CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 06/05/2017.

Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica

"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"

We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing

Because it's all about you!!!

"Sports Quote of the Day"

"You need three things to win: discipline, hard work and, before everything maybe, commitment. No one will make it without those three. Sport teaches you that." ~ Haile Gebrselassie, Long Distance Track and Road-Running Athlete

TRENDING: Chicago Bears 4 Downs To Success in 2017.  (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).

TRENDING: OHL coach believes Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat is just about ready for NHL (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

TRENDING: After their doomed and dismal season, have the Bulls learned anything at all? (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

TRENDING: Famed Baseball Player, Broadcaster Jimmy Piersall dies at age 87.   Cubs motor onto sweep of Cardinals thanks to 'The Ian Happ Game'. White Sox swept in Detroit on Justin Upton's walk-off homer. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

TRENDING: Dufner (68) wins Memorial by three strokes. I.K. Kim holds off Nordqvist to win ShopRite Classic. Mickelson plans to skip U.S. Open for graduation. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).

TRENDING: Jimmie Johnson wins at Dover, big wreck during overtime finish. Larson wins Xfinity race, halfway to weekend sweep at Dover; Byron grabs $100k Dash 4 Cash. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).

TRENDING: Despite playing up two men, Fire fail to score in Orlando. (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates).

TRENDING: 3-on-3 basketball is likely coming to the Olympics, and it's far more than just a gimmick. (See the last article on this blog for Olympics' news and updates).

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Chicago Bears 4 Downs To Success in 2017.

By Jake Bennett

(Photo/Yahoo Sports/Cover32)

The Chicago Bears are considered one of the worst teams going into the 2017 season but, as most know, the Bears weren’t expected to do much in 2001 either. Teams can’t be judged on paper only. Some teams surprise and if Chicago can get these four things working, I could see them making a playoff run in 2017.

1st Down: Chicago must have good Quarterback play

Mike Glennon or Mitch Trubisky have to lead this team. For 9 years, every Bear and every Bears fan knew exactly what quarterback was the starter and even though some didn’t like him the comfort of knowing was still there. Glennon or Trubisky must show that they can be a leader and a field general game in and game out. Hopefully, by showing emotions (which Cutler wasn’t great at), they can help lead this team to a surprising playoff run.

2nd Down: Jordan Howard can’t have a sophomore slump

Last year, the biggest surprise for this team was Howard by a large margin. When he broke out for 1,313 yards and 6 touchdowns it excited the whole fanbase. Now we’re wondering if he can have a repeat or maybe even outdo his rookie explosion. If howard can hit the holes, Chicago can find its way into the playoffs.

3rd Down: The Defensive Secondary has to play better

Chicago has a pretty decent front seven, and if Amukamara, Cooper and even Fuller can play top 16 calibur football, this team could sneak into the playoffs. This is probably one of the biggest deciding factors on the Bears season. They have to stop getting beat by receivers. The good news is the Bears’ coaches believe in their guys, showing so by only drafting one secondary player in the 2017 draft.

4th down: The Special teams can’t have meltdowns and have to show improvement

For years, Chicago had one of the best Special teams in the league, which in large part was one reason they were competitive for quite some time. Then Dave Toub left and the Special teams have been a misery to watch. If the Bears can turn it around in the 3rd phase, that would be a huge boost that could send them to the playoffs.

The 2017-18 season is close at hand. If the Bears can get these things working,m I feel like it could be a fun one to watch. If not, say goodbye to John Fox.

In 1978 Jim Finks Got it All Wrong. Let's Hope Ryan Pace Does All Right. (Taken from SBNation.com/chicagobears fanpost. Just a diehard Bears opinion).

By ADClock

As of this writing, I remain upbeat about Ryan Pace as the Bears’ general manager. This year he took a big swing, and whether he connected waits to be seen. If Mitchell Trubisky proves to be as good as Pace believes the young quarterback to be, it would go a long way toward making him the best personnel man in team history for two reasons. Every team is better if it starts a great quarterback, and if Pace got Trubisky right, it stands to reason he will get a lot of other picks right as well. Archie Manning stands out as a rare great quarterback drafted by a team that did nothing else right, although Andrew Luck seems to have no luck when it comes to the talent around him. Sustained excellence in drafting rarely happens, but an excellent draft or two plus a few good ones creates a Super Bowl contender. It wouldn’t take an awful lot for Ryan Pace to become the best Bears personnel man ever, but there are two other candidates.

If you asked Bears fans of a certain age to name the best personnel man to ever run the Bears, I imagine most would offer Jim Finks. In sad reality, of course, the front office history of the Bears hardly stands with the tall trees. George Halas ranks as the most important man in NFL history, probably followed by Pete Rozelle. In the thirties and forties Halas must have been doing a lot things right because the Bears kept winning, and the NFL managed to survive the Great Depression and World War II. From 1945 through 1975 Chicago’s player acquisition skills, whatever they once were, plummeted. The team continued to embrace three yards and a cloud of dust even though they rarely achieved the three yards. The team’s draft strategy revolved around drafting linebackers, defensive linemen, and running backs. They managed to eke out a championship with a negligible offense in 1963, and drafted both a Hall of Fame linebacker, Dick Butkus, and a Hall of Fame running back, Gale Sayers, in 1965. Mostly they just fielded bad teams, usually featuring a great defender or two. For most of the George Halas tenure, the Bears personnel moves were terrible.

Although they hired Jim Finks away from the Vikings in 1974, he hardly represented a profound change in management philosophy. Finks didn’t value quarterbacks all that much, and the organization continued stressing defense and running the football. Finks hired Jack Pardee and then Neil Armstrong (the football coach, not the astronaut) to run his team, two of the least imaginative head coaches you could imagine. Then, in his first draft with the Bears, Finks drafted Walter Payton and Mike Hartenstine with his first two picks, both great choices, and both exemplified the team’s dedication to defense and running the football.

As a drafter Finks tended to achieve all-or-nothing results. In his seven years running the draft he chose three Hall of Fame players, Payton, Dan Hampton, and Mike Singletary, as well as a few standout players like Hartenstine, Matt Suhey, Otis Wilson, and Keith Van Horne. He also clung to the belief that any warm body with experience could play quarterback. In a move that would haunt the Bears for more than a decade, Finks vetoed the scouts’ recommendation to draft Joe Montana. Since the Bears already had the veteran Mike Phipps, Vince Evans, and the kid, Bob Avelini, who led the team to the playoffs in 1976, Finks said "Let’s not confuse the quarterback situation further." So, in the same draft the Bears chose Dan Hampton, they could have landed Joe Montana, but went against their better judgement.

The trade for Mike Phipps actually damaged two drafts, the 1979 draft in which Phipps’s presence inspired the team to take a pass on Joe Montana, and the 1978 draft. In fact, 1978 proved to be the worst draft in Bears’ history. They had no first round pick because they traded it to Cleveland one year earlier for Phipps. The pick in question became the 23rd pick in 1978, and Cleveland used it to draft Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome. The Phipps trade was the trade that kept on taking.

The nine players the Bears drafted in 1978 played a combined seventy-eight games for the Bears, and eighty in the NFL. For the record, that’s not a very good result.

Last Name	First Name	P	College	PTS	AY	DY	AG	DG	SB1	ADCS
Shearer	Brad	DT	Texas	4	3	3	34	34	0	78
Skibinski	John	RB	Purdue	7	4	4	44	44	0	103
Ieremia	Mekeli	DE	BYU	8	1	0	2	0	0	11
Jones	Herman	WR	Ohio State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Freitas	George	TE	California	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Martin	Mike	LB	Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Zambiasi	Ben	LB	Georgia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Underwood	Walt	DE	USC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sibley	Lew	LB	LSU	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
										192

Key:

PTS: All picks chosen between 1 and 20 gain the team one point if the player makes the team. Every twenty picks adds one point to the value of the pick.

AY: All years played in the NFL.

DY: All years played for the team that drafted the player.

AG: All games played in the NFL.

DG: All games played for the team that drafted the player.

SB1: Every time a player wins a Super Bowl ring, the team gets one point for every year of that player’s NFL service. Losing players earn one point each. Since Tom Brady played in seven Super Bowls, his chart goes from SB1 to SB7.

HOF: Any draft pick that makes it to the Hall of Fame gets 50 points.

ADCS: After Drafter Clock Score for each player. Consider this the number of points a team earned for drafting the player in question. Greg Olsen and Kellen Davis amassed 237 and 233 points respectively, so far, but they’re still active. They are the best tight ends the Bears drafted since 1967.

The greatest draft in Bears history, the 1983 draft, occurred after Finks left the team. He resigned in 1982 when George Halas hired Mike Ditka to coach the team without first consulting Finks. In some ways Ditka was the perfect choice to bridge the gap between the boring running offenses the Bears used, and the newer passing offenses Bill Walsh and Don Coryell introduced into the league. Like political conservatives not complaining when Nixon re-established ties with China, football purists could hardly question Ditka’s smash mouth football legacy. Ditka brought a little of the Dallas razzle dazzle with him while maintaining the façade that nothing changed in Chicago.

The downside of Ditka’s hiring was that he did not possess a great football mind like Joe Gibbs, or Bill Walsh, or Bill Parcells. In fairness, those are three of the greatest coaches in NFL history, so it’s not so much a shot at Ditka as praise for those three. Ditka’s greatest asset at the time was Bill Tobin, the man who actually ran the 1983 draft. Tobin continued to draft well and surrounded Ditka with superior talent, talent that Ditka inspired to excellence. Tobin’s influence kept eroding, however, as first Mike Ditka, and then Mike McCaskey insisted a greater say in personnel. Draft day decision making was not Ditka’s strength, and I’m not sure Michael McCaskey had a football-related strength. As fans we all like to think we can outwit the pros who do the drafting, and McCaskey possessed no more insight than the fat guy sitting on the next barstool. Ditka and McCaskey would have been better served letting Tobin choose the players for them. I know Tobin tended to be arrogant, but just because you’re arrogant doesn’t mean you’re not good at your job.

Finks is often credited with building the Bears’ lone Super Bowl champion, but Bill Tobin played a bigger role, and was a better personnel man. Finks saw up and down results during his tenure. His highs were very high, but his low was the lowest in the team’s Super Bowl era history, 1967 to the present. Pace stands a reasonable chance to become best personnel man the Bears ever hired, but he hasn’t proven anything yet. On the other hand, his 2016 draft class already played in 101 NFL games, and his 2015 draft class played in 96 games. He’s beaten Finks’s 1978 class, so I guess that’s a start.

Mitch Trubisky pick means Bears staff might stick for 2018. 

By Chris Boden

(Photo/USA TODAY) 

I brought this up during this past week's Bears Talk Podcast, a couple of weeks after mentioning the possibility on Laurence Holmes' show on "670 The Score."

Ryan Pace going all in on Mitch Trubisky could mean buying more time for John Fox and his staff (specifically Dowell Loggains) than the more common belief the head coach and his offensive coordinator are on their Chicago lifeline this fall.

I see the complete opposite.

If this team has any semblance of luck with injuries as opposed to Fox's first two seasons (though this week's injuries to Mark Sanchez and Cameron Meredith felt a bit ominous), it's hard to see a 3-13 repeat. No doubt, Fox will have to be at his best in keeping everyone together after what's expected to be a difficult first month.

While the final two games of last season hinted otherwise, that's been one of Fox's strengths through a rebuild that's taken longer than expected now in Year 3, in part due to all the injuries. And if he can somehow find a way to guide his squad to (yes, improbably), split those first four games, imagine the psychological boost and belief that would provide.

But back to Trubisky and the staff, specifically.

Unless the General Manager senses a complete failure by Loggains and quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone in bringing the No. 2 overall pick along at a satisfactory "pace" as a rookie, would they really want to hit the reset button on his development all over again?

His plate right now is full as it is, learning a pro style offense (which Carson Wentz did not have to do a year ago), identify defensive disguises at the line of scrimmage, drop back from center 40 to 45 percent of the time, master a playbook, and acclimate himself to his offensive weapons. Once he finally gets comfortable with that (whether he sees game action this season or not), would Pace really want to start all over again, unless he just, flat out, dislikes the job Loggains is doing?

You say what if Loggains stays, and Fox goes? Doesn't work that way. A new head coach won't want to be told who his offensive coordinator is, unless that change at the top of the staff comes from within (Vic Fangio?). 

So as we look forward, as much as Bears fans want answers, or instant playoff gratification, the season must play out. I can't wait to see how it does (but check back with me at the bye week).

Public patience, understandably, is thin. And another sub-.500 season would have fans and some media demanding change again. Pace would almost certainly get an opportunity to hire a second head coach, and it's also the last thing George McCaskey wants next January, yet again.

So when it comes to bringing their quarterback of the future along, a coaching change could make the future a bit longer to arrive.

Houston speaks at prestigious law event.

By Larry Mayer

Bears outside linebacker Lamarr Houston poses with Chief Justice John Roberts May 22 at the Burton Awards in Washington. (Photo/chicagobears.com)

A chance meeting on an airplane with one of the nation's most prominent lawyers recently led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Lamarr Houston.

On a flight with New York-based attorney William C. Burton, the Bears outside linebacker mentioned that he hopes to attend law school after his playing career ends. Burton, the founder and chairman of a national awards program that was established in 1999 to reward great achievements in law, invited Houston to speak at the prestigious 18th annual Burton Awards May 22 at the Library of Congress in Washington.

"We were just having a casual conversation and he was asking me what I wanted to do after football," Houston said. "I told him about wanting to go to law school. He said, 'Well, I think that's a good idea and you should come speak at my event.'"

The Burton Awards honor everything from legal writing to publications to the greatest reforms in law. The main focus is on effective legal writing, rewarding partners in law firms and law school students who use plain, clear and concise language in their writing.

In his speech, Houston shared his reasons for wanting to go to law school and why he feels that knowledge of law "improves our lives and the communities around us."

"Being around football and being around my parents—who were mom and pop entrepreneurs—there are a lot of things that you can learn in terms of rules and regulations that people miss all the time that are sometimes detriments to their businesses and detriments to their lifestyles," Houston said.

"They're unaware of those things, but with a little legal guidance they can do a lot. Playing football, I see guys who are always getting entangled in different kinds of investments and things they could avoid if they had a little bit of knowledge. So that's kind of my motivation for going to law school."

Previous speakers at the Burton Awards have included U.S. Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia and John Paul Stevens. Dignitaries who attend typically include partners of the largest law firms in America, law school deans and professors from across the nation.

"It was a great honor to be around such a prestigious crowd," Houston said. "There were some of the brightest minds in litigation there and two chief justices."

While playing outside linebacker in the NFL seems to require an entirely different skill set than being a lawyer, Houston sees similarities between the two vocations.

"There are a lot of parallels," he said. "What we do is very strategic and you have to have a [tactician's] mindset and that's what law is all about—finding how to be strategic and [a tactician] when you're preparing for a case or whatever you're involved in."

Chiefs cut wide receiver Jeremy Maclin; could Bears be potential landing spot?

By CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Kansas City Chiefs made Jeremy Maclin a salary cap casualty late Friday evening, severing ties with the veteran wide receiver after two seasons.

Maclin posted career-worst numbers in 2016, managing just 44 receptions for 536 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games for the Chiefs. Maclin battled through a groin injury late in the season that cost him four games.

The Chiefs save $10 million in cap space by releasing Maclin, who is now free to sign anywhere. One destination could be the Bears, who despite an overhaul of the position this offseason could still use another veteran with experience.

The Bears let Alshon Jeffery walk in free agency and replaced him with Markus Wheaton, Rueben Randle, Kendall Wright and Victor Cruz. Cameron Meredith and Kevin White are both expected to play major roles in the passing game, as well as Josh Bellamy and Daniel Braverman. The Bears also used a second-round pick on tight end Adam Shaheen.

Maclin and the Bears haven't been linked together yet, but it's something to keep an eye on during the offseason.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? OHL coach believes Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat is just about ready for NHL

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Alex DeBrincat’s Ontario Hockey League career appears to be over. He and the Erie Otters advanced to the Memorial Cup championship before falling to the Windsor Spitfires. There isn’t much DeBrincat didn’t do with the Otters, be it team titles (they claimed the OHL crown this season) to individual awards (OHL and Canadian Hockey League player of the year).

So now the big question: how will DeBrincat, the Blackhawks’ second-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft, fare at the next level? Plenty are curious to see what he can do, and that includes his coach for the past three seasons.

“I think Alex is really close,” Otters coach Kris Knoblauch said in a phone interview on Thursday night. “It’s been a pleasure coaching Alex, seeing him come in as a young player but not too often do young players have an immediate impact. A lot has to do with his skill. Obviously he was fortunate to play with skilled players like (Connor) McDavid but his game has come a long way.”

DeBrincat’s offensive talents are pretty obvious. After recording back-to-back 51-goal seasons with the Otters, DeBrincat tallied 65 goals and 62 assists this past season. He and the Otters claimed the OHL championship before advancing to the Memorial Cup for the first time since 2002. He can move around the lineup — DeBrincat started the Otters’ season at center, played a few games at right wing but was mainly at left. As for defense, DeBrincat said in early May that improving that was a focal point for him this season. Knoblauch said DeBrincat made strides there.

“The biggest part of his defense is the ability of stealing pucks, pressuring the defensemen, forcing them to make bad decisions,” he said. “Just being able to have the stick in the right lane an intercept passes. He got better at those little subtle skills.”

The transition to professional hockey can always be tricky. Players are bigger, faster, stronger, better. We could go on and on about DeBrincat’s size (5-foot-7, 165 pounds) but that is what it is. He wants to get stronger and will have to be, Knoblauch said, given the battles he’ll be facing in the pros.

“I think it’s just playing against the big, strong guys. It’s not that he’s afraid; he’s very good at battles. But just playing against the opposition, against five strong, fast players and just finding out how much time he has, where the room is,” Knoblauch said. “One-on-one battles in our league, there are strong guys and he does fairly well. But when you have a unit of guys, it makes the game a little more difficult.”

DeBrincat accomplished plenty in the OHL. Last month, he wasn’t sure what his immediate future held regarding the Blackhawks — at that point, he hadn’t talked with Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman about what came next. There’s a great anticipation for what DeBrincat can do at the next level. Knoblauch said the 19-year-old’s physical abilities, as well as his mental toughness, have served him well to this point. They’ll come in handy at the next level, too, for which DeBrincat is just about ready.

“I’m sure many people are telling him he won’t be able to play in the NHL or questioning if he ever will. That’ll be just more motivation for Alex,” Knoblauch said. “He feeds off that. When people tell him he can’t do something, he loves to show them they’re wrong.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... After their doomed and dismal season, have the Bulls learned anything at all?

By James Herbert

Chicago could reportedly trot out the trio of Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo again.

The Chicago Bulls' 2016-17 season was 10 times more terrible than their 41-41 record suggests. It represented an organizational arrogance that bordered on insulting to those who are old enough to remember when the team was genuinely great and those who pay even a modest amount of attention to the way the modern game is played. Jimmy Butler played like an MVP candidate and Robin Lopez was a star in his role, but their work was overshadowed by the doomed partnership of veterans Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, predictable locker-room turmoil and roster composition that never made the slightest bit of sense. 

Let's say for a second that you're a Bulls fan. What would you want from your favorite team this summer? 

I'd probably start with some sort of acknowledgment, on the record or not, that this past season was a mistake. That they took risks on big names with championship experience at the expense of on-court fit. That they have not provided Butler with the kind of teammates that can make the most of his skill set. 

Beyond that, I'd want a clear message that next season will be different, that they will have some sort of plan, that they might even revisit the idea of giving coach Fred Hoiberg players with room for improvement who can push the pace and spread the floor. I'd want their transactions to reflect that they're thinking about the next five or six seasons, not just the one directly in front of them. This does not necessarily mean trading Butler and tearing the whole thing down, but it should at least mean being open to major changes. The very most important thing is making sure that the team can no longer be defined by drama, dysfunction and ill-fitting parts.

Depending on whether or not Wade picks up his $23.8 million option, Chicago will have significant cap space either this offseason or next. The front office might still be high on youngsters Cameron Payne, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine. Big man Cristiano Felicio, a free agent, and swingman Paul Zipser, signed through 2020 on a cheapo deal, could be rotation players. There is a way to be optimistic about this team's medium-to-long-term future, as long as it does not try to bring back the "Three Alphas" again. 

Surely, the Bulls would not do that. Surely, after such a sorry season, they have learned their lesson. Let's check in on what's going on with them, via the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson:

There's a reason management talked about player development so often and so thoroughly in its season-ending news conference on May 3. The franchise is expecting Dwyane Wade to pick up his $23.8 million player option by his June 27 deadline. And management already is on record it wants to retain Rajon Rondo on his $13.4 million options. 

With the consensus from several league executives that the Celtics will use the No. 1 pick on Markelle Fultz, it's far more likely than not that the "Three Alphas" get another run. And thus, the Bulls' improvement in 2017-18 must come from within.

Oh. No. Oh, no! Nononono. What, exactly, does Chicago think the best-case scenario is with this plan? Does it expect anybody to believe that its two wins over the Boston Celtics before Rondo was sidelined in the first round of the playoffs indicated that its problems were solved? Does it think that Butler had his fantastic season because of the moves they made or in spite of them?

It is screamingly obvious that the status quo won't work for the Bulls. They need to either deal Butler or they need to surround him with shooters so they don't waste his talent. If they're even thinking of offering him an enormous contract extension after next season, then they should probably be trying to build a team around him that could conceivably compete for a championship during the life of that contract. 

If Wade does come back, it might be best for him to move to the bench. If Rondo comes back, well, let's just be honest -- it would signify that management still doesn't get it. The idea that Chicago would elect to pay Rondo $13.4 million when it could save $10.4 million by waiving him defies logic. The Bulls are not going to be a tough, dangerous, veteran-laden team, so they might as well try to be a fun, competitive, young one. A course correction is in order, and we know that the front office and coach will not be replaced. That means that there must be additions to the roster, and some addition by subtraction. Let Rondo walk, his brief brilliance against Boston be damned. 

Of course, this time last year, Chicago did not know it was going to wind up with Wade and Rondo. Those deals have been described as "opportunistic." By the same token, a month from now, maybe Wade will have opted to leave and the Bulls will have made a franchise-changing trade on draft day. We cannot predict everything that will happen between now and the start of next season. Based on the Bulls' reported outlook, though, we are left to wonder whether this organization has learned anything at all. 

Jimmy Butler isn't going to the Lakers because he 'loves Chicago so much'. 

By CSN Staff

(Photo/Jimmy Kimmel Live)

Until the day comes that he's wearing another uniform — and not a Marquette jersey — Jimmy Butler's name will be involved in an abundance of trade rumors.

Over the past two seasons, the Bulls All-Star swingman has been linked to the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, in addition to other clubs.

With the NBA Draft less than a month away and the start of free agency kicking off just a few days after the draft concludes, the rumor mill will begin to churn with a countless number of Butler rumors.

Following the Golden State Warriors victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, Butler was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live which takes place in Los Angeles — the home of the team that's rumored to have a keen eye for Butler.

"Why aren't you coming to the Lakers?" Kimmel asked Butler.

"Because I love Chicago so very much," Butler proclaimed. "They took a chance at me in 2011 with the 30th pick so I'm forever grateful for that."

Even Kimmel, an avid Lakers fan, thinks Butler should stay in Chicago and discussed why it's important for a player to stay with the same team throughout an entire career.

Check out the rest of Butler's interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live in the video below, and see what he has to say about his gigantic aquarium and much more.

CUBS: Cubs motor onto sweep of Cardinals thanks to 'The Ian Happ Game'.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Before Sunday night's game, Joe Maddon had a simple message on Ian Happ:

"Let's see what happens tonight. He's gonna get hot again. That's just who he is. That's his DNA.

"If you're concerned about him, don't be."

The rookie backed up his manager's vote of confidence, leading the Cubs to a sweep of the Cardinals with a 7-6 victory that could go down as "The Ian Happ Game."

Happ gave the Cubs the lead with a homer just inside the foul pole in the third inning. After the Cardinals came right back with four runs of their own, Happ took matters into his own hands and gave the Cubs the lead again with his second homer in as many innings.

This one was a two-out shot into the right-field bleachers and sent the 39,868 fans at Wrigley Field into an absolute frenzy.

The only louder cheer than the response to Happ's second homer was when he was pushed out of the dugout by his teammates and responded to the crowd's demand for a curtain call.

Happ stroked 842 feet worth of homers, averaging 109 mph off the bat between the two blasts.

"The guy's got tools, man," Maddon said. "He's got tools and he's got a good baseball mind. Yeah, he's gonna strike out and yeah he's gonna look bad sometimes, but man, when it all comes together, you're really gonna enjoy it."

Three of Happ's four big-league homers have come against the Cardinals and he raised his OPS nearly 100 points on the evening (from .748 to .839).

Jon Jay and Albert Almora Jr. chipped in off the bench with pinch-hit RBI knocks to account for the rest of the Happ-less (not hapless) Cubs offense.

The Cubs' sweep was their first of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field since April 2006.


Addison Russell, Javy Baez and the state of the Cubs shortstop position.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Addy or Javy?

There isn't quite a position battle brewing at shortstop for the Cubs and Joe Maddon didn't go all Lovie Smith and say something like, "Addison Russell is our shortstop."

But it's also clear who the Cubs' long-term answer is at short, even despite Javy Baez's recent success and Russell's season-long struggles.

Right now, Maddon is just simplifying everything at the shortstop position, rotating the two players on a daily basis.

For the last week (following a string of five straight Russell starts at shortstop), Maddon has penciled in Baez at short one day and Russell the next. 

"It hasn't been complicated," Maddon said. "I've just been going back and forth with them. ... I've just been trying to not run either one into the ground. I've been trying to get them both playing."

Maddon also pointed to the recent play of Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ as determining factors affecting the shortstop spot. 

With the Cubs seeing so many right-handed pitchers lately, Maddon has gone with Happ in center, Jason Heyward in right field and Kyle Schwarber in left, meaning Zobrist has been relegated to second base a lot lately. That's freed Baez up to play more shortstop over the last week.

While he likes how things are playing out right now, Maddon acknowledged the daily shortstop rotation won't stick that way in the long term.

"Once Addy really gets his whole approach going back together again, then everything will come back into place," Maddon said.

Russell has taken a step back offensively this season. He broke out for 21 homers and 95 RBI in his age-22 campaign last year but entered his Sunday night start with a .211 average and .635 OPS.

There is definitely a component of luck to those numbers. 

Russell's batting average on balls in play is only .260, below league average and below the .277 mark he posted last season and .324 BABIP as a rookie.

Russell has also improved on his weak contact, dropping from soft contact 23.7 percent of the time last season to only 14.9 percent in 2017. However, he's also seen a dip in hard-hit balls from 29.3 percent in 2016 to 23.1 percent in two months so far this year.

Overall, Russell's peripheral numbers are right in line with his career marks — or better.

Earlier in the season, Maddon said he would count 2017 as a success for Russell if the young shortstop could cut down on his strikeouts and draw more walks. The Cubs manager thought the rest of the numbers would follow if the plate discipline was good.

Russell's walk rate is down slightly (9.2 percent to 8.7 percent), but he's also cut down on his strikeouts for the second straight season and is only whiffing 21 percent of the time right now.

Against the Cardinals Friday, Russell worked himself into a hitter's count in the fifth inning before striking out and then lined out to right field his next time up in the seventh.

"Keep doin' it," Maddon said. "That's the whole thing — like Schwarbs hitting the grand slam. That's nice; let's do it again. Let's have another couple good at-bats. Just continue to do that."

Meanwhile, Baez is on a tear, hitting .412 with a 1.181 OPS, four homers and 11 RBI over the last 11 games.

But even with those numbers, Baez still has only a .299 on-base percentage for the season and is on pace for just 18 walks compared to 117 strikeouts.

Of course, Baez is also on pace for 27 homers and 75 RBI and his versatility, baseball IQ and age (24) give the Cubs dynamic depth at shortstop until Russell rights the ship.

"It's unusual that we can do that — to have two shortstops that you like to play and that you feel really good about, not many teams can say that," Maddon said. "And that's part of why we can do it.

"If I didn't feel as good about one or the other playing there, the other guy would be playing and you'd just have to wear it if he's having a hard time offensively. But I think Javy's benefitted; Javy's been really good lately.

"And I think I'm seeing better out of Addison also. So let's just keep going. Lotta season left and I think if we do it this way, they're both going to be very fresh at the end of the year."

Kyle Schwarber's grand slam fuels Cubs' comeback over Cardinals. (Saturday afternoon's game, 05/03/2017).

By Paul Roumeliotis

 

(Photo/USA TODAY)

Kyle Schwarber’s first career grand slam came at a perfect time.

The Cubs slugger crushed an opposite field grand slam in the seventh inning to power the Cubs past the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Schwarber’s grand slam was his ninth home run of the season.

"Obviously, it was nice to come up in that spot and be able to help out," Schwarber said. "It’s kind of a sigh of relief because I want to go up there and I want to help my team. For me to do that today was great."

In a season that hasn't gone Schwarber's way so far, his confidence is still intact, especially after a big win against a division-rival.

"You’ve just got to stay the course," Schwarber said. "You’ve got to know that you’re here for a reason. That’s half the battle is knowing that you’re a good player, and more than half of this game is mental.

"I always try to stay as positive and mentally strong as I can be because I know how crazy this game is. It can put you at your highest highs and your lowest lows, and you’ve just got to be able to stay the same person."

Prior to Saturday's game, Joe Maddon moved the struggling Schwarber to the ninth spot after the Cubs manager "hated" what he saw on Friday hitting seventh.

Maddon personally called Schwarber after Friday's game to explain that he wanted the 24-year-old to hit last, essentially becoming another leadoff man with Jon Lester batting eighth. It worked on Saturday, as Schwarber delivered in the clutch to help give his team a win.

"He told me his reason, and I was like, 'all right,'" Schwarber said. "I’m going with it.

Whatever the skipper does, I’m going to follow it. We’ve got his back, he’s got our back. It’s all a process. It worked out today."

Maddon plans to keep Schwarber in the ninth spot for Sunday's series finale.

Lester, who started the game on extra day's rest, struggled with his command early, allowing two walks and a single to the first three batters of the game, which loaded the bases. Cardinals' Jose Martinez followed with a single, which scored two.

Again in the second, the Cubs ace allowed the first to batters to reach base with back-to-back singles, but the Cubs left the inning unscathed.

Javier Baez cut the Cubs' deficit in half in the third when he belted with a solo homer to center field, his ninth of the season. Yadier Molina answered and got the Cardinals' run back when he homered in the sixth inning to give the opposing team a 3-1 lead.

In the seventh, Jason Heyward and Willson Contreras kicked things off with back-to-back singles of their own. After a Javier Baez strike out, Jon Jay was beamed, loading the bases for Schwarber, who went deep on the first pitch he saw to give the Cubs a 5-3 lead and secure the win.

Schwarber has received his fair share of criticism because of his struggles, but "it's big" that he has the support of his teammates. 

"It’s easy to kick a guy to the curb, seeing the numbers like that. It has been a big support system with the fans, to the players, to our manager, to our coaching staff, front office, everything," Schwarber said. "It’s really big. You can definitely go home and feel even worse if they didn’t treat me the way that they did, but they’re all here to pick us up, and that’s kind of how our team is.

"We’re going to pick each other up."

When Schwarber was heading in the dugout following his grand slam, Maddon said his hand hurt after Schwarber put some extra juice into his high-five.

"Yeah, I gave him a little extra," Schwarber said. "It was an exciting moment, it was a big moment. To put us ahead in that spot and to be able to hold those guys off and come out with a win was big."

Schwarber said that he had actually been wanting to hit a ball hard to the opposite field. He did just that. Now, he wants to take the momentum and ride with it. 

"Hopefully, this was a good sign today," Schwarber said. "I’m just going to keep with the course, working with (John Mallee) and everything like that. I’m feeling good at the plate. Let’s keep it going."

WHITE SOX: Famed Baseball Player, Broadcaster Jimmy Piersall dies at age 87.

By Marcus DiNitto

Jimmy Piersall ran the bases backwards after hitting his 100th career #MLB HR with the New York #Mets! (June 1963). (Photo/Twitter/Baseball By BSmile)

Jimmy Piersall, a former major league outfielder and White Sox broadcaster, died Saturday at a care facility in Wheaton, Illinois at the age of 87.

During an MLB career that spanned from 1950-67, Piersall played for the Red Sox, Indians, Mets, Senators and Angels. He appeared in two All-Star Games as a member of the Red Sox and also earned two Gold Gloves.

Piersall was known for his on-field antics and his advocacy for those affected by mental illness.

After playing 56 games in the majors, he was admitted to a mental hospital with what was later diagnosed as bipolar disorder, the Chicago Sun-Times noted.

Among the on-field incidents for which he’ll remembered: mocking aging pitcher Satchel Paige; being ejected from a game as a member the Indians in 1960 for running around center field and waving his arms in an effort to distract Ted Williams at the plate; being arrested for confronting a fan when he was with the Senators in 1962; getting into a fist fight with Billy Martin at Fenway Park; countless confrontations with umpires; and running around the bases backward after hitting his 100th home run.

In a 1955 autobiography, titled “Fear Strikes Out,” Piersall wrote of his mental illness, “I want the world to know that people like me who have returned from the half-world of mental oblivion are not forever contaminated.”

Piersall was at times light-hearted about his illness, joking with broadcast partner Harry Caray.

“Fear Strikes Out” was made into a movie starring Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden, but Piersall later claimed the film was fictional and that it did not portray his father fairly.

He was fired from his White Sox radio gig in 1983 for being too critical of the team’s players and manager Tony LaRussa on air, according to the Sun-Times.

In addition to playing baseball and announcing games, Piersall also coached at the minor league level, appeared in an episode of “The Lucy Show” and had stints as the GM of a minor league football team and as a hotel manager.

Per the Hartford Courant, Piersall is survived by his wife, Jan, and his nine children, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

White Sox swept in Detroit on Justin Upton's walk-off homer.

By #WhiteSoxTalk

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Justin Upton got another chance, and he made the most of it.

Upton hit a game-ending, three-run homer, and the Detroit Tigers overcame Justin Verlander's groin injury to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-4 on Sunday for a sweep of their weekend series.

"I had just missed one a couple pitches before - I wanted it back, but you don't get them back," Upton said. "I kept battling and I got another pitch. I didn't watch it, but I knew I got it good."

Nicholas Castellanos was hit by a pitch from David Robertson (3-2) leading off the Detroit ninth. Second baseman Yolmer Sanchez then misplayed a potential double-play ball and was only able to get Miguel Cabrera at first.

J.D. Martinez, who is hitting .292 with a .792 slugging percentage, was intentionally walked to get to Upton. The slugger fell behind 0-2, took a cutter for ball one, and then hit a curveball over the wall in left for his 11th homer.

"It was a terrible breaking ball that hung in the middle of the zone," Robertson said. "I'm sure it landed 10 rows back, but I wasn't looking. It sounded loud."

The White Sox have dropped five in a row. They were outscored 32-10 in the series.

"We can't keep doing this," Robertson said.

Martinez also connected for the Tigers, who have won four straight and five of six to move back to .500 at 28-28. Justin Wilson (3-1) picked up the win with a scoreless inning.

"We knew if Justin could get through the top of the inning, we had a good chance with 2-3-4 coming up in the ninth," manager Brad Ausmus said. "I'm sure that was a fun day of baseball for our fans."

Todd Frazier led off the third with his eighth homer, lifting the White Sox to a 2-0 lead. Sanchez then walked on four pitches before Verlander departed with right groin tightness.

Verlander also was visited by a trainer in the second, but he stayed in and struck out Avisail Garcia with the bases loaded to end the inning. The Tigers said he was removed for precautionary reasons.

"He had an MRI just to make sure things are OK, but as things stand, we expect he'll make his next start," Ausmus said.

Martinez hit a solo shot in the fourth for his 10th homer, and the Tigers added three more in the sixth.

John Hicks tied the game with an RBI double, and then stole third as Frazier charged a fake bunt attempt. Hicks scored when Alex Presley's grounder went off Sanchez's glove for an error, and Jose Iglesias made it 4-2 when he drove in Andrew Romine with a fielder's choice.

"When Pres fouled the first bunt off, I saw they weren't running the wheel, so third base was open," Hicks said. "Once I saw the pitch was down, I just took off."

Warwick Saupold pitched four scoreless innings in relief of Verlander, but Alex Wilson blew the advantage in the eighth.

Tim Anderson and Kevan Smith hit consecutive RBI doubles, tying it at 4. Leury Garcia singled off Daniel Stumpf to put runners on the corners with one out, but Shane Greene retired the next two batters.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: RHP James Shields (lat strain) started his rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Charlotte, allowing three runs in four innings.

Tigers: 2B Ian Kinsler (hamstring) is expected to return from the disabled list on Tuesday for the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Ausmus said the team will announce the corresponding move at that point.

ROOKIE MISTAKE

White Sox rookie Adam Engel came up with runners on the corners and one out in the eighth. Manager Rick Renteria called for a safety squeeze, but Engel missed two attempts at pitches outside the zone, and then struck out on the next pitch.

"That's tough for him right now because we lost the game, but it will be a great learning experience for him," Renteria said. "We discussed the play and how he needed to wait for a better pitch in that situation."

AUSTRALIAN LONG MAN

Ausmus thought the game's unsung star was Saupold, who stepped up after Verlander's injury.

"That's the second time in a row that he's come up huge for us," Ausmus said. "Both in Kansas City and here, he's given us multiple innings to get us deep into a game."

UP NEXT

White Sox: After an off day on Monday, Chicago continues a three-city road trip with three games in Tampa Bay. Jose Quintana (2-7, 5.60 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday's series opener.

Tigers: Following an off day, the Tigers begin a three-game set against the visiting Angels on Tuesday. Daniel Norris (2-3, 4.47 ERA) will pitch the first game of the series for Detroit.

White Sox: Carlos Rodon will make first rehab start in Class-A Winston-Salem. 

By #WhiteSoxTalk

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Carlos Rodon will be taking a big step forward in his rehab process.

Manager Rick Renteria said Sunday that the 24-year-old pitcher is scheduled to make his first rehab start in Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem on Tuesday. Rodon has been rehabbing in Arizona for the past two months. 

Rodon, the team's No. 3 overall draft pick in 2014, has been on the disabled list since the start of the season with a biceps injury.

Last season, he went 9-10 with a 4.91 ERA.

Golf: I got a club for that..... Dufner (68) wins Memorial by three strokes.

By Ryan Reiterman

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Jason Dufner had to wait out two weather delays, but he won his fifth PGA Tour title Sunday at the Memorial Tournament. Here’s how the final round played out at Jack’s house:

Leaderboard: Jason Dufner (-13), Rickie Fowler (-10), Anirban Lahiri (-10), Justin Thomas (-9), Matt Kuchar (-9)

What it means: Dufner opened with a pair of 65s and set the 36-hole scoring record at the Memorial. He went into the weekend with a five-shot lead, but he started the final round four behind Summerhays after a shocking 77 on Saturday. But Dufner knew he still had a great chance to win, and he proved it on Sunday with four birdies and no bogeys on the back nine at Muirfield Village. Tied with playing partner Fowler heading to the par-5 15th, Dufner made birdies on 15 and 17 to take control of the tournament. After a second weather delay, Dufner came out and played a nervy closing hole. But he slammed home a 32-foot par putt on 18 to secure the win, and he joined tournament host Jack Nicklaus as the only Ohio-born champions of the Memorial.

Round of the day: Anirban Lahiri went out early and posted a bogey-free 65 to grab a share of second place. Lahiri needed a good week coming off of three straight missed cuts.

Best of the rest: Fowler played a solid front nine with three birdies and no bogeys, and he held the lead for a short time after another birdie on the par-5 11th. He was unable to capitalize on the par-5 15th after a bogey at the short par-4 14th, and Fowler made a closing bogey to drop back into a share of second place.

Biggest disappointment: Summerhays started the day with a three-shot lead and had a great chance to win his first PGA Tour title. But after a double on No. 3 and a bogey on 4, he started to wobble. Birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 got him back in the mix, but Summerhays came home with three back-nine bogeys and another double at 18 for a 78 to finish T-10.

Shot of the day: Dufner found the right rough off the 18th tee, and he tried to hack out of the thick stuff but advanced his second shot only 75 yards. His third shot from the rough landed on the green 32 feet away from the hole. That’s when Dufner stepped up and drained his longest putt of the week to win the title.

Quote of the day: "I had to get over it quick.” – Dufner on how he rebounded from a Saturday 77 to win.

I.K. Kim holds off Nordqvist to win ShopRite Classic.

By Associated Press

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

In-Kyung Kim held off two-time defending champion Anna Nordqvist on Sunday in the ShopRite LPGA Classic for her fifth tour title.

Tied with Paula Creamer for the second-round lead, Kim closed with a 2-under 69 in windy conditions for a two-stroke victory over Nordqvist at Stockton Seaview.

''Just so windy. ... It was tough,'' Kim said. ''I feel really pleased with how I played today. Was really tricky and challenge out there, but I gave my best.''

Kim was making her sixth start since bruising her tailbone falling down stairs. The 28-year-old South Korean player won the Reignwood LPGA Classic late last season in China.

''That took a long time. Now I feel much better,'' Kim said. ''But actually helped me to work on my upper body - more stronger - while I couldn't work on my low body. But I'm really happy to come back stronger than was I before.''

Nordqvist shot a 69.

''Just having the honor to back-to-back defend is quite amazing,'' Nordqvist said. ''There is a little bit of pressure coming into it, but it's just been fun. I'm trying to embrace it. I love this golf course, I love hitting the shots. ... It's been really windy the last two days. The way I'm controlling the ball I'm really happy with. Just seem to be doing the right stuff, so I'm excited for the next couple weeks.''

Kim finished at 11-under 202.

Michelle Wie had a 65 to tie for third at 7 under with Jenny Shin (69), Jacqui Concolino (70) and Jeong Eun Lee (71).

''I just stuck it in there close today,'' Wie said. ''I was kind of frustrated after my first round. Couldn't get my wedges in close at all, so I spent a lot of time on the range afterward just working on my wedge game. I'm glad it paid off today. I hit it a lot closer today, which felt good.''

Creamer had a 74 to drop into a tie for seventh at 6 under.

"You can't shoot over par on Sunday, that's for sure,'' Creamer said.

Creamer's group with Kim and Moriya Jutanugarn were put on the clock for slow play on the back nine.

''We were on the clock for four holes,'' Creamer said. ''That's just not going to cut it. That's unfortunate, because I said early on to the girls we got to try to keep up. I know we're getting behind. But for four holes, that's a long time. We just couldn't get a rhythm. And especially with some of these pins and with the wind and everything, it's all happening so fast and you kind of can't regroup. I didn't do a very good job of that.''

After making a birdie on the par-4 13th, Kim bogeyed the par-4 14th.

''Last group, wind like this, but we were I think little slow and we were on the clock on those tricky holes,'' Kim said. ''I had to rush one time. The bogey I made was 150 (yards) front and I hit 170 club. My caddie was like, 'What are you doing?' I'm like, 'I had no idea. I was rushing.'''

Jutanugarn closed with a 72 to also tie for seventh at 6 under.

On Saturday, sister Ariya Jutanugarn took the No. 1 spot in the world ranking to be released Monday. Taking the week off, Ariya Jutanugarn replaced Lydia Ko atop the ranking when So Yeon Ryu missed the cut. Ko, also skipping the event, was guaranteed to lose the top spot to Ariya Jutanugarn or Ryu, and Ariya Jutanugarn got the position when Ryu failed to finish solo third or better.

Mickelson plans to skip U.S. Open for graduation.

By Nick Menta

(Photo/Golf Chanel Digital)

Phil Mickelson intends to skip the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin in order to attend his daughter Amanda’s high school graduation in California.

Mickelson first informed The New York Times of his decision before teeing off in the third round of the Memorial on Saturday. After closing out an even-par 72, he confirmed that decision.

The five-time major winner has finished runner-up at the year's second major a record six times. The U.S. Open is the lone major keeping the soon-to-be 47-year-old from the career Grand Slam.

"I mean obviously it's the tournament I want to win the most," he said. "But this is one of those moments where you look back on life and you just don't want to miss it. I'll be really glad that I was there and present."

Amanda, who will attend Brown University in the fall, is the class president and commencement speaker. She is the oldest of the three Mickelson children. The Pacific Ridge School graduation is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on Thursday, June 15, square in the middle of the Open's first round.

"So there's really just no way to make it, no matter what the tee time is," Mickelson said.

It is important to note that Mickelson has not officially withdrawn. He has up until his tee time to actually do so. As such, he intends to wait in order to allow himself the opportunity to play should some “unforeseen circumstance,” like a first-round weather washout, allow him to make it from California to Wisconsin in time.

Mickelson chose to inform USGA executive director Mike Davis of his situation "a couple days ago" so that an alternate can properly prepare for the event and the USGA can plan its first- and second-round groupings accordingly.

“We applaud and appreciate the fact that he is being pro-active so that the USGA can make any appropriate adjustments should he not be able to play,” Davis said in a statement. “We certainly understand and support that Phil’s family commitments are of paramount importance and hope that the timing will work in his favor.”

Mickelson first missed out on the U.S. Open title in 1999 when he was bested by Payne Stewart on the final green at Pinehurst. With his wife Amy set to give birth, Mickelson decided to play the final round knowing he might need to withdraw. After Stewart holed his par putt to win, he went over to Mickelson, put his hands on his face and told him, “You’re going to be a father.”

"I go back and every year at the U.S. Open, I think about that '99 Open," Mickelson said Saturday. "The birth of your child, any child, but especially your first child, is the most emotional event you can ever experience and share together with your wife.

"And I always think about that at the U.S. Open. I think about Payne Stewart, and I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. Here she is, turning 18 and moving off to college and I'm so proud of her. She's a very special person. I'm excited to see what she has to say at her commencement."

Mickelson first became aware of the potential conflict six months ago and hoped that "maybe something will change, maybe something will change, but nothing is really changing. So here we are." At no point, Mickelson said, did he contemplate missing the ceremony or asking the school to reschedule.

Mickelson finished second at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 1999, Bethpage Black in 2002, Shinnecock Hills in 2004, Winged Foot in 2006, Bethpage Black again in 2010 and, most recently, at Merion in 2013.

After coming up short to Justin Rose at Merion, Mickelson rebounded a month later to win the third leg of the career Grand Slam at The Open Championship at Muirfield, but he has not won an event since and remains a U.S. Open victory away from the Grand Slam.

"I'll be able to play the next two years solidly before Sofia gets to graduate, hopefully," he said, prompting laughter. "Hopefully that one won't conflict. Again, you never know. Maybe something freaky will happen. You just never know."

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson wins at Dover, big wreck during overtime finish.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo/www.usatoday.com)

Jimmie Johnson outran Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. on an overtime restart and was declared the winner of the Cup race at Dover International Speedway after a large wreck unfolded on the backstretch.

It’s Johnson’s third win of the year and his 83rd Cup win, tying him with childhood hero Cale Yarborough.

“I never thought I would end up here in NASCAR as a kid racing out in the dirt out in Southern California,” Johnson told Fox Sports 1. “To be here to tie him at 83 wins … Cale, you’re the man. Thank you for all that you’ve done for the sport. … This is an amazing day.”

Johnson finished his Victory Lane interview by donning a vintage Cale Yarborough racing hat.

The win comes after Johnson had to start the day in last for a gear change.

“The conditions were really tough today,” Johnson said. “I think everybody struggled with balance, corner entry was very uncomfortable for the cars. Mine was decent. Once I got to the top two or three I just couldn’t charge the corner hard enough to catch anybody and put a competitive pass on them. I got the restart of my life there at the end. I was able to just beat the (Larson) through (Turns) 1 and 2 and I guess make it to that line on the back straightaway before the yellow came out.”

Johnson started second on the overtime restart and had completed the pass of Kyle Larson by Turn 1. Johnson had crossed the overtime line when the nine-car wreck began halfway down the backstretch.

Involved in the crash were:  Jamie McMurray, Austin Dillon, Trevor Bayne, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Newman, Cole Whitt and Erik Jones.

Filling out the top five were Larson, Truex, Newman and Chase Elliott.

Johnson’s win is his 11th at Dover International Speedway.

Stage 1 winner: Martin Truex Jr.

Stage 2 winner: Truex

WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Rookie Ty Dillon led 27 laps late in the race after beating Johnson and Ryan Newman out of the pits in the middle of the final stage. He placed 14th … Danica Patrick finished 10th for her best result this year and her first top 10 since the April 2015 race at Bristol  … A week after his Coke 600 win, Austin Dillon finished 12th … Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th for his third best result of the year … Chase Elliott’s finish in fifth is his best result in five races. He placed 24th or worse in four straight races.

WHO HAD A BAD DAY: Pole-sitter Kyle Busch lost a tire on his first pit stop and restarted from the rear from the field. After driving back to the top five, a loose tire forced him to pit. He finished 16th … Right-front tires: the loss of this tire caused accidents or problems for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, Landon Cassill, Regan Smith, David Ragan and Erik Jones … Ryan Blaney finished 32nd after he broke an axle during his pit stop at the end of Stage 2. That’s the second time it’s happened to Blaney this season … Brad Keselowski wrecked out for his third DNF of year and second in a row … Kurt Busch wrecked out with his first DNF since Martinsville.

NOTABLE: Kyle Larson has finished second five times this year. He has three top fives and five top 10s in seven Dover starts … Johnson joins Richard Petty (four tracks) and Darrell Waltrip (two tracks) as the third driver to win more than 10 times on a single track.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “He did a good job. He’s a seven-time champion for a reason. He’s got a golden horseshoe somewhere; and he’s really good at executing. So, I’ve just got to get better at that.” – Kyle Larson after finishing second to Jimmie Johnson.

WHAT’S NEXT: Axalta Presents the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway, 3 p.m. ET on June 11 on Fox Sports 1.

Martin Truex Jr. maintains lead in regular-season, playoff points.

By Nate Ryan

(Photo/Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)

Martin Truex Jr. remained atop the points standings in NASCAR’s premier series with two stage wins and a third-place finish at Dover International Speedway.

The Furniture Row Racing driver is nine points ahead of Kyle Larson, who finished second Sunday, through 13 of 26 races in the regular season.

Raising his stage win total to eight, Truex leads the series with 18 playoff points, three ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who picked up five points with his victory Sunday.

Click here for the points standings after Dover.

Larson wins Xfinity race, halfway to weekend sweep at Dover; Byron grabs $100k Dash 4 Cash.

By Jerry Bonkowski

(Photo/Getty Images)

There were two winners in Saturday’s OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway.

The race winner was polesitter Kyle Larson, who dominated by leading 137 of the 200 laps on the Monster Mile. It was Larson’s third Xfinity win this season in six starts. The other wins were at Auto Club Speedway and Richmond.

The other winner was rookie William Byron, who finished sixth to claim the fourth and last $100,000 bonus in the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash series. Byron becomes the third winner in the four-race series, the previous winners being Justin Allgaier (two wins) and Daniel Hemric (one).

Larson now prepares for what he hopes will be his second weekend sweep of the season with Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive For Autism NASCAR Cup race at Dover. He swept the races at Auto Club Speedway in March.

Saturday’s race had six leaders and seven lead changes, but was slowed by 10 cautions that put almost one-fourth of the race under yellow flag conditions.

Runner-up Ryan Blaney gave Larson a run for his money in the closing laps, but could not catch him. Daniel Suarez had a strong third-place finish, followed by Cole Custer and Ryan Reed.

Sixth through 10th were Byron, Elliott Sadler, Darrell Wallace Jr., Matt Tifft and Ty Dillon.

A number of drivers were knocked out of the race by wrecks, including Austin Dillon and Timmy Hill. Erik Jones lost his motor midway through the race.

Larson won the first stage. Wallace won the second stage.

HOW LARSON WON: One word describes Larson’s win, dominant. He led from the pole, won Stage 1 and then rallied in the final stage for the win. Now he goes for the weekend sweep in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race.

WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD DAY: Ryan Blaney gave it all he could, but just didn’t have quite as strong of a car as Larson,. Blaney finished second. William Byron also had a stellar day, earning the final $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus by finishing sixth.

WHO HAD A BAD DAY: Austin Dillon wrecked, Erik Jones had a motor let go on him and several other drivers were involved in a number of wrecks that resulted in 10 cautions on the day.

NOTABLE: Ryan Reed’s fifth-place finish was his second top-five of the season. It marks the first time in his four years in the series he’s had more than one top-five finish in a year. … In post-race inspection, it was found that the No. 19 Toyota of Matt Tifft had one unsecured lug nut, which could result in a penalty. There were no other issues in inspection.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: ““Heartbreak day. We have one more race left and this one was the one we were going to win, for sure. It just didn’t happen. We can’t get any luck. I got a little sideways on that one restart and it cost us a little bit. It would have been nice to get the $100,000 and bought us our Michigan race that we don’t have.” – eighth-place finisher Darrell Wallace Jr.

WHAT’S NEXT: Pocono Green 250, at 1 p.m. ET on June 10 at Pocono Raceway.

Elliott Sadler still No. 1 in Xfinity Series standings after Dover.

By Jerry Bonkowski

Elliott Sadler remains atop the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings after Saturday’s OneMain Financial 200 — also Sadler’s primary sponsor — at Dover International Speedway.

Sadler leads Justin Allgaier by 12 points and William Byron by 57 points.

Darrell Wallace Jr. is fourth, trailing Sadler by 84 points, and Daniel Hemric is fifth, 92 points back.

Click here for the updated Xfinity Series driver standings after Saturday’s race at Dover.

Danica Patrick earns first top-10 finish in two years in Dover Cup race.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)

After a frustrating start to her 2017 season, something finally went right for Danica Patrick on Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

Thanks to pit strategy and late cautions, Patrick placed 10th for her first top-10 finish in more than two years. The last time her No. 10 Ford was in the top 1/4th of the field was when she place eighth in the April 2015 race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“A good day for us,” Patrick said of just her fourth lead lap finish this season. “We got a bit lucky with staying out at the right time and catching the yellow flags. It’s the stuff that hasn’t been happening for us all year and it’s just nice to catch some breaks today.”

Entering Sunday’s race, Patrick’s best result in the first 12 events was 17th at Atlanta. She’d been plagued by five DNFs, which is more than she earned in each of the previous three seasons.

“We weren’t the fastest car today, not sure we were a top-10 car,” Patrick said. “A lot of times we have been a 10th-place car and weren’t able to get the finish we needed. I’ll take the lucky days anytime I can because there has been plenty of times where it went the other way.”

Patrick started the race in 31st and her average running spot during the 406-lap event was 22.2. Patrick was responsible for a caution when she spun on Lap 146. Her No. 10 Ford wasn’t damaged in the accident.

Patrick then received the wave around on Lap 197 to get back on the lead lap.

On Lap 331, Patrick and seven other drivers hit pit road after staying out just long enough during a green flag pit sequence before Regan Smith wrecked. It was the same pit sequence in which Ty Dillon took the lead.

“We put scuffs on two or three times on pit stops,” Patrick said. “It was an issue but we saw that all weekend, a lot of yellows. We survived and caught the right breaks when we did. I’ll take it.”

Patrick now has seven top 10s in her Cup career. Her previous best result at the Monster Mile in 10 starts was 13th in this race last year.

Patrick and her Stewart-Haas Racing team now head to Pocono Raceway sitting 30th in the points standings.

SOCCER: Despite playing up two men, Fire fail to score in Orlando.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Chicago Fire had the advantage of Orlando receiving not just one, but two red cards on Sunday, but still couldn’t turn that advantage into a goal.

The Fire played up a man for more than 60 minutes and up two men for the final quarter of the match, but couldn’t break through Orlando’s defense in a scoreless draw at Orlando City Stadium.

The draw snapped the Fire’s four-game winning streak, but did extend the team’s unbeaten run to six matches.

Orlando right back Rafael Ramos was handed a red card in the 26th minute for a foul on Brandon Vincent at the edge of the penalty box. Even after replays it wasn’t clear why the red card was given.

The Fire (7-3-4, 25 points) already had the edge in possession before the red card and continued to control the ball after it, but couldn’t score in the first half despite putting five shots on target.

Things got worse for Orlando (7-5-3, 24 points) when Antonio Nocerino was given the Lions’ second red card in the 66th minute. Nocerino led with his cleats into the back of Matt Polster.

Orlando went into an all-out defensive shell for the final quarter of the match. The Fire had all the ball possession, but had to try to break down a tight unit of eight players defending in the final third.

The game’s stats were understandably one-sided. The Fire outshot Orlando 21-5 and put six of those shots on target. In addition, the Fire had nine corners, attempted 27 crosses and finished with 66 percent of the possession.

After Orlando went down to nine men, the Fire were unable to put another shot on target. Matt Polster came the closest in the 92nd minute with a hard-hit first-touch shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar, bounced down and then was cleared. A couple minutes later, David Arshakyan had a shot deflect off a defender and then the crossbar before being cleared from danger.

A win against Orlando, especially on the road, could have proved valuable come the end of the season with both teams looking like playoff contenders. Given the two red cards, it will look like a missed opportunity for the Fire, but a draw on the road against a playoff contender isn’t such a bad thing without context.

The Fire were without both Dax McCarty and Juninho. Polster moved to midfield for the first time this season. With Polster in midfield, Drew Conner got his third start at right back.

Juninho did not travel after his wife gave birth to a boy earlier in the weekend.

The Fire return to Toyota Park next Saturday against Atlanta United FC.

USMNT 1-1 Venezuela: Pulisic saves face for Yanks.

By Nicholas Mendola

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Christian Pulisic has the ability to gloss over plenty of team bad with one sterling individual moment.

The 18-year-old Pulisic’s second half goal  after José Manuel Velázquez gave Venezuela an early lead led the USMNT to a 1-1 draw at Rio Tinto in Sandy, Utah.

The Yanks have five days before Thursday’s World Cup qualifier at home versus Trinidad and Tobago, and eight before a visit to Azteca to face Mexico.

An early foul had Clint Dempsey teeing up a free kick from 30 yards away, but his shot carried over the bar.

Dempsey had penalty shouts denied when Fabian Johnson deferred on a 14th minute chance and contact had him on the turf.

Darwin Machís of Leganes was an early menace for Venezuela, though he was missing the final ball.

Christian Pulisic tried to sneak a half-volley into the upper 90 in the 19th minute, but missed the mark.

Yet Venezuela hit the scoreboard first, with Velázquez rising to nod home after a corner kick ping-ponged in the 18 to help him lose Fabian Johnson.

Howard made an outstanding save to keep it 1-0, and then another on the corner as he pushed a ball off the post. Set pieces are a major concern heading into next week’s qualifiers.

Venezuela was lively to start the second half, and the Yanks had a new center back pairing within 10 minutes. Omar Gonzalez came on for Geoff Cameron at the break, and Brooks hit the deck with what turned out to be a cramp in the 52nd minute. Brooks returned for a few minutes before Matt Hedges replaced him.

Johnson whiffed on a solid chance in the 57th minute, and a Michael Bradley turnover nearly sprung Venezuela the other way.

Pulisic leveled it up after Nagbe, Villafana, and Johnson teamed up to work on the left. Pulisic worked a pair of defenders before hitting a low shot across the keeper and home.

Subs invigorated the Americans, and Kellyn Acosta’s sweeping free kick was missed by Bobby Wood near the penalty spot and Tim Ream off the back post.

Real Madrid becomes first back-to-back Champions League winner with 4-1 Juventus victory.

By Leander Schaerlaeckens

Real are champions of Europe for a record 12th time. (Photo/Getty Images)

No club had ever won the UEFA Champions League in consecutive seasons since it had been rebranded and revamped from the European Cup in 1992. Indeed, nobody had done it in either incarnation of the competition since AC Milan won it in 1989 and 1990. And no other club had been European champions a dozen times before.

Real Madrid pulled off both on Saturday, beating Juventus 4-1 in a scintillating final in Cardiff, Wales.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a pair of goals for Real – his 11th and 12th of the competition, 104th and 105th in Europe all time to extend his own record and the 599th and 600th of his club and international careers. Those goals, a deflected Casemiro shot and a late Marco Asensio tally overwhelmed Mario Mandzukic’s wonder goal for Juventus. And that made it three Real Champions League titles in four years and a dozen overall. No other club has more than seven (AC Milan).

Juventus already held the record for most lost Champions League finals with six. This seventh defeat was also its fifth in a row – 1997, ’98, ’03, ’15, ’17 – and its second in three years. Juve’s iconic 39-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has now lost three finals with the club in his storied career.

Going into the game, even casual fans understood that there was every chance that this final would be regressive, cagey and, well, boring. That’s how big finals very often go. That’s how Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United secured the Europa League trophy a week earlier. With a cynical game plan that ruthlessly capitalized on the attacking intent of the opposition. “Poets don’t win many titles,” the Portuguese serial title-winner declared after the game, in his signature blend of brazenness and quotability.

But neither Real manager Zinedine Zidane, one of the finest playmakers in the game’s history, nor his Juve counterpart Max Allegri, who is utterly un-Italian in his aesthetic soccer sensibilities, heeded that received wisdom. If this Juventus is famous for its impregnable defense, it also boasts an attacking machinery rivaled by few clubs in the world. Real Madrid, of course, excels on both fronts.

Juventus made a surprisingly aggressive start, highlighted by a Gonzalo Higuain dribble through the middle. His lashed shot at Keylor Navas’s goal was scrambled up on the second attempt by the Costa Rican goalkeeper.

Navas prevented an early Juventus goal a second time in the sixth minute, when an extended Juve attack pinned Real back and eventually presented Miralem Pjanic with a half-volley. Navas got to it in spite of the speed and spin on the ball.

There was a temerity and a joy to Juve’s play that we’ve not historically expected from Italian teams, especially not in big finals. Paulo Dybala backheel-nutmegging an opponent in his own half, for instance, suggested that for its defensive stoutness Allegri’s Juventus side has evolved into something un-Italian. Something post-Italian, perhaps.

But Real wouldn’t be Real if it didn’t capitalize on its vast experience with high-stakes games like this and convert its one early chance. Ronaldo, defended ever so tightly until then, received the ball outside the box in the 20th minute, hit the overlapping Dani Carvajal on his right and got it back in the pocket between Juve’s lines he opened up by slowing his run.

He slotted his low shot into the far corner, past the sprawling Buffon.

That made Ronaldo the first player to score in three Champions League finals – after he’d scored five times in the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich and three times against Atletico Madrid in the semis, mind you. It was also only the second goal conceded by Juve in the knockout stage.

For the skill and team choreography in that Real goal, however, there was no competing with Juve’s equalizer seven minutes later, in the 27th. Few such goals were ever scored when a European title was on the line, or indeed any other time.

Alex Sandro volleyed in a cross from deep on the Pjanic long ball. Higuain chested it and kept it in the air for Mandzukic, who chested it as well, and then bicycle kicked it over Navas and into the net just under the upright before it ever touched the ground.

That made Ronaldo the first player to score in three Champions League finals – after he’d scored five times in the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich and three times against Atletico Madrid in the semis, mind you. It was also only the second goal conceded by Juve in the knockout stage.

For the skill and team choreography in that Real goal, however, there was no competing with Juve’s equalizer seven minutes later, in the 27th. Few such goals were ever scored when a European title was on the line, or indeed any other time.

Alex Sandro volleyed in a cross from deep on the Pjanic long ball. Higuain chested it and kept it in the air for Mandzukic, who chested it as well, and then bicycle kicked it over Navas and into the net just under the upright before it ever touched the ground.

And three minutes later, the deed was done as Ronaldo got his second. The outstanding Luka Modric reached the back line and managed to cut the ball back into the Portuguese’s path. He had spotted a seam in Juve’s typically tight three-man back line, met the ball and cleanly redirected it into the net.

Juve’s re-commitment to pushing forward following the third goal was too long in waiting and ultimately toothless. And whatever venom was left in a side seemingly aware that it was already beaten seeped away when Juan Cuadrado managed to get himself sent off with a second yellow card in the 85th minute, after coming on in the second half.

In the 90th minute, Marco Asensio confirmed this with a fourth Real goal, finishing off a clever bit of play from Marcelo.

Real, again, was the deserving European champion. And now that it has almost twice as many continental crowns as any other club, there can be no doubt about the identity of the most successful soccer team in the world – as if any remained. Just as Ronaldo confirmed his greatness, should it not have already been established well before Saturday.

Europe has a new soccer champion. Same as the old champion.

Int’l roundup: Netherlands, Ireland run wild in pre-WCQ friendlies.

By Andy Edwards

(Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

With the summer set of World Cup qualifying fixtures taking place next week, a roundup of a handful of international friendlies as some of the heavy hitters make final preparations…

Netherlands 5-0 Ivory Coast

Dick Advocaat’s Netherlands (he took over from Danny Blind last month) are in danger of failing to qualify for back-to-back major tournaments — EURO 2016 and World Cup 2018 — as the Oranje currently sit fourth in Group A, three points back of second-place (playoff place) Sweden with five games still to play. Up next: Luxembourg, at home.

Sunday’s friendly against Ivory Coast will leave the Dutch slightly more optimistic than they were immediately following Blind’s dismissal, as three goals in 36 minutes put the result beyond doubt early on. Joel Veltman scored the opener after just 13 minutes, Arjen Robben converted from the penalty spot in the 32 minute, and Veltman made it 3-0 just four minutes later.

Davy Klaassen extended the lead to four in the 69th minute, and Tottenham Hotspur’s Vincent Jannssen bagged his second goal in as many games this week six minutes later, though the 22-year-old striker yanked an open-net opportunity wide just 20 minutes earlier.

Ireland 3-1 Uruguay

At the halfway point of qualification in Group D, Ireland are sitting pretty ahead of next week’s visit from Austria. After five of 10 games played, the gap between second-place Ireland and third- and fourth-place Wales and Austria is four points; the gap between Ireland and first-place (automatic qualification) Serbia is zero — the Boys in Green trail only on goal differential (+6 to +4).

On Sunday, Martin O’Neill’s side scored a confidence-boosting victory over (a Luis Suarez-less) Uruguay at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Edinson Cavani lasted just 11 minutes for La Celeste after falling victim to a challenge from debutant Kevin Long. Uruguay, who currently sit third in CONMEBOL’s 10-team, double round-robin qualification competition, resume qualification at the end of August, when fifth-place (playoff place) Argentina invade Montevideo.

Stoke City’s Jonathan Walters put the home side with a well-struck effort just before the half-hour mark, but Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez brought the visitors level just 10 minutes later, courtesy of a blunder by West Ham United’s Darren Randolph. Derby County’s Cyrus Christie fired Ireland back ahead six minutes after halftime, and West Bromwich Albion’s James McClean completed the scoring in the 77th minute.

Elsewhere in international friendlies

Armenia 5-0 St. Kitts and Nevis
Luxembourg 2-1 Albania
Montenegro 1-2 Iran

NCAAFB: SEC amends graduate transfer rule, clearing the path for Malik Zaire to Florida.

By Ben Kercheval

Zaire's potential transfer to Florida was a hot-button topic at SEC spring meetings.

The road is clear for former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire to transfer to Florida, should he so choose. And it's widely expected that he will. 

On Friday, at the conclusion of this year's SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, the conference amended its graduate transfer rule that would allow Zaire, who as of this week was reportedly leaning towards Florida, to transfer to the Gators. While Zaire has not officially announced his destination, the following tweet seems rather clear... 

Florida was banned from taking grad transfers for a three-year period, ending in 2018, because two previous transfers failed to meet academic requirements. However, that rule has now changed. According to UF athletic director Scott Stricklin, via the Tampa Bay Times, if a grad transfer does not make adequate academic progress, the program is restricted from taking another grad transfer only the following year.

The SEC was the only Power Five conference with such a restriction on graduate transfers, thus putting it at a competitive disadvantage. The new one-year probationary period is still unique to the SEC.  

Zaire is also said to be considering Texas and Harvard, among others. However, the longer Zaire went without making a decision, the more likely it seemed that he was waiting on the results from this week's meetings in Destin. With the SEC's amended rule, Zaire is free to transfer to the Gators, where he would provide instant depth at the quarterback position. 

Florida enters the 2017 season counting on redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks to win the job. He is presently competing with classmate Kyle Trask and redshirt junior Luke Del Rio, the 2016 starter, for the job. Del Rio missed all of spring practice while recovering from multiple surgeries.

Charles Woodson, Eric Dickerson headline 2018 College Football Hall of Fame ballot.

By Tom Fornelli

There are plenty of familiar names eligible this year.

The National Football Foundation released the ballot for 2018 College Football Hall of Fame induction on Thursday, and the ballot includes 75 players and six coaches from the FBS level as well as 98 players and 31 coaches from the FCS level and below.

Some of the more recognizable names on the ballot include former Heisman winner Charles Woodson,  SMU running back Eric Dickerson, Notre Dame receiver and returner Raghib Ismail, Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson and the Miami trio of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Warren Sapp.

Coaches eligible for the Hall of Fame this year include Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and former Texas coach Mack Brown.

In order to be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame, players must meet a certain set of criteria. They had to have been named a first-team All-American, and 10 full seasons must have been played since their last college season. Players also must have played their final season within the last 50 years.

Coaches become eligible three seasons after retiring or immediately following retirement if they're at least 70 years old. Active coaches gain eligibility at 75.

Here are all the players and coaches from the FBS level to appear on this year's ballot.

Player	School	Position
Morten Andersen	Michigan State	K
Mark Bavaro	Notre Dame	TE
Michael Bishop	Kansas State	QB
Lomas Brown	Florida	OL
Terrell Buckley	Florida State	DB
Larry Burton	Purdue	WR
Keith Byars	Ohio State	RB
Gregg Carr	Auburn	LB
Mark Carrier	USC	DB
Matt Cavanaugh	Pittsburgh	QB
Trevor Cobb	Rice	RB
Marco Coleman	Georgia Tech	LB
Kerry Collins	Penn State	QB
Tim Couch	Kentucky	QB
Eric Crouch	Nebraska	QB
Kenneth Davis	TCU	RB
Rich Diana	Yale	RB
Eric Dickerson	SMU	RB
John Didion	Oregon State	OL
Rickey Dixon	Oklahoma	DB
Jumbo Elliott	Michigan	OT
Kevin Faulk	LSU	RB
David Fulcher	Arizona State	DB
Robert Gallery	Iowa	OL
Moe Gardner	Illinois	DL
Tony Gonzalez	California	TE
Martin Gramatica	Kansas State	K
Jacob Green	Texas A&M	DL
Dan Hampton	Arkansas	DL
Jason Hanson	Washington State	K
Byron Hanspard	Texas Tech	RB
Marcus Harris	Wyoming	WR
Craig Heyward	Pittsburgh	RB
Torry Holt	NC State	WR
Dana Howard	Illinois	LB
Raghib Ismail	Notre Dame	WR
Ernie Jennings	Air Force	WR
Calvin Johnson	Georgia Tech	WR
E.J. Junior	Alabama	DL
Rick Leach	Michigan	QB
Jess Lewis	Oregon State	DL
Ray Lewis	Miami	LB
Ed McCaffrey	Stanford	WR
Buddy McClinton	Auburn	DB
Cade McNown	UCLA	QB
Shawn Moore	Virginia	QB
Ken Norton Jr.	UCLA	LB
Phil Olsen	Utah State	DL
Leslie O'Neal	Oklahoma State	DL
Jim Otis	Ohio State	FB
Paul Palmer	Temple	RB
Jake Plummer	Arizona State	QB
Anthony Poindexter	Virginia	DB
Troy Polamalu	USC	DB
Cliff Powell	Arkansas	LB
Antwaan Randle El	Indiana	QB
Ed Reed	Miami	DB
Simeon Rice	Illinois	LB
Ron Rivera	California	LB
Warren Sapp	Miami	DL
Bob Stein	Minnesota	DL
Matt Stinchcomb	Georgia	OL
Taylor Stubblefield	Purdue	WR
Aaron Taylor	Nebraska	OL
Aaron Taylor	Notre Dame	OL
Troy Vincent	Wisconsin	DB
Chris Ward	Ohio State	OL
Michael Westbrook	Colorado	WR
Lorenzo White	Michigan State	RB
Zach Wiegert	Nebraska	OL
Patrick Willis	Ole Miss	LB
Steve Wisniewski	Penn State	OL
Charles Woodson	Michigan	DB
Al Worley	Washington	DB
Marc Zeno	Tulane	WR

Coach	Schools
Frank Beamer	Murray State, Virginia Tech
Mack Brown	Appalachian State, Tulane, North Carolina, Texas
Jim Carlen	West Virginia, Texas Tech, South Carolina
Pete Cawthorn Sr.	Austin College, Texas Tech
Billy Jack Murphy	Memphis

NCAABKB: Adam Silver changes stance on age-limit rule and that's bad news for college hoops.

By Matt Norlander

The commish once supported raising the NBA's age-limit, but that may not still be the case.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is publicly entertaining the idea of supporting a change to his league's controversial age-minimum draft rule. Since 2006, the NBA's collective bargaining agreement has put college basketball into a higher-profile but morally disputable one-and-done era, meaning prospects can only enter the NBA Draft only after they are 19 years old or a full calendar year removed from high school graduation. 

On Wednesday, Silver went on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" and admitted that the NBA's age-minimum rule is up for reconsideration. 

"It may surprise you," Silver told Cowherd. "I'm rethinking our position." 

The NBA has been steadfast, from the winter of David Stern's term as commissioner and seamlessly into Silver's reign, in refusing to allow high school prospects to be draft eligible. For decades, players were able to declare for the draft at 17, 18 years old. Most didn't, until Kevin Garnett altered the paradigm in 1995 until the league adopted its current rule in 2006. In recent years, Silver has said the league's desire was to raise the age minimum from 19 to 20. 

"It's one that, I think, we need to be more thoughtful on -- not just be in an adversarial position, sort of under the bright lights of the collective bargaining," Silver said. 

But some of Silver's reasoning appears flawed. In lamenting college basketball's unfixable problem (the best prospects will, most of the time, turn pro as soon as possible), Silver notes the Ben Simmons situation at LSU in 2015-16. As evidenced in a 2016 Showtime documentary, Simmons quit classes (after skipping plenty throughout the season) the day LSU's season ended. 

But Simmons' bailout is not the norm. How do we know? The NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) tracks players' classroom performance. Early NBA entrants flunking out of courses deteriorates a team's APR. The APR is far from perfect, but it forces programs to keep their grades and graduations rates high, lest they score too low and wind up with postseason bans. 

"Even the so-called one-and-done players, I don't think it's fair to characterize them as going to one year of school," Silver said Wednesday. "What's happening now, even at the best schools, they enroll in those universities -- some great universities -- and they attend those universities until either they don't make the tournament, and the last game therefore of their freshman season, or to whenever they lose or win in the NCAA Tournament, that becomes their last day. So in essence it's a half-and-done, in a way."

"It's one that, I think, we need to be more thoughtful on -- not just be in an adversarial position, sort of under the bright lights of the collective bargaining," Silver said. 

But some of Silver's reasoning appears flawed. In lamenting college basketball's unfixable problem (the best prospects will, most of the time, turn pro as soon as possible), Silver notes the Ben Simmons situation at LSU in 2015-16. As evidenced in a 2016 Showtime documentary, Simmons quit classes (after skipping plenty throughout the season) the day LSU's season ended. 

But Simmons' bailout is not the norm. How do we know? The NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) tracks players' classroom performance. Early NBA entrants flunking out of courses deteriorates a team's APR. The APR is far from perfect, but it forces programs to keep their grades and graduations rates high, lest they score too low and wind up with postseason bans. 

"Even the so-called one-and-done players, I don't think it's fair to characterize them as going to one year of school," Silver said Wednesday. "What's happening now, even at the best schools, they enroll in those universities -- some great universities -- and they attend those universities until either they don't make the tournament, and the last game therefore of their freshman season, or to whenever they lose or win in the NCAA Tournament, that becomes their last day. So in essence it's a half-and-done, in a way."

While that's true, part of the impetus for the age minimum was to have older, more experienced, more mature players in the league. Just because a player is projected to be a top-five pick when he's 16 years old, then indeed winds up being a top-five pick when he's 19 years old doesn't mean the system is broken. After a year in college, it stands to reason that the player might be more adjusted and prepared to play in the NBA following 30-40 games at the Division I level rather than vaulting straight from high school. Until Silver spoke out against this on Wednesday, I thought this was a philosophical pillar he depended on.

If you're most interested in the rights of the player, the NBA should return to allowing high school-age kids to declare and let nature take its course. The league has the right to look out for its best business interests, though, and ultimately Silver -- even if he loves college basketball -- owes that sport nothing. The irony is the symbiotic relationship between the NBA and NCAA because of this ever-debated rule. If the NBA is most interested in having a stronger, older rookie class, the byproduct of that is uplifting college basketball's national viability and profile by inducing the best 17- and 18-year-olds to make the one-year rental agreement with college basketball. 

College hoops has been a lot of fun over the past decade-plus with Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, John Wall, Derrick Rose, Lonzo Ball, Anthony Davis, Andrew Wiggins, Aaron Gordon, D'Angelo Russell, Josh Jackson, Jamal Murray, Jahlil Okafor and the list could go another 30 deep. One-and-done star power at top-10 programs has tangible in-season impact of the sport's coverage and enthusiasm that surrounds it. 

Keeping the age minimum benefits both the league and the NCAA. Extending the age minimum to 20 can't be the answer, though. If anything, you'll have more players opting for the international route in an effort to make money. The twist here could be the NBA's reinforcements to the D-League. If the NBA can get enough money incentives there, might there be a scenario in which players could declare for the NBA coming out of high school, be mandated (a la the minor league system in MLB) to first start in the D-League before getting a call-up (say, post All-Star Break at the earliest?)

I find it very interesting that Silver is openly discussing this now. If he's willing to go public with this, it's reasonable to expect the NBA to have heavy discussions on this in the coming year or two. Major change could be coming to the NBA and college basketball, again, but before the NBA makes sweeping change the powers-that-be need to ask themselves if the league has been bettered over the past decade-plus by the institution of this rule.

The obvious answer is yes. 

3-on-3 basketball is likely coming to the Olympics, and it's far more than just a gimmick.

By Henry Bushnell

Belgium and Russia compete in the 3×3 Basketball European Championships in Azerbaijan in 2015. (Photo/Getty)

The International Olympic Committee executive board will meet next week to vote on the inclusion of more than 60 potential new events in the 2020 Games. An “expected favorite” among the 60-plus possibilities, according to the Associated Press? Street basketball.

The 2020 Summer Olympics will include a full 5-on-5 basketball competition as usual, but 3-on-3 hoops appears set to make its Olympic debut. It could be confirmed next Friday as one of several competitions that will be added to the Olympic program.

And while this might seem like an IOC gimmick, in reality, the truncated version of basketball is anything but.

Three-a-side basketball is actually an internationally recognized game that is overseen by FIBA, the same international basketball governing body that organizes the hoops version of the World Cup and other international competitions. Officially known as 3×3 basketball, it has its own world cup that tips off in Nantes, France, on June 17 of this year.

The rules are pretty similar to the ones you’d play by at your local park on a Saturday afternoon. Scoring goes by 1s and 2s rather than by 2s and 3s. Teams play to 21, or until 10 minutes have elapsed. And the playing court features only one basket, meaning teams must take the ball back behind the 3-point arc after an opponent miss.

But there are some differences between pick-up ball and the official version of the game. There’s a 12-second shot clock. There are free throws — one for a shooting foul inside the arc, two for a shooting foul behind the arc. And after a made basket, there’s no make-it-take-it rule; play doesn’t stop; it’s continuous, with the team that conceded the basket either passing or dribbling the ball back to the 3-point arc and immediately initiating its own offensive possession.

Below is a short version of the rules. The full rulebook can be found here.

(fiba.com)

FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann made it clear that the 3-on-3 version of the game is significantly different from the 5-on-5 version. “It’s a different skill set,” he said. “It’s really a 10-minute sprint, no coach, so you need to take the right decisions.”

Here’s video from the gold medal match at the 2016 World Championships for a look at how the game is played:

There are a lot of unanswered questions with regards to 3×3 basketball’s place on the Olympic program. Chief among them: Who would the athletes be? Would NBA players that aren’t on 5-on-5 Olympic rosters be eligible for the 3-on-3 competition? Would they even want to play 3-on-3?

Most countries already have players that are familiar with 3×3 hoops. For example, the U.S. will compete at the 3×3 world cup later this month with a four-man team of Zahir Carrington, Damon Huffman, Dan Mavraides and Craig Moore. All four played college ball — at Lehigh, Brown, Princeton and Northwestern, respectively — but none ever played a minute in the NBA. That four-man squad qualified for the world cup by winning the USA Basketball Men’s 3×3 National Tournament in April.

But surely the skill set required for 3-on-3 basketball isn’t too distinct from the one required for 5-on-5 basketball. NBA players — or, for that matter, D-Leaguers or Euroleague stars — would surely dominate any team set to compete at this month’s world cup. So will USA Basketball call in ringers from the NBA for the Olympics in 2020? Or will it stick with players like the four going to the world cup?

Whoever the players are, it’s tough to argue with more hoops at the Olympics. And heck, the 10 minutes of non-stop action might be an intriguing alternative to the stop-start slogs that many NBA games have become.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, June 05, 2017.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1927 - Johnny Weissmuller set two world records in swimming events. Weissmuller set marks in the 100-yard, and 200-yard, free-style swimming competition.

1963 - The NHL held its first amateur draft. Twenty-one players were selected. Montreal chose first and selected Garry Monahan.

1967 - The National Hockey League (NHL) awarded six new franchises. The Minnesota North Stars (later the Dallas Stars), Oakland Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues received their NHL franchises.

1973 - The first hole-in-one in the British Amateur golf championship was made by Jim Crowford.

1989 - The Toronto Blue Jays lost their debut game in the Skydome against the Milwaukee Brewers.

1991 - Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) won the Hart Trophy. The feat created the first father-and-son team to win the Hart Trophy.

******************************************************************

Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you.