Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Steelers make Antonio Brown highest-paid WR with four-year, $68 million extension

On the same day that the Pittsburgh Steelers ensured one of their offensive stars would be kept under wraps, the team also made a deal to give another one top dollar. The Steelers reached a four-year, $68 million extension with Antonio Brown that makes the wide receiver the highest-paid at his position, a person familiar with the deal's terms told USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the financial aspects of the contract had not been announced. Brown had one year remaining on his existing contract. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green previously held the high for the position with $15 million average per year. Brown confirmed the deal on Twitter
Posted by at No comments:

Kevin Durant injures left knee vs. Wizards, will undergo MRI

Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant said earlier this week that he never had much desire to play for his hometown Washington Wizards. The knee injury he sustained in the first minute of Tuesday’s game at the Verizon Center will probably not make him feel any better about playing in D.C.
Durant was forced to the locker room less than 60 seconds into Tuesday’s Warriors-Wizards matchup after teammate Zaza Pachulia fell into his left leg. Durant immediately grabbed his knee and the Warriors called a timeout shortly thereafter to get him to the locker room.
The Warriors announced at the end of the first quarter that Durant had suffered a hyperextended left knee, which would require an MRI and keep him out for the rest of the game:
Durant has now suffered notable injuries during sole trip to his hometown in consecutive seasons. He hurt his hamstring late in the first half against the Wizards on November 10, 2015, and went on to miss nearly two weeks for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Warriors have already clinched a playoff berth and came into the night with a 4 1/2-game lead on the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA. There is plenty of star talent on the roster, but a serious injury to Durant would strike a major blow to their championship aspirations.
We will update this story as more information becomes available.
Posted by at No comments:

Franchise leading rusher Jamaal Charles to be released by Chiefs

On the same day they signed one franchise standout to a multi-year deal, the Kansas City Chiefs are parting ways with another franchise standout: Jamaal Charles.
The Chiefs are releasing the two-time All-Pro running back who has played just eight games over the past two seasons. Charles played just three games last season before ultimately being placed on injured reserve due to knee troubles.
The move saves Kansas City nearly $6.2 million against the salary cap. Charles was set to make $3.75 million in base salary this year, plus roster and workout bonuses totaling $2.44 million.
 
In a statement, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt thanked Charles for his “contributions and dedication,” and general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid also shared thoughts on the running back.
“I have a great deal of admiration for Jamaal Charles, his toughness, and what he’s been able to achieve in his time in Kansas City,” Dorsey said. “These decisions are never easy, but we felt it was in the best interests of the club to move on at this time. We wish Jamaal and his family the best of luck in their next step.”
“I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of talented players over the years, and Jamaal Charles ranks up there with the great ones,” Reid said. “I appreciate the way he came to work every day, he gave us everything he had day-in and day-out. I’ve said it before, I think he’s a future Hall of Famer.”
A third-round pick out of Texas in 2008, the 30-year-old Charles played in 103 games with 69 starts for the Chiefs, with a franchise-record 7,260 rushing yards. In 46 starts over the 2012-14 seasons, he totaled 5,049 yards from scrimmage with 39 touchdowns.
Charles most recently added book author to his list of accomplishments; he worked with longtime NFL writer Sean Jensen on “The Middle School Rules of Jamaal Charles,” the newest edition of a series aimed at kids. Charles speaks of succeeding despite being overlooked and bullied by many, and how his experience competing in Special Olympics as a 10-year-old empowered him.
Posted by at No comments:

Washington places exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins

Washington placed the exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins, with the news coming from his agent, Mike McCartney on Tuesday. As a practical matter, it means Cousins isn’t going anywhere as under league rule, the exclusive tag means other teams can’t negotiate a contract with Cousins.
Cousins seemed to have a good sense of humor about the move:
Since Cousins played on the tag last year, he will make 120 percent of his 2016 salary, or $23.94 million, for 2017. So if he plays this coming season on the tag, he’ll make nearly $44 million fully guaranteed over two years.
Our Charles Robinson outlined the issues Washington is having signing a long-term deal with Cousins, a fourth-round pick in 2012, and they’re mostly typical of the internal dysfunction the franchise has become known for.
But with his former offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, now in San Francisco as head coach, it is possible that Washington and the 49ers work out a sign-and-trade agreement, particularly if Shanahan and Niners brass are willing to pony up the draft capital it would take to get their man. San Francisco also has a lot of money to spend under the salary cap.
Posted by at No comments:

Adidas offering insane reward to record-breaking NFL combine runner: an actual island!

There’s a lot at stake this week at the NFL scouting combine. Including an island valued at just under a million dollars.
That’s right — the player who runs fast enough (and is wearing Adidas footwear) in the 40-yard dash could win an actual island, one that shows up on a map and everything. Of course, that player must break Chris Johnson’s vaunted 4.24-second 40 from a decade ago that no one has touched since.
It’s weird, right? But also awesome. A freaking island. Who wouldn’t want that? Sure, we’re not up on today’s capital gains taxes and island-maintenance costs, but that just would be something else.
Candidates to win an island: Florida State WR Kermit Whitfield, USC DB Adoree Jackson, Washington WR John Ross, West Virginia WR Shelton Gibson, UCLA CB Fabian Moreau and Minnesota CB Jalen Myrick are some of the fastest guys in Indy. Still, we doubt anyone will come close.
But if someone does think he has a chance to take down CJ2K, that player — or his lawyer — should read through Adidas’ agreement on this island contest. It’s a bunch of legalese. And yeah, Adidas picks the island for them, which limits the cool factor just a bit. But the biggest thing is that someone not only has to register an official time better than Johnson (so that would be 4.23 or better) but also do so while wearing 2017 adizero 5-Star 40 cleats. Right, and they also must endorse Adidas for the next year after they win. From the island, yes, but from everywhere else, too.
They’re good at the promotions at Adidas, eh?
This still kills us. You can say, “Here’s a million dollars for running fast,” and it would get some pub. Rightfully so. That’s a million one dollar bills, which is a lot. But if you say, “Here’s an island,” it’s a whole different deal. Isthmus more impressive! (OK, we just made a really bad pun.)
If you get Lazy Caye chosen for you, that might be a bad omen for your career. Same with Bachelor Island; the jokes write themselves. Cayo Iguana, though cool in name, is in Nicaragua. That’s a far-away place. We personally would be rooting for Greer Island in Maine. Yes, it’s not tropical and getting there could be a chore in summer. You ever try to get up I-95 on a weekend?
Still, we looked into Greer and loved what we saw. This real estate listing boasts that it’s plentiful with “balsam, spruce, meadows, strawberries, wild roses” on its five acres, which could be, very fast runner, your own personal playground. Maine is a bit crazy in a charming sort of way — we grew up near there — but also very relaxing and nice. Root for that one.
Oh, and be prepared to run the 40 of your life. And shill Adidas swag. Do that and you’ve got yourself a plot of land floating in the ocean.
Posted by at No comments:

Darrelle Revis' second act with Jets falls flat, team cuts him after two seasons

Darrelle Revis was signed by the New York Jets in 2015 to be the team’s headliner once again, but like most sequels, it wasn’t as good as the original.
Revis, facing serious legal trouble in Pittsburgh after being accused of assaulting two men, was cut by the Jets on Tuesday night. The team announced the move. Less than two years ago, Revis was signed by the Jets for $70 million over five seasons, a reunion for the team’s 2007 first-round pick.
Revis’ legal problems were only part of the problem. Once the undisputed best cornerback in football, Revis play slipped a bit in 2015 and a lot more in 2016. He was 31 last season and seemed to struggle with confidence, saying at one point “I’m old” when asked about his struggles. With a $2 million roster bonus due on March 11 and a $13 million base salary coming in 2017, Revis wasn’t worth the price anymore.
Revis posted a message on Twitter thanking the Jets.
Revis will find other teams interested in his services, but probably at a much lower cost and perhaps even at safety. But first his legal situation will have to sort itself out. Revis was charged with four felonies after an incident in Pittsburgh earlier this month: two counts of felony aggravated assault, one count of felony robbery, one count of felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and one count of misdemeanor making terroristic threats. Revis’ lawyers have maintained his innocence.
That incident in Pittsburgh gave the Jets an easy out to cut Revis, though that was a possibility long before he was investigated and charged. Revis was a three-time All-Pro in his first six seasons with the team, before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He landed with the New England Patriots in 2014 and helped them to a Super Bowl. He went to the Jets after his lone Patriots season and the franchise had visions of his former glory, but he wasn’t an elite cornerback anymore.
The Jets had positive things to say about Revis as they cut him loose.
“Darrelle Revis is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Jets uniform,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “His combination of talent, preparation and instincts is rare and helped him become one of the most dominant players of his generation. I appreciate Darrelle’s contributions to this organization and, wherever his career takes him, his home will always be here with the Jets.”
Revis will be 32 years old next season, and now has some off-field concerns. The excitement the Jets had over bringing Revis back two years ago is long gone.
Posted by at No comments:

Andrew Bogut plans to sign with Cavs after he clears waivers

Andrew Bogut is in his 12th NBA season. (AP)Andrew Bogut has committed to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers once he clears waivers Wednesday, league sources told The Vertical.
Bogut strongly considered the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics, but decided on the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, league sources said. Bogut and his agent, David Bauman, informed rival teams of the decision Tuesday, league sources said.
Bogut is expected to sign with the defending NBA champions this weekend and make his debut on Monday against Miami, league sources said. Bogut will fortify Cleveland’s frontcourt alongside Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye, Derrick Williams and Kevin Love, once he returns from knee surgery. Cleveland also signed three-time All-Star Deron Williams on Monday after a contract buyout.
The Dallas Mavericks traded Bogut to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the Nerlens Noel trade on Thursday. Bogut had worked with the 76ers’ front office on a plan for release and reached a buyout agreement on Monday.
In 26 games for Dallas, Bogut averaged three points and 8.3 rebounds. The Mavericks acquired Bogut in July when the Golden State Warriors needed to clear salary to sign Kevin Durant. Bogut has dealt with injuries this season, but reported early to the Mavericks after the All-Star break to show he was healthy. He remains a well-regarded defender and rim protector.
Bogut spent five years with the Warriors before joining the Mavericks. He served as Golden State’s starting center and defensive anchor during the 2015 championship season.
Bogut has averaged 10 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 12 seasons.
Posted by at No comments:

Brandon Jennings plans to join Wizards after clearing waivers

Brandon Jennings is in his eighth NBA season. (AP)Once guard Brandon Jennings clears league waivers on Wednesday afternoon, he plans to sign a free-agent deal with the Washington Wizards, league sources told The Vertical.
Jennings is traveling to Washington on Wednesday to meet with the team prior to its Friday game against the Toronto Raptors, league sources said. Washington is 34-23 and holding onto the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
The New York Knicks waived Jennings on Monday, choosing to sign a younger guard, Chasson Randle. Jennings had been pursuing the chance to play for a contender and has already discussed his potential role with Wizards star John Wall and general manager Ernie Grunfeld, league sources said.
The Wizards must waive a player to clear a roster spot for Jennings, which league sources said won’t happen until after the Wizards face the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday night.
Jennings, 27, averaged 8.6 points and 4.9 assists for the Knicks in 58 games. For his career, Jennings has averaged 14.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. He’s had stops in Milwaukee, Detroit, Orlando and New York.
Posted by at No comments:

TODAY IN HISTORY - FEBRUARY 28TH

1784 – John Wesley charters the Methodist Church.
1827 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
1844 – A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing eight people, including two United States Cabinet members.
1847 – The Battle of the Sacramento River during the Mexican–American War is a decisive victory for the United States leading to the capture of Chihuahua.
1849 – Regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, four months 22 days after leaving New York Harbor.
1867 – Seventy years of Holy See–United States relations are ended by a Congressional ban on federal funding of diplomatic envoys to the Vatican and are not restored until January 10, 1984.
1885 – The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York as the subsidiary of American Bell Telephone. (American Bell would later merge with its subsidiary.)
1893 – The USS Indiana, the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time, is launched.
1939 – The erroneous word "dord" is discovered in the Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
1940 – Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden).
1953 – James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April's Nature (pub. April 2).
1954 – The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.
1958 – A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork river. The driver and 26 children die in what remains one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history.
1967 – Henry Luce, Chinese-American publisher, co-founded Time Magazine (b. 1898) dies.
1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 106 million viewers. It still holds the record for the highest viewership of a season finale.
1988 – Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball player is born.
1991 – The first Gulf War ends.
1993 – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group's leader David Koresh. Four ATF agents and five Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.
2013 – Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since 1415.
2016 – George Kennedy, American actor (b. 1925)
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, February 27, 2017

Jose Calderon, Andrew Bogut, Brandon Jennings all officially waived; contenders line up for their services

It was only a question of when, not if, but it has happened.
Jose Calderon, Andrew Bogut, and Brandon Jennings have been waived and are about to hit the free agent market, according to reports.

 

They have to clear waivers (Wednesday) before they can sign with a new team. However, all three seem to be headed to teams with dreams of going deep into the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors want a little depth at the point for the postseason, and they are going with the steady but aged veteran Calderon. He will have limited run behind Stephen Curry and Shaun Livingston, but he will have a role in the playoffs and as a steadying force.
The Washington Wizards are going another, more talented but more combustible direction, and appear the frontrunners to sign Brandon Jennings (Chris Haynes of ESPN had that link. . The Wizards have not loved the play of Trey Burke this season and have leaned on Tomas Satoransky to run some point, expect Jennings to get some healthy run if and when he arrives in Washington.
Bogut is expected to sign with the Cavaliers, although the Spurs could have a shot at him and other teams are asking to get in the mix (not his former team the Warriors, however).
Posted by at No comments:

TODAY IN HISTORY - FEBRUARY 27TH

1801 – Pursuant to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C. is placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
1807 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (d. 1882) is born.
1860 – Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that is largely responsible for his election to the Presidency.
1864 – American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia.
1870 – The current flag of Japan is first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships.
1922 – A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.
1932 – Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress and producer (d. 2011) is born.
1934 – Ralph Nader, American lawyer, politician, and activist is born.
1939 – United States labor law: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that sit-down strikes violate property owners' rights and are therefore illegal.
1943 – The Smith Mine #3 in Bearcreek, Montana, explodes, killing 74 men.
1951 – The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
1964 – The Government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
1971 – Sara Blakely, American businesswoman, founded Spanx is born.
1980 – Chelsea Clinton, American journalist and academic is born.
2003 – Fred Rogers, American minister and television host (b. 1928) dies.
2007 – The Chinese Correction: The Shanghai Stock Exchange falls 9%, the largest drop in ten years.
2010 – An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale strikes central parts of Chile leaving over 500 victims, and thousands injured. The quake triggered a tsunami which struck Hawaii shortly after.
2011 – Duke Snider, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1926) dies.
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Baylor women's coach says parents concerned about sexual assault scandal should be 'knocked right in the face'

Kim Mulkey, the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Baylor University, had strong words for parents who were concerned about female students’ safety on campus.
After the women’s team clinched the Big 12 regular season title on Saturday, Mulkey used her postgame speech to defend her school, which has been under fire for a sexual assault scandal under former football coach Art Briles.
“If somebody is around you and they ever say, ‘I will never send my daughter to Baylor,’ you should knock them right in the face,” Mulkey said as the crowd cheered. “Because these kids are on this campus. I work here. My daughter went to school here and it’s the damn best school in America.”
Her players then told her to drop the mic, which she did.
After the speech, Mulkey defended her comments to the local media.
“I’m just tired of hearing it,” she said. “I’m tired of people talking on it on a national scale that don’t know what they’re talking about. If they didn’t sit in those meetings and they weren’t a part of the investigation, you’re repeating things that you’ve heard. It’s over. It’s done, and this is a great institution, and I would send my daughter here, and I’d pay for anybody else’s daughter to come here.
“I work here every day. I’m in the know, and I’m tired of hearing it. This is a great institution. The problems we have at Baylor are no different than the problems at any other school in America, period. Move on. Find another story to write.”
On Sunday, Mulkey told espnW that she felt “horrible” about the post game remarks.
“I hate that I used the remark about punching them in the face,” Mulkey said. “That was not literal. I was trying to make a point, to be firm in what you are saying back at them. I’m not a violent person. I apologize for the poor choice of words.”
She continued: “My point was, ‘Please don’t paint, with a broad brush, the women at Baylor. I didn’t think about what I was going to say I looked at my players, and the little girls and the women who are cheering for them. And I spoke with a lot of emotion. Not only do I sympathize with victims, I am angry about the way the victims were treat at this university. It is horrible, horrible anytime someone does not take care of a victim. Even one sexual assault is too many. Nobody is dismissing what happened here. I want us to get to the bottom of it.”
In late January, another woman came forward claiming she had been raped by former Baylor football players. That lawsuit alleges 52 rapes by 31 Baylor football players between 2011 and 2014.
Saturday’s game also marked Mulkey’s 500th career win.
Posted by at No comments:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a scare in the Daytona 500

Dale Earnhardt had just got caught up in a Daytona 500 wreck, Lap 105, causing him to drive up on Kyle Busch’s car, wind up on two tires and eventually bang twice into the wall.
His day was effectively done. His thoughts – like everyone else here – quickly shifted to whether it could be more than that. Earnhardt was making a triumphant return to the Cup Series after missing 18 races last year due to a concussion.
“I feel good,” Earnhardt reassured after leaving the infield care center here. “I don’t have any of the [concussion] symptoms or anything that I experienced in the past. It wasn’t that hard of a hit but still doesn’t mean you can’t get injured.”
Indeed, Earnhardt thinks he would have been injured if not for the efforts NASCAR has made to find safer ways of racing.
Before coming to Daytona, Earnhardt and his team even met with NASCAR in an effort to see if they had any suggestions on how to protect the 42-year-old’s now fragile career, which feels one major concussion from possibly ending.
“I told [crew chief] Greg [Ives], ‘I want to make sure we are doing everything we can do,’ ” Earnhardt said. “Because I don’t want to get hurt. I want to race. I want to be at the track. So let’s sit down with NASCAR and talk about what we have and what [we can do]. It never hurts to try to cover all the bases.”
NASCAR’s suggestion was simple – tighten up the protective gear that can stabilize Earnhardt’s neck and head in an injury. The theory is simple, the less external movement, then the less internal movement – i.e the brain. NASCAR had charts and videos and studies to back it up. Nothing is fully safe, but maybe it helps.
In this case, Earnhardt is sure it did.
“I know we say that so much it sounds cliché, but if they hadn’t put that money into it to do the studies that they’ve done I probably would have been injured right there,” Earnhardt said. “I just need to thank NASCAR.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. got caught in a wreck on Lap 105 of the Daytona 500. (AP)
Earnhardt said drivers naturally want as much freedom of movement as possible. Limiting the ability to move around can be uncomfortable. In this case, though, there is no choice.
It’s allowing “me to help myself inside the car,” he said. “We changed some things in the interior that are going to help me going forward.”
Earnhardt was already talking about next week in Atlanta. While there is no indication he won’t be there, time will tell. When he was originally concussed last summer at a race in Michigan, it took three weeks before the symptoms overcame him.
No one wants to deal with this, but that’s the dread everyone feels with Earnhardt. The sport is better and more popular and more fun with him. Sunday was no different. He drew the largest applause at driver introductions and led for a stretch while running up front most of the day.
The idea that Earnhardt might miss another long stretch of a season, or worse, get forced into early retirement, is a nightmare for not just Junior’s fans, but NASCAR as a sport, as it tries to rebound from sluggish television ratings and ticket sales.
Here in his return, Earnhardt thought he could win. It would have been another storybook finish for him at this track – he has won the 500 twice.
Instead he was wiped out early and caused everyone to get worried. That’s the reality of racing though, he said. While his immediate thoughts after a wreck go to concussions, it’s not like injuries of all kinds don’t just up and happen.
“I knew I was at risk like I was before the last injury,” Earnhardt said. “I’m at risk. It’s dangerous. You can’t race with fear. You can’t go out there and worry about getting hurt. You have to say, ‘Yah man, if I am going to get in there I got to be willing to accept whatever happens, good or bad, results-wise.’
“I am willing to put myself out there. I want to compete.”
Sunday he competed, something that he longed to do all last summer. It didn’t end how he wanted it. He can be only hopeful that the crash did no long-term damage. At least he got to run. At least he got reassurance that his new neck and head setup helped.
“I’m just glad I’m OK,” he said.
Posted by at No comments:

Ian Happ soaking in big league camp with Chicago Cubs

Ian Happ soaking in big league camp with Chicago Cubs
This Feb. 21, 2017 file photo shows Chicago Cubs' Ian Happ taken during the team's photo day in Mesa, Ariz.
Everyone is a potential teacher for Ian Happ, from Ben Zobrist to Javier Baez to manager Joe Maddon and the coaching staff.
There is no room for Happ on the Chicago Cubs at the moment, not with All-Stars all over the infield and established major leaguers in the outfield. But the 22-year-old second baseman, one of Chicago's top prospects, is trying to make the most of his time in big league camp with the World Series champions.
''I've been picking all these guys' brains. It's nice to be around a club with so many guys that have so much experience in the game,'' Happ said. ''So I'm just going to keep soaking it up.''
Happ and slugging outfielder Eloy Jimenez are considered the biggest jewels of Chicago's successful minor league system, which developed several key contributors for last year's title-winning team. Happ, a switch-hitter who was selected by the Cubs with the ninth pick in the 2015 draft, batted .279 with 15 homers and 73 RBIs over two stops last year, finishing the season with Double-A Tennessee.
''Everybody talks about everybody's here, the cupboard's bare, not true,'' Maddon said. ''There's some really nice young players coming up and he's right at the top of the list there, too. I like his swing both sides. I watched him take his groundballs at second base; he's fine there. I like talking to him. I think he's very self-confident, not in an arrogant way, but in a really 'I belong here, I can do this' kind of a way, and I think that's going to get him here sooner.''
How soon is a tricky question. With Zobrist, Baez and shortstop Addison Russell, the Cubs could be set for middle infielders for a while. Happ has been taking balls in the outfield, but there doesn't appear to be a lot of room there, either.
For his part, Happ doesn't sound like someone who is worried about his major league future.
''It's great. We have All-Stars at every position,'' he said. ''It's an unbelievable time to be a part of this organization, to be able to be around so many guys that have had success in the game.''
Happ, a Pittsburgh native, rose to prominence at the University of Cincinnati, hitting .369 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in 56 games during his final season with Bearcats. He was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2015, becoming the first UC player to bring home such an honor since Josh Harrison was the Big East Player of the Year in 2008.
Happ got to know Harrison when the Pittsburgh Pirates infielder returned to campus while he was playing at the school. Kevin Youkilis, a special assistant with the Cubs who played 10 years in the majors, also went to Cincinnati.
''Every time I see him he's got a C-paw on,'' Happ said, ''so yeah, we talk Bearcat baseball, Bearcat basketball a lot.''
Happ's older brother Chris played baseball at Duquesne, and the two moved to Austin, Texas, last January. Happ was in search of warm weather for the offseason, but he also has enjoyed Austin's eclectic scene.
''It's an awesome city,'' he said.
The Cubs played split-squad games on Saturday and hosted Cleveland on Sunday, leading to a busy weekend for Happ. He got the start at designated hitter and went 1 for 3 with a double and a strikeout in Chicago's 4-3 victory against Oakland on its first day of spring action. He came in to play second in the sixth against the Indians and went 0 for 2 with another strikeout in a 1-1 tie.
So some good, some stuff to work on.
''I think that defensively, just keep learning from these guys, keep improving,'' Happ said. ''We're getting a lot of reps and I think that as I continue to get reps I'll continue to get better and get to where I need to be. But offensively, just keep being more consistent. I think that that's the biggest thing.''
Posted by at No comments:

Kurt Busch wins wreck-filled Daytona 500 with last-lap pass

Kurt Busch won the Daytona 500 with a last-lap pass of Kyle Larson, giving new NASCAR Cup Series title sponsor Monster Energy a serendipitous start to its relationship with the sport.
Busch passed Larson in Turns 1 and 2 on the final lap. Not long after Busch passed Larson, Larson’s car ran out of fuel and faded to the back.
““There is nothing predictable about this race anymore and the more years that have gone by that I didn’t win I kept trying to go back to patterns that I had seen in the past,” the 38-year-old Busch said in victory lane. “My mirror fell off with 30 laps to go and I couldn’t even see out the back. And I thought that was an omen. Throw caution to the wind. The more unpredictability that keeps unfolding at the Daytona 500, I predicted it.”
Ryan Blaney, who gave Busch the winning push past Larson, finished second, while AJ Allmendinger was third.
The 500 was contested on a glorious February Sunday. The only clouds were courtesy of the trails left by the Air Force Thunderbirds’ pre-race flyover. A sellout crowd of 100,000 was announced and athletes and celebrities like New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and actor Owen Wilson basked in the sunshine before the race.
The perfect weather and atmosphere soon gave way to racing that was anything but. Most of the field was involved in crashes over the last 100 laps of the race, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was making his return to racing after sitting out half of the 2016 due to concussion symptoms.
Unofficially, just five of the 40 cars that started the race were able to avoid an accident altogether and just 12 cars were in the main pack with 10 laps to go.
Busch was not one of those five drivers without damage, as his right front was significantly wounded.
Perhaps the accidents led to the sense of calm that permeated the final 20 laps of the race. Much like the 2016 Daytona 500, the race wound down with the contenders for the win largely single file as drivers opted to bide their time to make a potential race-winning move. Larson moved first, kicking Chase Elliott – who led most of the race’s final stretch – out of the lead to start an eventful final three laps.
Monster, who has sponsored Busch since 2015, agreed to replace Sprint as NASCAR’s top series sponsor in December. While Busch crashed out of the season-opening exhibition Clash a week earlier, he survived a crash Sunday that took out his three Stewart-Haas Racing teammates.
The win is the first Daytona 500 victory for three-time Cup Series champion now full-time car owner Tony Stewart, who retired after the 2016 season. Stewart, a half-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, won every stock car race in his illustrious driving career at the track except for the Daytona 500. And this Daytona 500 was the first race for Stewart-Haas Racing in a Ford. The longtime Chevrolet team switched manufacturers for the 2017 season.
It was also the first race for Junior since participating at Kentucky in July. Junior missed the final 18 races of the 2016 season after summer concussion issues and ran well until he was caught up in a crash when Kyle Busch lost air in a tire and spun, collecting Junior, Matt Kenseth and others.
Junior’s return coincided with the introduction of the NASCAR’s new in-race stage format in the Cup Series. The race featured planned cautions on Lap 60 – the end of stage one – and Lap 120.
The scheduled breaks meant teams tried non-traditional strategies with pit stops knowing they would be guaranteed the option to pit at the two known breaks. The varying pit strategies led to moments where the leader of the race would be running in the middle of the pack (around lapped cars) rather than at the front.
Kyle Busch won the first segment, but like drivers who won the first stages in the Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series races earlier in the weekend, he crashed out. Kevin Harvick won the second segment and he, too, saw his chances disappear with a crash.
Not long after the final segment began on Lap 126, Harvick was collected with a host of others in a crash that started when Trevor Bayne made contact with Jimmie Johnson entering Turn 3. As Johnson’s car got spun around, Harvick, Danica Patrick, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch were collected.
Seventy-four laps later, Kurt Busch was in the front, racing to the finish line ahead of everyone to win the biggest race in the sport.
Posted by at No comments:

Kicked out of the Daytona 500 two years ago, Kurt Busch is now a champ

Two years ago, on the eve of the Daytona 500, Kurt Busch spent the day being hustled in and out of NASCAR headquarters, which sit across the street from Daytona International Speedway. He was surrounded by lawyers, assistants and frustration.
Busch was fighting (unsuccessfully) an indefinite suspension over an alleged incident of domestic violence that he was disputing. Twice he walked into NASCAR headquarters to appeal. Twice he left in defeat.
The domestic violence incident never had and never would lead to an arrest, criminal charges, conviction or legal settlement. Authorities didn’t think it was much of a case. A family court in Delaware had issued a restraining order, though, and NASCAR, uncertain how to deal with domestic violence after the NFL botched the case of Ray Rice, overreacted and suspended him indefinitely.
So Busch was out. And forget just the big race the next day; his entire career was in jeopardy.
Sunday, Kurt Busch stood on the window of his 41-car, which was parked in celebration on the infield DIS grass. He was surrounded by a sense of peace, redemption and a delirious crew. A few weeks after being suspended, he won the battle to get NASCAR to reverse the suspension. Now, two years and five days later, he won the Daytona 500.
Kurt Busch celebrates winning the Daytona 500 with a burnout in the infield grass. (Getty Images)
Once banned, Kurt Busch was a champion. Once suspended, Kurt Busch was center stage. Once a pariah NASCAR wished would go away, Kurt Busch was right in its face.
“I think it was an overreaction on their part a couple years ago but I had a great team and sponsor that believed in the truth,” Busch told Yahoo Sports. “And they believed in me as well.”
He offered a shrug. He was too happy to dwell in the past. He was too satisfied to care about winning old battles.
“There are setbacks in life,” Busch said. “But here we are in victory lane.”
Busch won it in typically dramatic fashion. He does nothing simply or quietly. “The Outlaw”, they call him. He survived, barely, a wreck-filled afternoon, managing to keep his beaten up car moving just fast enough, just long enough.
Somewhere along the way he banged up his knee. He lost his rearview mirror with 30 laps to go and considered it an omen. He was so concerned about running out of gas, he shut off some switches on his dashboard to save energy in hopes he could reach the finish, even if it resulted in a lack of information.
“You go off intuition, you go off momentum, you go off the sound of other cars,” Busch said. “Just go off of feel.”
He led just one lap, the last.
“The car is completely thrashed,” Busch said. “There isn’t a straight panel on it. The more that I’ve run this race, the more I throw caution to the wind, elbows out.”
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)