10 Degrees: The postseason contenders, ranked from easiest schedule to hardest

Technically speaking, every team in the American League not named the Oakland A’s remains in the playoff hunt. Yes, even the Boston Red Sox, who at 60-70 are a mere 8½ back of the second wild-card spot. Scoff at the idea that postseason dreams still exist in Boston, but make sure not to forget the 2011 Red Sox, who showed exactly how to lose 8½ games in the standings over one month.

Still, to include the Red Sox and the rest of their sub-.500 brethren in this supersized 10 Degrees felt wrong, because let’s face it: If you can’t muster a .500 record at this point in the season, you probably don’t deserve a playoff spot, not even with the extra wild card turning a Bud Heavy postseason into Bud Light.

The break-even threshold yielded 14 playoff contenders, some of whose spots are essentially locked up, some of whom will continue fighting in a race not yet ripe with drama. Two weeks from now, perhaps it’s there, and much of that depends on the schedule of each contender, with some teams capable of preying on their gift and others ruing their misfortune.

While this assessment usually begins with the toughest schedules, it seemed better to start the 2015 version with the easiest, because it’s reflective of this season that’s so full of mediocrity. That, and if they manage to bungle this cakewalk, there may be no greater disappointment possible, and that’s really difficult to fathom, considering the past collapses of the …

1. New York Mets
Record: 72-58, lead NL East by 5½ games
Run differential: +53
Opponents' winning percentage: .439
Home/road: 15/17
Off-days: Sept. 3, 17, 28
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 9 of 32
Key series: vs. Nationals, Oct. 2-4
Overview: The second-biggest division lead in baseball. The best 1-2 punch this side of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. And now the easiest schedule? It’s almost like the baseball gods felt bad for the past decade or so and decided to look past what miserable owners the Wilpons have been and reward Mets fans for not giving up. Of their 32 games, 23 are against teams with winning percentages of .415 or worse. The best team they play is the Yankees. They’ve got nicely staggered off-days. Really, things could not be any better for the Mets … which is what makes it so scary. And it doesn’t help that the second-easiest schedule belongs to the …

2. Washington Nationals
Record: 66-63, 5½ games back in NL East
Run differential: +33
Opponents' winning percentage: .460
Home/road: 18/15
Off-days: Sept. 10, 24
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 9 of 33
Key series: at Cardinals, Aug. 31-Sept. 2
Overview: No other contender’s important series starts Monday like the Nationals’, though few others face the urgency of a turnaround like the Nationals. They’re chasing one of the hottest teams in baseball and doing so with injuries crushing them like they have all season. Still, once the Nationals get past the next 10 days, they’ve got a stretch unlike any other team faces: 20 games against teams with a combined winning percentage of .414, plus two much-needed off-days. It’s the sort of break the Nationals need to muster any chance, though if they spend the next week and a half doing what they’ve done over the first five months of the season, it may be too late. It’s no fun digging an early hole from which you need to extract yourself, a feeling shared by the nearly-.500-at-the-break …

 

3. San Francisco Giants
Record: 69-61, 3½ games back in NL West
Run differential: +62
Opponents' winning percentage: .472
Home/road: 16/16
Off-days: Sept. 10, 17, 21
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 7 of 32
Key series: vs. Dodgers, Sept. 27-Oct. 1
Overview: If anything can distract the Giants from the knowledge that Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence remain out with injuries, it’s that they play one team over .500 the rest of the season: the Dodgers, whom they’re chasing in the NL West. Otherwise, it’s a delicious diet of the West’s dregs (Colorado), its pretenders (San Diego and Arizona) and two out-of-division patsies (Cincinnati and Oakland). Better yet, 16 of the Giants’ 22 final games are at home, where they’re nine games over .500 this season. It doesn’t help the thunder missing from their lineup, but at least a good schedule gives them hopes of once again spending the postseason facing the …

4. Kansas City Royals
Record: 80-50, lead AL Central by 13 games
Run differential: +85
Opponents' winning percentage: .486
Home/road: 15/17
Off-days: Aug. 31, Sept. 10, 21
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 7 of 32
Key series: at Twins, Oct. 2-4
Overview: The Royals face two teams with above-.500 records: the Minnesota Twins, who 10 days ago were one below, and the Chicago Cubs, who Kansas City faces for a single makeup game. The rest is a panoply of mediocrity, no team’s winning percentage below Detroit’s .462 and none higher than Minnesota’s .515. Seeing as Kansas City’s record against sub-.500 teams this season is 51-21, the chances of the Royals locking down home-field advantage for the entire postseason looks almost as inevitable as their Central division title, which should be locked up by at latest Sept. 20. Better yet, if the division leaders hold, it means they can avoid a division series matchup against the …

 

5. Houston Astros
Record: 72-59, lead AL West by 3 games
Run differential: +96
Opponents' winning percentage: .487
Home/road: 15/16
Off-days: Sept. 3, 10, 24, Oct. 1
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 16 of 31
Key series: at Rangers, Sept. 14-17
Overview: No team will be more rested than the Astros, whose four days off are the most of any contender. They’re going to need them, of course, with a 10-game mid-September trip that gets tougher as it goes on: A’s, Angels, Rangers. It’s part of a 22-game stretch vs. division opponents, against whom they’ve fared reasonably against this season, going 28-23. The Astros just need to start winning some games on the road, balancing a 45-21 home record at Minute Maid Park with a 27-38 mark away. Plus-70 of their run differential comes at home, and while overall it’s the second-best mark in the AL, it’s not even half that of the …

 

6. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 74-56, lead AL East by 1½ games
Run differential: +193
Opponents' winning percentage: .492
Home/road: 15/17
Off-days: Sept. 3, 14, 24
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 7 of 32
Key series: vs. Yankees, Sept. 21-23
Overview: Just what the hottest team in baseball needs: a schedule with 25 of 32 teams under .500. Of course, two wins by Tampa Bay, three by Cleveland and four by Baltimore, and the Jays would be facing 23 of 32 at .500 or better, so that number is a bit misleading. Outside of a trip to Atlanta, the Blue Jays don’t have anything terribly easy left. It’s not exactly taxing, either, which oughta be the basis of the American League’s slogan this season. The AL: We’re OK! (And by OK, we mean mediocre.) For proof of that, point your compass to the south and follow it to the ballpark of the …

 

7. Texas Rangers
Record: 68-61, lead second AL wild card by 1½ games
Run differential: -19
Opponents' winning percentage: .487
Home/road: 17/16
Off-days: Sept. 3, 21
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 14 of 33
Key series: at Angels, Oct. 1-4
Overview: When GM Jon Daniels traded for Cole Hamels at the deadline, the idea was to pair him with Yu Darvish next season and let them run wild on the AL. The collapses of the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles changed the timetable and expectations of the Rangers, who now must overcome the fatigue of 33 games in 35 days. The only ones against .500-or-better teams are the Astros and Angels, and 17 of the Rangers’ final 23 come at home, where they’re actually quite a bit worse this season than on the road. In fact, the Rangers would have the best road record in baseball if not for the …

8. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 84-46, lead NL Central by 4½ games
Run differential: +135
Opponents' winning percentage: .492
Home/road: 16/16
Off-days: Sept. 3, 14, Oct. 1
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 15 of 32
Key series: at Pirates, Sept. 28-30
Overview: If the Cardinals play the rest of the season at .500, they’ll still win 100 games. Continue at this pace and they’ll finish 105-57, and they’ve got a legitimate shot to best the franchise-record of 106 victories. Which, considering the injuries to Adam Wainwright and Matt Adams and Matt Holliday and Randal Grichuk, is unfathomable. St. Louis’ schedule is a story of monsters and pushovers, with two series against the Pirates and Cubs buttressed by two facing the Reds and Brewers. Once the Cardinals get past the gauntlet of the next 10 days – Nationals, Pirates, Cubs at home – their remaining opponents’ combined winning percentage is .463. Come out of this homestand clean – and considering the Cardinals are 46-19 there, it’s well possible – and that 107 is within reach. It would put the Cardinals among the elite regular-season teams of all-time and exceed by five wins the best season ever from the …

9. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 72-57, lead NL West by 3½ games
Run differential: +63
Opponents' winning percentage: .493
Home/road: 16/17
Off-days: Sept. 10, 17
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 13 of 33
Key series: at Giants, Sept. 28-Oct. 1
Overview: Now is where it starts getting tough. (Well, actually, it started Sunday night, when the Dodgers were no-hit for the second time in nine days, this one by Jake Arrieta.) Take out two series against the awful Rockies, and the Dodgers’ opponents have won at a .512 clip. Between that and just two days off, the Dodgers need to be well-rested, particularly considering they finish the season with games on 17 consecutive days. The good news: The furthest east they travel is Denver, a time-zone luxury afforded similarly to the …

 

10. New York Yankees
Record: 72-57, lead first AL wild card by 4 games
Run differential: +77
Opponents' winning percentage: .504
Home/road: 18/15
Off-days: Sept. 3, 17
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 10 of 33
Key series: vs. Toronto, Sept. 10-13
Overview: Like the Blue Jays, the Yankees’ schedule is deceiving. Even though they play fewer than a third of their games against winning teams, the collective winning percentage of their opponents is a fair bit over .500. And like the Dodgers, their last day off is the 17th, forcing them into a stretch grind against AL East teams they’ve handled quite well this season (28-22). On the Yankees’ side is the most home games of any team as well as having the 18 sandwiched around their one three-city road trip that goes from St. Petersburg to Queens to Toronto. With a schedule like that, it’s nice the Yankees have almost the same cushion that one month ago today belonged to the …

 

11. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 65-65, 3½ games back of second AL wild card
Run differential: -18
Opponents' winning percentage: .504
Home/road: 15/17
Off-days: Sept. 3, 10, 24
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 20 of 32
Key series: vs. Dodgers, Sept. 7-9
Overview: Yes, the Angels have gone from three games up in the wild card on July 31 to a .500 jalopy today. Cleveland swept the Angels in three games over the weekend. Toronto swept them two series before that. They’ve lost 24 of 35. It’s no-alibi ugly. And now, after going to Oakland, the Angels return home to face a Rangers-Dodgers-Astros onslaught before going back on the road for a three-city trip. The Angels’ only sub-.500 games come against Oakland and Seattle, and those might not matter if they can’t pull themselves together over the next two weeks and understand how a team with the best player in the world and a $150 million opening day payroll can possibly look up in the wild-card standings to the …

 

12. Minnesota Twins
Record: 67-63, 1½ games back of second AL wild card
Run differential: -7
Opponents' winning percentage: .511
Home/road: 16/17
Off-days: Aug. 31, Sept. 10, 21
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 14 of 33
Key series: vs. Angels, Sept. 17-20
Overview: This one feels like a bit of a sham candidacy, too, with the negative run differential and the helter-skelter winning-losing streaks. And yet if somehow the Twins can make it through the AL’s most difficult stretch schedule, nobody will say they lucked their way into the postseason. The upcoming nine-game road trip is brutal – Houston and Kansas City before a respite against the White Sox – and there aren’t any easy series from there on out, not even the Tigers, as bad as they looked over the weekend. Take the Twins’ six games against the Royals out, and opponents’ win at a far-less-scary .487 clip, although that’s cheating. Part of what makes their schedule so imposing is facing a wringer that includes uber-successful teams, a road trafficked likewise by the …

 

13. Chicago Cubs
Record: 74-55, lead second NL wild card by 5½ games
Run differential: +29
Opponents' winning percentage: .507
Home/road: 16/16
Off-days: Sept. 3, 14, 24
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 13 of 32
Key series: vs. Pirates, Sept. 25-27
Overview: The Cubs are allowed about 20 hours to celebrate Arrieta’s no-hitter before heading into the what one can argue is the toughest stretch schedule for any contender. On one hand, the Cubs do not play a single team whose winning percentage starts with a .5, which seems like a good thing. On the other, they’ve got 13 games against teams winning at a .612-or-better clip – six vs. St. Louis and Pittsburgh, with a makeup game against Kansas City – and their road series against the Cardinals and Pirates are part of a three-city road swing that sends them across time zones. The travel isn’t awful – most NL Central travel isn’t – but being part of the best division in baseball is. While the Mets and Nationals get to whip and nae-nae their way to the end of the season, it’s Olympic-level ballroom dancing for the Cubs and the …

 

14. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 79-50, lead first NL wild card by 5½ games
Run differential: +81
Opponents' winning percentage: .501
Home/road: 13/19
Off-days: Aug. 31, Sept. 14, Oct. 1
Games vs. teams .500 or better: 15 of 32
Key series: at Cubs, Sept. 25-27
Overview: Even if their opponents’ winning percentage is slightly less imposing than other teams’, the Pirates face other potential stumbling blocks that make their huge cushion in the wild card evermore vital. Issue No. 1: Only one day off in September, which, though helped by resting the last day of August and first of October, is nevertheless trying. Issue No. 2: Two three-city road trips. Unlucky teams have one jaunt that long. The Pirates start their stretch with a nine-gamer, go home for two series (including one against the Cubs) and head back out for 10 on the road, followed by three games at home against the Cardinals, who at that point may already have 100 victories. It makes their 17 games against sub-.500 teams – lookin’ at you, Brewers twice, Reds twice and Rockies – that much more important. In an ideal world where record matters more than geography, none of this would be all that important since the Pirates would be safely in the division series and the …

 

15. New York Mets would be scratching to hold onto a wild-card spot. Reality is, the NL East exists, and the fact that it is a stinking baseball wasteland should not completely mitigate what the Mets are on the verge of doing.

They’ve got some kinks to work out – the two main questions are how much Matt Harvey will pitch and how Steven Matz will figure in to the rotation, if at all – and the Nationals, with their talent, still seem like a giant scheduled for an 8 a.m. flight that still hasn’t woken up by noon.

The Mets are hitting and catching the ball better than anyone in the second half, according to FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement calculation. And if they go into the playoffs with Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey (in that order or reverse) for Games 1 and 2 against Kershaw and Greinke, it has a chance to be the best division series since the wild card was introduced in 1995.

Los Angeles needs to do its part. And the Mets simply need to take advantage of the bequest that is their schedule and not add to a history in the last decade chock full of ignominy. For the first time in a long time, they don’t look like the Mets whose nickname is preceded by an LOL. They’ve got five weeks to make sure that incarnation gets buried for good.

Cubs acquire Austin Jackson to solidify outfield depth for stretch run

The Chicago Cubs aren't playing around. With about a month left before the playoffs, the team is still looking for ways to improve. They showed as much Monday, acquiring outfielder Austin Jackson from the Seattle Mariners.

The move, while not major, should help the team down the stretch. Jorge Soler is currently sidelined due to an oblique issue, and neither Chris Coghlan or Chris Denorfia have established themselves as full-time options.

Jackson is hitting .272/.312/.387, so he isn't really an upgrade at the plate. He can play center field and has some value as a pinch runner, though. Jackson's stolen base figures are somewhat questionable, as he's been caught nine times this season, but he's the type of guy who could go first to third on a single, and that can make a big difference during a playoff game.

The Cubs aren't counting on Jackson to be a full-time player, and that's probably a good thing. While he could probably still start on other teams, he'll make for one heck of a fourth outfielder with Chicago. The club didn't give up much to acquire Jackson, so the move makes sense.

For Seattle, the trade allows them to get a look at Brad Miller in center. Miller hasn't really developed as a shortstop, but the team is still looking for a way to keep him involved. If he can prove himself over the final month, there's a chance he'll work his way into the team's future plans. If not, the club will be looking for replacements during the offseason.

While the trade benefits both clubs, the Cubs side is more significant now. It doesn't look like a major acquisition on paper, but Jackson could play a significant role down the stretch if used correctly.

Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum says MLB has come to a decision on reinstatement

Rob Manfred has reportedly come to a decision on whether to reinstate former Chicago White Sox great Shoeless Joe Jackson. Arlene Marcley, curator of the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum in Greenville, S.C., will reveal Jackson's fate on the museum's Facebook page Tuesday, according to Greenville Online.

Shortly after Manfred took office, Marcley organized a petition asking him to consider reinstating the outfielder. Jackson was one of the eight members of the 1919 White Sox who were banned from the game by former commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis after allegedly throwing the World Series.

Jackson was accused of accepting a bribe to throw games, though he was acquitted of those charges by a Chicago court. Despite the acquittal, Jackson remains banned from baseball.

This whole reinstatement situation is a little strange. If Jackson were being reinstated, you would think Major League Baseball would make that announcement. At the same time, the fact that the museum is promoting the announcement makes it look like that's exactly what's going to happen.

Of course, it's possible Jackson won't be reinstated, and the museum is releasing the news in order to get some attention. It's starting to look like that's the case.

If that's what happens, we can't really fault the museum for promoting the story. If they have a letter from Manfred ruling on Jackson's reinstatement, even if it's a negative outcome, that's still significant to them. Plus, a little self promotion in this case is hardly the worst thing.

If Manfred has truly made a decision regarding Jackson's reinstatement, questions about Pete Rose are sure to follow. A decision on Rose is expected by the end of the year, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

While the two cases aren't directly connected, it would be tough to see Rose allowed back in the game if Jackson remains ineligible. Jackson was at least acquitted by a jury, while Rose accepted a lifetime ban and admitted to gambling on baseball. Letting one of them in while the other remains out doesn't make a lot of sense unless Manfred is all-in on the Rose redemption tour.

In Jackson's case, it looks like we'll have our answer Tuesday. Reinstating Jackson would be a major story that could have huge implications regarding how Manfred will approach the Rose decision. If something that big is going to happen, we doubt MLB would allow anyone else to break the news.

Nishikori, Ivanovic out as U.S. Open starts with major upsets

Kei Nishikori's attempt to repeat his 2014 U.S. Open finals appearance is already over. The No. 4 seed fell to frenchman Benoit Paire 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 on Monday afternoon, a shocking upset rarely seen so early in the men's draw. The women's draw saw its own early surprise, with No. 7 Ana Ivanovic falling in straight sets to Dominka Cibulkova.

Ivanovic was the first to fall. After dropping the first set 6-3, it looked like she'd taken control as she built a 4-1 lead in the second. She eventually took the set 6-3 to even the match. But Cibulkova proved too much in the third.

"It's not easy, but today I felt lke she used her opportunities better than I did," Ivanovic said after the match.

Ivanovic leaves a gaping hole in her quarter of the draw, and her loss means that should Serena Willams advance to the semifinal, the highest seeded player she could face there is the No. 10.

With the sounds of the Arthur Ashe stadium crowd bleeding into Louis Armstrong next door, Paire was stunning Japanese star Nishikori. Nshikori failed to convert a match point in the fourth set, opening a door that Paire stormed through. The 26-year-old Frenchman took the fourth set tiebreak, then the fifth set and the victory. Paire served 21 aces to Nishikori's three, but Nishikori played a cleaner match. He had 36 unforced errors compared to Paire's 67.

"I think he was playing good tennis. I mean, I don't think I played bad. Didn't play great, but still it's never easy first match," Nishikori said after the match. "I had match point and kind of lost a little bit of my forehand." He added that he lost a bit of concentration, too.

Two young Americans also added upsets on Monday afternoon. Lauren Davis knocked out British No. 1 Heather Watson 7-6, 7-6. Madison Brengle defeated China's SaiSai Zheng, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.

DeAndre Jordan leaves agent Dan Fegan after controversial summer

When coveted free-agent center DeAndre Jordan broke a verbal agreement to join the Dallas Mavericks to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, analysts and observers wondered what could have changed his mind over the course of just a few days. Did the Clippers wage an assault to convince him L.A. was the place for him? Was their emoji science too tight? Was Blake Griffin's chair barricade just too strong?

While speculation over the cause varied and did not absolve Jordan of his mistakes, the most informed takes suggested that the shot-blocking, oop-dunking dynamo had felt pushed into the Mavericks deal by agent Dan Fegan, who has a longstanding relationship with Mark Cuban. The smart money said that Jordan would not retain Fegan's services for long after his reversal.

That has now come to pass. According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Jordan has parted ways with Fegan and his fellow representatives at Relativity Sports:

Jordan informed agents Dan Fegan and Jarinn Akana last week that he was moving “in another direction,” said an NBA official not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Despite leaving Relativity Sports, Jordan still had to pay the agency the 4% it earned when he re-signed with the Clippers for $88 million over four years.

Jordan now has left three agents in seven seasons – Joel Bell, Wasserman Media Group and now Relativity Sports. He can’t sign with another agent until 15 days have passed after letting his former agents go.

Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal reported that Jordan's Clippers teammate Austin Rivers has also left Relativity to join ASM Sports, although it's not clear if his decision is related to the Jordan saga.

Reports at the time of Jordan's decision to go back to the Clippers indicated that he felt Fegan had pushed him towards the Mavericks due to his relationship with Cuban. The two have worked together on several deals in the past (not all successful) and were thought to have orchestrated Jordan's move to Dallas in some detail. Jordan's dissatisfaction seemed clear on the day of his move back to Los Angeles, when he apparently did not contact Fegan about his change of heart and left a number of interested parties in the dark.

Jordan will now need to find new representation, although his new four-year deal takes away some of the urgency. Whenever he decides to make his choice, it's likely that prospective agents will want some kind of explanation of what went down with the Mavericks, Clippers, and Fegan.

Judge Berman to rule on deflate-gate 'in next day or two' after failed settlement

Monday was billed as a significant day in court for both sides in the deflate-gate case, as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared at Manhattan Federal Court, but the session came and went with little progress in the proceedings.

The most significant news to come out of the brief hearing was Judge Richard M. Berman's announcement that he will rule on the case in the next 48 hours after the two sides failed to reach a settlement for the last time. New York Daily News court reporter Stephen Brown, as always, chronicled the proceeding on Twitter.

Final push by both sides yields no settlement in#deflategate case. Berman to rule in next day or two.

— Stephen Brown (@PPVSRB) August 31, 2015

In hopes of avoiding any further appeal of his upcoming ruling, which could prolong the deflate-gate case for years, Berman had been pushing both sides to reach a deal from the moment the trial began earlier this month. New York Giants co-owner John Mara and former NFL kicker Jay Feely — a college teammate of Brady's at Michigan — reportedly participated in the final round of settlement talks. In a five-minute hearing on Monday morning, we learned Mara and Feely were unsuccessful in their attempts to resolve the case.

Brady and Goodell stood feet apart and made sure to never look at each other. Neither appeared in a good mood.

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) August 31, 2015

As a result, Berman will either uphold Brady's four-game suspension or vacate the penalty entirely when he rules Tuesday or Wednesday, but the losing side is expected to appeal regardless of the outcome.

Steelers wideout Martavis Bryant suspended for 4 games

The list of key players the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to do without early in the 2015 season keeps growing.

Add second-year wide receiver Martavis Bryant. The NFL suspended Bryant for four games after Bryant violated the league's substance abuse policy.

The NFL denied Bryant's appeal on Monday, leaving one of the league's most dynamic offenses without another playmaker heading into an already difficult opening month.

Pittsburgh will also be without All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell for its opener on Sept. 10 at New England. Bell also is serving a two-game suspension under the same policy and All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey is out indefinitely with a left ankle injury.

Bryant became a key target for Ben Roethlisberger toward the end of the 2014 season. After spending the initial six games on the inactive list while he learned the playbook, he made his debut in a Monday night game against Houston and the Steelers took off, finishing with an 8-2 kick to win the AFC North with the league's second-ranked offense. The 6-foot-4 Bryant finished with 26 receptions for 549 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 21.1 yards per catch and making opponents pay for focusing too much attention on All-Pro teammate Antonio Brown.

Bryant's confidence soared during the offseason, with the former fourth-round pick adding 20 pounds of muscle, almost all in his upper body to help him better attack defenders at the line of scrimmage. Bryant showcased his rapid development in Saturday's preseason loss to Buffalo, catching three passes for 138 yards and a touchdown while also drawing a pass interference penalty.

Now it will be up to Brown, Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and rookie Sammie Coates to carry the load for an offense that doesn't look quite as explosive as it appeared when training camp opened a month ago.

''It is a disappointment to our entire organization as well as our fans, but we will continue to support Martavis during his suspension,'' Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said. ''It is very unfortunate his actions have put our team in this situation to begin the year, but we are confident he will learn from his mistake and return in excellent shape in Week 5.''

That would be for a game against San Diego. Bryant can rejoin the team on Oct. 2. The Steelers were able to overcome a 3-3 start last season after Bryant worked his way onto the active list, but have little margin for error as they try to separate themselves from Baltimore and Cincinnati in the ultra-competitive AFC North.

Veteran DeAngelo Williams will fill in for Bell while Bell is suspended two games for his DUI and drug possession arrest last August. Bell says the absence of two players who combined for 21 touchdowns a year ago will hurt but remains confident Pittsburgh won't slow down.

''You got Wheaton from the outside. You got AB (Antonio Brown) on the outside, you got Heyward-Bey on the outside,'' Bell said. ''We got all types of play makers.''

Just not perhaps their most electric.

Fisher names Golson starting QB for No. 10 Florida State

After playing coy for the past couple weeks, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher ended the suspense on Monday of who will be his starting quarterback by announcing Everett Golson had earned the job.

Golson, a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, beat out junior Sean Maguire.

''He came in, related to our players well and showed what kind of player he was,'' Fisher said of Golson. ''He has a good grasp of things. Making reads, plays and getting on the edge with his legs when he has to.''

Golson and Maguire ''have both had their moments and shined,'' Fisher said earlier Monday during his weekly press conference. ''They have really improved in a lot of the things they don't do as well. I really feel comfortable with either guy playing.''

Golson started 23 games for the Fighting Irish in 2012 and '14. He has been on campus less than three months and was listed third on the preseason depth chart but his comfort level with the offense has garnered praise from Fisher the past couple weeks.

A big reason why Fisher went with Golson is likely experience.

Florida State has only four returning starters on offense and Fisher acknowledged that where his team is right now Golson is the better option.

Golson's ability to make plays with his legs could be important early in the season, especially with four new starters on the offensive line. Besides throwing for 5,850 yards and 41 touchdowns at Notre Dame, he ran for 14 touchdowns and averaged 23.2 rushing yards per game.

In assessing his offense going into the opener, Fisher considers it to be a big, strong athletic group with versatility among the skill positions.

The first test for the 10th-ranked Seminoles will be in what should be tuneup Saturday against Texas State in their season opener.

Maguire has played in 13 games the past two seasons, including a start against Clemson last year where he led the Seminoles to a 23-17 overtime win.

He appeared to be the heir apparent to Jameis Winston going into spring drills, but Maguire struggled in the spring game, which opened the door to a Golson transfer. Even with the struggles, Fisher has been pleased with Maguire's preseason camp.

''I think he's really ramped it up this year because he felt like he was the guy,'' Fisher said of Maguire. ''I've been very pleased with his attitude and everything.''

Both Golson and Maguire are expected to see plenty of playing time early. Florida State has a 12-game winning streak in September games with an average margin of victory of 31.8 points.

Notes: Running back Dalvin Cook, who returned to the team last week after being found not guilty of misdemeanor battery, will not have any playtime restrictions in the opener. Fisher said that Cook's conditioning has been tremendous despite the time away. ... Besides quarterback, Fisher also named a starting center with redshirt freshman Corey Martinez getting the nod. ... True freshman Josh Sweat has worked his way into the rotation at defensive end despite suffering an ACL injury in high school last season.

Flurry of NFL trades go down

Monday was a busy day in the NFL for trades, even if none of them involved major players.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dealt tight end Tim Wright to the Detroit Lions to give them another pass-catching tight end. But isn't that what Eric Ebron, the 10th overall pick of the 2014 draft, was supposed to provide?

Wright got off to a nice start early last season with the New England Patriots after coming over from Tampa Bay in the Logan Mankins deal but was an afterthought down the title stretch. He was waived and claimed by the Bucs, who originally signed Wright after he went undrafted in 2013.

Ebron isn't in any trouble for a roster spot, but there is growing concern that he might never fulfill his massive potential — even a little more than a year into his tenure there. But Ebron seems unaffected by the news of the Wright deal or his status on the team.

The Denver Broncos shipped offensive tackle Chris Clark to the Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick in 2016. Clark will provide the Texans with depth behind starters Duane Brown and Derek Newton after Clark was deemed a poor fit in Gary Kubiak's offense in Denver.

The Pittsburgh Steelers now are on their third kicker of the year. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded Josh Scobee, who has been with the team since being a fifth-round pick in 2004, to the Steelers after the injury Garrett Hartley suffered was found to be more serious than expected. Hartley was signed during training camp after Shaun Suisham suffered a season-ending injury.

The wide receiver-needy Carolina Panthers were stung with the injury to Kelvin Benjamin, and rookie Devin Funchess (the man most equipped to replace him there) appeared to hurt his left leg in practice, so they swung a deal for former Seattle Seahawks fourth-round pick Kevin Norwood. There had been a report that Norwood was released, but he was shipped to Carolina instead after being the odd man out in a crowded Seattle receiver situation. He caught only nine passes for 102 yards in nine games (two starts) as a rookie out of Alabama.

As NFL teams start whittling their rosters down from 90 to 75 players on or before Tuesday, there might be a few more minor deals that happen.

Teammates Applaud Benching; 'Now We Can Start Winning'

Several members of the Washington Redskins tell TMZ Sports ... they're PUMPED the team is benching RG3 ... with one player saying, "Now we can start winning games."

We spoke with a handful of Redskins players -- all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity -- and they were all on the same page ... they've been wanting the move for a while.

One player told us, "We're relieved. This is good for the team."

Another player was more blunt ... saying, "We have a better chance of winning with [Kirk Cousins] than Robert Griffin. Sometimes teams need a change and we obviously did."

Even the defense is excited -- with one starter saying, "The team is excited with the change. We are all looking forward to Kirk leading us this season."

As for Griffin, one player tells us it's not personal, it's just business -- "Robert is a professional. He will be ready when his number is called."

Trent Richardson's NFL career on life support after Raiders cut him

Running back Trent Richardson didn't make the Oakland Raiders' roster. He didn't even make the cutdown to 75 players on Monday.

Richardson was released by the Raiders, as reported by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson. Richardson might be done in the NFL after his abrupt end in Oakland. The Raiders gave him a two-year, $3.85 million contract with $600,000 guaranteed, according to Spotrac, which seemed high because who were they bidding against? Richardson was traded from Cleveland and failed spectacularly with the Indianapolis Colts. The third overall pick of the 2012 draft averaged just 3.1 yards per carry with the Colts in 29 games.

Even though he was bad with the Colts, it seemed worth a flier for the Raiders (although at a higher price than anyone should have paid). Then Richardson had just 42 yards on 15 preseason carries. He still has problems finding the hole or getting through it when he spots it. It was clear that Richardson was behind many of the Raiders' backup backs, including former Auburn standout Michael Dyer. There was no reason for Oakland to keep him around until the final cuts.

What's next for Richardson? Any team giving him another chance is doing so because they remember his college tape from Alabama and must believe that there's a correctable reason he has been so bad in the NFL. If Richardson doesn't reemerge he'll go down as a massive first-round bust. Not only was he the third overall pick by Cleveland, but Indianapolis doubled down by trading a first-rounder to Cleveland to get him. Two teams invested first-round picks for Richardson for 2,032 career yards on 614 carries.

The Raiders decided they had seen enough after three preseason games and saw the $600,000 they gave Richardson as a sunk cost. Will anyone else see anything in Richardson after that?

Veteran big man Chuck Hayes signs with Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers have signed free-agent forward Chuck Hayes to a one-year contract, a source told Yahoo Sports.

Hayes, 32, has averaged 3.7 points and five rebounds per game during his 10-year NBA career. He played sparingly for the Toronto Raptors last season. The brawny 6-foot-6, 242-pounder originally committed to sign with the Houston Rockets this offseason, but his agent Calvin Andrews said last week the franchise reneged on the offer because of limited roster flexibility and other financial considerations.

The veteran-laden Clippers' roster also includes such big men as All-Star Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and newcomers Josh Smith and Cole Aldrich.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - AUGUST 31ST

1881 - First US men's single tennis championships (Newport, RI).

1894 - Phillies Billy Hamilton steals 7 bases.
1900 - Dodgers' Brickyard Kennedy walks 6 straight Phillies.

1909 - A J Reach Co patents cork-centered baseball.

1913 - Soccer club PSV forms in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
1915 - Chicago White Sox Jimmy Lavender no-hits NY Giants, 2-0.
1918 - Boston Red Sox, win earliest AL pennent ever (season ended Sept 2).

1931 - Jean Marc Beliveau, Canadian NHL player (Montreal Canadiens,

10 Stanley Cups), born in Trois-Rivieres Quebec, (d. 2014).
1934 - First NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Chi Bears 0, All-Stars 0 (79,432).
1935 - Chicago White Sox Vern Kennedy no-hits Cleve Indians, 5-0.

1935 - Frank Robinson, baseball player/manager (MVP 1961-NL 1966-AL) is born.

1947 - NY Giants set season record for HRs by a club 183 (en route to 221).
1950 - Dodger Gil Hodges hits 4 HRs & a single in a game vs Braves.

1969 - Rocky Marciano, former Heavyweight champ, dies in a plane crash at 45.

1972 - Olga Korbut, USSR, wins olympic gold medal in gymnastics.
1973 - First Heavyweight championship fight in Japan (Foreman beats Roman).

1979 - 16 yr old Tracy Austin defeats 14 yr old Andrea Jaeger at US Open Tennis.
1979 - Phillies replaces manager Danny Ozark with Dallas Green.

1984 - Pinklon Thomas beats Tim Witherspoon in 12 for Heavyweight boxing title.

1985 - Angel Cordero becomes 3rd jockey to ride horses earning over $100 M.
1987 - Curtis Strange sets golf's earning for year record ($697,385).

1991 - Houston QB David Klingler sets NCAA record with 6 touchdown passes

in the 2nd quarter as the Cougars clobbered Louisiana Tech 73-3.

1997 - Don Mattingly's #23 is retired by NY Yankees.

1999 - Dino Ciccarelli retires from the NHL.

Braves hold moment of silence for fan

The U.S. flag flew at half-staff at Turner Field on Sunday, one day after a fan died following his fall from the upper deck into the lower-level stands during a game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.

Mary Beth Hauptle, an investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner, identified the victim as Gregory K. Murrey, 60, of Alpharetta, Georgia. Murrey was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital.

The Braves said Sunday they are ''deeply saddened'' by Murrey's death.

''Greg was a valued and longtime season-ticket holder and an incredibly passionate Braves fan,'' the team said in a statement. ''This tragic loss is felt throughout Braves Country, and the thoughts and prayers of the entire Braves organization continue to go out to his family and friends.''

The Braves displayed a photo of Murrey on the videoboard and observed a moment of silence before Sunday's game.

The fall in the seventh inning immediately followed the introduction of Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez as a pinch hitter.

Lt. Charles Hampton of the Atlanta Police Department homicide unit said foul play is not suspected at this point. He said no fans were hurt in the 200-level seats where the man fell from section 401, landing close to an area where players' wives and families sit.

Braves president John Schuerholz said grief counselors have been made available to players' friends and family members who witnessed the fall.

''It's just sad and we're all dealing with the sadness and the tragedy of it for the gentleman's family and anybody who happened to witness it,'' Schuerholz said. ''It's difficult and that's what our focus is now.''

A Braves security officer blocked an Associated Press reporter from entering section 401 on Sunday without a ticket.

Braves second baseman Jace Peterson said his girlfriend was close to the spot Murrey fell.

''It was within 10 feet from her,'' Peterson said. ''So everybody whose families were here definitely experienced some part of it. It's not good for anyone to see something like that.

''A lot of player families were right there. I heard some pretty graphic stuff. It's not something I really want to get into. It's just unfortunate.''

Yankees catcher Brian McCann's mother, who is a nurse, was one of the first to assist Murrey following his fall.

''She ran to him,'' said McCann, who began his career with the Braves. ''She was in the mix trying to do everything she could.''

This was the third fan death from a fall at Turner Field in eight seasons. In 2013, a fan's death was ruled a suicide; In 2008, police cited alcohol as a factor after a man died.

Major League Baseball said it had been in contact with the Braves and was monitoring the situation.

A sellout crowd of 49,243 was the largest of the season at Turner Field. The Braves are set to move into a new suburban stadium in 2017.

Schuerholz said now is not the time to say if the latest death at Turner Field would affect plans for the new stadium, including the height of the rails which line the bottom of each section of seats.

''We made our plans long before this event occurred,'' Schuerholz said. ''Every facility that's getting built, there's a great deal of communication with architects and engineers and the league in terms of abiding by league standards for the industry. We certainly will do that.''

Adam Staudacher and his girlfriend were returning to their seats near where Murrey fell.

Staudacher, 33, from Atlanta, said it appeared Murrey landed headfirst on a 3-foot-wide walkway between sections. He estimated 20 EMTs immediately surrounded the fan and began doing CPR, adding they treated him for ''five to seven minutes'' before taking him away.

Staudacher said he saw no movement from the fan.

''There were a ton of kids right there,'' he said. ''It was a disturbing scene. Disturbing doesn't really go far enough.''

MLB has said it is studying the issue of fan safety in the wake of several people being hurt by foul balls and flying bats this season. Some players have called for more protective netting around the field.

A fan died at Turner Field on Aug. 12, 2013, after falling 85 feet from a walkway on the fourth level of the stadium. Investigators from the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office later ruled that the death of Ronald Lee Homer Jr., 30, was a suicide.

In 2008, Justin Hayes, 25, died after falling down a stairwell in Atlanta during a game against the Mets. Police said alcohol contributed to his fall that caused head injuries.

Two fans died at major league games in 2011.

In Texas, a man fell about 20 feet to the ground beyond the outfield fence trying to catch a baseball tossed his way by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. Shannon Stone, 39 and a firefighter in Brownwood, Texas, was attending the Rangers game with his young son.

Earlier that year, a 27-year-old man died after falling about 20 feet and striking his head on concrete during a Colorado Rockies home game. Witnesses told police the man was trying to slide down a staircase railing at Coors Field and lost his balance.

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona said fan safety is always a concern.

''I think the powers that be are constantly trying, one, give the fans the experience they want while also making it as safe as possible,'' Francona said. ''People smarter than me spend a lot of time trying to make it the best it can be.''



Rescue workers carry an injured fan from the stands at Turner Field during a baseball game between Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees, Saturday. The fan fell from the upper deck into the lower-level stands and was given emergency medical treatment before being taken to a hospital.

Washington front office, coaches reportedly ready to move on from RG3

Washington coaches and "high-ranking" front office officials want to move on from quarterback Robert Griffin III, according to a report from ESPN. However, per the report, team ownership is not on the same page.

Griffin was named the team's starting quarterback this offseason, but he struggled in the preseason and sustained a concussion in the second game after taking multiple big hits. The team originally announced that he would remain the starter once cleared, and then announced later that he was in fact cleared. However, an independent neurologist suggested Griffin be held out for the remainder of the preseason and into the regular season.

Washington insists they handled Griffin's concussion "by the book."

This has given Kirk Cousins the chance to show the team he deserves the starting job, and he is outplaying Griffin in the preseason. It seems likely Griffin is no longer the team's starter even when he does return, and there has been a "groundswell of support from a strong segment of football people within the organization" to move on from Griffin and go with another player on the roster as starter, according to the report.

Not only that, there have even been trade conversations with a few NFL teams, but there has been no interest in getting a deal done.

As the report notes, the team exercised its fifth-year contract option on Griffin, which guarantees him $16.1 million in 2016 if he's on the roster next season. Until then, he's only guaranteed against injury. It would be fair to suggest Griffin has been relatively injury-prone in his NFL career thus far, which is hardly surprising given the state of Washington's offensive line.

Any game in which they play Griffin would put him at risk for injury and put the team on the hook for Griffin's contract in 2016. Despite his potential, Washington's coaches and front office seem ready to start fresh given the circumstances. This isn't the first time Griffin has had the support of the ownership and the ire of a coach, as the three-way struggle between Griffin, Dan Snyder and former head coach Mike Shanahan was an ongoing saga for months. That saga ended with Shanahan being fired and Griffin remaining with the team.

Illinois athletics has a mess on its hands

Welcome to the day after the day after in the frightening land of Illini football.

Hours after he was fired Friday morning, former coach Tim Beckman bolted town and drove to Avon Lake, Ohio, where he watched his son, Alex, play football. Along the way he found time to craft a statement making it clear he intends to sue to get some of the separation money athletics director Mike Thomas says he’s not entitled to.

“I will vigorously defend both my reputation and my legal rights,” Beckman said.

At some schools that might qualify as major drama. At Illinois, it’s another day at the office.

Coaching wish lists are already popping up and soon names like P.J. Fleck of Western Michigan, Dino Babers at Bowling Green and even Brock Spack at Illinois State will become more familiar.

No doubt some of those candidates will consider the mess at Illinois and wonder if what former Illini head coach Ron Zook said is true.

Recently, the current special teams coordinator for the Green Bay Packers was asked about his tough travails in college. Speaking specifically about his seven seasons at Illinois, here’s what Zook said:

“Illinois is a job ... it didn’t matter who’s there. Put (Alabama coach) Nick Saban there and it didn’t matter. Its’ just that there are hard jobs ... it’s a grind every day and it’s never gonna change.”
 

Law suits and coaching searches are definitely on the horizon, but sooner or later there is a greater sense of discord that needs to be addressed. And that’s the spiraling, darkening mood of a fan base tired of being embarrassed by on-field, off-field and administrative blunders that continue to make Illinois the butt of jokes throughout the Big Ten and beyond.

How does that mood manifest itself?

Just count the unoccupied seats at Memorial Stadium, where last season against Penn State there were more than 40,000 of them.

Just speak with suite lease holders at Memorial Stadium who anguish whether the money they are paying is really worth it. Or speak with basketball season ticket holders who keep wondering if there’s ever going to be a positive breakthrough to justify the rising cost of sitting at the renovated State Farm Center.

Just listen to the negative noise emanating from Chicago, where the University of Illinois is now routinely portrayed as the most dysfunctional operation this side of the legislators who fight like children every day in Springfield.

Sure, Downstaters can say they don’t care what comes out of Chicago. But they should, especially when nearly every Illini head coach talks about the importance of winning the recruiting battle there, of winning the perception battle there, of cultivating donors among their thousands of alums living there.

Like a football skirmish against Ohio State, Illinois is losing that battle and losing it badly.

The solutions are not easy because it’s so difficult to identify the people who can solve these problems.

Who’s in charge?

Moving forward, that’s really the No. 1 question with no permanent chancellor in place and knowing the search for a chancellor typically drags on for many months.

Ideally, a strong chancellor with a sense of athletics would decide very soon if Mike Thomas can continue as the athletics director. If a decision is reached to start over in athletics, that chancellor would find a new AD and that AD would lead the search for a new head football coach. That coach must be hired in late November or early December.

Clearly, this is unlikely to follow an ideal path. Barbara J. Wilson was promoted from dean of the school’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to be the interim chancellor. She’s Mike Thomas’ current boss.

It’s far less than ideal if she fires Thomas and finds his replacement, then she is replaced by a permanent chancellor who will be the new AD’s boss but was never involved in the hiring of that person.

Someone has to hire a football coach and as Thomas learned after firing Zook in 2012, they are not standing in line fighting for this job.

It’s a tough hire no matter who conducts the search. But it feels like a tricky journey just to get to that point, to get past the impending $10 million lawsuit against the women’s basketball program, past the lawsuit against the soccer operation, past the likely lawsuits to be brought by former football player Simon Cjivanovic and by Beckman, and past the muddied chain of command at the highest administrative levels of the university.

Bill Cubit is the popular interim coach and he might have the job longer than this season simply because it will take well beyond that to untangle the many knots above him.

Just another day at the office.

AC joint sprain for Randall Cobb

Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb feared a broken collarbone when he was first injured in Saturday’s game against the Eagles, but they were able to rule out an injury of that severity before the night was over.

Cobb went for further tests on Sunday and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he has been diagnosed with a “minor” AC joint sprain.

It’s a better outcome than a broken collarbone, certainly, but Cobb probably can’t be assured of playing against the Bears in Week One. Players have missed good chunks of time with similar injuries — Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson hasn’t played at all in the preseason after spraining his AC joint early in training camp — and it will take some time before the Packers will have a clear idea about his status.

If Cobb can’t play, the Packers would start their season without both of their top wideouts since Jordy Nelson is out with a torn ACL. Barring any additions from outside the organization, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery

John Daly back on course a day after a collapsed lung

John Daly was out of the hospital and playing golf again Sunday less than 24 hours after he was stricken on the course with what he says was a collapsed lung.

The two-time major champion was taken by ambulance to Baptist Medical Center on Saturday after he collapsed on the 18th tee during an outing at Deerfield Country Club. Daly said doctors ran tests and X-rays but found no other serious problems besides the lung.

''I was having a great time and then suddenly - boom - I'm falling down while on the 18th tee and the next thing I know I'm in an ambulance,'' Daly said. ''It was scary.''

But Daly was back at Deerfield on Sunday, smoking cigarettes on the clubhouse patio while mingling with some of the other players before his round. The tournament is a small, local gathering that includes some of Daly's friends.

Daly's agent, Bud Martin, said in an email earlier Saturday that the 49-year-old golfer has been coping with a lingering rib injury dating to 2007. The injury recently was causing pain and affected his breathing.

Daly's right hand was heavily taped on Sunday. He said he hurt it while putting a new tire on his son's golf cart earlier this week, which indirectly led to Saturday's problems.

''I had to change my swing some to get a good grip and the doctor said the changed motion is likely what led to the collapsed lung,'' Daly said.

Deerfield club pro Leigh Brannan says Daly was having trouble with the heat Saturday and had difficulty breathing before being taken to the hospital. Temperatures were near 90 degrees.

''It was just kind of a freak injury,'' Daly said.

Daly's hard-living ways have been well documented during a turbulent career on the PGA Tour. He recently threw his 6-iron into Lake Michigan during the PGA Championship after hitting three balls into the water.

Brian Harman fires pair of aces at Barclays

Brian Harman fired not one but two holes-in-one on Sunday in the final round of the Barclays, just the third time in US PGA Tour history a player has aced two holes in one round.

Harman, who started the day 11 shots off the overnight lead shared by Jason Day and Bae Sang-Moon, jump-started his morning round with a hole-in-one with a seven-iron from 183 yards at the par-three third hole at Plainfield Country Club.

He was left speechless when his four-iron from 218 yards off the tee at the par-three 14th took a small bounce on the green and rolled into the cup.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," said the 28-year-old American. "I'll remember this day for sure.

"I'm still in a little shock about it," he added. "It's pretty crazy to play a hundred-some-odd tournaments and never have one, but to have two in the same tournament is pretty awesome."

According to the PGA Tour, amateur Bill Whedon at the 1955 Insurance City Open and Japan's Yusaku Miyazato at the tournament in Reno in 2006 are the only other players to sign for two aces on an official US PGA Tour scorecard.

Harman finished with a two-under-par 68 for a two-under total of 278 -- still outside the top 30 when he walked off the course.

He is projected to be well inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup playoff standings when the tournament, thereby advancing to the second event of the playoff series that ends with the Tour Championship.

Harman quipped that he was shocked that neither of his aces came with a sponsor's prize such as a car, as is sometimes on offer at selected holes at US tour events.

However, his feat will be a windfall for two people thanks to a sweepstakes offered by tour sponsor Quicken Loans this season that offered a year's worth of mortgage payments to a randomly selected entrant in the contest for each ace notched in a tour event.

OC Clay Helton to be main playcaller for USC

USC coach Steve Sarkisian is ceding the majority of the playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Clay Helton.

Sarkisian revealed the assignment of duties after practice on Saturday. Helton became the team's offensive coordinator in 2013 and was the team's playcaller for the rest of that season after coach Lane Kiffin was fired. Kiffin and Sarkisian were previously co-offensive coordinators at USC.

“Clay is going to assume more of the play calling responsibilities,” Sarkisian said via TrojanSports.com. “I’m still going to have input especially in the third down and red zone scenarios. But I also want to focus on being a really good head coach and I want to be with our defense and celebrate with Adoree’ when he gets an interception.”

Helton also served as the team's interim coach during hte 2013 Las Vegas Bowl.

The news comes not long after Sarkisian's incident at a donor function. The USC coach was reportedly pulled off the stage last weekend in front of USC supporters after he appeared to be under the influence. He apologized for the incident the following day and later said he had mixed alcohol and medication.

The coach said the two events are not related, however. Sarkisian said the transition started in spring football. According to the Los Angeles Times, it's the first time since 2009 that USC's coach won't be the primary playcaller.

Sarkisian also said he wanted to spend more time with the defense. USC is facing lofty expectations this year. The Trojans are a top contender for not only the Pac-12 title but a possible berth in the College Football Playoff.

"I love calling plays — that's what I do … how I got into this profession and worked my way through it," he said via the Times, "But I want to be a great head coach. I don't want to set offensive records and finish 8-5 or 9-4. I want to win 13 games and 14 games.

"To do that, me being in defensive meetings, me being in every special-teams meeting, me really understanding the nuances of those things is critical to our success."

Swansea City 2-1 Manchester United: Swans comeback stuns Red Devils

Juan Mata bagged the opener just after halftime

Andre Ayew equalized on the hour mark

Bafetimbi Gomis gave Swansea the lead 6 minutes later

A pair of goals in six minutes gave Swansea City a stunning comeback as they down Manchester United by a 2-1 scoreline for the third straight time in Premier League play.

Juan Mata had given Manchester United the lead shortly after halftime when Bafetimbi Gomis and Andre Ayew grabbed the game by its horns and set the Liberty Stadium alight after an hour.

Off the opening whistle, with Swansea initially looking to play on the break, Manchester United held much of the possession in the opening 20 minutes. Mata came closest when he picked up a loose ball in the box and lashed it just wide of the near post.

Swansea nearly caught United’s high back line off guard but Bafetimbi Gomis ripped his effort well over the bar on the 24th minute break. Moments later Gylfi Sigurdsson should have put the Swans one-up but he put his low shot just wide. The Swans continued their bright spell as a clearance by Sergio Romero went right to Jonjo Shelvey, and the midfielder tried an audacious chip that Romero just got his hands to. Gomis then hit the outside of the post with a strong shot under pressure.

Rain began to pour down near the half-hour mark, and both sides looked bogged down as the first half wound down.

But just three minutes into the second half, Manchester United went ahead with their third goal of the season. Luke Shaw burst down the left side and delivered a cross into the box. Wayne Rooney, waiting at the near post, stuck a foot out but missed the ball, and with the defenders converging on Rooney, Juan Mata was left alone at the far post to punch the ball home from close range.

Manchester United settled in to preserve their lead, but Swansea had been dangerous on the counter, and Garry Monk brought on Ki Sung-Yeung to change the home side’s shape. It worked to perfection.

They equalized on the hour mark with a brilliant header by Andre Ayew for his first Premier League goal. A cross from the right came into the box with Ayew and Gomis out-gunning just one defender on the counter, and the Ghanan cannoned his header into the ground and over Sergio Romero’s head on the bounce.

With United back-pedaling, they stunned the Red Devils by taking the lead just six minutes later. Ayew got the ball down the right and sent a ball forward to Gomis one-on-two. The Red Devil defense somehow let it through, and Gomis poked a ball past Romero from a tight angle for the lead and his trademark panther celebration.

Manchester United brought on Marouane Fellaini and began to hoof it forward, but the attacking intent seemed more out of desperation than inspiration. There was one last big chance, but referee Martin Atkinson waved away a penalty shout from Wayne Rooney after the English international was clean through on goal but waited too long before going down under pressure from Ashley Williams.

The loss is Manchester United’s first of the season, but they remain without more than one goal in any game thus far and sit on seven points. Swansea, thanks to Gomis’s fourth goal in four games, move into the Premier League table’s top four.

US bobbles a relay, starts thinking about Rio

For the world's best sprinters, passing the baton in the 4x400 relay is about as easy as rolling out of bed in the morning.

Picking a winner in that race used to be easy, too.

Not anymore.

An awkward exchange between U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix and her teammate, Francena McCorory, played into a razor-thin loss to Jamaica at world championships Sunday. The American women fell by 0.31 seconds and settled for a second straight silver at the worlds after winning the Olympic and world championship titles five straight times.

''It's hard, this one,'' Felix said. ''But it's motivation for next year.''

Next year is the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and from the U.S. perspective, the planning can't start soon enough.

Yes, the United States won the most medals for the sixth straight time at the worlds, dating to 2005. But it did so with only 18. That's seven fewer than the last worlds, 11 fewer than the London Olympics and the lowest total at the worlds since 2003, when the Americans won 16 - after four were taken away for doping.

''When you're No. 1, it's always a steeper pinnacle,'' USA Track and Field president Stephanie Hightower said. ''And staying on top is always a lot harder than when you've got to work your way to the top.''

The U.S. team certainly had some high notes. Exhibit A on Sunday: A come-from-behind anchor leg by LaShawn Merritt in the men's 4x400 that closed out the nine-day meet. Though the women are on a losing streak, the men have finished first in the long relay at every worlds since 1993; a handful of those wins have since been vacated because of doping.

''It was important for us to end this right,'' Merritt said. ''Everyone on this team gave their best. But giving your best doesn't always mean you're going to end up with a gold medal.''

The second-place finish a few minutes earlier by Felix and Co. ensured the United States would not win the most gold medals at this meet. Thanks to the relay upset, and a gentleman named Usain Bolt, Jamaica tied Kenya for the lead with seven golds, one more than the Americans.

The Kenyans picked up their last gold from Asbel Kiprop in the 1,500 meters. Other winners Sunday included Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana in the 5,000 and Mare Dibaba in the marathon, Kathrina Molitor of Germany in the javelin and Derek Drouin of Canada in the high jump.

Felix walked away with a gold in the 400 and a pair of silvers - one in each relay - to push her career total to 12 medals at worlds.

There was no shame losing to Jamaica's speedsters in the 4x100.

Losing to Jamaica in the 4x400 is a different story.

And the fact that part of the problem was a baton exchange is a real head-scratcher. It's nowhere near as technical a handoff as in the short relay, where the timing has to be just right and there's virtually no room for error. It's such a non-issue in the long race that when McCorory was asked what happened on the exchange, her response was: ''Something happened with our exchange?''

Um, yes.

When McCorory reached back with her left hand to receive the baton from Felix for the anchor leg, she grabbed air. That forced McCorory to pause ever-so-slightly to grab the stick on the second swipe. The whole thing took less than a second, but the race was decided by 0.31.

''Obviously, you don't want that to happen,'' Felix said. ''You need every inch.''

Maybe things would have been different had Felix been running last, instead of third. Second-guessing has become a gold-medal event for the U.S. relay team.

On Saturday, the men got disqualified from the 4x100 for an exchange out of the passing zone, marking the eighth time since 1995 at the worlds or Olympics they had either been disqualified or failed to finish.

''We're not going to be perfect every time,'' Hightower said. ''But for the most part, we had some spectacular performances.''

Leading the way was Ashton Eaton, who on Sunday picked up the gold medal, along with a $100,000 world-record bonus check, for his performance in the decathlon.

And Merritt's gold in the relay goes with a silver in the 400 and gives him the American men's record with 11 world championship medals.

Still, the U.S. finished with six fewer medals and one fewer gold than at the last big meet in Beijing - the 2008 Olympics.

That performance triggered a top-to-bottom review of the operation called ''Project 30'' - a nod to the goal of winning 30 medals at the London Olympics. There don't appear to be any such plans in the works after this performance, though clearly this is a time for looking forward, not back.

''There's a lot of intensity and a lot of pressure and a lot of high expectations for our athletes,'' Hightower said. ''I'm confident they'll rise to the occasion when it's necessary.''

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - AUGUST 30TH

1884 - Jack Dempsey wins Middleweight title in first fight with boxing gloves.

1905 - Tiger Ty Cobb makes his debut, doubling off Yank Jack Chesbro.
1912 - St Louis Brown Earl Hamilton no-hits Detroit Tigers, 5-1.

1918 - Ted Williams, American baseball player, last player in MLB to bat

over .400 in a single season (Red Sox, AL MVP '46, '49; Trip Crown '42, '47).
1921 - Angelo Dundee [Angelo Mirena], boxing trainer and cornerman

(Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman), born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2012).

1922 - Babe Ruth is thrown out of a game for 5th time in 1922.

1937 - Joe Louis beats Tommy Farr in 15 for Heavyweight boxing title.

1941 - St Louis Card Lon Warneke no-hits Cin Reds, 2-0.

1944 - Tug McGraw, American baseball player (d. 2004) is born.

1952 - Arky Vaughn, infielder (Pirates & Dodgers), drowns.
1953 - Robert Parish, NBA center (Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets) is born.

1965 - Casey Stengel announces his retirement after 55 years in baseball.

1982 - Andy Roddick, Austin TX, tennis player (2003 US Open champion) is born.

1987 - Knuckleballer Charlie Hough on the mound, Rangers catcher

Geno Petralli ties the major league record by allowing 6 passed balls.

1988 - Kent Tekulve is 2nd pitcher in majors to appear in 1,000 games.
1990 - Ken Griffey & Ken Griffey Jr become 1st father & son to

play on same team (Seattle Mariners), both single in 1st inning.

2006 - Greg Maddux wins his 330th career game.
2012 - Andy Roddick announces he will retire following the U.S. Open.