The prepared statement from Glen Nager, USGA president, reads as follows:

“Rule 14-1b protects one of the important challenges in the game — the free swing of the entire club. The traditional stroke involves swinging the club with both the club and gripping hands held away from the body, requiring the player to direct and control the movement of the entire club.

“Anchoring is different: Intentionally securing one end of the club against the body, and creating a point of physical attachment around which the club is swung, is a substantial departure from that traditional free swing.”

Adam Scott’s style of putting, which he used to win the 2013 Masters, will be banned beginning in 2016.

Three of the four major winners in 2012 – Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Ernie Els – as well as 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott use the so-called “belly putters” in competition, helping fuel the debate as to whether or not anchoring a club against the golfer’s body should be legal.

Scott, Els, Simpson and Bradley may feel singled out and slighted by the rule, given the fact that one of the facets of their games that has made each of them successful recently has been putting. Each of the golfers invariably struggled at some point with a traditional putting method, and having to revert back to free-swinging method could have a drastic impact on their scores. The good news for them is that they have a few years to adjust.

If the USGA and R&A are going to make a ruling, it should be across the board. From the bottom on up, anchoring a club should be illegal, if that is the path that the governing bodies want to take.

Should anchoring the putter against the body be illegal though? I say no.

The USGA Rules of the Game go on for thousands and thousands of words about all of the technicalities of what is and isn’t legal within the game of golf. There are five separate rules about the size and dimensions of what is legal for the club head.

It makes sense why Happy Gilmore’s putter would be illegal. Not everyone agrees about the legality of belly putters.

The club face comes in contact with the ball on any given shot for a fraction of a second. As long as players aren’t going all Happy Gilmore on their putter and staying within the regulations that way, I think it’s an even playing field whether or not you anchor the end against your stomach or swing using the traditional method. There are still many other factors, such as putting speed and reading breaks, that are as impactful as the length of the club.

My opinion differs from that of one Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, who has stood firm in his opinion that “all 14 clubs should be swung.” Tiger is not the voice of the entire PGA, but his opinion certainly carries a little more weight. He’s also played a whole heck of a lot more golf than I have.

If the “belly putter” method gives players more of an advantage, how come more players don’t use it? The number has been slowly climbing over the past few years, but if it was so advantageous wouldn’t it be more pervasive than it currently is.

There’s no denying the importance of putting in the game of golf, but does everyone need to do it the exact same way? If one method helps more players shoot lower scores, doesn’t that inherently make the game more competitive?

The post USGA bans anchored putting starting in 2016, but should it? appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

After playing their first two seasons at Tim McCarver Stadium, the team moved downtown to majestic AutoZone Park, where it began its 16th campaign in the Pacific Coast League last month. Original construction of the yard cost more than $80 million, by far the highest in minor league history.

Unlike nearly every professional sports franchise, the Redbirds are owned by a non-profit foundation, which sparks a sense of community involvement. This situation is similar to the Green Bay Packers, though the future of such an arrangement with the city of Memphis seems a tad uncertain.

I attended a night game at AutoZone Park four seasons ago with my wife, but on a sparkling recent Tuesday afternoon, I enjoyed learning and photographing more on this visit. For one example, the trendy, luxury apartments ubiquitous in most major cities now stand beyond the outfield walls with views into the stadium. They were non-existent in 2009.

The setting adds to the overall appeal, situated amongst hotels and restaurants in Tennessee’s largest city. With three decks, 48 luxury suites and a capacity nearing 15,000, the park is still neatly tucked into downtown. In addition, the Redbirds’ and Memphis Grizzlies’ business offices reside in the Toyota Center, which towers behind the yard.

AutoZone Park is very fan-friendly, with a large courtyard upon entry that hosts concerts and other events throughout the year. The neo-traditional design, adorned in red brick, is based partially on my favorite ballpark, Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Every seat has chair backs and drink holders, and more importantly, there are myriad shaded sections for warm days like May 14 was. Numerous spots offer views of the historic buildings and the pristine 127-foot scoreboard in right field above the picnic pavilion. Like many newer facilities, an open concourse allows fans to never lose sight of the action.

As PCL stadiums tend to be, this is a good hitters’ park, with dimensions of 319 feet to left, 400 to straight-away center, 322 to right, and only 360-373 to the power alleys.  A unique addition to AutoZone is the Fan Radio booth where fans can privately announce three innings and receive a tape of their broadcast.

Though we luckily visited on “Two”-sdays with two-for-one specials, tickets are as expensive as any in the Minors, with seats other than deep down the baselines or atop the left field bluff (where nearly 2,000 can sit) running $16 and up. Parking, which is notoriously scarce in downtown Memphis, especially on a weekday afternoon, is at least $5.

Memphis still sits in the top five in PCL attendance, drawing nearly 7,000 per contest. We joined 8,100 others for a businessperson’s special, clearly aided by thousands of schoolchildren on field trips. That aspect made it difficult to judge fan interest and involvement, especially as most had departed by time the Redbirds hung on late to defeat the Fresno Grizzlies.

Chosen Minor League Ballpark of the Year in 2009, AutoZone is a good enough facility to be used for various baseball and non-baseball functions. Memphis University plays there multiple times each season, the St. Louis Cardinals have played the Redbirds in past exhibitions, and MLB’s annual “Civil Rights Game” was held here in March 2007. Concerts, weddings, banquets are held inside the Club Level or outside on the party decks or concourse.

On the field, the Redbirds, who finished 26 games back of division champ Omaha last season, were atop the standings until a recent skid. Memphis claimed PCL titles in 2000 and 2009, with many players from the latter team (Allen Craig, David Freese and Jon Jay in particular) now starring at Busch Stadium.

The post Down On the Farm, Season 3: Memorable Memphis appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Charlotte was, of course, home to a team called the Hornets from 1988 through 2002, when the team moved to New Orleans. When the New Orleans team decided to change its name to the Pelicans starting with the 2013-14 season, “Hornets” became available again.

The Charlotte Hornets. Back in 2014?

NBA deputy commissioner and commissioner-to-be Adam Silver has said that such a name change could take 18 months (though it didn’t seem to take the Pelicans that long), so Charlotte’s pro basketball team may have to spend another season as the Bobcats before donning the teal and purple for the 2014-15 season.

If you judge a team’s popularity by the sales of caps, Starter jackets, and jerseys, the Charlotte Hornets were one of the most popular NBA teams of the 1990s. This, despite playing in a small market and never advancing to the conference finals. But they did have Grandmama, Zo and a color scheme unlike any other in major pro sports.

A name change alone won’t alter the fortunes of a team one year removed from the worst season in NBA history, but it’s a start. Here’s hoping that the new Hornets bring back Hugo, and maybe give Kendall Gill or Muggsy Bogues a front office job.

The post Charlotte Bobcats to become Charlotte Hornets appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Mattheus allowed five earned runs in one inning during Washington’s 13-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday (highlights from that inning can be seen here). According to Nationals manager Davey Johnson, he then went into the locker room and “banged his glove against his locker with his hand in it.” So basically he punched a locker with his glove as a slight barrier to the impact.

Johnson continued:

“He didn’t say anything to anybody. His hand didn’t swell up, but when he went out to throw today his hand swelled up and he couldn’t throw the ball.”

The right-hander then underwent a series of tests on Monday and an X-ray revealed the damage.

Mattheus is a 29-year-old in his third big league season and while this may be kind of funny, dude has to be smarter than that. His right hand is his money-maker. Ryan, my man, if you’re going to punch something, do it with your left hand. Crash Davis taught us all that lesson in “Bull Durham.”

So far this season Mattheus has racked up a 4.96 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in 16.1 innings over 14 games.

To add insult to injury, the Nationals fell to the Giants 8-0 Monday night.

*Originally posted on Rumors and Rants

The post Washington Nationals reliever Ryan Mattheus breaks hand punching locker appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

The Dodgers were swept over the weekend in Atlanta, and were outscored 16-8 by the Braves in the process. The team’s bullpen allowed 12 of those 16 runs. On Sunday night Los Angeles suffered a 5-2 loss in which Atlanta scored four times in the eighth inning off of relievers Kenley Jansen and Brandon League.

In short, the Dodgers are an absolute mess, and with a ton of bad contracts on the docket, the front office can’t just dump players. The only move the team can make is to fire Mattingly.

Mattingly has a laid-back personality and the Dodgers are a laid-back, veteran team. That can be an awful combination.

The team has a ton of high-priced egos, with guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Andre Ethier and Josh Beckett. Those seven guys alone are making $118.25 million this season. When guys are making that much money, oftentimes they get complacent.

The fact that the Dodgers currently have the sixth-worst record in baseball is absolutely unacceptable. Sometimes when you have to send a message to a roster, the only way to do it is by dumping a manager.

Mattingly’s contract is up after this season, which would make firing him a whole lot easier.

With new ownership who didn’t hire them now in place, don’t be surprised if Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti both get the boot. Colletti probably will get the rest of the season to prove his worth, but Mattingly is almost surely on his last legs.

*Originally posted on Rumors and Rants

The post Don Mattingly: Los Angeles Dodgers to fire manager soon? appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

In doing so, Moore became the youngest left-handed pitcher to start a season 8-0 since Babe Ruth did it as a 22-year-old in 1917. Fun fact: Ruth made just $3,500 that year, and went 24-13 with a 2.01 ERA.

Moore went seven innings and allowed one run on five hits, with one walk and three strikeouts. For the season Moore boasts an ERA of 2.29 and a WHIP of 1.09. He has allowed 34 hits, 26 walks and seven home runs, while striking out 54 in 55 innings. Perhaps the most remarkable statistic is that he’s earned a decision in each of his eight starts.

The former eighth-round pick’s eight wins also lead all of baseball.

Any time someone does something that hasn’t been accomplished since before World War I ended, it’s absolutely worth discussing. In just his second season Moore is already leading up to the hype that developed around him during his days in the minors.

As a rookie in 2012 Moore turned in a decent season. He made 31 starts and posted an 11-11 record, with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He threw 177.1 innings, and struck out 175 while walking 81. He also allowed 158 hits, 85 runs (75 earned) and issued 81 walks. Considering the competition he faced in the American League East, that’s a pretty solid rookie campaign.

Now Moore has morphed into a reliable guy who, when paired with 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner David Price, gives the Rays an outstanding one-two punch at the top of their rotation.

While Price has struggled to open the season (1-4, 5.24 ERA) he’ll eventually come around. Until then, Moore is holding things down as the team’s ace.

*Originally posted on Rumors and Rants

The post Matt Moore: Tampa Bay Rays becomes youngest lefty to start 8-0 since 1917 appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Well, that was nearly 25 years ago and fictional, but today’s reality is that Cleveland has won 17 of its last 21, and currently tops the AL Central with a mark of 25-17. No one in the majors is better than the Indians in the past month (20-7).  That’s great news. The bad news, however, is the Tribe somehow remain in the MLB cellar when it comes to attendance.

How can this be? The fact that I wrote on this same topic almost to the day last year – when only Tampa Bay drew fewer fans than Cleveland - may be even more troubling.

Though roughly 34,000 watched a walk-off win Friday night against Seattle, perfect weather and free caps weren’t enough to draw more than 36,000 Saturday and Sunday combined. What did the Indians do in those tilts? They nabbed another walk-off win on Saturday, then the Indians crushed the great Felix Hernandez Sunday behind Justin Masterson, arguably the AL’s best pitcher right now.

Fun fact: The Indians have already faced eight Cy Young Award winners in 2013: Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Jake Peavy, David Price, Justin Verlander and Hernandez. They have won seven out those eight matchups. Simply astounding.

This offseason, the much-maligned Indians front office finally made a legitimate attempt to improve the team through free agency. I’m not talking an Ubaldo Jimenez-like trade, but rather smart acquisitions that brought veterans Mike Aviles, Michael Bourn, Jason Giambi, Scott Kazmir, Brett Myers, Mark Reynolds, Drew Stubbs and Nick Swisher to Cleveland.

In addition to being a fantastic place to watch a game due to great egress and ingress, with extremely affordable tickets, the best promo lineup anywhere, Jacobs Field boasts overall, cooler, less muggy summer weather than most Midwestern locales.

The team also lowered beer and hot dog prices to $4 and $3 respectively. What other professional stadium in any sport offers that? I have visited 28 of the 30 current Major League Baseball stadia, and few top The Jake when all angles are considered.  I say that as a baseball fan, not an Indians fan.

As for the putative “economic” angle, these are the same people who spend insane amounts of money to watch terrible football every fall and show up in decent numbers for putrid basketball in the winter. Irrespective of season length, those sports charge up to 10 times the price for a ticket, and the atmosphere isn’t half as fan-friendly as baseball.

I understand fans’ lack of willingness to get on board to some degree. A decent recap of Cleveland’s decade of “rebuilding” can be read here and the team suffered a horrific collapse last August. However, in addition to all the benefits of attending games at Jacobs (now Progressive) Field, fans should also realize the team has potential and often exceeds preseason aspirations at any point without warning.

Cleveland hosts the rival Detroit Tigers — heavy favorites to repeat as AL Central champs — Tuesday and Wednesday nights before hitting the road. The temperature should be pleasant at first pitch each evening so you’d expect The Jake to be full  to watch the best hitter on the planet right now — but don’t count on it.

The post Cleveland Indians hottest team in baseball, yet remain last in attendance appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

With 13 league championships, five FA Cup titles, four League Cup wins, and two Champions League crowns, how does Sir Alex’s career compare to American coaching icons such as Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, John Wooden, Pat Summitt, or Bob Knight?

For one, staying 26 years with one club speaks volumes. Yes, managing a team with one of the world’s largest war chests probably made things easier. But having a talented squad on paper comes with enormous expectations. Chelsea is one of Man U’s fellow heavyweights in the English Premier League, they are currently looking for their ninth manager in six years.

Roberto Mancini helped lead Man U’s arch-rival Manchester City to the EPL title on the final day of the 2011-12 season. Just 12 months later, he has been pushed out the door after a season where City placed second to United, but stumbled badly in the Champions League and the FA Cup Final to underdog Wigan Athletic.

Before taking the Manchester United job in 1986, Ferguson had fairly ordinary career as a player and manager.

As a player, Ferguson suited up for a number of clubs in his native Scotland from 1957-74. The height of his career came in three years spent with Glasgow Rangers in the late 1960s. He found himself on the outs with that club after being blamed for his part in allowing the decisive goal in a Cup Final against rival Celtic in 1969. Some have also speculated that Alex’s wife being Catholic played a role in him eventually leaving. Rangers has historically had a  Protestant fanbase while most of Celtic’s supporters are Catholic.

Ferguson began his managerial career in 1974, mostly coaching Scottish sides St. Mirren and Aberdeen. His tenures with those two clubs can be compared to Bill Belichick’s days with the Cleveland Browns. At the time many pundits wondered if he was too much of a disciplinarian for his own good.

Ferguson won his first trophies in 1980 and 1982, winning Scottish League championships in rare occasions where the title was not won by Celtic or Rangers.

Those titles came with automatic berths for the European Cup, and in 1983 Aberdeen won that crown, defeating Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid along the way. By the mid 1980s Ferguson’s name was being connected top some of the top gigs in Britain, with Rangers, Spurs and Arsenal all reportedly courting him.

In 1985 Ferguson was tapped by his mentor Jock Stein as an assistant on the staff of Scotland’s national team. It was at this point that fate intervened. In its final qualifying match Scotland needed to secure at least a tie to earn a date for a World Cup play-in game with Australia. Scotland indeed got the needed draw, but at the end of the game the 62-year old Stein slumped over, the victim of a massive heart attack.

In the aftermath of Stein’s passing, Ferguson was appointed as the interim national manager, Scotland would beat the Aussies in the play-in and participate in the 1986 World Cup.

After the World Cup, Ferguson finally got the offer he could simply not refuse when Manchester United called.

Before Ferguson’s arrival, Man U. was already an elite football operation, winning seven domestic championships and six FA Cups in its history up to that point. Since World War II, the Red Devils had been relegated only once, in 1974, and won promotion back in the top tier the following season.

It took seven years for United to win a domestic title under Fergie, but after that first taste of silverware the club became unstoppable. Man U. would win league championships in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and were runaway winners in 2013.

That’s 13 titles in 21 years, an entire generation’s worth of a true dynasty.

Ferguson achieved knighthood (at the time only the eighth person associated with soccer to earn the honor) soon after claiming his greatest achievement in 1999 when Man-U achieved the treble, winning the domestic championship, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.

The 1999 Champions League Final remains arguably the most dramatic finish in football history. The ribbons of Bayern Munich were being affixed to the trophy as they held a 1-0 lead into stoppage time. Then, with United’s goalkeeper being pulled forward as an 11th attacker, the Red Devils scored on a corner kick. They then scored at the stroke of full-time on another set piece for a 2-1 win.

There have been no shortage of legends to play for Ferguson in recent years: David Beckham, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Chicharito, Wayne Rooney, and Robin Van Persie are just a few.

In Ferguson’s quarter-century at the helm, Manchester United has elevated itself into the top global brand in all of sports, even above the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Lakers. And with a total of 38 trophies earned, Fergie is in the argument as possibly the greatest manager/coach in any sport.

Upon the recent announcement of Ferguson’s retirement, Man U. acted swiftly to hire his replacement, tabbing long-time Everton head man David Moyes. Many experts over the past decade have been as impressed with Moyes’ record with a limited budget at Everton as Alex Ferguson’s collection of All-Stars.

In 11 years at Everton, Moyes became one of four managers in Premier League history (since 1992) to win 150 games. However the Blues never won a trophy under Moyes, and he will not last long at Old Trafford without earning silverware on an annual basis.

Despite operating in the red during recent years, expect Manchester United to keep rolling, as the entire organization and reserve squads (soccer’s version of baseball’s farm system) remain fully stocked. United also continues to fill Old Trafford with 80,000 fans each game, its capacity dwarfing all of its EPL competitors.

Wayne Rooney is reportedly asking for his release from the club, but the club would easily fill his shoes during the summer transfer window (soccer’s silly season) with either the likes of Gareth Bale, a Cristiano Ronaldo return, or any number of other marquee players who would be banging down the door go get to Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson has set the bar incredibly high for those who will follow in his path.

The post Sir Alex Ferguson: A look back at the manager’s incredible career appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Presenting the Packers Tailgate Tour for the first time in Iowa!

For the first time ever, they were traveling to the state of Iowa and visiting Packers fans in Dubuque. As a current resident of Dubuque and loyal Packers fan, I was ECSTATIC! Not only was I going to get to interact with some former and up-and-coming Green Bay stars, but MY team has acknowledged the dedicated fans who don’t live within the borders of the land of cheese, beer and brats.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one excited for this and that showed the first day of ticket sales. Fans had the option of purchasing two different types of tickets: $5 general admission tickets or $30 tailgate party tickets – which included a meal, beverages and autographs of the players. When my friend Lindsay went to pick up our tailgate party tickets on April 1 at 7 a.m., she was told all the $30 tickets were gone. What?! They went on sale just two hours earlier! Apparently they sold out within two minutes. People had lined up EARLY in the morning to get one of the 650 tailgate tickets.

So I had to settle for general admission tickets. It still ended up being pretty awesome.

Approximately 1,000 fans showed up to support the Green Bay Packers and Camp Albrecht Acres – the organization the Packers chose to support. Camp Albrecht Acres is a camp established to provide individuals with disabilities an opportunity to get out and participate in fun, outdoor activities (check out a news report about it here).

Packers alumni Santana Dotson (defensive tackle for Packers from 1996-2001), Aaron Taylor (offensive guard for Packers from 1994-97) and Frank Winters (center for the Packers from 1992-2002) entertained fans by reminiscing about the good old days. All three played on the Super Bowl XXXI Championship team that was led by quarterback Brett Favre.

Fans also had the chance to hear from current players, including wide receiver Randall Cobb, cornerback Jarrett Bush and running back Alex Green. Murphy led the informative question and answer session to answer fans’ burning questions about pregame rituals, the difficulty of the famous Lambeau Leap, and the current relationship between the Packers and Favre. Last night it was evident that Iowa is home to many enthusiastic Packers fans.

Jarrett Bush showing us his pregame dance ritual.

I know the Tailgate Tour will definitely be welcome back to the Iowa community, especially as the team continues to support the communities that love the Packers so much. Like always, it’s a privilege to spend an evening with other loyal Packers fans and with an organization that cares so deeply for the people who build it up – the fans.

Packers fans with a photo bomb.

The post Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour makes first stop in Iowa appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Pacers point guard George Hill missed last night’s Game 5 with a concussion and could be out longer. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

Back-up D.J. Augustin started at the point in Hill’s absence, going a respectable 3-for-7 from behind the arc and scoring 12 points in Indiana’s 85-75 loss to New York.

Twelve points, while four points short of Hill’s playoff average, isn’t bad. Here’s what is bad: Augustin didn’t register a single assist in 39 minutes last night, and moving Augustin to the starting lineup depletes a Pacers’ bench that was already lacking. When Augustin is on the bench, the Pacers have the choice of either moving Lance Stephenson to the point or bringing Ben Hansbrough off the bench. Hansbrough didn’t see action last night.

Here’s what’s worse, at least for Pacers fans: Hill might not be coming back.

The NBA’s concussion policy states:

If a player is diagnosed with a concussion, he will have to complete a series of steps to confirm that he’s healthy enough for competition. Once he is free of symptoms, the player must make it through increasing stages of exertion – from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills – while ensuring the symptoms don’t return after each one. Then the neurologist hired to lead the NBA’s concussion program needs to be consulted before the player is cleared.

The process will likely take at least several days, if not weeks.

Game 6 is tomorrow night in Indianapolis, and Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Monday night in New York.

Hill is listed as day-to-day, but the Pacers will need to come up with a liberal interpretation of the league’s concussion policy if they want their starting point guard back tomorrow. Indiana has a 3-2 advantage, but will struggle to close out the Knicks if Hill doesn’t return.

As much as I’d like to see George Hill back on the floor for Game 6, I appreciate the lengths to which the NBA has gone to prevent serious head injuries. You can catch Game 6 Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Central on ESPN.

The post George Hill: Concussion could sideline Pacers’ guard for rest of series appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s team will play two friendlies against Belgium and Germany, then jump into three important World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica, Panama and Honduras. Donovan, the nation’s all-time leading scorer will not be with the squad.

Donovan has fallen a bit out of favor with Klinsmann following his brief hiatus from the sport this past winter. He returned to his club team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, on March 30 of this year and has been in excellent form since. But he has yet to earn his way back onto the national team despite a desire to continue playing internationally.

While this seems like a big deal, it probably isn’t. Klinsmann obviously wants to see more of the 31-year-old Donovan before he brings him back into the national team fold. He will eventually be back. After all, the man has been capped 144 times and has scored 49 international goals.

Klinsmann had the following to say about Donovan:

“I think Landon is catching up. He’s just working himself back into shape and back into a playing rhythm. He will get sharper and more confident with every game he’s going to play now. So we’ll watch that, we’ll monitor that and we’ll decide then when to bring him back into our picture. It’s not going to be for these upcoming games, but maybe later on we’ll definitely expect him back in the team.”

Klinsmann called up 29 players for the upcoming stretch of games, and the roster is relatively healthy, especially considering how banged up it was for the last round of qualifiers.

Here is the full list of players called up:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Tally Hall, Bill Hamid, Tim Howard, Sean Johnson, Nick Rimando.

Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron, Edgar Castillo, Omar Gonzalez, Clarence Goodson, Fabian Johnson, Michael Parkhurst.

Midfielders: Michael Bradley, Joe Corona, Brad Davis, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan, Brek Shea, Danny Williams, Graham Zusi.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Clint Dempsey, Herculez Gomez, Eddie Johnson.

*Originally posted on Rumors and Rants

The post Landon Donovan left off U.S. National Team for qualifiers appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Locally here in Milwaukee, Alan Kulwicki probably remains the most iconic driver 20-plus years after his final race. Kulwicki won the 1992 NASCAR championship in dramatic fashion in the final race of the season – an event that also marked the final race in the career of Richard Petty and the first in the career of Jeff Gordon.

Less than six months after being crowned Cup Champion, Kulwicki would lose his life on April Fools’ Day 1993 when his plane went down in icy conditions attempting to land in Bristol, Tennessee.

Matt Kenseth has taken his place as the most successful racing product from the state, rising from the short-track ranks to become a 27-time winner at the Cup level, along with the 2003 season championship. So far in 2013, Kenseth is having his most successful season yet, winning three of the first 11 events of the campaign. Despite that, Trickle remains a huge fan-favorite in Wisconsin.

Trickle, a long-time cult favorite, passed away Thursday at age 71 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at a cemetery 40 miles outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The details are chilling. Trickle was said to have phoned a local command center informing them that there would be a body at the site, and that it would be his. Authorities attempted to call him back, then rushed to the cemetery only to discover that Trickle had already passed. His body found near his pickup truck.

As far as competing at stock car’s top level, Trickle was a late-bloomer. But long before arriving as a regular in NASCAR he was already a legend in the world of driving every conceivable local short-track on a Saturday night.

As an eight year-old, Trickle was involved in a serious accident at home that left him with a broken hip that took three years to recover from and left him with a slight limp for life. While recuperating, he attended a race at a local track and was immediately hooked. He was set on eventually becoming a driver himself.

There were obstacles however. For starters, his parents were on welfare, and racing, even at the local levels, was a profession where prohibitive start-up expenses must be absorbed for a would-be racer even dream of making it.

But by the time he was 17, Trickle was out on the track. He was even kicked out of his local venue after his age was discovered. When finally able to race legally, Trickle regularly contended but did not have the equipment needed to win. By slowly making deals with others in the business, that eventually changed. During the 1960s Trickle became one of the top drivers in the region.

Trickle, Kulwicki, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace, those were just a few of the names I remember who regularly raced in the USAC regional events during the 1970s and into the 1980s at the Milwaukee Mile and other venues. Actual stats are very tough to find, but Trickle was estimated to have raced in more than 2,000 events, ending up in the Winner’s Circle as many as 1,000 times.

In 1970 Trickle made the field for an event in NASCAR’s top series for the first time. From that point until 1988, he appeared in 18 races in what would eventually become known as the Winston Cup Series. In 1989 Trickle got his big break – a full-season ride with Milwaukee native Jimmy Fennig as his crew chief. Fennig would later sit on top of the war wagon for the likes of Mark Martin and Kurt Busch.

Trickle would finish that season 15th in points (it would be his best season) and won NASCAR Rookie of the Year. He was a grandfather at age 48.

Trickle would remain a regular in the Cup Series for most of the 1990s. He never won a race at the Cup level, but his final finishing position was sure to be mentioned by Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann on ESPN’s SportsCenter that night. It would go something like this each Sunday night:

“Jeff Gordon won the Pocono 500, Dale Earnhardt was second, Sterling Marlin third, and Dick Trickle finished 27th…”

In 303 career Cup races Trickle placed in the top-10 51 times, with 15 top-five finishes and one pole position. I remember Trickle actually leading an event once during green-flag conditions at Michigan in 1995.

Besides the SportsCenter notoriety, Trickle also became legendary for lighting up during races. He often cut hole in his face-shield and inserting the cigarette like an astronaut downing a Pillsbury space stick. Trickle came to an agreement with NASCAR to be allowed to have his own personal smoking lamp lit during caution periods.

After finally hanging up the NASCAR fire suit for good in the early 2000s, Trickle remained active in the racing community, participating in a bobsled project involving Geoff Bodine and other drivers, and making occasional Wisconsin racing appearances in recent years. The photo at right shows Trickle at Slinger Speedway in 2012.

There was also tragedy in Trickle’s life. Nephew Chris Trickle was a promising racer based out west before being shot in the head in a drive-by in February of 1997 in a case that to this day remains cold.

Chris Trickle remained in a coma for most of the 409 days that followed before succumbing in March of 1998, just weeks after being wheeled in during a public appearance at a fundraiser. For a brief period in the fall of 1997 Chris was said to have briefly regained consciousness, and reportedly drank coffee, spoke to family members and asked to relay a message to his girlfriend. He soon lapsed back into the coma, the family’s medical insurance ran out, and his condition proved fatal.

It is hard to say what role that prolonged anguish may have played in Dick Trickle’s apparent decision to take his own life. Another report late Thursday had Trickle suffering from an illness or depression. Personally, I think it is pointless to even speculate on a cause at this point.

I’d much rather remember Dick Trickle for a what he will always remain, one of the most colorful characters in the history of stock car racing. There are only a select few drivers that take the green flag at the top level on a given weekend, and for a generation Trickle was one of what would be considered the quarterbacks on the field involving 43 race teams each week.

And on the short-track level that remains the heart and soul of the sport, Trickle will always remain a legend.

Expect Trickle to be properly and fondly remembered during NASCAR’s All-Star activities this Saturday in Charlotte.

The post Dick Trickle, one of NASCAR’S most colorful personalities, dead at 71 appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Dean Ambrose has a chance to win the United States Championship while Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have the chance to win the Tag Team Championships.

The Shield has become so dominant lately that it seems like the group has been around for longer than they actually have. The group’s debut did not come until Survivor Series in November.

In a Triple Threat match featuring CM Punk defending his WWE title against Ryback and John Cena, The Shield made its legendary debut. Ryback had a chance to win the match by pinning Cena when The Shield interfered and took out Ryback, which included putting him through a table. Punk would take advantage by pinning Cena and retaining his title.

Every stable has its debut and it is important to reflect back and see how much has happened since that point in time.

The post WWE Throwback Thursday: Debut of The Shield appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

So here’s Marc Gasol in high school:

Photo from Memphis Commercial Appeal

It’s good to know that even the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, like so many of us, went through an awkward adolescent phase.

Then again, Marc Gasol, unlike most of the rest of us who were awkward teenagers, was averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks per game in high school.

Gasol spent his childhood in Spain and began his professional career there, but he played high school ball in Tennessee. The Gasol family moved to the Memphis suburb of Germantown when older brother Pau began his NBA career with the Grizzlies.

The younger Gasol attended Lausanne Collegiate High School in Memphis, where he was named 2003 Division II Mr. Basketball in the state of Tennessee. Division II in Tennessee is the classification for private schools that offer financial aid to athletes. There are only 45 Division II schools, but they tend to attract a disproportionate number of elite players.

According to Scout.com, Gasol was a two-star recruit who had expressed interest in playing at the University of Memphis but did not receive a scholarship offer from the Tigers. So he returned to Spain and spent five seasons with FC Barcelona Bàsquet and CB Sant Josep. The Los Angeles Lakers drafted him in the second round of the 2007 NBA draft, then traded his draft rights to Memphis in a deal for Gasol’s big brother Pau. He made his debut with the Grizzlies in 2008.

Now Marc Gasol is an NBA All-Star (2012), an All-Defensive selection (2013), and the league’s Defensive Play of the Year. He’ll likely make an All-NBA Team this season, and his Grizzlies are now headed to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Not bad.

Hat tip: The Basketball Jones

The post Here’s Marc Gasol as an awkward high schooler appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.

Some of those people will also tell you that Durant pulled a choke job in the Western Conference semifinals, a series Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder lost in five games to the Memphis Grizzlies. And many will compare Durant’s plight to that of another NBA superstar, consensus best-player-in-the-world LeBron James.

I believe that Kevin Durant is the second-best basketball player in the NBA. I believe that his specific combination of skills – quick release, accuracy from deep, good handle, rebounding – and his size make him an ideal player for the modern day NBA, where perimeter players are becoming more important than traditional low post players.

Some people just don’t get it. via Twitter

I refuse to believe that, by losing to the Grizzlies this year or the Heat last year, Durant is somehow not a “closer” and is a player who choked with the spotlight at its brightest. I believe that the guy burning a Durant jersey after the Game 5 loss is a complete idiot who doesn’t deserve to watch one of the best players in the league.

Let’s start by deconstructing the criticism Durant is sure to face in the coming days, weeks, months, or however long it takes him to lead Oklahoma City to a title.

Detractors will immediately point out his 5-for-21 shooting performane in the final game of the Memphis series, or how the Thunder’s offense never seemed to have any consistency after Russell Westbrook’s injury during the first round. You will hear a lot of people say that Durant won’t be able to win it all without enlisting the help of other superstars, like James did with his unpopular departure from Cleveland.

But here is the thing: last year, Durant had the two superstars he needed to win it all, and a pretty solid supporting cast to boot. When the Thunder traded James Harden in the offseason I’m not sure they – or anyone for that matter – knew how great he actually was. Oklahoma City chose to keep Serge Ibaka – a rare big who is a top-flight defender while providing a solid shooting touch – over Harden because the franchise couldn’t pay everybody. Knowing what we now do, it looks like a bad decision.

I actually think the Thunder got as good a package as you can expect for Harden, and they will have a bit of flexibility this offseason (especially if they use their amnesty clause on Kendrick Perkins and the $18 million he is owed over the next two years). As it turns out though, Harden was a superstar in the making, and Kevin Martin (the centerpiece of the package acquired by Oklahoma City) lost his shooting touch and his ability to get to the line during the playoffs.

The other key piece for the Thunder, is Russell Westbrook, who possesses perhaps the most incredible athleticism in the entire league. For years, Westbrook has taken the brunt of the criticism for the team’s failures. It’s either “Westbrook shoots too much,” or “he’s not a true point guard,” or “he doesn’t get enough assists.”

Look at the Thunder’s offense when being facilitated by either Reggie Jackson (the drop-off is enormous) or Durant (facing double teams and schemes specifically designed to shut him down). There is no comparison. Westbrook’s break-neck style of play allowed Durant to operate more freely, and Oklahoma City is at its best when Westbrook sets the tone and Durant closes the game in the second half.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images via espn.com

So over the course of the last 94 games (82 in the regular season, 12 in the playoffs), Durant had to adjust to Harden’s absence, and when that seemed to have been worked out, to Westbrook’s. Reinventing your team’s identity on the fly will not win titles. Throw in Scott Brooks’ utter lack of imagination for adjustments and Memphis’ stellar defense and you have recipe for disaster.

On top of that, Durant is still learning how to play multiple positions, from his somewhat natural small forward spot, to power forward in small lineups, to point forward when he has to start the offense (I’m ignoring the regrettable decision by former coach P.J. Carlesimo to play him at shooting guard during his rookie year).

Durant is already being compared to pre-”Decision” LeBron, and there may be something to that. James was roundly criticized for failing to win it all in Cleveland, despite having an astonishingly bad supporting cast. I was in attendance for Game 4 of the 2007 NBA Finals, and I watched Eric Snow, Sasha Pavlovic, Donyell Marshall, and Damon Jones log significant minutes in an elimination game. Certainly Jackson, Martin, Ibaka, Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha, Nick Collison, and Derek Fisher are better than those guys.

The important thing to remember here is that James enlisted help and, after a brief hiccup, brought a title to Miami. Is it such a far-fetched possibility that Durant could do the same?

Durant is only 24 years old. Westbrook is also 24 and Ibaka is only 23. They are growing up together, and when they are 27 and 28, LeBron and Dwyane Wade will be 32 and 35. The Spurs and Grizzlies will look a whole lot different by then, and while Kobe Bryant might be out there hoisting up fadeaways at 38, the Thunder are well positioned to get that elusive title.

Besides James, Durant’s career reminds me of two other athletes who failed time and again before finally winning a championship: Dirk Nowitzki and Peyton Manning.

Dirk’s redemption came in 2011 with a Finals win over the Heat in year one of the “Big Three” era, ironically enough. Dirk was regarded as too soft, lacking leadership, and too much of a jump-shooter.

In 2006, the Heat beat Dirk’s Mavs, and it took five years for them to make it back to the Finals. But the Suns disbanded, the Spurs won a title and then got older, the Lakers won a couple of their own, and the Mavs kept plugging away with Dirk as the centerpiece. When Dirk and co. toppled the super-team from Miami, all the questions about how “clutch” Nowitzki was and whether he had the mettle to be a champion disappeared.

Peyton Manning’s journey has been similar to Durant’s. Like Durant, Manning was a can’t-miss player from the start. But Manning struggled to win in the playoffs for years, overshadowed by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Manning racked up passing records like Durant racked up scoring titles and shooting percentage accolades, but he always managed to put up a stinker in January. Then, in 2006, Manning broke through, winning the Super Bowl for the Indianapolis Colts.

I think it’s foolish to judge Durant by the Thunder failing to win a title during the past two seasons. No player has ever won one alone before, and it’s likely no one will in the future. I expect us to look back on Durant’s career the same way we look back on Manning’s.

Durant said it best in the postgame press conference following the Game 5 loss: ”Sometimes you’ve got to ride out the storms to get to the sunshine.”

It may be pouring in Oklahoma City right now, but all of those dragging Durant through the mud should probably invest in some shades and sunscreen now.

The post Kevin Durant hasn’t won an NBA championship yet, but he will appeared first on Midwest Sports Fans.