Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica
"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"
We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing
Because it's all about you!!!
"Sports Quote of the Day"
“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm... in the real world all rests on perseverance.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Writer and Statesman
TRENDING: Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Chances Projected At 3.5 Percent. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: Julian Edelman compares Jimmy Garoppolo to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. (See the football section for Bears news an NFL updates).
TRENDING: Jimmy Butler bests Isaiah Thomas down the stretch as Bulls top Celtics. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: The Cubs and White Sox announce their 2017 broadcast schedules, with CSN airing, live streaming 81 games for the Cubs and 106 for the White Sox. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: NASCAR: Full 2017 Daytona Speedweeks schedule. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
TRENDING: NFL Playoffs Should Be Expanded? What's Your Take? (See the last article on this blog for our thoughts. Please take a minute and read them and share your take with us).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Chances Projected At 3.5 Percent.
By Colin Likas
(Photo/fansided.com)
A pie chart released today by moneypuck.com suggests the Chicago Blackhawks are firmly in the postseason, but certainly not the Stanley Cup favorite.
If you look at the NHL standings in the midst of the Chicago Blackhawks’ ongoing bye week, you’ll see the Blackhawks have a comfortable spot as the postseason gets closer.
The Blackhawks are not only in second place in the Central Division, but also within the entire Western Conference. They actually have games in hand on teams now, which is so strange. But with the Blackhawks holding points advantages over so many teams and the games-played field being evened out, it’s good news for the Blackhawks.
As such,
came out with a pie chart today suggesting each of the 30 NHL teams’ chances for making it to certain rounds of the postseason.
The Blackhawks, it may not surprise you to learn, are listed as near locks for the playoffs. They’re listed at having a 99.68 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason, the third-highest percentage on the graphic. Those ahead of Chicago are Pittsburgh (99.75), Minnesota (100) and Washington (100).
But there are a few surprises as we go deeper into the postseason. This chart suggests the percentages of each team to make it to not just the playoffs, but through each round of the postseason.
Blackhawks not a strong favorite early
Just looking ahead to the second round offers an interesting discussion. The Blackhawks’ percent chance of winning their first-round playoff matchup is listed at 43.7 percent. While that may seem reasonable, if you compare it to some other marks, it’s a little strange.
The St. Louis Blues currently have an 89.23 percent chance of making the postseason, per this graphic. However, their chance of making the second round is listed at 44.44 percent. AKA, this graphic is asserting the Blues would beat the Blackhawks in a first-round playoff matchup.
Think about it. If the regular season ended today, the Blackhawks and Blues would square off in the first round. I’m not sure what basis this graphic makes for such an idea, as the teams have split their four games this regular season, and the Blues have seen far more struggle and turmoil this season than the Blackhawks.
Another potential matchup for the Blackhawks in the first round could be the Nashville Predators. Their making-the-playoff chances are currently 76.27 percent. But, their first-round win chance is listed at a cool 38 percent. So why are the Blues and Predators experiencing such a slight drop-off in advance chance compared to the Blackhawks?
It’s a good question, and I’m not sure I can answer it. The Wild, for a point of reference, have a really 64.9 percent chance of advancing to the second round, according to this graphic. Of course, if they end up facing the Calgary Flames in the first round (they would if the season ended at this very moment), I’d give them an even better chance than that.
As other points of reference, some of the other first-round-win chances in the Western Conference are: 59.9 for San Jose, 51.9 for Los Angeles, 36.6 for Edmonton, 32.9 for Anaheim and 16.9 for Calgary. For the record, the Kings wouldn’t even be in the postseason if the regular season ended today.
Going beyond the early stages
The Blackhawks’ chances for success, per this graphic, don’t get much better beyond the opening round. They’re listed at 18.9 percent to make the conference finals, 8.2 percent to make the Stanley Cup Final and 3.5 percent to take home the silver chalice.
Other Western Conference contenders see their percentages in the three areas as follows:
Minnesota: 37.7, 19.4, 9.9
St. Louis: 20.7, 9.8, 4.3
Nashville: 20.0, 10.3, 5.0
San Jose: 32.5, 17.6, 8.8
Los Angeles: 29.2, 16.7, 8.9
Edmonton: 14.9, 6.4, too small to list
Anaheim: 12.2, 5.0, too small to list
Calgary: 8.2, too small to list, too small to list
So the Blackhawks are somehow the least-favored Central Division team to win the Stanley Cup of the four true contenders. Which, again, I find very strange.
Sure, the Blackhawks haven’t been incredible the entire season, but they’ve had multiple multi-game win streaks and clearly haven’t been at their best for many portions of the regular season.
They’re starting to pick up wins against teams that had previously struggled against, and there’s no counting out some deadline deal that could improve the team’s chances. So it seems the Blackhawks are being taken very lightly despite their ability to record surprising results in the past when they weren’t really expected.
Of course, this is entirely speculatory and one website’s opinion. But it’s certainly an interesting one that lets you know where some believe the Blackhawks stand at this point.
Players, coaches adapt to NHL's new condensed schedule.
By Tracey Myers
These days, Brian Campbell doesn’t do much on his off nights.
If he’s not playing hockey, he’s spending as much time as possible with family. And whatever spare time he has after that, well, he’s resting.
“I’ll have friends and neighbors say, ‘Hey you want to go for dinner?’ Not a chance,” Campbell said to laughs. “I don’t want to do anything right now. I want to be at home, whether we cook or order in. It has been, at times, exhausting. It’s not much of a life outside of what’s going on.”
The Blackhawks are currently enjoying their bye week after playing 57 games through Feb. 11. Thanks to World Cup and a bye week for each team, the NHL schedule has been condensed this season. That’s offered its challenges, its various effects on players and coaches and differing opinions.
Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau admitted he’s had to adjust. The usual way he does things just aren’t going to fly this season. Looking at the Wild’s record, the changes apparently haven’t hurt them.
“There are a lot of tired players and we’ve had fewer practices than any time I’ve ever been a coach in this league,” Boudreau said at the All-Star weekend. “We finished nine games in 15 days [before the break] and we never practiced the other six days because you can’t kill the guys, especially your better players. If you’re asking them to practice for 30 minutes and then asking them to play for 25 minutes, it’s a pretty daunting task.”
As for players on other teams, some love the schedule and some don’t.
“There aren’t too many guys in this league who are big practice guys. We want to play,” said Dallas defenseman Jordie Benn, who added he hasn’t changed his daily routine much. “We want to be out there on the ice. For me, personally, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Fellow Stars defenseman John Klingberg talked of the Stars’ early hectic schedule, in which the team wasn’t playing well and dealt with a lot of injuries. He thought a few on-ice sessions may have been beneficial at that time.
“We didn’t practice almost at all and at that time, when we struggled, we really needed to practice,” Klingberg said. “It was tough because we wanted to keep the energy going for the games. At the same time, you want to get practices in so you have the feeling with hands and feet. That’s something I felt earlier in the year that I needed more of. I was trying to skate as much as I could but there weren’t a lot of scheduled practices.”
With that, let’s look at the Blackhawks.
Considering how coach Joel Quenneville runs a practice schedule, it seems like the Blackhawks have been prepping for a season like this since the 2012-13 lockout. That year, when teams were playing roughly every other day in that 48-game schedule, Quenneville started eliminating a lot of practices. Part of that was the Blackhawks’ success: they got off to a 21-0-3 start, so why practice? But it was also about conserving energy. Even now he keeps his practices to about 35 minutes.
“Through the history of being around this team, it’s proven that rest is important and practices can be overrated,” Quenneville said with a laugh. “Our guys have played a lot of games, our older guys, for sure, and meaningful games. And we find we’re at our best when we’re rested and come ready to play the games and use time away from the rink to get re-energized, freshened up. Sometimes I think playing games is the right time to let it all out there.”
Still, it’s ultimately about the individual. Marian Hossa will take some practices and skates off, saving his energy for games. He’s having a great season, sharing the team’s goal lead with Artem Anisimov (20 for each). This is also coming off World Cup, in which Hossa played plenty of minutes for tournament runner-up Team Europe.
“It’s good to practice here or there but when you have so many games, I think the most important thing toward the end of the year is rest,” Hossa said. “We’re pretty lucky we have that, and I think we also have had good results off that. It seems like it works.”
Patrick Kane doesn’t take many skates or practices off but he has added something new to his repertoire: cryotherapy. In the therapy, be it whole-body or localized, a person is exposed to subzero temperatures for a few minutes.
“I think it has helped me, especially to do that in Chicago every off day, so it’s been good. I feel like fresh on the ice, which is good,” Kane said. “I think you try out different things to help your body or get yourself to recover a little bit faster than other times if you have more days off.”
So has the schedule had an effect on game outcomes, from the lopsided scores to those with double-digit goal totals? Boudreau believes it has.
“I’m sure everyone has theories,” Boudreau continued, “but my thought is, this is why there are so many discrepancies in so many of the games, be it 7-1, 5-1, 6-5 or 8-7.”
It could be debated. Some of the most lopsided scores (Columbus’ 10-0 victory over Montreal, Los Angeles’ 7-0 decision over Toronto and Winnipeg’s 8-2 victory over Dallas) came within the first month of the regular season. Seems that would be too early to blame a schedule. But there have been some outlandish outcomes recently. The Penguins 8-7 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Jan. 16 comes to mind. The next night, the Stars beat the New York Rangers 7-6. The Toronto beat the Islanders 7-1 on Tuesday.
“You look at the schedule this year, a tougher schedule. You see a few more blow outs, you wonder if that has anything to do with it,” Kane said. “Who knows?”
As coaches and players love to say, the schedule is what it is. But there’s no doubt it’s been busier this season, and everyone is doing what they can to adjust.
“Sometimes you have long road trips that might catch up to you with the travel or things like that. But even then, you’re not really thinking about it too much. You’re just trying to do what you can to get yourself ready for the next game,” Kane said. “I don’t think anyone thinks about it too much. It’s just we’re hockey players, we like playing games, so it’s a good thing.”
Blackhawks and Chicago Mission announce partnership.
By Chicago Blackhawks Media Relations / chicagoblackhawks.com
If he’s not playing hockey, he’s spending as much time as possible with family. And whatever spare time he has after that, well, he’s resting.
“I’ll have friends and neighbors say, ‘Hey you want to go for dinner?’ Not a chance,” Campbell said to laughs. “I don’t want to do anything right now. I want to be at home, whether we cook or order in. It has been, at times, exhausting. It’s not much of a life outside of what’s going on.”
The Blackhawks are currently enjoying their bye week after playing 57 games through Feb. 11. Thanks to World Cup and a bye week for each team, the NHL schedule has been condensed this season. That’s offered its challenges, its various effects on players and coaches and differing opinions.
Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau admitted he’s had to adjust. The usual way he does things just aren’t going to fly this season. Looking at the Wild’s record, the changes apparently haven’t hurt them.
“There are a lot of tired players and we’ve had fewer practices than any time I’ve ever been a coach in this league,” Boudreau said at the All-Star weekend. “We finished nine games in 15 days [before the break] and we never practiced the other six days because you can’t kill the guys, especially your better players. If you’re asking them to practice for 30 minutes and then asking them to play for 25 minutes, it’s a pretty daunting task.”
As for players on other teams, some love the schedule and some don’t.
“There aren’t too many guys in this league who are big practice guys. We want to play,” said Dallas defenseman Jordie Benn, who added he hasn’t changed his daily routine much. “We want to be out there on the ice. For me, personally, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Fellow Stars defenseman John Klingberg talked of the Stars’ early hectic schedule, in which the team wasn’t playing well and dealt with a lot of injuries. He thought a few on-ice sessions may have been beneficial at that time.
“We didn’t practice almost at all and at that time, when we struggled, we really needed to practice,” Klingberg said. “It was tough because we wanted to keep the energy going for the games. At the same time, you want to get practices in so you have the feeling with hands and feet. That’s something I felt earlier in the year that I needed more of. I was trying to skate as much as I could but there weren’t a lot of scheduled practices.”
With that, let’s look at the Blackhawks.
Considering how coach Joel Quenneville runs a practice schedule, it seems like the Blackhawks have been prepping for a season like this since the 2012-13 lockout. That year, when teams were playing roughly every other day in that 48-game schedule, Quenneville started eliminating a lot of practices. Part of that was the Blackhawks’ success: they got off to a 21-0-3 start, so why practice? But it was also about conserving energy. Even now he keeps his practices to about 35 minutes.
“Through the history of being around this team, it’s proven that rest is important and practices can be overrated,” Quenneville said with a laugh. “Our guys have played a lot of games, our older guys, for sure, and meaningful games. And we find we’re at our best when we’re rested and come ready to play the games and use time away from the rink to get re-energized, freshened up. Sometimes I think playing games is the right time to let it all out there.”
Still, it’s ultimately about the individual. Marian Hossa will take some practices and skates off, saving his energy for games. He’s having a great season, sharing the team’s goal lead with Artem Anisimov (20 for each). This is also coming off World Cup, in which Hossa played plenty of minutes for tournament runner-up Team Europe.
“It’s good to practice here or there but when you have so many games, I think the most important thing toward the end of the year is rest,” Hossa said. “We’re pretty lucky we have that, and I think we also have had good results off that. It seems like it works.”
Patrick Kane doesn’t take many skates or practices off but he has added something new to his repertoire: cryotherapy. In the therapy, be it whole-body or localized, a person is exposed to subzero temperatures for a few minutes.
“I think it has helped me, especially to do that in Chicago every off day, so it’s been good. I feel like fresh on the ice, which is good,” Kane said. “I think you try out different things to help your body or get yourself to recover a little bit faster than other times if you have more days off.”
So has the schedule had an effect on game outcomes, from the lopsided scores to those with double-digit goal totals? Boudreau believes it has.
“I’m sure everyone has theories,” Boudreau continued, “but my thought is, this is why there are so many discrepancies in so many of the games, be it 7-1, 5-1, 6-5 or 8-7.”
It could be debated. Some of the most lopsided scores (Columbus’ 10-0 victory over Montreal, Los Angeles’ 7-0 decision over Toronto and Winnipeg’s 8-2 victory over Dallas) came within the first month of the regular season. Seems that would be too early to blame a schedule. But there have been some outlandish outcomes recently. The Penguins 8-7 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Jan. 16 comes to mind. The next night, the Stars beat the New York Rangers 7-6. The Toronto beat the Islanders 7-1 on Tuesday.
“You look at the schedule this year, a tougher schedule. You see a few more blow outs, you wonder if that has anything to do with it,” Kane said. “Who knows?”
As coaches and players love to say, the schedule is what it is. But there’s no doubt it’s been busier this season, and everyone is doing what they can to adjust.
“Sometimes you have long road trips that might catch up to you with the travel or things like that. But even then, you’re not really thinking about it too much. You’re just trying to do what you can to get yourself ready for the next game,” Kane said. “I don’t think anyone thinks about it too much. It’s just we’re hockey players, we like playing games, so it’s a good thing.”
Blackhawks and Chicago Mission announce partnership.
By Chicago Blackhawks Media Relations / chicagoblackhawks.com
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they have agreed to a long-term partnership with the Chicago Mission AAA Hockey Club, which will allow the Mission to call the Blackhawks Community Ice Arena their home rink.
"Partnering with a top echelon organization like the Chicago Mission allows us to increasingly aid the development of youth hockey players across the Chicagoland area from the time they learn to skate until they head to college," said Blackhawks President & CEO John McDonough. "We are looking forward to being a larger part of the Mission's evolution, while following the progress of so many bright careers."
"Partnering with a top echelon organization like the Chicago Mission allows us to increasingly aid the development of youth hockey players across the Chicagoland area from the time they learn to skate until they head to college," said Blackhawks President & CEO John McDonough. "We are looking forward to being a larger part of the Mission's evolution, while following the progress of so many bright careers."
"We are incredibly excited to be able to call the Blackhawks Community Ice Arena home to the Chicago Mission and couldn't be more thankful for the support the Blackhawks have shown for our organization," said Chicago Mission Hockey Director Gino Cavallini. "The state-of-the-art facilities will provide us with the chance to further expand our training programs and continue to put Mission alumni in positions to succeed both on and off the ice."
The Chicago Mission Hockey Club is a top Tier I AAA hockey organization with boys' and girls' teams. The Mission is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2001 to help players succeed by giving them the guidance required to flourish in athletics, academics and life. Chicago Mission has placed 183 Division I players, 44 Division III players and 27 national team players between the girls' and boys' programs, in addition to 14 NHL draft picks and eight current NHL players. Mission alumni who are currently within the Blackhawks system include Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Hartman, Nick Schmaltz, Anthony Louis and Evan Mosey; other NHL players include Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), John Moore (New Jersey), William Nylander (Toronto), Christian Dvorak (Arizona) and Christian Fischer (Arizona). Since 2006, the Mission have won four national championships, been national runners-up seven times and are perennially ranked in the top five in the nation.
The 125,000 square-foot Chicago Blackhawks Community Ice Arena, located two blocks south of the United Center on a four-acre site formerly housing Malcolm X College, is set to open in December 2017. The state-of-the-art facility will house year-round youth hockey development programs, recreational leagues and events, and serve as the practice facility for the organization and visiting NHL teams. The facility will contain two NHL regulation-size ice rinks, spectator seating and a dedicated oasis parking lot to serve facility guests and buses. Approximately 94 percent of its utilization will be from outside the Blackhawks organization, including by young adult, youth and community programs for children in Chicago. The project is expected to create 21 permanent and 250 construction jobs. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz broke ground on the organization's $55 million Community Training Center on June 15, 2016.
Per USA Hockey, Illinois ranked fifth in the nation with 31,558 registered hockey players during the 2015-16 season, marking a 42 percent increase in membership since the 2007-08 season, which is the second-largest percent increase among USA Hockey regional affiliates. Since 2007-08, Illinois saw the largest total increase in participants among USA Hockey regional affiliates with 9,336 new members. The Blackhawks currently have partnerships with 66 hockey rinks in Illinois, but only four exist within the city of Chicago.
The Chicago Mission Hockey Club is a top Tier I AAA hockey organization with boys' and girls' teams. The Mission is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2001 to help players succeed by giving them the guidance required to flourish in athletics, academics and life. Chicago Mission has placed 183 Division I players, 44 Division III players and 27 national team players between the girls' and boys' programs, in addition to 14 NHL draft picks and eight current NHL players. Mission alumni who are currently within the Blackhawks system include Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Hartman, Nick Schmaltz, Anthony Louis and Evan Mosey; other NHL players include Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), John Moore (New Jersey), William Nylander (Toronto), Christian Dvorak (Arizona) and Christian Fischer (Arizona). Since 2006, the Mission have won four national championships, been national runners-up seven times and are perennially ranked in the top five in the nation.
The 125,000 square-foot Chicago Blackhawks Community Ice Arena, located two blocks south of the United Center on a four-acre site formerly housing Malcolm X College, is set to open in December 2017. The state-of-the-art facility will house year-round youth hockey development programs, recreational leagues and events, and serve as the practice facility for the organization and visiting NHL teams. The facility will contain two NHL regulation-size ice rinks, spectator seating and a dedicated oasis parking lot to serve facility guests and buses. Approximately 94 percent of its utilization will be from outside the Blackhawks organization, including by young adult, youth and community programs for children in Chicago. The project is expected to create 21 permanent and 250 construction jobs. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz broke ground on the organization's $55 million Community Training Center on June 15, 2016.
Per USA Hockey, Illinois ranked fifth in the nation with 31,558 registered hockey players during the 2015-16 season, marking a 42 percent increase in membership since the 2007-08 season, which is the second-largest percent increase among USA Hockey regional affiliates. Since 2007-08, Illinois saw the largest total increase in participants among USA Hockey regional affiliates with 9,336 new members. The Blackhawks currently have partnerships with 66 hockey rinks in Illinois, but only four exist within the city of Chicago.
Bear Down Chicago Bears !!!!! Julian Edelman compares Jimmy Garoppolo to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Here's something that will make Bears fans salivate: Super Bowl hero Julian Edelman thinks Jimmy Garoppolo is comparable to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
Edelman was on NFL Network Tuesday night and sang Garoppolo's praises:
Of course, the highest compliment Edelman could've given Jimmy G would've been a comparison to Brady, but there is only one Tom Brady.
Still, if Garoppolo is the second coming of Favre or another version of Rodgers, that's not too bad. Bears fans know all too well the greatness of those two "gunslingers."
The Bears are one of the teams said to be seriously in on trading for Garoppolo, who has one year left on his contract. The Chicagoland native and Eastern Illinois product has been linked to several teams in trade rumors this offseason, including the Cleveland Browns, who hold two picks in the Top 12 of this spring's NFL Draft.
Garoppolo has only thrown 94 passes in his three NFL seasons, but he has yet to throw an interception and impressed in his time filling in for the suspended Brady (502 yards, 4 TDs) early in the season.
Edelman was on NFL Network Tuesday night and sang Garoppolo's praises:
"I'm not a paid GM, so I don't know the whole value thing. But as far as a guy that I get to play with every single day, Jimmy Garappolo, the guy's a stud. He went out and played in the regular season and he played very well. He's got that kind of gunslinger-like confidence. That Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers kind of confidence. He practices hard, he prepares hard. He's a good kid, he's young, I think he's a good player."Given that Edelman has spent his entire eight-year NFL career catching passes from quite possibly the greatest quarterback ever (Tom Brady), I think it's safe to say the New England Patriots wide receiver knows what he's talking about.
Of course, the highest compliment Edelman could've given Jimmy G would've been a comparison to Brady, but there is only one Tom Brady.
Still, if Garoppolo is the second coming of Favre or another version of Rodgers, that's not too bad. Bears fans know all too well the greatness of those two "gunslingers."
The Bears are one of the teams said to be seriously in on trading for Garoppolo, who has one year left on his contract. The Chicagoland native and Eastern Illinois product has been linked to several teams in trade rumors this offseason, including the Cleveland Browns, who hold two picks in the Top 12 of this spring's NFL Draft.
Garoppolo has only thrown 94 passes in his three NFL seasons, but he has yet to throw an interception and impressed in his time filling in for the suspended Brady (502 yards, 4 TDs) early in the season.
Jay Cutler experience should push Bears far away from just measurables when choosing next QB.
By John Mullin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Teams routinely evaluate draft candidates starting with measurable traits. Then, once the 40-times, height/weight results and such are tabulated, intangibles like leadership and “football character” enter in as tipping points.
For what the Bears need and want to do this offseason at their most important position, the Bears need to reverse the process. Do it backwards.
The Bears’ first turn on the draft clock does not come around for upwards of two months, maybe effectively before that if trading draft choices for a Jimmy Garoppolo happens in the meantime. But with the start of the league year and its trading window approach, the talk around Jay Cutler is popping up more and more, whether he’ll command anything in a trade or whether to just cut ties and move on.
But the Cutler experience should be and quite possibly is figuring into what the Bears will do if a quarterback is what they target and select, presumably in the first round. And based on Cutler as a case study, subtle and not-so-subtle indications are that GM Ryan Pace is looking beyond the usual “measurables” in evaluating quarterback prospects, as he absolutely should be.
In this one position, it becomes imperative that the Bears go off-script, outside the box, and look first, hardest and longest at something that won’t show up on any stopwatch or tape measure.
“You want to look for a player who has lifted his program for the most part,” Pace said during his time at this year’s Senior Bowl last month. “That's something that's there. Quarterbacks we've been around, I think Drew Brees, for example, when he was at Purdue, he lifted that program. That's one of the things we look for. That's definitely a factor added into about 30 other things you factor into that position.”
Why this resonance so loudly over the Bears is because for the last eight years they had a designer quarterback who unquestionably checked every measurable box: size (6-3, 225 pounds, mobility, footspeed, arm strength), yet failed to lift his team the way Pace was accustomed to from his time in New Orleans around Brees.
North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky is Cutler: 6-3, 209 pounds, big arm. Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer is Cutler: 6-4, 230 pounds, big arm, mobility.
Tellingly perhaps, Pace also cited another intangible in a way that suggests it will influence his and the Bears’ draft board: “It's your football intelligence, it's your accuracy, it's your ability to quickly process.”
But Trubisky was a starter just one year (2016). Kizer “led” the Irish to a 4-8 season and a 14-11 overall mark in his starts over two years.
Deshaun Watson, in the National Championship game the past two years, is similar in physical stature (6-3, 209) to Kizer and Trubisky, Garoppolo, too, for that matter. But “lifted his program” should be a monumental tipping point here.
And experience. Garoppolo had one spectacular year, his senior season, at Eastern Illinois. His first three years were nothing special, marked by heavy interception totals and barely 60 percent completions. Pace’s weighted criteria have experience high up.
“Yeah, [experience] carries a lot of weight,” Pace said. “I think there’s nothing that can really substitute [for] that. It’s already a big jump from college to the NFL as it is, so the more of that you have, the more beneficial it is.”
Measurables were why Russell Wilson (size) didn’t go until the third round, and why Tom Brady (foot speed) lasted until the sixth. For the Bears, the hard-to-gauge intangibles should be their first evaluation points, far ahead of the physical skills and talents that they have had here since 2009.
For what the Bears need and want to do this offseason at their most important position, the Bears need to reverse the process. Do it backwards.
The Bears’ first turn on the draft clock does not come around for upwards of two months, maybe effectively before that if trading draft choices for a Jimmy Garoppolo happens in the meantime. But with the start of the league year and its trading window approach, the talk around Jay Cutler is popping up more and more, whether he’ll command anything in a trade or whether to just cut ties and move on.
But the Cutler experience should be and quite possibly is figuring into what the Bears will do if a quarterback is what they target and select, presumably in the first round. And based on Cutler as a case study, subtle and not-so-subtle indications are that GM Ryan Pace is looking beyond the usual “measurables” in evaluating quarterback prospects, as he absolutely should be.
In this one position, it becomes imperative that the Bears go off-script, outside the box, and look first, hardest and longest at something that won’t show up on any stopwatch or tape measure.
“You want to look for a player who has lifted his program for the most part,” Pace said during his time at this year’s Senior Bowl last month. “That's something that's there. Quarterbacks we've been around, I think Drew Brees, for example, when he was at Purdue, he lifted that program. That's one of the things we look for. That's definitely a factor added into about 30 other things you factor into that position.”
Why this resonance so loudly over the Bears is because for the last eight years they had a designer quarterback who unquestionably checked every measurable box: size (6-3, 225 pounds, mobility, footspeed, arm strength), yet failed to lift his team the way Pace was accustomed to from his time in New Orleans around Brees.
North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky is Cutler: 6-3, 209 pounds, big arm. Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer is Cutler: 6-4, 230 pounds, big arm, mobility.
Tellingly perhaps, Pace also cited another intangible in a way that suggests it will influence his and the Bears’ draft board: “It's your football intelligence, it's your accuracy, it's your ability to quickly process.”
But Trubisky was a starter just one year (2016). Kizer “led” the Irish to a 4-8 season and a 14-11 overall mark in his starts over two years.
Deshaun Watson, in the National Championship game the past two years, is similar in physical stature (6-3, 209) to Kizer and Trubisky, Garoppolo, too, for that matter. But “lifted his program” should be a monumental tipping point here.
And experience. Garoppolo had one spectacular year, his senior season, at Eastern Illinois. His first three years were nothing special, marked by heavy interception totals and barely 60 percent completions. Pace’s weighted criteria have experience high up.
“Yeah, [experience] carries a lot of weight,” Pace said. “I think there’s nothing that can really substitute [for] that. It’s already a big jump from college to the NFL as it is, so the more of that you have, the more beneficial it is.”
Measurables were why Russell Wilson (size) didn’t go until the third round, and why Tom Brady (foot speed) lasted until the sixth. For the Bears, the hard-to-gauge intangibles should be their first evaluation points, far ahead of the physical skills and talents that they have had here since 2009.
Bears sign OL Eric Kush to two-year deal.
By Scott Krinch
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Bears added to their offensive line depth on Wednesday as they announced the signing of Eric Kush to a two-year deal.
Kush, who the Bears claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams last August, provided key depth on the offensive line in 2016.
The 27-year-old Kush started a career-high four games and appeared in eight contests for the Bears last season.
Before becoming an HBO Hard Knocks star best known for being the "Man of a thousand tanks" last summer, Kush had bounced around the NFL, appearing in 18 games with the Kansas City Chiefs (2013-14) and Rams (2015). Kush also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015), Houston Texans (2015) and on the Carolina Panthers practice squad (2015).
Kush was originally a sixth-round selection (170th overall) out of California (PA) by the Chiefs in 2013.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Jimmy Butler bests Isaiah Thomas down the stretch as Bulls top Celtics.
By Mark Strotman
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The stage was set for Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas to do what he had done all year: take over a close game late in the fourth quarter. The NBA's leading scorer in the final stanza appeared ready to do just that with a triple that gave the Celtics a 97-94 lead with just under 4 minutes remaining.
But Jimmy Butler made it known that Thomas wasn't the only All-Star capable of taking over late. In the final game before the All-Star break Butler and Thomas, both of whom will represent the East this weekend in New Orleans, went back and forth in the final period, trading baskets, smart decision-making and heady passes.
Ultimately it was Butler who got the best of Thomas. The Bulls' All-Star starter knocked down a pair of free throws following a controversial foul call to propel the Bulls to a 104-103 victory Thursday night at the United Center.
With the Celtics leading by one Thomas was off on a long two-pointer with 10 seconds remaining. The Bulls corralled the rebound and called timeout. Butler backed down Marcus Smart on an isolation, pivoted and stepped back on a jumper. Butler was short but referee Zach Zarba called Smart for hitting Butler's arm with 0.9 seconds remaining. Butler calmly sank two free throws and Al Horford's shot from the right corner was off at the buzzer.
The Bulls made all 22 free throw attempts in the game.
Butler finished with nine points in the stanza while also adding an assist. Thomas, who averages a league-best 10.7 points per fourth quarter, scored 11 in the final nine minutes. But it wasn't enough.
With the win the Bulls creep back toward .500, finishing their pre-All-Star break portion of the season 28-29. It's the first time they've been under .500 at the All-Star break since 2010. They'll get the week off and resume play Feb. 24 at home against the Suns.
NBA Buzz: The Bulls may have found a keeper in Cristiano Felicio.
By Mark Schanowski
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
We're taking a break from the breathless NBA trade rumor mill to write about an unqualified success story for the Bulls' front office and coaching staff.
Second-year center Cristiano Felicio just keeps getting better, and it's exciting to think about what his ceiling might be. You've probably heard the story by now: Felicio grew up in Brazil playing soccer like most young athletes in that country. But as Felicio kept growing, it was suggested he might want to switch to basketball.
After limited exposure to professional basketball in Brazil, Felicio found out he wasn't eligible to pursue a college scholarship in the U.S., so he focused on finding an opportunity to try out at an NBA training camp. The Bulls saw enough potential in the raw, 6-foot-9 athlete to bring him to camp in September 2015, and he impressed enough in preseason games to earn a spot on the 15-man roster.
Felicio didn't play much early in the season behind veterans Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, but once Noah went down with a season-ending shoulder injury Felicio got his chance and impressed with his active play on both ends.
Year 2 began with Felicio in the rotation as the back-up center, but then he disappeared in November, barely playing over a stretch of 13 games. Now he's back as the second-team center and often is on the court in the Bulls' fourth-quarter lineup. Felicio is averaging 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes, but you can see the potential is there for so much more.
Felicio's ability to run the court and fly in for put-backs and tip dunks energizes the entire team, and he's already built a nice chemistry with Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo on alley-oop passes at the rim.
So, what's the ceiling for the 24-year-old Brazilian? I asked Fred Hoiberg after practice on Wednesday.
"I think the sky's the limit for Cris. He's a guy that, just the way he moves his feet for a guy that size, allows us to change our ball-screen coverages," Hoiberg said. "He's getting more comfortable on the offensive end, I think he's built nice chemistry with Dwyane and Rajon in that second group, picking and choosing his times to roll to the rim and also finding guys on the perimeter. He's also built a nice chemistry with Doug (McDermott) as well, trying to find him with screens coming down in transition. The big thing is, you can see he's getting more comfortable every time he's out there. He's a big part of this team."
Starting center Robin Lopez added: "I've seen nothing but great things from him, honestly. Every time he's inserted into the lineup he does really good things for us."
So, give credit to the Bulls' scouting staff for discovering an unpolished diamond like Felicio. He's still raw offensively, and tends to rush his jump hooks and floaters in the lane, but the potential for improvement is there. Felicio has a nice touch at the free throw line, and with time and repetition, should be able to develop a consistent mid-range shot.
The danger for the Bulls is what might happen in free agency this summer. Teams around the league have taken notice of the agile and springy big man, and he could be in high demand in a new NBA that emphasizes small lineups and versatile bigs.
Since the Bulls signed Felicio originally as an undrafted free agent, they'll be limited in what kind of contract they can offer him under the little known "Arenas provision" in the league's collective bargaining agreement. That's the same provision that allowed Houston to swoop in and steal Omer Asik from the Bulls after the 2011-12 season. While the "poison pill" option has been removed in the current CBA, if a team wants Felicio badly enough they could come in with an offer that the Bulls are unable to match.
Still, after all the disappointments the Bulls have had with their recent first-round draft picks, turning an unknown free agent like Felicio into a productive rotation player is a big positive for the front office.
Trade chatter continues around the league
Speaking of the center position, the Bulls have been linked in trade talks involving Philadelphia's second-year big man Jahlil Okafor, but that interest may have been overblown.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor writes the 76ers may have held Okafor out of their road game in Charlotte earlier this week just to try to flush out better offers, adding the only serious trade proposal came from the Pelicans, offering back-up center Alexis Ajinca and a first-round draft pick. O'Connor writes the Bulls likely aren't interested in trading for the Chicago native, who is an old fashioned back-to-the-basket center that doesn't defend, rebound or pass very well.
Okafor returned to the Sixers for Wednesday night's game in Boston, and unless general manager Bryan Colangelo gets some better offers, he might wind up finishing the year in Philadelphia.
So, which players could be on the move before the February 23 deadline? The Lakers, Magic and Nuggets look like motivated sellers right now. The Lakers have to turn over their first-round pick to Philadelphia if it falls outside the top 3, and also would have to send a 2019 first-rounder to Orlando. But, if the Lakers tank the rest of the season and slide into the bottom of the three, they keep a premier pick in this year's loaded draft, and they would only owe the Magic a pair of second-rounders in the future.
That means embattled Lakers' general manager Mitch Kupchak is open for business, willing to sell off any and all of his veteran players. No one is touching the long-term deals Kupchak mistakenly handed out to Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, but the Lakers should draw interest on perimeter shooters Lou Williams and Nick Young. Don't be surprised if the Cavaliers come calling for Williams, who's been on a scoring tear lately, averaging 21 points over his last 10 games. Williams just might be the dynamic playmaker LeBron James has been asking for.
After trading Serge Ibaka on Tuesday, the Magic still have the for-sale sign out with Rob Hennigan trying to save his job as general manager. Orlando was expected to contend for a playoff spot in the East after acquiring Ibaka from Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and lottery pick Domantas Sabonis, but the trade hasn't gone well for the Magic.
Head coach Frank Vogel hasn't been able to get his team to play consistent defense, and now Hennigan is trying to shake things up to save the season. Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja, Jeff Green C.J. Watson and Nikola Vucevic are all available for the right price.
A different story in Denver, where the Nuggets currently hold the 8th seed in the West, and would love to add a veteran star to their young mix. Denver just acquired center Mason Plumlee from Portland to back-up emerging star Nikola Jokic, and they're willing to deal Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Will Barton, Jameer Nelson and former DePaul star Wilson Chandler to get the right player.
Carmelo Anthony told reporters on Wednesday he expects to be with the Knicks after the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean other teams will stop calling. Anthony grew up in Baltimore and would be a great fit on a Wizards team that has a 27-9 record since December 4. Not sure if Washington has the assets to pull off that kind of a deal, but it's definitely worth a try with Cleveland suddenly looking a little more vulnerable in the East.
Similar story with Boston, where Danny Ainge is still sitting on that treasure trove of draft picks from the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade with Brooklyn. With Kevin Love now out six weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery, Washington playing great basketball and Toronto just acquiring Serge Ibaka, will Ainge step forward with his best offer to try to pry Jimmy Butler loose from the Bulls?
Unless Ainge is willing to offer both of the Brooklyn picks he holds (1st rounders in 2017 & '18), plus a pair of players to match salaries, there likely isn't any chance of a deal getting done between the two teams before the deadline. But you can bet those talks will be revisited once we get closer to the draft in June.
As for the Bulls, don't expect much in the next week. There's a chance they'll find a new home for Nikola Mirotic, and Gibson could go if a contending team offers a late first-round pick, but don't expect any blockbuster deals. With the front office still looking to get younger and more athletic players in the mix, first-round picks will be at a premium, and those types of trades normally get done just before the draft.
Stats of the Week
With the Bulls running their current winning streak over Toronto to 11 games on Tuesday, our stats "cruncher", Chris Kamka came up with these interesting notes.
The last time Bulls lost to Raptors (December 31st, 2013)
- Luol Deng was Bulls leading scorer (16). He played 2 more games with Bulls then was traded
- Jimmy Butler's career PPG was 7.3 at the time
Jimmy Butler's unique game
- Tuesday's game is the only time (1983-84 to present) a Bulls player had 15+ FT made and 12+ Assists in a game (Butler finished with 19 pts. & 12 assists, making 15-19 FT's)
And, when the Bulls are good, they can be VERY good.
Most 25+ point wins through first 50 games of a season in Bulls history
8 1971-72
5 2016-17 ---> 5 of 25 wins this season have been by 25+ points
5 2006-07
5 1996-97
5 1990-91
Those five wins:
Score Margin of Victory
Oct 31 at Brooklyn 118-88 30
Nov 7 vs Orlando 112-80 32
Nov 15 at Portland 113-88 25
Dec 19 vs Detroit 113-82 31
Feb 1 at Oklahoma City 128-100 28
Quote of the Week
Finally back to the quirky Robin Lopez, who had this response to my question about whether he ever discusses trade rumors with his twin brother Brook: "No, he once told me he would trade me to a high school team for a bag of Cheetos, but that's about it."
Which led me to the obvious follow-up question of what would it be like if he was ever traded FOR his brother, a Lopez twin swap, "I think whoever got Brook would be sorely disappointed. That's quite the presence to have to follow."
Robin then dropped the mike and walked away, interview session over.
Taj Gibson pouring his heart out for Bulls as trade rumors swirl.
By Vincent Goodwill
Second-year center Cristiano Felicio just keeps getting better, and it's exciting to think about what his ceiling might be. You've probably heard the story by now: Felicio grew up in Brazil playing soccer like most young athletes in that country. But as Felicio kept growing, it was suggested he might want to switch to basketball.
After limited exposure to professional basketball in Brazil, Felicio found out he wasn't eligible to pursue a college scholarship in the U.S., so he focused on finding an opportunity to try out at an NBA training camp. The Bulls saw enough potential in the raw, 6-foot-9 athlete to bring him to camp in September 2015, and he impressed enough in preseason games to earn a spot on the 15-man roster.
Felicio didn't play much early in the season behind veterans Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, but once Noah went down with a season-ending shoulder injury Felicio got his chance and impressed with his active play on both ends.
Year 2 began with Felicio in the rotation as the back-up center, but then he disappeared in November, barely playing over a stretch of 13 games. Now he's back as the second-team center and often is on the court in the Bulls' fourth-quarter lineup. Felicio is averaging 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes, but you can see the potential is there for so much more.
Felicio's ability to run the court and fly in for put-backs and tip dunks energizes the entire team, and he's already built a nice chemistry with Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo on alley-oop passes at the rim.
So, what's the ceiling for the 24-year-old Brazilian? I asked Fred Hoiberg after practice on Wednesday.
"I think the sky's the limit for Cris. He's a guy that, just the way he moves his feet for a guy that size, allows us to change our ball-screen coverages," Hoiberg said. "He's getting more comfortable on the offensive end, I think he's built nice chemistry with Dwyane and Rajon in that second group, picking and choosing his times to roll to the rim and also finding guys on the perimeter. He's also built a nice chemistry with Doug (McDermott) as well, trying to find him with screens coming down in transition. The big thing is, you can see he's getting more comfortable every time he's out there. He's a big part of this team."
Starting center Robin Lopez added: "I've seen nothing but great things from him, honestly. Every time he's inserted into the lineup he does really good things for us."
So, give credit to the Bulls' scouting staff for discovering an unpolished diamond like Felicio. He's still raw offensively, and tends to rush his jump hooks and floaters in the lane, but the potential for improvement is there. Felicio has a nice touch at the free throw line, and with time and repetition, should be able to develop a consistent mid-range shot.
The danger for the Bulls is what might happen in free agency this summer. Teams around the league have taken notice of the agile and springy big man, and he could be in high demand in a new NBA that emphasizes small lineups and versatile bigs.
Since the Bulls signed Felicio originally as an undrafted free agent, they'll be limited in what kind of contract they can offer him under the little known "Arenas provision" in the league's collective bargaining agreement. That's the same provision that allowed Houston to swoop in and steal Omer Asik from the Bulls after the 2011-12 season. While the "poison pill" option has been removed in the current CBA, if a team wants Felicio badly enough they could come in with an offer that the Bulls are unable to match.
Still, after all the disappointments the Bulls have had with their recent first-round draft picks, turning an unknown free agent like Felicio into a productive rotation player is a big positive for the front office.
Trade chatter continues around the league
Speaking of the center position, the Bulls have been linked in trade talks involving Philadelphia's second-year big man Jahlil Okafor, but that interest may have been overblown.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor writes the 76ers may have held Okafor out of their road game in Charlotte earlier this week just to try to flush out better offers, adding the only serious trade proposal came from the Pelicans, offering back-up center Alexis Ajinca and a first-round draft pick. O'Connor writes the Bulls likely aren't interested in trading for the Chicago native, who is an old fashioned back-to-the-basket center that doesn't defend, rebound or pass very well.
Okafor returned to the Sixers for Wednesday night's game in Boston, and unless general manager Bryan Colangelo gets some better offers, he might wind up finishing the year in Philadelphia.
So, which players could be on the move before the February 23 deadline? The Lakers, Magic and Nuggets look like motivated sellers right now. The Lakers have to turn over their first-round pick to Philadelphia if it falls outside the top 3, and also would have to send a 2019 first-rounder to Orlando. But, if the Lakers tank the rest of the season and slide into the bottom of the three, they keep a premier pick in this year's loaded draft, and they would only owe the Magic a pair of second-rounders in the future.
That means embattled Lakers' general manager Mitch Kupchak is open for business, willing to sell off any and all of his veteran players. No one is touching the long-term deals Kupchak mistakenly handed out to Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, but the Lakers should draw interest on perimeter shooters Lou Williams and Nick Young. Don't be surprised if the Cavaliers come calling for Williams, who's been on a scoring tear lately, averaging 21 points over his last 10 games. Williams just might be the dynamic playmaker LeBron James has been asking for.
After trading Serge Ibaka on Tuesday, the Magic still have the for-sale sign out with Rob Hennigan trying to save his job as general manager. Orlando was expected to contend for a playoff spot in the East after acquiring Ibaka from Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and lottery pick Domantas Sabonis, but the trade hasn't gone well for the Magic.
Head coach Frank Vogel hasn't been able to get his team to play consistent defense, and now Hennigan is trying to shake things up to save the season. Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja, Jeff Green C.J. Watson and Nikola Vucevic are all available for the right price.
A different story in Denver, where the Nuggets currently hold the 8th seed in the West, and would love to add a veteran star to their young mix. Denver just acquired center Mason Plumlee from Portland to back-up emerging star Nikola Jokic, and they're willing to deal Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Will Barton, Jameer Nelson and former DePaul star Wilson Chandler to get the right player.
Carmelo Anthony told reporters on Wednesday he expects to be with the Knicks after the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean other teams will stop calling. Anthony grew up in Baltimore and would be a great fit on a Wizards team that has a 27-9 record since December 4. Not sure if Washington has the assets to pull off that kind of a deal, but it's definitely worth a try with Cleveland suddenly looking a little more vulnerable in the East.
Similar story with Boston, where Danny Ainge is still sitting on that treasure trove of draft picks from the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade with Brooklyn. With Kevin Love now out six weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery, Washington playing great basketball and Toronto just acquiring Serge Ibaka, will Ainge step forward with his best offer to try to pry Jimmy Butler loose from the Bulls?
Unless Ainge is willing to offer both of the Brooklyn picks he holds (1st rounders in 2017 & '18), plus a pair of players to match salaries, there likely isn't any chance of a deal getting done between the two teams before the deadline. But you can bet those talks will be revisited once we get closer to the draft in June.
As for the Bulls, don't expect much in the next week. There's a chance they'll find a new home for Nikola Mirotic, and Gibson could go if a contending team offers a late first-round pick, but don't expect any blockbuster deals. With the front office still looking to get younger and more athletic players in the mix, first-round picks will be at a premium, and those types of trades normally get done just before the draft.
Stats of the Week
With the Bulls running their current winning streak over Toronto to 11 games on Tuesday, our stats "cruncher", Chris Kamka came up with these interesting notes.
The last time Bulls lost to Raptors (December 31st, 2013)
- Luol Deng was Bulls leading scorer (16). He played 2 more games with Bulls then was traded
- Jimmy Butler's career PPG was 7.3 at the time
Jimmy Butler's unique game
- Tuesday's game is the only time (1983-84 to present) a Bulls player had 15+ FT made and 12+ Assists in a game (Butler finished with 19 pts. & 12 assists, making 15-19 FT's)
And, when the Bulls are good, they can be VERY good.
Most 25+ point wins through first 50 games of a season in Bulls history
8 1971-72
5 2016-17 ---> 5 of 25 wins this season have been by 25+ points
5 2006-07
5 1996-97
5 1990-91
Those five wins:
Score Margin of Victory
Oct 31 at Brooklyn 118-88 30
Nov 7 vs Orlando 112-80 32
Nov 15 at Portland 113-88 25
Dec 19 vs Detroit 113-82 31
Feb 1 at Oklahoma City 128-100 28
Quote of the Week
Finally back to the quirky Robin Lopez, who had this response to my question about whether he ever discusses trade rumors with his twin brother Brook: "No, he once told me he would trade me to a high school team for a bag of Cheetos, but that's about it."
Which led me to the obvious follow-up question of what would it be like if he was ever traded FOR his brother, a Lopez twin swap, "I think whoever got Brook would be sorely disappointed. That's quite the presence to have to follow."
Robin then dropped the mike and walked away, interview session over.
Taj Gibson pouring his heart out for Bulls as trade rumors swirl.
By Vincent Goodwill
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The trade season has started in the NBA with the deal of Serge Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors, so ears were perked up all through the Bulls’ morning shoot-around when news made its way through the Advocate Center.
Oh, to be a fly in the mind of Taj Gibson, a man who’s been in the center of trade talks for the Bulls for years. He and Jimmy Butler have been in the middle of trade talk from the start of the season.
With his contract expiring this summer and the trade deadline a week away, the calls will get more intense and the Bulls will likely have a decision to make on their longtime forward.
And Gibson seems to be accepting of his fate, no matter what it is.
“Of course it's gonna get hotter,” said Gibson to CSNChicago.com about the trade talk. “No matter what happens, you're still in the NBA. You're still getting paid a lot of money to play basketball. People don't understand that. They think it's bad half the time. No it's not. It's the same paycheck, just on a different team.”
The same deal the Raptors gave the Orlando Magic for Ibaka — swingman Terrence Ross and a first-round pick (the lesser of the Raptors’ own pick and a pick the Clippers have to convey from a previous deal) — the Bulls had discussed for Gibson last season, sources tell CSNChicago.com.
The exact parameters of such a deal this season were vague but the Bulls were discussing a deal involving Gibson for a first-round pick with the Raptors. However, league sources tell CSNChicago.com that Ross wasn’t involved in these discussions.
Ibaka, like Gibson, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Raptors were trying to nail down that power forward spot long-term along with trying to deal with the upcoming free agency of All-Star guard Kyle Lowry.
“I’ve been hearing the chatter for years. But you never know,” said Gibson when asked if he knew the Raptors were interested in him. “I just keep my head straight, focus on the team I’m on at the moment because if you start looking at other teams and other stuff, it kinda gets tricky as hell.”
It’s almost like Gibson has become numb to the speculation, but for someone who cares as much as Gibson does, the thought of “will I be traded or won’t I?” is a natural one.
He tries to keep the amount of real estate it takes up in his head to a minimum, though.
“I can't. I can't (focus on it),” Gibson said. “It's like how Melo's (Carmelo Anthony) going through it right now. You just can't. You just gotta focus on your teammates, your family, have good people around you. Been going through this for eight years, teams trying to get you. It's tough, every year. You never know what's going to happen. Stay professional, stay in the gym, do whatever you can to take your mind off it.”
Gibson admitted that task “is tough” because his everyday life can be littered with random people asking him questions he doesn’t have the answer to, he doesn’t feel the need to run and talk to the front office over every little rumor that he happens to hear about.
“I leave that to my agent and the higher-ups. My agent, (Chicago-based) Mark Bartlestein, let him handle what he gotta handle. We have a good rapport,” Gibson said. “So whatever happens, happens.”
Well aware of the uncertainty surrounding things, it would be understandable if he had a hard time staying emotionally invested with the Bulls franchise — especially seeing how former mates and close friends were shipped out without much fanfare — but he insists his emotional wiring is different.
“No, it’s not,” Gibson said. “Because I care about everybody in the organization. I care about all the young guys, players that fall through here. It's bigger than basketball. I’m real unselfish. I want everybody to get their minutes, get their money and take care of their families, so I’ve never been like that.”
Gibson found himself smack dab in the middle of controversy a couple weeks back, through no fault of his own when Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade voiced their frustrations with the direction of the team after a collapse against the Atlanta Hawks.
Then Rajon Rondo started a fire only matched by Spike Lee in “Do the Right Thing” with his Instagram post, calling out Wade and Butler.
Then came the team meeting that Friday morning before shoot-around before the Bulls’ lifeless 100-88 loss to the Miami Heat, where Gibson’s team looked like it didn’t know who was on the other side of the floor that night.
The reason was because so many emotions were spilled out in that morning meeting the Bulls had very little to give in terms of game preparation and performance. And the man who arguably unleashed more emotion than anyone in that meeting was Gibson.
“I was drained because I gave my heart in that meeting,” Gibson said to CSNChicago.com in Oakland after the Bulls lost to Golden State last week. “In general, I just gave my heart. Letting everybody know I loved them.
“I just poured my heart out. It got testy.”
Gibson sat as he watched the young players air out their grievances to Wade and Butler. And during a moment where he felt like he needed to be heard, Gibson spoke his mind and heart as the longest tenured Bull.
As the one player who could see exactly how and why all sides felt the way they felt.
“Both sides were just going, just talking. I stood up and voiced how I felt,” Gibson said. “It got reciprocated and everybody was like, ‘you know what? (He’s right)’ Because I put up with a lot. I've been putting up with a lot. It's crazy, I can put up with a lot but I can't put up with my teammates battling each other.”
“I was like a guy in the middle, the bridge because they felt like I had experience to tell, speak to Bobby (Portis) and them like I didn't get minutes (early), I should've started (years previously) I felt. I wanted to start early, I wanted to play well and I didn't get my chance. I stayed with the team, I sacrificed. I gave examples and then I gave examples of guys who were leaders, how I loved playing with them.”
Gibson wanted to clear up a perception from the meeting he feels wasn’t conveyed properly in the time after: that the players were jumping on Wade for not practicing more.
It may have been Rondo’s shot in his social media post, but Gibson said they wanted Wade to share more of his knowledge and NBA wisdom. If anyone had the right to ask for more investment from a veteran like Wade, only Gibson had the credentials to do so.
“I was pissed off because it was never about practice. The young guys, they just look up to D-Wade. Dudes love D-Wade,” Gibson said. “That wasn't what I meant, it wasn't what anyone else meant. It was about...wanting to learn more from him. More knowledge. D-Wade is great, has been great.”
Gibson talked about playing with Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, leaders he loved to follow because of their passion and example. He talked about competitively hating Wade before becoming his teammate and now loving the fact he gets to call a champion and former rival a friend.
Same with Rondo, a man who calls Gibson’s name after a rebound more times than a mother calling her son to get home when the street lights come on during a hot summer in Fort Greene, New York.
“Like I hated them (before) but I'm ready to run through a wall, do whatever I can to help them. And that I appreciate them,” Gibson said. “I told them, I broke down in that meeting, I gave it up to everybody because I understood life is too short. Everyday, people are leaving the league and never coming back. There's not that many veterans anymore. Days are numbered, it's only a matter of time, you gotta take what you can get out of it. I'm playing with a Hall of Famer in D-Wade, I told him I appreciated him. Straight up.”
In the time since, Gibson said he’s having some of the most fun he’s had in his career — even as uncertainty and controversy swirls around the present and his own future.
“For real. Jimmy's coming in, dapping everybody up,” Gibson said. “D-Wade is in every huddle, giving his word, giving his input. Even when I got my technical in Sacramento, (Wade said) ‘Taj we need you. Be smart'. That's winning basketball.”
The meeting, as tense and emotional and cathartic as it was, Gibson believes it was necessary and helpful for all involved, not just for the present, but for the young players who’ll need to understand how the NBA works.
“Because it brought guys back to reality,” he said. “At times when you're losing games and you got the city on your back, playing in Chicago is like playing in New York or LA. Once people get in your ear and you're losing games and people booing you, you can't look around, you wanna point fingers. In that meeting it was deep. A lot of love.”
It may have been some tough love, but the love was certainly evident from Gibson’s emotions. Gibson said general manager Gar Forman was taken aback by his words and sentiments and even admitted himself, “that (bleep) took a lot out of me. But they respected it because it came from the heart. (I) gotta be the voice of reason. It's hard on my heart because I care about my teammates and I really love the game. Love the game.”
So no matter if and when that call comes in the next week, Gibson will be prepared no matter the circumstances, but until then he seems to be savoring every aspect of this experience in Chicago with the Bulls and his teammates — even if most aspects of this can be painful and draining.
CUBS: Why Jake Arrieta’s countdown to free agency shouldn’t become a distraction for Cubs.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jake Arrieta’s machismo and sense of loyalty to Boras Corp. means he will very likely become a free agent – a source confirmed the Cubs don’t have any ongoing extension negotiations or scheduled talks – but he’s still willing to listen to the pitch.
“I think there’s an open dialogue there,” Arrieta said before Wednesday’s first formal workout for pitchers and catchers at the Sloan Park complex. “I believe we will have talks. (But) it’s not my No. 1 priority.
“I just wanted to focus on my health and coming into camp as well-rested and in as good a shape as I possibly can. That’s the position I’m in. If we have those conversations, we’ll sit down and hash some things out, see if we can get something worked out.
“If it happens, great. If not, I’ll continue to move forward, take it day by day and focus on being as good as I can.”
The expectation is that Arrieta – who will be 32 years old by Opening Day 2018 – will test the market after this season as part of a rich pitching class that could also include Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka and Johnny Cueto.
Making it through a long spring training in Arizona, another season in the 200-inning range and what the Cubs hope will be a deep playoff run is essential for someone super-agent Scott Boras has compared to another Cy Young Award-winning client: Max Scherzer, the Washington Nationals’ $210 million ace.
Even if Arrieta never reaches that stratosphere, there could be the sense that he doesn’t have that much left to accomplish in Chicago. And the Cubs might already be scared off by the long-term commitment, feeling like they maxed out their returns and won the lottery with that Scott Feldman flip deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
“Time flies really quickly,” Arrieta said. “It feels like only a few months ago that I was traded over here and starting my career as a Cub in 2013. I’ve had some incredible experiences with this organization. I owe a lot to this team and this organization and the ownership.
“I don’t want to see that time come to an end – my time as a Cub – but unfortunately the business side of the game shows its head every once in a while.
“I still think there’s opportunity and chances that we can have good conversations as far as an extension’s concerned and see if we can get something worked out.”
In terms of distractions, well, this is someone who: trolled Pittsburgh Pirates fans on Twitter before throwing a complete-game wild-card shutout in 2015; responded “Who gives a s---?” when asked about last year’s potential first-round playoff opponent; will be making $15.6375 million this season.
“Once you get to a certain point in your career financially, it’s a little bit easier to kind of put that out of mind,” Arrieta said. “It’s not a big worry for myself individually. I think the less of a distraction that can (be) on the team – and everyone in this clubhouse – the better.
“I don’t typically like to verbalize a lot of the things from an individual contract situation, just because it can take some attention away from what we’re trying to do here collectively.”
Even without any movement toward a long-term deal, the Cubs and Arrieta’s camp also aren’t working under any self-imposed deadlines or orders to not negotiate during the season.
“We obviously want to keep all that stuff in-house, as we would with any player,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “The only thing I would say is we have a great relationship with Jake. We’ve been super-open. He’s been here since 2013 and I think the individual relationships are all really strong and with that comes an open dialogue.”
The bottom line is that the Cubs need a healthy, locked-in Arrieta to defend their World Series title. And Arrieta needs a strong, consistent platform season to cash in with an ace-level megadeal.
“Honestly, it can be a positive for him and for us,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Obviously, if you’re in that year, you’re really wanting to put your best foot forward to attract the best contract (for) the next season.
“He’s all about winning. He wants to make all of his starts for the other guys in the room. That’s where his mind is at right now.
“If he makes all of his starts, just that point alone is going to mean the numbers are going to be good enough to attract a lot of suitors.
“If you’re good, the numbers are going to pop.”
‘What the f--- is that?’ Jake Arrieta proves he paid off tattoo bet with Cubs teammate Tommy La Stella.
By Patrick Mooney
Even in a Cubs clubhouse filled with big-name personalities and Joe Maddon’s be-yourself, laissez-faire philosophy, Jake Arrieta stands out as a true original, an independent, somewhat eccentric character.
So when a reporter on Wednesday morning asked Arrieta about paying off a bet to teammate Tommy La Stella, he turned around, lowered his blue shorts and showed the group the new tattoo on his right butt cheek.
Welcome to Day 2 in Arizona.
“Sometimes I forget I have it,” Arrieta said before pitchers and catchers went through their first formal workout at the Sloan Park complex. “People in the shower will be like: ‘What the f--- is that?’”
“That” is the “CCU ’16 CHAMPS” tattoo to commemorate La Stella’s Coastal Carolina Chanticleers – a rooster would have been too big – beating Arrieta’s Texas Christian Horned Frogs in last year’s College World Series.
La Stella – the role player who thought about retiring last season rather than report to the minors – said he had forgotten about the bet when he visited Arrieta’s family in Austin, Texas, just before Christmas.
But the Cy Young Award winner is a man of his word, going to at least two tattoo parlors with La Stella before settling on the design and sending out the image through a Twitter account that now has more than 397,000 followers.
“I don’t mind tattoos,” Arrieta said. “(But) I can’t get too inked up if I got to join the corporate world at some point. I don’t know if the baseball thing is going to work out.”
Standing in front of his locker with his toenails painted a shade of silver – a bonding moment with his young daughter – Arrieta couldn’t rule out another wager against La Stella.
“I don’t know if I’ll bet anymore tattoos,” Arrieta said. “We’ll see. If TCU and Coastal match up again…if I lose that one, I might have to get the rooster.”
Cubs announce 2017 broadcast schedule, with CSN airing, live streaming up to 81 games.
By CSN Staff
The Cubs announced their 2017 broadcast schedule Thursday, with CSN airing as many as 81 games during the team's quest to repeat as World Series champions.
CSN, in its 13th season broadcasting Cubs games, will have the team's first local broadcast Tuesday, April 4, against the St. Louis Cardinals plus as many as 80 more regular-season games.
This season will be the first to feature live streaming of Cubs games on CSNChicago.com and the NBC Sports app. Every regular-season game airing on CSN — including Cubs Pregame Live and Cubs Postgame Live — will be available via live stream for authenticated subscribers.
Here is the entire 2017 Cubs broadcast schedule:
WHITE SOX: 'Explosive arms' of Zack Burdi, Michael Kopech on display on Day 2 of White Sox camp.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Oh, those poor, poor gloves.
In what can only be described as a crime against leather, the White Sox have sadistically paired two of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball as warmup partners.
Prior to each taking the mound Wednesday morning for their first bullpen sessions of the spring, Zack Burdi and Michael Kopech, who have each been clocked above 100 mph on the radar gun, warmed each other up with a throwing session full of popped gloves.
The two prospects, the third and eighth-ranked prospects in the organization, according to MLB.com, naturally drew a pretty big crowd whether it was media, coaches or front office personnel.
“They have explosive arms,” manager Rick Renteria said. “They were throwing together. They paired up and everything is — they throw hard. They throw hard to each other. They throw it hard in the pen.
“They are pretty impressive.”
Burdi’s 75-grade fastball (out of 80) usually sits between 95-98 mph and has touched 101 on the gun. Kopech reportedly hit 105 mph last July with his 80-graded fastball and threw a 110-mph pitch in a workout session last month using a weighted ball with a running start.
Burdi joked that his glove hand was a little sore after Wednesday’s session, but that rather than air it out, the two focus on hitting spots.
“He was wailing them at me and he had the wind at his back,” Burdi said. “I've played catch with him before and there's a good jump to it, but there was a jump with a second gust to it. He blew me up pretty good today, but he's good to throw with.”
“He’s a pretty relaxed guy. We’re both out there pretty much just working on the stuff that Coop and other pitching coaches have just reiterated to us. It’s not a lot of competition of who can throw, it’s a lot more ‘Who can spot it, who can put their pitches where they want?’”
In what can only be described as a crime against leather, the White Sox have sadistically paired two of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball as warmup partners.
Prior to each taking the mound Wednesday morning for their first bullpen sessions of the spring, Zack Burdi and Michael Kopech, who have each been clocked above 100 mph on the radar gun, warmed each other up with a throwing session full of popped gloves.
The two prospects, the third and eighth-ranked prospects in the organization, according to MLB.com, naturally drew a pretty big crowd whether it was media, coaches or front office personnel.
“They have explosive arms,” manager Rick Renteria said. “They were throwing together. They paired up and everything is — they throw hard. They throw hard to each other. They throw it hard in the pen.
“They are pretty impressive.”
Burdi’s 75-grade fastball (out of 80) usually sits between 95-98 mph and has touched 101 on the gun. Kopech reportedly hit 105 mph last July with his 80-graded fastball and threw a 110-mph pitch in a workout session last month using a weighted ball with a running start.
Burdi joked that his glove hand was a little sore after Wednesday’s session, but that rather than air it out, the two focus on hitting spots.
“He was wailing them at me and he had the wind at his back,” Burdi said. “I've played catch with him before and there's a good jump to it, but there was a jump with a second gust to it. He blew me up pretty good today, but he's good to throw with.”
“He’s a pretty relaxed guy. We’re both out there pretty much just working on the stuff that Coop and other pitching coaches have just reiterated to us. It’s not a lot of competition of who can throw, it’s a lot more ‘Who can spot it, who can put their pitches where they want?’”
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Optimistic might not be a strong enough word for how Derek Holland feels at the moment.
He doesn’t want to oversell it, but the new White Sox pitcher not only believes he’s in a good spot physically, he also thinks he’s in the right place to rebound from three frustrating seasons full of injuries.
After spending his entire career with the Texas Rangers, Holland said he chose the White Sox not only because of their reputation for keeping players healthy, but also because of pitching coach Don Cooper’s successful track record with southpaw pitchers. Holland, who signed a one-year deal in December that could be worth $8 million, said he’s already very pleased with his decision to join the White Sox.
“I feel great,” Holland said. “I mean, I don’t know how to rally describe it without sounding crazy, but I feel awesome. I want to use some crazy words, but I have to remember this is the media.”
Holland participated in his first bullpen session on Tuesday and cracked that it went well other than he was throwing next to Jose Quintana, who already appears to be in outstanding form as he prepares for the World Baseball Classic.
But Holland, who produced 8.6 f-WAR from 2011-13, said the health issues that have dogged the past three seasons aren’t presently an issue. Whichever way he opted to go in free agency --- the White Sox or Pittsburgh Pirates --- Holland felt comfortable. Ultimately, it was Cooper’s vision for helping him rebound that sold him on the White Sox.
“Both have good histories with the pitchers and Coop just kept nailing me, talking to me, ‘There’s some things I want to work on, I know what we can get right. I saw some things,’” Holland said. “We continued, just kept talking about stuff and I know these are things in need to get back on track and to be successful. And that was it. Once he started hammering down on me I was like, ‘Alright, we’re going with the White Sox.’”
Holland thinks he knows what he and Cooper have to do to get back on track and he’s ready to get to work. He’s also comfortable enough to know when to let his hair down and do impersonations in the clubhouse -- Harry Caray, Kermit the Frog and Cleveland from ‘The Family Guy’ are among them. Holland is a big believer in having fun equivalent to the amount of work he puts in and has enjoyed meeting a room full of new teammates, though he’s already butchered several names -- “I’ve met a few guys like five times already,” he said.
Manager Rick Renteria said Wednesday he’s glad to have Holland around as his personality is necessary for a young club. He knows about the impersonations and the all-around character that is Holland and intends to tap into the resource at some point for the sake of his baseball team.
“It’s awesome,” Renteria said. “As we get to know him a little bit more, we are going to take advantage of it, exploit it a little bit. He’s a happy go lucky guy. Very focused. Very intent on his work. Knows what he wants to do. He’s been around. We’ll take advantage of it and use it to liven up the clubhouse a little bit.”
Holland has already done his part, singing in the ear of catcher Geovany Soto about being reunited and taking reliever Tommy Kahnle to the WWE Elimination Chamber event over the weekend. In a perfect world, Holland would reach 200 innings this season and have a lot of fun along the way.
“I am who I am,” Holland said. “I don't want the impersonations being used against me -- the thing that gets lost in translation is that people think that's what I'm really working on when I'm actually here trying to get myself better. I just have a personality, I want to live my life, have fun, enjoy myself and play the game of baseball at the same time. I know how hard I work and what it takes to be out there on the field. But my personality should not dictate that.”
All-out effort results in on-time arrival to White Sox camp for pitcher Cory Luebke.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Cory Luebke kept his word and reported to White Sox camp on time after the birth of his first child earlier this week. All it took was a 24-hour drive from Nashville, Tenn., to Phoenix to make it happen.
Luebke told White Sox manager Rick Renteria he would make every effort to report for the team's first workout on Tuesday. But he wasn't sure how he'd pull it off as his wife remained in the hospital until late Sunday night after giving birth to their son.
After weighing their options, Luebke and his father decided driving was the best choice. So they put the pitcher's two dogs in the family truck at 3 a.m. on Monday and the two alternated between driving and sleeping for 24 consecutive hours, only stopping for gas and restroom breaks. Several days later, Luebke, a non-roster invitee to camp who threw his second bullpen session on Thursday, said he has finally caught up on sleep.
"So me and my dad started packing later Sunday night, trying to look at some flights and said, 'Hey, screw it, let's get in the truck and we can be there tomorrow,'" Luebke said. "It wasn't too bad. Dad took the first five or six (hours), and I took the next part. Drove, napped, drove, napped, got here, made it to my physical."
The length Luebke went to arrive on time shouldn't come as a surprise given what he's endured since May 2012.
Luebke, 31, was two months into a contract extension with the San Diego Padres that could have paid him nearly $28 million and pitching extremely well when he needed reconstructive elbow surgery.
In September 2013, Luebke's rehab assignment was shut down after several bullpen sessions, and in February 2014 he required a second Tommy John surgery after doctors found another tear and that his first surgery didn't take. The Ohio State product was primed to pitch again in 2015 — he made seven appearances in the Padres' farm system — before a staph infection ended his season.
Luebke persisted despite his troubles and made the Pittsburgh Pirates' Opening Day roster in 2016, pitching in nine games before he was sent to Triple-A. Though he struggled in the majors, Luebke found a rhythm at Indianapolis, posting a 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings with 29 strikeouts.
"Just looking back, I probably wasn't quite ready yet," Luebke said. "Stuff was good, (the Pirates) liked the upside they saw. Had my old stuff back, just wasn't locating well. After that first month I went down to Triple-A for a few months and it all started to come back."
Luebke has continued to feel well this offseason and signed a minor league deal with the White Sox in January. FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman said Luebke would earn $1 million if he makes the big league roster. Given how good he feels, it's no wonder Luebke wanted to get to camp as quickly as possible. The White Sox could potentially keep a second left-handed reliever this season, and Luebke is in the mix.
But Luebke's son, Jackson, didn't arrive until eight days after his due date. In labor for 30 hours starting last Wednesday, Luebke's wife had a C-section. While the couple's child was healthy, the procedure resulted in complication's for Luebke's wife.
"The first few hours I didn't know how to feel because you look over one way and you've got a baby boy and he's doing great and you look over the other way and see your wife struggling," Luebke said. "It was tough. But it all worked out, and they're doing good now."
Roughly three hours after they arrived home Sunday night, the player, his dad and the dogs headed for Phoenix after packing. Luebke's mother stayed in Nashville to help out his wife and the baby, who are expected to join him later this spring. In the meantime, Luebke has spent much of the first few days in camp on FaceTime or looking at baby pictures. He also has managed to catch up on rest after five sleepless nights, which he said left him in a dream-like state.
Despite being a little out of it, Renteria said Luebke has looked good in camp so far.
"He's starting to hit his spots," Renteria said. "He looks like he's progressing to where he's ultimately going to be where he was previously, hopefully."
The team's new manager also said he was surprised to see Luebke report on time. Luebke, who was with the Padres at the same time as Renteria, had been in constant contact with his former coach and kept him apprised of the situation.
"He said he was going to make every effort and he did," Renteria said.
White Sox announce 2017 broadcast schedule, with CSN airing, live streaming 106 games.
By CSN Staff
The White Sox announced their 2017 broadcast schedule Thursday, with CSN airing 106 games during a campaign that figures to feature many exciting young players.
CSN will broadcast the team's season-opener on Monday, April 3, a date with the Detroit Tigers. CSN will also broadcast games on Mother's Day (May 14 vs. the San Diego Padres) and Fourth of July (July 4 at the Oakland A's) plus 103 other regular-season games.
This season will be the first to feature live streaming of White Sox games on CSNChicago.com and the NBC Sports app. Every regular-season game airing on CSN — including White Sox Pregame Live and White Sox Postgame Live — will be available via live stream for authenticated subscribers.
Here is the entire 2017 White Sox broadcast schedule:
Golf: I got a club for that..... Saunders shoots 64, leads Genesis Open by 2.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
While fog delayed the opening round of the Genesis Open, eventually the skies parted and allowed Sam Saunders to vault to the top of the standings. Here's how things look after the first day at Riviera Country Club, where Saunders leads by two shots:
Leaderboard: Sam Saunders (-7), Dustin Johnson (-5), Daniel Summerhays (-5), J.T. Poston (-5), Brett Stegmaier (-5), Cameron Percy (-5), Phil Mickelson (-4)
What it means: Once the fog burned up, several players were able to take advantage of relatively benign conditions at Riviera. Among them were Johnson, who is a perennial contender at this event but has yet to hoist the trophy, and Saunders, whose on-course performance may soon begin to outpace the famous pedigree for which he is largely known.
Round of the day: Saunders is the grandson of Arnold Palmer, but that fact didn't come into play Thursday during a pristine, opening-round 64. Playing this season on only conditional status, he made it around Riviera without dropping a shot and carded four birdies in a seven-hole stretch from Nos. 11-17 as he looks to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.
Best of the rest: Johnson has finished T-4 or better five times at this event since 2010, including a playoff loss to James Hahn in 2015. He entered off a third-place showing at Pebble Beach and barely broke a sweat during an opening 66 that featured four back-nine birdies and a lone dropped shot on No. 4.
Biggest disappointment: Bubba Watson has won this event two of the last three years, but he's unlikely to contend again this week after struggling during his opening round. Watson made three straight bogeys from Nos. 8-10 and was 2 over through 17 holes when play was suspended because of darkness, putting him nine shots off the early pace.
Main storyline heading into Friday: All eyes will be on Mother Nature. With the opening round set to resume at 7 a.m. PT, players will scramble to get in as much golf as possible before a storm hits the area that could bring as much as 5 inches of rain. It's not a matter of whether the second round will bleed into Saturday, it's whether it can get off the ground Friday at all.
Quote of the day: "It didn't help the golf swing, but I did make two putts." - Johnson, who was stung by a bee while standing on the first green.
Leaderboard: Sam Saunders (-7), Dustin Johnson (-5), Daniel Summerhays (-5), J.T. Poston (-5), Brett Stegmaier (-5), Cameron Percy (-5), Phil Mickelson (-4)
What it means: Once the fog burned up, several players were able to take advantage of relatively benign conditions at Riviera. Among them were Johnson, who is a perennial contender at this event but has yet to hoist the trophy, and Saunders, whose on-course performance may soon begin to outpace the famous pedigree for which he is largely known.
Round of the day: Saunders is the grandson of Arnold Palmer, but that fact didn't come into play Thursday during a pristine, opening-round 64. Playing this season on only conditional status, he made it around Riviera without dropping a shot and carded four birdies in a seven-hole stretch from Nos. 11-17 as he looks to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.
Best of the rest: Johnson has finished T-4 or better five times at this event since 2010, including a playoff loss to James Hahn in 2015. He entered off a third-place showing at Pebble Beach and barely broke a sweat during an opening 66 that featured four back-nine birdies and a lone dropped shot on No. 4.
Biggest disappointment: Bubba Watson has won this event two of the last three years, but he's unlikely to contend again this week after struggling during his opening round. Watson made three straight bogeys from Nos. 8-10 and was 2 over through 17 holes when play was suspended because of darkness, putting him nine shots off the early pace.
Main storyline heading into Friday: All eyes will be on Mother Nature. With the opening round set to resume at 7 a.m. PT, players will scramble to get in as much golf as possible before a storm hits the area that could bring as much as 5 inches of rain. It's not a matter of whether the second round will bleed into Saturday, it's whether it can get off the ground Friday at all.
Quote of the day: "It didn't help the golf swing, but I did make two putts." - Johnson, who was stung by a bee while standing on the first green.
Driving distance stats can be misleading.
By Rex Hoggard
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
The USGA and R&A unveiled the annual driving distance report on Wednesday, which is a rough snapshot born from something called the “Joint Statement of Principles.”
Essentially, the statistics suggest that distance gains for the top players remain relatively static, with average drives on five of the seven tours studied increasing about 1.2 percent since 2003, or about .2 yards per year.
In other words, stay calm and play on.
That handwringing that echoed around the water cooler earlier this year when Justin Thomas shot an easy 59 on Day 1 at the Sony Open, that the modern game was making some classic courses like Waialae, and even this week’s pitch at Riviera, an analog stop in a digital world were unfounded, alarmist even.
The report went on to explain that the average launch conditions on the PGA Tour - club-head speed, launch angle, ball, spin rates, etc. - have been "relatively stable since 2007.”
Mark Twain popularized the line that seems apropos here: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Essentially, the statistics suggest that distance gains for the top players remain relatively static, with average drives on five of the seven tours studied increasing about 1.2 percent since 2003, or about .2 yards per year.
In other words, stay calm and play on.
That handwringing that echoed around the water cooler earlier this year when Justin Thomas shot an easy 59 on Day 1 at the Sony Open, that the modern game was making some classic courses like Waialae, and even this week’s pitch at Riviera, an analog stop in a digital world were unfounded, alarmist even.
The report went on to explain that the average launch conditions on the PGA Tour - club-head speed, launch angle, ball, spin rates, etc. - have been "relatively stable since 2007.”
Mark Twain popularized the line that seems apropos here: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
That’s not to say the USGA and R&A’s data is incorrect or misleading, it’s simply skewed in favor of a commonly held belief that the ruling bodies have gotten a handle on out-of-control distance gains.
But using only PGA Tour statistics – which is essential because it's the only circuit that utilizes ShotLink and therefore is the only tour that can paint an accurate picture – distance gains are marginally more than reported, with the average drive in 2003 being 285.9 yards and in 2016 increasing to 290 yards (a 1.5 percent bump).
But where the report seems to truly lose steam is among the game’s longest players. In ’03, nine players averaged 300 yards or more off the tee. That number has jumped to 38 players this season with a driving clip of 300 yards or better.
Where the averages have remained relatively constant, the longest among the play-for-pay set have improved at an exponentially greater clip.
To be clear, this is not an equipment problem, at least not entirely. The truth is whether this is a problem at all is a matter of perspective. For every traditionalist concerned that the game has become too easy for the top players there are those who cheered Thomas’ record round on Thursday in Honolulu.
Were you not entertained?
Beyond the obvious statistics, which prove that there are simply more bombers today, it’s the report’s take that the average launch conditions on Tour have been “stable” that drew the most double takes on Wednesday at the Genesis Open.
According to multiple equipment representatives from various companies, the average golf ball spin for a driver on Tour is down about 500 rpm from ’03, while the average launch on drives is up between 2 and 4 degrees. Without getting lost in the science of the golf swing and new technology, lower spin and higher launch means more distance and it’s the players with the highest clubhead speed that enjoy the greatest benefit from this evolution.
Put another way, more clubhead speed is the byproduct of better athletes, not better equipment, and modern technology can be maximized for these players, which at least partially explains why the number of players averaging 300-plus yard drivers has tripled since 2003.
“You have kids like Justin Thomas who are using their bodies in ways that we weren’t taught and they swing for pure distance with their drivers,” said Johnson Wagner, who only half-jokingly refers to himself as a “dinosaur.”
“I think it’s working out, it’s launch monitors, it’s coaching. I don’t think it’s equipment; the clubs are what they are and have been for the last 10 years. It’s just everything and there’s nothing you can do.”
While equipment gains have been slowed and even stopped on some fronts, everything else has gotten better – from the physical abilities of modern professionals to technology like TrackMan that allows players to dial in every aspect of their driver.
To Wagner’s point, where the USGA and R&A study focused on average driving distance, consider that in 2007 (the first year of radar data on Tour) the average spin rate with a driver was 2,814 rpm, whereas that average has dropped dramatically to 2,525 rpm this year.
That drop has come despite an average launch angle that has remained virtually unchanged (10.83 degrees in 2007 compared to 10.84 degrees this season). All together now, low spin and high launch means longer drives.
“I can’t argue with the stats, but a lot of guys are hitting it a really long way and that’s not the way it used to be,” said Bob Estes, who is playing his 28th season on Tour. “That’s why you see so many courses having to move bunkers and building new tees, and even through they are doing that guys are still shooting low scores. There are just a lot of variables.”
And that reality is showing no signs of slowing. As more athletes gravitate to golf and those who teach the game refine their trade, so will the number of players who can reduce even the longest of holes to a pitch and putt.
Wagner figured the only way to slow this current trend is to “roll the [golf] ball back,” which is something of a nuclear option for the ruling bodies that’s not exactly popular in most corners of the game.
But if the USGA and R&A are serious about keeping tabs on driving distance, they may want to start with some better data.
NASCAR: Full 2017 Daytona Speedweeks schedule.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
It’s finally here.
The 2017 edition of Speedweeks gets underway this week, leading to the 59th Daytona 500 on Feb. 26.
The on-track action for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series begins with practice Friday for the Advanced Auto Parts Clash. The exhibition race held the following night.
Here’s the full Speedweeks schedule for all three of NASCAR’s national series.
(All times are Eastern)
Friday, Feb. 17
1 – 9 p.m. – Cup garage open
5 – 5:55 p.m. – Clash practice (Fox Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
6:30 – 7:25 p.m. – Final Clash practice (FS1, MRN)
Saturday, Feb. 18
8:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. – Cup garage open
11:30 a.m. – 3:25 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
4:15 p.m. – ARCA race (FS1)
6:15 p.m. – Clash driver-crew chief meeting
7:35 p.m. – Clash driver introductions
8 p.m. – Advanced Auto Parts Clash; 75 laps, 187.5 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, Feb. 19
9 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Cup garage open
3:10 p.m. – Daytona 500 qualifying (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Monday, Feb. 20
No track activity
Tuesday, Feb. 21
No track activity
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Noon – 5 p.m. – Truck Series garage open
Thursday, Feb. 23
8:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. – Cup garage open
10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Truck Series garage open
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Xfinity garage open
Noon – 12:55 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
2 – 2:55 p.m. – Truck practice (FS1)
4- 4:55 p.m. – Final Truck practice (FS1)
5:15 p.m. – Cup driver – crew chief meeting
6:40 p.m. – Cup driver introductions
7 p.m. – Can-Am qualifying duel No. 1; 60 laps, 150 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
8:40 p.m. – Cup driver introductions
9 p.m. – Can-Am qualifying duel No. 2; 60 laps, 150 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Friday, Feb. 24
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Cup garage open
10:30 a.m. – Truck garage opens
10:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Xfinity garage open
Noon – 12:55 p.m. – Xfinity practice (FS1)
1 – 1:55 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
2 – 2:55 p.m. – Final Xfinity practice (FS1)
3 – 3:55 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
4:30 p.m. – Truck qualifying; single vehicle/two rounds (FS1)
6:15 p.m. – Truck driver – crew chief meeting
7 p.m. – Truck driver introductions
7:30 p.m. – NextEra Energy Resources 250; 100 laps/250 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday, Feb. 25
9 a.m. – Xfinity garage opens
10:30 a.m. – Xfinity qualifying; single car/two rounds (FS1)
11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Cup garage open
12:10 p.m. – Xfinity driver – crew chief meeting
12:30 – 1:55 p.m. – Final Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
3 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions
3:30 p.m. – PowerShares QQQ 300; 120 laps, 300 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, Feb 26
8 a.m. – Cup garage opens
Noon – Driver – crew chief meeting
1:15 p.m. – Driver introductions
2p.m. – 59th Daytona 500; 200 laps, 500 miles (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Entry list and what you need to know about Saturday’s NASCAR Clash.
The 2017 edition of Speedweeks gets underway this week, leading to the 59th Daytona 500 on Feb. 26.
The on-track action for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series begins with practice Friday for the Advanced Auto Parts Clash. The exhibition race held the following night.
Here’s the full Speedweeks schedule for all three of NASCAR’s national series.
(All times are Eastern)
Friday, Feb. 17
1 – 9 p.m. – Cup garage open
5 – 5:55 p.m. – Clash practice (Fox Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
6:30 – 7:25 p.m. – Final Clash practice (FS1, MRN)
Saturday, Feb. 18
8:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. – Cup garage open
11:30 a.m. – 3:25 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
4:15 p.m. – ARCA race (FS1)
6:15 p.m. – Clash driver-crew chief meeting
7:35 p.m. – Clash driver introductions
8 p.m. – Advanced Auto Parts Clash; 75 laps, 187.5 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, Feb. 19
9 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Cup garage open
3:10 p.m. – Daytona 500 qualifying (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Monday, Feb. 20
No track activity
Tuesday, Feb. 21
No track activity
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Noon – 5 p.m. – Truck Series garage open
Thursday, Feb. 23
8:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. – Cup garage open
10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Truck Series garage open
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Xfinity garage open
Noon – 12:55 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
2 – 2:55 p.m. – Truck practice (FS1)
4- 4:55 p.m. – Final Truck practice (FS1)
5:15 p.m. – Cup driver – crew chief meeting
6:40 p.m. – Cup driver introductions
7 p.m. – Can-Am qualifying duel No. 1; 60 laps, 150 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
8:40 p.m. – Cup driver introductions
9 p.m. – Can-Am qualifying duel No. 2; 60 laps, 150 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Friday, Feb. 24
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Cup garage open
10:30 a.m. – Truck garage opens
10:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Xfinity garage open
Noon – 12:55 p.m. – Xfinity practice (FS1)
1 – 1:55 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
2 – 2:55 p.m. – Final Xfinity practice (FS1)
3 – 3:55 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
4:30 p.m. – Truck qualifying; single vehicle/two rounds (FS1)
6:15 p.m. – Truck driver – crew chief meeting
7 p.m. – Truck driver introductions
7:30 p.m. – NextEra Energy Resources 250; 100 laps/250 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday, Feb. 25
9 a.m. – Xfinity garage opens
10:30 a.m. – Xfinity qualifying; single car/two rounds (FS1)
11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Cup garage open
12:10 p.m. – Xfinity driver – crew chief meeting
12:30 – 1:55 p.m. – Final Cup practice (FS1, MRN)
3 p.m. – Xfinity driver introductions
3:30 p.m. – PowerShares QQQ 300; 120 laps, 300 miles (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, Feb 26
8 a.m. – Cup garage opens
Noon – Driver – crew chief meeting
1:15 p.m. – Driver introductions
2p.m. – 59th Daytona 500; 200 laps, 500 miles (Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Entry list and what you need to know about Saturday’s NASCAR Clash.
By Jerry Bonkowski
After a long winter and off-season, NASCAR racing gets heated up in Saturday’s 39th annual Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway.
The green flag for the 17 drivers entered in the non-points race will drop just after 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. The race will be broadcast on TV on Fox Sports 1 and on radio on both the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The defending winner of the Clash – as well as last year’s Daytona 500 – is Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.
The race will cover 75 laps around the 2.5-mile superspeedway for a total of 187.5 miles. There will be two segments: the first will be 25 laps, followed by a competition caution, and then will resume with a 50-lap final segment.
Drivers in the field qualified for the race via several ways: Pole-sitters from last year’s 36 Cup races, former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full-time in 2016 and all drivers who qualified for the 2016 playoffs.
Four drivers that were eligible for the Clash will not be in the field: Greg Biffle (does not have a ride for 2017), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (will be replaced by Alex Bowman), Carl Edwards (not racing in 2017, will be replaced by Daniel Suarez) and the retired Tony Stewart.
The starting grid will be determined by a draw, most likely by crew chiefs, as has been the case in recent years of the Clash.
Click here for the entry list of the 17 drivers in the Clash.
NASCAR overhauls its system for issuing penalties.
By Nate Ryan
NASCAR has overhauled its deterrence procedures for at-track inspections, focusing on penalizing teams during a race weekend for minor infractions rather than waiting a few days.
Moving away from a six-tier penalty system that had been in place since 2014, NASCAR now will prioritize containing infractions to the race weekend on which they occurred.
Most penalties that once fell on the P1-4 scale and were administered on the following Tuesday or Wednesday now will be dealt with during the race weekend.
The severity, timing and recurrence will determine when penalties are issued, but violations involving such parts as radiators, exhaust headers sway bars, shock absorbers, truck arms, hubs, pinion angle shims, and bump stops could fall under those that could be dealt with at the track.
Among the potential penalties at track: loss of hard cards, loss of practice time, loss of pit selection, rear of field, green-flag pass through and green-flag stop and go.
NASCAR also has eradicated the written warnings that teams received for more than two failures of its Laser Inspection Stations (LIS). A cumulative total of four warnings would have led to the loss of pit stall selection.
Under the new rules, failing inspection twice or more could lead to at-track penalties.
Penalties that rose to the previous level of a P5 or P6 still will be issued after the event. NASCAR has rebranded them L1 and L2 penalties. Among the infractions that fall under those categories: certified chassis, fuel storage, gear ratios, minimum weight and height, traction control, telemetry, electronic fuel injection, fuel additives, tires, illegal testing and fewer than 17 lug nuts.
NASCAR will continue to monitor lug nuts after a race, ensuring teams have all 20 safe and secure on their cars’ wheels. If a team has 17 or fewer lug nuts, it’s an L1 penalty with a three-race crew chief suspension and a $65,000 fine. For 18 lug nuts, a team receives a $20,000 fine and a one-race crew chief suspension. For 19 lug nuts, a $10,000 fine is issued.
The inspection process also is being tweaked. The opening inspection of a race weekend will focus only on fuel systems, engines and safety components.
During prequalifying and prerace inspection, a more rigorous check will be made of fuel systems, engines, safety components, chassis, templates and weights and measurements.
A failure at a station will necessitate a car correcting the problem at its garage stall and then returning to the first station for full inspection (regardless of whether previous stations had been passed; a change from the previous policy).
SOCCER: Fire jump on Montreal early for third straight preseason win.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Preseason soccer can be funny sometimes.
Some teams play full strength lineups while some teams mix it up and the matchups in preseason games can create some mismatches with teams having different priorities in mind. Wednesday was one of those examples.
The Chicago Fire blitzed the Montreal Impact with a goal in the first 30 seconds and three in the first 20 minutes of a 4-1 win in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Fire played what appeared to be a full strength lineup for just over 60 minutes, with most starters going more than 70 minutes, while the Impact had a combination of starters, reserves and academy players in both halves.
The Fire got on the board 25 seconds in when Michael de Leeuw caused a turnover in the Montreal box. He set up David Accam for an easy finish.
Dax McCarty made it 2-0 in the 15th minute with a wicked half-volley on a layoff from Nemanja Nikolic. Accam stole the ball in Montreal's defensive third and centered to Nikolic.
Three minutes later an own goal made it 3-0. All three of the early goals came as a result of mistakes by Montreal which the Fire capitalized on.
In the second half Nikolic got a goal of his own by sliding in to finish of a de Leeuw ball that looked like a shot following a short corner.
Montreal got one back in the final minutes when an Ignacio Piatti shot hit the arm of Drew Conner for a handball in the box. Piatti then converted the penalty.
The Fire lined up in coach Veljko Paunovic's standard 4-2-3-1 formation. Goalkeeper Jorge Bava played the full 90 minutes and made a few notable saves. All the Fire's field players were subbed off in the second half.
Michael Harrington got the start at right back, a position which remains a question mark. Harrington and Johan Kappelhof are the only players on the roster with notable experience playing right back and Kappelhof is also probably the Fire's best centerback. Harrington was subbed off in the 71st minute and Kappelhof, who started the match at centerback, played the next 12 minutes at right back before Joey Calistri, typically a midfielder or forward, replaced him.
The Fire had two right back trialists in camp in Drew Beckie and Boyd Okwuonu, but neither made the return trip to Florida after the Fire returned to Chicago over the weekend. Second round pick Guillermo Delgado, a forward, is also no longer in camp with the team.
Fire announce USL affiliation partnership with Tulsa Roughnecks.
By Dan Santaromita
The Chicago Fire have a new affiliate in the United Soccer League this season.
The Fire have partnered with the Tulsa Roughnecks of the USL for the 2017 season.
For the past two years Saint Louis FC was the Fire's USL affiliate. St. Louis is pushing for an MLS expansion bid and the USL team will not have an MLS affiliate in 2017.
The Fire will send players on loan to Tulsa this season in an effort to get players, typically younger players or occasionally players returning from injury, more playing time.
Tulsa's head coach is David Vaudreuil, who played two seasons with the Fire in 2001 and 2002.
The USL season starts three weeks after the MLS one begins. The Roughnecks open the season on March 25.
Europa League: Dzeko rampant, Ajax held, Fiorentina wins.
By Kyle Bonn
The Fire have partnered with the Tulsa Roughnecks of the USL for the 2017 season.
For the past two years Saint Louis FC was the Fire's USL affiliate. St. Louis is pushing for an MLS expansion bid and the USL team will not have an MLS affiliate in 2017.
The Fire will send players on loan to Tulsa this season in an effort to get players, typically younger players or occasionally players returning from injury, more playing time.
Tulsa's head coach is David Vaudreuil, who played two seasons with the Fire in 2001 and 2002.
The USL season starts three weeks after the MLS one begins. The Roughnecks open the season on March 25.
Europa League: Dzeko rampant, Ajax held, Fiorentina wins.
By Kyle Bonn
(Photo/Getty Images)
The first leg of the Europa League knockout phase came and went, and gave fans a picture to what will likely come.
For Premier League sides, Tottenham looked poor on the road in Belgium en route to a 1-0 to KAA Gent.
Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored three of his less impressive goals as Manchester United survived at home against French side St. Etienne thanks to the striker’s hat-trick.
Elsewhere around the Europa League, Edin Dzeko looked unbeatable as he scored a hat-trick to put Roma through by a whopping 4-0 score on the road at Villareal. Brazilian youngster Emerson scored the opener just past the half-hour mark, but Dzeko took over in the second half as Roma made the second leg in the Italian capital a formality.
Alexander Lacazette scored twice as Lyon took command of their matchup with AZ Alkmaar thanks to a 4-1 road win in the Netherlands. Lyon fans have turned on Lacazette since he announced he would leave the club in the summer, but goals and wins assuage all problems, and his pair has the French side close to a berth in the final 16.
Fiorentina snatched a big 1-0 away victory at Borussia Monchengladbach despite the German side’s attacking intent. Federico Bernardeschi scored the game’s only goal in the 44th minute with an absolute peach of a free-kick from a good distance outside the top of the box. Dutch giants Ajax were held to a 0-0 draw on the road in Poland. Ajax held 64% possession but could only put five shots on target against Legia Warsaw, and were reduced to 10 men with six minutes to go as 21-year-old full-back Kenny Tete was shown as second yellow card.
Athletic Bilbao won 3-2 over Cypriot side Apoel Nicosia, but the visitors bagged an important second away goal in the 89th minute via Giannis Gianniotas on a superb one-two with former Gladbach and Hoffenheim striker Igor de Camargo. Anderlecht picked up a 2-0 home win over Russian giants Zenit thanks to a pair from 23-year-old Ghanan international Frank Acheampong.
FINAL SCORES:
Manchester United 3-0 St. Etienne
KAA Gent 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
AZ Alkmaar 1-4 Lyon
Villareal 0-4 AS Roma
Borussia Monchengladbach 0-1 Fiorentina
Legia Warsaw 0-0 Ajax
PAOK 0-3 Schalke
Anderlecht 2-0 Zenit St. Petersburg
Athletic Bilbao 3-2 Apoel Nicosia
Olympiacos 0-0 Osmanlispor
FC Krasnodar 1-0 Fenerbahce
Celta Vigo 0-1 Shaktar Donetsk
FC Rostov 4-0 Sparta Prague
Astra Giurgiu 2-2 KRC Genk
Ludogorets 1-2 FC Copenhagen
Hapoel Be’er Sheva 1-3 Besiktas
Premier League Power Rankings: Man City climbs, Swans soaring.
By Nicholas Mendola
Swansea City is now four points clear of the drop zone, which feels like rarefied air given their plight at the turn of the calendar to 2017.
Manchester City has climbed into second place in the Premier League table, and the gap to first is in single digits.
Both sides have made big marks in this week’s PL PR’s.
Here is the latest batch of Premier League power rankings…
For Premier League sides, Tottenham looked poor on the road in Belgium en route to a 1-0 to KAA Gent.
Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored three of his less impressive goals as Manchester United survived at home against French side St. Etienne thanks to the striker’s hat-trick.
Elsewhere around the Europa League, Edin Dzeko looked unbeatable as he scored a hat-trick to put Roma through by a whopping 4-0 score on the road at Villareal. Brazilian youngster Emerson scored the opener just past the half-hour mark, but Dzeko took over in the second half as Roma made the second leg in the Italian capital a formality.
Alexander Lacazette scored twice as Lyon took command of their matchup with AZ Alkmaar thanks to a 4-1 road win in the Netherlands. Lyon fans have turned on Lacazette since he announced he would leave the club in the summer, but goals and wins assuage all problems, and his pair has the French side close to a berth in the final 16.
Fiorentina snatched a big 1-0 away victory at Borussia Monchengladbach despite the German side’s attacking intent. Federico Bernardeschi scored the game’s only goal in the 44th minute with an absolute peach of a free-kick from a good distance outside the top of the box. Dutch giants Ajax were held to a 0-0 draw on the road in Poland. Ajax held 64% possession but could only put five shots on target against Legia Warsaw, and were reduced to 10 men with six minutes to go as 21-year-old full-back Kenny Tete was shown as second yellow card.
Athletic Bilbao won 3-2 over Cypriot side Apoel Nicosia, but the visitors bagged an important second away goal in the 89th minute via Giannis Gianniotas on a superb one-two with former Gladbach and Hoffenheim striker Igor de Camargo. Anderlecht picked up a 2-0 home win over Russian giants Zenit thanks to a pair from 23-year-old Ghanan international Frank Acheampong.
FINAL SCORES:
Manchester United 3-0 St. Etienne
KAA Gent 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
AZ Alkmaar 1-4 Lyon
Villareal 0-4 AS Roma
Borussia Monchengladbach 0-1 Fiorentina
Legia Warsaw 0-0 Ajax
PAOK 0-3 Schalke
Anderlecht 2-0 Zenit St. Petersburg
Athletic Bilbao 3-2 Apoel Nicosia
Olympiacos 0-0 Osmanlispor
FC Krasnodar 1-0 Fenerbahce
Celta Vigo 0-1 Shaktar Donetsk
FC Rostov 4-0 Sparta Prague
Astra Giurgiu 2-2 KRC Genk
Ludogorets 1-2 FC Copenhagen
Hapoel Be’er Sheva 1-3 Besiktas
Premier League Power Rankings: Man City climbs, Swans soaring.
By Nicholas Mendola
Swansea City is now four points clear of the drop zone, which feels like rarefied air given their plight at the turn of the calendar to 2017.
Manchester City has climbed into second place in the Premier League table, and the gap to first is in single digits.
Both sides have made big marks in this week’s PL PR’s.
Here is the latest batch of Premier League power rankings…
TEAM
|
RANKING
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | 20 (20) | Crystal Palace: Allardyce is running out of excuses. Steve Parish can yell all he wants — and he deserved to get loud –n but maybe he’s got the wrong man for the job. | |
 | 19 (18) | Sunderland: From thumper to thumpee in one week’s time. Hopefully that New York City air has the cure. | |
 | 18 (19) | Leicester City: Outside the relegation zone, so why do the reigning champs feel relegated? Maybe it’s defense. | |
 | 17 (15) | Hull City: No shame in losing a game. | |
 | 16 (16) | Middlesbrough: Drawing Everton is a legit result, but goals need to come in a hurry. | |
 | 15 (17) | Bournemouth: Winless since New Year’s Day and very much in trouble… just not as much as the teams behind it. | |
 | 14 (10) | Watford: Pretty severe drop for a loss to United, but spots 14-10 are very tight. | |
 | 13 (13) | Swansea City: Another week of Paul Clement of proving doubters wrong. | |
 | 12 (14) | Southampton: Thumping Sunderland is enough to rise up the ranks two spots. | |
| 11 (12) | Stoke City: Beating a desperate Palace is a decent, if uncomfortable, win. | |
| 10 (11) | Burnley: The Chelsea draw is another impressive result for Sean Dyche. | |
 | 9 (9) | West Ham United: Didn’t take the next step in a 2-2 draw against West Brom… or did they? The referees didn’t help. | |
 | 8 (7) | West Bromwich Albion: Good battle, but the litmus test draw against West Ham shows that both clubs sit where they should in the PRs. | |
 | 7 (8) | Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp‘s men took advantage of a depleted Spurs back line to gain their first PL win of 2017. | |
 | 6 (5) | Everton: The draw at Middlesbrough hurts the Toffees’ surge. | |
 | 5 (6) | Arsenal: Odd to read given the embarrassment in Munich, but the Gunners did win at the weekend. | |
 | 4 (4) | Manchester United: One more slip-up from Spurs has United making it an all-Manchester race for second (in our Power Rankings). | |
 | 3 (2) | Tottenham Hotspur: Losing to Liverpool is just one loss, but it’s one that costs Spurs the catbird seat in the race to second (in the Premier League). | |
 | 2 (3) | Manchester City: Pep Guardiola‘s squad is rolling after a nice road win against Burnley, but the season-ending injury to Gabriel Jesus stings. Don’t worry, Sergio Aguero is his backup. | |
 | 1 (1) | Chelsea: The lead shrinks to eight after a draw against Burnley. The Blues host Man City on April 5. |
Man City confirm deal for USWNT star Carli Lloyd.
By Joe Prince-Wright
(Photo/Manchester City)
The captain of the U.S. women’s national team has moved to England to play for Manchester City.
Carli Lloyd, 34, will arrive in Manchester in March after she plays for the USWNT in the 2017 She Believes Cup and it is expected she will head back to the U.S. by June.
Man City are the reigning champs of the FA Women’s Super League (they went the entire season undefeated) and Lloyd will help them in the Spring Series, FA Women’s Cup and their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign, the final of which is on June 1. If they the UCL final, Lloyd confirmed she will play in it. It is thought she will then return to her current club, the Houston Dash of the NWSL, for the remainder of the 2017 season which is due to begin in April.
The two-time reigning World Player of the Year has never played professionally outside of the U.S. in her storied career which has seen her make 232 appearances for the USWNT, scoring 96 goals which included the famous hat trick in the 2015 World Cup final when the U.S. beat Japan 5-2.
Speaking about her move to City, Lloyd is excited for a new challenge.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Manchester City, a Club which is leading the development of women’s football both on and off the pitch,” Lloyd said. “Having played in the US throughout my career, the chance to fulfill a long held ambition to test myself in a new footballing environment, as well as playing in the Champions League, is something I am relishing. With the challenge of the Spring Series and the FA Women’s Cup ahead of us too, I really can’t wait to pull on my City shirt in front of our fans and make them proud.”
Lloyd is now one of three American players to move over to England and become part of the WSL, with her U.S. teammate Heather O’Reilly signing for Arsenal and Crystal Dunn joining Chelsea Ladies.
The full 2017-18 FA WSL campaign will run from September until May, marking the first time it has ever taken place during the winter months. Hence why there is a Spring Series to help bridge the gap.
It will certainly be intriguing to see if these top U.S. players will attract more fans to watch the WSL in England and Wales, as the league has been growing steadily in recent years.
NCAABKB: College basketball Power Rankings, Feb. 16: Beware, Duke is coming.
By Henry Bushnell
Jayson Tatum’s stock is on the rise, and so is Duke’s. (Photo/AP)
There is no one foolproof method for determining which conference is the best in college basketball. There is no one metric, no one methodology, and heck, in this case, no one definition of “best.”
There is, however, one sure-fire way to spark discussion, and eventually argument, and that is to suggest that a given conference is indeed superior to all the rest. So that’s what I’ll do to open this week’s Power Rankings, and not just because I’m feeling hot-takey; rather, because I find the case for one conference far more compelling than the rest.
The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball for a few reasons, but largely due to its strength in depth. It’s the only league with 80 percent of its members inside the KenPom top 40. It could realistically place 70 or 80 percent of its teams in the NCAA tournament.
The defense of the ACC is that those numbers, or the KenPom rankings in general, place too much emphasis on the middle and bottom tiers, and not enough on the top, which is what, the argument goes, we really should care about. The counter to that is twofold.
First, yes, perhaps the heavyweights should hold a bit more weight in the judgment. But a conference’s depth is equally important; that’s what makes a league tough.
And second, the top of the ACC isn’t really that much stronger than the top of the Big 12. That five-team tier that will lead any argument for the ACC comprises 33 percent of the conference; the Big 12’s three-team tier, which features two projected 1-seeds, comprises 30 percent. You can’t penalize the Big 12 for having fewer teams — its teams are stilling playing the same amount of games. And you can’t throw in Notre Dame (KenPom 25, projected 6/7-seed) on the ACC side without mentioning Oklahoma State (KenPom 20, projected 7/8-seed), Iowa State (KenPom 26, projected 8/9-seed) and Kansas State (KenPom 28, projected 8/9-seed) in the Big 12.
There’s intrigue further down the conference rankings as well, in spots three through six, but no other really challengers for the top spot. The Big East is probably the best of the rest, though its second tier is crumbling before our eyes. The Big Ten leader might be a 6-seed right now, but Maryland, Northwestern and Michigan are giving its top half a bit of depth. The Pac-12 is dragged down by a horrific bottom tier — five of 12 teams rank outside the KenPom top 100 — but its top six keeps it ahead of the SEC, which is a two-and-a-half-team conference that might only sneak four squads into the Big Dance.
After the top six … Bleh. In past years, the AAC, Atlantic-10, Mountain West or Missouri Valley might have challenged the Pac-12 or SEC. This year, all four are down. That leaves us with a definitive top six, leaves this discussion at a standstill, and leaves you with the rankings you’ve really come here to read.
It’s time to start talking about the threat that two Villanova seniors, Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins, pose to the NCAA record book. Hart and Jenkins have won 122 games in their careers. The winningest player in college basketball history, Shane Battier, won 131 at Duke (his teams won 133, but he sat out two games in 1998-99). Hart and Jenkins have a very real shot at eclipsing or equaling that mark.
Villanova, which is 25-2, has four regular season games remaining. Four wins would get the pair of Wildcats to 126. A Big East tournament title would get them to 129. They would then need to advance to the Sweet 16 to tie Battier, and to the Elite Eight to set the record. Likely? Probably not. But possible? Absolutely.
2. Kansas | 23-3 | KenPom: 9 | Last week: 1
Monday was a special night at the Phog. From the ear-splitting noise at the opening tip to the mind-shattering comeback (and the similarly ear-splitting noise that accompanied it), Kansas put on a show like only it can. Never leave a basketball game early until your team’s win probability is 0.00 percent, folks. And especially don’t leave a game early when your backcourt has the most comebackability — yes, the awesomeness of Frank Mason, Devonte’ Graham and Josh Jackson merits the invention of words — of any in the country.
3. Gonzaga | 26-0 | KenPom: 1 | Last week: 3
Gonzaga dispatched St. Mary’s, and looks set to finish the regular season unbeaten, a fact that has prompted probing questions about the Bulldogs’ vulnerabilities. No team on Gonzaga’s schedule has fully exposed a weakness. So what type of team can?
One thought is that high-powered pick-and-roll teams can take advantage of Przemek Karnowski’s immobility by hitting him with high ball screen after high ball screen. It’s going to take a specific type of team to exploit this piece of Karnowski’s game, though. Any team whose personnel allows Karnowski to zone up on ball screens — to sag into the paint while an on-ball guard chases the ball-handler over the screen — isn’t going to derive much advantage. St. Mary’s tried to attack Gonzaga in these situations, and didn’t have all that much success.
So what type of team can give Gonzaga trouble? It’s mostly about the bigs. If pick-and-pop is an option — it isn’t for St. Mary’s — Karnowski can’t sit in the paint. Or if a team has a guard-big man pair that can both attack downhill at high speeds and take the trailing on-ball defender out of the play, essentially creating a mini 2-on-1, Gonzaga could get itself in trouble. Iowa State is one such team, though not the best example, and when the Bulldogs beat the Cyclones 73-71 in late November, they were forced to go to a 2-3 zone with Karnowski patrolling the paint because the big Pole couldn’t track Iowa State’s mobile big men.
Mark Few is an outstanding coach, and will adjust to whatever an opponent throws at him, but there are some teams — West Virginia immediately comes to mind as an example — that could give Gonzaga more trouble than others.
4. Louisville | 21-5 | KenPom: 5 | Last week: 5
Louisville actually got a big result Wednesday night despite not even taking the floor. Duke’s win at Virginia had implications beyond those two foes. The ACC title race is coming down to the wire, and while Louisville would have lost any tiebreaker with the Cavaliers, the Cardinals hold a Jan. 14 win, and therefore a tie-breaking trump card, over the Blue Devils.
5. Duke | 21-5 | KenPom: 12 | Last week: 11
Jayson Tatum was undoubtedly Duke’s MVP against Virginia, but a close second was a player who scored just five points. That player is Matt Jones, who put in one of the best 36-minute defensive shifts of any player in college basketball this season. Watch and marvel at how Jones dogged London Perrantes (and Virginia’s other guards) all night:
Duke has improved on both ends of the floor since its January swoon, but the most noticeable improvement Wednesday was on defense. Jones’ ability to smother an opponent’s lead ball handler makes everything easier for the teammates behind him, no matter how shaky Duke’s rim protection might be.
6. North Carolina | 22-5 | KenPom: 10 | Last week: 6
Last Thursday’s Duke-Carolina showdown was a really well played basketball game. There is no one reason that the Blue Devils won, no one reason that the Tar Heels lost. But the one area where the game really deviated from pregame expectations was on the glass. North Carolina came in as the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the nation, and in the four prior Duke-Carolina games in 2016 and 2015, its average offensive board percentage was 43.6 — above its Division I-best average this season. But the Tar Heels pulled down just 22.6 percent of their missed shots at Cameron this time around, and were actually outrebounded by the Blue Devils. Duke won the game on the backboards.
7. West Virginia | 20-6 | KenPom: 4 | Last week: 10
Next time you watch Press Virginia, watch Nathan Adrian, a senior who was recruited by Bob Huggins before the implementation of the press. The Mountaineers can’t execute their system without the ability of the on-ball defenders, but Adrian is arguably just as important. He’s almost like the quarterback of the scheme. He often matches up with the inbounder, even if the inbounder is an uber-athletic wing like Josh Jackson, and must make split-second decisions about when to trap, when to bluff at a trap, and when to recover to his man. He’s deceptively quick for a 6-foot-9 forward who looks like he should be a bruiser. He’s also a great example of how Huggins has not only recruited to suit his system, but how he’s developed the players he already had and enabled them to acclimatize themselves to it.
8. Oregon | 22-4 | KenPom: 17 | Last week: 9
Why does Oregon have its second-best defense under Dana Altman, and best since 2013? Shot blockers. Multiple shot blockers. The Ducks lead the country in block percentage by a decently wide margin at 18.3 percent, and have three players — Chris Boucher, Jordan Bell and Kavell Bigby-Williams — with individual block percentages over 8 percent. As a result, opponents shoot just a hair over 50 percent at the rim against Oregon, the lowest such opponent percentage of any major conference team. Part of what makes the defense so effective is that roughly half of Altman’s lineups include two of those three bigs, and all three are athletic enough to guard small-ball fours or switch onto guards. It’s tough, therefore, to fully pull that shot-blocking presence away from the hoop, and tough to take advantage of the big men on the perimeter.
9. Baylor | 22-4 | KenPom: 8 | Last week: 7
Some possibly flavorless but intriguing food for thought: Baylor’s win over TCU on Saturday was its first win by more than 10 points since December. Its average scoring margin in January and February? Plus-2.15. For comparison’s sake, West Virginia, despite a worse record, is plus-6.15.
10. Kentucky | 21-5 | KenPom: 7 | Last week: 13
Kentucky is gradually learning that a team with great individual offensive talent doesn’t necessarily have to play individual offense. The Wildcats went through a three-week stretch where the ball didn’t move all that much on offense, but seemed to take strides in the right direction in an 83-58 dissection of Tennessee. They tallied 17 assists, their most since an impressive Jan. 21 win over South Carolina, in which they also had 17. The ball movement was a big reason Kentucky shot 44 percent (11 for 25) from 3.
11. UCLA | 23-3 | KenPom: 18 | Last week: 15
UCLA beat Oregon because of Lonzo Ball, but not just because of his offensive heroics. Steve Alford switched Ball onto Dillon Brooks down the stretch, and Ball’s and the Bruins’ defense allowed them to spring back into the game. So did UCLA find a permanent plug for its porous defense? Probably not. This was more of a short-term fix. The Bruins’ pick-and-roll defense, which has ranged from spotty to terrible this year, still must improve.
12. Virginia | 18-7 | KenPom: 3 | Last week: 4
The Cavaliers have lost four of six, and they’ve done so because of some downright ugly first half/second half splits. In the four losses, Virginia has outscored opponents by 39 points in first halves, but has been outscored by 55 points in second halves. Is there something to this? Are the collapses a real reason to be worried about Virginia?
Let’s dig a little deeper. First of all, 84 percent of the drop-off in second halves is explained by a downtick in defense; 16 percent is explained by offense. In other words, Virginia has been 94 points worse in the four second halves because it has given up a combined 79 points more in those second halves than it had in the first. It only scored 15 points fewer in the second halves than it had in the first.
Here’s a look at the first- and second-half margins in the four games, along with points, opponent points, and opponent 3-point shooting.
Henry Bushnell
Sometimes teams get hot. They just do. Statistically, 3-point percentage is largely out of a defense’s control. Some of Virginia’s poor second-half performances, therefore, have been bad luck. That’s not to say the ‘Hoos haven’t played at a significantly lower level after halftime, though; they have, and Tony Bennett has some work to do.
13. Florida State | 21-5 | KenPom: 14 | Last week: 8
Florida State’s performance over the last seven weeks presents an interesting question: Did our eyes deceive us when they told us the Seminoles were Final Four good? Or was Leonard Hamilton’s team actually playing at a Final Four level? I tend to lean more toward the latter, and toward the fact that Leonard Hamilton teams always seem to be somewhat erratic. The ‘Noles can play at a Final Four level. They just don’t always — and more recently don’t often — do.
14. Arizona | 23-3| KenPom: 21 | Last week: 14
The Wildcats lead the Pac-12, but don’t exactly look like the best of the three contenders. Jeff Eisenberg did a nice job of breaking down the battle for more than just regular season conference supremacy.
15. Florida | 21-5 | KenPom: 6 | Last week: 16
Just when the Florida hype was getting too tantalizing to resist, the Gators lost starting center John Egbunu for the season to a torn ACL. It’s not a crippling blow, but it’s a significant one for a team that, in Mike White’s second season, has grown into one of the best units in the country. Egbunu, who at 6-foot-11 is both well-built and athletic, was the team’s top shot blocker and rebounder. Sophomore Kevarrius Hayes should receive the biggest minutes bump in Egbunu’s absence.
16. Purdue | 21-5 | KenPom: 11 | Last week: 19
Purdue has suffered three really strange losses in Big Ten play. But perhaps we’ve overreacted to their strangeness? The Boilermakers have won four in a row, should extend the streak to six by this time next week, and while they might not win the Big Ten, they’re probably the conference’s best team right now.
17. SMU | 23-4 | KenPom: 16 | Last week: NR18. Cincinnati | 23-3 | KenPom: 22 | Last week: 17
SMU makes its Power Rankings debut after knocking off the Bearcats in Dallas on Sunday. This isn’t an overreaction to one game, though. The Mustangs have lost just once since November, and that loss was by two points at Cincinnati. The AAC is a two-team league, but those two teams both have the potential to make runs in March.
19. Notre Dame | 20-7 | KenPom: 25 | Last week: 20
Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame’s center, is 6-foot-5. Terrance Mann, Florida State’s shooting guard and the second-shortest player in the Seminoles’ starting lineup, is 6-foot-6. Colson put up 33 points and 13 rebounds against the second-tallest team in the nation, and likely pulled into the lead for ACC Player of the Year.
20. Wisconsin | 21-4 | KenPom: 15 | Last week: 12
The Badgers’ offense was stifled by Northwestern Sunday in a 66-59 loss, and might even have been exposed. The Wildcats ran hard double teams at Ethan Happ every time he caught the ball in the post, and when they did, three things happened:
1. Happ had a poor game and struggled to accurately pass out of the doubles.
2. Northwestern closed out hard on shooters, put its best defender on Bronson Koenig, and limited the Badgers to 6-of-18 from deep before a meaningless second-half buzzer-beater.
3. Wisconsin doesn’t have guards who can attack off the bounce; they therefore couldn’t take advantage of a defense scrambling to rotate and recover.
Every coach preparing for Wisconsin will study that Northwestern tape from here on out.
Five more to keep an eye (or two) on: Maryland, Oklahoma State, Miami, Wichita State, Butler
Best of the mids: St. Mary’s, Illinois State, Dayton, VCU, Middle Tennessee State
Report: Kentucky's Calipari to be named U.S. Under-19 team coach for worlds.
By Kyle Boone
Yet another recruiting angle for Cal
Kentucky head coach John Calipari is expected to be named the head coach of the U.S. team for the FIBA Under-19 World Championships this summer, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello.
The tournament, which will be played July 1-9 in Cairo, will consist of a team of players 19 years or younger. So incoming freshmen, high school seniors, and current college sophomores will all be eligible to compete.
For Calipari, who doesn’t exactly need a leg up on recruiting, this will give him an inside track in connecting with some of the top high school players in the country. Not only will he get a chance to coach up the best rising basketball talents in the country, but he might also have a shot at coaching prospects he’s recruiting to Kentucky.
In 2015, the U-19 roster featured Allonzo Trier, Terrance Ferguson, Harry Giles, Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum. All were uncommitted at the time, and all were elite high school recruits who were coached by Arizona’s Sean Miller. Of that roster, Ferguson and Trier went on to sign with Miller, although Ferguson opted to play overseas. Obviously a chance to connect with these players, some of which may be uncommitted, is a perk that comes with the job.
While many might see this as an unfair advantage for John Calipari and a Kentucky program that has finished with the No. 1 ranked recruiting class every year except two since 2010, it’s a luxury that has been taken advantage of by prominent coaches over the years. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski has coached the U.S. men’s national team, Arizona’s Sean Miller, as mentioned above, led the U-19 team to a gold medal at the 2015 World Championship, and Texas coach Shaka Smart coached the Under-18 group last year.
Michigan defeats No. 11 Wisconsin for best win of the season.
By Terrence Payne
Zak Irivn broke out of a brutal shooting slump to lead Michigan to its best win of the season, defeating No. 11 Wisconsin, 64-58, on Thursday night in Ann Arbor.
Moritz Wagner, the 6-foot-11 sophomore, had a career-best 21 points.
Irvin was 4-of-31 in his previous four games, combining for 13 points. The Wolverines went 2-2 in that span, winning the latter pair. But the senior erupted in the second half, all of which began with a banked 3-pointer at the top of the key. Irvin shrugged his shoulders running back on defense, but at that point he’d take anything he could get.
Irvin scored 12 of his team-high 18 points, off 4-for-6 (2-for-2 from three) shooting.
Aside from Irvin catching fire, Michigan’s defense slowed down Ethan Happ, who finished with 22 points, but did not score during the final 13:24 of regulation. That was partly due to foul trouble in the second half, but mostly to do with Michigan doubling the post in the second half.
With Bronson Koenig out with a calf injury, the Badgers got next to nothing offensively once Happ was limited. Happ was 10-of-13. Khalil Iverson had 10 points off the bench. The rest of Wisconsin was 8-for-40 for 26 combined points.
Before this, Michigan’s best win was a neutral floor win over SMU. This was months before the Mustangs won nine straight and 19 of their last 20. And the Wolverines’ signature win could come at a better time. Projected as a No. 10 seed in the latest bracketology closes out the year with four of five on the road. That slate includes trips to Minnesota and Northwestern, while also hosting Purdue.
The Wolverines are rolling, winners of three straight, and momentum could have come at a more crucial point of the season.
NCAAFB: Lovie Smith turns to another ex-Buccaneer to fill spot on Illini staff.
By Kyle Boone
John Calipari (Photo/Getty Images)
Yet another recruiting angle for Cal
Kentucky head coach John Calipari is expected to be named the head coach of the U.S. team for the FIBA Under-19 World Championships this summer, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello.
The tournament, which will be played July 1-9 in Cairo, will consist of a team of players 19 years or younger. So incoming freshmen, high school seniors, and current college sophomores will all be eligible to compete.
For Calipari, who doesn’t exactly need a leg up on recruiting, this will give him an inside track in connecting with some of the top high school players in the country. Not only will he get a chance to coach up the best rising basketball talents in the country, but he might also have a shot at coaching prospects he’s recruiting to Kentucky.
In 2015, the U-19 roster featured Allonzo Trier, Terrance Ferguson, Harry Giles, Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum. All were uncommitted at the time, and all were elite high school recruits who were coached by Arizona’s Sean Miller. Of that roster, Ferguson and Trier went on to sign with Miller, although Ferguson opted to play overseas. Obviously a chance to connect with these players, some of which may be uncommitted, is a perk that comes with the job.
While many might see this as an unfair advantage for John Calipari and a Kentucky program that has finished with the No. 1 ranked recruiting class every year except two since 2010, it’s a luxury that has been taken advantage of by prominent coaches over the years. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski has coached the U.S. men’s national team, Arizona’s Sean Miller, as mentioned above, led the U-19 team to a gold medal at the 2015 World Championship, and Texas coach Shaka Smart coached the Under-18 group last year.
Michigan defeats No. 11 Wisconsin for best win of the season.
By Terrence Payne
(Photo/nbcsports.com/college basketball)
Zak Irivn broke out of a brutal shooting slump to lead Michigan to its best win of the season, defeating No. 11 Wisconsin, 64-58, on Thursday night in Ann Arbor.
Moritz Wagner, the 6-foot-11 sophomore, had a career-best 21 points.
Irvin was 4-of-31 in his previous four games, combining for 13 points. The Wolverines went 2-2 in that span, winning the latter pair. But the senior erupted in the second half, all of which began with a banked 3-pointer at the top of the key. Irvin shrugged his shoulders running back on defense, but at that point he’d take anything he could get.
Irvin scored 12 of his team-high 18 points, off 4-for-6 (2-for-2 from three) shooting.
Aside from Irvin catching fire, Michigan’s defense slowed down Ethan Happ, who finished with 22 points, but did not score during the final 13:24 of regulation. That was partly due to foul trouble in the second half, but mostly to do with Michigan doubling the post in the second half.
With Bronson Koenig out with a calf injury, the Badgers got next to nothing offensively once Happ was limited. Happ was 10-of-13. Khalil Iverson had 10 points off the bench. The rest of Wisconsin was 8-for-40 for 26 combined points.
Before this, Michigan’s best win was a neutral floor win over SMU. This was months before the Mustangs won nine straight and 19 of their last 20. And the Wolverines’ signature win could come at a better time. Projected as a No. 10 seed in the latest bracketology closes out the year with four of five on the road. That slate includes trips to Minnesota and Northwestern, while also hosting Purdue.
The Wolverines are rolling, winners of three straight, and momentum could have come at a more crucial point of the season.
NCAAFB: Lovie Smith turns to another ex-Buccaneer to fill spot on Illini staff.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Getty Images)
Slowly but surely, Lovie Smith is turning Champaign into Tampa Bay North.
Illinois announced Wednesday that Donnie Abraham has been hired by Smith as the Fighting Illini’s safeties coach. Abraham will take the spot vacated by Tim McGarigle, who left earlier this month for a job with the Green Bay Packers.
This will mark Abraham’s first job at the collegiate level as he has spent the vast majority of first dozen or so years of his coaching career at the high school level. He also coached defensive backs for an Arena League team for two seasons.
Abraham was a player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Smith was a defensive assistant for the NFL organization. One of Henderson’s Tampa teammates was Hardy Nickerson, who now serves as the Illini’s defensive coordinator.
“I’m very pleased to have Donnie Abraham join our coaching staff,” Smith said in a statement. “Donnie was a great player during his long NFL career, and has gained some terrific experience coaching high school football in the Tampa area and at IMG. His background with our staff here at Illinois will be extremely helpful as we continue to implement our defensive philosophies.
“Donnie is an excellent communicator and will help in our recruiting efforts in the state of Florida and other places he has connections. I’m very pleased to be able to bring someone of his caliber to our staff.”
Abraham had spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator at high school powerhouse IMG Academy.
Illinois announced Wednesday that Donnie Abraham has been hired by Smith as the Fighting Illini’s safeties coach. Abraham will take the spot vacated by Tim McGarigle, who left earlier this month for a job with the Green Bay Packers.
This will mark Abraham’s first job at the collegiate level as he has spent the vast majority of first dozen or so years of his coaching career at the high school level. He also coached defensive backs for an Arena League team for two seasons.
Abraham was a player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Smith was a defensive assistant for the NFL organization. One of Henderson’s Tampa teammates was Hardy Nickerson, who now serves as the Illini’s defensive coordinator.
“I’m very pleased to have Donnie Abraham join our coaching staff,” Smith said in a statement. “Donnie was a great player during his long NFL career, and has gained some terrific experience coaching high school football in the Tampa area and at IMG. His background with our staff here at Illinois will be extremely helpful as we continue to implement our defensive philosophies.
“Donnie is an excellent communicator and will help in our recruiting efforts in the state of Florida and other places he has connections. I’m very pleased to be able to bring someone of his caliber to our staff.”
Abraham had spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator at high school powerhouse IMG Academy.
In-depth with Ohio State AD Gene Smith on his new CFP gig and the future of bowls.
By Dennis Dodd
The Buckeyes' athletic director is going to have a lot on his plate this fall, but he's used to it.
Gene Smith had to be convinced the College Football Playoff was a good thing.
“I had great apprehension,” said Ohio State’s athletic director.
This is not what you want to hear from one of the most powerful administrators in the country. Credibility for college football’s postseason is everything. Three years into the CFP, Smith is not only on board -- he’s a board member.
This month, Smith begins his three-year term on the CFP Selection Committee while stills serving as a powerful administrator with oversight over a top five football program.
He’s also convinced now the CFP will work. Actually, the happened a while ago. His Buckeyes have participated in two of the first three CFPs, winning one.
In this question-and-answer session with CBS Sports, Smith describes how he was turned around. If you have any other questions about his qualifications, ask yourself: How many guys do you know who have four combined national championship rings as a player, coach (Notre Dame) and athletic director (Ohio State)?
Smith joins former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and Robert Morris president Chris Howard as the newbies on the committee. He specifically replaces Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez as a Big Ten rep.
The committee selection is another career achievement. Smith played for Ara Parseghian and coached for Dan Devine at Notre Dame. He has both passed judgment and endured it as a member of the NCAA infractions committee and Division I men’s basketball committee.
Let’s not forget Jim Tressel’s lies stained Ohio State and helped put the program on probation in 2011.
That’s a distant memory as Smith begins weekly CFP judgment of his coach, Urban Meyer. Not really. Smith will recuse himself when discussion the Buckeyes come up in the room.
In that sense, Smith hopes to be out of the room a lot.
CBS Sports: The CFP is a lot of work. What compelled you to want to do this?
Gene Smith: “I had a great conversation first with [Big Ten] commissioner Jim Delany while the process was going on. The chance to be on the NCAA basketball committee was such an educational experience. That experience [from 2007-2011] aligns with this one.
“The way the inaugural [CFP] committee was set up -- the guidelines, the procedures -- I think it’s marvelous what they’ve done. I feel comfortable first and foremost going into that system. And the game gave me so much. It all started back in high school with this great game. A chance to do something special is a service thing.”
CBS Sports: You know about the time commitments for the CFP. In basketball, you have one big weekend in March. It’s a little more in the CFP -- each week starting in early November. Have you looked at flights to Dallas?
Smith: “There are a couple of directs … I have to be there early in the week Mondays and half-day Tuesdays. That’s part of the week that I can do it. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have such a good staff. They’re happy when I’m gone. They can get some things done.”CBS Sports: Have you solicited any former or current committee members on the time commitments?
Smith: “No. We have Big Ten meetings in February. I’m hopeful at that time I can sit down with Barry, learn from him everything about the experience he had.
“If I didn’t have the basketball committee experience, I might have a different perspective. That was five years of a lot of traveling, watching a lot of games, studying information on teams. I think, if I didn’t have that experience, I’d have more trepidation.”
CBS Sports: What do you think of the basketball committee releasing the top 16 seeds on Saturday? That seemed to take its inspiration from the weekly CFP Rankings.
Smith: “It’s been talked about for years … I supported it. We’re continuing to look at ways to continue to promote the sport. The timing is about right. Everybody is really beginning to focus and talk about basketball now. I like it. I think it’s going to be fun and intriguing to watch.
“In this day and age with so many media platforms … might as well get in the fray … I think it worked in football.”
CBS Sports: When did you find out in 2014 that you were in that first College Football Playoff after beating Wisconsin? (That year the Buckeyes leaped from No. 5 into the CFP Rankings at No. 4 after beating Wisconsin 59-0 the Big Ten Championship Game. That despite each of the top five teams winning on the last day of the season.)
Smith: “We didn’t find out until we saw it on TV.”
CBS Sports: Really? Someone didn’t call you five minutes before the announcement and tell you that you were in?
Smith: “No, those were the old days. You’re right. In the BCS system, we knew that morning and we were beginning to mobilize. Bowl people were talking to you. The commissioner was talking to you. Not anymore.
“I actually like [the CFP confidentiality]. I think confidentiality is critical. At the time in 2014, I wish I had some inside scoop. I understand why that’s so valuable.”
CBS Sports: That’s interesting. I would assume someone like you would have a heads up?
Smith: “I didn’t make an attempt. I have the cell phones of [selection committee] people. I respected the process. We were communicated with about how the process would work. [The CFP said,] ‘Don’t make attempts.’”
CBS Sports: Have you even thought about what kind of preparation you’ll have to make each Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Smith: “No. I’m anxious to sit down with Barry and talk to him. I have an idea. When I was with basketball committee, I had a folder with a template. I had all this information -- my notes from watching games. It’s a pretty heavy briefcase.”
CBS Sports: Where are you going to be on Saturdays?
Smith: “I’ll be at our games. My Sunday mornings, I’ll have to change my workout schedule. I’ll record a lot of games.
“My wife [Sheila] was an Olympic basketball and head coach at UNLV for a number of years, but she used to watch games with me. She won’t be doing this. I’ll be locked in my room with my computer.”
CBS Sports: Can Urban lobby you?
Smith: “No. We have such a [great] relationship. I’d tell him to block the off tackle play.”
CBS Sports: You played in the poll era. You were an administrator in the BCS era and now you’re part of this process. Why is the CFP better, more fair?
Smith: “I had great apprehension about the CFP. I was a BCS guy. A lot of it was personal. I had the old traditional thought of the value of bowl games being rewards.
“Now, I still feel we have too many bowls. That’s been lost to some degree. From a narrow point of view at Ohio State, they benefit from the BCS. We had more appearances [10] than anybody. I went into the CFP with apprehension. After seeing it, how it worked and seeing how committee set up selection process, I’m a fan now. I think it works.
“I’m concerned about the other bowls. What we do with them and for them?”
CBS Sports: Are there too many bowls? The Poinsettia Bowl recently folded. Will the market take care of the glut?
Smith: “Over time, yes, because that is a financial issue. Over time, the realities will set in. That was one. I hated to see it go way from the perspective it provided those young men.
“We need to look at the reality of what we are and where we’re going.”
NFL Playoffs Should Be Expanded? What's Your Take?
Smith: “No, those were the old days. You’re right. In the BCS system, we knew that morning and we were beginning to mobilize. Bowl people were talking to you. The commissioner was talking to you. Not anymore.
“I actually like [the CFP confidentiality]. I think confidentiality is critical. At the time in 2014, I wish I had some inside scoop. I understand why that’s so valuable.”
CBS Sports: That’s interesting. I would assume someone like you would have a heads up?
Smith: “I didn’t make an attempt. I have the cell phones of [selection committee] people. I respected the process. We were communicated with about how the process would work. [The CFP said,] ‘Don’t make attempts.’”
CBS Sports: Have you even thought about what kind of preparation you’ll have to make each Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Smith: “No. I’m anxious to sit down with Barry and talk to him. I have an idea. When I was with basketball committee, I had a folder with a template. I had all this information -- my notes from watching games. It’s a pretty heavy briefcase.”
CBS Sports: Where are you going to be on Saturdays?
Smith: “I’ll be at our games. My Sunday mornings, I’ll have to change my workout schedule. I’ll record a lot of games.
“My wife [Sheila] was an Olympic basketball and head coach at UNLV for a number of years, but she used to watch games with me. She won’t be doing this. I’ll be locked in my room with my computer.”
CBS Sports: Can Urban lobby you?
Smith: “No. We have such a [great] relationship. I’d tell him to block the off tackle play.”
CBS Sports: You played in the poll era. You were an administrator in the BCS era and now you’re part of this process. Why is the CFP better, more fair?
Smith: “I had great apprehension about the CFP. I was a BCS guy. A lot of it was personal. I had the old traditional thought of the value of bowl games being rewards.
“Now, I still feel we have too many bowls. That’s been lost to some degree. From a narrow point of view at Ohio State, they benefit from the BCS. We had more appearances [10] than anybody. I went into the CFP with apprehension. After seeing it, how it worked and seeing how committee set up selection process, I’m a fan now. I think it works.
“I’m concerned about the other bowls. What we do with them and for them?”
CBS Sports: Are there too many bowls? The Poinsettia Bowl recently folded. Will the market take care of the glut?
Smith: “Over time, yes, because that is a financial issue. Over time, the realities will set in. That was one. I hated to see it go way from the perspective it provided those young men.
“We need to look at the reality of what we are and where we’re going.”
NFL Playoffs Should Be Expanded? What's Your Take?
Bleacher Report
(Photo/Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
Now that the 2016-2017 NFL season is complete and the Super Bowl is over, Do you think that the playoffs should be expanded? Here are examples of arguments for and against the expansion:
Argument(s) for: Having gotten nowhere with the NFLPA in their quest to expand the regular season from 16 to 18 games, the NFL seeking expansion of the playoffs seems like just the right compromise. The added games would only impact 2-4 potential playoff eligible teams, which would likely make players far more amiable to the extra work.
Argument(s) against: Football is a brutal sport that has been proven to have very severe, sometimes dire, health consequences long after a career concludes. The NFL already generates upwards of $10 billion annually, exactly how much more money do they need? Everything seems to be going swimmingly for the league and its stakeholders—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We like the playoffs just the way they are. We feel the teams with the best records should participate. Contrary to popular belief, greed is not always good. We totally agree with the argument against the expansion and the concern with additional wear with regards to the player's health. Concussions along with knee, ankle and shoulder, (joint), injuries are a major problem for the league. The players need some body recovery time. This is just our opinion, we know the owners are constantly working to improve their revenue base but somewhere it reaches a point where the golden goose breaks and stops laying the golden eggs.
We've expressed our position on this matter and would love to hear from our readers, what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We love hearing from you and truly appreciate and respect your opinions. As always, thanks in advance for your time, consideration and response.
The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
emoriesofhistory.com
1924 - Swimmer Johnny Weissmuller set a world record in the 100-yard freestyle. He did it with a time of 57-2/5 seconds in Miami, FL.
1943 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) joined the U.S. Army as a voluntary inductee.
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored 67 points against St. Louis.
1967 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored the first of an NBA record 35 consecutive goals without a miss.
1968 - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, MA.
1979 - Jerry Sloan became the first player for the Chicago Bulls to have his number retired. He wore #4.
2003 - Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) and owner Jerry Jones agreed that releasing Smith from the team was a "win-win situation." The formal announcement was made on February 27.
1943 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) joined the U.S. Army as a voluntary inductee.
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored 67 points against St. Louis.
1967 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored the first of an NBA record 35 consecutive goals without a miss.
1968 - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, MA.
1979 - Jerry Sloan became the first player for the Chicago Bulls to have his number retired. He wore #4.
2003 - Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) and owner Jerry Jones agreed that releasing Smith from the team was a "win-win situation." The formal announcement was made on February 27.
*****************************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you.
No comments:
Post a Comment