The offensive lineman started just four games in his college career at Oregon. On top of his inexperience, Long will miss most of the Bears offseason workouts, due to an NFL rule that states any draft pick cannot take part in anything other than the rookie minicamp until after the school he attended has completed final exams.

Since Oregon uses the quarter system, Long won’t be able to participate in OTAs until June 14. Long will miss 13 practices in total – 10 OTA sessions and three days of minicamp.

“I would be concerned about it,” veteran offensive line coach Tony Wise told The McNeil and Spiegel Show. “Obviously, everybody wants him to come in the first day and start. The terminology from what Oregon did in not huddling and now what he’s expected to do with a huddle and get up and run a protection, change a protection, whatever like that – I don’t know if it’s a concern, but it sure would be nice for him to be there.”

Wise worked with Long before the Senior Bowl and will continue to work with the lineman until he can join the Bears. Even with his lack of experience, Wise is confident the Bears made a good decision in drafting Long.

“The Bears clearly looked at it and said, ‘Now there are clearly other guys we could take,’ but the old upside-comment and that kind of thing that Kyle has a great future ahead of him because of his athletic ability and because of the trials and tribulations he went through to get to where he went. … As you know, from the draft, they timed (his) change of directions, all kinds of things like that. When you look at Kyle and put him through all that stuff, you say, ‘Goodness gracious, we’d love to work for this guy.’ I can definitely see why he ended up there.”

Injuries and a seemingly confused Derrick Rose made this season one to forget.

But before we move on, let’s take a look at some of the highlights and lowlights from this forgettable season, as compiled by our friends at ChicagoSide.

Some of our favorites include:

The Most Thibodeau Thibodeau Quote of 2013: “This is a competition. It’s not a show. It’s a competition. You’ve got to compete. You’ve got to play with an edge. You’ve got to go after people.”

Best Ambiguous Derrick Rose Quote About His Return: Asked whether it would be better to say he isn’t coming back: “No,” he said. “Who knows? It’s still in the air where I’m still trying to be positive and still trying to take care of my body.”

Check out the full list here!

The NHL announced the suspension a few hours before the Kings hosted the Sharks in Game 2. Stoll wasn’t expected to play for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Stoll didn’t return to Game 1 after Torres hit him late in the second period of the Kings’ 2-0 victory. Torres got only a minor penalty for charging on the hit, and coach Todd McLellan and captain Joe Thornton echoed Torres’ belief that the hit was completely legal.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety sharply disagreed while handing down a fourth suspension for Torres, considered a repeat offender in dangerous hits under the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Torres flew to New York for an in-person hearing Thursday.

While playing for Phoenix last season, Torres received a 21-game suspension — initially 25 games — for a high hit on Chicago star Marian Hossa in the first round of the playoffs. Torres was suspended for two games in January 2012 for charging Minnesota defenseman Nate Prosser, and he sat out four games in April 2011 for a hit to the head of Edmonton’s Jordan Eberle while playing for Vancouver.

Stoll was bent forward while trying to play a bouncing puck when Torres approached him from the side for a violent hit. Stoll’s head snapped back violently before he fell forward onto the ice.

In an explanatory video released by Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s senior vice president of player safety, he said Stoll’s head was “the principal point of contact” in the hit, creating grounds for suspension. Although Torres initially made contact with Stoll’s right shoulder, Shanahan ruled that the shoulder hit was only a glancing blow, as evidenced by the direction both players traveled after the contact.

Torres claimed he had changed his ways during a largely incident-free season with Phoenix and San Jose, his sixth team in six seasons. He has been a dependable depth forward this season for the Sharks and Coyotes, scoring 18 points with just 17 penalty minutes in 39 games.

The Kings lose much more in the absence of Stoll, their veteran third-line center. Stoll is a faceoff specialist and a top penalty-killer with a strong two-way game.

Brad Richardson, who played 13 playoff games during the Kings’ championship run last year, is expected to take Stoll’s spot in the lineup.

Los Angeles hasn’t disclosed the nature of Stoll’s injury or a timetable for his recovery.

Torres, Thornton and McLellan all claimed the hit was completely legal, while Kings coach Darryl Sutter called it “careless.” Torres and Stoll are friends after three seasons as teammates in Edmonton from 2005-08.

“We were kind of shocked to hear he has to fly to New York for the hearing, because we didn’t see anything wrong on the play,” Thornton said Wednesday. “It’s unfortunate that Raffi has to go through this again.”

McLellan prepared for Torres’ likely absence by moving Joe Pavelski onto the Sharks’ second line on the left wing with Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau. Scott Gomez moved into Pavelski’s spot on the third line, and Tim Kennedy is likely to suit up on the fourth line.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau and Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators were also named finalists.

Behind Quenneville, the Blackhawks finished with an NHL-best 36-7-5 record and 77 points to capture the second Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history.

Under Quenneville’s direction, the Blackhawks began the season with points in an NHL-record 24 consecutive games (21-0-3) and finished the season with a .802 points percentage, which was good for fifth best in NHL history.

Matt Moulson of the New York Islanders and Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning were also named finalists.

The 24-year-old Kane ranked fifth in the NHL with a team-high 55 points (23 goals, 32 assists) in 47 regular-season games this season. He ranked fifth in the NHL in goals and seventh in power play goals with eight, while posting a plus-11 rating.

(CBS) Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

And with the 94-91 Game 5 loss in Miami, the 2012-13 Chicago Bulls are nothing more than a memory.  So, with a second round exit after their franchise player didn’t set foot on the game floor the entire year, how does the 2012-13 campaign grade out?

Just as Apollo 13 was called, this year’s Bulls were a “successful failure.”

The Bulls didn’t unseat the Heat as the NBA or even Eastern Conference Champions.  They also failed in getting Derrick Rose back on the floor, something most people didn’t anticipate after he tore his ACL last April.  However, those who remained standing by the end of Game 5 in Miami seemed to play to their ultimate potential.  There isn’t a Larry O’Brien Trophy that will be placed in the Berto Center because of that, but it still deserves praise.

Stars of 2012-13

Tom Thibodeau – The day after the Bulls were run out of the building in Game 1 of the first round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, I took calls on 670 The Score with Adam Hoge with people suggesting Tom Thibodeau was overrated.  Since going 45-37 without his MVP candidate running the point obviously wasn’t enough for these naysayers, I can only hope the fact he was able to get his depleted roster out of the first round of the playoffs and remain competitive in three games versus the Heat.  Thibodeau only getting two votes for Coach of the Year was a joke, as the third-year head man impressed me more this season than either of the previous two.

Jimmy Butler – He had a couple of solid moments a season ago, but nobody was really too sold on what they saw.  A year later and there won’t be many people complaining when he’s the Bulls starting shooting guard come opening night next fall.  Will he be an All-Star at the position?  Doubtful, but he’s only 23 and is a young man who shut down the likes of Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and plenty of others this season. Butler seems to be a much more important piece of the Bulls future than anyone could have ever imagined when he was drafted nearly two years ago.

Joakim Noah – It very well could be that we will look back at the end of Joakim Noah’s career and say that 2012-13 was his finest season.  The first-time All-Star wound up a first-team member of the NBA’s All-Defensive Team, while his offensive game expanded and his leadership only seemed to grow. Noah did again miss a significant chunk of time (16 games), the third time in four seasons he’s missed 16 or more contests.

Dilly Bars for Effort:

Luol Deng – Not nearly consistent of a scorer as you’d like, but again an All-Star and led the league in minutes played.  Yes, he’ll leave you frustrated at times but you can’t argue the value he brings to the defensive side of the ball.

Carlos Boozer – As much as he continued to frustrate you defensively, he had his best season as a Bull and could have been an All-Star selection.  Boozer was huge in round one and one of the main reasons the Bulls moved on – then the Heat series happened and I’ll spend the off-season remembering Boozer letting Norris Cole have a clear path for a dunk before passing on a late open shot that would have made game five a one-point game.

Marco Belinelli – So much for missing Kyle Korver.  Belinelli stepped into a one-year deal and exceeded expectations this year. I’d be curious to see how he’d be able to play with Derrick Rose, but with him being a free agent and the Bulls having issues against the cap, at this point having him back seems like it’d be an upset to me.  Let’s just hope he brings his “Marble Celebration” with him wherever he may end up.

Kirk Hinrich – Seemingly hurt all the time?  Yes. There’s no doubt he can still D up, however, and of the point guards who played this season, none made Carlos Boozer better than Hinrich.

Nate Robinson – Instant offense? Someone willing to take the big shot late?  He was your guy.  Sometimes.  More on No. 2 later on.

Frustrating 4:

Richard Hamilton – It’s safe to say that Rip’s time in Chicago was a disappointment. He struggled through injuries time and time again, while hardly being able to move on defense. Thibodeau wouldn’t put him on the floor even with a depleted roster as the playoffs went on, pretty much saying without words how the coach felt about the aging veteran.

Taj Gibson – He agreed to a contract extension on opening night and will remain a Bull through 2017. Perhaps it’s because of increased expectations after getting a big payday or it’s because we’re used to seeing Gibson grow each year as a player that he’s closer to plateauing and seeming more frustrating than he really was.

Nate Robinson – Good or bad Nate, it’s only fair that he’s represented as both a pleasant surprise while being disappointing at times.  I’ll admit he was better as a Bull than I’d have ever expected. Each time he chucked up a three with 19 on the shot clock while holding an eight-point lead made you realize why he didn’t last anywhere particularly long.

Derrick Rose’s Knee – Not him specifically, but how the whole situation went down. Thibodeau made it seem as if the Bulls decided to be cautionary with his return and not risk anything with their franchise player.  That’s fine.  It’d have been relieving to see him play and not enter next season with nearly as many questions as he will, but he hasn’t done a lot to make you doubt he wants to play.  From Reggie Rose’s comments after the trade deadline, “The Return” commercials that haven’t aired in months and the Bulls/Rose never stating he was out for the year when it was obvious he would be, it’ll be refreshing for all to not have to sit on Rose-Watch day in and day out.

Going Forward:

The Bulls getting to the second round exceeds what most people would have expected for the team. Fans will want the team to bring in a big name this off-season, but with salary cap issues that’s just unrealistic.

Some want Luol Deng dealt and for the right price it’s not a horrible idea, but be careful in wanting to push Deng out the the door because, as always, what would you replace him with?

And as much as some people want Carlos Boozer to be amnestied, I’d be shocked to see it before the end of next season, leaving the Bulls with very little cap space again.

Belinelli, Mohammed, Vlad-Rad, Nate Robinson and Cook are off the books.  I’d expect Belinelli and Robinson to move on to larger paydays, while the others were just “guys” and won’t be particularly missed.

The Bulls have a five million dollar option they could pick up on Richard Hamilton for next year (laughs) but for a million bucks they can buy out him out.  Expect the later.

It’ll be refreshing for all next year, not having to read each day about the latest on Rose’s knee. With the foundation still in place, there’s no reason to think the Bulls can’t be the second-best team in the East again, even though the Pacers seem to be better than anticipated.

In the meantime, take a break from the Bulls yourself.  Lord knows if you’ve been following them regularly this year, you could use it.

In addition to covering the Bulls for CBSChicago.com, Nick Shepkowski is the associate producer for The McNeil and Spiegel Show and a weekend host on The Score. For Bulls information all season long, follow him on Twitter @Shep670.

(WSCR) Back in the early 2000s, my wife Hope and I had just met.

Before we were “dating,” we were just new friends who both loved the Blackhawks. We had never been able to find anyone to tag along to games with us before we knew each other, so we’d often go alone. When we met, we used and abused the $8 student discount ticket for nearly all 41 home games.

I think there’s something about suffering together that brings a couple closer. Those years of Blackhawk hockey would try anyone.  Steve Poapst, Tyler Arnason, Mark Bell and Kyle Calder were the guys we thought would bring the Cup home.  Night after night, it was disappointment after disappointment, and the Detroit Red Wings were a huge pain inflicter.

Our mutual hatred for the Winged Wheel was one of our earliest bonds.  Over our last 10-plus years together, the Hawks have became competitive, we’ve had a daughter, and a couple of weeks later, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. We barely get to games anymore. Time and perspective adjusts one’s priorities. Our hatred for the Wings has faded to a slight grumble.

Our five year wedding anniversary falls on May 24th (or the day after Game 4 of the Red Wings series).  It’s going to be fun unleashing those years of hatred one last time.  It’ll be so romantic.

For the rest of this column from the Red Light District, please click here.

Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings were also named finalists.

The 25-year-old Toews ranked second on the Blackhawks with 48 points (23 goals, 25 assists) and ranked third in the NHL with a career-high plus-28 rating in 47 regular-season games.

Toews shared the league lead with 56 takeaways and ranked second in the NHL with a Western Conference-best 59.9 faceoff percentage.

Mac is represented by the White Sox and Spiegel is represented by the Cubs. Remember, the loser must supply the food for the show’s tailgate next season.

Here’s an update:

Bet 1:
Which player is the first to hit 25 Home Runs – Paul Konerko (Mac) and Anthony Rizzo (Spiegel).
Rizzo 9     Konerko 4
Bet 2:
Which comes first:  John Danks first win (Mac) or Matt Garza’s first win (Spiegs)
Neither have one yet
Bet 3:
Who gets called up first:  Brent Morel (Mac) or Brett Jackson (Spiegel)?
Neither Yet
Bet 4:
Which happens first:  The Sox win 60 games (Mac) or the Cubs lose 60 games (Spiegs)?
Sox 16 wins   Cubs 23 Losses
Bet 5:
Which manager will be ejected from a game first – Robin Ventura (Mac) or Dale Sveum (Spiegs)?       SVEUM WON (APRIL 19 VS. BREWERS)
Bet 6:
Which reaches 150 first:  Adam Dunn strikeouts (Mac) or Starlin Castro hits (Spiegel)?
Adam Dunn has 48 SO’S      Starlin Castro 46 hits
Bet 7:
Who is the first pitcher to strikeout 150 batters this season:  Chris Sale (Mac) or Jeff Samardzija (Spiegel)?
Sale has 49 strikeouts
Samardzija has 57 strikeout

Standings:  Mac 0 wins, Spiegs 1 win
Spiegs leads in 3, tied in 2, Mac leads 1

(CBS) The Bulls year will end tonight.  It will be shocking if it doesn’t.

And with that, Chicago baseball season will begin anew in some ways.

It’s a good time for a second opener. There will be more isolated focus in single television homes.

Even with the Blackhawks expected long run toward Lord Stanley, there will be more conversational room on the Score’s air.

And with the warmer weather, which Tuesday truly brought for the first time all spring, it feels right for a new start.

Let’s take a Mulligan on the first 40 days. Or, if you’d rather, a Hanley. Cool by you, White Sox fans?

It can’t possibly stay this bad. It won’t.

Dan McNeil wanted action on a Cubs-Sox wins wager on yesterday’s show. He thinks the Cubs are set up better for the foreseeable future than the Sox, and in terms of a rebuild, he’s right.  If we’re talking 2015 win totals, I take the Cubs without a doubt.

But he wanted action on this year; not based on preseason projections, but knowing what he knows now on May 14.  I gave it to him.

I get the Sox win total for 2013, while he gets the Cubs win total for 2013, plus 4 and ½. The stakes for the bet, well, they’re steaks. $100 from www.allenbrothers.com. That ought to get us an appetizer. So, Mitch Rosen bumped it to $200. Big shooter.

Mac has positioned himself as Danny Woo Woo for the foreseeable summer.  I guess that makes me Spiegspaw.  Or maybe I’m both Ribby and Rhubarb? Hell, peg me as Andy the Clown if you’d like, though he was just a poor man’s Max Patkin.

This bet is going to be an easy one.  This is in no way a reflection on the Cubs long term plan, or my belief that it’s the absolute right thing to do. It’s just a look at the rest of this season, in a bubble.

The teams are dead even today at 16 wins apiece, so our second opener is timed just right.

Here are 10 reasons the White Sox will finish with more wins than the Cubs. (And cover that 4 and ½ win spread)

1. The Cubs organization is less interested in winning.

If they can be sellers, outside of protecting a precious small core, they will be.  A successful few months for Scott Feldman and/or Matt Garza will be grounds for trade. And the months that follow will feature more losses with them gone.

The Sox could conceivably go in the same direction of course, but they have fewer dealable assets. Jake Peavy would be the game changer.

2. Ascension to the defensive mean.

The White Sox simply can’t stay this bad at preventing runs. Not for a team that set franchise fielding records last year – this level of team-wide suck is simply unsustainable.

3. Divisional rivals will fade in the AL Central.

Every team in the division other than the Sox is playing at or better than .500.  That won’t last, specifically for the Twins, and I’d bet the Indians. Those teams will have to lose to someone.

4. That South Side bullpen will blow fewer leads.

Even if, say, Matt Thornton and Jesse Crain are sent away in deadline trades, there are still plenty of arms to get to Addison Reed.  That ‘pen provides fewer chances for late inning chaos than the Cubs, so fewer wins will turn into losses.

5. The warmth will bring the home runs.

U.S. Cellular Field has been a top-5 park for HR production in every one of the last 10 years.  This season? 12th.  That will rise back to the top with warmth and winds. Insert assumed truism about Latin players here, then check. Alex Rios’ second-est career HR months are May and June.  Alexei Ramirez’ top three are June, July and August. Those guys will help.

6. Chris Sale and Jake Peavy.

One of the best 1-2 punches in the American League will put the Sox in position to win at least twice every five days.  The Sox are one of three AL teams with two starting pitchers among the top 10 in WAR.  Got the other two?  Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez in Detroit is easy.  Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma in Seattle is not.

7. Edwin Jackson.

He’s not leaving the Cubs rotation anytime soon.  And he’ll give you one complete pile of garbage every third or fourth start.  It’s what he does.

8. Cubs bats beyond Rizzo & Castro.

The Cubs are 12th in OBP in the NL, including those guys.  Care to bet on Luis Valbuna and Cody Random remaining at .385 or better?  I’ll write a blog with a list about it.  Also, as soon as it’s sensible, Brett Jackson will be here to whiff his way towards development.

9. The return of White Sox pieces is a genuine factor.

Mac poopooed this yesterday, but Dayan Viciedo could easily end up being the most productive power hitter on the team, despite missing the time he has.  His mere existence improves the lineup.  Gordon Beckham is arguably the team’s best defender, at a premium position, and his presence will go a long way towards solidifying the infield defense immediately.

10. Danny Woo Woo is simply not destined to thrive.

His existence is just unnatural, like the Dodo Bird.  It is a beast designed for eventual extinction.  I presided over his funeral in 2009, and have this year’s eulogy half-written.

But hey, we’ve got action. Sox minus 4 and 1/2 wins.

And this town’s baseball season appears to need some side action.

Listen to Matt Spiegel on 670 The Score weekdays from 9am–1pm CT on The McNeil & Spiegel Show. Follow him on Twitter at @MattSpiegel670.

On Tuesday morning, the club launched WrigleyField.com, which, according to the team’s website, “gives fans a chance to view artist’s renderings of the proposed changes to the 99-year-old ballpark. In addition, fans are encouraged to sign a petition to let the team, city and community know they back the project.”

The site, titled Restore Wrigley Field, includes complete details for the $500 million renovation project, which includes an electronic scoreboard for the outfield, expanded clubhouses and a hotel at Clark and Addison.

“Restoring Wrigley Field and enhancing the surrounding area around the ballpark benefits our city, our neighborhood, our fans and our team. It will boost the economy, create approximately 2,100 new jobs, and generate significant revenue for the City, County and State,” the site’s homepage reads. “More importantly, it will allow your Chicago Cubs to play in the Friendly Confines for generations to come. If you want to help the team turn this vision into reality,  your support is needed – lend your voice by signing the petition to save Wrigley Field!”

If and when the renovations are approved by the city, this new site will keep fans updated on the progress, which is expected to take five seasons to complete.

Check out the website here.

After just four practices together, new Bears quarterback coach Matt Cavanaugh had only positive things to say about the Bears signal caller.

“Very impressed with Jay,” Cavanaugh told the Tribune. “Very impressed. He’s borderline football brilliant. I think he gets it. I think he knows the game. I think he knows offensive schemes. I think he knows defenses.”

As Cutler enters his fifth season with the Bears, the quarterback will need to impress as he’s scheduled to be a free agent following the 2013 season.

If Cutler can build off the 3,033 passing yards and 19 touchdown passes from 2012, he could be in line for a major payday.

“I think he’s embracing how we want to approach things,” Cavanaugh said. “There has been a lot of give and take.  We didn’t come in here with a mandate that this is exactly how we’re doing it and there is no leeway. We wanted his feedback. He’s been willing to do that. It’s a good working relationship now.”

The Blackhawks will take on the Red Wings in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night at 7 pm CT at the United Center.

Game 2 will be played Saturday at noon, also at the United Center before the series shifts to Detroit for Games 3 and 4.

Check out the full schedule below!

Game 1: vs. Red Wings, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Game 2: vs. Red Wings, Saturday, noon.

Game 3: at Red Wings, Monday, 6:30 p.m..

Game 4: at Red Wings. May 23, 7 p.m.

Game 5-*: vs. Red Wings, May 25.

Game 6-*: at. Red Wings, May 27.

Game 7-*: vs. Red Wings, May 29.

UNITED CENTER (CBS) As I sit and type this out, it feels like I’m back in the fall dissecting numbers to quantify Jay Cutler putting up a clunker of a performance in an important game.

Except it’s not fall and the game isn’t being played outdoors.

Take out Jay Cutler throwing four interceptions at Lambeau Field and insert Carlos Boozer failing to get the job done in the NBA Playoffs.

Don’t get me wrong, nobody in their right mind expected this extremely short-handed Bulls team to beat the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Predictions were that the Heat would do away with the Bulls in four or five games and easily move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. Well, one more night of suffering and the 2012-13 season will be nothing more than a memory.

The final line from Game 4 will say that Carlos Boozer finished with a double-double after scoring 14 points and pulling down a dozen rebounds.

Congratulations on getting to 14 points after shooting a horrendous 3-of-14 from the field.

Monday marked the ninth playoff game Boozer has played against Miami since signing in Chicago prior to the 2010-11 season.  In those nine games Boozer has put up 14 or fewer points six times.  Furthermore, in four of those nine contests he failed to put up double-digit points.

Obviously the offense and how this season/series play out are different if Derrick Rose is a factor. Rose, of course, is not a factor, but without the team’s franchise player suiting up this season, Boozer yet again will be perhaps the biggest egg-layer in the series that eliminates the Bulls.

This year’s four playoff outings against the Heat have seen Boozer put up scoring totals of six, eight, 21 and 14.  For a team looking for offense anywhere they can get it, only one of those was acceptable. The spring of 2011 saw similar numbers with Boozer going for 14, 7, 26, 20 and five points as the Bulls lost to the Heat in five games.  Before you exert too much energy thinking and looking back, yes, the five-point showing was when the Bulls collapsed late in Game 5 that year and were eliminated.

It’s not only the Heat that Boozer has had the playoff-blues against, however.

Just a year ago in the first round series against a less talented Philadelphia team, Boozer failed to get to double figures in scoring in three of the six contests.  Not that the Bulls were going to chase an Eastern Conference crown after Rose’s injury but Boozer’s performance was an enormous factor in them not seeing the second round.

Sure, against one of the most inept yet talented teams in recent memory (Brooklyn Nets) Boozer had a strong showing this postseason, but for a guy who averaged over 20 points per game in 44 playoff games with the Jazz, Boozer’s shortcomings will especially stick out again once this series is wrapped up.

In addition to covering the Bulls for CBSChicago.com, Nick Shepkowski is the associate producer for The McNeil and Spiegel Show and a weekend host on The Score. For Bulls information all season long, follow him on Twitter @Shep670.

The deal, which is worth $41 million, has two club options for the 2020 and 2021 seasons for the 23-year-old Rizzo.

Here’s a complete breakdown of the numbers, from CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman:

Rizzo: $2M sign bonus, $750K in '13m $1.25M in '14, $5M in '15 & '16, $7M in '17 & '18, $11M in '19, cubs option $14.5M in '20 & '21

—
Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 13, 2013

The NHL announced a 7 p.m. CT puck drop for Game 1.

The league will officially announce the schedule for the rest of the series after Monday night’s Game 7s are complete. The Detroit Red Wings’ official Twitter account said Game 2 will be Saturday, however. No start time was provided.

The Blackhawks have home ice advantage in the best-of-seven series and would also host a potential Game 5 and Game 7.

The Blackhawks swept all four regular season contests against the Red Wings this season, with goaltender Corey Crawford in net for all four wins.

“It’s almost a team like ours,” Crawford told the Tribune Saturday. “It’s a puck control team. They skate well, move the puck well, lot of skill, a lot of patient players with the puck and (with) their D-men, it seems like a lot of screens and a lot of big shots from the point.”

Derek Boogaard, who was found dead on May 13, 2011, at age 28, was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain ailment that can be caused by repeated blows to the head, according to the 55-page lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court late Friday.

One of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, William Gibbs, said Monday the NHL profited from Boogaard’s physical abilities as team doctors dispensed “pain pills like candy” after he suffered repeated injuries.

“The NHL drafted Derek Boogaard because it wanted his massive body to fight in order to enhance ratings, earnings and exposure,” Gibbs said. “Then, once he became addicted to these narcotics, the NHL promised his family that it would take care of him. It failed.”

Boogaard’s mother echoed that sentiment.

“He was there protecting his teammates at all costs, but who was there to protect him?” Joanne Boogaard said in a statement release by her attorneys.

The lawsuit says the NHL couldn’t claim ignorance about the consequences to Boogaard.

“Prior to and during Derek Boogaard’s career, the NHL knew, or should have known, that the Enforcers/Fighters in the NHL had an increased risk of brain damage due to concussive and sub-concussive brain trauma and were particularly susceptible to addiction issues,” it says.

Boogaard scored only three goals in his six-season career in 277 regular season games but took part in at least 66 on-ice fights; in the 2008-2009 season with the Minnesota Wild, he received 1,021 prescriptions from NHL team physicians, dentists, trainers and staff, the lawsuit says.

In April, 2011, the NHL “knew, or should have known, that Derek Boogaard, a known drug addict, with probable brain damage due to concussive brain traumas sustained in NHF fights, was not complying with treatment (at a treatment center),” the suit alleges.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email Sunday night that league has not received the lawsuit and generally does not comment on pending litigation. The suit was filed in Illinois in part because the NHL has a business interest in the state through the Chicago Blackhawks and Boogaard “engaged in one-ice fights during his NHL career” in Chicago, the filing says.

“To distill this to one sentence, you take a young man, you subject him to trauma, you give him pills for that trauma, he becomes addicted to those pills, you promise to treat him for that addiction, and you fail,” William Gibbs, attorney for the Boogaards, told The New York Times.

Boogaard was under contract with the New York Rangers at the time of his death. He played his first five NHL seasons with the Minnesota Wild and one season with the Rangers after signing a four-year, $6.5 million contract with New York in July 2010.

Boogaard sustained a concussion during his last game on Dec. 9, 2010. Known as one of the league’s toughest fighters, the 6-foot-7, 255-pound Boogaard played 277 NHL games, scored three goals and racked up 589 penalty minutes.

Boogaard’s family filed a lawsuit against the NHL Players Association last September, seeking $9.8 million, but it was dismissed this spring. The family said the union, after expressing interest in helping pursue a case against the league, missed a deadline for filing a grievance. A judge ruled the family waited too long to act and dismissed the case.

The latest lawsuit details the treatment Boogaard received from team doctors of the Rangers and Minnesota Wild, and the officials from the league’s Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program, which oversaw Boogaard’s care after he entered rehabilitation while playing for the Wild in 2009.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

She is Filomena ‘Phyllis’ Tobias, the widow of former CNBC commentator and financial expert Seth Tobias, her daughter, Victoria Racanati, told the Sun Sentinel.

“Yes, it’s my mom. She’s embarrassed, but she is being a good sport,” the daughter said on Thursday. “She was having fun just like any other fan. All she has to say is that people need to get a life.”

Ironically, this isn’t Filomena’s first time in the public spotlight. After the death of her fourth husband, some questioned her involvement.

Read the full story of Seth’s death and hazy details here.

The Bulls center, still struggling with plantar fasciitis, was ejected early in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

As Noah was escorted off the court and into the tunnel, he was met by angry Miami Heat fans.

Very angry fans.

Check out the photo here.

(CBS) Where were you during the NBA playoffs in 1998?

If you have any recollection of the Miami Heat against the New York Knicks in a violent best-of-five, then last night’s Bulls game looked awfully familiar.

It should.  Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy’s top defensive assistant coach was a 40-year-old Tom Thibodeau.  And Heat coach Pat Riley’s staff included 28-year old-video coordinator Eric Spoelstra.

Larry Johnson instigated a bench clearing brawl that ended up showcasing the 5-foot-9 Van Gundy on YouTube forever, clinging haplessly to Alonzo Mourning’s shin.

We weren’t far from Thibs clinging to a Birdman Andersen’s tattooed limb last night in Miami.

The Eastern Conference playoffs are supposed to be physical, unruly and a little violent. It’s most fitting, and entertaining, when two teams genuinely dislike each other. But it presents the referees with a challenge, one that Scott Foster and his crew simply didn’t handle well.

Not every physical play needs to be a foul, and not every show of emotion merits a technical.  Foster and his crew lacked any semblance of sense about when to let physical plays happen, and often tightened up to call techs when they weren’t deserved.

I assume Joey Crawford was sitting at home, jealously signalling techs from his couch.

Their efforts to display, and then re-seize, control failed miserably.

Some of the egregious calls were against the Bulls.  Taj Gibson was abused on the offensive end twice, before he lost his cool and got kicked out. Nate Robinson was the victim of refs trying to regain control in picking up a T.

But, don’t pin this loss on the refs.  LeBron James came out aggressive, dominating the first quarter.  The Bulls allowed a tempo and scoring pace that was never going to work for them.  They lost themselves completely, schematically, on defense.  They were out of place and out of sorts on the glass, out-rebounded 41-28.

Against a team you can’t afford to, the Bulls turned the ball over 19 times. That led to the 20-2 discrepancy in fast break points. Nate Robinson was bottled up, sometimes by LeBron, and sometimes by his own impatience.

The most troubling trend in both of the first two games is the disappearance of Carlos Boozer. After a terrific season, and an even better first round series against the Nets, Boozer has been a timid no-show.  If he’s going to be this version of himself, forget the prospect of even one more win.

There may of course not be another win.  Monday’s Game 1 was quite possibly as good as it’s going to get. Watching then, the sensible among us knew that, which made it all the more enjoyable. Game 2 could certainly be the first of four straight losses by a battered and preposterously undermanned team.

But don’t let the magnitude of this blowout convince you that every game hereafter will be the same. NBA playoff history is loaded with blowout wins by teams that ended up losing the series.

I always think of Game 1 of the 1985 Finals: “The Memorial Day Massacre,” when the Celtics beat the Lakers by 34 points.   The Lakers won Game 2 by seven, and took the series in six.

Of course, having Kareem, Magic, and James Worthy was helpful.

The point is, the Bulls went down and took one, and last night’s stink doesn’t necessarily have to linger.  If Thibodeau can get his team back playing sensibly, and energetically, then Game 1 is not some template by which the rest of the series will play out.

Hopefully.

Listen to Matt Spiegel on 670 The Score weekdays from 9am–1pm CT on The McNeil & Spiegel Show. Follow him on Twitter at @MattSpiegel670.

Riverside County sheriff’s spokeswoman Lisa McConnell said Tuesday the 23-year-old Young was arrested early Sunday after police saw him drive his Ford Mustang toward oncoming traffic and make an illegal left turn.

He was arrested on suspicion of DUI, cited and released.

About 14 hours later, police responded to a report of a man jumping over the fence of a tow company and arrested Young. He was booked on suspicion of burglary.

The Lions drafted Young out of Boise State in 2011, but released him in February after a drop in productivity and disputes with teammates.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Luol Deng has been ruled out and Kirk Hinrich is doubtful for tonight’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Heat in Miami.

Deng, who didn’t make the trip to Miami, continues to suffer from complications from a spinal tap, and Hinrich is still working to recover from a severely bruised calf muscle.

“Kirk has a ways to go,” head coach Tom Thibodeau told the Tribune on Wednesday morning.

“The swelling is done, which is good. He tried the last game in the Brooklyn series and he wasn’t quite there. We’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully he continues to improve.”

Thibodeau characterized Deng’s status as “day-to-day.”

CBS 2′s Megan Mawicke reports that Keith left the Twin Cities this morning and made it to Chicago in time for the birth of his son. The Blackhawks later announced the defenseman was expected to make it back in time for tonight’s 8:30 p.m. CT puck drop.

Meanwhile, backup goaltender Ray Emery and forward Dave Bolland were on the ice at Tuesday’s morning skate at the Xcel Energy Center, but have been ruled out for tonight’s game.

Quenneville said forward Daniel Carcillo “could play” tonight. He was a healthy scratch in the first three games of the series.

As most of you know by now, I had a slip-up last week on the air while covering the Blackhawks playoff series.  As a result of the attention it received, an old web-based sports comedy series I participated in several years ago came to light. The intention of that show was to present a satirical, tongue-in-cheek approach to sports but, unfortunately, some of the material it contained was off-color and offensive. I understand why some may have been offended by it and for this I am truly sorry.  To be clear, that show in no way reflects my personal opinions.  

 It has always been my dream to cover my hometown teams on the network I loved watching.  I have worked tirelessly to develop my skills as a sports reporter, anchor and host, and I want to thank the city of Chicago for allowing me that opportunity. The outpouring of support I have received is overwhelming and it will remain in my heart, as will Chicago.  Always.

–Susannah

Even though he was battling the flu, with Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich out, the Bulls were beyond thin at guard.

Robinson stepped up and played 42 minutes, adding 18 points.

Throughout the game, however, an ill Robinson was seen throwing up on the sideline.

“There was a couple times I had to throw up during the game,” Robinson said. “But I didn’t know if they were going to call a foul on me if I threw up on Deron Williams and played through it. But I don’t know; we got to check the rulebook on that one.”

The stadium that opened in 1930 and was expanded in 1997 is used fewer than 10 times a year for football games, commencement and recreational events. The idea is to use the stadium as a centerpiece where academics, athletics, students’ social lives and the surrounding community come together.

“We’ll take our most iconic athletic venue and reimagine it as the site of year-round university use, not five-day-a-year athletic use,” athletic director Jack Swarbrick said.

The first step is to see if space in and around “The House that Rockne Built” can be better utilized. The proposal would add more than 3,000 seats in new buildings that would rise up over the sides of the stadium and include classrooms, a media center, student center and community center.

The proposal would solve a challenge facing the university’s academic side: Finding space in a central area on a campus. It would also help the athletic department raise money through premium seating and by holding other events at the stadium, such as concerts and possibly an event such as the NHL’s Winter Classic, Swarbrick said.

“We’re in a business where we have to generate some additional revenue out of that stadium to support the program,” Swarbrick said. “Long-term premium seating plays a role in that.”

Under the proposal, buildings running parallel to the sidelines would rise about three stories above the stadium, providing premium club-style seating that would include areas where fans could sit and eat. Swarbrick said corporate sponsors and other groups had expressed interest in having areas they could have during game days.

“We have a critical lack of that,” he said.

The plan would increase seating to about 84,000, up from the present 80,795, although Swarbrick said he doesn’t know how accurate that estimate is. The plan also calls for the press box to be moved to the other side of the field and the opponents’ locker room to be moved to the other end of the stadium, meaning they would no longer use the tunnel where Notre Dame enters.

Although some Notre Dame alumni have opposed changes to Notre Dame Stadium, such as talk of adding video scoreboards or artificial turf, Swarbrick said he has been encouraged by the response he’s received so far from those who have seen the proposal. He also said people should keep in mind that Rockne, who was involved in designing the building, didn’t build a traditional stadium.

“He built a state-of-the-art stadium. We want to keep everything about that building, but embrace that original vision,” Swarbrick said.

He said construction wouldn’t impact the existing bowl.

“That’s the essence of the iconic venue, and we want to protect that,” he said.

Swarbrick said university officials had looked at what had been done at other high-profile facilities, such as Fenway Park, Lambeau Field, Wrigley Field, the stadiums at Michigan and Ohio State, and the Rose Bowl.

An artist’s rendering of the plan appeared to show two black scoreboards on the west side of the stadium. Swarbrick was asked if those were video boards.

“Absolutely no decision made on video boards,” Swarbrick said, saying the two scoreboards shown on the west end zone were put off to the sides so they wouldn’t block the view of the Hesburgh Library, which has the mural widely known as “Touchdown Jesus.”

The rendering also shows the stadium connecting to the Joyce Center, which would allow fans to go inside during bad weather.

The building on the stadium’s east side would be a media center. Executive vice president John Affleck-Graves said it would likely be one of the most widely used buildings on campus. He said it would be used by students doing classwork, faculty preparing online courses, as well as university officials and alumni. The building on the west side would be a student center. The north side would be an academic area that could include classrooms, but would not rise above the current bowl. The south side would be a community center that could include a visitors center, a store and a restaurant.

Affleck-Graves said feasibility study should take six to nine months. If the university decides to proceed, it will take more than two years for planning and design and another two to three years to build, so the entire process likely would take five to six years.

Affleck-Graves said the cost won’t be known until all the specifics are decided. The university has a policy that it doesn’t begin construction until it has 100 percent of the money pledged and 75 percent in hand in cash.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

“Due to circumstances unrelated to her on-air remarks Tuesday night, Susannah Collins and Comcast SportsNet Chicago have parted ways,” Phil Bedella, vice president and general manager of CSN Chicago said in a statement. “We appreciate everything Susannah has contributed to our network over the past year and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

On Tuesday, Collins inadvertently said that the Blackhawks had a “tremendous amount of sex during the regular season.” The mistake went viral. She meant to say “success” and quickly corrected the slip.

But the Chicago Tribune reports, the mistake led to renewed focus of previous work by Collins that was filled with sexual innuendo and other inappropriate content.

As co-host of Sports Nutz, Collins filed sexually charged reports that included lowbrow humor. The videos remain on YouTube. However, the existence of those clips is hardly a secret. She acknowledged the videos in this interview with Paul Banks of the Chicago Sports Media Watch blog.

I'm told Collins' firing from CSN was #Blackhawks' behest. Her gaffe brought the old videos to their attention, and they wanted ties cut.—
Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) May 03, 2013

Collins is a Downers Grove native and a University of Illinois graduate.

UNITED CENTER (CBS) - A quick look at the Bulls roster on Thursday night would look more like that of an Emergency Room receptionist than an NBA roster:

Kirk Hinrich out with a hobbled calf, Luol Deng out with what was thought to be the flu but eventually turned into a meningitis scare and Taj Gibson was battling the flu.

And then add in Tom Thibodeau letting it be known 90 minutes before tip-off that Nate Robinson also had a bout with the flu.  Keeping this as a respectable score would be seen by many as a moral victory if this was a regular season game. It was of course an NBA playoff game, however, and even in coming within a last-second three of going to overtime, the last thing on any Bulls player or coaches’mind was an excuse.

The extremely shorthanded Bulls still managed to keep things close in Game 6 vs. the Brooklyn Nets.  Unfortunately for the Bulls, this is the NBA Playoffs and being shorthanded eventually catches up. In this case, it means the Bulls are on the verge of becoming just the ninth team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after holding a 3-1 series advantage and the first since the 2006 Lakers to do so.

Despite having a roster in which only six players saw more than five minutes of action, the Bulls played out a physically demanding game. Thanks to a second half that saw them surrender just 35 points (after giving up 60 in the first), the Bulls were in it until a Marco Belinelli three point attempt was missed in the closing seconds.

As gritty as the Bulls performance was, it’s the NBA Playoffs and effort point don’t count for a win. In the Bulls locker room, the last thing anyone was searching for was an excuse, starting with their head coach.

“We’ve been short-handed most of the year,” Tom Thibodeau said. “Guys have been called upon all year to get the job done and I feel we’re more than capable.”

Thanks to a huge first quarter by Belinelli (22 points for the game) and Jimmy Butler playing all 48 minutes, the shorthanded Bulls gave Brooklyn all it could handle, as the Nets seemingly tried to keep the Bulls in the game with mental mistakes throughout the second half. Well, part mental mistakes and other part Bulls improved second half defense.

Nate Robinson, who was battling the flu and seen vomiting on the Bulls bench, finished with 18 points, while playing 42 minutes.  After a draining game for him, Robinson sat quietly at his locker before addressing the media:

“You just have got to muster up enough energy,” Robinson said. “No excuses.”

As for if injury and flu-ridden team will be cured by Saturday’s Game 7, Robinson knows what kind of Bulls team is going to show up.

“We’re going to be ready to play regardless,” Robinson added.

Carlos Boozer finished the night with 14 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.  Even in being one of the few healthy Bulls at this point, he wasn’t looking for any excuses for his teammates.

“Stuff happens, you’ve gotta deal with what’s in front of you and that’s what’s in front of us, so we can’t cry about it.”  Boozer said, “We’re not that type of team – we have no excuses here, just get it done”

Joakim Noah played through the pain of Plantar fasciitis yet again but couldn’t hold in his excitement for Game 7, despite the grueling loss.

“I just want to go play right now” Noah said shortly after Thursday’s game.

“We’re ready to kick some ass.”

In addition to covering the Bulls for CBSChicago.com, Nick Shepkowski is the associate producer for The McNeil and Spiegel Show and a weekend host on The Score. For Bulls information all season long, follow him on Twitter @Shep670.

The former White Sox catcher, visibly upset, threw his bat toward the dugout, yelled a few words in Reed’s direction and took his base, as the White Sox led 5-2 in Texas.

“I was mad,” Pierzynski told the Tribune after the game. “(Reed) threw it up and in and shoulder high. It’s fine if you’re going to pitch me in, but don’t come up and in, shoulder high.”

Clinging to a three-run lead, White Sox manager Robin Ventura insisted the hit wasn’t intentional.

“Listen, we’re not trying to put anyone on,” Ventura said. “With this lineup, you’re not trying to send any messages or anything like that. We don’t want anyone on base. In 30 seconds, they got the tying run to the plate. There was no message being sent.”

After reporters informed Pierzynski the 24-year-old Reed said he didn’t do it on purpose, the veteran catcher didn’t seem to care much.

“Whatever,” Pierzynski said. “That’s fine. Whatever. They said it was unintentional. I have to believe them.”

During an on-air report from last night’s Blackhawks playoff game, Collins was attempting to explain the success the Blackhawks have enjoyed during the regular season.

Instead, Collins said the team was having a “tremendous amount of sex.”

Check out the video here.

CHICAGO (CBS) – For the first time since taking ownership of the Cubs, chairman Tom Ricketts has publicly said he will move the team if his proposed Wrigley Field restoration plans were not approved by the city, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he doesn’t take that threat seriously.

Speaking at the City Club of Chicago on Wednesday morning, Ricketts revealed the latest $500 million restoration plans, which will be submitted to the city today, for later votes by the Chicago Plan Commission, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, and the City Council.

The plan includes a 6,000-square-foot, three-panel video scoreboard in left field, with advertising along the top, and a 1,000-square-foot sign in right field.

“The fact is if we don’t have the ability to generate revenue in our own outfield, then we’ll have to take a look at moving. No question,” Ricketts said.

When asked if that was a threat, Ricketts said he was simply stating reality.

“No, there are no threats,” he said. “We are very confident in the legality of our signage plan. We are not making a threat to move. The fact is we want to win in Wrigley Field.”

But Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he’s not worried about Ricketts’ suggestion that the Cubs might leave town if they don’t get the electronic signage they want at Wrigley Field.

WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports the mayor said the important thing is it’s clear what the Cubs say they need, including the new video screen in left field and the sign in right field.

“We worked out a number of those issues, and so this is about going forward into the planning process, with those … big questions answered,” Emanuel said.

Is the mayor taking Ricketts’ implied threat to move the Cubs out of Wrigley seriously, if the Ricketts family doesn’t get the changes it wants to Wrigley?

“No, I’m not, because as you go through what they said, what Tom said and the others, they said that they also know from their own business sense how important Wrigley Field is to their business, and how important Chicago is to their business,” the mayor said.

The new look for Wrigley Field will include 42,000 total square feet of advertising inside and outside the park, including on a new hotel the team plans to build across the street.

Making things interesting, Rosemont mayor Brad Stephens, who has offered the Cubs land for a stadium in Rosemont, was in attendance at the City Club breakfast for Ricketts’ speech about the Wrigley renovation plans.

In a written statement later Wednesday, Stephens said, “We know the Cubs are trying to renovate Wrigley Field. If the Cubs do not get approval on a plan that financially works for them, then the Village of Rosemont would like to be considered an option.”

Game 1 will take place Tuesday night at the United Center at 8pm CT.

The Blackhawks went 2-1 against the Wild this season.

After winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Blackhawks (36-7-5) have exited in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

Click here to download the full quarterfinals round.

Tuesday, April 30 – 8 p.m. – Minnesota at Chicago
Friday, May 3 – 9:30 p.m. – Minnesota at Chicago
Sunday, May 3 – 3 p.m. – Chicago at Minnesota
Tuesday, May 7 – 9:30 p.m. – Chicago at Minnesota
*Thursday, May 9 – TBD – Minnesota at Chicago
*Saturday, May 11 – TBD – Chicago at Minnesota
*Sunday, May 12 – TBD – Minnesota at Chicago

Tim Tebow was waived by the Jets on Monday, the end of an unsuccessful one-season experiment in New York.

Coach Rex Ryan said in a statement by the team in announcing the move that had been expected for months: “Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped.”

The Heisman Trophy winner attempted just eight passes after his ballyhooed arrival in a surprising trade from the Denver Broncos in March 2012. He threw for 39 yards and rushed 32 times for 102 yards — and stunningly had no touchdowns as a member of the Jets.

Meanwhile, starter Mark Sanchez struggled amid constant questions about Tebow’s playing time, and still Tebow remained mostly on the sideline. The Jets and new general manager John Idzik drafted former West Virginia star Geno Smith in the second round of the NFL draft Friday, giving New York six quarterbacks on its roster — and creating uncertainty about Sanchez’s future as well.

Tebow arrived at the team’s facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Monday morning and was told he had been cut.

“Tim is an extremely hard worker, evident by the shape he came back in this offseason,” Ryan said. “We wish him the best moving forward.”

Tebow led the Broncos to the playoffs in 2011, but became expendable when Denver signed Peyton Manning as a free agent. The popular backup quarterback was acquired by the Jets for a fourth-round draft pick and $1.5 million in salary. He was introduced at the Jets’ facility to plenty of fanfare at a lavish news conference, with Tebow repeatedly saying he was “excited” to be in New York.

It turned out to be one of the few high points in Tebow’s stay with the Jets. Along with his shirtless jog from the practice field in the rain during training camp, of course.

Owner Woody Johnson jokingly said last season that “you can never have enough Tebow.” Well, the Jets apparently had their fill after just one year.

From the day the Jets made the move to bring Tebow in to compete with Sanchez, many fans and media predicted it was only a matter of time before the former Florida star stepped in as the starting quarterback. There were billboards outside the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey welcoming Tebow, and sandwiches named after him at Manhattan delis.

Meanwhile, the Jets insisted having both Tebow and Sanchez would not be a distraction. The plan was that the team would benefit from having both players’ different skill sets: Sanchez as the traditional quarterback, and Tebow running the wildcat-style offense.

While everyone from Johnson to Ryan to former general manager Mike Tannenbaum to former offensive coordinator Tony Sparano said they were all “on board” with Tebow, it became evident early that he had no clear role.

And Tebow simply didn’t impress enough in practice to earn more playing time.

Ryan refused to start Tebow in place of a struggling Sanchez late in the season, choosing instead to go with third-stringer Greg McElroy ahead of him for one game — despite Tebow’s multitude of fans taking to Twitter and begging the team to give their favorite player a chance. The since-fired Sparano never was able to figure out a way to consistently use Tebow, who spent most of his time on the sideline during games.

He was solid in his role on special teams as the personal punt protector, but the Jets stopped using him even there after he broke two ribs in a game at Seattle in November. Tebow’s overall role diminished greatly after the injury, even after he healed. He tried to hide his frustration, but acknowledged late in the season that things didn’t turn out quite how he expected in New York.

“I think it’s fair to say,” Tebow said, “that I’m a little disappointed.”

The Jets appear to be sticking with Sanchez despite his struggles and the arrival of Smith as the future quarterback because he is guaranteed $8.25 million this season. But Idzik made it clear that the team would bring in competition for Sanchez. Tebow, however, is not going to be among the team’s options. And, he’s free to explore other opportunities — even if there don’t seem to be many at this point.

It appeared Jacksonville, the other team to pursue Tebow last offseason, would be an obvious landing spot. But new general manager David Caldwell nixed the idea of a happy homecoming when he declared at his introductory news conference that he couldn’t “imagine a scenario in which he’ll be a Jacksonville Jaguar.”

Many believe Tebow’s best chance to stick in the NFL would be to switch positions, but he insists he is a quarterback and just wants an opportunity. Just as the Broncos gave him two seasons ago when he took over for Kyle Orton and led Denver to several comeback victories and into the playoffs.

Tebow was the talk of the country back then, as it seemed everyone — including actor Robert Downey Jr. at the Oscars — was dropping to a knee to do their version of “Tebowing,” mimicking the quarterback’s prayerful pose.

It was something that was absent all season in his stint with the Jets.

Chicago could be a possibility since new coach Marc Trestman worked with Tebow before the NFL draft in 2010 and in the Senior Bowl and liked what he saw. He’d be a backup there behind Jay Cutler, though. Tampa Bay, San Diego and New England might also be options.

Tebow could also head to Canada and play in the CFL, taking the route several others before him have, such as Doug Flutie, Warren Moon and Jeff Garcia. The Montreal Alouettes own his exclusive negotiating rights, but whether Tebow would even be open to a move north of the U.S. border is uncertain.

Brett Bouchy, the owner of the Orlando Predators of the Arena League, recently told the Orlando Sentinel that his team would “love to have him,” and added that “we have a contract waiting for him to sign.”

Either way, it’s quite a fall from grace for Tebow, who was a two-time national champion with the University of Florida, and whose No. 15 Broncos jersey ranked second in national sales to Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in 2011. He remained a model citizen throughout his frustrating year in New York and answered the constant barrage of questions about his role and mindset all season.

Recently retired Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff labeled the way the team used Tebow an “absolute mess.” Former Jets teammate Mike DeVito, now with Kansas City, said after the season that he would’ve liked to have seen Tebow get a chance.

Whether Tebow gets another one elsewhere — and if it’s as a quarterback — this season remains to be seen.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Hinrich showed up to the Bulls shoot around Monday morning in a walking boot, the Tribune’s K.C. Johnson reported.

The 32-year-old Hinrich tied a Bulls’ franchise playoff record with 59:36 of playing time in Saturday’s overtime win. He recorded 18 points and 14 assists – his first playoff double-double since May of 2007.

The Bulls lead the Nets 3-1 heading into tonight’s contest in Brooklyn.

The team also recalled forwards Jimmy Hayes, Jeremy Morin, Brandon Pirri and Ben Smith, defensemen Adam Clendening, Shawn Lalonde and Steve Montador, and goaltender Henrik Karlsson

The 23-year-old Stanton recorded 25 points (3 goals, 22 assists) in 73 games this season with Rockford.

The St. Albert, Alberta, native set a career high in assists and ranked third on the team with a plus-16 rating.

To order Blackhawks playoff tickets, please click here.

(CBS) Phil Emery did it again.

Fans look upon the first round of the NFL Draft with Christmas-like anticipation, scoping out the biggest box under the tree, only to unwrap it and find a package of striped tube socks inside.

Given his history, the question now becomes: is Emery still more of a scout than a general manager?

To be fair, Kyle Long may very well turn out to be a solid pro – he certainly better be a day one starter this fall – but undoubtedly, he wasn’t the name most were expecting to hear. Aaron Kromer has taken seemingly less talented prospects and turned them into elite offensive lineman. That’s the hope.

All is not lost, though. The Bears have four more selections in a draft widely regarded as being thin at the top, yet deep. Let’s take a look at some of the top talent available at positions of need who may tempt the Bears with their 50th selection.

Linebacker

• Arthur Brown Kansas State (6-0/241)
• Kevin Minter LSU (6-0/246)
• Sio Moore Connecticut (6-1/245)
• Manti Te’o Notre Dame (6-1/241)

Wide Receiver

• Justin Hunter Tennessee (6-4/196)
• Keenan Allen Cal (6-2/206)
• Robert Woods USC (6-0/201)
• Quinton Patton Louisiana Tech (6-0/204)
• Ryan Swope Texas A&M (6-0/205)

Cornerback

• Jamar Taylor Boise State (5-11/192)
• Jonathan Banks Mississippi State (6-2/185)
• Darius Slay Mississippi State (6-0/192)

Defensive Tackle

• Johnathan Hankins Ohio State (6-3/320)
• Kawann Short Purdue (6-3/299)

Tight End

• Zach Ertz Stanford (6-5/249)
• Travis Kelce Cincinnati (6-5/255)

Ideally, there will be a run on quarterbacks at the top of the second round – Matt Barkley, Geno Smith, Ryan Nassib, potentially Mike Glennon – that will push some prospects down the board.

In Emery we trust. Right?

Dan Durkin

Dan Durkin joined The Score’s columnist community after finishing runner-up in the 2011 Pepsi Max Score Search. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois where he was a member of the men’s football team (despite his best efforts to join the women’s team). Dan is a longtime Scorehead, known as Dan in Wicker Park – even though he no longer resides in Wicker Park – who will be sharing NFL analysis and opinions. You can follow Dan on Twitter @djdurkin. To read more of Dan’s blogs click here.

Coming out of high school, he was drafted by the White Sox in the 23rd round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Instead of turning pro, Long decided to enroll at Florida State University to play baseball.

On Jan. 3, 2009, however, Long’s life changed forever when he was arrested for a DUI. After the arrest, he left Florida State and spent four months in a substance abuse treatment facility in Arizona.

Upon completing his substance abuse treatment, Long enrolled in a junior college before receiving a scholarship to Oregon.

On Thursday night, he was selected by the Bears with the 20th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Check out this video as Long talks about his road to recovery.

The two teams will compete in what is being billed as the “Frozen Fenway 2014″ series, the school announced Thursday.

The event will consist of four outdoor games played at Fenway Park over two weekends.

The home of the Boston Red Sox hosted the NHL’s 2010 Winter Classic between the Bruins and Flyers.

The power-hitting siblings cracked back-to-back homers for the first time, leading Atlanta past the Colorado Rockies 10-2 Tuesday night to complete a doubleheader sweep that began with the coldest game at Coors Field.

“It’s always cool when you can see him have success before you and then you go up and do the same thing,” said Justin Upton, acquired as part of a seven-player trade with Arizona in January. “It was definitely cool for us to tack on those runs when we needed them. That was nice.”

It was the 27th time in major league history that brothers homered in the same game, but only the second time they went deep in consecutive at-bats. Lloyd and Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates also accomplished the feat on Sept. 15, 1938.

Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said the Uptons were displaying the kind of 1-2 punch that the Braves were hoping for when they acquired them. B.J. Upton was signed as a free agent last winter.

“It makes your lineup a lot better when you’ve got B.J. going and you’ve got Justin, too,” Gonzalez said. “For me, Justin is your No. 3 hitter and it doesn’t matter who is on the mound that night.”

Or what the weather is like, for that matter.

In the first game, Justin Upton, Dan Uggla and rookie Evan Gattis homered in support of a solid outing by Mike Minor as the Braves won 4-3 in a game that began with a temperature of 23 degrees.

The weather warmed up for the night game — but only a bit. It was 30 degrees at first pitch.

In the nightcap, B.J. Upton homered to left field off Jon Garland to start the fifth inning, his third of the season. Justin Upton drove Garland’s next pitch to center for his major league-leading 11th home run.

“Mistakes,” Garland said. “Maybe a wrong choice of pitches. When you miss with pitches, good hitters will get you.”

Said Justin Upton: “I’m just trying to be part of a team that was already good. I can’t put my thumb as to why I have hit the way I have; just got to continue to work and try to keep it up.”

B.J. Upton was getting treatment and not available to reporters after the nightcap.

The Uptons have homered in the same game three times this season. They each added another RBI later in the game, B.J. on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly and Justin on a ninth-inning double that was part of a four-run burst.

The Braves outhomered the Rockies 6-0 in taking both games from Colorado, which entered the twinbill tied with Atlanta for the best record in baseball at 13-5.

“This Atlanta team, you have to try to keep them in the yard. We had a tough time doing that today,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “Six homers in two games. That is what they do if it’s for a strike and they are locked in.”

Julio Teheran (1-0) made the most of his offensive support in the nightcap, allowing one run over seven innings to quiet the Rockies, who have lost three in a row at Coors Field since an 8-0 start at home.

The Braves also got a home run and run-scoring double from Juan Francisco. His two-run shot in the fourth came after Freddie Freeman drew a one-out walk. Colorado had broken on top with an RBI single by Michael Cuddyer in the third.

Garland (2-1) went six innings and allowed six runs on 10 hits.

Reed Johnson, playing right field for Atlanta in the opener because Jason Heyward underwent an appendectomy Monday night, went 4 for 4 with three doubles. Heyward was put on the 15-day disabled list.

The matchup featured baseball’s hottest teams — and the coldest game-time temperature in the majors since such data collection began in 1991, according to STATS. The Rockies said the previous low at Coors Field was 28 degrees.

Donning a short-sleeve jersey with his standard T-shirt underneath while many other players were bundled up, Minor (3-1) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. He said he decided against warmer attire because he wanted the same freedom of movement he feels with his arms uncovered.

“I don’t know what it is, but with (long) sleeves on, I feel restricted,” he said. “It’s just a feeling and you want to feel comfortable out there.”

To a degree, anyway.

“It was all right,” Minor said. “The biggest thing was grip, just being cold and dry. I pretty much just battled through it.”

At one point, Minor acknowledged he got so cold that he had a trainer rub his back, arms and thighs with a heating ointment.

“I was burning up there,” he said with a smile.

By the time Craig Kimbrel pitched a one-hit ninth for his eighth save in eight chances, the temperature had warmed up to 27.

Gattis hit a tiebreaking home run in the fourth and ended the game by throwing out Wilin Rosario trying to steal second.

Jeff Francis (1-2) gave up four runs and six hits in four innings, leaving him with an 8.44 ERA.

Ground crews began working around 6 a.m. to clear several inches of snow from the playing surface at Coors Field, which opened in 1995. While there was no sign of snow on the field when the game started, some parts of the ballpark remained closed, including the snow-filled Rockpile section in center.

Workers hosed off the snow on the stand of evergreen trees beyond the center-field wall. It was important that the trees be cleared because they’re part of the green batters’ eye background.

It’s been a wintry April for Denver, which has been hit by a wave of snowy weather over the past nine days that forced postponements of games three times. The delays led to two doubleheaders within a week.

NOTES: Justin Upton’s 11 homers in April are the most by a Braves player. … Gattis leads all major league rookies with six home runs and has homered in every park he’s played in so far (Colorado, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Washington and Miami). … The Rockies were 0-3 at home against the Braves last year and 1-6 overall. … It isn’t always freezing at Coors Field. According to the Rockies, the hottest game played here was 100 degrees last June 25 when Colorado hosted Washington.

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