Chicago Sun-Times

Red Wings turn tables on Hawks with 4-1 win

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:03:14 -0500

Jonathan Toews and Henrik Zetterberg, joined at the hip-check for most of the game, were tangled yet again in front of the Red Wings goal crease midway through the second period of Saturday’s Game 2. Zetterberg wriggled his hands free and whacked Toews in the back of the neck, knocking him to the ice. Toews, shaken and stirred up, glowered as he slowly got to his feet. Before he could, Zetterberg shoved him right back to the ice. As Red Wings coach Mike Babcock so succinctly put it, “Series on.” Detroit’s 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon did more than simply …

Rizzo, Schierholtz home runs power Cubs past Mets

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:22:50 -0500

A four-run fourth inning keyed by pitcher Scott Feldman’s two-run double helped power the Cubs to an 8-2 victory Saturday over the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. Feldman’s double with two outs scored Nate Schierholtz and Welington Castillo as the Cubs batted around against Mets starter Jeremy Hefner (0-5). Anthony Rizzo (10th) homered off Hefner leading the fifth and Nate Schierholtz (5th) homered leading the eighth off Colin McHugh. David DeJesus drove in two runs in the eighth with a two-out single scoring Darwin Barney (single) and Ryan Sweeney (double.) The Mets’ only scores came in the 9th on …

Oxbow upsets Orb in Preakness

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:02:28 -0500

BALTIMORE — Oxbow has won the Preakness, ruining Orb’s bid to capture the Triple Crown. Oxbow led from start to finish. It was the sixth Preakness victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and 15th Triple Crown win, the most in horse racing history. “I get paid to spoil dreams,” Lukas said in an interview with NBC moments after the race. “Unfortunately we go over here and you can’t mail ‘em in. It’s a different surface and a different time. You gotta line ‘em up and win ‘em. Orb finished fourth. The Kentucky Derby winner was a 3-5 …

TELANDER: Studying CTE as a bomb component

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:40:08 -0500

What if terrorist Tamerlan Tsarnaev was brain-damaged? What if the elder of the two alleged Boston Marathon bombers, who was killed three days after the April 15 attack, incurred brain trauma during his amateur boxing career and suffered the disabling effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy? Would that make any difference? Would it help in any way to better understand the alleged killer and the tragedy he and his sibling supposedly caused? And would it tell us anything we don’t already know about the dangers of repetitive head blows from sports like boxing, football, hockey, soccer, etc.? CTE is the degenerative …

McGRATH: Chet Coppock still within broadcast range

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:21:29 -0500

Before their clumsy misstep Saturday, the Blackhawks had rolled into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a swagger that underscored their championship aspirations. The Bulls were exposed in the second round of their playoffs, the satisfaction of overachievement diluted by conflicting feelings over Derrick Rose. As controversy over Wrigley Field renovations simmers, the sacred ballpark’s tenant looks less shabby than had been feared. The White Sox interrupted their freefall with two — two! — Adam Dunn home runs. DePaul is abandoning distant, depressing Rosemont for a mystery site that’s still six miles from campus. The Bears — …

Bulls in for some agony with coming roster losses

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:28:44 -0500

Goodbye, Nate Robinson. Arrivederci, Marco Belinelli. Good luck, Rip Hamilton. Hardly knew you, Daequan Cook. ‘‘We’ll see what the market calls for,’’ Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said repeatedly Thursday, one day after the Miami Heat sent the Bulls home for summer vacation by topping them 4-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. What the market calls for is some painful losses in the backcourt, with Robinson, Belinelli and Cook all free agents and the Bulls holding a $5 million option on Hamilton that they have no intention of picking up. So who’s in and who’s out when it comes to the …

Brandon Paul’s NBA ticket could be people game

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:03:17 -0500

Brandon Paul’s secret weapon at the NBA draft combine is a little unorthodox. It involves his experience wearing a name tag and working an actual eight-hour day — not something most Big Ten basketball stars and potential NBA draft picks do. Paul was a ‘‘guest services agent’’ at the I Hotel in Champaign this spring, part of an internship required to receive his degree from Illinois in recreation sport and tourism. He thinks the experience will prove valuable over the next few weeks as he interviews for a spot with an NBA team. ‘‘I’ve had a job now, working at …

Four downs with Ditka

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:48:00 -0500

1. Bears QB coach Matt Cavanaugh called Jay Cutler ‘brilliant’ in regard to his football IQ. Do you agree? I’ve never been around Jay a whole lot, but I think he’s a smart kid. I think he really understands the game. I know Matt is not going to say something if he doesn’t mean it. That must be Matt’s impression, and I’ll go with his impression. I think the sky’s the limit for Jay Cutler. But the only guy that has to realize that is Jay Cutler. It’s not you or me or Matt Cavanaugh or Marc Trestman. He’s got …