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"
“Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear.” ~ Dan Millman, Author, Actor, Gymnast and Athlete.
TRENDING: Why Mike Glennon isn’t putting any extra pressure on himself heading into second preseason game. (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).
TRENDING: Predicting the Blackhawks’ power play look for next season. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: The NBA announces the Bulls are irrelevant again. (Taken from www.sbnation.com/bulls blog, 08/11/2017). (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: The Cubs' August blues; After going through a tough stretch, Cubs face a run of last place teams; The pains of the White Sox rebuild: While team of the future develops, team of the present blown out. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: Thomas wins his first major title at the PGA. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
TRENDING: Kyle Larson wins in overtime finish for third Michigan victory in a row; Sam Hornish Jr. dominates Mid-Ohio Xfinity race to earn first career road course win; Bubba Wallace roars to win in first Truck race since 2014 at Michigan. (See the NASCAR section for NASCAR news and racing updates).
TRENDING: Things are getting tight for the Fire in the Eastern Conference;
Premier League roundup: A wild return for the top flight! (See the soccer section for Fire news and worldwide soccer updates). TRENDING: Little League World Series 2017: Bracket, schedule, results, TV channel. (See the last article on this blog for Little League news and updates).
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Back in Bourbonnais, Bears like what they see with Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/www.csnchicago.com)
John Fox wouldn’t say whether or not Mitch Trubisky will be the Bears’ second-team quarterback when they travel to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals in a week, but he did say he was pleased with how both Trubisky and Mike Glennon responded after Thursday’s preseason opener.
“I think he obviously has had a bad game before, if you’ve played this game you have,” Fox said. “So he responded well and thought the first unit looked pretty good today.”
Trubisky threw an interception during practice, though it looked like there may have been some miscommunication between him and his intended target that led to that pick. Trubisky, after lighting up fringy Denver Broncos on Thursday, was just OK on Saturday — neither good nor bad.
But the Bears liked how Trubisky came back to work after a successful preseason debut.
“I think he’s had a very professional approach to it,” fellow rookie offensive lineman Jordan Morgan said. “He hasn’t let it go to his head, so to speak. It was the very first preseason game it’s one of those things where he realizes he did some good things and he’s just continue to develop on that and build on that moving forward.”
Fox said after Thursday’s game that he wouldn’t alter the depth chart based on one preseason game, but the question remains: When does, not when will, Trubisky become the Bears’ backup quarterback?
If it’s going to be Saturday night in Glendale, Fox — despite saying Thursday “We don’t gameplan against preseason opponents,” which seems pretty standard — won’t tip his hand.
“We’ve got a plan,” Fox said. “We don’t share every little intricacy of the plan. But we had a plan going into that game.”
Why Mike Glennon isn’t putting any extra pressure on himself heading into second preseason game.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/USA TODAY)
Ideally for Mike Glennon, it already would be Saturday night and he’d be warming up in Glendale, Ariz., in his first game opportunity to move on from Thursday night. But he didn’t sound like someone stewing on the pick six he threw or his 0.0 quarterback rating that added fuel to a much-asked question since: Is there a quarterback controversy in Chicago?
Coach John Fox liked how Glennon responded in practice after Thursday, and while his weekend wasn’t completely clean — Prince Amukamara picked him off in seven-on-seven Sunday — it wasn’t bad, either. The Bears are still rolling ahead with Glennon as QB1, with Mitch Trubisky’s breakout preseason debut not changing much, at least, not yet.
“I don't really pay that much attention,” Fox said. “You know, we're excited about (Trubisky), so I imagine that people on the outside are excited.”
Glennon, too, isn’t searching his name in Google News or on Twitter to see how those outside of the locker room and front office are framing him and Trubisky.
“I just really don’t get online,” Glennon said. “I watched the preseason games but I just avoid the possible distraction of hearing what people may say. The only thing that matters are the coaches and the players in the locker room and what they have to say. That’s where my focus is.
“… I understand as writers you guys have a job to do. There may be some speculation but I don’t know.”
That even-keeled mentality is helping Glennon not put any added pressure on himself heading into Saturday night’s game, even if ideally he could flush Game 1 sooner than this coming weekend.
But having the right mentality and having success on the field proved to be two different things for Glennon in his first preseason game with the Bears. Glennon said he thought mental preparation was good, but he just didn’t execute well enough. Eventually — and, ideally, by this weekend — he’ll have to produce as the starting quarterback of the Bears.
“There are going to be days like (Thursday),” Fox said on Saturday. “It’s life. So we’ll just grab the bull by the horns and go about trying to get better. It was our first preseason game. Our whole first unit didn’t do well. We had an errant shotgun snap. We didn’t block real well. We didn’t ID some things like we’d expect. It’s like anywhere I’ve ever been as far as first preseason game with a lot of new guys out there, they look at the film. They’ll get better for it.”
Tarik Cohen proved he more than belongs in the NFL on Thursday.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/www.csnchicago.com)
Tarik Cohen sparked a listless Bears offense Thursday night, showing that not only does he belong at the NFL level, but he can make an immediate impact in his rookie year.
“It was lightning in a bottle,” left tackle Charles Leno Jr. said. “He was quick, agile, really hard to tackle, really hard to see out there for the defenders — good for us. Just a really good player. He provided some good help for us on the offense.”
It was a continuation of what we’ve seen from Cohen during practice in Bourbonnais, and answered one of the biggest questions about the 5-foot-6, 181 pound running back’s game: Can he hold up against NFL competition?
Cohen gained two yards on his first carry of the game, which represented the first time he was hit by an opposing NFL defender in his life. He said nothing felt different after that hit.
“It’s like, here we go again,” Cohen said. “Back at it. Let’s continue to do what I’ve been doing.”
Victor Cruz was on the sidelines when Cohen jogged off the field after that first hit and saw how amped up he was after it.
“Any time you see him, man, he’s always jumping up and down or laughing or smiling or joking,” Cruz said. “He’s always upbeat. So his first little bit of contact, he was excited for it, he was waiting for it, I’m sure. And now he knows what it feels like to get hit in the NFL.”
As with everything that happened Thursday night — the good of Mitch Trubisky, the bad of Mike Glennon — the Bears aren’t overreacting. But Cohen not injected some positivity into the Bears’ offense, he did it with the first-team, which may be the strongest indication of how coaches view the fourth-round pick.
“I like to think of myself as, like, a spark plug,” Cohen said. “So wherever the offense’s at, if we’re struggling, I want to come in and get everybody motivated, have that one spark play that might spark somebody else to have a big play also. When I make a big play, I’m thinking if it’s not a touchdown, then I know somebody else on the team is going to score a touchdown.”
What you need to know from Bears camp: With Roberto Aguayo reportedly claimed, a kicking contest is back on.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The Bears claimed placekicker Roberto Aguayo on Sunday, which likely will re-open a competition that seemingly closed a week ago.
Aguayo starred at Florida State and was a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, but only made 71 percent of his field goal attempts (22/31) as a rookie and missed two PATs, too. Connor Barth, who was replaced by Aguayo in Tampa Bay after the 2015 season, hit 78.3 percent of his field goals last year (18/23) and missed one PAT.
The Bears waived undrafted free agent Andy Philips last Monday, leaving Barth as the only placekicker on the training camp roster.
At the least, Aguayo will provide competition for Barth — but at best, he shakes free of the pressure he had with Tampa Bay and is able to re-gain the form he had at Florida State (69/78 field goals, 198/198 PATs). Bringing him in makes sense and seems to be worth a shot.
Trubisky finishes Sunday strong
On Tuesday — the Bears’ last padded practice before their preseason opener — Mitch Trubisky ended practice with an interception in the end zone during a red zone drill. He finished practice on Sunday — the Bears’ first padded practice since Thursday night — on a much higher note.
In a two-minute drill in 11-on-11 work, Trubisky did the following on his final three plays: A long completion to wide receiver Tanner Gentry, a touchdown to tight end Daniel Brown and a run into the end zone for a two-point conversion.
With Mark Sanchez not participating (his ankle ailment is considered minor, and he’s expected to play Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals), Trubisky worked with the Bears’ second-team offense on Sunday. But that’s not an indication he’ll continue to get second-team reps in practice or in preseason games, with coach John Fox saying that reps — no matter with what unit — are the most important things for the young quarterback.
“You saw Thursday night that we kind of hold that in high regard, getting him opportunities to play,” Fox said. “I’ve watched a lot of young quarterbacks starting, going back to Marino and Elway, how they did it, how they progressed. We got a good plan. A big part of that plan is getting him playing opportunities.”
From the sick bay: A bad break for Wheaton
Markus Wheaton was back in pads Sunday for the first time since his appendectomy, but fractured his left pinky trying to make a catch during practice.
“Hopefully that won't be too big of a setback,” Fox said. “He's a great kid, he works really hard, he's a great teammate and he does have downfield speed that we saw early in the offseason and hopefully we'll get to see here really soon.”
Defensive ends Jaye Howard (hip injection) and Akiem Hicks (sore Achilles) did not participate, and defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris left practice with a concussion. Tight end Dion Sims and offensive lineman Tom Compton were both limited with shoulder bruises, though Fox said Sims could’ve participated had it been the regular season.
Linebacker Danny Trevathan participated in seven-on-seven work and, like offensive lineman Kyle Long, is slowly being worked back into practice.
“Whether or not they ever see a preseason game, don’t know at this point,” Fox said. “We’ll just continue to gain confidence and get them reps eventually in a ‘team’ setting to get them ready for the season.”
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Predicting the Blackhawks’ power play look for next season.
By Mario Tirabassi
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56150743/usa_today_9845134.0.jpg)
(Photo/Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)
When the Chicago Blackhawks traded Artemi Panarin and Tyler Motte to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Brandon Saad and Anton Forsberg, they weren't just losing any ol' 30-goal scoring winger. They were trading away one of Patrick Kane's most formidable linemates of his career and a power play specialist.
While Chicago’s special teams as a whole need work from last season to this season, the power play ranked 19th in the NHL and performed better than its penalty kill. But one of the Blackhawks’ biggest gripes with the power play unit is that they have so much talent, but couldn’t seem to get it to work at full steam on the man advantage.
Over the last five full seasons, the Blackhawks have failed to reach the 20 percent power play plateau all but once. In the 2015-16 season, the power play finished at 22.6 percent and ranked second in the league, but other than that, middle of the pack. Most teams would be completely fine with that, but the Blackhawks are not most teams. Most teams haven’t had players at the level of Kane, Saad, Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, or Brent Seabrook over that span.
With Panarin gone, Hossa going to LTIR and may be done for his career, and Sharp only returning as a fraction of his former self, the Blackhawks’ power play has a good amount to recover from if they want to finish higher than 20th.
First unit needs to be star-heavy
The Blackhawks have long had a lot of star power, but they haven’t always used it the same way with the man advantage. Entering next season, it should be a priority to build an elite top PP unit, even if that means leaving lesser options to fill time on the second unit.
One key question the Blackhawks will have to address is whether to use four forwards and one defenseman, or three forwards and two defensemen. The team was ahead of the curve in using the 4F1D strategy, but it hasn’t had great success with it lately despite immense talent.
Tyler Dellow of The Athletic came out with an interesting article on this earlier this summer, focusing on the intricacies of the statistical data on the power play the Blackhawks have generated using both the 3F2D and 4F1D structures under Joel Quenneville.
As Dellow points out in the piece, the Blackhawks have had more success than the NHL average in the 3F2D ratio, but historically that’s still not as effective as a good 4F1D power play. Over the past two seasons with Chicago playing a 4F1D ratio, it has primarily been with Kane, Toews, Panarin, Keith, and a rotation of Panik and Anisimov.
On paper, it would be a no-brainer that this grouping would be highly successful, but as Dellow points out, this grouping under-performed compared to the NHL average. The problem that arose with this grouping was that Panarin focused on getting his shots higher up near the circle rather than low in the slot, presumably because the team was constantly looking for one-timers. Those shots were difficult to execute, and ultimately it made the power play less effective than it probably should’ve been.
Panarin, in his two seasons working on Chicago’s top power play unit, produced 17 power play goals. That’s good enough for a tie for 22nd in the NHL over those two seasons for power play goal-scoring, along with Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry, Anders Lee, and Sam Reinhart. So the Hawks leaned on him heavily, but it’s possible there could be benefits to having a new left-handed shot on the top unit.
Looking at the 2014-15 season and the Blackhawks using a 4F1D ratio, the Blackhawks were ahead of the league at that time in generating on the power play, as Dellow points out. Well, who was on that 2014-15 first unit? Kane, Toews, Sharp, Saad, and Keith with Hossa rotating in as well. While Sharp isn’t his 2014-15 self and Hossa is a non-factor for the 2017-18 season, the reunion of this grouping would give Chicago the same setup on the 4F1D ratio and could hope to come close to replicating their success that season.
Defensively on the first unit, there is no question that Duncan Keith is Chicago’s anchor. If he wasn’t in his mid-30s, the Blackhawks could entertain the idea of double-shifting him on the power play with the defensive depth they will have this season. But alas, it’s not feasible to play him 30 minutes a night, every night. Keith is the quarterback of the power play’s first unit, no doubt, but his defensive partner on the power play could go in multiple directions. Chicago could place Brent Seabrook out there with Keith and have a traditional 3F1D ratio on the first unit power play. While Seabrook has been on the decline in the last two seasons, he still has a powerful shot that can be utilized on the power play.
Another forward option to play in the 4F1D would be Richard Panik. Comparisons of Panik as a poor-man’s version of Hossa might be a stretch, but he’s not a bad alternate if there’s an injury.
Keith and Sharp should get the first look on the first unit and keeping a power play defenseman like Seabrook for the second unit may make the most sense with the lack of offensive depth on the blue line. So, for the Blackhawks’ first power play unit, they’ll likely ice a 4F1D unit of Saad-Toews-Kane-Sharp with Keith on the defensive end.
While Chicago’s special teams as a whole need work from last season to this season, the power play ranked 19th in the NHL and performed better than its penalty kill. But one of the Blackhawks’ biggest gripes with the power play unit is that they have so much talent, but couldn’t seem to get it to work at full steam on the man advantage.
Over the last five full seasons, the Blackhawks have failed to reach the 20 percent power play plateau all but once. In the 2015-16 season, the power play finished at 22.6 percent and ranked second in the league, but other than that, middle of the pack. Most teams would be completely fine with that, but the Blackhawks are not most teams. Most teams haven’t had players at the level of Kane, Saad, Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, or Brent Seabrook over that span.
With Panarin gone, Hossa going to LTIR and may be done for his career, and Sharp only returning as a fraction of his former self, the Blackhawks’ power play has a good amount to recover from if they want to finish higher than 20th.
First unit needs to be star-heavy
The Blackhawks have long had a lot of star power, but they haven’t always used it the same way with the man advantage. Entering next season, it should be a priority to build an elite top PP unit, even if that means leaving lesser options to fill time on the second unit.
One key question the Blackhawks will have to address is whether to use four forwards and one defenseman, or three forwards and two defensemen. The team was ahead of the curve in using the 4F1D strategy, but it hasn’t had great success with it lately despite immense talent.
Tyler Dellow of The Athletic came out with an interesting article on this earlier this summer, focusing on the intricacies of the statistical data on the power play the Blackhawks have generated using both the 3F2D and 4F1D structures under Joel Quenneville.
As Dellow points out in the piece, the Blackhawks have had more success than the NHL average in the 3F2D ratio, but historically that’s still not as effective as a good 4F1D power play. Over the past two seasons with Chicago playing a 4F1D ratio, it has primarily been with Kane, Toews, Panarin, Keith, and a rotation of Panik and Anisimov.
On paper, it would be a no-brainer that this grouping would be highly successful, but as Dellow points out, this grouping under-performed compared to the NHL average. The problem that arose with this grouping was that Panarin focused on getting his shots higher up near the circle rather than low in the slot, presumably because the team was constantly looking for one-timers. Those shots were difficult to execute, and ultimately it made the power play less effective than it probably should’ve been.
Panarin, in his two seasons working on Chicago’s top power play unit, produced 17 power play goals. That’s good enough for a tie for 22nd in the NHL over those two seasons for power play goal-scoring, along with Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry, Anders Lee, and Sam Reinhart. So the Hawks leaned on him heavily, but it’s possible there could be benefits to having a new left-handed shot on the top unit.
Looking at the 2014-15 season and the Blackhawks using a 4F1D ratio, the Blackhawks were ahead of the league at that time in generating on the power play, as Dellow points out. Well, who was on that 2014-15 first unit? Kane, Toews, Sharp, Saad, and Keith with Hossa rotating in as well. While Sharp isn’t his 2014-15 self and Hossa is a non-factor for the 2017-18 season, the reunion of this grouping would give Chicago the same setup on the 4F1D ratio and could hope to come close to replicating their success that season.
Defensively on the first unit, there is no question that Duncan Keith is Chicago’s anchor. If he wasn’t in his mid-30s, the Blackhawks could entertain the idea of double-shifting him on the power play with the defensive depth they will have this season. But alas, it’s not feasible to play him 30 minutes a night, every night. Keith is the quarterback of the power play’s first unit, no doubt, but his defensive partner on the power play could go in multiple directions. Chicago could place Brent Seabrook out there with Keith and have a traditional 3F1D ratio on the first unit power play. While Seabrook has been on the decline in the last two seasons, he still has a powerful shot that can be utilized on the power play.
Another forward option to play in the 4F1D would be Richard Panik. Comparisons of Panik as a poor-man’s version of Hossa might be a stretch, but he’s not a bad alternate if there’s an injury.
Keith and Sharp should get the first look on the first unit and keeping a power play defenseman like Seabrook for the second unit may make the most sense with the lack of offensive depth on the blue line. So, for the Blackhawks’ first power play unit, they’ll likely ice a 4F1D unit of Saad-Toews-Kane-Sharp with Keith on the defensive end.
Second unit will have a lot to prove
While the Blackhawks will undoubtedly have plenty of fire-power on the first power play unit, it will have to be a balanced attack from the first and second units to make sure that Chicago is fully effective on the man-advantage. Much like the first two forward lines, teams have to have a balance in scoring and production. Something Chicago has lacked the past two seasons. It will be up to the second power play unit to provide that balance and effectiveness.
While it may end up being a tall task to ask of those players that will comprise the Blackhawks’ second unit, they won’t be short on players with the skill to rise to the occasion.
Without question the second-unit center will be Artem Anisimov as players like Schmaltz and Tanner Kero are not up to playing that kind of role. Anisimov isn’t the most prolific scorer, but his steadiness in the middle and ability to create for his wingers makes him the right fit for the second unit. On the wings, Panik can slot in on the right side, hopefully proving that his career-high 22-goal season last year was not a fluke and actually a sign of things to come. If that ends up being the case, the second unit has a couple strong power forwards to build around.
Another option, but less-likely, would be Ryan Hartman on the right side. Although his game is not necessarily geared for the power play, Hartman is coming off a 19-goal season. He knows how to put the puck in the net and could be a energy-spark on the second unit, but without a pure goal-scorer on the second unit, Hartman’s use may be limited.
Then it comes to the left wing on the power play. This is a position on the second unit and on the even strength second line that has a lot of questions around it. Head coach Joel Quenneville has already stated that Schmaltz will get the first crack at the position, but with Sharp in the fold as a second/third-line option and the potential to use super-prospect Alex DeBrincat as a second-line wing throws a small wrench into the plans.
Ultimately the Blackhawks want Schmaltz to develop into a full-time center, but his small sample size at the position isn’t promising. Given that Sharp will likely be playing power play minutes on the first unit as the fourth forward, it would make sense to put Schmaltz on the left for the power play. However, don’t be surprised if that position becomes a rotation of sorts.
As for the defensive spots on the second power play unit, Seabrook slots in as an obvious point man. As stated before, he has been on the decline but still provides enough offensively for Chicago that he should be used on the man advantage. Plus, it’s not like the Hawks have any better options.
As for who would be Seabrook’s partner on the power play, the Blackhawks will have another tough spot to fill. With the loss of Brian Campbell and Trevor van Riemsdyk this off-season, the Blackhawks lost two of their top-five average power play ice-time defensemen. While Connor Murphy played on the Arizona Coyote’s power play at times, he was not one of their full-time options. He’ll be considered for Chicago but may be a spot player if/when the Blackhawks decide to use the 3F2D ratio on both power play units. Michal Kempny led the team with a 56.3 CF% at even-strength last season (50+ games played) and while his use will increase this season, his power play use might just be in spots like Murphy. The real second unit defensive pair with Seabrook will more than likely become Gustav Forsling.
Last season, Forsling averaged just under a minute of power play time per game. With the losses of Campbell and van Riemsdyk, Forsling will be forced into the power play role, but nonetheless a role his game is built for. It most likely is earlier than the Blackhawks would have planned for, but Forsling was brought in with the intent to develop him into an offensive presence on the blue line for Chicago. The nature of the defense next season just happens to force the hand in favor of Forsling.
So for the second power play unit, the Blackhawks will most likely ice Schmaltz-Anisimov-Panik, with Seabrook and Forsling on defense.
While the power play doesn’t have the same cache of 2013, 2014, or 2015 with Sharp being at the top of his game, it still will provide plenty of challenges for opposing penalty-killers. Anytime Chicago can ice Toews, Kane, and Keith at the same time, there is going to be trouble for the defense. The units will more than likely change throughout the season because Quenneville loves his line-blender like Bob McKenzie in July, but Chicago will need to avoid a carousel of combinations. Find what works and stick to it.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... The NBA announces the Bulls are irrelevant again. (Taken from www.sbnation.com/bulls blog, 08/11/2017).
By your friendly BullsBlogger
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56149927/492004323.0.jpg)
(Photo/Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Stuck with local coverage, if you even want that.
for the first time since 2009, the Bulls won't play on Christmas, the league's high-profile showcase that has grown to a five-game schedule.
The Bulls also won't make a national TV appearance in the opening week.
Here’s the schedule for the non-Bulls squads of the league. It’s just a pretty graphic.
(Photo/NBA on Twitter)
10/17: BOS/CLE, HOU/GSW
10/18: PHI/WAS, MIN/SAS
10/19: NYK/OKC, LAC/LAL
10/20: CLE/MIL, GSW/NOP
I mean...this isn’t much content, but some random thoughts driven by my disgust over the Bulls:
- we get our Christmas back!
- The seven straight years of being in the marquee regular-season day of the NBA sounds like a Gar Format brag: "we've attained a certain level of success. 7 straight Christmas games, we're really proud of that. We're now on a new path and feel good" Of course not acknowledging that nearly all of said success (or at least relevance) was due to luck and market.
- The full schedule is out next week, but safe to say there’s going to be a big drop in national TV games. Downside there is it means Neil and Stacey are your only recourse. No ‘rebuilding’ of the telecast.
- I will miss the annual opening week game where the Bulls look good against LeBron’s team and people think the Bulls are good.
- There’s probably SOME chance for a #TNTBulls appearance this year, but maybe not! It’d be kinda more fun if the streak was kept alive by not allowing them to defend it.
- The season moving up is good for the players and the league in general, but means the feeling of dread in watching the 2017-18 Bulls season is more prominent even in these wonderful Bulls-less summer months.
- Fire GarPax.
CUBS: The Cubs' August blues.
(Photo/USA TODAY)
After the All-Star break, the Cubs went on a tear winning 13 of 16 games in the month of July. This run got a lot of people thinking they were about to break out for a 2016-esque late season streak to smoothly transition them into the playoffs.
Then August came around.
Since the change of month, the Cubs have lost seven of the 12 games they've played including three of five on the West coast. Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks continued the mini slide. As a result, their lead in the division has been erased. The St. Louis Cardinals have moved into a tie for the division lead. So what gives? What happened to the team that made great moves at the trade deadline and killed it in July?
On the surface, it looks like the team is just worn down. They've only had one day off since the beginning of August and won't get another day off until August 21. For those of you counting at home that's three straight weeks of baseball for a team that was playing late into October last season. Not just that, but the Cubs are under a microscope unlike any other team. Everyone expected them to come out firing this season to defend their title seeing how dominant they were last year, but that was never the case. The Cubs struggled at the beginning of the season from a post-championship hangover that has somehow managed to stretch into August.
They've caught lightning in a bottle before, it's nothing strange to them. Last year they had a late season run that, arguably, helped propel them into a hot start in the playoffs which ended quite well. What the Cubs need is to find the cure to this lightning once again, and they need to find it fast. Otherwise, their August blues will only be the beginning of their troubles.
After going through a tough stretch, Cubs face a run of last place teams.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The Cubs started August with a stretch of games against good teams, but now the schedule will even out for the North Siders.
Going back to the big three-game series with the Brewers to end July, it's been a lot of baseball against quality teams for the Cubs. The Cubs hosted wildcard-leading Arizona, dropping two of three, and NL East-leading Washington, again dropping two of three.
Next up was a trip to San Francisco, which is in last in the NL West. The Cubs were unable to take the series there after winning the first game.
This weekend, the Cubs finished the brief road trip with another series with the Diamondbacks. Sunday's 7-2 win, highlighted by a 3-for-4 game for Kris Bryant and a three-run home run by Javy Baez in the eighth inning. meant a series win after losing three straight series.
The Cubs concluded the 12-game stretch, with nine of those games against teams currently in playoff spots in the National League, with a 5-7 record. At 61-55, they are a game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals after the Cardinals dropped a 6-3 game to the Braves on Sunday.
After struggling with the tough stretch, the Cubs face an easier run of games, at least on paper. The Cubs host the Reds for four games at Wrigley starting on Monday followed by three more at home against Toronto. The Reds will then host the Cubs for three more before the Cubs head to Philadelphia.
What do all of the Cubs' next opponents have in common? They're in last place in their divisions.
Based on current standings, the Cubs don't face a team above .500 until September 8 when the Brewers come to Wrigley. There are seven games against the Pirates included. The Pirates are currently 58-60, but that only puts them four games behind the Cubs.
WHITE SOX: The pains of the White Sox rebuild: While team of the future develops, team of the present blown out.
By Vinnie Duber
(Photo/AP)
Mama said there’d be days like this.
In the middle of the rebuild, it’s hard to call an embarrassing blowout loss unexpected. These types of things are going to happen while the team of the future develops down in the minor leagues.
But anyone who was inside Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday afternoon or watching from home saw just how low the lows can get while that plan plays out.
Derek Holland gave up seven runs and left before an out was recorded in the third inning. The visiting Kansas City Royals poured seven more runs on the White Sox bullpen over the course of another South Side marathon. Errors and mental mistakes were made in the field. And the prized prospect who’s supposed to be the star of the team when the rebuild reaches its apex, he struck out for the 30th and 31st times in his last 19 games.
The White Sox aren’t yet at the point when every loss stings the fan base. It’s the middle of August in a last-place season. Heck, losses are even helping the team reach some fans’ goal of the White Sox getting the No. 1 pick in next spring’s draft.
But this one was a stinker. As exciting as it might be to project out the 2020 lineup and follow along with box scores from Charlotte and Winston-Salem, games like this show the most difficult aspects of a rebuild.
“In terms of mistakes, today and yesterday we had some things that didn’t go well and that doesn’t play well or doesn’t look well and we don’t want those things to occur,” manager Rick Renteria said after the game. “But you continue to address them as need be and deal with them. I think as we continue to move along, hopefully they continue to be fewer and far between. But is it to be expected that they might make mistakes like some that have occurred? Yes.”
Leury Garcia had a couple ugly-looking plays in left field, first making an errant throw home that allowed a run to score in the second and then misjudging a ball that flew by him and went for a double in the third. Those plays, along with Tyler Saladino’s first-inning error at third base, made for a batch of fielding mistakes to go along with a couple mistakes on the base paths in Saturday’s loss.
But the fielding woes paled in comparison to those of Holland on the mound. The veteran righty hasn’t had a good year, and Sunday might have been his worst outing yet. He gave up four runs in the second inning and then couldn’t get an out in the third, giving up a leadoff homer before a double and a walk. He left after throwing 67 pitches and recording just six outs, tagged for seven runs, those two he left on for Mike Pelfrey scoring on Whit Merrifield’s three-run homer.
Holland’s season ERA jumped up to 5.68 after Sunday’s outing.
“I don’t even know where to begin,” he said. “Today was just, in my eyes, embarrassing. Not being able to find the strike zone, and then when I did, catching too much plate. These guys are going to do what they did today to you when you can’t not be in the middle of the plate. It's frustrating. We’ve been working our asses off to do everything right on the field. The thing I’m happy about is obviously being healthy, but I’m past that. I’ve obviously shown I’m healthy, it’s just a matter of executing. It’s frustrating to sit here and work as hard as we do with (pitching coach Don Cooper) and the bullpen and go out there and not be able to do the job I should be doing. It’s just frustrating. I really don’t even know where to begin.”
While much of the campaign has been a rough go for Holland, things have gotten particularly rocky as summer has worn on. He’s made it out of the sixth inning just once since the beginning of July, posting a 8.76 ERA since then. He’s walked a total of 22 batters in his last five starts, including seven in the start prior to Sunday’s.
Sunday was his shortest start of the season but the third since the beginning of June in which he’s failed to get out of the third inning.
“It’s hard,” Renteria said. “When we watch it, we ask ourselves the same thing, ‘What can we possibly do to help him get through this?’ The reality is, tomorrow’s another day and you go back to the drawing board and see if he can put himself back and give himself an opportunity for a good outing the next time out.
“He’s obviously not wanting to go out there to fail. He wants to have success and he wants to have success for his teammates, himself. You feel for him right now, where he’s at. This young man’s working through every possible scenario, and I know he and Coop, they get after it. He’s got a tremendous work routine and ethic, but it just hasn't been working out to this point over the last few outings. I know he's very cognizant of that and he’s wanting to get back on track. The question for all of us, and for him, continues to be, how do we do that?”
The presence of Holland — as well as other veteran pitchers on the staff like Mike Pelfrey, James Shields and Miguel Gonzalez — are necessities in a rebuilding situation, even as the starting pitchers of the future like Reynaldo Lopez start to slowly make their way to the big league team.
Look across town to the Cubs and the kinds of starting pitchers they were employing during their rebuilding years. Yes, Theo Epstein’s front office turned some sign-and-flip guys into top-tier prospects that ended up playing a huge role on a World Series team. But the likes of Chris Volstad, Justin Germano, Edwin Jackson, Carlos Villanueva and Felix Doubront turned into nothing but high ERAs for those fifth-place Cubs teams.
That’s the reality of a rebuild.
“I’m my own worst critic. And I’m not happy with the way I’m performing,” Holland said. “These guys are out here busting their asses for me, and for me to not do my job is what’s frustrating. I have every right to be upset with myself because these fans deserve better. I should be doing better. And I’m not performing the way that I feel I should be. For me, it’s frustrating, it’s upsetting, it’s very disappointing, and it’s very embarrassing, too.
“I’ve got to keep grinding. I’m not going to throw in the towel. Just because I had a bad outing doesn't mean I quit. We’re going to continue to keep plugging away. Still got the opportunity to be out there, I’ve got to take advantage of it each time like I have been. We all go through tough times, it’s just a matter of the tough times ending.”
But along with all that present-day sorrow comes that hope for the future.
Yoan Moncada had two more strikeouts Sunday, but he also picked up a double. A flash of brilliance for a young player still developing, even if he’s now doing it at the big league level.
He scored on Tim Anderson’s home run, the fourth in the last eight games for the shortstop who’s struggled much of the season but is having himself a very solid August.
Nicky Delmonico reached base for the 12th straight game and picked up a hit in his 10th straight. Look out, DiMaggio. But in all seriousness, he was on base three more times Sunday and might have had a ninth-inning homer if not for Alex Gordon’s highlight-reel leaping snag to end the game.
So this is life in the rebuild. There are going to be some bad days. And if the team on the North Side taught Chicago baseball fans anything, there might even be some bad years. The White Sox are going through one right now, with Sunday’s defeat being the team’s 70th loss of the season.
But there’s also plenty of reason to be hopeful, and these bad days and bad years will have their silver linings, silver linings that will — if everything goes according to Rick Hahn’s plan — blossom into a golden era on the South Side.
As White Sox prospects develop, Jose Abreu shows off consistency that could make him anchor of dreamy future lineup.
By Vinnie Duber
(Photo/USA TODAY)
White Sox fans are understandably looking toward the future.
The daily scans of the minor league box scores, the giddiness over each new set of prospect rankings, the daydreaming about the 2020 lineup. All great ways to pass the time while waiting for the franchise’s rebuild to reach its apex.
But while all that talent develops down on the farm, Jose Abreu keeps on crushing at the big league level.
The consistent presence in the middle of the White Sox batting order flashed that consistency — and just how impressive that consistency has been — again Saturday night, blasting a pair of home runs in the team’s 5-4 loss to the visiting Kansas City Royals. They were his 20th and 21st round-trippers of the season, making him the first player in franchise history to turn in four straight 20-homer seasons to begin his major league career.
Both before the rebuild and during it, Abreu has been a constant for the White Sox. And if all goes according to plan, he’ll still be doing his thing when that championship window finally opens a couple years down the line.
“I’m happy for that fact,” Abreu said through an interpreter when told of his franchise-record feat. “I’m happy because it’s something that makes you feel that your work has been for a purpose. And I’m happy because I could accomplish this with the support of my family, the support of my teammates and the support of all the people that have been around me during this time in this organization.
“I could do that because I’ve been healthy and that’s the most important. If you are healthy, you can do good things. You can’t do anything if you are not healthy.”
Abreu has talked often about how he’s trying to serve as a mentor to young Latin players like Yoan Moncada and prospects like Luis Robert. But whether Spanish-speaking or not, any of the White Sox future stars should be able to take cue from Abreu, who is now just four long balls away from making it four straight 25-homer seasons in a White Sox uniform.
His preparation and work ethic earn him rave reviews from all over White Sox clubhouses past and present. His production earns him applause and recognition from fans and observers. He says it’s the only way he knows how to do things.
“That was the way my parents and my family raised to be, especially as a player. And that’s something that is the only way I know how to play baseball,” he said. “Working hard, putting myself in the best position I can be to play.
“Also, if I don’t do that, I know that my mom is going to call me and is going to say something to me.”
That approach — or perhaps that fear of motherly punishment — has yielded terrific results since he arrived from Cuba ahead of what ended up as a Rookie of the Year 2014 campaign. He belted 36 home runs, drove in 107 runs and slashed .317/.383/.582 that year. As a follow-up, Abreu hit 30 homers and drove in 101 runs in 2015. Last season it was 25 dingers and 100 RBIs. He’s four homers and 30 RBIs away from hitting the 25-100 mark again in 2017.
Prior to Saturday’s multi-homer game — the ninth of his career and third this season — Abreu was going through one of his rare rough patches during an otherwise consistently excellent campaign. He entered Saturday hitting just .243 since the All-Star break and with only eight hits and no homers since the beginning of August.
Consider that slump snapped with Saturday’s performance. And why? Well, that’s just another example of Abreu’s work paying off.
“It’s not a secret that since the All-Star break, I haven’t been producing as I was doing in the first half,” Abreu said. “But it’s just like the way that I’m thinking in the at-bats, probably my mind is not in the right spots. Trying to figure out what kind of pitch the pitcher is going to throw to me or it’s just a matter of my focus is not where it used to be before. But I’m working in trying to get to that point again and I’m just sticking with my plan and approach.”
“He had an excellent day today. He worked really hard, came early, worked really hard,” manager Rick Renteria said. “He’s been upset at himself, he feels like he hasn’t been doing enough for us. I said, ‘Jeez, you do more than you imagine.’”
While Renteria has always been enthusiastic about helming the team during this rebuild, during a season where his roster changed dramatically leading up to the trade deadline, there’s got to be a certain comfort drawn from writing Abreu’s name in the lineup every day.
And while there’s plenty of reason to be hopeful about the army of top-rated prospects Rick Hahn has assembled in the farm system, those players’ futures are unknown until they crack the bigs. Abreu? Having that known quantity — and a darn good one, at that — is a real luxury. So too is having him as an example to point to when those young players arrive.
“He continues to impress by the way he goes about doing his business,” Renteria said. “I think he’s a really good example to everybody about staying the course, working hard. And obviously he’s got a skill and the strength that allows him to do what he’s done. It’s nice to have it.”
There will be a contract situation to deal with, of course. Abreu has two more offseasons of arbitration before he hits free agency ahead of the 2020 campaign, the year many White Sox fans have circled as the year contention begins.
But White Sox fans might want to save a spot in that dreamy future lineup for the guy who was here before the rebuild even started. Because if the years to come are anything like what’s happened over the first four years of Abreu’s career, he’ll still be a mighty valuable piece smack dab in the middle.
What a string of quality starts could mean for the White Sox rebuild.
By Vinnie Duber
(Photo/USA TODAY)
The White Sox winning streak might have ended Saturday night, but another streak rolls on.
Miguel Gonzalez and Carlos Rodon went eight innings apiece on back-to-back night’s to close out that series sweep of the Houston Astros, yielding a combined three runs. Then Reynaldo Lopez debuted with six innings and just two runs against the visiting Kansas City Royals, followed by James Shields going six and allowing three in Saturday’s loss.
We’ve all heard that old baseball maxim that hitting is contagious. Well what about starting pitching?
“Definitely. For sure,” Gonzalez said Sunday. “Happy that everyone’s going out there for six-plus innings. I’m excited. That’s what we’re all about. We can do it. I’m sure everyone’s happy with their performance.
“We know we had our ups and downs. It’s tough. It’s a long season, and there’s a lot going on, a lot of movement, a lot of young guys up here now. I’m excited for them. But we know that not every year you’re going to have your stuff and things aren’t going to go your way.
But when guys are going well, the stuff that we’ve been doing the last week, that’s what we can do. And hopefully we can keep that going.”
Starting pitching hasn’t exactly been a strength for the White Sox this season, the team entering Sunday’s action sporting the third-highest starters’ ERA in baseball at 5.08. They’re one of three groups of starting pitchers that have given up at least 120 home runs on the season and one of three groups to have a WHIP of 1.50 or above.
But the last few outings have featured each individual starter showing what they can do when things are going well. And it’s no coincidence that the White Sox experienced a four-game winning streak at the same time.
It’s a mighty positive sign for guys like Rodon and Lopez, expected to be members of the rotation when the ongoing rebuild reaches its apex and the team is ready to compete.
Lopez, in particular, arrived in the big leagues for his first start with the White Sox on Friday and impressed his teammates.
“He throws hard, he throws strikes,” Gonzalez said of his new rotation-mate. “He reminds me a lot of (Rodon) when he got called up. He’s that type of guy. He has control with his pitches, and he kind of knows what he’s doing out there.”
But what about the veteran guys?
Well, as general manager Rick Hahn has shown this season and last offseason, he isn't shy to deal anyone that could fetch him a piece that could power the rebuild. Part of the reason this rotation looks like it does are the trades that shipped Chris Sale and Jose Quintana away from the South Side in exchange for big prospect hauls. Hahn made several deals involving other veterans ahead of last month's non-waiver trade deadline that netted smaller returns but returns nonetheless. There could be a similar script to follow with the three vets in the current rotation.
Gonzalez and the heretofore unmentioned Derek Holland, who pitches the series finale against the Royals on Sunday, are free agents at the end of the season. The best-case scenario from a White Sox rebuild standpoint would be a couple more quality starts from both guys and maybe an outside shot at dealing them before the waiver trade deadline at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Shields is under contract for two more seasons. If he finishes strong, perhaps he could become an offseason trade candidate, despite his high salary.
Regardless, these guys all obviously want to spend the final month and a half of the regular season replicating this flash of brilliance from this week. That would be quite the positive development for the White Sox, either on the development or trade fronts.
“To keep doing what we’re doing,” Gonzalez said when asked of the starting staffs goals the rest of the way. “Try to go out there, six-plus innings, give the team a chance to win.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... Thomas wins his first major title at the PGA.
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
With a 3-under 68, Justin Thomas stormed from two shots back at the start the day to claim his first major title, the PGA Championship. Here’s how the major championship season wrapped up Sunday at Quail Hollow.
Leaderboard: Justin Thomas (-8), Francesco Molinari (-6), Patrick Reed (-6), Louis Oosthuizen (-6), Rickie Fowler (-5), Hideki Matsuyama (-5)
What it means: This is Thomas’ fifth PGA Tour win, his fourth this season, and his first on the U.S. mainland. Two behind to start Sunday, Thomas made the turn in 1 under and took advantage of two bits of good fortune at the par- 5 10th, when his drive ricocheted off a tree into the fairway and his birdie putt finally dropped after a lengthy hang over the hole. Three holes later, he opened up a two-shot lead when his chip from off the green at the par-3 13th found the cup. He played his final five holes in even par, navigating the Green Mile in par-birdie-bogey, to win by two. The son and grandson of PGA of America professionals, Thomas is now the PGA champion.
Biggest disappointments: Playing alongside Thomas in the second-to-last pairing and trying to deliver Japan its first major win, Hideki Matsuyama (72) recorded just a single par on the back nine with five bogeys and three birdies. One behind Thomas on the 16th green, Matsuyama lipped out a 4 ½-foot par putt to fall two behind. His bid to win then drowned in the creek on 18 when his tee shot at the home hole found the water. In the final pairing behind Thomas and Matsuyama, both Kevin Kisner (74) and Chris Stroud (76) played Quail Hollow well over par Sunday.
Rounds of the day: Reed, Molinari and Fowler all made Sunday charges with rounds of 4-under 67. Fowler first posted 5 under, overall, and the Molinari got into the clubhouse at 6 under. Reed reached the 18th hole 7 under before a closing bogey dashed his chances.
Best of the rest: Dustin Johnson and Marc Leishman also carded 67s to both tie for 13th.
Shots of the day: Thomas’ delayed birdie make at the par-5 10th:
And his chip-in for birdie at the par-3 13th to open a two-shot lead.
Quote of the day: “He gets a squirrel and a Verne Lundquist at the 10th.” – Nick Faldo on Thomas’ birdie to start the back nine.
Slam bid blunted, Spieth turns focus to playoffs.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
The career Grand Slam will have to wait at least another year, but Jordan Spieth says that’s no reason to be disappointed.
Spieth closed out a mediocre performance at the PGA Championship with a 1-under 70 that left him at 2 over for the week and far from contention. Much like during the third round, he started slowly and didn’t make a birdie through his first 11 holes, but he played his final seven holes in 3 under.
Spieth had won two of his last three starts heading into the season’s final major, but the magic he displayed at Royal Birkdale was absent this week at Quail Hollow.
“It was nothing other than just execution on the greens, I felt like,” Spieth said. “My striking was pretty good. Not quite where it has been the last month or so, but that’s been phenomenal. It was still good. I’ve been driving the ball really well the last two weeks, which is even better than The Open or Hartford. So it’s just a matter of making putts.”
Spieth plans to take next week off before embarking on a playoff run with hopes of capturing the season-long title as he did in 2015. While he won’t become the youngest to win golf’s four biggest events, he wasted little time in putting things in perspective.
“Overall, when I look back on the year in the major championships, shoot, it was fantastic,” he said. “If I did this every year, I would go down as the greatest ever to play the game. I need to look at it that way, and I am.”
Spieth won’t have another chance at major No. 4 until heading down Magnolia Lane in April, but he still believes there’s plenty to play for as the season reaches what he termed the “fourth quarter.”
“I’m going to approach the first two (playoff) events trying to obviously win, but looking to kind of crescendo into East Lake and peak there and consider East Lake a major at this point, as far as our preparation goes,” Spieth said.
Injured Rory: 'Might not see me until next year'.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
The positives from a final-round 68 at the PGA Championship did little to blunt the pain for an injured Rory McIlroy, who is again facing an uncertain future.
But the theme of his post-round comments centered around his health, which is again in limbo. McIlroy hinted after the third round that the rib injury that had caused him to miss two stretches of starts earlier this year had again returned, and while speaking to reporters Sunday he explained that the injury was causing numbness down the inside of his left arm.
“It’s sort of the way it has been the last few weeks,” McIlroy said. “Right now it’s a tough one because I go out there and play and shoot decent scores, but when I come off the course I can feel my left rhomboid going into spasm.”
McIlroy had planned to take next week off before starting defense of his season-long title at The Northern Trust, but those plans are now officially in limbo as a frustrated McIlroy is even considering shelving it for the balance of 2017.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said. “You might not see me until next year. You might see me in a couple weeks’ time. It really depends.”
McIlroy plans to fly back home to Northern Ireland in the next few days and visit with trainer Steve McGregor to evaluate his options. Throughout the year he has described the initial injury as requiring an eight-week recovery, but even after missing significant time leading into the Masters he has struggled to stay healthy during a relatively disappointing season.
“I just haven’t allowed it the time to fully heal,” McIlroy said. “I wanted to play this season. I feel like I’m capable of playing well and winning and putting rounds together. If I want to challenge on a more consistent basis, I need to get 100 percent healthy.”
The final round at Quail Hollow marked the conclusion of friend Harry Diamond’s two-week stint as caddie, and McIlroy had earlier hinted at working towards a more permanent solution on the bag during the week off before the first playoff event. But at this point, his health concerns have superseded any caddie plans and he said “everything is up in the air” as to who will be on the bag for his next start.
The key issue for McIlroy is determining when exactly that next start will be. While he shied away from describing a “sense of duty” when it comes to defending his season-long title after missing several events this year, he made it clear that his focus from this point forward will be on capturing an elusive green jacket next spring.
“April is a long way away,” McIlroy said. “That’s the next big thing on my radar.”
Fowler confident despite coming up short again.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Rickie Fowler attended the trophy ceremony at the 99thPGA Championship, but only as a spectator.
Fowler’s back-nine charge gave him a share of fifth place at 5 under, but he ended up three shots behind Justin Thomas at Quail Hollow Club. It’s yet another close call for a top-ranked player who must wait another eight months to get his next shot at major glory.
Fowler reeled off four straight birdies on Nos. 12-15 to get within two shots of the lead, and he closed with a 4-under 67 to tie the day’s lowest round. But his title aspirations were ultimately undone by a triple bogey in the opening round and a costly close to his third round, when he played the final three holes in 4 over to drop six shots off the lead.
“I knew I still had a shot out here today. I knew it was going to be tough,” Fowler said. “It was a little unfortunate yesterday, two 3-putts where I have been putting great all week, all year. And then 8-iron on 17 where we didn’t think water was in play, I don’t know if the breeze picked up a bit or what. So it’s not like we made a bad swing or anything.”
It’s another strong result in the majors for Fowler, who also contended into the weekend at the Masters and U.S. Open and described his year in the majors as “pretty good.” Fowler will turn 29 in December, and now with eight top-10 finishes in majors to his name, he remains confident that his time in the spotlight will soon come.
“I put myself in contention the first two. It wasn’t a great British, but not bad,” Fowler said. “To be here, play solid the first two days and put myself in contention, was really in the mix until those last three yesterday. Obviously I wasn’t out of it, but it was going to take a really good round today to give ourselves a chance. Nice coming off last year, made all the cuts. That’s a good step.”
NASCAR: Kyle Larson wins in overtime finish for third Michigan victory in a row.
By Daniel McFadin
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55321649/697405768.0.jpg)
(Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
In a dramatic overtime finish, Kyle Larson forced his way around Martin Truex Jr. on a restart, making contact with him in the process before streaking away to win the Pure Michigan 400.
It is Larson’s third consecutive win at Michigan International Speedway and his third win of the year.
Completing the top five were Larson, Truex, Erik Jones, Ryan Newman and Trevor Bayne.
Originally scheduled to be a 200-lap race, the overtime finish added two laps to the event.
When asked how he pulled off the winning move by NBCSN, the 25-year-old driver said “I have no idea.
‘”I was running a few options through my head of what to do if I got a good jump,” Larson said. “That was one of them and it worked out perfect. I can’t believe it happened. We were struggling all day. Definitely not as good as the last two times we won here. We persevered and had some good restarts at the end.”
Larson later said it was “the most perfect restart of my life.”
All four of Larson’s Cup wins have come at 2-mile speedways.
Owner Chip Ganassi joined Larson on the start-finish line to celebrate, giving him a hug and a slap on the back.
“I want to thank him for finding me in 2011, bringing me up from USAC racing to race for him,” Larson said. “I want to thank all my fans as well. This has been an incredible week for me. To be able go run the Knoxville Nationals yesterday, run second to Donny Schatz and then come here and win, beat Martin Truex, who is a Donny Schatz right now. Definitely a week I’ll never forget.”
The win comes after Larson finished 23rd or worse in five of the last seven races. He also had two second-place finishes.
STAGE 1 WINNER: Brad Keselowski
STAGE 2 WINNER: Martin Truex Jr.
WHO HAD A GOOD DAY: Trevor Bayne’s top-five finish is his first of the year and just the fourth of his Cup career … Ryan Newman earned his fifth top-five finish of 2017 and first top five at Michigan since August 2011 … Chris Buescher finished sixth for his best result of the season and his third top 10 … Austin Dillon finished seventh for his first top 10 since winning the Coke 600 in May … Pole-sitter Brad Keselowski led a race-high 105 laps before finishing 17th.
WHO HAD A BAD DAY: Daniel Suarez and Kasey Kahne were involved in a hard crash on Lap 139 while exiting Turn 2. Kahne finished 38th and Suarez finished 37th. It is the first DNF for Suarez since the Daytona 500. … Clint Bowyer, one of the drivers on the playoff bubble, finished 23rd after losing a tire from a fender rub and having to pit on Lap 151. … Another bubble driver, Joey Logano lost his right-front tire with 15 to go and finished 28th, two laps down … After being in the top five on the final restart, Matt Kenseth dropped to 24th before the checkered flag after cutting a tire.
NOTABLE: The last driver to win three races in a row at Michigan was NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. He won four straight from 1985-86.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If a guy screws up in front of you, you take advantage. So I screwed up and he took advantage, that’s the way it works.” – Martin Truex Jr after finishing second to Kyle Larson.
WHAT’S NEXT: Bass Pro Shops / NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 19 on NBC.
Martin Truex Jr. increases playoff points total, but Kyle Larson makes some headway.
By Nate Ryan
(Photo/Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Martin Truex Jr. won another stage, but Kyle Larson gained some ground on the points leader Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
The Furniture Row Racing driver picked up another playoff point by winning the second stage at Michigan. Truex also expanded his regular-season lead to 129 points from 116 after his win at Watkins Glen International. With three races remaining before the 10-race playoffs, Truex stands to gain an extra 15 playoff points as the regular-season champion.
Larson improved a spot to second in the standings, seven points ahead of Kyle Busch. Finishing second in the regular-season is worth 10 playoff points.
In the battle for the final spot in the 16-driver playoff, Matt Kenseth has a 31-point lead over Clint Bowyer. Despite running third on the final restart with two laps remaining, Kenseth finished 24th, one spot behind Bowyer.
Click here for the points standings after Sunday’s race at Michigan.
Sam Hornish Jr. dominates Mid-Ohio Xfinity race to earn first career road course win.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/www.timescall.com)
In a race that saw a number of wrecks in the final stage, Sam Hornish avoided all the mayhem and was not to be denied, capturing Saturday’s Mid-Ohio Challenge NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Driving the No. 22 Ford Fusion for Team Penske, Hornish dominated, leading four times for 61 laps — including the final 14 — in the 75-lap event to earn his first career win at Mid-Ohio, which he considers his home track.
It was Hornish’s fifth career Xfinity Series win and his first on a road course. He has three previous runner-up finishes on road courses, including his second-place showing last year at Mid-Ohio.
Finishing second through fifth were Daniel Hemric, Matt Tifft, James Davison and Andy Lally.
Sixth through 10th were Elliott Sadler, Brendan Gaughan, Brennan Poole, Justin Marks and Dakoda Armstrong.
Hornish won from the pole and had a car that was the class of the field. He was especially strong on restarts and took more of a defensive approach late in the race when there were several multi-car wrecks.
Two wrecks in the final stage stood out: a five-car crash involving Blake Koch, Ryan Reed, Spencer Gallagher and Jeremy Clements, and then a incident that involved 10 cars on Lap 69 that brought out the second red flag of the race.
STAGE WINNERS: Blake Koch (Stage 1), Hornish (Stage 2)
WHO HAD A GOOD DAY: Hornish was the star of the day, but the rest of the top-five all earned Xfinity career-best finishes: Hemric (2nd), Tifft (3rd), Australian driver Davison (4th in his second career Xfinity event) and sports car racing veteran Andy Lally (5th).
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Matt Bell had a spectacular crash on Lap 16, slamming into the Turn 1 tire barrier and then landing on top of it, resulting in a 13 1/2 minute red flag period to make repairs to the barrier and adjacent fence.
NOTABLE: Cole Custer wrecked his primary car in qualifying and had to go to a backup car. He had to be towed to the garage after just one lap to fix a fluid leak, but was able to return, running 54 laps and finishing 35th.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “With the luck we had in our first two races of the year (finished 37th and 34th, both at Iowa), I was wondering how today was going to turn out, but we had an almost flawless day.” – Race winner Sam Hornish Jr.
WHAT’S NEXT: Food City 300; Friday, August 18; 7:30 p.m. ET; Bristol Motor Speedway (on NBCSN).
Sadler, Byron, Allgaier remain 1-2-3 in Xfinity driver standings after Mid-Ohio.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/Getty Images)
JR Motorsports teammates Elliott Sadler, William Byron and Justin Allgaier remained 1-2-3 in the Xfinity Series driver standings following Saturday’s Mid-Ohio Challenge at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Although he remains winless this season, Sadler still managed to pull closer to securing a playoff berth. He leads Byron by 87 points and Allgaier by 142 points.
Brennan Poole, who spun Sadler out during Saturday’s race, likely preventing a higher finish, is fourth (-182) and Daniel Hemric is fifth (-196).
Click here for the Xfinity Series point standings after Mid-Ohio.
Bubba Wallace roars to win in first Truck race since 2014 at Michigan.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/Getty Images)
Making his first start in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race since 2014, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. didn’t forget how to win.
Wallace held off late charges by Austin Cindric, Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch to win Saturday’s LTI Printing 200 at Michigan International Speedway.
Whether Saturday’s win will bring Wallace a regular ride in any of NASCAR’s three series remains to be seen.
He lost his Xfinity Series ride earlier this year after 12 races due to lack of sponsorship, then filled in for Aric Almirola in four Cup races while Almirola healed from crash injuries, and had not raced since mid-July until Saturday’s event.
Wallace earned five wins in 44 Truck races in 2013 and 2014 for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Saturday’s win was his second consecutive Truck win, as he won the season finale in 2014.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been in victory lane,” Wallace told Fox Sports 1. “This is a sweet victory, so I’ll take it and cherish it, for sure.”
Wallace is the seventh different driver to compete in the Matthew Miller-owned No. 99 MDM Motorsports Chevrolet this season. He took the lead for the first time in the race with 11 laps to go and held on to take the checkered flag in the 100-lap event.
Wallace had to bounce back from a penalty on Lap 53 when a crewman prematurely jumped off the wall before a pit stop.
Bell finished second. He was followed by Busch, Ryan Truex and Cindric.
“That was a lot of fun,” Bell said. “That’s awesome for Bubba, man. It’s cool to see him come back and win like that.”
STAGE WINNERS: Kyle Busch won both Stage 1 and Stage 2. This marks the fourth time this season that Busch has swept the first two stages in a race. He has nine stage wins this year.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Austin Cindric appeared as if he would win, but when he and Christopher Bell got side-by-side late in the race, Darrell Wallace Jr. went low to pass both and held on for victory.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Both John Hunter Nemechek (finished 29th) and Cody Coughlin (21st) were involved in wrecks that ended their days. … Johnny Sauter also had a rough day, finishing an uncharacteristic 18th.
NOTABLE: NASCAR announced that Grant Enfinger‘s truck failed heights after the race. Enfinger finished eighth.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “At least Bubba doesn’t take a playoff spot away.” – Fifth-place finisher Austin Cindric, who is still hoping to make the Truck playoffs.
WHAT’S NEXT: Teams race Wednesday, August 16, in the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Wallace was congratulated by a number of fellow drivers and fans on social media after the race.
Christopher Bell remains first in Truck standings after Michigan.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been in victory lane,” Wallace told Fox Sports 1. “This is a sweet victory, so I’ll take it and cherish it, for sure.”
Wallace is the seventh different driver to compete in the Matthew Miller-owned No. 99 MDM Motorsports Chevrolet this season. He took the lead for the first time in the race with 11 laps to go and held on to take the checkered flag in the 100-lap event.
Wallace had to bounce back from a penalty on Lap 53 when a crewman prematurely jumped off the wall before a pit stop.
Bell finished second. He was followed by Busch, Ryan Truex and Cindric.
“That was a lot of fun,” Bell said. “That’s awesome for Bubba, man. It’s cool to see him come back and win like that.”
STAGE WINNERS: Kyle Busch won both Stage 1 and Stage 2. This marks the fourth time this season that Busch has swept the first two stages in a race. He has nine stage wins this year.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Austin Cindric appeared as if he would win, but when he and Christopher Bell got side-by-side late in the race, Darrell Wallace Jr. went low to pass both and held on for victory.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Both John Hunter Nemechek (finished 29th) and Cody Coughlin (21st) were involved in wrecks that ended their days. … Johnny Sauter also had a rough day, finishing an uncharacteristic 18th.
NOTABLE: NASCAR announced that Grant Enfinger‘s truck failed heights after the race. Enfinger finished eighth.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “At least Bubba doesn’t take a playoff spot away.” – Fifth-place finisher Austin Cindric, who is still hoping to make the Truck playoffs.
WHAT’S NEXT: Teams race Wednesday, August 16, in the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Wallace was congratulated by a number of fellow drivers and fans on social media after the race.
Christopher Bell remains first in Truck standings after Michigan.
By Jerry Bonkowski
(Photo/Getty Images)
Christopher Bell maintained his lead in the Camping World Truck Series standings after finishing second to Bubba Wallace in Saturday’s LTI Printing 200 at Michigan International Speedway.
Bell (572 points) holds a 37-point lead over Johnny Sauter (535). Third through fifth are Matt Crafton (510), Chase Briscoe (509) and Ryan Truex (431).
Sixth through 10th are Ben Rhodes (426), Grant Enfinger (412), John Hunter Nemechek (404), Noah Gragson (382) and Austin Cindric (361).
The Trucks have a quick turnaround as their next race is this Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Click here for the Truck Series standings after Saturday’s race.
SOCCER: Things are getting tight for the Fire in the Eastern Conference.
(Photo/USA TODAY)
It may not be time to start ringing alarm bells, but the Eastern Conference race is not looking as pleasant for the Chicago Fire as it did a few weeks ago.
The Fire lost 3-1 in Columbus on Saturday. It was the Fire's third straight loss on the road.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Toronto FC erupted in the second half for a 4-1 win against Portland. TFC (13-3-8, 47 points) is now six points clear of the second-place Fire (12-6-5, 41 points). On top of that, New York City FC (12-7-4, 40 points) is just one point behind the Fire, and could move into second place with a win at LA later tonight, and the New York Red Bulls (12-9-2, 38 points) beat Orlando to move within three points of the Fire.
While Toronto has appeared to be the class of the league throughout the season and is likely to hold onto the top spot, securing the second spot at the minimum will be important for the Fire. The top two teams in each conference avoid having to play in a first-round playoff game and move straight into the conference semifinals.
Six of the Fire's final 11 regular season games will be at Toyota Park where the team has been unbeatable. The Fire are 10-0-1 at Toyota Park and the first team in the league to reach 10 wins at home.
Next up though is another road game. The Fire head to Montreal, which just beat Philadelphia for a second straight win, on Wednesday. The Impact (8-8-6, 30 points) still have some chasing to do, but are getting back in the playoff race.
After that, the Fire's home record will be put to the test with Toronto coming to town next weekend. A win at Montreal would mean a win against TFC would put the Fire back into a tie for the Supporters' Shield race. On the flipside, if the Fire don't win in Montreal, a Toronto win at Toyota Park could be a near-decisive blow for the Reds in that same race.
The Fire's playoff status isn't in doubt, but its position in the playoffs is. Despite Michael de Leeuw's early goal, his third in six games, the Fire allowed an equalizer five minutes later and couldn't regain the lead in the second half.
The Fire had a majority of the possession throughout the match and finished at 58 percent, but again struggled to create chances in the final third. The Fire had just three shots on target.
Columbus (11-12-2, 35 points) took the lead with a pretty Justin Meram outside-of-the-foot finish in the 73rd minute and the Fire collapsed after. The Crew had more chances for a third goal than the Fire did a second and eventually the third came when Ola Kamara was taken down in the box by goalkeeper Matt Lampson, making his first start in Columbus as an opposing player. Kamara converted the penalty in the 88th minute to essentially end the game.
After a number of injury scares earlier in the week, the only regular to not start was Juninho. Johan Kappelhof and Dax McCarty played the full 90 minutes after being limited in practice this week.
Ligue 1: Falcao scores hat trick as Monaco beats Dijon 4-1.
By Associated Press
(Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
Radamel Falcao scored a hat trick as Monaco posted a 14th straight win in the French league in a 4-1 thrashing of Dijon on Sunday.
The Colombia striker needed just three minutes to put the defending champions in command and added two more goals in the 38th and 51st minutes.
Jemerson was also on the scoresheet for the visitors in the 25th, and Wesley Said pulled one back for Dijon just before halftime.
Monaco is unbeaten in the league since December last year and equaled Bordeaux’s record of 14 consecutive wins, set in August 2009. It moved level on points with leader Lyon, with two wins in two matches of the new season.
With Kylian Mbappe expected to leave in the coming weeks, Monaco can still count on Falcao’s superb skills to score goals. Falcao now has four goals in two league games after scoring last weekend in a 3-1 win against Toulouse, while Mbappe stayed on the bench in Dijon.
Falcao’s goal instinct was on display as he made no mistake from close range after the hosts failed to clear a corner. Jemerson made it 2-0 from another corner and Falcao curled a superb shot into the top right corner to extend Monaco’s lead.
Said kept Dijon’s hopes alive with a shot between the legs of `keeper Danijel Subasic. It was a short-lived respite for the hosts as Falcao met a cross from Thomas Lemar to seal his team’s win with a header six minutes into the second half.
Manchester United 4-0 West Ham United: Lukaku delivers the goods.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo/nbcsports.com)
Romelu Lukaku made a huge first impression for Manchester United in the Premier League, and the Red Devils were delightful in a 4-0 win over visiting West Ham United at Old Trafford.
Anthony Martial had a goal and an assist, Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a pair of assists, and Paul Pogba also scored for United. The Red Devils are off to Swansea next week, while West Ham stays on the road and faces Southampton.
The name of the game’s early stages was grit, as hard tackles dotted a landscape of frenetic movement.
United came close to scoring in the 18th minute, and West Ham’s back line did well to stop a prone Romelu Lukaku from testing Joe Hart.
Paul Pogba spied Juan Mata in the 27th minute, and the Spaniard looked set to square a ball for a Lukaku goal, but Angelo Ogbonna was on the scene to deny the chance.
A goal was coming to Old Trafford, and Lukaku provided it. The build-up was impressive, as Nemanja Matic broke up a spell of West Ham possession to spring Marcus Rashford.
It was Lukaku again after the break, scoring a 53rd minute header off a Henrikh Mkhitaryan and United was well on its way.
Marko Arnautovic nearly snapped the Irons back into the match with a header over Daley Blind, but it moved just over the bar.
It was back to business for United after that, and Rashford saw a curling beauty just miss and clatter off the far post.
Martial came into the game late and did not disappointing, running onto a Mkhitaryan through ball to beat Joe Hart, and then setting up Pogba to do the same.
Newcastle United 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Dele breaks through 10-man Magpies.
By Nicholas Mendola
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Dele Alli drew a red card than scored the winner, and Ben Davies also scored as Tottenham Hotspur beat 10-man Newcastle United 2-0 at St. James Park on Sunday.
Jonjo Shelvey was sent off and will face a significant ban for stepping on Dele’s ankle after the midfielder delayed the match by holding onto the ball following a foul.
Spurs host Chelsea in one week’s time, while Newcastle visits Huddersfield Town on the same Sunday.
Newcastle opened pressing very high, and Spurs struggled to get the ball in the first five minutes as a loud St. James Park.
Dwight Gayle flubbed a couple chances, and the crowd lustily booed ex-Magpies midfielder Moussa Sissoko when he got the ball.
Newcastle left back Paul Dummett needed to leave the match after six minutes, and captain Jamaal Lascelles subbed into the mix.
A Javier Manquillo foul provided a rare chance for Spurs, but Harry Kane‘s heading a free kick bounced harmlessly to Magpies backstop Rob Elliot.
Newcastle was sloppy with its touches and passing, but its relentless pressure allowed the hosts most of the ball through most of the first half and a significant amount of corner kicks.
Rafa Benitez was forced into his second substitution when new signing Florian Lejeune was injured from a rash tackle from Kane — the Spurs man saw just yellow — and a second center back came off the bench in Chancel Mbemba.
Lazio beats Juventus 3-2 to win Super Cup after wild finale.
Associated Press
(Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images)
Alessandro Murgia scored a last-gasp winner as Lazio beat Juventus 3-2 Sunday to win the Italian Super Cup after a wild end to the match.
Two goals from Ciro Immobile, including an opening penalty, had seemingly set Lazio on the way to a comfortable win. But Paulo Dybala netted a stunning free kick in the 85th minute and converted a penalty in the first minute of stoppage time.
The match appeared to be heading for extra time before Murgia, who had come on as an 80th-minute substitute, scored the winner.
The result goes some way to avenging Lazio’s defeat to Juventus in the Italian Cup final in May.
The Italian Super Cup normally pits the league champion against the cup winner, but Juventus had again won the double last season.
Premier League roundup: A wild return for the top flight!
By Nicholas Mendola
The Premier League kicked off with a furious Friday match between Arsenal and Leicester City, and kept that vibe going when Saturday began at Vicarage Road.
A wild draw between the Reds and Hornets is a highlight of the first Saturday of PL football for the 2017-18 campaign, and the day definitely did not rest over the remaining six matches.
Welcome back, you beautiful league, you.
Welcome back, you beautiful league, you.
Watford 3-3 Liverpool — RECAP
Marco Silva‘s men went nickname-appropriate, refusing to leave the Reds’ lead alone until Miguel Britos won a 1v1 battle with Simon Mignolet to prod Richarlison’s rocket home in stoppage time (Multiple Liverpool-supporting friends texted wildly about obstruction and offside, so probably should be noted).
Philippe Coutinho did not play, while Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and possible Man of the Match winner Sadio Mane scored for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp‘s men continued last season’s underwhelming work versus perceived lower half sides, at least for a day.
Chelsea 2-3 Burnley — RECAP
Of all the things expected from Stamford Bridge on Saturday, it’s safe to say the reigning champions going down 3-0 and finishing with nine men were not part of the plan.
Sam Vokes scored twice and Stephen Ward scored a stunner as the Clarets built a 3-0 lead against 10-man Chelsea, down a man thanks to a 14th minute challenge from Gary Cahill. Substitute striker Alvaro Morata made it 3-1 before Cesc Fabregas was sent off, then Morara assisted David Luiz to make it 3-2.
Everton 1-0 Stoke City — RECAP
Hate him or love him, there’s something right about Wayne Rooney scoring the lone goal in his long-awaited Premier League return to Goodison Park.
Crystal Palace 0-3 Huddersfield Town — RECAP
This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the day given the newly-promoted side’s status as visitors to a Palace side which finished last season red hot behind its attack. Instead Steve Mounie scored twice to join a Joel Ward own goal as Town ruined Frank De Boer‘s Palace opener.
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Bournemouth — RECAP
Ahmed Hegazy‘s header was enough for the hosts as Tony Pulis‘ men start the season on the right foot.
Southampton 0-0 Swansea City — RECAP
Swans were under siege for most of the day, but an ineffective Manolo Gabbiadini and a bit of bad luck helped the Welsh side to a point at St. Mary’s.
Brighton and Hove Albion 0-2 Manchester City — RECAP
Pep Guardiola‘s club didn’t have its finishing boots for most of the match, but looked very much the well-organized and possession-oriented unit. A plucky day that will give Brighton hope, Man City fans will just look to the next test.
NCAAFB: Targeting: College football's most hated rule here to stay.
In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn looks on as trainers attend to linebacker Darrell Williams while Alabama A&M head coach James Spady reacts to a targeting call during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Auburn, Ala. College football's most hated rule turns five years old in 2017. Targeting, which penalizes players for hits to the head with ejections, drives coaches, players and especially fans crazy, is here to stay and its supporters are adamant that it is a necessary part of the evolution of college football. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
In these times when so much divides Americans, the targeting penalty brings college football fans together.
Just about all of them hate it.
The targeting foul turns 10 this season, though the real rage against it did not start until 2013 when player ejections became part of the penalty. The rule remains unchanged despite an offseason discussion of whether to eliminate ejections for certain infractions, and the effort to protect players is spreading: The NFL competition committee earlier this year approved automatic ejections for egregious hits to the head.
Just about all of them hate it.
The targeting foul turns 10 this season, though the real rage against it did not start until 2013 when player ejections became part of the penalty. The rule remains unchanged despite an offseason discussion of whether to eliminate ejections for certain infractions, and the effort to protect players is spreading: The NFL competition committee earlier this year approved automatic ejections for egregious hits to the head.
Targeting can be a difficult call for officials, a split-second evaluation of a high-speed collision. The 15-yard penalty that comes with it can drastically swing a game and losing a player to an ejection is a dramatic step. It does remain a relatively rare call. Even last year, when targeting fouls reached new highs in total (144) and per game (0.17), the number still amounted to only one every 5.83 FBS games played.
For many involved with college football, this seems a small price to pay to attempt to make the game safer — especially as studies on the toll football takes on the body and brain continue to yield worrisome results.
While it is impossible to quantify whether ejecting players has led to a decrease in the rate and number of head and neck injuries, those who play a part in shaping college football's rules say they can see a difference in the way the game is being played.
"We can see clear changes in behavior of the players," said Rogers Redding, the national coordinator of officials. "By that I mean, we see less of players just launching themselves like a missile at a guy's head. We still see it sometimes, but you also see a lot of times when they're coming in lower. They're getting their heads out of the way. They're making contact at the chest or in the side, not going high."
Another telltale sign: Dangerous hits that in the past would produce high-fives and chest-bumps by players now are no longer cause for celebration.
"Now what you'll see is, you'll see a player make a hit like this and one of the early reactions is he'll grab his helmet and say, 'Oh, my goodness what have I done,'" Redding said.
Targeting is not just about trying to curtail concussions. What has been lost in the constant focus on concussions in football is that the targeting rule was put in place as a response to research that showed the number of catastrophic head, neck, spine and brain injuries at all levels of football spiked in the 2000s.
Ron Courson, the head athletic trainer and director of sports medicine at the University of Georgia, was part of the push to add the targeting personal foul back in 2008. Courson said studies have shown that when catastrophic injuries happen in football it is usually the player doing the striking with the crown of the helmet who sustains the injury.
The targeting rule is as much about protecting the player delivering the hit as the one taking it, Courson said. He said tackling now is more about the "big hits" than trying to "wrap up" a player, and there are other factors, too.
"They are faster and they are stronger and that leads to more violent collisions," Courson said.
Since 2013, when the automatic ejection was added, all targeting calls are subject to video review and can be overturned. Last season, replay officials were given the discretion to call obvious targeting fouls that were missed by field officials. There were 28 targeting fouls called in FBS last season by replay officials.
Redding said he believes the reason targeting fouls have increased from 0.04 per game in 2013 to 0.17 last year is because officials have become more comfortable with making the call.
Todd Berry, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, said coaches are adapting and emphasizing tackling techniques that help avoid targeting. Still, there is frustration when players are flagged for hits that seemed impossible to avoid.
"We applaud the nature of why we're doing this," Berry said. "And we want to do everything we can to help and resolve this, but we also need to kind of recognize: Are we asking the kids to do something physically that they're not capable of doing?"
During the offseason, officials decided the occasional hard-luck foul that leads to a player getting ejected was not enough reason to modify a rule designed to take dangerous hits out of the game. The penalty is punitive, but necessary if changing behavior is going to continue, said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who also heads the football oversight committee.
"As much as some people don't like it, it's making the game safer," Bowlsby said. "I don't believe it's sissified the game. I don't think it's diminished the quality of play. I think it's made the game safer."
NCAABKB: Louisville appeals 'draconian' NCAA penalties in escort case.
Louisville says the NCAA 'abused' its authority when it disciplined the school for a sex scandal that could result in the loss of its 2013 national basketball championship. Rick Pitino called the NCAA penalties 'unjust and over the top in its severity' when they were announced on June 15. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
Louisville said the NCAA "abused" its authority when it disciplined the school for a sex scandal that could result in the loss of its 2013 national basketball championship.
The school also said in a 68-page appeal released Friday that the governing body imposed "draconian" penalties and ignored the school's self-imposed discipline. Louisville banned itself from the 2016 postseason after its investigation uncovered violations.
This is the latest step in a case that began nearly two years ago. Escort Katina Powell alleged in a book that former Cardinals staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers for sex parties with recruits and players from 2010 to 2014.
The NCAA said Louisville must vacate up to 123 victories in which ineligible players received improper benefits. It also suspended Louisville coach Rick Pitino five games for failing to monitor McGee.
Additionally, the school was placed on four years' probation and ordered to return money received through conference revenue sharing for appearances in the 2012 to 2015 NCAA's men's basketball championships. McGee, the former basketball operations director, received a 10-year, show-cause penalty from the governing body.
If Louisville's penalties are upheld, the school noted that it would mark the first time a Division I men's basketball title would be vacated.
Louisville's appeal cited bylaws which provide that the COI "may" vacate victories and require forfeiture of revenues upon determining that a student-athlete competed while ineligible. Both penalties hinge on the participation, the response added, are discretionary and could be deemed inappropriate if the student-athlete isn't culpable for misconduct and received a negligible benefit that could restore eligibility.
The appeal contends that the COI didn't follow those principles and penalized Louisville entirely because of McGee's "egregious" actions. While a severe penalty was required, the response disputed whether student-athletes' misconduct justified purging their records and returning money.
"The answer is no," the appeal said, adding that "no prior decision has ever imposed vacation or disgorgement because of extra-benefits or inducement violation of little value and no advantage. ...
"Imposing those penalties here would be grossly disproportionate to the conduct alleged to have rendered the student-athletes ineligible."
Pitino has denied knowledge of the activities described in Powell's book, which the NCAA Committee on Infractions called "repugnant." The Hall of Fame coach called the NCAA penalties "unjust and over the top in its severity" when they were announced on June 15.
The appeal also said the school acted swiftly upon learning of McGee's conduct and imposed severe penalties such as sitting out the 2016 NCAA Tournament despite being ranked 13th. Louisville also announced scholarship reductions and recruiting restrictions for assistant coaches.
Though the NCAA accepted the postseason ban, it imposed further scholarship and recruiting restrictions along with suspending Pitino for five Atlantic Coast Conference games.
The COI was especially critical of Pitino and said he should have known about McGee's activities with Powell, whose book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen" alleged that McGee paid her $10,000 for 22 shows at the Cardinals' dormitory from 2010-14.
The NCAA said in its report that Pitino "delegated responsibility for monitoring the former operations director to his assistant coaches, who later stated they were unaware it was their job."
Pitino and the school indicated that it will appeal his penalties.
Louisville's appeal also said the COI imposed "a more draconian set of penalties" than warranted and said it ignored corrective measures.
As a result, the response concluded that, "At a minimum, the vacation and financial penalties imposed in connection with the 2011-12 and 2012-13 men's basketball seasons should be reversed."
Little League World Series 2017: Bracket, schedule, results, TV channel.
By Andy Wittry
(Photo/Getty/SN Illustration)
The 71st Little League World Series bracket has been announced, setting the stage for the world's top 10- to 12-year-old baseball players to compete in July and August for the championship.
The LLWS kicks off on Aug. 17 with a game between the Latin American region and Mexico region, culminating with the Little League Baseball World Series Championship Game on Aug. 27 in Williamsport, Pa.
The International Regionals began on July 1, while the U.S. Regionals begin Aug. 3.
Maine-Endwell, New York defeated Seoul, South Korea last year, ending a four-year run of International teams winning the Little League Baseball World Series.
Little League World Series schedule
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series begins on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET and ends with the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. The full schedule is available here.
Little League World Series bracket
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series bracket is available here.
Little League World Series results
Results from the 2017 Little League Baseball World Series are available here.
How can I watch the LLWS on TV?
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks and ABC.
How can I watch the LLWS online?
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series is available on WatchESPN.
How can I listen to the LLWS on the radio?
WRAK (1200 AM/1400 AM/94.9 FM) in Williamsport, Pa., will broadcast the 2017 Little League Baseball World Series.
Where can I watch Little League World Series highlights?
Highlights from the 2017 Little League Baseball World Series will be available at Videos.LittleLeague.org.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, August 14, 2017.
The LLWS kicks off on Aug. 17 with a game between the Latin American region and Mexico region, culminating with the Little League Baseball World Series Championship Game on Aug. 27 in Williamsport, Pa.
The International Regionals began on July 1, while the U.S. Regionals begin Aug. 3.
Maine-Endwell, New York defeated Seoul, South Korea last year, ending a four-year run of International teams winning the Little League Baseball World Series.
Little League World Series schedule
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series begins on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET and ends with the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. The full schedule is available here.
Little League World Series bracket
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series bracket is available here.
Little League World Series results
Results from the 2017 Little League Baseball World Series are available here.
How can I watch the LLWS on TV?
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks and ABC.
How can I watch the LLWS online?
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series is available on WatchESPN.
How can I listen to the LLWS on the radio?
WRAK (1200 AM/1400 AM/94.9 FM) in Williamsport, Pa., will broadcast the 2017 Little League Baseball World Series.
Where can I watch Little League World Series highlights?
Highlights from the 2017 Little League Baseball World Series will be available at Videos.LittleLeague.org.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, August 14, 2017.
Memoriesofhistory.com
1903 - Jim Jeffries defeated Jim Corbett in the 10th round to retain his world heavyweight title in San Francisco.
1936 - The first basketball competition for a Gold Medal was held at the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. The U.S. defeated Canada, 19-8.
1937 - The Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Browns set an American League record for most runs scored combined in a doubleheader with 36.
1958 - Vic Power (Cleveland) stole home twice during the same game.
1959 - The first meeting was held to organize the American Football League.
1961 - The Philadelphia Phillies extended their losing streak to 17 games with a loss to the Chicago Cubs.
1971 - Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals) threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first no-hitter at Forbes Field in 61 years.
1974 - The NFL Players Association ended their seven-week strike.
1976 - A charity softball game began for the Community General Hospital in Monticello, NY. The game was eventually called off due to weather after 30 hours. The final score was Gager's Diner's 491 to Bend 'n Elbow Tavern's 467.
1977 - The New York Cosmos and the Fort Lauderdale Strikes played a game in front of 77,961 fans at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It was the largest crowd to witness a soccer game in the United States. The Cosmos beat the Strikers 8-3.
1979 - Lou Brock (St. Louis Cardinals) got his 3,000th hit.
1986 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) had his 4,256th and last basehit in a game against the San Francisco Giants.
1987 - Mark McGwire set the record for home runs by a rookie when he connected for his 49th home run of the season.
1936 - The first basketball competition for a Gold Medal was held at the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. The U.S. defeated Canada, 19-8.
1937 - The Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Browns set an American League record for most runs scored combined in a doubleheader with 36.
1958 - Vic Power (Cleveland) stole home twice during the same game.
1959 - The first meeting was held to organize the American Football League.
1961 - The Philadelphia Phillies extended their losing streak to 17 games with a loss to the Chicago Cubs.
1971 - Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals) threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first no-hitter at Forbes Field in 61 years.
1974 - The NFL Players Association ended their seven-week strike.
1976 - A charity softball game began for the Community General Hospital in Monticello, NY. The game was eventually called off due to weather after 30 hours. The final score was Gager's Diner's 491 to Bend 'n Elbow Tavern's 467.
1977 - The New York Cosmos and the Fort Lauderdale Strikes played a game in front of 77,961 fans at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It was the largest crowd to witness a soccer game in the United States. The Cosmos beat the Strikers 8-3.
1979 - Lou Brock (St. Louis Cardinals) got his 3,000th hit.
1986 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) had his 4,256th and last basehit in a game against the San Francisco Giants.
1987 - Mark McGwire set the record for home runs by a rookie when he connected for his 49th home run of the season.
******************************************************************
Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you.
No comments:
Post a Comment