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"Sports Quote of the Day"
My success is the team's success. It's one of those things to a certain degree that it's effort and ability but also how I benefit from what my teammates do, and then it is up to me to perform. ~ Jason Babin, NFL Football Player
TRENDING: USA women's hockey beats Canada in OT to win world championship. Blackhawks to face Predators in the 1st round of Stanley Cup Playoffs. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
My success is the team's success. It's one of those things to a certain degree that it's effort and ability but also how I benefit from what my teammates do, and then it is up to me to perform. ~ Jason Babin, NFL Football Player
TRENDING: USA women's hockey beats Canada in OT to win world championship. Blackhawks to face Predators in the 1st round of Stanley Cup Playoffs. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
(Photo/AP)
TRENDING: Chicago Bears need veteran LBs to stay healthy. (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).
TRENDING: Five Things to Watch: Bulls' playoff push continues against Magic tonight. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: What the Wrigley banner-raising ceremony means to Cubs ace Jon Lester. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Jose Quintana bounces back, but White Sox fall to Twins. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Garcia defeats Rose to win Masters playoff. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: Jimmie Johnson wins O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas for first Cup win of year. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Stanley Cup Playoffs: Full first-round schedule between Blackhawks-Predators.
By Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks’ first-round series against the Nashville Predators is set. While those 8:30 p.m. Central starts aren’t completely gone, they appear diminished at the moment.
The Blackhawks will open their series against the Nashville Predators at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the United Center. Game 2 will be Saturday at 7 p.m. The series shifts to Nashville for Games 3 and 4, which will be April 17 and April 20, respectively. The April 17 game is slated for 8:30 p.m. Central but the April 20 game time has yet to be determined.
Having normal starts for two of the first three contests is a welcome change. The past few postseasons the Blackhawks and their Central Division foes have dealt with the much later start times.
Check out the full schedule below:
Game 1 — Thursday, April 13: Predators at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. on CSN and live stream on CSNChicago.com and NBC Sports App
Game 2 — Saturday, April 15: Predators at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. on NBC and live stream on NBCSports.com and NBC Sports App
Game 3 — Monday, April 17: Blackhawks at Predators, 8:30 p.m. on CSN and live stream on CSNChicago.com and NBC Sports App
Game 4 — Thursday, April 20: Blackhawks at Predators, TBD
*Game 5 — Saturday, April 22: Predators at Blackhawks, TBD
*Game 6 — Monday, April 24: Blackhawks at Predators, TBD
*Game 7 — Wednesday, April 26: Predators at Blackhawks, TBD
*If necessary
Predators have had ups and downs but they’ll push the Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The Blackhawks’ first-round series against the Nashville Predators is set. While those 8:30 p.m. Central starts aren’t completely gone, they appear diminished at the moment.
The Blackhawks will open their series against the Nashville Predators at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the United Center. Game 2 will be Saturday at 7 p.m. The series shifts to Nashville for Games 3 and 4, which will be April 17 and April 20, respectively. The April 17 game is slated for 8:30 p.m. Central but the April 20 game time has yet to be determined.
Having normal starts for two of the first three contests is a welcome change. The past few postseasons the Blackhawks and their Central Division foes have dealt with the much later start times.
Check out the full schedule below:
Game 1 — Thursday, April 13: Predators at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. on CSN and live stream on CSNChicago.com and NBC Sports App
Game 2 — Saturday, April 15: Predators at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. on NBC and live stream on NBCSports.com and NBC Sports App
Game 3 — Monday, April 17: Blackhawks at Predators, 8:30 p.m. on CSN and live stream on CSNChicago.com and NBC Sports App
Game 4 — Thursday, April 20: Blackhawks at Predators, TBD
*Game 5 — Saturday, April 22: Predators at Blackhawks, TBD
*Game 6 — Monday, April 24: Blackhawks at Predators, TBD
*Game 7 — Wednesday, April 26: Predators at Blackhawks, TBD
*If necessary
Predators have had ups and downs but they’ll push the Blackhawks.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Forget the fact that the Nashville Predators didn't have their most consistent season. Forget the fact that the Blackhawks won the season series 4-1, the Predators' lone victory being P.K. Subban's debut with the team in October. Forget the fact that Pekka Rinne didn't have his best season.
Here's what you need to remember: The Blackhawks have taken two previous postseason series from the Predators but neither was easy. This one won't be, either.
The Predators-Blackhawks series in 2010 and 2015 were reminders that you don't need seven games to have great nail-biting drama. And while the two teams are at opposite ends of the standings entering this first-round series, the Blackhawks' desire for another Stanley Cup will be matched by the Predators' drive to play spoiler.
The Blackhawks and Predators were the No. 2 and 7 seeds, respectively, in the 2010 first round. Didn't matter that the Blackhawks collected the most regular-season points in franchise history (112). The Predators took Game 1 on United Center ice, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period. From that point on you knew it was going to be a frenzied series, and it was. From Antti Niemi's two shutout victories to the Predators' 4-1 response in Game 3 to Marian Hossa's Game 5 overtime winner after the Blackhawks killed off his five-minute penalty, the series was memorable.
The same goes for 2015, when Corey Crawford's bad Game 1 led to Scott Darling's coming-out party and sparked a mini-goaltending controversy – until Crawford came in for Darling to win Game 6 and the series. And who would've guessed Colin Wilson would have given the Blackhawks their biggest fits? Sure, Wilson was a 20-goal scorer that regular season, but five goals in six games? He was maddening for the Blackhawks. As was Duncan Keith for the Predators. His Game 1 double-overtime winner started a tremendous postseason for the defenseman that would culminate in a unanimous Conn Smythe nod.
So you catch our drift here when it comes to the Predators. They're going to give the Blackhawks all they can handle because that's just what they do. And hey, if you do want to reference this regular-season's series, it's true that each game was close. Even their second meeting of the season, a 5-2 Blackhawks victory that was a 2-2 game in the third period before Ryan Hartman's very unique hat trick.
Something weird happening in a Preds-Blackhawks game. Imagine that.
The Predators' matchup with the Blackhawks was set on Saturday night, after the Winnipeg Jets scored a late-regulation goal to beat them. It was another example of the inconsistency the Predators have shown this season. Again, forget about it. It's the postseason, and if the history of two previous series can teach us anything, it's that the Predators will push the Blackhawks as they always do.
USA women's hockey beats Canada in OT to win world championship.
By Associated Press
(Photo/AP)
The U.S. women's hockey players threw their sticks and gloves in the air and celebrated, capping an emotionally charged two-week stretch with a 3-2 overtime win over Canada in the women's world championship final Friday night.
Hilary Knight made the postgame party possible by scoring 10:17 into the extra period to make the Americans winners on and off the ice. After threatening to sit out the tournament, they won a contentious fight with USA Hockey for better wages that will allow the country's best female hockey players to make a living playing the sport.
"I'm so proud of this team for performing the way we did after battling the way we did off the ice," said Meghan Duggan, the Americans' captain. "A lot of history was made."
The U.S. won its fourth straight world championship title and eighth in the last 10 tries against their rivals, who will get their shot at revenge as defending Olympic champions next year in South Korea.
Brianne Jenner tied it at 2 for Canada midway through the third period on a power play after Kacey Bellamy's second goal early in the period gave the Americans their first lead in the gold-medal game.
The U.S. had two power plays in the third period with 7:24 and 2:24 left along with another power play early in OT, but couldn't capitalize on the opportunities to score a go-ahead goal with an extra skater.
Canada's Meghan Agosta scored 1:01 into the game, and Bellamy tied it 3 1/2 minutes later.
Nicole Hensley stopped 28 shots for the U.S.
Canada's goaltender, Shannon Szabados, was tested much more and made 37 saves.
"She was unbelievable," Agosta said. "She kept us in the game."
The Americans boldly said they would boycott the tournament, which would've embarrassed USA Hockey at a tournament held in an arena named after the organization, if they didn't get more money and perks their male counterparts get such as flying in business class and staying at nice hotels. The landmark deal allows them to make more than $70,000 during non-Olympic years and as much as $129,000 in Olympic years, including 2018, when combined with contributions from the United States Olympic Committee.
"We knew that was going to be a bond that was unbreakable," Knight said.
USA Hockey looked like it tried to break the unified front of American women, trying to find lower-caliber players to take their spots in the world championship if Plan B became necessary.
"They didn't want to forgo this opportunity, but they were willing to do it," Dee Spagnuolo, one of the attorneys who represented the women without a fee, said during the first intermission at USA Hockey Arena. "Every time we huddled up to make tough decisions before and during negotiations, they were united and firm. This team off the ice is so united and in adverse, tense situations in games, it helps them win on the ice, too."
The U.S. carried the momentum from the win against USA Hockey into the eight-nation tournament by dominating the competition until their rivals pushed them into OT.
The Americans were the better team in the end, though, creating lots of scoring chances in the sudden-death period that could have lasted up to 20 minutes. They didn't need that much time to finish the Canadians off with a second straight OT victory in a world championship gold-medal game.
Knight, who made a no-look, between-the leg pass to set up Bellamy's second goal, was trailing on a 3-on-2 rush when Coyne dropped a pass to her and she scored from the inside of the left circle. In the 2011 world championship final, Knight also scored the gold-medal winning goal in OT.
"She's one of the best in the world and she comes up big when you need her and the moment is huge," Bellamy said. "That's what's what make her so special. When everything is on the line, she comes through clutch."
When Knight lit the goal lamp, the jubilant Americans screamed with joy and hugged in a huge huddle.
"Nothing compares to a gold-medal game against Canada," Bellamy said. "The emotions are so high. The energy in the building was incredible and it was a really fast-paced game and we had to fight to the end."
The Canadians, meanwhile, skated in the other direction. They rested their gloves on their knees and stared at the ice in silence as a sold-out crowd at USA Hockey Arena roared.
In the beginning of the tournament, Canada struggled before rallying to face off against the Americans as they've done in all 18 world championships. The Canadians opened with a 2-0 loss to the U.S. and a stunning, 4-3 setback against Finland before bouncing back with an 8-0 rout of Russia and a 4-0 win over the Finns in the semifinals.
"We were resilient the whole tournament," Agosta said.
Blackhawks lose late lead, fall to Kings in overtime. (Saturday night's game, 04/08/2017).
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
The end result for Game 82 wasn't what the Blackhawks hoped but the disappointment was pretty short lived.
The first 82 are over. Time to flip the page.
Artemi Panarin scored his 31st goal of the season to get himself back into potential bonus category but the Los Angeles Kings scored late in regulation and early in overtime to beat the Blackhawks 3-2 on Saturday. The Blackhawks finished the regular season 0-2-2 in their last four. None of those four factored in the Blackhawks' place in the standings; they had the conference wrapped up last Saturday.
Now the Blackhawks look ahead, although as of this writing they still don't know who they'll play. Could be Nashville, could be Calgary. Regardless, the Blackhawks are ready for the games to count again.
"I think that energy, that ambition, that motivation is back. We have that feeling that every single moment, every single game matters. It's a lot of fun to play this time of year," said Jonathan Toews, who scored his 21st goal of the season on Saturday. "That's why we work all year to get to this point. As we've said in the past, the real season begins. Everyone wants to get back to playoff hockey."
Coach Joel Quenneville pointed to the Blackhawks' work earlier this season that made the end easier to take.
"It would've been nice to win [Saturday] but we put ourselves in position we wanted at the start of the season. That was our motivation. It's good to be first in the division and we got the conference," he said. "Lot of hard work, some ups and downs along the way but we had a stretch here at the end where, I don't know how many games where everything was sealed so it was almost like, ‘OK, let's get ready to play for keeps.'"
The Blackhawks almost got back to the postseason on a winning note but the Kings, who will not be going to the playoffs, had other ideas. Dustin Brown scored with 55 seconds remaining in regulation and Drew Doughty scored the winner just 27 seconds into overtime.
Before the Kings' comeback, however, there was Panarin's goal. The Russian was jubilant, as that goal gave him a better chance of finishing in the top 10 among forwards in points. If he does, he'll collect $2.575 million like he did last season. As of now, he's tied for ninth with fellow Russian Vladimir Tarasenko with 74 points.
"Great pass by [Patrick Kane]. Big goal, big time for a goal as well. I think it might turn out OK," a grinning Quenneville said of Panarin's likely financial windfall.
The regular season was a successful one for the Blackhawks. They're where they want to be, with home ice throughout the Western Conference portion of the postseason. They'll go in fairly healthy – Artem Anisimov (left leg) is expected to be ready for Game 1. Niklas Hjalmarsson, who's been attending family matters at home, will return, too. The first 82 are done. Time for what Brent Seabrook called the, "fun hockey."
"Don't know if [the start] will be Thursday or Friday but we're all looking forward to it," Ryan Hartman said. "New chapter."
Hearing news that Bryan Bickell will retire, Joel Quenneville calls former Blackhawks forward a 'special guy'.
By Tracey Myers
The first 82 are over. Time to flip the page.
Artemi Panarin scored his 31st goal of the season to get himself back into potential bonus category but the Los Angeles Kings scored late in regulation and early in overtime to beat the Blackhawks 3-2 on Saturday. The Blackhawks finished the regular season 0-2-2 in their last four. None of those four factored in the Blackhawks' place in the standings; they had the conference wrapped up last Saturday.
Now the Blackhawks look ahead, although as of this writing they still don't know who they'll play. Could be Nashville, could be Calgary. Regardless, the Blackhawks are ready for the games to count again.
"I think that energy, that ambition, that motivation is back. We have that feeling that every single moment, every single game matters. It's a lot of fun to play this time of year," said Jonathan Toews, who scored his 21st goal of the season on Saturday. "That's why we work all year to get to this point. As we've said in the past, the real season begins. Everyone wants to get back to playoff hockey."
Coach Joel Quenneville pointed to the Blackhawks' work earlier this season that made the end easier to take.
"It would've been nice to win [Saturday] but we put ourselves in position we wanted at the start of the season. That was our motivation. It's good to be first in the division and we got the conference," he said. "Lot of hard work, some ups and downs along the way but we had a stretch here at the end where, I don't know how many games where everything was sealed so it was almost like, ‘OK, let's get ready to play for keeps.'"
The Blackhawks almost got back to the postseason on a winning note but the Kings, who will not be going to the playoffs, had other ideas. Dustin Brown scored with 55 seconds remaining in regulation and Drew Doughty scored the winner just 27 seconds into overtime.
Before the Kings' comeback, however, there was Panarin's goal. The Russian was jubilant, as that goal gave him a better chance of finishing in the top 10 among forwards in points. If he does, he'll collect $2.575 million like he did last season. As of now, he's tied for ninth with fellow Russian Vladimir Tarasenko with 74 points.
"Great pass by [Patrick Kane]. Big goal, big time for a goal as well. I think it might turn out OK," a grinning Quenneville said of Panarin's likely financial windfall.
The regular season was a successful one for the Blackhawks. They're where they want to be, with home ice throughout the Western Conference portion of the postseason. They'll go in fairly healthy – Artem Anisimov (left leg) is expected to be ready for Game 1. Niklas Hjalmarsson, who's been attending family matters at home, will return, too. The first 82 are done. Time for what Brent Seabrook called the, "fun hockey."
"Don't know if [the start] will be Thursday or Friday but we're all looking forward to it," Ryan Hartman said. "New chapter."
Hearing news that Bryan Bickell will retire, Joel Quenneville calls former Blackhawks forward a 'special guy'.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Corey Crawford was as disappointed to hear the news as anyone, given how long he and Bryan Bickell go back. His former teammate, with whom he played since their minor-league days, will retire at the end of this season.
"I've known him my whole pro career," Crawford said of Bickell. "It's pretty shocking to hear that stuff when you first got the news. And it was pretty emotional watching that interview, too. Those two interviews. I talked to him and it's tough to hear him say that. But I think his family's the most important thing right now. And his health."
The news wasn't surprising but it was nevertheless tough to see. Bickell, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this season, announced on Saturday that he'll retire after the Carolina Hurricanes' final regular-season game. Bickell's time with the Blackhawks had plenty of great moments, as he was here for three Stanley Cups. But to see the 31-year-old having to quit now was still disappointing.
"Great teammate great friend. One of those guys who always kept the boys loose. He never took himself too seriously, always about the team and just doing whatever he could for the team. he went through some tough moments and later on, when he was assuming lesser roles and playing a little time in the minors, so he's been through a lot. I've got a lot of respect for him as a person, as a player," Jonathan Toews said. "Obviously our careers come to an end at some point but for him, it's unfortunate that it was cut short. But it sounds like he's making the right decision. He's looking out for himself, his health and his family. It can't be an easy decision so a lot of respect for him and what he's been through these last couple of years."
"I've known him my whole pro career," Crawford said of Bickell. "It's pretty shocking to hear that stuff when you first got the news. And it was pretty emotional watching that interview, too. Those two interviews. I talked to him and it's tough to hear him say that. But I think his family's the most important thing right now. And his health."
The news wasn't surprising but it was nevertheless tough to see. Bickell, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this season, announced on Saturday that he'll retire after the Carolina Hurricanes' final regular-season game. Bickell's time with the Blackhawks had plenty of great moments, as he was here for three Stanley Cups. But to see the 31-year-old having to quit now was still disappointing.
"Great teammate great friend. One of those guys who always kept the boys loose. He never took himself too seriously, always about the team and just doing whatever he could for the team. he went through some tough moments and later on, when he was assuming lesser roles and playing a little time in the minors, so he's been through a lot. I've got a lot of respect for him as a person, as a player," Jonathan Toews said. "Obviously our careers come to an end at some point but for him, it's unfortunate that it was cut short. But it sounds like he's making the right decision. He's looking out for himself, his health and his family. It can't be an easy decision so a lot of respect for him and what he's been through these last couple of years."
Bickell did have a tough final season with the Blackhawks, a good deal of which he spent with the Rockford IceHogs. Ryan Hartman said Bickell approached the situation well and was a great example for the younger players.
"He came in and brought a tremendous amount of leadership and the will to win, the drive. He's battled through some circumstances, as everyone knows. I'm glad he was able to make it back for a few [games,]" Hartman said of Bickell returning for the Hurricanes' final three regular-season contests. "It's tough to see a guy like that retire but I'm happy for what he accomplished. Great guy."
Bickell will always be a part of Blackhawks history. His courage and fight against multiple sclerosis has garnered great attention and admiration throughout the league. It's a shame Bickell's career will be cut short but his impact on it will always be felt.
"You like the guy. He's well-liked by his teammates and he brought an element to our team that was very useful and I think his physicality in series and early in games, in the playoffs, and early in series, he could set the tone," coach Joel Quenneville said. "Who knows when [the illness] first came upon with him. I thought he did great job this year doing everything he could to get back and play. And commend Carolina giving him a chance to do what he had to do to get back to play again. It's a tough story, but at the same time, special guy."
Blackhawks prospect Blake Hillman steps up in crucial moment to help Denver win NCAA title.
By Charlie Roumeliotis
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Blake Hillman was all business after Denver routed Notre Dame 6-1 in the semifinals of the NCAA Men's Frozen Four on Thursday, quickly turning his focus to the next — and final — task at hand.
On Saturday, he and the Pioneers finished the job by knocking off Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in a thrilling championship game to capture their eighth national title in program history in front of 19,783 fans at the United Center, the largest crowd for an NCAA hockey final in an NHL arena.
"I'm speechless," Hillman said when we spoke after the game. "Growing up as a kid, all you want to do is win the championship, you think about the Stanley Cup, you think about playing college hockey and to do it with these guys is special. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Hillman, the Blackhawks' sixth-round pick (No. 173 overall) in 2016, was a vital part of Denver's defensive corps this season and he stepped up in a key moment during the biggest game of the year.
Early in the third period of a 3-1 lead, Pioneers junior defenseman Tariq Hammond suffered a gruesome ankle injury, and had to be stretchered off the ice. Not only is Hammond a guy who logs top-four minutes, but his leadership is as important to the team as his play on the ice.
It was a crucial blow, but it provided a chance for somebody to seize the opportunity by helping eat those important minutes.
Enter Hillman, who saw his ice time increase as did the quality of players on the opposition he saw in the final frame.
"We talked about how deep our team is ... Blake Hillman stepped up huge for us," said 2017 Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher. "Rolled five defensemen the whole time, kept the quick shifts and rolled through it."
While he's not flashy, the 6-foot-1, 188-pound Hillman prides himself on being reliable in his own end and hard to play against. He studies and tries to model his game after a two-time Norris Trophy and three-time Stanley Cup winner Chicago is well familiar with.
"Before every game, I watch Duncan Keith," Hillman said. "I watch his Norris Trophy highlights when he won it in 2014 and Conn Smythe in 2015. (What) all the commentators say about Keith is that his stick is always in the right place and he's always under control, and I try to do that. That's what the Blackhawks staff has been preaching. Just have a good stick, and make sure you're playing on the defensive side."
If there's one thing Hillman can improve on, it's putting together a full 60-minute game.
But Denver head coach Jim Montgomery praised the defenseman for his ability to deliver in the clutch and get better as the game goes on.
"Blake, I don't know what it is. I gotta get him to play as good in the first half as he does in the second half," Montgomery said. "Again, this year he just took it to another level in the second half. And he has great poise. He finds the middle of the ice. He's able to look people off and allow our forwards to skate with penetration.
"And with Butcher moving on, he's going to have to have a bigger role next year. But he plays the style of play — I don't know if everyone knows it, he's drafted by the Blackhawks. So he's a Blackhawk-style defenseman, very cerebral, good skater, knows how to make good plays in all three zones."
Not known for his offensive ability (he had seven points in 42 games this season), Hillman registered a secondary assist on the first of Jarid Lukosevicius' three goals that set the tone.
With great defense comes great offense, and Hillman proved that Saturday.
"Monty's been telling me, 'Defense first and the offense will come,'" Hillman said. "I got an assist, and that doesn't happen very often for me because I'm focusing on defense, so it was nice to get a little reward there."
The bigger reward was helping Denver win its first championship since 2005, and accomplishing a goal he's dreamed of.
He's still trying to soak that in and process it all.
"I don't even know what to say, it's unbelievable," Hillman said. "This means a lot to me. I'm speechless."
On Saturday, he and the Pioneers finished the job by knocking off Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in a thrilling championship game to capture their eighth national title in program history in front of 19,783 fans at the United Center, the largest crowd for an NCAA hockey final in an NHL arena.
"I'm speechless," Hillman said when we spoke after the game. "Growing up as a kid, all you want to do is win the championship, you think about the Stanley Cup, you think about playing college hockey and to do it with these guys is special. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Hillman, the Blackhawks' sixth-round pick (No. 173 overall) in 2016, was a vital part of Denver's defensive corps this season and he stepped up in a key moment during the biggest game of the year.
Early in the third period of a 3-1 lead, Pioneers junior defenseman Tariq Hammond suffered a gruesome ankle injury, and had to be stretchered off the ice. Not only is Hammond a guy who logs top-four minutes, but his leadership is as important to the team as his play on the ice.
It was a crucial blow, but it provided a chance for somebody to seize the opportunity by helping eat those important minutes.
Enter Hillman, who saw his ice time increase as did the quality of players on the opposition he saw in the final frame.
"We talked about how deep our team is ... Blake Hillman stepped up huge for us," said 2017 Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher. "Rolled five defensemen the whole time, kept the quick shifts and rolled through it."
While he's not flashy, the 6-foot-1, 188-pound Hillman prides himself on being reliable in his own end and hard to play against. He studies and tries to model his game after a two-time Norris Trophy and three-time Stanley Cup winner Chicago is well familiar with.
"Before every game, I watch Duncan Keith," Hillman said. "I watch his Norris Trophy highlights when he won it in 2014 and Conn Smythe in 2015. (What) all the commentators say about Keith is that his stick is always in the right place and he's always under control, and I try to do that. That's what the Blackhawks staff has been preaching. Just have a good stick, and make sure you're playing on the defensive side."
If there's one thing Hillman can improve on, it's putting together a full 60-minute game.
But Denver head coach Jim Montgomery praised the defenseman for his ability to deliver in the clutch and get better as the game goes on.
"Blake, I don't know what it is. I gotta get him to play as good in the first half as he does in the second half," Montgomery said. "Again, this year he just took it to another level in the second half. And he has great poise. He finds the middle of the ice. He's able to look people off and allow our forwards to skate with penetration.
"And with Butcher moving on, he's going to have to have a bigger role next year. But he plays the style of play — I don't know if everyone knows it, he's drafted by the Blackhawks. So he's a Blackhawk-style defenseman, very cerebral, good skater, knows how to make good plays in all three zones."
Not known for his offensive ability (he had seven points in 42 games this season), Hillman registered a secondary assist on the first of Jarid Lukosevicius' three goals that set the tone.
With great defense comes great offense, and Hillman proved that Saturday.
"Monty's been telling me, 'Defense first and the offense will come,'" Hillman said. "I got an assist, and that doesn't happen very often for me because I'm focusing on defense, so it was nice to get a little reward there."
The bigger reward was helping Denver win its first championship since 2005, and accomplishing a goal he's dreamed of.
He's still trying to soak that in and process it all.
"I don't even know what to say, it's unbelievable," Hillman said. "This means a lot to me. I'm speechless."
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Chicago Bears need veteran LBs to stay healthy.
By Bob LeGere
Chicago Bears inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman led the team in tackles with 127, including a team-high 7 behind the line of scrimmage. But Freeman missed four games for a failed PED test. (Photo/Associated Press)
Last year the Bears made strengthening the inside linebacker position a priority in free agency, signing veterans Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman.
The two veterans were a clear upgrade in a glaring area of weakness. Unfortunately for the Bears, Trevathan, although he played well, played only nine games. He missed the final five games on injured reserve after suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. Earlier in the season Trevathan missed two games after having thumb surgery and played in several more with a cast protecting the injury.
The knee injury could imperil Trevathan's readiness for the start of training camp and it could impact his long-term health, even though he just turned 27. He suffered a similar injury in 2014 while with the Denver Broncos.
Despite the injuries and missed games, Trevathan still finished third on the team in tackles.
Freeman missed four games because of a suspension for a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs. But he still led the Bears in tackles by a wide margin with 127, including a team-high 7 behind the line of scrimmage.
The unavailability of the two starters provided an accelerated learning curve for rookie Nick Kwiatkoski. The fourth-round pick from West Virginia started seven games, finished seventh on the team with 52 tackles and established himself as the top backup among a group of young linebackers.
Best and worst No. 3 picks in the draft. (Bears take heed!!!!!)
The Bears haven't had a pick as high in the draft as this year's No. 3 since they spent the third choice on tackle Lionel Antoine in 1972.
It's certainly a lofty position, but as you can see by flipping through photographs of the last 35 players taken at No. 3, it guarantees nothing. Below is my list of the best and worst third overall picks since 1982:
Best No. 3 choices:
1. Running back Barry Sanders, Lions (1989)
Sanders was selected to the Pro Bowl in all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Lions. He averaged more than 1,500 rushing yards per year, topped by 2,053 yards in 1997. He led the NFL in rushing four times, was a six-time first-team All-Pro, was voted to the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team and was chosen NFL MVP in 1997. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
2. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (2004)
Fitzgerald has been selected to 10 Pro Bowls in 13 seasons with the Cardinals. He ranks third in NFL history with 1,125 receptions, ninth with 14,389 receiving yards and eighth with 104 touchdown catches. Last season he led the NFL with 107 receptions (after catching 109 passes in 2015) and was also named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year.
3. Tackle Joe Thomas, Browns (2007)
Although he has played for the woeful Browns, Thomas is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL. He has been voted to the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons and has been selected first-team All-Pro seven times. He is the only offensive lineman in NFL history to be chosen for the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight years in the league.
4. Defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, Seahawks (1990)
A dominant inside force, Kennedy was voted to eight Pro Bowls in 11 seasons with the Seahawks, selected first-team All-Pro three times and was named to the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team. He was chosen NFL defensive player of the year in 1992 after recording 14 sacks for a Seahawks team that went 2-14. Kennedy was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2012.
5. Quarterback Matt Ryan, Falcons (2008)
Ryan has been selected to four Pro Bowls in nine seasons with the Falcons. Last year he was named NFL MVP, NFL offensive player of the year and first-team All-Pro after leading Atlanta to the Super Bowl and topping the league with a career-high 117.1 passer rating. He completed 69.9 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Worst No. 3 choices:
1. Quarterback Akili Smith, Bengals (1999)
Smith started only 17 games and threw just five touchdown passes in four seasons with the Bengals, completing 46.6 percent of his passes, posting a 52.8 passer rating and compiling a 3-14 record. He went 2-9 as a starter in 2000, connecting on just 44.2 percent of his passes.
2. Quarterback Heath Shuler, Redskins (1994)
Shuler went 4-9 in three seasons with the Redskins—including 1-7 as a rookie—completing just 47.7 percent of his passes for 2,403 yards with 13 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a porous 58.3 passer rating. He played a fourth year with the Saints in 1997 before leaving the NFL.
3. Defensive end Dion Jordan, Dolphins (2013)
Recently cut by the Dolphins, Jordan has not played in a game since 2014. He was suspended the entire 2015 season for multiple violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy and sat out all of last year due to a knee injury and poor performance in practice.
4. Quarterback Joey Harrington, Lions (2002)
Harrington played four seasons with the Lions, compiling an 18-37 record as a starter while completing 54.7 percent of his passes. After a decent year in Detroit in 2005, he struggled in stints with the Dolphins in 2006 and the Falcons in 2007.
5. Running back Trent Richardson, Browns (2012)
Richardson rushed for 950 yards as a rookie with the Browns. But early in his second season he was traded to the Colts and struggled in Indianapolis, benched late in the year in favor of Donald Brown after averaging only 2.9 yards per carry.
It's certainly a lofty position, but as you can see by flipping through photographs of the last 35 players taken at No. 3, it guarantees nothing. Below is my list of the best and worst third overall picks since 1982:
Best No. 3 choices:
1. Running back Barry Sanders, Lions (1989)
Sanders was selected to the Pro Bowl in all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Lions. He averaged more than 1,500 rushing yards per year, topped by 2,053 yards in 1997. He led the NFL in rushing four times, was a six-time first-team All-Pro, was voted to the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team and was chosen NFL MVP in 1997. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
2. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (2004)
Fitzgerald has been selected to 10 Pro Bowls in 13 seasons with the Cardinals. He ranks third in NFL history with 1,125 receptions, ninth with 14,389 receiving yards and eighth with 104 touchdown catches. Last season he led the NFL with 107 receptions (after catching 109 passes in 2015) and was also named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year.
3. Tackle Joe Thomas, Browns (2007)
Although he has played for the woeful Browns, Thomas is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL. He has been voted to the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons and has been selected first-team All-Pro seven times. He is the only offensive lineman in NFL history to be chosen for the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight years in the league.
4. Defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, Seahawks (1990)
A dominant inside force, Kennedy was voted to eight Pro Bowls in 11 seasons with the Seahawks, selected first-team All-Pro three times and was named to the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team. He was chosen NFL defensive player of the year in 1992 after recording 14 sacks for a Seahawks team that went 2-14. Kennedy was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2012.
5. Quarterback Matt Ryan, Falcons (2008)
Ryan has been selected to four Pro Bowls in nine seasons with the Falcons. Last year he was named NFL MVP, NFL offensive player of the year and first-team All-Pro after leading Atlanta to the Super Bowl and topping the league with a career-high 117.1 passer rating. He completed 69.9 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Worst No. 3 choices:
1. Quarterback Akili Smith, Bengals (1999)
Smith started only 17 games and threw just five touchdown passes in four seasons with the Bengals, completing 46.6 percent of his passes, posting a 52.8 passer rating and compiling a 3-14 record. He went 2-9 as a starter in 2000, connecting on just 44.2 percent of his passes.
2. Quarterback Heath Shuler, Redskins (1994)
Shuler went 4-9 in three seasons with the Redskins—including 1-7 as a rookie—completing just 47.7 percent of his passes for 2,403 yards with 13 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a porous 58.3 passer rating. He played a fourth year with the Saints in 1997 before leaving the NFL.
3. Defensive end Dion Jordan, Dolphins (2013)
Recently cut by the Dolphins, Jordan has not played in a game since 2014. He was suspended the entire 2015 season for multiple violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy and sat out all of last year due to a knee injury and poor performance in practice.
4. Quarterback Joey Harrington, Lions (2002)
Harrington played four seasons with the Lions, compiling an 18-37 record as a starter while completing 54.7 percent of his passes. After a decent year in Detroit in 2005, he struggled in stints with the Dolphins in 2006 and the Falcons in 2007.
5. Running back Trent Richardson, Browns (2012)
Richardson rushed for 950 yards as a rookie with the Browns. But early in his second season he was traded to the Colts and struggled in Indianapolis, benched late in the year in favor of Donald Brown after averaging only 2.9 yards per carry.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Five Things to Watch: Bulls' playoff push continues against Magic tonight.
By Tim Goldrick
Watch as the Bulls take on the Orlando Magic tonight on CSN and streaming live on CSNChicago.com. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Bulls Pregame Live. Then stick around after the final buzzer to watch Bulls Postgame Live for highlights and analysis.
Click here to watch the game or download the NBC Sports App, your home for live streaming coverage of the Bulls.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Let's play two. With only two regular season games remaining on the schedule, it's do-or-die for the Bulls. Luckily or unluckily (still trying to figure it out), the combined record of the team's last two opponents is 48-112. Fred Hoiberg's team controls its own destiny, which should make things interesting against the Magic tonight and Nets in the finale.
2. Turn back the clocks. Now would be a great time for March Mirotic to return. Nikola is shooting just 39 percent from the field in five April games, down a full 10 percent from March. For the Bulls to seal that playoff spot, Mirotic has to channel his scorching March alter ego.
3. Dwyane Wade. There was some noise that the Bulls' offense functioned better when Wade wasn't playing. That's probably an overstatement, but there is something to be said about the movement that was being created without No. 3 on the floor. In his return, he scored 14 points and collected seven rebounds in 24 minutes. The Bulls need an efficient Wade to get back to winning.
4. Check Elfrid Payton. The Magic haven't committed to Elfrid Payton as their point guard of the future, but the 2014 first-round pick has quietly had a nice two month stretch. Since the beginning of March, Payton is shooting over 50 percent and averaging over eight assists per game. Keeping Payton out of the lane will be big for the Bulls' defense, especially since he's not a three-point shooter.
5. Take care of business. Sans Payton and Nikola Vucevic, the Magic are thin. Jimmy Butler and the Bulls should be able to run past them. Given the game is at the United Center should only help, too. These are the games you have to win, so let's see if Chicago will take care of business or continue to be an enigma.
Their own worst enemy: Bulls stunned by Nets. (Saturday night's game, 04/08/2017).
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The Chicago Bulls' biggest enemy isn't the schedule, the Milwaukee Bucks or Indiana Pacers or Miami Heat.
It's what they see when they look in the mirror.
With a chance to put themselves in a spot to clinch a playoff spot against a Brooklyn Nets team with nothing to play for, they came up short as they've done so many times this season when opportunity was at their fingertips.
When Jimmy Butler's corner jumper came up long with five seconds left, it not only prevented them from getting back to the precious .500 mark, it also put them in a perilous spot of losing control of a playoff spot, falling 107-106 to the talent-deficient but game Nets squad in Dwyane Wade's return from an elbow injury.
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie was cut in Bulls' training camp came back to bite his former team, scoring the final seven points of the game to put the Bulls away in the Nets' final home game of the season.
"Is it deflating? No, because we're still in it man," said Jimmy Butler, who led the Bulls with 33 points, including going five for five from the 3-point line. "All we gotta do is win, and we're right there. But we've got to figure out a way to pull these games out in the end, get stops in the end, score some baskets in the end. We should be OK.''
Dinwiddie scored 19 points in 27 minutes off the bench, taking advantage of an opportunity he wasn't given in Chicago. Hitting a triple to tie the game was a result of yet another defensive breakdown where the Bulls didn't rotate and didn't seem to communicate, a season long issue.
"You can't have that breakdown," Hoiberg said. "We had one switch and didn't run him off the line."
Wade fouled Dinwiddie the next time down on what appeared to be more miscommunication on a pick and roll, resulting in two free throws with 13 seconds left.
"One thing we were doing with Brook (Lopez) in the post, he would dribble and we would double and rotate," said Wade, who scored 14 points with seven rebounds but had five turnovers in 25 minutes. "We didn't rotate quick enough, Spence hit a 3. The other pick and roll, he kind of got an open lane to the basket, I don't think I fouled him."
Nevertheless, it put the Bulls in another weird spot—a spot they seem to be mighty comfortable at through 80 games.
Whether it's a loss to the Knicks or the 76ers at home, they can point to a bevy of games, recent and long ago, as to why they're battling to hold onto a playoff spot that isn't yet guaranteed.
What's more telling, they squandered a nine-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and the Nets pounced.
"They're a good team," Butler said. "They've been playing as well as anybody to tell you the truth. They've got guys that play incredibly hard."
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson kept attacking the Bulls, scoring the bulk of his 19 points and 12 rebounds in that final stretch that saw the Bulls curl under pressure they created.
Caris LeVert, a rookie who shoots 32 percent from 3-point land on the year, got hot late, hitting four of seven from long range and scored 19.
The Bulls played the percentages and got burned as the Nets shot just 32 percent from three but made big ones.
"We had a couple key turnovers in that stretch that got them out in transition," Hoiberg said. "Turnovers were obviously an issue for us all game long. We had a 2-on-1 break and couldn't take advantage of it."
The third quarter saw the best of the Bulls as they scored 37 points on 68 percent shooting, fueled by the one player whose internal alarm clock knew it was a mid-afternoon game in Butler.
If not for a puzzling midseason stretch where Butler looked mentally and physically fatigued, he could do some serious campaigning to be on the bottom half of the MVP ballot.
He'll have to settle for dragging this inconsistent bunch to the postseason, if the Bulls can take care of business at home for the last two regular season games.
The effect of missing Rajon Rondo can't be overstated, considering they looked lost with disjointed without a true point guard on the floor. Jerian Grant got into the lane a couple times for scores before heating up in the third quarter, while Michael Carter-Williams just had a miserable night off the bench.
Still, neither was the playmaker that Rondo is, and one player who depends on Rondo felt the aftershocks in Nikola Mirotic.
Mirotic missed all of his six shots and didn't score until hitting a free throw in the first minute of the third, being replaced by Bobby Portis and watching the Bulls immediately go on a run when he sat.
Still, Mirotic was on the floor late and the Bulls again came up short in a game they had no business sweating in.
Now, they must sweat out the final five days of the regular season, and only have themselves to blame for the perspiration.
"Mentality is we have two must-win games where we have to have great focus and energy," Hoiberg said. "The mentality is we have to win both."
And with their recent history as a guide, they can't be counted on to beat sub-.500 teams, at home or abroad.
CUBS: Jake Arrieta fires back at questions about his velocity.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Jake Arrieta is a nonconformist, trolling opposing fans on Twitter, developing his own Pilates/nutrition program, posing naked for ESPN the Magazine, openly talking about his contract and apparently reading what’s written about him.
Or at least this article on FanGraphs – the website devoted to statistical analysis – caught his attention: “What on Earth Happened with Jake Arrieta?”
Arrieta speaks in full paragraphs, looks like he could be heading toward the zone that once made him a Cy Young Award winner and dismisses any questions or theories about his low-90s velocity readings.
“Everybody wants to talk about this,” Arrieta said after Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. “There’s FanGraph articles. I don’t care about that.
“I know that kind of stuff can come and go from time to time. I had periods last year where I was at the same spot I am right now. I had one in June, near the All-Star break. It is what it is. I still have good feel for everything. Movement is really good. The command’s good.
“When the 95-to-97 comes back, it’s going to be tough for teams. And it still is.”
Manager Joe Maddon put it this way after watching Arrieta use 98 pitches to get through seven innings and finish with 10 strikeouts against only two walks: “I’d much rather see what we saw today than 94-95 (mph) all over the map, absolutely.”
Even during an All-Star year that saw him beat the Cleveland Indians twice in the World Series, Arrieta had too many of those unpredictable stretches where he lost command and that air of invincibility.
The Cubs staked Arrieta an early five-run lead and he didn’t allow another hit after Ryan Braun’s three-run homer in the third inning. Whatever the radar gun says, Arrieta is starting his salary drive at 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA.
“Where I’m at now in my career, I don’t worry about it, because I know that I’m smart enough to work around that,” Arrieta said. “The velocity’s still good enough to get it by guys and to do certain things in certain situations with it.
“If I’m commanding the ball on the inside part of the plate to left-handed hitters with some sink – like I was able to with a couple big strikeouts (where they’re) taking third strikes in – that’s a big deal.”
In Arrieta’s mind, he has an array of weapons, from a curveball he can drop at 75 or 82 mph, a cutter that can be effective in the right spot at 84 or 90 mph and a changeup that he’s still trying to sharpen.
Arrieta’s case for a long-term megadeal that could take him into his late 30s revolves around his baseball IQ, superior conditioning and relatively low pitching odometer.
“Some guys would call it like a ‘dead arm,’ but I feel good,” Arrieta said. “That’s all I’m worried about.”
While Cubs plan Wrigley celebration, Jason Heyward is on to new season and off to good start.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jason Heyward projected an all-business vibe on Sunday morning when reporters gathered around his locker inside Miller Park’s visiting clubhouse. Win or lose, Heyward is always accessible, polite and thoughtful, qualities that help insulate him from the pressure of having the biggest contract in franchise history.
Even at the end of the worst offensive season of his career, Heyward had enough clout to call that team meeting inside a Progressive Field weight room and refocus the Cubs in Game 7, though he hasn’t really felt like reliving his rain-delay speech: “It’s fine, but it’s on to this season.”
Heyward’s in-the-moment attitude also knocked down a softball question about what he’s looking forward to during Monday night’s banner-raising ceremony at Wrigley Field.
“Um, what’s our record right now?” Heyward said. “Winning two series on a road trip.”
So much for feeling the hangover or looking ahead or getting distracted: One week into defending their World Series title, the Cubs are 4-2 with two walk-off losses, heading home for the 102nd opener at their iconic ballpark and a Wednesday night ceremony where they will get their championship rings.
There are several reasons why the 2017 Cubs might be a better team on paper. But this 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers highlighted how Heyward – now hitting .333 with an .820 OPS in an admittedly small sample size – could be so much more than a good clubhouse guy and a defensive wizard in right field.
“The reaction we got after winning it all last year, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see that again in any sport,” All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “It’s images you’ll never forget, memories you’ll never forget. Tomorrow will be no different. People are going to be excited for that banner to go up.
“We’re excited about it, too, but everyone wants us to repeat, so we got to focus on winning today and then tomorrow.”
Heyward helped set the tone when the Cubs jumped Zach Davies in the first inning, blasting a two-run triple into right-center field and giving Jake Arrieta a 4-0 lead before he threw his first pitch.
Heyward’s 2-for-5 might have been a 5-for-5 cycle if: Ryan Braun hadn’t made a diving catch in the left-center field gap in the second inning; second baseman Jonathan Villar hadn’t made a diving stop to his left in the fifth inning; and Keon Broxton hadn’t made a leaping catch at the center-field wall in the ninth inning.
Heyward, a four-time Gold Glove winner, tipped his helmet to Broxton as he ran toward second base.
“Yeah, it was a good play,” Heyward deadpanned.
After a year of bad luck, bad timing and bad rhythm – at least from an offensive point of view – the Cubs watched Heyward break down his swing at the team’s Arizona complex and expect to see the returns on their $184 million investment.
“I’m relaxed up there, not thinking a whole lot,” Heyward said. “Just really trying to focus on what the pitcher’s going to do, how they’re going to attack you, that kind of stuff. Not thinking about the swing or anything like that. It’s just where you need to be.
“Be aggressive in the strike zone. But be on time, be relaxed and go up there one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time, the same stuff (for) anybody. Let the game take care of itself.”
Imagine how intimidating this lineup could be if Heyward resembles more of the guy who hit 27 homers for the Atlanta Braves in 2012, which became the template for his new/old swing. Heyward has already seen the blueprint for the championship rings, suggesting the Cubs feature the team’s 2016 logo when asked for his input during the design phase.
“I don’t know how much I’ll have it on,” Heyward said. “It kind of goes without being said in Chicago, which is really cool, and for the majority of baseball fans around the world, so I don’t know how much I’ll wear it. I know I’ll cherish it and probably look at it a lot.
“It’s just going to be cool to hold it. There’s a lot of history in it, of course, and there’s a lot of our history in it, as well, with the 2016 season. It should be an awesome thing."
What the Wrigley banner-raising ceremony means to Cubs ace Jon Lester.
Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Like all professional athletes, Jon Lester lives in a bubble, flying on private jets and staying in five-star hotels. Part of this is by design, believing that a focus on process and routine creates a sense of calm, something to fall back on during high-stress situations. This is also someone who owns farmland in Georgia and enjoys disappearing into the woods to go hunting.
So while other Cubs have noticed how much their lives have changed since winning the World Series, experienced a different level of celebrity and capitalized on the newfound perks, this is exactly what Lester signed up for when team president Theo Epstein made a $155 million offer he couldn’t refuse.
Except for a quick, in-and-out stop at Cubs Convention in January, Lester hasn’t really been in Chicago since the team’s parade down Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue, the Grant Park rally and the post-championship bender.
The adrenaline will be surging again on Monday night at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs will raise their 2016 banner above the iconic center-field scoreboard before Lester faces the Los Angeles Dodgers on national TV in a National League Championship Series rematch.
“There hasn’t really been a surreal moment,” Lester said before Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. “For me, it’s always when you get that tangible thing and you have something in your hand or you see that banner go up.
“That’s when it kind of hits home for me. I was a little confused on why we were doing two different days in Chicago for the celebration. (And) now I’m happy we’re doing two days, because then I will get to be a part of the ring stuff on Wednesday. That, for me, will kind of be the surreal moment.”
Lester already owns two World Series rings from his time with the Boston Red Sox, but says he doesn’t show off the championship bling often, except for weddings or other special occasions: “They’re kind of so big and gaudy it’s not really fun to wear it sometimes. It’s kind of almost too big, which is a good thing.”
Lester’s presence helped transform what had been a fifth-place team for five straight seasons, energizing the clubhouse and signaling the Cubs would be serious about winning and move beyond checking minor-league box scores and talking up the future. During his recruiting trip to Chicago the week before Thanksgiving 2014, Lester told Epstein: “They’re going to burn this city down again when we win the World Series.”
“A big part of what we do is for the fans,” manager Joe Maddon said. “They will be out in force. It’s going to be raucous. It’s going to be a party for them. I love it. Our fans deserve it. They waited a long enough time. The reaction has been beyond spectacular.
“Every place you go, more than anything, you hear: ‘Thank you.’”
Lester had enough sense of history to choose No. 34 as a tribute to Kerry Wood, Walter Payton and Nolan Ryan and wanted to be part of something like the epic World Series against the Cleveland Indians that ended the 108-year drought.
“We all saw the stuff this offseason – the different TV programs about our journey and fans and just how much it meant to those people,” Lester said. “The one that hit home was a guy that sat at his dad’s grave for the entire game and listened to (Game 7) on the radio and just his emotions through the whole game. That resonated pretty hard for me.
“That was a pretty cool moment that these fans shared with their family members – who have been through so many years of heartache – to finally win and give these people the championship that the city deserves.”
Even someone who spent nine years in the Fenway Park fishbowl and pitched in 14 playoff series still feels the butterflies. Moving the bullpens to underneath the bleachers means more revenue for the Cubs and tunnel vision for Lester.
“There’s a lot of things going on, a lot of distractions,” Lester said. “But I actually honestly think that the bullpen move is going to help us with all this stuff. You’re kind of separated from things. You’re in a tunnel. You’re away from everybody. You don’t get to really see what’s going on.
“Obviously, when you get out there for first pitch, it’s going to be a little different. But as far as the festivities leading up to that point, I feel like that new bullpen’s going to kind of help combat all those emotions.”
Cubs: Joe Maddon invites Don Zimmer's widow to Wrigley banner-raising ceremony.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Joe Maddon's people skills and sense of baseball history led him to invite Don Zimmer's widow, Soot, to Monday night's home opener at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs will raise their 2016 World Series banner.
This is personal for Maddon, who managed the Tampa Bay Rays while Zimmer worked as a senior adviser for the organization. Zimmer managed the Cubs for three-plus seasons – including the 1989 team that won 93 games – and died in 2014 at the age of 83.
"I don't think Soot's missed an Opening Day," Maddon said before Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. "I don't know how many years it's been – she's not missed an Opening Day. So I did not want it to happen this year.
"I left her a phone message. We kept playing phone tag. I finally got her yesterday. And I said: 'Zimm's going to be there, so you might as well be there, too.' So she conceded.
"It's just appropriate that she's going to be at another Opening Day. And to be there for this one – I thought it was necessary, based on not only her affiliation with the Cubs, but (my connection) with their family."
Beau Zimmer, Don's grandson and a TV reporter with a CBS affiliate in Tampa, will accompany Soot for what should be an unforgettable event for generations of Cubs fans.
"Rings are wonderful, but I love banner raisings," Maddon said. "That's symbolically there all the time. Every time a kid shows up at the ballpark, he sees that banner. And hopefully we're going to be able to add more."
This is personal for Maddon, who managed the Tampa Bay Rays while Zimmer worked as a senior adviser for the organization. Zimmer managed the Cubs for three-plus seasons – including the 1989 team that won 93 games – and died in 2014 at the age of 83.
"I don't think Soot's missed an Opening Day," Maddon said before Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. "I don't know how many years it's been – she's not missed an Opening Day. So I did not want it to happen this year.
"I left her a phone message. We kept playing phone tag. I finally got her yesterday. And I said: 'Zimm's going to be there, so you might as well be there, too.' So she conceded.
"It's just appropriate that she's going to be at another Opening Day. And to be there for this one – I thought it was necessary, based on not only her affiliation with the Cubs, but (my connection) with their family."
Beau Zimmer, Don's grandson and a TV reporter with a CBS affiliate in Tampa, will accompany Soot for what should be an unforgettable event for generations of Cubs fans.
"Rings are wonderful, but I love banner raisings," Maddon said. "That's symbolically there all the time. Every time a kid shows up at the ballpark, he sees that banner. And hopefully we're going to be able to add more."
WHITE SOX: Jose Quintana bounces back, but White Sox fall to Twins.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Jose Quintana felt better about his second start of 2017, but hasn't quite found a groove just yet.
Despite Quintana's solid 6 1/3 innings, the White Sox lost to the Twins, 4-1, in front of 24,074 at Guaranteed Rate Field Sunday afternoon. Quintana allowed two runs on five hits with one walk, one home run and seven strikeouts, a marked improvement from his season-opening start Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers (5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 HR, 2 K).
"I (felt) pretty good today, better than last time," Quintana said.
Quintana didn't have his best stuff on Sunday, with his trusty curveball rendered largely ineffective as the day went on. The 28-year-old left hander threw only 14 of his 30 curveballs for strikes, according to BrooksBaseball.net, and only generated one swing and miss with it.
So Quintana pounded his fastball against the Twins' lineup, firing 76 percent of them for strikes and getting eight swings and misses on that pitch. He only missed badly with one fastball, which he left over the plate on a 1-2 offering in the sixth to shortstop Jorge Polanco, who ripped it over the left field wall for a solo home run.
While Quintana lightly hit himself on the head after giving up that home run to Polanco, he was generally pleased with how he threw his fastball.
"Today was better with the fastball command, (I got) a lot of strikeouts, especially with the fastball," Quintana said. "That's good, that is what I want."
Catcher Omar Narvaez and Quintana had to change their signs with runners on base after the third inning, in which a passed ball allowed Robbie Grossman (who had doubled) to advance to third and score the first run of the game on Joe Mauer's two-out single.
Quintana also mixed in his changeup more later in the game, using it to strike out Minnesota masher Miguel Sano in the sixth. It didn't matter in terms of the White Sox chances to win, though, thanks to a dominant outing by Twins starter Ervin Santana (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) and Sano's lead-padding two-run home run off Nate Jones in the eighth inning.
But Quintana's ability to make those in-game adjustments and succeed without his best stuff are reasons why manager Rick Renteria came away happy with how his ace threw on Sunday.
"If you look at him in terms of how he approaches the day to day, he maneuvered and navigated early, especially through some trouble," Renteria said. "So he shows the wherewithal and the focus and the ability and the tenacity to continue to pitch. That, to me, shows you part of what a No. 1-type pitcher does. He's able to work with his stuff and continue to keep you in the ballgame. That's a pretty good outing."
Back from Arizona, Dylan Covey ready to go when White Sox need him.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Dylan Covey threw about 85 pitches in an extended spring training game Saturday in Arizona and said he feels confident heading into what could be his major league debut later this week.
The White Sox are still deciding whether Covey will start Friday or Saturday against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, but the anticipation is the Rule 5 pick from the Oakland Athletics will pitch in Minneapolis.
While most pitchers worked on specific things -- pitches, mechanics, etc. -- during spring training, Covey felt he had to focus on getting outs as he pushed to make the White Sox Opening Day roster. As a Rule 5 pick, Covey would've been placed on waivers and offered back to the A's if he didn't make the White Sox major league roster out of spring training (the same would be the case if he ever were to be removed from the White Sox major league roster this season, outside of a stint on the disabled list).
"We’re glad he’s feeling more comfortable in terms of being able to work on certain things and not worry about trying to make a club," manager Rick Renteria said. "Hopefully that pays some dividends for us moving forward."
With the A's backed up with pitchers across their minor league system, Covey saw making the White Sox roster as his best shot at breaking through in the majors. An example of his out-focused efforts: He had to largely ditch one of his go-to pitches -- his split-changeup -- because it wasn't working well during spring training.
Covey's simulated games in extended spring training this month allowed him to re-introduce that pitch and get a feel for it again. With the pressure of making a major league roster off Covey, he's been able to do what most other pitches did during February and March and work on some things to get him prepared for his first start next weekend.
“I've been able to really focus on (the split-change) my last couple sim games,” Covey said. “It's a lot better than it was in spring training. … I feel like my stuff is refined now in where I want it. I feel like I'm ready to go.”
The White Sox are still deciding whether Covey will start Friday or Saturday against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, but the anticipation is the Rule 5 pick from the Oakland Athletics will pitch in Minneapolis.
While most pitchers worked on specific things -- pitches, mechanics, etc. -- during spring training, Covey felt he had to focus on getting outs as he pushed to make the White Sox Opening Day roster. As a Rule 5 pick, Covey would've been placed on waivers and offered back to the A's if he didn't make the White Sox major league roster out of spring training (the same would be the case if he ever were to be removed from the White Sox major league roster this season, outside of a stint on the disabled list).
"We’re glad he’s feeling more comfortable in terms of being able to work on certain things and not worry about trying to make a club," manager Rick Renteria said. "Hopefully that pays some dividends for us moving forward."
With the A's backed up with pitchers across their minor league system, Covey saw making the White Sox roster as his best shot at breaking through in the majors. An example of his out-focused efforts: He had to largely ditch one of his go-to pitches -- his split-changeup -- because it wasn't working well during spring training.
Covey's simulated games in extended spring training this month allowed him to re-introduce that pitch and get a feel for it again. With the pressure of making a major league roster off Covey, he's been able to do what most other pitches did during February and March and work on some things to get him prepared for his first start next weekend.
“I've been able to really focus on (the split-change) my last couple sim games,” Covey said. “It's a lot better than it was in spring training. … I feel like my stuff is refined now in where I want it. I feel like I'm ready to go.”
White Sox minor league update: Yoan Moncada homers, Michael Kopech shines.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Saturday was a highlight-filled day for White Sox prospects across the team's revamped farm system, with plenty of highly-rated youngsters turning in big days. The rundown:
Triple-A Charlotte: Won, 15-5, vs. Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles)
-- Yoan Moncada hit his first home run of the season, pulling a Logan Verrett offering over the right field wall. While the home run was the switch-hitting 21-year-old's only hit, it followed two strong games to begin the season in which Moncada went 7-for-11 with a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored.
-- Moncada's blast was one of six the Knights hit on Saturday. Also going deep: First baseman Danny Hayes (twice, including a grand slam), Willy Garcia, Nicky Delmonico and Jose Vinicio. Delmonico, like Avisail Garcia at the major league level, fell a double shy of the cycle.
-- Right-hander Lucas Giolito wasn't as successful in his first start of 2017, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
Double-A Birmingham: Won, 8-7, at Jackson (Arizona Diamondbacks)
-- Michael Kopech struck out 10 in only 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and one home run allowed. To put it another way: 10 of the 13 outs Kopech recorded were strikeouts. The start was Kopech's first start at the Double-A level after he logged 56 1/3 innings (with 86 strikeouts) with the Boston Red Sox Single-A affiliates last year.
Advanced Single-A Winston-Salem: Lost, 9-4, to Buies Creek (Houston Astros)
-- 2016 first-round pick Zack Collins hit his first home run of the year, while outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe walked and stole a base.
Single-A Kannapolis: Lost, 8-4, to Lakewood (Philadelphia Phillies)
-- Dane Dunning, the 22-year-old right-hander acquired from the Washington Nationals in December's Adam Eaton trade, allowed one run on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts over six innings in his season debut.
Triple-A Charlotte: Won, 15-5, vs. Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles)
-- Yoan Moncada hit his first home run of the season, pulling a Logan Verrett offering over the right field wall. While the home run was the switch-hitting 21-year-old's only hit, it followed two strong games to begin the season in which Moncada went 7-for-11 with a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored.
-- Moncada's blast was one of six the Knights hit on Saturday. Also going deep: First baseman Danny Hayes (twice, including a grand slam), Willy Garcia, Nicky Delmonico and Jose Vinicio. Delmonico, like Avisail Garcia at the major league level, fell a double shy of the cycle.
-- Right-hander Lucas Giolito wasn't as successful in his first start of 2017, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
Double-A Birmingham: Won, 8-7, at Jackson (Arizona Diamondbacks)
-- Michael Kopech struck out 10 in only 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and one home run allowed. To put it another way: 10 of the 13 outs Kopech recorded were strikeouts. The start was Kopech's first start at the Double-A level after he logged 56 1/3 innings (with 86 strikeouts) with the Boston Red Sox Single-A affiliates last year.
Advanced Single-A Winston-Salem: Lost, 9-4, to Buies Creek (Houston Astros)
-- 2016 first-round pick Zack Collins hit his first home run of the year, while outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe walked and stole a base.
Single-A Kannapolis: Lost, 8-4, to Lakewood (Philadelphia Phillies)
-- Dane Dunning, the 22-year-old right-hander acquired from the Washington Nationals in December's Adam Eaton trade, allowed one run on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts over six innings in his season debut.
Golf: I got a club for that..... Garcia defeats Rose to win Masters playoff.
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
It took overtime, but Sergio Garcia finally has his major. Here's how things ended up at the Masters, where Garcia defeated Justin Rose on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff:
Leaderboard: Sergio Garcia (-9, won on first playoff hole), Justin Rose (-9), Charl Schwartzel (-6), Matt Kuchar (-5) Thomas PIeters (-5), Paul Casey (-4)
What it means: Finally, it was Garcia's day. On what would have been Seve Ballesteros' 60th birthday, Garcia made his way into a playoff and then rolled in a 15-foot putt to close out Rose. It gives the Spaniard his long-awaited first major title and denies Rose the green jacket that seemed to be his with only a handful of holes to go.
Round of the day: Garcia was two shots back heading into the final five holes, but he added a birdie on No. 14 and then rolled in an eagle on the next hole. Despite trailing by a shot, Garcia steadied himself and carded three straight pars to force overtime and then rolled in a putt that will be heard for ages, to defeat the Englishman.
Best of the rest: Kuchar made a big move with a 5-under 67, a score that was propelled by an ace on the par-3 16th. Kuchar was even par for the tournament until the par-3 12th, where he started a run of three straight birdies leading into a rare ace that gave him a share of fourth place.
Biggest disappointment: Rickie Fowler started the day one shot off the lead, but he quickly faded after bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5. Fowler made the turn in even-par 36, but he came home in 40 to dash any hopes of a maiden major and finish in a tie for 11th, eight shots back and well off of where he was expected to finish after 54 holes.
Shot of the day: With Rose troubled off the tee, Garcia found the green on the first extra hole and then rolled in the subsequent birdie putt to clinch the first major in nearly two decades of effort.
Spieth feels he let Fowler down with poor play.
By Jay Coffin
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Jordan Spieth shot a final-round 75 and tied for 11th place in his quest for a second green jacket.
He was miffed. Not for the reason you might think.
Spieth got off to a terrible start and never mounted a charge. He was out of contention very early on Sunday but was annoyed because he felt that his poor play might have had a negative effect on his playing partner, Rickie Fowler.
“I feel bad I went so downhill while Rickie was still in it there, because it is tough when you don’t see a ball go in the hole,” Spieth said.
Spieth bogeyed three of his first six holes, while Fowler was still in the hunt after a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole. Spieth bogeyed the 10th hole, double-bogeyed the 12th while Fowler bogeyed Nos. 11 and 12. After that both were done. Fowler bogeyed the last three holes to shoot 76 and tied for 11th place.
“I don’t think I helped him whatsoever on the round," Spieth said. "And I felt like if I was able to hang in there and we were able to feed off each other, then we would have been able to push through like you saw Sergio and Justin able to do today.”
Fowler insisted that wasn’t the case.
“Not even close,” he said. “We had a great time out there. We were playing together and, yeah, we both could have played better.”
He was miffed. Not for the reason you might think.
Spieth got off to a terrible start and never mounted a charge. He was out of contention very early on Sunday but was annoyed because he felt that his poor play might have had a negative effect on his playing partner, Rickie Fowler.
“I feel bad I went so downhill while Rickie was still in it there, because it is tough when you don’t see a ball go in the hole,” Spieth said.
Spieth bogeyed three of his first six holes, while Fowler was still in the hunt after a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole. Spieth bogeyed the 10th hole, double-bogeyed the 12th while Fowler bogeyed Nos. 11 and 12. After that both were done. Fowler bogeyed the last three holes to shoot 76 and tied for 11th place.
“I don’t think I helped him whatsoever on the round," Spieth said. "And I felt like if I was able to hang in there and we were able to feed off each other, then we would have been able to push through like you saw Sergio and Justin able to do today.”
Fowler insisted that wasn’t the case.
“Not even close,” he said. “We had a great time out there. We were playing together and, yeah, we both could have played better.”
2017 Masters prize money, purse: Payouts for each golfer from $11M pool.
By Kyle Porter
The 2017 Masters purse and prize money breakdowns are out, and here's what each golfer will get.
The Masters has announced an $11 million purse to be divided among the professional participants in the 2017 event, according to Golf.com. The total is up $1 million from the last two tournaments in which the total purse was $10 million.
The winner will receive $1.98 million, a raise of nearly $200,000 from a year ago.
Anyone finishing past 50th will receiver a lower amount than listed below.
Winner: $1,980,000
Runner-up: $1,188,000
3rd: $748,000
4th: $528,000
5th: $440,000
6th: $396,000
7th: $368,500
8th: $341,000
9th: $319,000
10th: $297,000
11th: $275,000
12th: $253,000
13th: $231,000
14th: $209,000
15th: $198,000
16th: $187,000
17th: $176,000
18th: $165,000
19th: $154,000
20th: $143,000
21st: $132,000
22nd: $123,200
23rd: $114,400
24th: $105,600
25th: $96,800
26th: $88,000
27th: $84,700
28th: $81,400
29th: $78,100
30th: $74,800
31st: $71,500
32nd: $68,200
33rd: $64,900
34th: $62,150
35th: $59,400
36th: $56,650
37th: $53,900
38th: $51,700
39th: $49,500
40th: $47,300
41st: $45,100
42nd: $42,900
43rd: $40,700
44th: $38,500
45th: $36,300
46th: $34,100
47th: $31,900
48th: $30,140
49th: $28,600
50th: $27,720
Masters green jacket bought for $5 in thrift store sells for $139K
By Arthur Weinstein
This is a story about a $5 thrift-store jacket that auctioned off this weekend for almost $140,000.
Sound impossible? Not if the jacket in question is an authentic The Masters jacket from Augusta National.
According to the Washington Post, Augusta National officials confirmed the authenticity of the jacket, which dates to the 1950s. But they wouldn't reveal who the owner might have been (the owner's name tag was cut out).
(Photo/twitter.com)
"Authentic Masters Jacket found in Toronto thrift store & bought for $5 being auctioned off tonight by @BidGreenJacket, currently at $31K."
Darren Rovell
@darrenrovell
A very rigorous protocol applies to Augusta's famous green jackets. Of course, the winner of The Masters each year receives a jacket, but may take it off the Augusta National grounds only during the year in which they are the defending champion. Club members also receive a jacket with the Augusta National logo, but may not take their jacket off club grounds.
So how this 1950s-era green jacket ended up in a Toronto thrift store is a mystery. However, its status was no mystery to the buyer; according to the Post, the man is an avid golfer who knew exactly what he had found.
Green Jacket Auctions opened bidding for the jacket at $5,000. The final bid was $139,348.80.
Darren Rovell
@darrenrovell
A very rigorous protocol applies to Augusta's famous green jackets. Of course, the winner of The Masters each year receives a jacket, but may take it off the Augusta National grounds only during the year in which they are the defending champion. Club members also receive a jacket with the Augusta National logo, but may not take their jacket off club grounds.
So how this 1950s-era green jacket ended up in a Toronto thrift store is a mystery. However, its status was no mystery to the buyer; according to the Post, the man is an avid golfer who knew exactly what he had found.
Green Jacket Auctions opened bidding for the jacket at $5,000. The final bid was $139,348.80.
By Daniel McFadin
Jimmie Johnson’s seven Texas wins have all come in the last 10 races. (Photo/Getty)
Jimmie Johnson passed Joey Logano with 16 laps left and led the rest of the way to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Johnson’s seventh win at Texas Motor Speedway and the 81st Cup win of his career came after he started from the rear of the field. It echoed Johnson’s most recent win, the 2016 finale in Miami, when he started from the rear and took the lead late to win the race and championship.
Sunday’s win is also Johnson’s first top five of the year. Prior to Sunday, Johnson had not finished better than ninth through the first six races of the year, a career worst to open a season.
“I guess I remembered how to drive,” Johnson told Fox Sports in victory lane. “Just real proud of this team. What a tough track and conditions. We were really in our wheelhouse and we were able to execute all day.”
Filling out the top five were Kyle Larson, Logano, pole-sitter Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Logano finished second after being the only driver to stay out during a debris caution that flew with 35 laps remaining.
Johnson is the first Cup winner at Texas since the 1.5-mile track was repaved and the banking in Turns 1 and 2 reduced from 24 to 20 degrees.
He started from the rear after spinning in qualifying and having to go to new tires.
“Probably in the second or third run I knew we were going to be in good shape,” Johnson said. “From there off we went. It was so tough those first 23 laps in traffic. The air was very turbulent, the track wasn’t very clean. Just the way it finished now, I think we could start racing and put on a show.”
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Logano (third) and Earnhardt (fifth) each had their best result of the year. Earnhardt’s top five is his first since the June 2016 race at Pocono Raceway … Blaney led 148 laps, a career high, but pit strategy and a bad final pit stop relegated him to a 12th-place finish … Jamie McMurray finished seventh for his fourth top 10 of the season.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Austin Dillon did not enter the race until Lap 12 after going to the garage during pace laps for a broken track bar. He finished 33rd …. Paul Menard left the race soon after the start of the final stage for a battery problem. He returned to the race 18 laps down and finished 36th … Denny Hamlin finished 25th for his fourth finish of worse than 15th this year … Kasey Kahne went to the garage with a rear axle problem with 42 laps left and finished 38th.
NOTABLE: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.‘s car had one unsecured lug nut in post-race inspection. According to the rulebook, that results a $10,000 fine for the crew chief … Kyle Larson has finished second in four of the first seven races. He’s finished second in five of the last eight races, dating back to the 2016 finale at Miami.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I still think I have the keys to the front door,” – Jimmie Johnson after winning his seventh race at Texas Motor Speedway, the track record.
WHAT’S NEXT: Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway at 2 p.m. ET on April 23 on Fox.
Kyle Larson extends points lead after runner-up finish at Texas.
By Dustin Long
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Kyle Larson‘s points lead grew by 13 points after placing second in Sunday’s Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Larson leads Chase Elliott by 17 points heading into the Easter break. Martin Truex Jr. is third, 40 points behind Larson. Brad Keselowski is fourth, 41 points behind Larson. Joey Logano is fifth, 72 points behind Larson.
The top five remain unchanged from last week.
The Cup series is back in action April 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Larson has four runner-up finishes along with his victory at Auto Club Speedway this season.
“I’d liked to have five wins right now, but one win and four seconds isn’t that terrible,” Larson said.
Larson leads Chase Elliott by 17 points heading into the Easter break. Martin Truex Jr. is third, 40 points behind Larson. Brad Keselowski is fourth, 41 points behind Larson. Joey Logano is fifth, 72 points behind Larson.
The top five remain unchanged from last week.
The Cup series is back in action April 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Larson has four runner-up finishes along with his victory at Auto Club Speedway this season.
“I’d liked to have five wins right now, but one win and four seconds isn’t that terrible,” Larson said.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. scores best finish in 10 months, ponders the speed of Team Penske.
By Nate Ryan
(Photo/Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team found speed in the No. 88 Chevrolet during Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
But after Earnhardt (fifth) scored his first top five in 10 months, he couldn’t help but wonder how to find the little extra that his rivals seemed to have – particularly the Team Penske Fords.
“I mean, I felt like we were pretty good and we ran with the cars that have been really fast,” Earnhardt said. “I think (Brad Keselowski) and (Joey Logano) have been really the class of the field.
“I saw those guys weaving after the race and downshifting hard to reset their housing, so we have to figure out what they are doing and see if we can’t make it better.”
Earnhardt still was in the game after starting 37th because he didn’t take a qualifying lap on the repaved 1.5-mile oval.
He was outside the top 10 after the first stage but was ninth after the second stage and took advantage of a well-timed pit stop with five laps remaining before the closing segment of the race.
The 14-time most popular driver also battled a malfunctioning cooling system that wasn’t directing enough air into his helmet (winning teammate Jimmie Johnson battled the same problem and needed fluids after the race).
Earnhardt said he ran the 500-mile race with his visor up to help with circulation, blaming the lack of air conditioning partly on a windy day at Texas.
“I think it makes it hard to get into the inlet that lets air in the helmet,” Earnhardt said on a post-race Periscope. “It was like a vacuum. I saw Jimmie in victory lane, and he about passed out when he got out of the car. It was super, super hot.”
Earnhardt said Hendrick would evaluate the cooling systems on the Nos. 48 and 88 Chevrolets.
“We have all our stuff routed the same,” he said. “Maybe we need to look at what we’re doing and improve the interior.
“I’m not going to complain too much because Adam (Jordan), my interior guy, one of the greatest guys on earth, is getting married on Easter weekend. One of my very good friends, I’ll talk to him about how to fix the interior or work on the air conditioning when he gets back from his honeymoon.”
Earnhardt scored his best finish since a second on June 6, 2016 at Pocono Raceway. A week later at Michigan International Speedway, he was involved in the crash that caused the concussion-like symptoms that forced him out of the car for the final 18 races of the 2016 season.
“Good run, finally got a great finish,” Earnhardt said on Periscope. “We should have finished better. Maybe even won the race. Our car was good enough for that. I don’t know. I didn’t do everything just right on restarts and stuff. I think we had a fast enough car for sure.
“Always fun to have a good run when you have an off-weekend coming up. I like finishing good before an off-weekend so we can have fun and not think about racing a bit.”
Erik Jones triumphs in Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
By Daniel McFadin
But after Earnhardt (fifth) scored his first top five in 10 months, he couldn’t help but wonder how to find the little extra that his rivals seemed to have – particularly the Team Penske Fords.
“I mean, I felt like we were pretty good and we ran with the cars that have been really fast,” Earnhardt said. “I think (Brad Keselowski) and (Joey Logano) have been really the class of the field.
“I saw those guys weaving after the race and downshifting hard to reset their housing, so we have to figure out what they are doing and see if we can’t make it better.”
Earnhardt still was in the game after starting 37th because he didn’t take a qualifying lap on the repaved 1.5-mile oval.
He was outside the top 10 after the first stage but was ninth after the second stage and took advantage of a well-timed pit stop with five laps remaining before the closing segment of the race.
The 14-time most popular driver also battled a malfunctioning cooling system that wasn’t directing enough air into his helmet (winning teammate Jimmie Johnson battled the same problem and needed fluids after the race).
Earnhardt said he ran the 500-mile race with his visor up to help with circulation, blaming the lack of air conditioning partly on a windy day at Texas.
“I think it makes it hard to get into the inlet that lets air in the helmet,” Earnhardt said on a post-race Periscope. “It was like a vacuum. I saw Jimmie in victory lane, and he about passed out when he got out of the car. It was super, super hot.”
Earnhardt said Hendrick would evaluate the cooling systems on the Nos. 48 and 88 Chevrolets.
“We have all our stuff routed the same,” he said. “Maybe we need to look at what we’re doing and improve the interior.
“I’m not going to complain too much because Adam (Jordan), my interior guy, one of the greatest guys on earth, is getting married on Easter weekend. One of my very good friends, I’ll talk to him about how to fix the interior or work on the air conditioning when he gets back from his honeymoon.”
Earnhardt scored his best finish since a second on June 6, 2016 at Pocono Raceway. A week later at Michigan International Speedway, he was involved in the crash that caused the concussion-like symptoms that forced him out of the car for the final 18 races of the 2016 season.
“Good run, finally got a great finish,” Earnhardt said on Periscope. “We should have finished better. Maybe even won the race. Our car was good enough for that. I don’t know. I didn’t do everything just right on restarts and stuff. I think we had a fast enough car for sure.
“Always fun to have a good run when you have an off-weekend coming up. I like finishing good before an off-weekend so we can have fun and not think about racing a bit.”
Erik Jones triumphs in Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Erik Jones dominated the first stage and the final 100 laps to win the My Bariatric Solutions 300 in the Xfinity Series at Texas Motor Speedway.
Jones led 112 laps and took the No. 20 Toyota to victory lane for his first NASCAR win of 2017. It’s his seventh career Xfinity victory. It’s his second at Texas, where he claimed his first series win in 2015.
Jones was followed by Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon and Cole Custer.
“The first time I came here, it’s funny, it really wasn’t that good to me, but after that it just kind of clicked, and I felt really good here ever since,” Jones said. “I tiptoed a lot there in the (early) segments and ended up letting (Blaney) catch us and pass us, but then I was just super aggressive the whole time in traffic just trying to make passes as quick as I could … and it paid off. I think we were probably a little slower than him for the last few laps – he had so many lapped cars to get around that there was no way he was going to get to us.”
Pole-sitter Joey Logano led 19 laps Saturday but didn’t finish because of a mechanical problems.
Darrell Wallace Jr. finished sixth for the fifth race in a row, giving him the second-longest streak in series history of finishing in the same spot in the top 10. Jack Ingram finished second in six straight race in 1983.
“I really fought hard there and did look with about nine laps to go where I was and got it mixed up between us and the 9 and we were sixth,” Wallace told Fox Sports. “Unreal. Shout out to my guys. My pit crew was on it all day and all year. They put us in the game there on the green-flag stop. I saw we came out a couple spots ahead of the guys we were behind and I knew it would be a good day.”
WHO HAD A GOOD DAY: Cole Custer was the top finishing Xfinity regular, placing fifth for his first top five of the season. … Matt Tifft finished ninth for his first top 10 of the season. … William Byron finished seventh after earning his first stage win of the season. … Daniel Suarez finished 12th after early contact with the wall and a spin two laps later.
WHO HAD A BAD DAY: Daniel Hemric was running in second on Lap 12 when he got loose and backed into the outside wall. He finished 32nd, 28 laps down. … Casey Mears, in his second Xfinity start of the year, finished 38th after dealing with a rear-brake problem that dropped oil on the track. … Brennan Poole finished 37th after a multicar wreck with 25 to go in Stage 2. He went to the garage for damage, which ended his day. … Joey Logano’s three-race win streak in the No. 12 car ended with a lost cylinder, which sent him to the garage with 53 laps left in the race for his first DNF of the year.
NOTABLE: Erik Jones is the sixth different winner through the first six races of the season. Jones has finished in the top five in of his five Xfinity starts at Texas.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “What a blast out here today. Man, Texas is tough now. Giving up that bottom groove is like pulling teeth.” – Darrell Wallace Jr. on racing at Texas after a repave and reconfiguration.
WHAT’S NEXT: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway at 12:30 p.m. ET on April 22 on Fox Sports 1.
Elliott Sadler extends Xfinity points lead with top 10 at Texas.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Getty Images)
Elliott Sadler continues to lead the Xfinity Series point standings after his 10th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday.
Sadler has a six-point lead over William Byron, who earned his first playoff point of the season after getting his first stage win in Stage 2.
Filling out the top five is Ryan Reed (-42), Darrell Wallace Jr (-49) and Justin Allgaier (-51)
Click here for the full points report.
Sadler has a six-point lead over William Byron, who earned his first playoff point of the season after getting his first stage win in Stage 2.
Filling out the top five is Ryan Reed (-42), Darrell Wallace Jr (-49) and Justin Allgaier (-51)
Click here for the full points report.
SOCCER: Fire pick up second win with shutout of Columbus.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Last week Bastian Schweinsteiger was the story, but Saturday's win against the Columbus Crew was the Dax McCarty show.
McCarty assisted the game-winning goal, had some key defensive plays and helped control the midfield against a possession-oriented Columbus team in a 1-0 win against the Crew.
McCarty, who was named man of the match, slid a through ball to Nemanja Nikolic in the box in the 22nd minute. Nikolic scored his second goal of the season with a first-time low shot that got through goalkeeper Zack Steffen.
"Very, very satisfied with Dax's performance," coach Veljko Paunovic said. "I think every time and every game he is feeling more comfortable and getting in that role that we wanted and expected from him. The leader on and off the field. He is really feeling comfortable. We knew that it was going to take some time, but he's getting to that level."
Schweinsteiger played a much more subdued role than he did in his debut last week, but him and McCarty combined to win the possession battle against a Crew team which entered the match fifth in the league in that category. The Fire had 53 percent of the possession in the first half.
The Fire (2-1-2, 8 points) opened the match in a 3-4-3 formation with Jonathan Campbell, Joao Meira and Johan Kappelhof (back from his red card suspension) manning a three-man defense and having outside defenders Brandon Vincent and Michael Harrington push up higher the field.
Columbus (3-2-1, 10 points) made some halftime adjustments and started the second half as the aggressor. The chess match continued with Paunovic bringing on Drew Conner for Jonathan Campbell 10 minutes into the second half, which moved Vincent and Harrington into defense for a traditional four-man back line.
The Crew had a majority of the possession in the second half and finished with nearly 55 percent possession for the match, but couldn't get on the board.
"I'd say urgency is a good word to use, especially when you're defending a 1-0 lead," McCarty said of the team's defending. "I think there was a little frustration creeping in that we couldn't get the second goal."
The Fire came close to the second goal on a few occasions. A Schweinsteiger free kick just outside the box in the 76th minute forced a full extension save from Steffen. A few minutes later rookie substitute Daniel Johnson was on a breakaway and chipped the ball over Steffen, but Columbus defender Alex Crognale was able to clear it off the line.
A week after playing a Montreal team without its two best players (Ignacio Piatti and Laurent Ciman) and failing to pick up a win, Columbus came to Toyota Park without Federico Higuain, Jonathan Mensah and Harrison Afful. This time the Fire took advantage and snapped the Crew's three-game winning streak.
Schweinsteiger and McCarty both said the second half wasn't as good as the first half for the Fire, but unlike last week, the Fire held on for the win.
"I hope we can control the game better so that we can enjoy playing football a little bit more," Schweinsteiger said. "At the end of the day, for us it's very important now at the moment to win points. I am happier today than last week when we played a draw. In my eyes we should have won the match. So today I am happy we won the match."
The win moved the Fire into second place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the rest of Saturday's matches around the league.
Next week the Fire host New England to close out a three-game homestand.
La Liga & Serie A: Eibar chasing Europe; Roma still chasing Juve.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images)
A roundup of Sunday’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…
Celta Vigo 0-2 Eibar
European soccer may just be coming to Ipurua Municipal Stadium, the tiny 7,000-seat home of Eibar, far and away the lowest capacity stadium in La Liga. Saturday’s 2-0 victory away to Celta Vigo, courtesy of goals scored by Kike Garcia and Pedro Leon, pulled Eibar level (ahead on goal differential) for seventh (Spain’s second automatic Europa League spot) two days after Athletic Bilbao lost 3-1 away to Villarreal.
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Real Madrid | 30 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 79 | 31 | 48 | 12-4-0 | 10-2-2 | 72 |
| Barcelona | 31 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 88 | 28 | 60 | 11-3-1 | 10-3-3 | 69 |
| Atlético Madrid | 31 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 56 | 24 | 32 | 11-2-2 | 7-6-3 | 62 |
| Sevilla | 31 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 56 | 39 | 17 | 11-3-1 | 7-4-5 | 61 |
| Villarreal | 31 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 45 | 24 | 21 | 9-3-4 | 6-6-3 | 54 |
| Eibar | 31 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 52 | 42 | 10 | 9-3-4 | 5-5-5 | 50 |
| Athletic | 31 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 40 | 36 | 4 | 11-3-2 | 4-2-9 | 50 |
| Real Sociedad | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 43 | 41 | 2 | 7-4-4 | 8-0-7 | 49 |
| Espanyol | 31 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 43 | 42 | 1 | 8-5-3 | 4-5-6 | 46 |
Elsewhere in La Liga — SATURDAY’S ROUNDUP
Granada 1-3 Valencia
Osasuna 2-1 Leganes
Las Palmas 4-1 Real Betis
Ligue 1: Falcao secures win, preserves Monaco’s 4-point lead.
Associated Press
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Radamel Falcao celebrated his return from injury with a sharply taken goal as French league leader Monaco scraped a 1-0 win at Angers on Saturday.
Falcao missed the last four games with a hip injury and lacked fitness. But when his chance came in the 61st minute, courtesy of a clever pass from midfielder Nabil Dirar, he buried it into the right corner for his 25th goal of the season, including 17 in 23 league games.
“Falcao’s a great player,” Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim said. “He helped out the team in attack and in defense.”
Falcao spent the past two seasons on loan to Manchester United and Chelsea, where he had a miserable time as he struggled to recover from a serious knee injury, and nearly went on loan again this season.
The club decided to give him another chance, and he has blossomed into a natural leader as captain. His commitment to the club was underlined by the way he jumped into Jardim’s arms at the final whistle.
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Monaco | 31 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 88 | 26 | 62 | 13-1-1 | 10-4-2 | 74 |
| Nice | 32 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 52 | 26 | 26 | 12-4-0 | 8-6-2 | 70 |
| Paris SG | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 60 | 21 | 39 | 10-5-0 | 11-0-4 | 68 |
| Lyon | 32 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 65 | 39 | 26 | 11-0-5 | 6-3-7 | 54 |
| Bordeaux | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 46 | 39 | 7 | 8-5-4 | 5-5-5 | 49 |
| Marseille | 31 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 44 | 38 | 6 | 10-4-2 | 3-4-8 | 47 |
Monaco lost the French League Cup final to Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 last weekend and needed this win to maintain its momentum in a hard fought French title race. Monaco is four points clear of Nice and six ahead of defending champion PSG.
This was Monaco’s 51st game of the season and tiredness is beginning to creep in, with coach Leonardo Jardim juggling players ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
“We have two days to recover. It’s not easy but we’re playing in every competition,” said Jardim, whose side is also through to the French Cup semifinals.
Mid-table Angers rarely concedes goals at home and gave Monaco a hard time, going close to scoring in the first half and shutting down Monaco’s silky midfield with its relentless harrying.
Monaco improved after the break and midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko blazed over from close range in the 50th.
Then, Dirar broke down the right and showed great awareness to cut the ball back to Falcao, who stabbed the ball home for Monaco’s 133rd goal in all competitions this season – and one of the most valuable.
Angers goalkeeper Alexandre Letellier then made a stunning close-range save to tip over Falcao’s firm downward header with 20 minutes left, moments after making a brilliant double save from striker Valere Germain and winger Thomas Lemar.
Monaco goalie Danijel Subasic threw himself at striker Famara Diedhiou’s feet to make a crucial block in the closing stages as Monaco held on after five minutes of injury time.
“To win this type of game you need mental strength, collective strength, and individual strength,” Jardim said.
Monaco certainly has those qualities, and the pressure is on PSG not to drop points on Sunday against Guingamp, which was the last team to beat PSG, 2-1 at home just before Christmas.
Later Saturday, fourth-place Lyon was at home to 19th-place Lorient.
In other matches, it was: Bordeaux vs. Metz; Caen vs. Montpellier; Dijon vs. Bastia, and Nancy vs. Rennes.
Toulouse hosts Marseille and Saint-Etienne faces Nantes in Sunday’s other games.
Nice kept its title going with a 2-1 win away to Lille on Friday, thanks to two goals from striker Mario Balotelli.
Serie A: Higuain scores twice to send Juve 9 points clear again.
Associated Press
(Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Gonzalo Higuain is coming back into form at just the right time for Juventus.
Higuain hadn’t scored for five matches before netting two against former club Napoli midweek as Juventus progressed to the Italian Cup final. And the forward netted another double to fire the Bianconeri past Chievo Verona 2-0 in Serie A on Saturday.
Juventus moved nine points clear of second-placed Roma, which visits Bologna on Sunday.
Massimiliano Allegri will be hoping Higuain can make it three out of three when Juventus hosts Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“It will be a very difficult match in the Champions League, we’re facing a really great team, but we have to remain calm and get to it in top condition,” Higuain said. “As we respect them, they respect us, too.”
He broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, thanks to a fantastic assist from Paulo Dybala, who skipped down the right flank before pulling back for his teammate to fire into the far bottom corner.
Higuain nearly doubled his tally on the hour mark with a swiveling effort which flew just past the right corner.
He had other chances to score before he finally got his second, six minutes from time, after more good work from Dybala in picking out Stephan Lichtsteiner, who crossed for Higuain to control and curl into the bottom right corner.
It was Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon’s 616th Serie A appearance, moving him to second on the all-time list behind Paolo Maldini, who retired after 647.
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Juventus | 31 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 62 | 20 | 42 | 16-0-0 | 9-2-4 | 77 |
| Roma | 30 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 66 | 26 | 40 | 14-0-1 | 8-2-5 | 68 |
| Napoli | 30 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 69 | 33 | 36 | 10-4-2 | 9-3-2 | 64 |
| Lazio | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 52 | 31 | 21 | 10-2-3 | 8-4-3 | 60 |
| Atalanta | 31 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 52 | 34 | 18 | 10-2-3 | 8-3-5 | 59 |
| Inter Milan | 30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 56 | 33 | 23 | 10-2-3 | 7-2-6 | 55 |
| AC Milan | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 43 | 33 | 10 | 10-2-3 | 6-4-5 | 54 |
| Fiorentina | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 47 | 37 | 10 | 8-7-0 | 6-2-7 | 51 |
Atalanta’s hopes of sneaking into the Champions League diminished as it was held by Sassuolo, leaving it a point behind fourth-placed Lazio and five behind Napoli, which occupies the last Champions League spot.
Bryan Cristante cancelled out Lorenzo Pellegrini’s opener for Sassuolo but the hosts couldn’t snatch a winner.
Lazio hosts Napoli on Sunday.
“Other teams would have collapsed after going behind in such matches,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said. “We can have a bit of regret that we didn’t take our chances in the second half, but the result still allows us to fight for Europe until the end of the season.”
Sassuolo took a surprising lead in the first half when Mattia Caldara made a rare mistake and the Atalanta defender was robbed of the ball by Pellegrini, who sprinted forward, rounded goalkeeper Etrit Berisha, and slotted home.
Alejandro Gomez scored a hat trick in Atalanta’s 5-0 win over Genoa last weekend and he was instrumental in the equalizer in the 73rd, floating in a free kick for Cristante to head into the back of the net.
Gomez, who hit the post early, put in another great cross moments after the equalizer but Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli pulled off a good save to deny Alberto Grassi.
Caldara almost went from villain to hero but Consigli finger-tipped his effort away.
Empoli was not safe from relegation after being held by bottom club Pescara.
Empoli was 17th, six points above Crotone, which hosts Inter Milan on Sunday.
Pescara remained nine points behind Empoli. Palermo was the other team in the bottom three.
La Liga: Madrid derby draw opens door for Barcelona, who lose to Malaga.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
A roundup of Saturday’s action in Spain’s top flight…
Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Antoine Griezmann played the part of hero, Atleti’s superstar savior bagging his 15th league goal this season to steal a point for the visiting Rojiblancos. Pepe headed Madrid into the lead in the 52nd minute, and that looked set to be the difference on the day, but Griezmann was perfectly played through by Angel Correa in the 85th minute, and Keylor Navas was quickly rounded for the late equalizer.
Two points dropped would have been a gigantic blow to Madrid’s title hopes, if not for…
Malaga 2-0 Barcelona
Barcelona can’t seem to get out of their own way during league play this season. Every time Madrid slip up and open the door for a Blaugrana revival, Barca find a new way to blow the opportunity. On Saturday, the two-time defending champs went a goal down to Malaga after 32 minutes, saw Neymar sent off after 65 minutes, and ultimately fell to 2-0 after 90 minutes.
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Real Madrid | 30 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 79 | 31 | 48 | 12-4-0 | 10-2-2 | 72 |
| Barcelona | 31 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 88 | 28 | 60 | 11-3-1 | 10-3-3 | 69 |
| Atlético Madrid | 31 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 56 | 24 | 32 | 11-2-2 | 7-6-3 | 62 |
| Sevilla | 31 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 56 | 39 | 17 | 11-3-1 | 7-4-5 | 61 |
| Villarreal | 31 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 45 | 24 | 21 | 9-3-4 | 6-6-3 | 54 |
| Athletic | 31 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 40 | 36 | 4 | 11-3-2 | 4-2-9 | 50 |
| Real Sociedad | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 43 | 41 | 2 | 7-4-4 | 8-0-7 | 49 |
Elsewhere in La Liga
Sevilla 4-2 Deportivo La Coruña
Espanyol 1-0 Alaves
Premier League roundup: Chelsea’s fun in sun; Irons nab big win.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea are looking strong as the Premier League season hits its stretch run, but we begin with our ride through the day’s PL action with safety first.
West Ham United 1-0 Swansea City — RECAP
Cheikhou Kouyate‘s low finish of an incisive West Ham sequence lifts the Irons eight points clear of the 18th place slot occupied by Swans.
Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea — RECAP
An own goal, a long ball, and a free kick: Chelsea found three different ways to take down the Cherries on a gorgeous day in Southern England. The Blues restored their 7-point table lead over Tottenham with goals produced by Eden Hazard, Marcos Alonso, and Diego Costa (the Spaniard forcing an own goal). For Bournemouth, Joshua King‘s goal was all it could muster in a game effort.
Manchester City 3-1 Hull City — RECAP
This was more of the Man City we expected from Pep Guardiola, as the hosts eased to this win. Only a poor reaction from Claudio Bravo stopped this from being a clean sheet.
West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Southampton — RECAP
Jordy Clasie tore the proverbial cover off the only goal of this one, and West Brom has seemingly again hit a post-safety wall with no wins in three.
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Watford — RECAP
Spurs look as good as any team in the world right now, even considering Watford’s myriad injuries. Dele Alli and Eric Dier scored, and Heung-Min Son nabbed a brace to stay seven points back of Chelsea.
Stoke City 1-2 Liverpool — RECAP
Sickness cost Philippe Coutinho a start, but his introduction into the game changed it dramatically. Coutinho and fellow sub Roberto Firmino combined to make amends for Jon Walters‘ early goal as Liverpool won at the bet365 Stadium.
Middlesbrough 0-0 Burnley — RECAP
Boro wasted several chances to aid its Premier League safety push, and remains six points back of safety.
West Ham United 1-0 Swansea City — RECAP
Cheikhou Kouyate‘s low finish of an incisive West Ham sequence lifts the Irons eight points clear of the 18th place slot occupied by Swans.
Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea — RECAP
An own goal, a long ball, and a free kick: Chelsea found three different ways to take down the Cherries on a gorgeous day in Southern England. The Blues restored their 7-point table lead over Tottenham with goals produced by Eden Hazard, Marcos Alonso, and Diego Costa (the Spaniard forcing an own goal). For Bournemouth, Joshua King‘s goal was all it could muster in a game effort.
Manchester City 3-1 Hull City — RECAP
This was more of the Man City we expected from Pep Guardiola, as the hosts eased to this win. Only a poor reaction from Claudio Bravo stopped this from being a clean sheet.
West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Southampton — RECAP
Jordy Clasie tore the proverbial cover off the only goal of this one, and West Brom has seemingly again hit a post-safety wall with no wins in three.
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Watford — RECAP
Spurs look as good as any team in the world right now, even considering Watford’s myriad injuries. Dele Alli and Eric Dier scored, and Heung-Min Son nabbed a brace to stay seven points back of Chelsea.
Stoke City 1-2 Liverpool — RECAP
Sickness cost Philippe Coutinho a start, but his introduction into the game changed it dramatically. Coutinho and fellow sub Roberto Firmino combined to make amends for Jon Walters‘ early goal as Liverpool won at the bet365 Stadium.
Middlesbrough 0-0 Burnley — RECAP
Boro wasted several chances to aid its Premier League safety push, and remains six points back of safety.
NCAABKB: Kansas guard Frank Mason wins Wooden Award; Josh Hart, Malik Monk also earn honors.
By Scott Phillips
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Kansas senior point guard Frank Mason earned Wooden Award honors while Villanova’s Josh Hart and Kentucky’s Malik Monk also were among a group that won awards on Friday night.
Mason led the Jayhawks to an Elite Eight appearance this season as he averaged 20.9 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
Other finalists for the Wooden Award included Hart, UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball, Purdue sophomore Caleb Swanigan and Gonzaga junior Nigel Williams-Goss.
Hart did earn the Julius Erving Award as the nation’s top small forward after the senior had another outstanding season.
Monk, a high-flying Kentucky freshman, won the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard after some ridiculous scoring bursts against some of the nation’s best teams. Baylor junior forward Johnathan Motley took home the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s top power forward after being a double-double machine during the season.
Gonzaga senior center Przemek Karnowski won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the top center after coming back from a back injury to help lead the Bulldogs to their first Final Four.
Mason led the Jayhawks to an Elite Eight appearance this season as he averaged 20.9 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
Other finalists for the Wooden Award included Hart, UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball, Purdue sophomore Caleb Swanigan and Gonzaga junior Nigel Williams-Goss.
Hart did earn the Julius Erving Award as the nation’s top small forward after the senior had another outstanding season.
Monk, a high-flying Kentucky freshman, won the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard after some ridiculous scoring bursts against some of the nation’s best teams. Baylor junior forward Johnathan Motley took home the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s top power forward after being a double-double machine during the season.
Gonzaga senior center Przemek Karnowski won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the top center after coming back from a back injury to help lead the Bulldogs to their first Final Four.
NCAAFB: Nick Saban makes good on dinner bet with Dabo Swinney.
By John Taylor
(Photo/Getty Images)
When it comes to a wager, Nick Saban is no welcher.
Apparently, the Alabama head coach and his Clemson counterpart, Dabo Swinney, have had a running bet the past two seasons that involves the loser coughing up dinner money. Swinney paid up after the Crimson Tide defeated his Tigers in the national championship game following the 2015 regular season.
Thanks to the last-second win by Swinney’s squad in this season’s title game, Saban was forced to return the favor, which he did — although the Clemson coach was still forced to dig into his own wallet to cover the entire tab.
“He paid up on my spring break,” Swinney, as relayed by TigerNet.com, said in a radio interview. “His spring break was the week before mine. He got me a really nice dinner certificate to a place called Temptation down in Florida. We had a great – probably the best meal I’ve ever had. It was awesome. We had appetizers and dessert to go with it. It was great.
“I did have to dip into my pocket for 50 bucks, though, but it was all good.”
Apparently, the Alabama head coach and his Clemson counterpart, Dabo Swinney, have had a running bet the past two seasons that involves the loser coughing up dinner money. Swinney paid up after the Crimson Tide defeated his Tigers in the national championship game following the 2015 regular season.
Thanks to the last-second win by Swinney’s squad in this season’s title game, Saban was forced to return the favor, which he did — although the Clemson coach was still forced to dig into his own wallet to cover the entire tab.
“He paid up on my spring break,” Swinney, as relayed by TigerNet.com, said in a radio interview. “His spring break was the week before mine. He got me a really nice dinner certificate to a place called Temptation down in Florida. We had a great – probably the best meal I’ve ever had. It was awesome. We had appetizers and dessert to go with it. It was great.
“I did have to dip into my pocket for 50 bucks, though, but it was all good.”
HORSE RACING: Gormley wins $1 million Santa Anita Derby by half-length.
By Beth Harris
It's almost like old times for John Shirreffs and Jerry Moss.
The trainer and the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame member are headed back to the Kentucky Derby together. This time, they've got two contenders.
Gormley won the $1 million Santa Anita Derby by a half-length, while stablemate Royal Mo finished third Saturday in Southern California.
In 2005, Shirreffs and Moss won the Kentucky Derby with 50-1 shot Giacomo, named for a son of Sting. Moss made the rock hall as co-founder of A&M Records.
''It's been such a great time bringing both of these horses up and both came through beautifully,'' Moss said in the winner's circle at Santa Anita.
Two other horses broke into the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field with victories Saturday.
Irap won the $1 million Blue Grass by three-quarters of a length in a 31-1 upset at Keeneland, while Irish War Cry took the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York by 3 1/2 lengths.
At Santa Anita, Gormley ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.16 under Victor Espinzoa and paid $14.40 to win at 6-1 odds. In his previous start, Gormley finished fourth in the San Felipe after winning the Sham Stakes.
''He showed me he's capable of going the distance,'' Espinoza said. ''The only problem is his size. He's not very big, but he's tough and that's what I like about him. He works really hard and that's what it takes.
Battle of Midway was second, followed by Royal Mo and Reach the World fourth.
Royal Mo is 22nd on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard that determines the field for the May 6 race, but could still get in.
Illiad, the 3-1 favorite trained by Doug O'Neill, finished fifth in the 13-horse field. O'Neill saddled three other horses: Term of Art (seventh), Milton Freewater (ninth) and So Conflated (11th).
Bob Baffert, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner, had a disappointing day. He saddled Reach the World, along with eighth-place Irish Freedom and 12th-place American Anthem. That leaves the Hall of Famer without a colt in the top-20 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with next week's Arkansas Derby the last major prep remaining.
BLUE GRASS STAKES
Everything in Irap's record suggested him being an afterthought behind unbeaten favorite McCraken. Of his previous seven starts, he had three seconds, three fourths and a third.
All of which made the longshot's upset in the Blue Grass sweet as it was surprising to everyone except jockey Julien Leparoux.
''All his races, three seconds, they were good races,'' Leparoux said. ''We had the perfect trip, and it came to reality.''
Irap ($64.60) was in contention from the start in the seven-horse field, and he held his ground throughout before taking charge to cover 1 1/8 mile in 1:50.39.
He pulled away from 7-2 third choice Practical Joke in the stretch to win, not only becoming the first to earn his maiden victory in the Blue Grass but snatch 100 points from 8-5 favorite McCraken.
O'Neill left no doubt that Churchill Downs is Irap's next stop and said, ''That's the plan.''
McCraken was in the hunt and found running room in the stretch, but making up so much ground proved too tough and he faded.
''He ran his race, and it was a good third,'' jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said.
WOOD MEMORIAL
Irish War Cry won the $750,000 race while bouncing back from a poor performance in his previous start.
Ridden by Rajiv Maragh, Irish War Cry ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.91 and paid $9 to win for trainer Graham Motion.
Irish War Cry had faded to seventh in the Fountain of Youth after dominating the Holy Bull.
Battalion Runner, co-favorite at 2-1 with Cloud Computing, was second. Cloud Computing finished third, while 21-1 shot True Timber was fourth.
Irap Holds Off Practical Joke in Blue Grass Stunner.
By Alicia Wincze-Hughes
Irap (right) holds off Practical Joke to win the 2017 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland. (Photo/Keeneland/Coady Photography)
It’s been the kind of year that has seen every well-regarded contender take some kind of hit, physical or otherwise, on that arduous march toward May 6. It’s been the kind of season where the moment one thought they were getting a handle on what this year’s crop of 3-year-olds was capable of, some new wrench would be tossed into the mix, causing all sorts of new contemplation.
The connections of Irap were realistic on where they thought the son of Tiznow fit in the sophomore mix. At the top of the stretch of the $1 million, Garde 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, owner Paul Reddam was among the many who realized they better start adjusting his expectations upward where this half-brother to champion Speightstown was concerned.
In a fitting latest twist to the Triple Crown trail, 31.30-1 shot Irap became the first horse ever to break his maiden in the Blue Grass Stakes when he took command approaching the final turn under Julien Leparoux and turned back multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke in the lane to win Keeneland’s signature 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Derby prep race by three-quarters of a length as previously unbeaten McCraken came home third.
Of all the upstart contenders that have thrown their name into the hat for a spot in the gate for the Kentucky Derby, Irap may be the most unlikely yet. The bay colt was winless in seven starts heading into Saturday’s test and came into the race off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby on March 26.
In addition to being trained by two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O’Neill, the faith that Irap could step forward came from his runner-up efforts behind Royal Mo in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Feb. 4 and to Mastery in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity last December. Even his own people didn’t dare say they expected what they got Saturday — a colt who is now third overall on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 113 qualifying points.
“When he made the lead I thought that SOB is going to hit the board here,” Reddam told TVG in an interview after he watched the Blue Grass from Santa Anita Park. “Then, about the eighth pole I was thinking man we have a chance to win here because McCraken had backed out of it and a couple other horses didn’t fire for whatever reason. I really have got to say [trainer] Doug [O’Neill] did a fantastic job - he and his team. It’s just fantastic feeling to win when you don’t think you’re going to.”
Leparoux — who is also the regular rider for reigning juvenile champion Classic Empire — first got acquainted with Irap when he galloped the colt at Keeneland Wednesday morning. Sensing that his new mount was not the rank sort, Leparoux knew he could get away with asking Irap for run right out of the gate, a strategy that ending up working to perfection.
With Rusty Arnold trainee Wild Shot taking up his expected role as pacesetter, Irap stalked in second with McCraken a close-up third as the early fractions went in :23.79 and :48.34 over a track rated fast. Leaving the half-mile mark, Leparoux had moved Irap up to Wild Shot’s neck before taking over for good coming into the final turn.
“I can’t say I had a lot of confidence [in Irap]. But when you look at his races, he was running good," Leparoux said. “It was a tough field today and what he did was great. The fact I knew he wasn’t going to be rank so I knew leaving from the gate I could ask him for a little bit more. The plan worked perfect.
“The only thing I can say is all the races he was second in, they were good races. He runs good almost every race he ran. I was expecting them to come at me [in the stretch] really, but they didn’t.”
The reality of what was about to happen hit at the top of the Keeneland stretch as Irap had opened up a two-length advantage with 8-5 favorite McCraken still trying to get his best run going on the outside and Practical Joke trying to disprove the distance limitations many had about the son of Into Mischief.
Practical Joke bravely ran on to threaten Irap in the final furlong. It was all moot, though, as Irap hit the wire in 1:50.39 with Practical Joke three lengths in front of McCraken.
“He faced a little adversity today. And he didn't fold it in for me,” said Ian Wilkes, trainer of McCraken, who had won the Feb. 11 Sam F. Davis Stakes in his seasonal bow and is 3-for-3 over the Churchill Downs surface. “He was blowing today, he needed that race and I should get some improvement off of this no problem.
“If you're always focused on trying to win, win, win, you're going backwards. He showed me a little character today and a little fight, and that's what you need. You get in the Derby field with 20 horses, no one is going to hand it to you.”
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, April 10, 2017.
emoriesofhistory.com
1916 - The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) held its first championship tournament.
1947 - Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey announced that he had purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals. Robinson was the first African-American player of the modern era.
1961 - Gary Player of South Africa became the first foreign golfer to win the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
1961 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy threw out the first pitch at Griffith Stadium. The Senators lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3
2000 - Ken Griffey Jr. became the youngest player in baseball history to reach 400 home runs. He was 30 years, 141 days old.
1947 - Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey announced that he had purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals. Robinson was the first African-American player of the modern era.
1961 - Gary Player of South Africa became the first foreign golfer to win the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
1961 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy threw out the first pitch at Griffith Stadium. The Senators lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3
2000 - Ken Griffey Jr. became the youngest player in baseball history to reach 400 home runs. He was 30 years, 141 days old.
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