CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 02/03/2017.

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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true." ~ Napoleon Hill, Author of Personal Success Literature

TRENDING: Budweiser's powerful pro-immigration Super Bowl ad is perfect. What's Your Take? (Please go to the last article on this blog and share your take with us).

TRENDING: Blackhawks get back on track with win over Coyotes. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news). 

TRENDING: Super Bowl 51: Patriots-Falcons will be decided by 5 key match ups. (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).

TRENDING: Jimmy Butler, Bulls wax Thunder to begin extended road trip. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

TRENDING: Can We Really Call Motorsport a Sport? (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks get back on track with win at Coyotes.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks were relieved more than reveling late Thursday night. 

For the first 20 minutes it looked like the desert air was good for what was ailing them. They were shooting, they were scoring – even on the power play – and they were manhandling the Arizona Coyotes in every facet of the game. But a bad second period had the Blackhawks clinging to a one-goal lead instead of playing with a three-goal one, and they found a way to hang onto it.

Patrick Kane scored a power-play goal, as did Marian Hossa, and the Blackhawks survived a terrible second period to beat the Coyotes 4-3 on Thursday. The Blackhawks remain in second in the Central Division, four points behind the Minnesota Wild. The Wild, who were idle on Thursday, still have three games in hand.

But the Blackhawks weren't in the most celebratory mood after this one. They'll take the two points and snapping a three-game losing streak. But terrible miscues in the second period turned what looked to be a lopsided game into one that ended up way too close.

"Just kind of let them back in the game. Gave it to them. We just can't do that against any team. That's one of the bottom teams in the league and they still come back," Corey Crawford said. "It's a good lesson for us."

The lesson almost went unheeded. The Blackhawks were Dr. Jekyll through the first 20 minutes, Mr. Hyde in the next 20. Their first period may have been their best period of the season, and two power-play goals (Kane and Hossa) and Ryan Hartman's 11th goal of the season staked them to a 3-0 advantage.

Then came the second, and just 10 seconds into that the Blackhawks were on the penalty kill. Nine seconds after that they gave the Coyotes a two-man advantage on which Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored. Oh, and then there were the delay-of-game penalties. Three of them. In one period.

Asked if the second period was the Blackhawks' worst of the season, coach Joel Quenneville said, "it was the worst shooting the puck in the crowd."

"We gotta keep it in the building on three occasions there. Tough to lose momentum on plays like that," Quenneville said. "We played a great first period, great start to the game, had everything going, give up a 5-on-3 and almost got through it, but it got them going."

Trevor van Riemsdyk wouldn't say how blue the conversation got in the second intermission. He said the Blackhawks just took stock of where they were, despite that second.

"We just knew that we had a great first and the second wasn't according to the plan. But if you look at it from afar, one goal up on the road with a chance to win isn't a bad spot," he said. "You just kind of gotta look at it that way, come out and try to mirror that first period or just play the way we know we're supposed to [play]."

The Blackhawks eked one out. It was a night where they'll take the points, but they know a second period like that cannot happen.

"Big two points for us," Crawford said. "You want to play solid the whole game and I think that's just a good one for us to get two points and build off of all the positives."

Five Things from Blackhawks-Coyotes: Forgettable second period

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks certainly know drama these days.

I joked about grabbing brown paper bags and inhaling deeply after their second period on Thursday night. But considering recent outings it's understandable why some likely watch this team with apprehension.

Still, they got out of the desert with two points, and they needed them. So before we pack up and head to the final stop on Ice Show Trip, Part I, let's look at the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks' 4-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.

1. A very strong start. The 3-0 lead was certainly a bonus but the Blackhawks' all-around game was great in the first period. They shot (15 shots to the Coyotes' six). They swarmed in on turnovers, they created traffic and they didn't let up through the first 20 minutes. But…

2. A terribly undisciplined second period. The Blackhawks committed seven penalties on the night. Five of them came in the second period and three of those were delay-of-game penalties. Oh, and they gave the Coyotes, down 3-0 at the time, a 5-on-3 just 19 seconds into the second period, too. The Blackhawks gave the Coyotes life, and they took advantage of it. Quenneville's frustration with that period was evident in his post-game press conference.

3. Early power play success. The Blackhawks had scored just one-power play goal in their last 20 opportunities entering Thursday night. Against the Coyotes, they did a lot with a little: on their first two power plays, they one shot on each and one goal on each (Kane and Hossa). They went quiet in their final two power plays but their work on it in the first period was encouraging. 

4. Second line gets going again. Kane's goal came on the power play but he, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov nevertheless woke up when they were together. Panarin scored his 18th of the season in the second period; that goal proved to be the game winner. The Blackhawks can't rely solely on this line like they did last season but they definitely need it to be better than it's been in recent outings.

5. Learn from this. Corey Crawford said it, and he's right: Thursday was a reminder that, if you have a second period like the Blackhawks did it doesn't matter if you're playing the best or worst team in the league. You're playing with fire. The Blackhawks almost kissed away a tremendous first period. They lost momentum early in the second period and struggled to get it back. The full 60-minute game continues to elude them.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Report: Bears plan to make trading for Jimmy Garoppolo top offseason priority.

By Scott Krinch

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It's abundantly clear: the Bears top priority this offseason is finding a franchise quarterback.

Expected to cut ties with Jay Cutler at some point over the next few months, the Bears have already zeroed in one option to fill their need at quarterback. 

According to a report from CBS's Jason La Canfora, the Bears plan to make acquiring New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo their top offseason priority.

"The Chicago Bears will make a strong, concerted effort to acquire quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The Illinois native is far and away their top offseason priority."

The 25-year-old Garoppolo, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract next season, is widely considered one of the top available trade options on the market this offseason as the Patriots are expected to deal the former second-round pick.

The connection between Garoppolo and the Bears runs deep as the Chicagoland native starred at Rolling Meadows High School and played his college football at Eastern Illinois — the same alma mater as Bears GM Ryan Pace.  

Garoppolo has played sparingly in his three seasons with the Patriots. In limited snaps backing up future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, Garoppolo has thrown for 690 yards and five touchdowns in 17 appearances. 

As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported earlier this week, Pace and Garoppolo spent time together last August when the Bears and Patriots held joint practices in Foxborough.

"We got to talk one-on-one and it was just a couple of Eastern guys hanging out," said Garoppolo, who is playing the role of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in practice this week as the Patriots prepare for Super Bowl LI. "There are not many Eastern Illinois guys (in the NFL), so it's a small group and we like to stick together."

The Bears likely won't be the only suitor for Garoppolo's services this offseason. The San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns both have a need at the position and are rumored to explore the possibility of acquiring Garoppolo.

Any interested team could begin exploratory talks with the Patriots, but a trade can't come to fruition until the new league starts following the NFL Scouting Combine in March.

Super Bowl 51: Patriots-Falcons will be decided by 5 key match ups.

By Vinnie Iyer

(Photo/Getty Images)

The Patriots and Falcons wouldn't be playing in Super Bowl 51 without contributions from all players on their rosters.

But when the teams line up Sunday with the NFL title on the line, a few individual matchups stand out as the biggest factors in who wins it all.

Here's breaking down the five most important personnel battles of the game.

1. Patriots CB Malcolm Butler vs. Falcons WR Julio Jones

Butler has been waiting a long time to put his West Alabama skills up to the test against the best Crimson Tide NFL receiver since Don Hutson. It's in New England's best interest to let Butler go one-on-one with Jones often, both outside and in the slot. In the Falcons' five losses, Jones averaged more than seven catches and 125 yards with two total TDs. Teams that have been able to take Jones away, more so with double teams than top corners (see Denver and Arizona), have been burned by Atlanta's other weapons.

The key for Butler is getting physical with Jones near the line of scrimmage and not losing him on crossing routes that can turn into big plays after the catch. This is a more of a containment job than a shutdown assignment.

New England does like to take away the opponent's No. 1 option, but here, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is smart enough not to put everything on Jones. That would set up the Falcons' three other dangerous receiving options — Taylor Gabriel, Mohamed Sanu and Tevin Coleman — with easier pickings. In trusting Butler on Jones, Patricia can mix things up to get into more favorable matchups with help on the others.

Patriots RB's LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis vs. Falcons MLB Deion Jones

Falcons strongside linebacker Vic Beasley Jr. has been a pass-rushing beast in his breakout second season. But because New England will be prepared to neutralize him by pounding away with the run, and due to how quick Tom Brady gets rids of the ball, more of the burden of slowing down the Patriots will fall on Jones.

Blount is overrated as a straight-up power runner to get consistent chunks of yards — he had to gain only one yard for 12 of his 19 scores this season. His strength comes more when he explodes past a would-be tackler for a lengthy rumble. That's where Jones must clean up and not be too aggressive in flying upfield. If he can't bring down Blount, he at least needs to buy time for his teammates to rally.

When Blount isn't in, Jones will need to switch gears into sound coverage against Lewis. It's all about who can be faster and quicker, and Jones needs to do his best to stay with Lewis laterally in a difficult change of pace from Blount. Either Blount or Lewis having a big game spells doom for Atlanta.

3. Patriots DE Trey Flowers vs. Falcons LT Jake Matthews

Matthews, a first-rounder in 2015, had a rough rookie campaign. He has been much better at pass protection in Year 2, but the Falcons still gave up a good number of sacks (37) on Matt Ryan during the regular season, second worst among playoff teams. Flowers, a fourth-rounder in '15, lived up to his pure pass-rush potential by leading the Patriots with seven sacks in his second season.

Flowers got to that number with a high effort, and at 6-2, 265 points, he will be unrelenting to get past the 6-5, 309-pound Matthews with a variety of moves. When Flowers gets some momentum, he can take over games.

Matthews will need to play very well, and he will not have much help — left guard Andy Levitre will have his hands full with defensive tackle Malcom Brown. If Matthews struggles, expect the Falcons to counteract with designed Ryan roll-outs away from that side.

4. Patriots WR Chris Hogan vs. Falcons CBs Jalen Collins and Robert Alford

The Steelers were worried about other Patriots players in the middle of the field and forgot about Hogan, who drifted into wide-open pastures during the AFC championship game. New England used Hogan's lineup versatility to confuse Pittsburgh's young defensive backs and get them out of position.

The Falcons have similar youth in their secondary. The initial Hogan challenge will fall on Collins as the right cornerback, but he'll get moved around to play off the attention top wideout Julian Edelman will get. If it's pick their poison, the Falcons need to focus on avoiding the backbreaking big play to Hogan and make Brady at least execute on more short passes.

5. Patriots C David Andrews vs. Falcons DT Grady Jarrett

The best (and really only) way to get Brady uncomfortable is to get in his face without blitzing. Few defenses are capable of doing that.

Jarrett, coming off a strong second season up front as that "other" Clemson 2015 draftee after Beasley, will be critical to the game plan of getting Brady off the spot and into bad, rushed throws.

New England's offensive line has rebounded well from last year's mess in Denver, but Andrews is its most vulnerable blocker. The Falcons have a much better shot at pressuring Brady there than the edge against either tackle, Nate Solder or Marcus Cannon. They need to get to Brady a few times, or it will be a long night of him sitting back and picking them apart.

The story of the Chicago Blitz and the craziest trade in sports history.

By Chuck Garlien

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

"The Chicago Blitz were a hard working group of guys. I enjoyed it. The only problem was, the man who bought the team never paid anybody, including the coaches. We had to chip in to buy toilet paper for the restrooms." 

--- Marv Levy, former Chicago Blitz head coach

"Maybe the best way to remember the Blitz: it was our attempt at recreating the Wild West. It was fun for a while, but like most things that are fun, they end." 

---Dan Jiggetts, former Chicago Blitz offensive lineman

It was a spring football experiment that started off with a bang, but closed with a comical whimper.  In 1983, the Chicago Blitz were one of 12 teams that opened the USFL's inaugural season. The league's founders believed that after the NFL season ended there was a thirst for football. Their plan was to quench it.

Build it and they will come--that was the league mantra. Sign the best talent available no matter the cost--that turned out to be another, tragically.

Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals signed Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker to a three-year, $5 million contract, at the time the richest contract ever given to a pro football player. One year later, it was football peanuts when the Los Angeles Express signed quarterback Steve Young to a four-year, $40 million contract--payable over 43 years.

The players took the money and ran. Where to?

Everybody would soon find out.

"On Tuesday morning, I got to the facility and we do a press deal where I announce that I signed with the Chicago Blitz," said Tom Thayer, an offensive lineman who had just graduated from Notre Dame. "And I can remember seeing the faces of the press guys who were there who covered the Bears at the time.  They all left the Blitz facility and went up to Halas Hall to cover the NFL draft that day."

A Joliet native, Thayer's dream was to play football for the Bears, but the Blitz made him an offer he couldn't refuse: a personal services contract where everything was guaranteed. Even if he got injured or the USFL folded, Thayer would be paid the full amount of his contract.

"It was something you had to listen to, because I wasn't guaranteed anything from the NFL."

After the Blitz press conference, Thayer drove back to his home in Joliet. As he pulled into the driveway, his sister came running out of the house with some stunning news.

"She said, '(Bears general manager) Jim Finks is on the phone. The Bears just drafted you!' And then Finks went to the podium and said the Bears in the 4th round draft Tom Thayer out of the University of Notre Dame and the press started giggling and told him, 'Hey, we were just at the Blitz facility. He signed with the Blitz of the USFL.' Because (the Bears) locked themselves in the draft room they weren't aware of anything."

Thayer turned down the Bears and joined a Blitz team that was coached by future Hall of Famer George Allen and was stacked with some of the best talent in the USFL: quarterback Greg Landry, running back Tim Spencer, wide receiver Trumaine Johnson, and defensive back Frank Minnifield, among others.

"We already felt that we wanted to be a good enough team to have the confidence to be competing with NFL teams,” Thayer said. “That was the message that George Allen instilled in us. We want to be a professional football team.”

On the field, they played like one. The Blitz went 12-6 that first season, finishing tied for first place in their division with the Michigan Panthers, who were led by quarterback Bobby Hebert and wide receiver Anthony Carter.

"I think we gained momentum. I think everybody was uncertain about what a competitive football league opposite the NFL could really do," Thayer said. "And then you got supported, and then the crowds started to average 30,000 people a game."

Unfortunately, those big crowds never arrived in Chicago---which is where this story truly begins.

The Blitz played their home games at Soldier Field, but they averaged only 18,133 fans, third lowest in the USFL. By comparison, the Denver Gold were tops in the league, drawing 41,736 a game at Mile High Stadium.

The Blitz’s owner, a heart surgeon named Ted Diethrich lost millions in 1983. So did Jim Joseph the owner of the Arizona Wranglers who went 4-14 that first season. Joseph wanted out. Diethrich, who lived in Phoenix, wanted to stay in the league but believed the Blitz would draw better in Arizona.

What came next was the craziest transaction in the history of professional sports.

Diethrich bought the Arizona Wranglers from Joseph and then sold the Chicago Blitz franchise to a fellow heart surgeon in Milwaukee named James Hoffman. Diethrich and Hoffman then agreed to swap assets. George Allen, his coaching staff and the Blitz players were traded to Arizona, in return the Blitz received the last place Wranglers.

In other words, the Blitz became the Wranglers and the Wranglers became the Blitz.

Imagine this happening today.  The Chicago Blackhawks, for instance, trading their entire team and coaching staff to Arizona for the last place Coyotes.

You can’t.

But it happened here.

Why Hoffman was willing to acquire a last place team for a first place team was puzzling to say the least. He tried describing his reasoning at the press conference announcing his new Chicago Blitz.

"If I had the opportunity to buy the Blitz the way they were, I would not have even considered it," Hoffman told the media. "Number one, the front office was terrible. Two, the players’ personal contracts were headed for absolute disaster."

Little did Hoffman know, things were about to get worse. Much worse. And unfathomable.

Before this wacky trade occurred, the Wranglers had fired their head coach, Doug Shively. The new Blitz needed to replace him.

The good news was, they hired future Hall of Famer Marv Levy. The bad news?

"I didn't know they traded franchises until after they switched the whole doggone team!" Levy recalled.  "I got a call from the man who was going to be the general manager, Ron Potocnik of Chicago offering me the job. I said, 'Wow that's great. They look like they've got a pretty good roster there,' so I came running and I took the job. Then I found out that the entire roster as well as the ownership had been traded away and the Blitz roster was now probably the weakest total talent in the league."

Most of the players acquired from the Wranglers were so inept the Blitz maniacally starting signing other players to replace them, including some former Chicago Bears. Vince Evans was brought on to play quarterback, Doug Plank was in the secondary and Dan Jiggetts came out of retirement to help anchor the offensive line.

The Blitz personnel director that season was an unproven football wunderkind named Bill Polian, who would later build behemoths in the NFL with the Bills, Panthers and Colts.

But major trouble was brewing with the new Blitz, the exact magnitude of their problems stopped Jiggetts dead in his tracks following a preseason game.

“I'm walking across the field after the game with [new Blitz owner] Hoffman. He looks at me and he goes, ‘You know what, I'm out of here.’ I go, ‘You mean you're leaving town?’ He says, ‘No, I'm done with this.’ I go, ‘What do you mean?’ He says ‘I'm finished,’” Jiggetts explained.  “I said something to coach. I said, ‘I just spoke with Hoffman. I think he’s out of here.’ Marv’s eyes started going around in circles.”

Hoffman left and never came back.

He and his minority owners returned the Blitz to the USFL for the league to run. Playing without an owner, the Blitz would lose their first five games of the 1984 season. They also lost most of their fanbase.

“We used to play at Soldier Field,” Levy recalled. “I said any fan who comes to a game can have a 50 yard line seat. A crowd of 3 or 4 thousand might have been good.”

The Blitz averaged 7,455 fans a game in 1984, last in the USFL. Their crowds often filled 10% of Soldier Field or less.

Struggling on the field and at the gate, the Blitz most exciting competition seemed to occur after practice each Friday when players would race to the closest bank to try and get their checks cashed.

“We're practicing at Maine North High School. There's a little tiny bank there,” Jiggetts explained. “Guys would have their cars ready after practice because you didn't want to be the last guy because there might not be money left in the account. This little old lady kept throwing the checks back. They were bouncing all over the place.”

Levy said he got paid for the first month or two, “and then it stopped.”

As the season went on, there were more and more signs that the Blitz days were numbered. One day, players arrived at Maine North to see that their practice facility had been transformed into a movie set to make the John Hughes film, “The Breakfast Club.”

“They overtook the facility and a lot of the people involved in the movie were going in and out of our locker room,” Jiggetts said. “So you'd come in there and maybe a Judd Nelson would be sitting there.”

Paul Gleason who played the teacher in the film ended up traveling with the Blitz and stood on the sidelines for some of their games.

“He was a big fan of the Blitz,” Jiggetts said. “There were some fascinating things going on.”

Unfortunately, the Blitz weren’t exactly fascinating on the field. They went 5-13 in 1984. Meanwhile, Tom Thayer and the old Chicago Blitz/new Arizona Wranglers went all the way to the USFL championship game where they lost to Chuck Fusina and the Philadelphia Stars.

“I felt bad because I always want Chicago to succeed no matter what sport it is,” said Thayer, who would eventually return to Chicago and play for the Bears in 1985, the season they won the Super Bowl.

As for the Blitz, they reportedly lost $6 million in 1984 and despite an attempt by former Chicago White Sox owner Eddie Einhorn to buy them, they eventually disbanded in 1985. The USFL as a league shut down in 1986.

“It kind of put a sad feeling in the thought process because it was a league that showed really positive signs of growth,” Thayer said. “It gave some great players an opportunity to play professional football: Reggie White, Keith Millard, Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie. I could go on and on.”

The Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers wanted to make history on the field. Instead, they did it together on the transaction page. An achievement that puts them in a special category. A legacy that cannot and will not be touched.

Players get traded in the sports world just about everyday. But a team traded for another team?

Thayer probably said it best, “It will never happen again in the history of sports.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Chicago Bulls Vs. Houston Rockets, 02/03/2017.

By Tyler Berry 

Date: Friday February 3rd, 2017

Time:  8:00PM EST

Venue: Toyota Center in Houston, Texas

Chicago Bulls

Coming off a fantastic 28-point blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Chicago Bulls continue its road trip in Houston against the James Harden-led Rockets.

Houston, on the second of a back-to-back after facing Atlanta, continue its homestand and look to take care of a Bulls team that has somehow stayed at .500 even through all the drama.

Through the drama in the media with Jimmy Butler and Dwayne Wade as it pertained to Rajon Rondo, through Rondo’s retorts on social media, through the jabs at coach Fred Hoiberg not having control of his locker room, somehow the Bulls remain at .500 and in the playoff hunt.

The Eastern Conference certainly isn’t as strong as it was a year ago, but it’s surprising that the team with the most drama in the league not based in New York is still sitting in a playoff spot right now.

A lot can be put on the team defense in regards to that. Chicago has one of the better defenses, ranking 5th in opponent’s points per game and gives up just 101.6 per game.

The scoring has been better over the last couple games as well, after being one of the lowest scoring offenses in the league for the majority of the year. Chicago put up 128 on the Thunder and 121 on a 76ers team that has vastly improved.

Despite the drama involving him, Jimmy Butler has been the man for this team on offense. He is having a wonderful season, averaging 24.7 points per game on 46% shooting.

Houston Rockets

Averaging over 114 points per game, the Houston Rockets are 2nd best in the league in scoring the ball. The Rockets have a fantastic perimeter shooting game, one that seems the team take an average of 39 3-pointers per night.

The Rockets overwhelm teams with its fast-paced, live-by-the-three style of play. Led by James Harden, Houston is all but assured of a trip to the playoffs and are looking to continue winning in order to grab that coveted 2nd seed away from the Spurs.

Newly minted point guard James Harden has been wonderful for Houston. He’s averaging a double-double with 28.4 points and 11.5 assists per game. He also shoots a pretty decent 44.4% from the field, while shooting 34% from downtown.

Off the bench, Eric Gordon has been a big help for this Rockets team. His 3-point shooting has been lights out at nearly 40% and he averages about 17.3 points per game.

This Rockets team is hard to stop, especially when the 3s start raining down. However, as the phrase says, if the Rockets don’t live by the three, they often die by it.

Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets NBA Prediction:

Despite a great defense, it’s going to be tough to stop James Harden and a Houston team that has a great perimeter game. Look for Chicago to keep it close but Houston to pull away late thanks to the 3-point shooting. Houston gets the W.

Jimmy Butler, Bulls wax Thunder to begin extended road trip.

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Dwyane Wade twisted and spun and turned poor Anthony Morrow into a confusing, dizzying sap, unleashing a soft baseline fadeaway that danced around the rim while he faded near the Bulls’ bench.

As it nestled into the rim, Wade turned to a seated Rajon Rondo and slapped him in the chest, apparently so impressed with himself that even Wade could show Rondo some love to start the Bulls’ critical road trip.

There was plenty of love in the Chesapeake Energy Arena, and plenty of energy—both from the Chicago Bulls as they put together their most comprehensive effort in quite awhile, pounding the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-100 on Wednesday night.

For all the talk about the road presenting an opportunity for the Bulls to bond more and heal some wounds that were opened or at least revealed to the public in the last week or so, a good old-fashioned butt-kicking has a way of making people seem to like each other a little more.

“It was one of our better games from start to finish,” Wade said. “It was a good way to start this trip off.”

The Bulls started their first long western swing with a big win over Portland and that confidence carried through as the Bulls went 4-2 in November, creating a sense of optimism they’ve been unable to fulfill in the time since.

Wednesday harkened back to the days where the Bulls were thought to be good, and interesting. Now, at least they’re interesting and on this night, they were very good, jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

Next to a short stint between the end of the first and start of the second where the Thunder took a slim lead while the Bulls struggled to score, they quickly gathered themselves to dominate throughout—a rarity in recent time.

“I thought we did a great job of following the game plan and getting back and loading in transition,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.

And with the Oklahoma City Thunder having very little snap to their punches—unless you count Russell Westbrook punching a Jimmy Butler breakaway layup into the third row—the Bulls had a pretty easy and efficient time against the Thunder.

Shooting 60 percent through three quarters and 61 percent overall, the Bulls didn’t even need to hit triples but played with the desired pace and unselfishness Hoiberg dreams about.

“From the second quarter on I thought we were really good as far as our pace,” Hoiberg said. “We had 28 fast break points, getting the ball up the court and sharing it again.”

Wade had seven assists to go along with his seven rebounds and 18 points in 24 minutes while Rondo had six assists in 16 minutes. Butler, who could barely move in their first meeting as he was in the early stages of an illness, made up for it with 28 points in 30 minutes, hitting 11 of 17 shots and adding five assists with four rebounds.

Jerian Grant was off to a good start, scoring nine and hitting his first four shots from the field, taking turns with other perimeter defenders in guarding the unguardable Westbrook.

“I don’t ever think Westbrook is going to be tired. That guy, he’s not human,” Hoiberg said. “It doesn’t even look like he sweats when he’s out there on the floor. He’s a machine.”

Butler took the bulk of the assignment, and Westbrook shot 10 of 23 for 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 29 minutes but didn’t make a truly impactful play when it counted.

“You have to challenge every shot he puts up,” Butler said. “He can go downhill at the basket, he can make the outside shot. You just have to try your best to make everything tougher.”

The Thunder were held to 36 percent shooting and kept bricking triples, shooting 8-for-35. Although the Thunder seemed to be teetering well into the first two quarters, on the second night of a back to back, the Bulls only held an eight-point lead going into halftime.

Then Wade took over in the third with scoring and playing, with some nice look-away passes for assists while he couldn’t get it going early, then once he did, carried the Bulls offense. 

They stretched their lead to 21 at 76-55 midway through and cruised through the rest of the night.

He allowed Butler to rest a little on offense while Westbrook, the high-usage counterpart, was burning oil trying to keep the Thunder in the game. He had 27 by the end of the third but his team was awful shooting-wise and couldn’t get anything going.

It was just what the Bulls needed at just the right time.

Jimmy Butler tap dances around ESPN report of contract issues with Bulls.

By Vincent Goodwill

  

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Jimmy Butler’s been embroiled in too much controversy over the past few days to start another media fire, so engaging in some tap dancing that would make the late Sammy Davis Jr. and Gregory Hines proud was on the menu Wednesday morning.

Butler was asked about a story told from ESPN Radio host Ryen Russillo about the season before Butler signed his max contract with the Bulls, claiming the Bulls front office threatened to play Tony Snell over Butler during the year to depress his market value as Butler was heading into restricted free agency.

Russillo was telling the story in response to the recent Bulls drama over the past week, saying there’s a level of distrust from Butler to the Bulls and it stems from the contentious negotiations.

“Somebody said that? Wow... Really? You heard that, too?” queried Butler before Dwyane Wade chimed in, saying “Yeah, I heard that (story from Russillo), too.”

Butler was asked about his relationship with the front office in general — something that’s been a topic of discussion as his name has been in trade talks or at least the rumor mill.

“It's good. They're my bosses,” Butler said. “We talk like men if I have a problem, if they have a problem; we talk like we're supposed to. I think it's very professional.”

If there is any contention as Russillo claims, it could’ve started following the 2013-14 season where Butler first started to make waves as a solid “3 and D” player, where he averaged 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and nearly two steals for the Bulls.

Butler wasn’t going to give the story any validity, but didn’t give a full denial, either.

Enter the tap shoes, as Butler had a coy smile when telling the story.

“I'll tell it to you like this. That s**t happened so long ago I didn't think it was a matter of anything,” Butler said. “We went into contract negotiations. I said I would hoop and play the year out. I did that, had a decent little year. We won't go into detail about what was said, what wasn't said, it's not anybody's business.”

Butler and the Bulls were at an impasse of sorts, with Butler willing to take a four-year deal worth $48 million and the Bulls’ offer topping off at $44 million. So according to Russillo, the Bulls threatened Butler with the notion of playing Snell, who was coming into his second season after being the 20th pick in the 2013 draft.

Russillo said the front office went to then-coach Tom Thibodeau with it, but with the front office and Thibodeau already nearing separation, Thibodeau used playing Butler as a way to get back at general manager Gar Forman and John Paxson.

Whether the Thibodeau part is true or not is hard to say, but it isn’t difficult to see a front office going that route.

Butler took his game to another level in 2014-15, winning the Most Improved Player award, becoming the Bulls’ best player and making the All-Star team for the first time.

He signed a five-year deal worth $95 million in the summer of 2015, after Thibodeau was fired.

“We got a deal done, I thought it was a fair deal. That's that,” Butler said. “But for anybody to say this or say that...I don't know. To tell you the truth, I don't remember what went on. My agent was in there handling the majority of it. And then, my main thing was to just worry about basketball so I can't tell you what was said or what wasn't. One, because it was so long ago, and two, because it ain't y'all business anyways.”

While Snell struggled through the next two seasons and was traded to Milwaukee in the preseason for Michael Carter-Williams, Butler has made another jump, elevating himself to a Top 15 or Top 10 player, depending on who you ask.

He was asked if he shocked the front office with his play and development over the last four years.

“You couldn't say I would pan out this way. I couldn't say that either,” Butler said. “I just work hard. Crazy part is I think I can still surprise them even more because I continue to work. Continue to be myself, do what's asked of me. Do what I can to the best of my ability. Yeah, they were shocked, surprised, excited for me and the future. But nobody could see this coming.”

CUBS: Kyle Hendricks: The master of adaptation.  

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

When it comes to baseball, Kyle Hendricks is a master of adapting to his environment and making adjustments.

But can he do the same thing away from the stadium, where his life has evolved into rock star status?

Hendricks made a career flying under the radar. He never found his name on the top prospect rankings as he was coming up through the Cubs or Texas Rangers systems.

He spent his first three years in Chicago walking or taking public transit to Wrigley Field and people hardly recognized him. Though, it's hard to blame fans — in street clothes, Hendricks looks more like an accountant than a Cy Young finalist.

But now, after playing a central role in ending the Cubs' 108-year championship drought, things have changed.

When Hendricks showed up in Chicago in mid-January for Cubs Convention, he was mobbed at baggage claim at the airport by a group of Cubs fans numbering in the 40, by his estimation.

"I don't know how they know where you're flying in from," Hendricks wondered aloud. "The world has definitely changed for me a little bit. Chicago is crazy; I can't go anywhere. But it's not too bad in Southern California. I would've never gotten recognized before and now, there are a couple circumstances that I will, so it's definitely changed.

"Walking to the field and public transit might be out now. It was fun for a while there. It's still fun to get that. Honestly, Chicago fans, all the people I've met, they come up to you and they just wanna say, 'Thank you,' or tell you their — where they were at [when the Cubs won], about their family. 

"I've had some really special people come up to me and give me their stories. That's the cool part of it. We've only been on this team for a couple years, but these fans, they've been gridlocked in this for a long, long time. For them to realize this [championship], it's pretty awesome."

Hendricks isn't likely to get swept up in his new rock star status. He's very down-to-earth and may be the nicest guy on a Cubs team that will be immortalized in history.

"We just play the game. To be able to provide this to the fans — they're the ones that really should enjoy this," he said. "They're the ones that have done this. Without the fans and their backing and having the full support throughout the losing years, this would've never been possible. All the excitement of it really wouldn't've happened. That's what it really comes down to.

"I don't think [it's set in yet]. A lot of guys talk about it. There's gonna be fans forever talking about this team or this guy or some of the games in the playoffs. It's kinda like the '04 Red Sox. People are going to talk about it forever. I don't think that will ever set in for us. We're just regular guys out here playing the game that we love and luckily, this happened for us."

Hendricks' Ivy League education will follow him wherever he goes — he said all his friends from Dartmouth are on Wall Street now, "which sounds awful" — and he's earned the reputation as one of the most cerebral players in the game today.

So, even after leading the majors in ERA last season, Hendricks isn't content with where he's at as a pitcher.

"I don't think [there's more pressure]," he said. "You're always trying to improve if you're a competitor; you're not worried about what anybody else's expectations are. You have expectations of yourself and what you want to do. 

"I'm always trying to get better, develop. You can never stop that process." 

That being said, Hendricks admitted his confidence has grown immensely since 2015, when he struggled to find consistency and finished the year with a 3.95 ERA and two shaky postseason starts.

In 2016, Hendricks came into his own as a pitcher and his confidence grew as he saw the results of his work and preparation show up on the field, culminating in a 16-8 record, 2.13 ERA, 0.979 WHIP and third-place finish in the National League Cy Young race.

"At the end of '15, my mechanics were kind of lost," Hendricks said. "The confidence level wasn't where it is now. I think you can only have that confidence sometimes when you see the results, but it's hard to be that way.

"As much as you focus on the process, you gotta see the results in the end. So that really helped a lot to have that validation, I guess, in a way. Going forward, you can always carry confidence with you, but things are always changing, so you have to be ready."

That boost in confidence helps explain Hendricks' success in the postseason, as he made good on his father's promise to Cubs executive Jason McLeod and delivered the franchise to a title.

Hendricks said last fall was the best he's ever felt at the end of the season and aimed to make this offseason very similar to what he's done in the past despite pitching the most innings (215.1) he's ever thrown.

He also isn't trying to tinker too much with his arsenal after attributing much of his leap forward to learning how to use his four-seam fastball and curveball more effectively. 

"Just refining, working on everything I have," Hendricks said. "Going into this year, there might be a different answer [than using a curveball and four-seamer more]. I think the only way to know that is going into the game and seeing what the hitters are giving you, being able to feel the game, seeing if they're staying on my curveball, my four-seamer, if they're looking for those pitches this year, stuff like that.

"You just have to always be on your toes because hitters are always changing, the game's always changing. So you can't stay steadfast in what you're doing. You have to look at the other side of it."

A bet with Kyle Schwarber almost kept David Ross from retiring.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

David Ross was almost forced to postpone retirement because of a bet with Kyle Schwarber.

If Schwarber pulled that off, he really would've been considered superhuman.

Grandpa Rossy hopped on Rob Bradford's podcast on WEEI.com this week and talked about how his yearlong retirement tour almost became a moot point when the terms of the bet were activated:

"When I had success, I had a bet with Schwarber and our traveling secretary that if I hit 10 home runs, I was gonna come back. I ended up hitting 10 plus two in the playoffs," Ross said. "I felt like my skill set was kind of diminishing and it was about time for me to leave and I had a decent year in my role. 

"I love this game so much, but there's also so many factors why I was leaving the game with my family and the things I want to do with my kids and be at home for. And just being the guy — don't leave the party too late. I'd rather leave early and not be hungover the next day than leave the game with a bad taste in your mouth. 

"It was kinda weird, all that was going on and winning the World Series. When your teammates pick you up and carry you off the field, I think that's game-set-match right there."

Ross also said he was still weighing whether or not he should retire as late as September, just because he enjoyed being around this Cubs team so much.

It was a good week for Schwarber, too, who spent Thursday in Houston hanging out with Cris Carter:

Schwarber also hopped on the Dan Le Batard Show and said his dancing moves are a cross between Jesus and Michael Jackson and showed off his pipes with a rendition of "Wagon Wheel" on a short - yet wildly entertaining - appearance.

Cubs trade for former top pitching prospect Eddie Butler.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Cubs added some more pitching depth Wednesday, completing a trade with the Colorado Rockies for right-hander Eddie Butler.

The Rockies designated Butler for assignment last week to make room for newly-signed closer Greg Holland.

Butler will represent another option for the starting rotation if injuries or ineffectiveness strike the Cubs staff. He has an option remaining, meaning he does not have to be included on the 25-man big-league roster and can begin the season with Triple-A Iowa. 

The Cubs are hoping Butler will benefit from a change of scenery and a move into the organization's pitching infrastructure led by Chris Bosio and Mike Borzello that has helped guys like Jake Arrieta realize their massive potential.

Butler — who will turn 26 in spring training — was the Rockies' supplemental round pick in 2012 (46th overall) and was ranked the No. 24 prospect in the game by Baseball America prior to the 2014 season. On that same BA top prospect list, Javy Baez was ranked fifth, Kris Bryant eighth and Addison Russell (with the Oakland A's at the time) 14th in baseball.

Butler has made 36 appearances and 28 starts for the Rockies over the last three seasons, sporting a 6.50 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in 159.1 innings. In the minors, he was 32-25 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.

The Cubs surrendered right-handed pitcher James Farris — the ninth-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft — to Colorado in the deal along with swapping international bonus slot money (the Rockies now get the No. 28 international bonus slot and an additional $255K while the Cubs acquired the No. 74 overall slot).

Farris, 24, spent 2016 splitting time as a reliever between Advanced Class-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Tennesee, posting a 2.59 ERA, 0.985 WHIP and 10.1 K/9.

The Cubs also designated right-handed pitcher Dylan Floro for assignment to make room for Butler on the 40-man roster. Floro was selected off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on Jan. 17.

WHITE SOX: Rick Hahn won't lower price on Jose Quintana.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Without question, the White Sox would like to trade Jose Quintana before the start of the 2017 regular season.

As much as it would pain them to trade away another outstanding player, completing a deal represents another major step in the direction of a rebuild. Not only would the move fall in line with the team's current plans, trading the All-Star pitcher before Opening Day also relieves the White Sox of any potential risk that could devalue their outstanding asset.

Even though the latest midweek rumor — the Texas Rangers have "increased their pursuit" of Quintana, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale — has already been downplayed, interest in the left-hander has remained strong throughout the offseason. However, so has the resolve of Rick Hahn, who refuses to budge on Quintana's value. As much as the White Sox general manager wants to strike again, he doesn't plan to budge on demands for Quintana.

"The price isn't going to be lowered unless it serves the greater good of advancing what we're trying to accomplish," Hahn said last Friday on SportsTalkLive. "The only way we're going to move what we feel is an appropriate value on any of our players, especially premium assets who have been the most rumored in recent weeks, is if there's some sort of injury or underperformance or the contractual control significantly changes, like a year from now for example, and therefore the value of what we're trading has changed.

"But based upon what we feel our current players are worth, based on their recent performance, health and control going forward, we're not going to compromise on this."

Hahn knows he still has the best hand and hasn't wavered.

He was in a similar spot two months ago with Chris Sale and Adam Eaton and leveraged them into seven prospects, including four elites in Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez. The belief is a trade for Quintana, a first-time All Star in 2016 who produced 18.2 f-WAR from 2013 to 2016, would net something between the two previous deals, which means the White Sox want two elite prospects and a very good third player.

While talks between the White Sox and Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and a variety of other teams have yielded a number of interesting ideas, the clubs haven't been able to put the finishing touches on any of them.

Going back to December, Hahn has publicly expressed desire to get as many deals done as possible. But if there's any frustration from a lack of trades since, Hahn has shown no indication he's ready to back down.

And he shouldn't, either.

With a combination of outstanding results on the field and an exceptional contract — the deal potentially has four years left for $36.85 million — Quintana is the best pitcher readily available now, and that should hold true again at the Aug. 1 nonwaiver trade deadline.

The White Sox certainly would take on more risk the longer they hang on to Quintana as an injury or poor performance could lurk right around the corner. But it's a risk they'll take for several reasons.

First, Quintana is the team's best remaining trade chip, a chance to further improve an already-strong farm system. The team has some nice assets behind Quintana, but he's easily a notch above the rest.

Quintana is also under contract long enough that he likely would have plenty of time to return from a lengthy injury to rebuild his value.

And, because he's under contract for so long, the White Sox hypothetically could also be ready to compete again before Quintana hits free agency. At SoxFest last weekend, Hahn discussed the possibility of spending on free agents in the next few seasons, an indication the White Sox might not think they need a lengthy rebuild. If they kept Quintana — who says he'd like to stay — there's hope within the organization he'd potentially stay with the club beyond 2020.

And even if all of it is posturing and they hold on to Quintana until next offseason, the White Sox could still receive considerable value for him, though Hahn indicated the price would likely change some.

Still, unless they get what they want, Hahn said the White Sox would hold steady.

"We're not going to force that process because of my impatience or because of (Jerry Reinsdorf) or (Kenny Williams') desire to move this along more quickly," Hahn said. "It's got to be about getting value. We held for the right price on Chris. We held for the right price on Adam. We're very pleased with how those deals went. And if there's other subsequent deals between now and the deadline or next offseason, it's going to be we feel we got value for similar type players."

Golf: I got a club for that..... Kuchar shoots 64 for early Phoenix lead.

By Will Gray

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Scoring conditions were ideal during the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and several big names were able to take advantage. Here's how things look after the first day at TPC Scottsdale, where Matt Kuchar holds a slim early advantage:

Leaderboard: Matt Kuchar (-7), Hideki Matsuyama (-6), Brendan Steele (-6), John Peterson (-5), Scott Brown (-5), Robert Garrigus (-5), Chris Kirk (-5), Byeong-Hun An (-5)

What it means: Matsuyama entered as the defending champ, and he set the pace before Kuchar slid past him late in the afternoon. Steele continued his long track record of success in this event, but the player everyone is chasing is the Olympic bronze medalist as he looks to snag his first PGA Tour win since the 2014 RBC Heritage.

Round of the day: Kuchar hasn't played since a T-3 finish at the Hero World Challenge in December, but he got out of the gates with a 64 that included five birdies to go along with an eagle on the par-5 13th. Kuchar birdied the first two holes, then turned in a back-nine 31 that included birdies on Nos. 15 and 17.

Best of the rest: Matsuyama continues to feast on this desert layout, where he finished T-4 in 2014 and was a runner-up two years ago. Starting on the back nine, Matsuyama birdied four of his first nine holes and carded the lowest opening-round score by a defending champ since Tom Lehman's 64 in 2001.

Biggest disappointment: Pat Perez is a Scottsdale resident and former Arizona State Sun Devil, but his time in front of partisan crowds was short-lived. Perez finished T-4 last week in San Diego but withdrew after just seven holes, later citing a flare-up to the shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2015-16 season.

Main storyline heading into Friday: With more than a dozen players within three shots of the lead - and names like Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas only a little further adrift - the leaders still have plenty of work to do. But the spotlight remains on last year's winner, as Matsuyama appears ready to continue his recent run of dominance at TPC Scottsdale.

Shot of the day: Jim Knous didn't expect to play this week, but the Web.com player advanced through a Monday qualifier and then made noise by holing his approach to No. 18, a 160-yard shot from the right rough. The eagle helped Knous shoot a 1-under 70.

Quote of the day: "In my opinion, I have severely underachieved." - Peterson, a former NCAA individual champ who remains in search of his first PGA Tour win at age 27.

While some panic, Tiger patient amid early struggles.

By Rex Hoggard

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

When it comes to Tiger Woods, patience is in short supply.

Fans want to see the guy who won 14 majors in 11 seasons and reigned as the world No. 1 for a staggering 683 weeks over the course of his career. The media pines for the once-in-a-generation player who transcends sport. And certainly those who pay his appearance fees, which according to various sources easily exceeded seven figures for this week’s stop in Dubai, anxiously await the man who made red and black on Sundays a staple.

The collective wants it all, be it the 2000 or ’05 versions of TW, and they want it now.

It speaks volumes that it sometimes seems the only person with any patience when it comes to Woods’ current comeback is Tiger himself.

Woods has admitted in the past to being antsy, particularly off the course, and he has a history of ignoring doctor’s orders when it comes to his competitive fortunes. But this time has been different.

Following multiple back procedures after the 2015 season, Woods watched all of the official ’16 season from his couch. Even when it appeared he was poised for a comeback he slow played his return, withdrawing from the Safeway Open last fall.

And on Thursday at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, when everything that could go wrong did go wrong, Woods remained a singular voice of reason – patience, even.
“I'm fighting my ass off to try and shoot a score,” he said after an opening 5-over 77 left him a dozen strokes off the lead. “I'm trying to get back to even par, and once I get back to even par, try and get 1 or 2 under. Just try and creep my way back.”

After two early bogeys at Nos. 10 and 12 – he started his day on the outward loop – Woods remained upbeat, telling caddie Joe LaCava that even par at the turn was the goal. He figured he could make up ground on his second nine and close the gap on the leaders.

“It just never materialized. I never did it,” he shrugged.

Woods turned in 40 strokes after finding a water hazard, which is easier than you'd think to do in this desert, short of the 18^th green. Of the 66 players in the early wave, Woods was beating just two of them, and things didn’t get any better after that.

He failed to birdie the par-5 third after a poor chip shot. In fact, he played Emirates Golf Club’s four par 5s in 2 over par. Woods missed one of his best birdie chances of the day when his 20-footer at the fourth slipped by on the high side, and three-putted the fifth hole for bogey.

There was some solace for Woods in that he hit 10 of 14 fairways on an increasingly windy day, which was a vast improvement over his 4-of-14 performance on Day 1 last week at Torrey Pines. But he struggled with the pace of the greens on his way to 33 putts.

“I just could not hit the putts hard enough. I left every putt short,” Woods said. “What I thought was down grain, downwind, would be quick, downhill, and I still came up short. Into the wind, uphill putts into the grain, I put a little more hinge on it going back to try to get a little more hit to it and it still didn't work.”

It’s not as though Woods was thrilled with his worst round in eight starts in Dubai, as evidenced by his body language on the 18^th hole – his ninth – after hitting a 100-yard wedge shot 98 yards and into a water hazard, or when officials told Woods’ group to pick up the pace on the sixth hole.

But all things considered, Woods remained focused on the bigger picture – which includes refining his game in time for the Masters and staying clear of the disabled list if not the trainer’s table.

“I wasn't in pain at all. I was just trying to hit shots and I wasn't doing a very good job,” Woods said. “At the end I finally hit some good ones but the damage had already been done.”

The only damage on Day 1 seemed to be to his confidence following another over-par round to begin a tournament – he opened with a 76 at the Farmers Insurance Open. That he’s scheduled to tee off Friday afternoon with a shamal forecast to bring winds of 30 mph likely won’t help that outlook.

But of all the things that are in short supply for Woods these days, a reliable driver and consistent touch on the greens topping the list, it’s an abundance of patience that might be his greatest asset.

Instagram nation understandably wants the guy who for so long was virtually unbeatable, but on this the only real authority is Woods, who seems content with the notion that this come back will likely take some time.

NASCAR: Can We Really Call Motorsport a Sport?

By Joshua David Stein

(Photo/Jamey Price/Lamborghini)

After watching the Rolex 24, um, race at Daytona International Speedway, it’s hard not to think that motorsport is less about racing and more about big egos, vanity, and loud, loud marketing.

The pits stink of gasoline, burnt rubber, and anxiety. Racing men—that is to say dangerous speed-addicted men—stand in tight huddles in brightly colored, logo-laden driving onesies. Some stare at banks of computer screens, headsets on. Others sit exhausted in folding chairs or on top of crates, eating Doritos and drinking Gatorade from paper cups. Every few seconds, the air screams as a peloton of cars blurs past. To those whose ears are attuned to the song of the track, each roar is unique. The DPi-V.R, a prototype from Cadillac, for instance, lets out a furious high-pitched Doppler mewl. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3, of which there are eight competing, has a more hacking baritone thunder.

As night falls in late January, it is cold and dark in Daytona. Raindrops pass through the klieg lights to fall onto the track and the empty stands. At first glance, the brightly colored seats set in random order in the grandstands of the Daytona International Speedway appear full. But we are deep into the Rolex 24 at Daytona, a 24-hour endurance race, and the crowd that was sparse to start with has all but disappeared.

I am here with a cohort of automotive journalists, many of whom enjoy a nomadic existence by stringing together press junkets in exotic locales. They live from their carry-ons and love carrying on about press trips gone sideways. The steaks are always too thin. The villas are a bit stuffy. OMG, the first-class flight from Valencia was delayed. There are some good ones, of course, but when you see the world through the windshield of a luxury car, you become terrible. Ferried from our hotel in Daytona Beach, I listened with disgust as one woman mocked the check cashing services and cheap Chinese food restaurants that lined the road in a faux-redneck caricature. “Just look at this place,” she said. Meanwhile, our PR minder forced a smile and the bad behavior continued unchecked.

Perhaps my opinions would change. A lot can happen in 24 hours. But, by the law of entropy, mostly things just break down. As the 64 cars tear around the speedway’s notoriously steep banks and navigate the infield curves, which pit the ambition for speed against the caution of tricky chicanes, the anxious teams monitor their vehicles for signs of failure. Unlike shorter NASCAR races, an endurance race pushes not just the driver but the car to its limit: Over the course of a full grueling day, engines fail, electronics malfunction, transmissions cannot hold.

As in many GT motorsports races, the teams are some combination of professionals and wealthy customers called “gentleman racers” and their hired help. Some companies staff their racing team with professionals, counting on laurels to generate a halo effect among consumers. In this case, the company itself assumes the cost—anywhere from $2-10 million per team. Most of the teams, though, are sponsored by wealthy owners, not the car makers themselves. This is called “customer racing,” and it shifts events like these into the domain of marketing.

Lamborghini, for instance, has sold over 200 racing cars at about $427,328 per car in the past 24 months alone. And with each purchase, the owner both gets to indulge in his fantasy (except for a lady from Dallas, it is always a he) of being the next Senna. He also gains access to the upper echelon management, the heads of R&D, the guy who runs the racing team, and the COO. Meanwhile, the company offers things like hospitality suites with lobster mac ‘n’ cheese and sauvignon blanc to the owners, one-on-one coaching at their various driving schools, and sometimes even engineers to help during the race.

In this race, there are four drivers per team, each of a varied level of experience. It is easy to tell who’s who in the pit. The drivers are usually the skinniest, youngest, and most handsome. Many race car drivers are the children of oligarchs, modern-day Veruca Salts who grew up in towns like Coral Gables, Florida, and preferred going karting to reading Kafka as lads. Some are nice; others aren’t. The drivers who swagger like silverbacks and struggle to fit into the cockpit are often the owners themselves.

As for the professionals, many are what are called factory drivers, who are attached to the manufacturer of the car. Lamborghini, for instance, furnishes its teams with drivers from its Squadra Corse Juniors squad. Among the other teams are professional drivers as well—some, like Filipe Albuquerque, are veteran endurance racers; others, like Jeff Gordon, are borrowed from NASCAR.

In the pits, which are not pits at all but tents, the most important figure besides the crew chief is often the engineer, usually a scrawny guy examining the telemetry with professional dispassion. Also important are the brutes who flip heavy tires like flapjacks but who in the frenzied seconds of a pit stop suddenly become as graceful as danseurs. Other ancillary helpers who attach themselves to the teams provide sundry minor but necessary tasks like rolling used tires out of the tent and drying the drivers’ helmets. There are many mustaches.

There is something disquieting and malevolent about the ceaseless speed and rhythmic deafening noise. For even though these men are makers of the machines, these machines would seem to be the masters of the men. If this is a sport, who are the athletes? Is it those dancing bears, bearers of tires? Is it the drivers, with their helmets, neck braces, sense of daring do, and assumptions of bodily risk? Is the lollypop man, whose task it is to flag the cars into the pit with what looks like an oversized lolly?

Perhaps the real athletic feat isn’t at the race track at all but is, rather, in the sterile and analytic engineering laboratories in Bologna, Modena, Stuttgart, and Detroit? Instead of bodies breathing, motorsports are about engines aspirating. Muscles are carefully angled cylinders and fuel comes in gallons not carbohydrates.

What, one wonders, separates impressive acts of engineering from impressive feats of the human body? Perhaps the sport isn’t on the track or in the laboratory at all. Maybe this is all for show and the real battle is waged in boardrooms where lap times translate into P&L and the finish line is replaced by the bottom line.

As the sun rises in Daytona, many of the tents are empty. More than a dozen of the teams retired early. Many have already packed up their computers and craft services tables and compressed gas tanks and headed to wherever race car drivers go when they’ve lost. (Central Florida is the land of the titty bar.) The rest follow the perambulations with ever more bloodshot eyes and—except for the few leaders—increasingly wilted spirits. What could be a better echo of the human condition than watching a car without a chance of winning complete endless laps?

Round and round the cars go, tempting death for a taste of glory and a Rolex watch. In the final minutes, two Cadillacs touch, sending one of them in a smoky circle. Though it isn’t a sport, sportsmanship does exist and dictates that when there is a collision like this, the hitter waits while the hittee rights himself before speeding away. But with so much on the line, after the collision, Rick Taylor, of the Wayne Taylor Racing team, speeds off to victory as the number two car, from Action Express Mustang Sampling, loses precious seconds.

When at last the 24 hours lapse and the winner is announced, everyone except the four drivers, their pit, and the assembled pooh-bahs at Cadillac seem too tired to celebrate much. Filipe Albuquerque of Action Express, when pointedly asked why he lost by the somewhat abrasive English announcer, was rather sore at the whole thing and inched toward not conceding defeat at all. The rest of us hop into our modest sedans and drive home, past strip malls and Krispy Kremes, smelling of gas and speeding toward sleep.

Danica Patrick’s goal for 2017 is simple: ‘Be my best’.

By Dustin Long

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The question was posed to several drivers who walked into the room.

In 2017, I want to …

They said “win another championship” or “win more races” or some variation of those.

One response, though, was different. It was more open-ended.

“In 2017 I want to … be my best.’’

The speaker was Danica Patrick.

“I just want to be my best,’’ she told NBC Sports in a recent interview. “I want to know that I’ve left no stone unturned, know that I have made minimal mistakes in the races, that I dug deep and stepped outside my comfort zone to go faster and do better.

“Do my best. That’s all that I can do.’’

She enters her fifth full-time season of Cup after a frustrating campaign. She finished no better than 11th in any of the 36 points races last season. She has gone 64 Cup races since her last top-10 finish, a ninth-place result at Bristol in April 2015.

Patrick struggled as all three of her teammates each won at least a race last year. Kevin Harvick won four races, Kurt Busch one and Tony Stewart one.

She conceded during the NASCAR on NBC Podcast with Nate Ryan in November her frustrations.

“It’s just not much fun,’’ Patrick said on the podcast. “Running in the top 15 every weekend would be so much more fun.

“It breaks my heart every Sunday when it doesn’t go well.’’

The offseason also has had its ups and downs. She appeared at last week’s NASCAR Media Tour in her TaxAct uniform instead of a Nature’s Bakery uniform, raising questions about the company’s primary sponsorship. The company was slated to be the primary sponsor for more than 20 races this year.

Stewart-Haas Racing stated that it and Nature’s Bakery were in “discussions about how the sponsorship might look in 2017. Both sides have options, and it’s a matter of determining what is best for both parties.’’

Nature’s Bakery website, though, does not feature Patrick, and a press release on the company’s sponsorship of Patrick’s team from Aug. 2015 no longer is on the site. The TaxAct uniform Patrick wore on the NASCAR Media Tour did not include a Nature’s Bakery patch.

Patrick can’t control that situation. Her focus is on the track.

Patrick said she’s spent additional time with crew chief Billy Scott to discuss how they can improve her performance.

“What are we going to do to get the result that we want because if you want the same thing that you’ve had, then just go on and keep doing the same thing, but I want something different,’’ Patrick said. “I want more. I want to do better. I want to have fun. Running 20th or 24th is not fun and I don’t come to add a car to the field and just be out there.

“If I’m not having fun for a long enough time, then there’s so much more to life. This is a year to really see what we can do to have some fun out there and perform. I think they go hand in hand. When you’re having fun, you perform. When you perform, you have fun.’’

Patrick notes that Stewart-Haas Racing’s move from Chevrolet to Ford could lead to greater results. Previously, the organization received engines, chassis and technical support from Hendrick Motorsports. Now, Stewart-Haas Racing will use its own chassis and receive engines from Roush Yates Engines.

“For me, as a racer, I feel like the best results are going to come from you being able to create your own destiny, your own future by working really hard and having something that somebody else doesn’t,’’ Patrick said. “It’s pretty tough to beat people when you’re getting equipment from them. The best you can expect is the same.’’

Patrick is looking for anything but the same this year.

Former NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson to be Daytona 500 honorary starter.

By NBCSports.com

(Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

NFL great LaDainian Tomlinson will be the honorary starter for the Feb. 26 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Tomlinson, a running back for the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets, retired in 2012. He’s an analyst for the NFL Network and an Ambassador for Disabled American Veterans. Tomlinson also is among the 18 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 2017 class will be announced Feb. 4.

He appeared at the Sprint Cup Awards in December in Las Vegas.

“LaDainian Tomlinson will continue our tradition of popular, high-profile celebrities serving as our Daytona 500 Honorary Starter,” said Speedway President Chip Wile in a statement. “His NFL career is legendary and he has always been the consummate professional, on and off the field. We are proud to add him to our illustrious list of Honorary Starters.”

SOCCER: Five things to watch during the Fire's preseason

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

 

The Chicago Fire's first preseason game is Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast and while the result won't have any bearing on the 2017 season, things can be learned about what is to come in the year ahead.

The Fire have five more preseason matches scheduled after opening against FGCU, which is currently hosting the Fire in Fort Myers, Fla.

Last year's preseason was a solid indication that results in the preseason don't mean much of anything. The Fire won all five matches that were streamed online for fan consumption and then finished last in Major League Soccer for the second straight year.

However, beyond the result, there can be clues about how the team will line up and who will be on the field. With that in mind here are five things to watch during the Fire's preseason:

How does the midfield fit together?

This offseason the Fire acquired two accomplished MLS-experienced central midfielders in their 20s in Juninho and Dax McCarty. McCarty isn't yet in camp and won't be expected to join until sometime after the U.S. national team takes on Jamaica on Friday in the second of two friendlies scheduled during the team's current camp.

Until McCarty joins up with the Fire this question can't be fully answered. However, once he arrives seeing how coach Veljko Paunovic plays him, Juninho and Matt Polster could be an indication of what Paunovic has in mind regarding the midfield. Can Polster remain a regular on the field or is he going to be second choice this year?

How do Nemanja Nikolic and Michael de Leeuw pair up?

De Leeuw emerged as an effective poacher for the Fire after joining midway through last season. Nikolic is the Fire’s newest designated player. This could be related to the midfield question, but how the two forwards play off each other, either as two outright strikers or with de Leeuw dropping a bit deeper, will be something worth following during the preseason matches.

Who plays right back?

The Fire went through a few different right backs last season and none particularly stood out. Rodrigo Ramos showed flashes in the attack, but the young Brazilian struggled defensively and is no longer with the team. Johan Kappelhof played that spot in the final stretch of last season, but the Dutch defender is probably more valuable at center back.

A pair of trialists at right back, Drew Beckie and Boyd Okwuonu, are in camp. Whether either one actually has a chance to start or if they are merely fighting to show if they can provide depth is unclear. Okwuonu was a second round pick of Real Salt Lake last year and didn’t have his option picked up. Beckie is a 26-year-old who was drafted by the Columbus Crew in 2013, but didn’t play a match and has been in the North American Soccer League since.

Is there a goalkeeper battle?

Last season a surprise goalkeeper battle developed that no one outside the Fire expected entering the preseason. Sean Johnson, who returned from national team camp like McCarty will in a week, was displaced by Matt Lampson, who was a trialist at the time, to start the season. Johnson did regain his starting spot midway through the season.

This year another fight for the No. 1 spot is on. Lampson is back and Jorge Bava was signed after the Fire traded Johnson. The preseason may not give a clear answer to this, but how the two fare in the preseason could be a sign of which player has a head start to win the starting position.

Is this the final roster or is there more to come?

In addition to Lampson, John Goossens and Arturo Alvarez were trialists who earned contracts last preseason. Goossens and Alvarez combined for 39 starts last season. Will more players show up this February who will have an impact on the 2017 season or is the roster more or less finished? Don’t forget the Fire traded Harry Shipp after he took the field for the Fire in the first two preseason games.

MLS Expansion: Twelve enter race for 28.

By Paul Kennedy

Major League Soccer received applications from ownership groups in 12 markets for the four spots in the league that will grow it to 28 teams. The deadline was Tuesday.

The ownership groups include owners with interests in the NFL, NBA and MLB. Eight have had interests in teams in the NASL and USL.

Among the owners announced for Sacramento was former California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, the CEO of Hewlett Packard. Curiously, the MLS release doesn't not refer to Sacramento Republic FC, which did not mention the city's bid on its Web site or in social media.

MLS previously announced a timeline for expanding from 24 to 28 teams. Meetings and evaluations will take place during the first and second quarters of 2017 and two expansion teams will be announced before the end of 2017 and begin play in 2020.

The other two expansion teams will be announced at a later date.

Charlotte:

Marcus Smith, President and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc.

Cincinnati:

Carl H. Lindner III, Co-CEO of American Financial Group, Owner, Chairman & CEO of FC Cincinnati 

Detroit:

Dan Gilbert, Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Founder and Chairman of Quicken Loans, Inc.

Tom Gores, Owner of the Detroit Pistons, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Platinum Equity

Indianapolis:

Ersal Ozdemir, Founder & CEO, Keystone Realty Group

Mickey Maurer, Chairman of the Board, National Bank of Indianapolis and IBJ Corp

Jeff Laborsky, President & CEO of Heritage

Mark Elwood, CEO of Elwood Staffing

Andy Mohr, Founder & Owner of Mohr Auto Group

Nashville:

John Ingram, Chairman of Ingram Industries, Inc. Board of Directors

Bill Hagerty, Former Commissioner of Economic Development for Tennessee 

Phoenix:

Berke Bakay, Governor, Phoenix Rising FC, CEO, Kona Grill

Brett Johnson, Co-Chairman Phoenix Rising FC, CEO, Benevolent Capital

Mark Detmer, Board Member, Phoenix Rising FC, Managing Director, JLL

Tim Riester, Board Member, Phoenix Rising FC, CEO, RIESTER

David Rappaport, Board Member, Phoenix Rising FC, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Raleigh/Durham:

Steve Malik, Chairman and Owner of North Carolina FC

Sacramento:

Kevin Nagle, Chairman and CEO, Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings, and Minority Owner of Sacramento Kings

Meg Whitman, Investor, Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings, and CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Jed York, Owner and CEO of San Francisco 49ers

St. Louis:

Paul Edgerley, Senior Advisor at Bain Capital, Managing Director at VantEdge Partners, part owner of Boston Celtics

Terry Matlack, Managing Director of Tortoise Capital, Partner at VantEdge Partners

Jim Kavanaugh, CEO of World Wide Technology, Founder of Saint Louis FC

Dave Peacock, Former President of Anheuser-Busch Inc., Chairman of St. Louis Sports Commission

San Antonio:

Spurs Sports & Entertainment

San Diego:

Mike Stone, Founder and Managing Partner of FS Investors

Peter Seidler, Managing Partner of the San Diego Padres

Massih and Masood Tayebi, Co-Founders of the Bridgewest Group

Steve Altman, Former Vice Chairman and President of Qualcomm

Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Media executive and entrepreneur

Tampa/St. Petersburg:

Bill Edwards, Owner of Tampa Bay Rowdies

Premier League Power Rankings: It’s all happening below Chelsea.

By Andy Edwards

With Chelsea running away at the top of the table, attention begins to shift toward the race for the top-four.

A little further down the table, just eight points separate nine sides from 17th to ninth, where the form of said sides varies wildly.

Here is the latest batch of Premier League power rankings…

TEAM	RANKING
	20 (20)		Sunderland: Going six league games without a win — four of which were losses — during the second half of the season, as the 20th-place team in the league already: a solid plan for getting relegated.
	19 (18)		Hull City: Also a great plan for getting relegated: one win in 12, including seven losses, since the start of November. Miraculously, the Tigers are only four points from safety.
	18 (19)		Crystal Palace: Stop me if you’re beginning to notice a theme here: two wins in 17, including 12 losses, 10 of which came during six- and four-game losing streaks, respectively. Again, somehow just two points from safety.
	17 (14)		Leicester City: 430 — the number of minutes played since Leicester last scored a goal in the PL, a run which includes three straight losses (combined score of 7-0) and a 0-0 draw. The defending champions are one of the sides being chased by Hull and Palace.
	16 (15)		Middlesbrough: The last time Boro won a PL game, there were still eight more days to go before Christmas. That’s six league games without a win, and they suddenly join Leicester and Swansea on 21 points, as the first sides outside the relegation zone.
	15 (13)		Bournemouth: With a seven-point gap separating the Cherries from 18th place, only a catastrophic collapse could undo a strong start to the season. Now, though, Callum Wilson (knee) is out for the rest of the season (again).
	14 (17)		Swansea City: Back-to-back wins, and victories in three of their last four league games. Paul Clement might just be the hero Swansea needed.
	13 (12)		Southampton: LLLLWL — a ghastly run of form for a side that so nearly finished fourth last season, and now finds itself 12th, 16 points back of sixth place, which is where they finished last season. Europa League and EFL Cup runs taking their toll.
	12 (16)		Watford: The Hornets’ shocking upset of Arsenal on Tuesday snapped a seven-game winless skid in the PL, and was just enough to Walter Mazzarri‘s side right in the race for places 9-14 (currently 13th, but just three points back of ninth-place Stoke).
	11 (10)		West Ham: The roller-coaster season continues: WWWLLWWL. Now, with Dimitri Payet gone, it could be a rough ride down the stretch. Taking a 4-0 courtesy of Man City isn’t the end of the world, but the way they simply rolled was quite concerning.
	10 (9)		Burnley: Last six PL games; wins over Boro, Sunderland, Southampton and Leicester; losses to Man City and Arsenal — that’s exactly how you avoid relegation, and find yourself in the top half of the league with 15 games to go.
	9 (11)		Stoke City: Perennially a mid-table side under Mark Hughes, the Potters are still a heck of a lot closer to 17th (eight points) than they are to sixth (13 points).
	8 (8)		West Brom: The last of eight sides with a positive goal differential (+2) this late in the season; 14 points clear of the relegation zone. The run-in is going to be a lot less exciting (and stressful) this time around.
	7 (4)		Manchester United: 14 games unbeaten in PL action, but have just three points to show for their last three games, a period in which the Red Devils have scored all of two goals. The results are mostly there, but the aesthetics are still missing.
	6 (5)		Liverpool: Whether the physical demands of Jurgen Klopp‘s style of play are already breaking them down, or they simply missed Sadio Mane for a few weeks, the Reds are without a win in four PL games, out of the EFL Cup, and now 10 points back in the title race.
	5 (6)		Everton: Six games without a loss in PL play, including four wins, and Ronald Koeman‘s side is back on track. No other top-six challenger should emerge from the trailing pack, and a favorable upcoming schedule should see the Toffees continue to climb.
	4 (3)		Arsenal: On Tuesday, the same day Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool all dropped points, opening the door for Arsenal to go second and shrink the Blues’ lead to six points, Watford went 2-0 up, at the Emirates Stadium, after 13 minutes.
	3 (2)		Tottenham Hotspur: Back-to-back draws, against Man City and Sunderland, were disappointing enough. Then, you take into account the fact that Chelsea dropped their first four points since October, and you realize the magnitude of the opportunity missed.
	2 (7)		Manchester City: In truth, Arsenal, Spurs and Man City could have been rearranged in just about any order. Today, City grab the second spot based on the strength of that win over West Ham, and the impact Gabriel Jesus has already made.
	1 (1)		Chelsea: Simply, the leaders, the champions-elect.

Premier League player Power Rankings – Week 23.

By Joe Prince-Wright

(Photo/Getty Images)

The Premier League player Power Rankings for Week 23 have landed.

We have a new man atop our Power Rankings and plenty of Chelsea players in the upper echelons as their magnificent form continues. Plus, look out for Manchester City’s youngsters surging into the top 20.

Remember: this is a list of the top 20 performing players right now in the Premier League.

Let us know in the comments section below if you agree with the selections of the top 20 players in the PL right  now.

1. N'Golo Kante (Chelsea) – New entry
2. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) – Down 1
3. Gabriel Jesus (Man City) – New entry
4. Diego Costa (Chelsea) – Down 1
5. David Luiz (Chelsea) – New entry
6. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – Up 6
7. Dele Alli (Tottenham) – Down 5
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man United) – Down 4
9. Harry Kane (Tottenham) – Down 4
10. Raheem Sterling (Man City) – Up 4
11. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea) – Even
12. Leroy Sane (Man City) – New entry
13. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea) – New entry
14. Michail Antonio (West Ham) – Down 6
15. Seamus Coleman (Everton) – Up 2
16. Gary Cahill (Chelsea) – Up 3
17. Marko Arnautovic (Stoke City) – Up 3
18. Adam Lallana (Liverpool) – Down 3
19. Yaya Toure (Man City) – New entry
20. Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal) – Down 7

USA vs. Jamaica preview: Finding the right midfield formula.

By Andy Edwards

(Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)

Qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia resumes in March, which means Friday’s friendly against Jamaica (7 p.m. ET, in Chattanooga, Tenn.) will serve as the U.S. national team’s final tune-up — and re-introduction period for Bruce Arena — ahead a monumental pair of games, from which the Yanks almost certainly need a minimum of four points.

To say the next 60 days are important for the USMNT program, would be a massive understatement.

Most important of all: Mixing up the midfield

In Sunday’s draw with Serbia, one thing became alarmingly clear very early on: despite all the new faces in camp and the starting lineup, the USMNT player pool is still full of too-similar central midfielders, all of whom lack the vision and touch to pick out and play the final pass leading to a clear-cut scoring chance. It wasn’t until Sebastia Lletget (halftime, for Jermaine Jones) and Benny Feilhaber (77th minute, for Sacha Kljestan) entered the game that the ball began to move forward, with purpose, rather than side to side and backward.

Darlington Nagbe received most of the plaudits as the USMNT’s only consistently dangerous attacker on the day, though his only two “chances” of the game ended up nothing more than speculative efforts from distance. It was a predictable outcome, though, given the number of times we’ve seen the Michael Bradley-Jermaine Jones experiment play out over the last five years, and while Kljestan has been an goal-creating machine for the New York Red Bulls the last two seasons, he doesn’t attack opposing defenses with the pressure-creating, straight-ahead approach of Feilhaber. When the European-based players join up for World Cup qualifying next month, the midfield options aren’t suddenly plentiful; this is, for all intents and purposes, the group from which to choose.

Note: Kljestan (family reasons) and Jones (WCQ suspension) each departed camp following the draw with Serbia.

FULL 21-MAN ROSTER

Goalkeepers: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls)

Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Unattached), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Greg Garza (Atlanta United), Chad Marshall (Seattle Sounders), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna), Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Chris Pontius (Philadelphia Union)

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)

AFCON: Cameroon bounce Ghana late, advance to 2017 final.

Associated Press

(AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Cameroon set up an African Cup of Nations final against Egypt and inflicted another painful experience on Ghana with a 2-0 win in the second semifinal on Thursday.

Defender Michael Ngadeu scored the first in the 72nd minute, pouncing on poor Ghana defending when the Ghanaians looked more likely to score.

Christian Bassogog rounded off a counterattack in injury time, running through on Ghana’s goal unchallenged to seal Cameroon’s place in the final as a desperate Ghana threw everyone forward in search of an equalizer.

It sent Cameroon through to its sixth African Cup final but first since 2008, and Bassogog’s goal prompted every member of Cameroon’s squad to race off the bench and celebrate on the field at Stade de Franceville. One of them booted the ball high into the stands in delight.

“It is a dream. We are going to the final now,” Cameroon coach Hugo Broos said. “At some times we did suffer, but it is a team that doesn’t stop. It goes until the final minute.”

Cameroon, which has won the African Cup four times but not since 2002, will play record seven-time champion Egypt in the title decider on Sunday in the Gabonese capital of Libreville.

For Ghana, often tipped for the title or among the top contenders, it was another miserable experience at the African championship.

Avram Grant’s team threw everything at Cameroon in the last 20 minutes after Ngadeu’s goal but just couldn’t break through. Even the introduction from the bench of captain Asamoah Gyan, who wasn’t fully recovered from injury to start, didn’t work.

Ghana hasn’t won the African championship for 35 years and has now lost two finals and four semifinals in the last six tournaments.

“We wanted so much to be in the final,” Grant said. “We did everything to be in the final. We dominated the game, especially the second half … The first attack, they scored. It is very annoying.

“I am not happy, because we were the better side.”

NCAABKB: Coach K to return to bench Saturday vs. Pitt.

By Terrence Payne

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will return to the sidelines on Saturday against Pittsburgh, the school announced on Thursday.

Coach K has missed a month of action after undergoing a successful back surgery, which removed a fragment of a herniated disk. Associate head coach Jeff Capel replaced him during his absence. The Blue Devils were 4-3 without the Hall of Fame coach.

Despite not being on the bench, Krzyzewski still controlled the program. He recently made headlines when word got out that he called for a team meeting in which he banned the team from the locker room and barred them from wearing any Duke apparel, “until they start living up to the standards of the Duke program.”

Duke entered the season as the overwhelming favorite to win the national championship. However, the Blue Devils’ season has been plagued by a host of reasons: injuries, suspensions and trouble establishing roles. With Coach K back on the sidelines, one of the most intriguing storylines for the remainder of the season will be if Duke can turn into the contender it looked like on paper back in November.

No. 3 Kansas asserts Big 12 dominance by besting No. 2 Baylor.

By Travis Hines

(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Here we are again.

Kansas is atop the Big 12 standings after turning away one of its chief Big 12 rivals at Allen Fieldhouse.

The third-ranked Jayhawks dispatched No. 2 Baylor, 73-68, on Wednesday night in the surest evidence there is yet that this season will likely end like the 12 that came before it: With the Jayhawks as conference champions.

Of course, there’s still a lot of season to play. Yes, the Jayhawks still have rematches with contenders Baylor and West Virginia on the schedule.

But having vanquished Baylor, who, coming into the night, was tied with Kansas for the Big 12 lead, makes what has seemingly always been feel destined once more.

Beyond defending homecourt Wednesday and taking sole position of first, the Jayhawks are so fantastically positioned because they look as though they’re just now hitting their stride. That’s a significant thing for a team that’s always been viewed as a national championship contender.

Kansas won at Rupp Arena last week despite shooting 26.3 percent from 3-point range by converting at a 60-percent clip from inside the arc and consistently turning Kentucky over. Four days after seeing their 18-game winning streak snapped, the Jayhawks left Lexington with a W and the country’s second-ranked team waiting for them.

It doesn’t get much more grueling than that.

Against the Bears, whose lone loss on the season came to West Virginia, Kansas’ defense put the clamps down. Baylor scored less than 1.00 point per possession, shooting 41.8 percent from the floor. After big man Johnathan Motley throttled Kansas for 14 points in the first half, the Jayhawks held him to a single field goal attempt and two points after halftime.

Baylor led with less than seven minutes to play, but in Allen Fieldhouse, one of the sport’s fiercest venues, time elapses with a slow march toward defeat.

As seconds tick away, the pressure, stakes and pitfalls all become harder to avoid. It’s like in The Temple of Doom, when Indiana Jones finds himself trapped in a room in which the ceiling lowers and spikes rise from the floor and descend from the roof. It all bears down, methodically, lethally and inevitably, crushing all who enter.

Unlike Indy in that cave, few find the release lever in Allen Fieldhouse. Death comes for nearly all there.

The last time Kansas lost at home was Jan. 5, 2014, to San Diego State. Its last Big 12 home last came almost exactly four years ago today, Feb. 2, 2013, to Oklahoma. That year also happened to be the last time Kansas had to share its Big 12 title. The Jayhawks have won 50-straight there. Bill Self, in his 14th season, has lost nine games in the building. Scott Drew, who if you weren’t paying attention coaches for Baylor, has lost there 10 times.

While Allen Fieldhouse is the weapon that will help ensure a 13th-straight Big 12 title, Josh Jackson is the piece of the arsenal that will help the Jayhawks achieve much more.

The freshman phenom has been superb in recent weeks. Since a six-point outing at Iowa State, the potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick has averaged 20 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 53.6 percent overall and 55.6 percent from 3-point range.

Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham are the foundation on which this Kansas squad is built. They’re tough and fearless. Productive and possessing guile in reserve.

Jackson, though, as he takes his game to another level, elevates Kansas.

With all those things coming together, it almost feels trite to discuss the Jayhawks’ Big 12 prospects. Of course they’re going to win the conference. How could they not? What more can they achieve becomes the intriguing question.

A whole hell of a lot looks to be the answer right now.

No. 23 Purdue uses 3-pointers to rout No. 25 Northwestern.

Associated Press

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

When junior forward Vince Edwards rediscovered his shooting touch Wednesday night, it gave No. 23 Purdue a whole new look.

Perhaps the transformation will come in time to make a Big Ten title push.

Edwards scored 17 points and knocked down a season-high five 3-pointers, leading the Boilermakers to an 80-59 rout over No. 25 Northwestern.

“I was just being confident and having fun,” Edwards said after his best game since mid-December. “I just played hard and didn’t even think about it, just playing the way I know how to play.”

If Edwards keeps having this much fun, opponents certainly won’t because of Purdue’s one-two punch.

Of course, Caleb Swanigan did his customary inside work — 24 points and 16 rebounds for his 19th double-double of the season. But with Edwards & Co. shooting so well, the Wildcats never had a chance.

Purdue diced up the conference’s best 3-point defense by going 9 of 14 in the first half and finishing 12 of 23. Over the last three games, the Boilermakers (18-5, 7-3) are 37 of 69 from beyond the arc (53.6 percent).

If they can keep it up, they will be tough to beat — as Northwestern (18-5, 7-3) found out.

“The 3-point shooting was certainly the story of the game in the first half,” Wildcats coach Chris Collins said. “They’re a very good team and they got us tonight.”

The Wildcats’ six-game winning streak in conference play ended on a night when they were without Scottie Lindsey, their leading scorer. He stayed home because of the flu and will have some extra time to recuperate while Northwestern has an open weekend.

Without Lindsey, Northwestern wasn’t the same.

Bryant McIntosh returned to his home state and finished with 22 points but was the only Wildcats player to reach double figures. Northwestern finished with its second-lowest scoring total of the season.

Purdue took control with a 12-0 run midway through the first half, extended the lead to 45-23 at halftime and pushed the margin to 26 early in the second half.

The Wildcats couldn’t get closer than 14 after that.

“When Vince Edwards made the shots, that opened things up,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “And we needed Vince to have some positive reinforcement.”

BIG PICTURE

Northwestern: The Wildcats came up one win short of matching the longest Big Ten winning streak in school history. But without Lindsey, perhaps that should have been expected. While a road loss to a ranked team without their best player shouldn’t hurt their NCAA Tournament cause, it could knock the Wildcats out of next week’s AP Top 25 poll .

Purdue: The Boilermakers rebounded from a loss at Nebraska with an impressive home victory. Purdue has now won at least 12 home games in each of the last 12 seasons. If they maintain the balance they had Wednesday, the Boilermakers could rise again in the Top 25 — and the conference standings.

BOUNCE-BACK KIDS

The Boilermakers have not lost consecutive games this season. In fact, they didn’t lose two in a row during the 2015-16 regular season, either. The last time Purdue dropped two straight regular-season games was March 2015, at Ohio State and Michigan State.

NO PANIC

Collins didn’t sound too worried about the loss.

“This is just a hard building and a great place to play,” he said, reminding people not to overreact about a team that is 4-2 in conference road games. “If you get a deficit, it’s hard to climb out of it.”

UP NEXT

Northwestern: Returns home to host in-state rival Illinois next Tuesday.

Purdue: Visits No. 17 Maryland on Saturday for its second straight game against a ranked foe.

NCAAFB: NLRB general counsel says private college football players are employees.

By Zach Barnett

(Photo/Getty Images)

The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board released a memo Tuesday stating he believed football players at private colleges qualify as employees.

Published Wednesday by Inside Higher Education, NLRB general counsel Richard Griffin wrote to the organization’s regional directors that “scholarship football players in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision private-sector colleges and universities are employees,” according to his interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act.

While nothing in Griffin’s memo is legally binding, it is a step forward to end amateurization in college football.

“It’s definitely historic,” Ramogi Huma told IHE. “By declaring that these athletes are employees, the general counsel is saying that his office is committed to protecting college athletes’ employee rights under the labor laws, and I think that can’t be understated. It’s what the players at Northwestern set in motion, and this is a major milestone.”

Huma led unionization efforts at Northwestern in 2014, an effort that initially resulted in a win for Wildcats players before a reversal ruled in favor of the school in 2015.

However, Griffin wrote Tuesday that FBS players “clearly satisfy the broad definition of employee and the common-law test.”

“Scholarship football players should be protected [by the NLRA] when they act concertedly to speak out about aspects of their terms and conditions of employment,” he wrote. “This includes, for example, any actions to: advocate for greater protections against concussive head trauma and unsafe practice methods, reform NCAA rules so that football players can share in the profit derived from their talents, or self-organize.”

He continued: “We determine here that the application of the statutory definition of employee and the common-law test lead to the conclusion that Division I FBS scholarship football players are employees under the NLRA, and that they therefore have the right to be protected from retaliation when they engage in concerted activities for mutual aid and protection. It is our hope that by making our prosecutorial position known, we will assist private colleges and universities to comply with their obligations under the act.”

The NCAA’s general counsel Donald Remy disagreed with Griffin’s stance, of course. His entire organization foundationally exists to disagree with Griffin’s stance. “The NLRB previously decided that it would not exercise jurisdiction regarding the employment context of student-athletes and their schools,” Remy told IHE. “The general counsel’s memo does not change that decision and does not allow student-athletes to unionize. Students who participate in college athletics are students, not employees.”

Seven National Signing Day Takeaways from the Class of 2017.

By Bryan Fischer

(Photo/Getty Images)

The T’s are crossed, the I’s are dotted and the Class of 2017 is in the books for college football programs across the country. What did we learn as National Signing Day came and went on Wednesday? Here are seven takeaways from the day that was as the calendar can officially flip forward and take us full steam into the upcoming season.

1. Illinois State won National Signing Day

Yes, tiny FCS program Illinois State was the biggest winner of National Signing Day bar none. Why? Simple, the Redbirds announced they had signed superstar All-Name first-teamer Kobe Buffalomeat. Yes, you read that right, his name is Kobe Buffalomeat. Soak up all that attention and more kid, you’ve earned it.

2. Alabama dominates once again

Ho-hum, Alabama rolled to their seventh straight recruiting national championship. At this point, Nick Saban isn’t even reloading even more in Tuscaloosa — he’s refilling, refreshing and restocking the Crimson Tide shelves twice over. When you don’t even have enough room for a bleeping top 100 recruit who committed in a video from France, you know things are at just a different level than everybody else.

3. Meyer, Harbaugh are waging Ten Year War on the recruiting trail too

As good as Alabama was in putting together their class, the Big Ten was no pushover thanks to the league’s two powerhouses and their two big name head coaches at Ohio State and Michigan. Urban Meyer assembled a class that was right there with any in the SEC and actually out-paced the Tide when it came to average star rating, finishing just a tick behind Saban and company thanks to a smaller number of scholarships. The Buckeyes wound up with five five-stars in all and the top rated player at three different position and the No. 2 player at six others. The OSU head coach was basically searching for flaws and having a hard time coming up with negatives. His opposite number up North was no slouch either, as Jim Harbaugh dipped into the heart of the SEC to grab a top defensive tackle and fanned out across the country to pull talent to Ann Arbor. There’s been a lot of talk of a new Ten Year War between the two rivals given their head coaches and we certainly are in for one given the way they recruit.

4. USC continues to recruit itself

We’re to the point where it’s safe to say that no matter what, USC is going to land a top five recruiting class on Signing Day. At least it seems that way after the Trojans once again closed in impressive fashion to dominate the headlines out west and even draw a few eyebrow raises from the southeast. Whether it was locally in Southern California or across the country in places like Utah, Arizona or Florida, the cardinal and gold was typically on the head of many top recruits during announcements. In a way, the strong push across the line with the Class of 2017 was fitting given the job Clay Helton did this past season. Those calls for a new coaching staff in Los Angeles seem so, well, five months ago.

5. Programs deal with scandals in different ways

Every college football team goes through ups and downs but dealing with off the field scandals can sometimes affect programs in unexpected ways. We saw that play out a little bit for a few folks on National Signing Day. One the positive side, Matt Rhule and the new staff at Baylor did a mighty fine job shrugging off all the negative publicity from the sexual assault scandal (and seemingly daily headlines) to land a top 40 class. That’s far better than most predicted just a few weeks ago and was one spot behind Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, which nearly won the league title. The flip side was Ole Miss, a mainstay in the top 10 the past few years that had suddenly found itself at No. 30 overall — one spot behind Kentucky (and yes, it’s football we’re talking about). Head coach Hugh Freeze seemed fairly grumpy about NCAA sanctions hanging over the Rebels and that was clearly reflected with the less than stellar group he signed.

6. Awful season? Wouldn’t know it at some programs

All good things must come to an end and there were a number of teams that took a drastic step back in 2016. Among those that would rather forget last season were Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon, Mississippi State and Michigan State. Nobody from that group ended up making a bowl game, the Ducks ended up hiring a new head coach while the others all made significant staff changes. Despite all that, the Irish landed a top 12 class on Wednesday, the Bruins secured the No. 1 overall recruit, Oregon and MSU found themselves in the top 25 of the team rankings while the Spartans managed a pretty solid haul.

7. It was a relatively drama-free day but there were still some surprises

Despite there being more attention than ever on recruiting, this seemed like one of the most drama-free Signing Days in a long, long time. Part of that had to do with so few uncommitted players heading into the week — and only one major decision really going against conventional wisdom when top-rated DT Marvin Wilson committed to Florida State. Despite the lack of drama, there were still a few surprises like Maryland finishing with a top 20 class that was eight spots better than Texas, Clemson not ranking as high as you would expect because of their super small class, Florida’s late surge toward a respectable top 10 group, Lane Kiffin stealing a commit and the Big 12 looking very lackluster outside of Oklahoma.

Budweiser's powerful pro-immigration Super Bowl ad is perfect. What's Your Take? 

By Sara Jane Harris

Budweiser has revealed a 60-second Super Bowl commercial called "Born the Hard Way."

The powerful ad centers around Adolphus Busch's pursuit of the American dream.

The spot follows Busch, Budweiser's immigrant founder, on his arduous journey from Germany to St. Louis in the 1800s.

In a news release, Budweiser said it hopes the commercial will “resonate with today’s entrepreneurial generation — those who continue to strive for their dreams.”

Many will assume the ad is a response to President Donald Trump's views on immigration, but that's not the case.

Budweiser’s marketing team spent eight months working on the commercial, according to Ad Week:

“The crew spends most of its days watching Sam Schweikert—the boyishly handsome, 26-year-old actor who plays Adolphus Busch—repeatedly trudge through crowds of extras, ultimately being greeted by an older gentleman who encouragingly says: “Welcome to St. Louis, son.” The Budweiser Clydesdales are on set, too, making their obligatory cameo. A family watching the action from nearby waits patiently for the chance to meet these equine icons of advertising, and after about four hours, they get to do just that."

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: As stated above, Budweiser has said that this commercial has been in the works for eight months. Please review it and let us know, what's your take? Politics and sports have a history of becoming intertwined when it comes to controversial political and social issues. Do you think that this is acceptable and should sports be used as a tool to raise awareness to high profile political and social issues?  Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We love hearing from you and really appreciate you taking the time to let us know, what's your take?

The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, February 03, 2017.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1876 - The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (known as the National League) was formed in New York. The teams were located in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis.

1949 - Golfer Ben Hogan was seriously injured in an auto accident in Van Horn, TX. 

1967 - The American Basketball Association was formed by representatives of the NBA. 

2003 - Dany Heatly (Atlanta Thrashers) became the fifth player to score four goals in the NHL's All-Star game.

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