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PastaPadre  has released some Madden NFL 13 footage on his Youtube. Finally EA Sports had done away with Chris Collinsworth. While judging from the video, Nantz and Simms aren’t too much better, it’s still much improved from the abysmal Collinsworth.

I did have a good laugh at the enthusiasm displayed on the touchdown call. Can Gus Johnson at least scream the touchdown calls?

For those Madden 13 fans, let us know what you think in the comments.

Leave a comment letting us know what you think about the article!

Also swing by our Message Boards to discuss Chicago Sports with many other fans. http://chicitysports.com/forum 

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/14/madden-nfl-13-footage-video-shows-new-commentary-and-gameplay/

The Chicago Cubs begin a rare 2-game series as they take on the rival St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs come into this game at 14-20 and 6 games behind the Cardinals for first place. The Cubs will try to re-start a new streak of not losing a series. It all begins today:

Pitching matchup:
Game 1: Ryan Dempster (0-1, 1.02 era) vs. Jake Westbrook (4-2, 1.76 era) – 6:05 p.m. on ESPN and WGN radio 720.
Game 2: Paul Maholm (4-2, 4.05 era) vs. Kyle Lohse (5-1, 2.08 era) – 12:45 p.m. on Comcast Sportsnet and WGN radio 720.

Let’s hope the Cubs can hit for Dempster and he will get his first win of the season. Also, let’s see if Dempster can keep the best era in the MLB. Right now, Dempster has the best era in the majors.

Paul Maholm has looked great as of late and let’s hope he keeps that trend going. I know Westbrook and Lohse have great era’s, but if the Cubs are patient, they can hit either of them. Both pitchers are not a great strikeout pitcher and can be hit off.

The Cubs have to play one game at a time and beating the Cards would be nice.

Go, Cubs, Go!

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/14/series-preview-cubs-vs-cardinals/

The Cubs concluded a 3-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers today with a 8-2 victory. The Cubs said Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mother’s out there with a win.

A series lost to the Brewers was the first series the Cubs lost in the last 5 tries. Dale Sveum would have love to beat his old club, but one win was just not enough.

The Cubs brought the bats today as Ian Stewart started it for the Cubs as he hit a solo home run in the 5th inning. He also added a double too. Jeff Samardzija did not have a great game in throwing pitches as he only pitched 5 innings. He threw too many pitches and why he was taken out. Samardzija was pinch-hit for in the 6th inning by Reed Johnson and it was a great move by Sveum as Johnson gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead with a solo home run.

The Brewers eventually tied the game up with a infield rbi-single by the 1B Taylor Green. Castro make a great play getting to the ball, but was just a second late on the throw. The Cubs got the run back in the next half inning when the SS Edwin Maysonet overthrew the 1B and the ball went into the dugout.

After the Cubs took a 3-2 lead, they never looked back. Starlin Castro, Tony Campana, Darwin Barney and Alfonso Soriano added rbi’s. Also, Tony Campana scored a speed run by stealing 3rd base and scoring on a wild pitch by Manny Parra.

This was a great win and gotta get ‘em one-by-one.

The Cubs begin a 2-game series with the rival St. Louis Cardinals.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/13/happy-mothers-day-from-the-chicago-cubs-cubs-8-brewers-2/

If you would have told me that Illinois would have the 27th rated class for 2013 in May, I probably would have laughed at you. I never thought new Coach Tim Beckman would have gotten off to that fast of a start on the recruiting trail, but it seems like he has.

Illinois already had a solid class before the huge commitment from Bolingbrook QB Aaron Bailey. But since he committed, they’ve gained three more commitments for some highly recruited defensive linemen and one from an offensive lineman from talent-rich Ohio.

First came Merrick Jackson, a DT from Belleville, Illinois. Jackson is a monster of a young man, coming in at 6’3″ 320. According to Scout, Jackson is the 44th rated DT in the nation. While the rating might not blow you away, he does have offers from BCS schools such as Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.

Next came Jarrod Clements, a DT/DE from Trotwood-Madison High School in Ohio. Clements is 6’3″ 260 and could play either tackle or end right now. He’s starting to blow up on the summer camp scene, dominating at a Nike camp recently in early May. Clements is the 39th rated DT in the nation by Scout, and like Jackson, you need to look at his offers rather than rating. He too has racked up BCS offers from Louisville, NC State, Tennessee and West Virginia. Just from judging by his camp domination, you could be looking at a 4-star player.

The third commit came from a relatively unknown OL from Ohio, Austin Schmidt. Schmidt’s only other offer was from Central Michigan, but he has the size you like to see on the line for a high schooler, being 6’6″ 270.

The most recent commit came from another DT, Kenton Gibbs out of Michigan powerhouse Cass Tech in Detroit. Gibbs is rated the 34th best DT by Scout and 30th best by Rivals, while only have one other BCS offer.

Illinois’ commit list as of 5/12 according to Rivals:

• Aaron Bailey- 4-star QB, #4 Dual Threat QB
• Dillan Cazley- 3-star DB
• Jesse Chadwell- NR OL
• Jarrod Clements- 3-star DE
• Christian DeLauro- 3-star TE
• Kendrick Foster- 3-star RB
• Kenton Gibbs- 3-star DT, #30 DT
• Merrick Jackson- 3-Star DT
• Austin Schmidt- NR OL

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/12/illinois-recruiting-update/

This is the first edition of ChiCitySports.com’s weekly national sports coverage.  We will be covering sports around the United States and Canada, as well as the English Premier League.  In the off-season, relocation, CBA negotiations, trades, and free agency will be the major topics of focus, while in the regular season and playoffs coverage of players and teams that are hot or slumping will be preeminent.

National Football League – The NFL-to-LA saga continues as the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to a new deal to stay in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.  Rumors have suggested that the new front-runners are the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills.  The Chargers would just have to pay $22 million to leave San Diego.  The Rams have submitted a stadium renovation proposal that, if accepted, would keep them in St. Louis through 2025.  It is noteworthy that the Rams play one regular season game a year in London, largely due to their owner’s sporting empire spanning three cities that includes the Rams, Arsenal (EPL), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Colorado Mammoth (NLL), and Denver Nuggets (NBA).  The Jaguars have ranked near the bottom of the NFL in attendance, finishing just ahead of the Chicago Bears at 25th of 32 teams, but the Bears oversell Soldier Field’s capacity, while the Jaguars have averaged just 92.8% capacity.  Possibly the most likely candidate, the Oakland Raiders, face a stadium lease that is expiring in 2013 and have also contemplated moving into the 49ers’ new stadium in Santa Clara when it opens in 2014.  Probably the NFL’s preferred relocation candidate, but they would have to meet some strict criteria to opt out of their stadium lease that extends through 2030.  According to NFL.com, the Jaguars would have to prove that they have lost money three years in a row, pay a significant fee, and face several penalties agreed to in the terms of the sale of the team to Shahid Khan.  The Bills’ owner does not wish to relocate the team from Buffalo, with the exception of the annual game hosted in Toronto.  Of the five candidates, three have formerly called Los Angeles home, the Chargers in the 1960′s as part of the pre-merger American Football League, and the Rams and Raiders until the mid-1990′s.

Baltimore running back Ray Rice made a bold promise on the day dedicated to him in Baltimore, promising to bring a Super Bowl title to the city.

Josh Hamilton has 18 Home Runs early in 2012 MLB season

Major League Baseball – In a year that has already featured call ups of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout – on the same day – the standings are unlike what anybody would have predicted at the beginning of this young season.  The Baltimore Orioles (21-12), Cleveland Indians (18-14), Washington Nationals (20-12), St. Louis Cardinals (20-12), and Los Angeles Dodgers (21-11) are five unexpected division leaders, and many thought that the other division leader, the Texas Rangers (22-12) would be beat out by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (15-19).  Conversely, the Boston Red Sox (13-19), Philadelphia Phillies (15-18), and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (15-19) resides in last place of their respective divisions.  Only time will tell if these trends continue.  Whilst the entire San Diego Padres team has 13 home runs, Josh Hamilton alone already has an incredible 18 home runs.

Canadian Football League – A major step forward for the CFL to return to Ottawa has been taken as the Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously rejected an appeal to the expansion team’s stadium renovation plans.  Jeff Hunt, head of Ottawa Sports and Entertainment, has announced that the team is still on pace to be ready to begin play in the 2014 season.

Major League Soccer – After an undefeated 7-0 start to the regular season, Sporting Kansas City has cooled off considerably, losing 1-0 to the Portland Timbers who are last place in the MLS Western Conference, and then 2-0 to the expansion side Montreal Impact.  SKC has a tough task at hand Saturday night, as they play the Chicago Fire, who have not lost to an Eastern Conference team since May 21, 2011 at Philadelphia, and have not lost to an Eastern team at home since 2010.  Following Kansas City is Eastern Conference standings are the New York Red Bulls, D.C. United, Chicago Fire, and Montreal Impact, with the New England Revolution two points behind Montreal for the fifth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.  The defending champion Los Angeles are the story from the Western Conference, as they sit in a dismal 7th place in the 9-team conference with a 3-5-1 record and just 10 points.  The Western Conference is led by Real Salt Lake, but the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC sit just 1 point back.  The Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Colorado Rapids round out the playoffs in the West.

National Hockey League – The Phoenix Coyotes won their first division title since moving to Phoenix from Winnipeg, eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks to win their first playoff series, and then kept on rolling as they eliminated the Nashville Predators and found a local owner to save the team from imminent relocation.  However, they will face an extremely hot Los Angeles Kings team in the Western Conference Finals.  The Kings eliminated the President’s Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in five games and swept the second seed St. Louis Blues.  In the East, the New Jersey Devils eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in five games, but have yet to find out who they will be facing in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the first seed New York Rangers and seventh seed Washington Capitals play Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

National Basketball Association – The New Jersey Nets are no more, having officially relocated to Brooklyn as the Brooklyn Nets.  This is the first time Brooklyn has hosted a major league franchise since the Brooklyn Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles in after the 1957 season.  The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets play Game 7 Saturday, while the Memphis Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday to conclude the Conference Quarterfinals.  The San Antonio Spurs swept the Utah Jazz, and the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Dallas Mavericks.  The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks in five games, and the Indiana Pacers did the same against the Orlando Magic.  The Boston Celtics eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in six games and the Philadelphia 76ers eliminated the Rose-less Chicago Bulls in six.  LeBron James of the Miami Heat was officially named 2011-12 NBA MVP.

English Premier League – The English Premier League concludes Sunday morning, and both the championship and the last team relegated have yet to be determined.  Manchester City and Manchester United come into the final game of the season tied with 86 points, but City appears to hold an insurmountable tiebreaker advantage over United.  City hosts the Queens Park Rangers while United go to Sunderland.  The Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers have already been relegated.  The Bolton Wanderers sit just two points behind the Queens Park Rangers, who have to face Manchester City, as the hope to avoid being relegated out of the Premier League.

United Football League – Rumors have been circulating the the UFL plans to return for the 2012 season with five teams and no commissioner, but the league website has not been updated in months and the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League reported that the UFL had folded upon signing away one of the league’s star players.

National Lacrosse League – The NLL Divisional Finals will be hosted on Saturday on CBS Sports Network, with the Rochester Knighthawks at the Toronto Rock and the Edmonton Rush at the Minnesota Swarm.  The winner of each game will advance to the Champion’s Cup Final.

Arena Football League – Rumors are circulating the the defunct Dallas Desperados franchise could be revived in Nashville, former home of the Nashville Kats, for the 2013 season.  The Philadelphia Soul lead the American Conference East division with a 6-2 record, the Tampa Bay Storm lead the American Conference South division with a 5-3 record, the Chicago Rush lead the National Conference Central division with a 6-2 record, and the San Jose SaberCats lead the National Conference West division with a 7-2 record.

Women’s National Basketball Association – The WNBA pre-season is under way, and opening day is set for May 18th, as the Seattle Storm play host to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Major League Lacrosse – The 2012 MLL season has started, and the league is led by an early triumvirate of tied clubs, including the Boston Blazers, Denver Outlaws, and Chesapeake Bayhawks.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/12/national-sports-weekly-national-sports-coverage/

When it looked like it was all but certain that Chicago was going to take the series to seven games and play in front of their home crowd at least one last time, a costly play by CJ Watson sent the 76ers to the second round with their first playoff series win since 2003.

With less than ten seconds left on the clock, and the Bulls up by one, CJ Watson managed to dodge a foul and make it past the half court line and into the open court. All he had to do was dribble into the corner, wait to get fouled and take his free throws. He is afterall the best free throw shooter on the team besides Derrick Rose.

Instead, he opted to pass the ball to the team’s worst free throw shooter in Omer Asik. Omer, then got fouled. He got fouled real hard, around his neck. Some would argue it was a flagrant foul. Had that been called, the Bulls would have won the game right there. However, it was not called that way.

Asik on the season shot around 40% from the stripe. Add in the “game on the line” pressure that came with these two shots, and things weren’t looking good for him.

Now, if you were a betting man, and you would have placed a bet saying that Asik would miss both free throws, you would have made some money. In classic Omer Asik fashion, he missed both of his free throws.

The ball was rebounded and Andre Igoudala drove for the basket, only to be fouled by none other than Omer Asik with two seconds left on the clock. Igoudala, who was one of the league’s worst free throw shooters in the 4th quarter this season, nailed both of them.

With two seconds left and no timeouts left, the Bulls inbounded to CJ Watson who chucked up a desperation shot from half court, which nearly went in, but the 76ers left with a 79-78 victory.

And thus, the 2011-2012 Chicago Bulls season came to an end. And in a rare occurance, a number eight seed beat the top seed. If you even consider what the Bulls were playing with a top seed.

Technically, they were the best team in the regular season, but as we all saw, they aren’t the league’s best without Rose. And definitely not without Rose and Noah.

Luol Deng and Richard Hamilton both tried to keep their team in the game. Both scored 19 points and Deng chipped in 17 rebounds. Meanwhile, Gibson who was playing on a sprained ankle, finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Omer Asik finished the game with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

On the other end of the spectrum, Carlos Boozer only contributed 3 points while grabbing 13 boards. And, like all series, the guard play was poor. Aside from the costly play at the end of the game, Watson only scored 6 points with 10 assists. And John Lucas, who was benched because he wasn’t playing smart basketball, wound up with 7 points.

The 76ers, again, were held under 40% shooting. Their leading scorer, who was also the team hero, was Andre Igoudala. He had 20 points. Jrue Holliday and Lou Williams both had 14, and the most booed man to play in Chicago in the last year or two (that includes LBJ!), Evan Williams, had 10.

For the second game in a row, Spencer Hawes was kept in check and only wound up with 8 points, but he had 10 rebounds. Everyone else that played for the 76ers also scored under 10 points.

And as much as I hate to say it, this is my last game write up of the season. I’ll be writing about the Bulls as much as I can during the off-season, updating you with contract extensions, players being let go, trades, and everything else a Bulls fan would want to know.

Go Sox!

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/11/an-upsetting-end-to-a-season-full-of-upset/

It was a day where one run was all the Cubs needed to take the game and the three game series against the Braves.

Behind a dominating performance by pitcher Paul Maholm, the Cubs improved to 13-18 on the season with their 1-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.

As you can see by the score, today was a pitching mtachup.. The only run the Cubs scored today was off a 2-out rbi single by Brain LaHair. Man, has LaHair been a great story thus far in the 2012 season. LaHair continues to show that he’ll be an all-star come late June (where the roster is announced).

On another note, Starlin Castro almost had an inside-the-park home run today. However, he was thrown out easily at home. It was where Braves’ Jason Heyward dive for the ball, missed it and the ball went all the way to the ivy.

Also, Adrian Cardenas still does not have a major league hit. He’s 0-6 in his young career, Let’s wish him luck on getting a hit.

Tomorrow the Cubs are off, but will face the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/09/starting-pitching-is-a-beast-cubs-1-braves-0/

The Cubs took the series from the Atlanta Braves by a 1-0 score. The Cubs improve their record to 13-18. The record does not look great, but they have been playing way better as of late.

The Cubs starting pitching continues to be the bright spot to the team. Paul Maholm of whom pitched today was incredible. Maholm won his 4th consecutive game today. After a slow start, Maholm looks like he’s a great pitcher to have.

As you can see by the score, today was a pitching mtachup.. The only run the Cubs scored today was off a 2-out rbi single by Brain LaHair. Man, has LaHair been a great story thus far in the 2012 season. LaHair continues to show that he’ll be an all-star come late June (where the roster is announced).

On another note, Starlin Castro almost had an inside-the-park home run today. However, he was thrown out easily at home. It was where Braves’ Jason Heyward dive for the ball, missed it and the ball went all the way to the ivy.

Also, Adrian Cardenas still does not have a major league hit. He’s 0-6 in his young career, Let’s wish him luck on getting a hit.

Tomorrow the Cubs are off, but will face the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/09/starting-pitching-is-a-beast-cubs-1-braves-0/

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A health group is asking the U.S. government to yank a Gatorade ad that it says deceptively implies that basketball great Michael Jordan prevailed over the flu during a memorable 1997 game because he fueled with Gatorade.

The Public Health Advocacy Institute, a legal research center at the Northeastern University School of Law, said it was targeting the ad by Gatorade owner PepsiCo Inc because it encourages teens to engage in dangerous behavior.

“The Jordan Ad openly promotes engaging in vigorous physical activity while suffering from a very high fever, in Jordan’s case 103 degrees,” the institute said in a letter dated May 8 to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

“It is a generally recognized safety principle that teens and even professional athletes suffering from a severe fever and flu-like symptoms should not engage in vigorous physical activity.”

PepsiCo said it was aware of the letter but had no immediate comment. The FTC confirmed receipt of the letter, but said it had made no decision on whether to look into the matter.

Gatorade’s “Win From Within” commercial features footage from game 5 of the 1997 NBA finals when Michael Jordan scored 38 points while visibly ill and suffering from a fever.

It also includes a recent interview with former Chicago Bulls Coach Phil Jackson.

According to Gatorade’s description of the 30-second commercial on its website, “We see Jordan constantly hydrating with Gatorade and returning to the court as we hear Coach Jackson reveal how Jordan was able to persist – he had the will to win and the fuel to help him do it.”

PHAI in its letter said the ad sequences the footage to falsely enhance the role of Gatorade during the so-called “Flu Game.”

The beginning of the ad shows an ill Jordan, slumped over and clutching a cup of orange-colored liquid in a Gatorade cup. He drinks from a Gatorade cup four more times as play progresses, although the drink itself isn’t visible.

The archival footage that the group found never showed Jordan drinking orange-colored Gatorade but only water or other clear liquids.

The group further says that the shot of Jordan slumped over on the bench was near the end of the game after Jordan was done playing, rather than earlier in play as the ad implies.

PHAI is asking the FTC to investigate whether the color of the liquid in the cup featured at the beginning of the commercial was enhanced or altered.

It also said PepsiCo should be ordered to undertake corrective advertising consistent with government recommendation that people with the flu should stay home and not engage in vigorous physical activity.

“There is already enormous pressure on teen athletes to win at all costs by practicing during extreme heat and playing through injuries,” the group said.

(Editing by M.D. Golan)

Source: Reuters

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Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/05/09/health-group-upset-over-michael-jordan-flu-game-gatorade-ad/

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced on Tuesday that Mike Haviland has been fired as their assistant coach.

Haviland arrived in Chicago in 2005 where he spent 3 years with the AHL’s Rockford Icehogs as their head coach. In 2008, the Blackhawks hired him to be their assistant coach and he just finished his fourth season behind the bench after being let go today.

Head coach Joel Quenneville will address the media in a conference all at 6:00pm CT. His response will be added to this article as soon as it wraps up. Stay tuned.

UPDATED:

Joel Quenneville immediately dismissed any rumors that he’d be leaving to coach Montreal by saying, “First and foremost, I’m excited about being here in Chicago, love opportunity and organization, that’s something I want to put to bed now. I love everything about what we have here. Have 2 more years left.”