To win this award I am crazy now. Thank you so much to those who voted me. I want to thank my family, my wife, my agent, my chairman and my players,” Ranieri said. “I think what happened last season was amazing. It was something strange because the football gods said ‘Leicester must win. Only this, only this!'”

Ranieri beat Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane and Portugal’s Fernando Santos to this award.

NCAAFB: Rematch revenge! Clemson knocks off Alabama to win the 2017 National Championship Game.

By Bryan Fischer

(Photo/Getty Images)

In order to be the champions, you had to beat the champions. Mission accomplished for Clemson.

A historic rematch for the ages lived up to the hype thanks to a wild and career-defining fourth quarter that saw the Tigers win the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in dramatic fashion 35-31 over Alabama.

The two defenses dominated the game early and often as many predicted given the number of stars on that side of the ball. Neither team found much success on third down (just nine combined conversions) and the passing game was inconsistent for both teams outside of a few big plays.

The Crimson Tide jumped out to an early lead behind the strong running of tailback Bo Scarbrough, who continued to abuse opponents with his punishing running style. He found the end zone early in the first quarter by scampering off to the left side of his big offensive line and finding pay dirt after 25 yards for the game’s first points. His second touchdown was even better than the first, using a few key blocks from his tight end and left tackle to hit the edge and scamper 37 yards for the score, running over a few defenders and carrying a few more on his back into the end zone.

Unfortunately the sophomore was injured in the third quarter with a leg injury, putting all the pressure on young quarterback Jalen Hurts. While he never looked too much like a true freshman, passing the ball was a struggle most of the night until he found a wide-open O.J. Howard for a 68-yard touchdown that had plenty thinking back to last year’s title game where he had a career outing.

That wasn’t enough to contain a determined Deshaun Watson in the final quarter however, as the signal-caller marched his team 88 yards in just six plays before leaping into the end zone for the first Clemson lead of the ball game with just under five minutes left. It was a vintage performance from the college superstar (who finished 36-of-56 for 420 yards and three touchdowns), which included several key hookups with receiver Mike Williams and a few key runs that moved the chains.

The Tide didn’t seem phased however, answering right back in a wild sequence of events. They broke out of their offensive malaise with a surprising trick play that found Howard for a big gain once again to enter Clemson territory. That’s when Hurts finally used his legs to find the end zone, scampering 30 yards to the goal line as he weaved and ducked out of numerous tackles.

Watson wasn’t done yet though, and saved his best for last with the game and his legacy on the line.

Facing a defense that was operating at a historic level coming into the game, Watson sliced and diced the Tide for a nine play, 68 yard march toward the end zone. With a make or break play coming up, the game’s offensive MVP dropped back and smoothly found ever reliable target Hunter Renfrow wide open in the end zone with just one second left.

That set off a wild celebration among the Clemson faithful as the school celebrated its second national title — and first since 1981 — in the sweetest of fashions. It was a game for the ages given the ending and tense final moments but will no doubt be remembered for an incredible drive that culminated in a championship for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.

Final AP poll: Clemson No. 1; USC rockets to No. 3; Ohio State drops to No. 6.

By John Taylor; AP

The votes are in and — surprise!!! — Clemson’s the media’s king as well.

The Associated Press released its final 2016 rankings Tuesday morning, with Clemson, off their stirring win over the cyborg that is Alabama football, claiming the No. 1 spot in the last Top 25 of the 2016 season.  As expected, the Tigers claimed all 60 first-place votes, while the Crimson Tide earned all 60 second-place votes to finish No. 2 in the final AP poll.

Up next is the a team that will no doubt be the media darling throughout the offseason — I’m already guilty, as you’ll see shortly —  with USC moving from ninth to third on the strength of the epic Rose Bowl win over Penn State (fifth to seventh) as well as a nine-game winning streak to close out the season.  Ohio State, which was shutout by Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal, tumbled from second to sixth.

The remainder of the Top 10 is rounded out by Washington (No. 4), Oklahoma (No. 5), Florida State (No. 8), Wisconsin (No. 9) and Michigan (No. 10).

Three Group of Five teams managed to finish in the final Top 25, although none came in higher than 15th: Western Michigan (No. 15), South Florida (No. 19), San Diego State (No. 25).  Two of those teams will have new coaches in 2017, with Charlie Strong replacing Willie Taggart with the Bulls and a too-be-determined replacing P.J. Fleck with the Broncos.

Dabo Swinney cements place among college football’s elite coaches with exclusive accomplishment.

By Kevin McGuire

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has had to claw his way up the ranks since taking over the Clemson coaching gig, but today he rests comfortably among the elites in college football. Swinney coached Clemson back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter against the previously unbeaten Alabama Crimson Tide to deliver Clemson’s first national championship since 1981.

Swinney has left no doubt he now belongs firmly in the conversation when discussing the top college football coaches in the country, although he was likely already there based off the last few years. Swinney is now the fifth active coach to own a national championship, joining his division rival Jimbo Fisher at Florida State, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and, of course, Alabama’s Nick Saban. As it just so happens, Swinney now owns head-to-head victories against the other four.

That’s a pretty remarkable feat, and has to be pretty rare. Saban has wins against Meyer, Swinney and Stoops, but has yet to face Fisher (that will be handled in the 2017 season opener in Atlanta). Meyer has wins against Saban and Stoops but is 0-2 against Swinney and has not faced Fisher. Stoops has wins against Saban but not against Swinney or Meyer and he has never faced Fisher. So yes, Swinney is currently sitting in exclusive company as the only head coach to own wins against all other active head coaches with a national title.

Swinney has been chipping away with a heavy hammer and chisel at how he has been perceived in recent years, but a national championship changes everything. Swinney has long since put behind the idea that Clemson could not win a big game, and now he has coached the Tigers to the biggest win possible. Getting to a championship game is no easy feat. Doing so two years in a row is even more difficult. Just to pull that off is remarkable in itself and speaks volumes about what Swinney is doing with the Clemson program. But to come from behind to win the national title in the fashion they did, against an Alabama defense that had shutdown opponents all season long, this had to be extra special for the Alabama graduate.

Welcome to college football’s elite Swinney. Make yourself comfortable, because you will be here for a while.

NCAABKB: 2016 NCAA Associated Press Basketball Rankings, 01/09/2017.

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Baylor (55)	1608	15-0	2
2	Kansas (8)	1571	14-1	3
3	Villanova (1)	1499	15-1	1
4	UCLA (1)	1433	16-1	4
5	Gonzaga	1366	15-0	5
6	Kentucky	1327	13-2	6
7	Duke	1173	14-2	8
8	Creighton	1111	15-1	10
9	Florida State	1071	15-1	12
10	West Virginia	972	13-2	7
11	North Carolina	902	14-3	14
12	Butler	880	14-2	18
13	Oregon	869	15-2	15
14	Louisville	744	13-3	9
15	Xavier	651	13-2	16
16	Arizona	634	15-2	17
17	Purdue	584	14-3	20
18	Wisconsin	581	13-3	13
19	Virginia	580	12-3	11
20	Notre Dame	468	14-2	23
21	Saint Mary's (Cali.)	377	14-1	19
22	Cincinnati	256	13-2	22
23	Florida	252	12-3	24
24	Minnesota	167	15-2	NR
25	Southern California	20	15-2	25

Others receiving votes: Seton Hall 11, South Carolina 7, Iowa State 7, Indiana 6, Virginia Tech 6, Maryland 5, SMU 5, Clemson 4, UNC-Wilmington 3, VCU 3, Nevada 2, Dayton 2, Wichita State 2

Four takeaways from No. 1 Baylor suffering its first loss to No. 10 West Virginia.

By Travis Hines

(AP Photo/Raymond Thompson)

Baylor is now 0-1 as No. 1.

The top-ranked Bears were dominated by No. 10 West Virginia, 89-68, on Tuesday night in Morgantown in the program’s first-ever game being ranked No. 1 as they left Gonzaga as the country’s lone undefeated team.

West Virginia dominated for long stretches, but really put the Bears away in the second half, outscoring them 50-36. Press Virginia forced 29 Baylor turnovers.
Here are four things we learned from the game:

1. West Virginia is some bad dudes: I say that with the utmost respect, and certainly mean it as a compliment. West Virginia basketball is a 40-minute all-out assault. Forcing 29 turnovers from the nation’s No. 1 team is incredible. The Mountaineers’ intensity, aggressiveness and physicality makes them a nightmare for any team to play.

It also might be time to start looking at West Virginia as national title contender. As of this writing Tuesday evening, they’ve got a KenPom top-five offense and defense. The Mountaineers are shooting it better than other iterations of Bob Huggins’ Press Virginia teams, and that makes them dangerous.

They’ve now beaten Virginia by double-digits on the road and the country’s No. 1 team by 21 at home. That’s what Final Four teams look like.

2. This doesn’t really change anything about Baylor: Yes, the Bears are ranked as the No. 1 team in the country, but they were definitive underdogs in Morgantown. Getting beat in the WVU Coliseum, even by 21 points, doesn’t expose them as frauds or invalidate their heretofore perfect start.

It does, though, illustrate some weaknesses they have Outside of Manu Lecomte, the Bears’ ballhandling is pretty shaky and that’s what led to a lot of their troubles. You can’t be iffy with the ball against West Virginia and expect to keep it close, let alone leave with a win.

The Bears also didn’t respond well to the physicality of the game, either. West Virginia is just going to out-tough a lot of people this year, but Baylor just couldn’t respond at all. That’s a little concerning, but not by itself a major indictment given, as previously noted, West Virginia is some bad dudes.

3. The Big 12 is going to be a grind: The ACC probably has more really good teams, but the Big 12 is going to be an absolute monster for teams to navigate this season. West Virginia lost on the road to Texas Tech, which hasn’t finished higher than seventh in the league since Bob Knight was the coach, and then turned around and smashed No. 1 Baylor.

There doesn’t look to be any gimmes in the league, especially when the likes of Oklahoma and Texas might be the weakest in the league.

Coming into the year, the thought was the Big 12 was going to take a step back. It’s clear that’s not the case.

4. Get rid of the hanging-on-the-rim technical foul: It’s time, right?

Daxter Miles, Jr. got tagged with a T for pulling himself up on the rim some on a tip-dunk that put the exclamation point on the evening in a statement performance by West Virginia. It looked awesome and was awesome. So, of course, Miles got penalized for it with a technical foul and some less than happy words from Huggins.

The spirit of the rule has its heart in the right place to preserve sportsmanship, but in 2017, it feels a little antiquated. For a sport that needs as much pizzazz and buzz as possible, adding a little extra flair to a dunk isn’t a bad thing.

Saddling a guy with an extra foul and giving the opposition free throws seems like overkill as a punishment anyway. If a team sees a guy swinging on the rim, get the ball and get down the floor for a transition opportunity. That seems like punishment enough.

And as an avowed #TeamTrashTalk member, I can only heartily endorse a player emphasizing the awesomeness of his dunk.

Ban the hanging-on-the-rim technical.

No. 9 Florida State manhandles No. 7 Duke.

By Rob Dauster

(Photo/Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

For the second time this season, No. 7 Duke went on the road and got smacked around, this time losing to No. 9 Florida State, 88-72, in Tallahassee.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes led the way with 21 points.

It’s the 12th straight win for the Seminoles, who are one of just two undefeated teams left in the ACC, while Duke falls two games off pace. This is just the second true road game for the Blue Devils, and they played it without their leader on the bench (Coach K) and their leader on the floor (Amile Jefferson).

Does this say more about Florida State or Duke?

Here are four takeaways from the FSU win:

1. It’s time to count Florida State as an ACC title contender: There’s really nothing else to say about this.

The Seminoles have more than proven that they are capable of competing with anyone in the conference. They handled Duke easily on Tuesday just three days after they handled Virginia Tech on this same floor. That came a week after they went into Charlottesville and knocked off Virginia, which is never an easy thing to do. They’re 15-1 on the season, they’ve won 12 straight games and are a three-point loss to Temple away from being one of just two undefeated teams left in the sport.

What makes Florida State so dangerous is that there really isn’t a single strength that you can identify with this team. They are excellent in transition but they have the offensive talent to be able to execute in the half court. They are dangerous when they get out and press, but their bread-and-butter defensively is tough, aggressive man-to-man in the half court. They have a ton of size, length and athleticism along their front line but they are probably at their best when they play small-ball.

Given that every other ACC contender has proven themselves to be vulnerable, why can’t FSU win the conference title?

2. They did all this and their all-American didn’t play well: Jonathan Isaac is the best NBA prospect on Florida State’s roster. On Tuesday night, Rathan-Mayes was the best player on the Florida State roster. But throughout the season, Dwayne Bacon has been their guy. He leads the team in scoring and, after struggling with his efficiency throughout last season, has become a much more effective shooter while cutting down on his turnovers.

None of that was apparent against Duke.

Bacon finished with 13 points, six boards and five assists, but he was 6-for-15 from the floor and turned the ball over seven times. He didn’t play all that well. It happens. What doesn’t happen quite as often is to see a team like the Seminoles beat a team as talented as Duke is on a night where the best player on their roster doesn’t have a good game.

3. So does that mean we should be concerned with Duke?: Yes, because Duke’s defense is a major, major issue right now, particularly their defense on the interior. For as talented as Harry Giles III and Marques Bolden are, they are not yet anywhere close to being good enough to be the defensive anchor on a team that wants to play small-ball with four guards. For starters, their understanding of positional defense and where they are supposed to be on rotations is about what you would expect from a pair of freshmen that entered Tuesday having played a combined 125 minutes this season. Watching them defend ball-screens is as cringe-worthy as watching the most awkward scenes from The Office.

And it wasn’t just their positioning that was an issue. Duke is soft. Florida State on Tuesday was bigger, they were more physical and they were tougher, and that played as big of a role in the outcome of this game as anything. It might sound weird for some people to hear this, but Duke could really, really use a Plumlee – any Plumlee – right now.

Some of that will change when Amile Jefferson gets back from this foot injury, although if Duke’s recent history with defining injuries is any indication, we’re not going to know when he’ll be back until he’s announced in the starting lineup. Jefferson is as good of a positional defender as you’re going to find at the college level. But he’s also about 6-foot-8, meaning that he’s not exactly a shot-blocking presence and he’s not exactly going to push around anyone in the ACC. His presence did nothing to keep the Blue Devils from getting poleaxed by Virginia Tech.

This has been an issue with past Duke teams. In 2014, they couldn’t solve it and got upset by Mercer in the first round of the tournament. In 2015, they went on to win the national title.

4. So don’t totally abandon this team just yet: Duke has played just two games with their ideal starting lineup – Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard, Jayson Tatum, Amile Jefferson and Harry Giles III – intact. Tuesday night was just the second time that this group has played a true road game, and it came without their leader on the bench (Coach K) and their coach on the floor (Jefferson).

We were all ready to give up on Duke in 2015 when Angel Rodriguez and Manu Leconte looked like Steph Curry and Russelll Westbrook when Miami beat Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, and that team got it figured out.

This team will probably get it figured out, too.

But as of now, Saturday’s trip to Louisville looks like quite a daunting task.

No. 6 Kentucky upends Vanderbilt.

Associated Press

(Photo/Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Malik Monk scored six points in the final 32 seconds, and No. 6 Kentucky remained unbeaten in the Southeastern Conference by holding off Vanderbilt 87-81 Tuesday night.

Kentucky (14-2, 4-0) came in having beaten its first three SEC opponents by at least 23 points, something the Wildcats hadn’t done since the 1953-54 season. They looked ready to roll over Vanderbilt, scoring the first nine points of the game, before finding themselves in their tightest game at least in league play this season.

Vanderbilt (8-8, 2-2) closed to 83-81 on Jeff Roberson’s putback with 17.9 seconds left. But the rally fizzled from there.

Monk, who hit Kentucky’s last field goal with 32 seconds left, hit two free throws with 17 seconds left. Vanderbilt’s last shot, a 3 from Matthew Fisher-Davis, was off target with 9 seconds remaining, and Monk finished off the win with two more foul shots.

Isaiah Briscoe led Kentucky with 23 points, De’Aaron Fox had 22, Monk finished with 18 and Edrice “Bam” Adebayo had 14.

Roberson, Fisher-Davis and Riley LaChance each scored 19 points for Vanderbilt. Luke Kornet added 16.

The Wildcats got into early foul trouble that kept Monk and Fox on the bench for much of the first half.

Monk, the SEC’s leading scorer, picked up his second foul with 16:54 left in the first half, followed quickly by Fox getting his second 11 seconds later. They both went to the bench, and the Commodores finally started knocking down some shots.

The Wildcats led 45-41 at halftime but couldn’t push their lead past eight in the second half.

Vanderbilt last led 53-51 on a three-point play by LaChance and stayed close despite the SEC’s best shooters outside the arc hitting just 8 of 29 (27.6 percent).

BIG PICTURE

Kentucky: Coach John Calipari’s young Wildcats haven’t been in many close games so far this season. They got into foul trouble early and also had their worst night shooting outside the arc, finishing just 1 of 9. But they shot 50.7 percent (34 for 67) overall.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores had been making 13.3 3s per game in SEC play. They struggled on a night when Memorial Gym had enough Kentucky blue inside to feel like a road version of Rupp Arena. They also missed too many layups and close shots. Fisher-Davis was 9 of 11 at the line but only 4 of 15 from the floor.

BIG SHOT

A fan hit a half-court shot at halftime to win a three-year lease on an Acura. He celebrated with a high-five from Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, who sat with Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew’s father, Homer, behind the Vanderbilt bench. Harbaugh is in town for the AFCA convention.

UP NEXT

Kentucky: The Wildcats host Auburn on Saturday afternoon.

Vanderbilt: Host in-state rival Tennessee on Saturday night.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, January 11, 2017.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1953 - J. Edgar Hoover declined a six-figure offer to be the president of the International Boxing Club.

1970 - Billy Casper became the second golfer in history to top the $1-million mark in career earnings when he won the Los Angeles Open golf tournament.

1973 - Owners of American League baseball teams voted to adopt the designated-hitter rule on a trial basis.  

1976 - Dorothy Hamill won her third consecutive national figure skating championship.

1976 - The Soviet Olympic team walked off the ice in protest to the rough tactics of the Philadelphia Flyers.

1995 - NHL owners and Players ended a 103 day lockout. It was announced that the regular season would be reduced to 48 games and would start January 20.

2002 - Muhammad Ali received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2007 - It was announced that David Beckham had signed a five-year $250 million contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

2010 - Mark McGwire admitted that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade. The timeframe including the 1998 season when he broke the then single-season home run record.

2014 - Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz reduced Alex Rodriguez's (New York Yankees) drug suspension from 211 to 162 games.

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