SPORTS
Page B2 • Friday, July 19, 2013
8SPORTS SHORTS NIU football women’s clinic set for Wednesday The Northern Illinois Football 101 Women’s Clinic will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Yordon Center and Huskie Stadium. The event will include a tour of the Yordon Center facilities, weight room demonstrations, a Q&A with NIU football players, football signals review with certified officials and on-field stations. NIU coach Rod Carey and Huskies players will lead the demonstrations. Registration is $60 a person and walk-ups are accepted. Participants receive a football playbook, surprise gift and two tickets to the Huskies’ home opener Sept. 21 against Eastern Illinois. For more information, contact the Huskie Athletic Support Fund office at 815-753-1923.
Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com
CHICAGO BASEBALL
MLB
Still some reasons to watch As the baseball season resumes today after the All-Star break, the Cubs and White Sox are staring down losing seasons with both teams hoping to avoid 100 losses. For the Sox, going 26-44 in
ANALYSIS Meghan Montemurro their final 70 games would stave off their first 100-loss
season since 1970, while a 2148 finish for the Cubs would prevent consecutive years with 100 losses. Understandably, there isn’t much to look forward to these final months, but there are a few intriguing storylines for each team.
Athletic physicals offered at DeKalb High School DeKalb High School will be partnering with Midwest Orthopedic Institute by offering athletic physicals for all students entering sixth through 12th grades. The physicals will take place in the high school’s athletic wing from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. The cost will be $25. Credit cards will be accepted and checks may be made out to Midwest Orthopedic Institute.
Mandatory meeting for DeKalb freshman athletes DeKalb High School will hold a mandatory meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the auditorium for all freshman fall athletes and their parents, along with any parents and athletes who did not attend a mandatory sports meeting during the 2012-13 school year. After the parent/athlete meeting, sport-specific meetings will be held with each coaching staff for cross country, football, golf, boys soccer, girls swimming, girls tennis, volleyball, cheerleading and poms.
Wrigley renovation plan clears another hurdle CHICAGO – The Cubs’ planned $500 million renovation of Wrigley Field has won the approval of another city commission – all but assuring the project will go forward. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday approved the proposal to renovate Wrigley and develop nearby property. The plan includes putting an electronic Jumbotron above the ivy-covered outfield walls of the 99-year-old ballpark.
Indiana boy dies after baseball hits head, neck INDIANAPOLIS – An 8-year-old eastern Indiana boy has died after a baseball hit him in the head and neck. The Marion County Coroner’s Office said Dylan Williams died of blunt force trauma Wednesday, one day after suffering the injury in Union City, about 75 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Coroner’s office manager Marchele Hall told The Indianapolis Star an autopsy Thursday showed the injury occurred on the right side of the boy’s head and neck. – Staff, wire reports
Central Division W L Pct Detroit 52 42 .553 Cleveland 51 44 .537 Kansas City 43 49 .467 Minnesota 39 53 .424 White Sox 37 55 .402 East Division W L Pct Boston 58 39 .598 Tampa Bay 55 41 .573 Baltimore 53 43 .552 New York 51 44 .537 Toronto 45 49 .479 West Division W L Pct Oakland 56 39 .589 Texas 54 41 .568 Los Angeles 44 49 .473 Seattle 43 52 .453 Houston 33 61 .351
GB — 1½ 8 12 14 GB — 2½ 4½ 6 11½ GB — 2 11 13 22½
Today’s Games Atlanta (Hudson 6-7) at White Sox (Joh.Danks 2-6), 7:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (Price 3-5) at Toronto (Rogers 3-4), 6:07 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Pettitte 7-6) at Boston (Doubront 6-3), 6:10 p.m. Baltimore (W.Chen 4-3) at Texas (D.Holland 8-4), 7:05 p.m. Cleveland (Kazmir 5-4) at Minnesota (Pelfrey 4-7), 7:10 p.m. Detroit (Ani.Sanchez 7-6) at Kansas City (E.Santana 5-6), 7:10 p.m. Seattle (J.Saunders 8-8) at Houston (B.Norris 6-8), 7:10 p.m. Oakland (Griffin 8-6) at L.A. Angels (Weaver 3-5), 9:05 p.m. Saturday’s Games Atlanta at White Sox, 3:05 p.m. Tampa Bay at Toronto, 12:07 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Boston, 3:05 p.m. Cleveland at Minnesota, 6:10 p.m. Detroit at Kansas City, 6:10 p.m. Seattle at Houston, 6:10 p.m. Baltimore at Texas, 7:05 p.m. Oakland at L.A. Angels, 8:05 p.m.
DeKalb’s Peabody earns Official of the Year honor DeKalb cheer coach Tricia Peabody has been honored as the IHSA Official of the Year for cheerleading. Peabody was one of 19 officials chosen for the award during the 2012-13 school year and will be honored during a ceremony at the 14th annual IHSA Officials Conference this weekend in Peoria. The 2013 IHSA Officials Conference culminates with a reception and awards program Saturday. The honorees include officials who reached milestone years of service (15 years, 25, 30, 40, 50) and the IHSA Officials of the Year.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
NATIONAL LEAGUE Central Division W L Pct 56 36 .609 56 37 .602 53 42 .558 42 50 .457 38 56 .404 East Division W L Pct Atlanta 54 41 .568 Washington 48 47 .505 Philadelphia 48 48 .500 New York 41 50 .451 Miami 35 58 .376 West Division W L Pct Arizona 50 45 .526 Los Angeles 47 47 .500 Colorado 46 50 .479 San Francisco 43 51 .457 San Diego 42 54 .438 St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati Cubs Milwaukee
AP file photos
The Sox need to determine whether Josh Phegley (left), 25, can be their catcher of the future. Otherwise, they have a considerable hole to fill in the offseason. Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro (right), coming off back-to-back All-Star appearances, is hitting a career-worst .243 with a .280 on-base percentage, six home runs and only 29 RBIs and will look to turn those numbers around in the second half of the season.
WHITE SOX Phegley phenomenon: Catcher Josh Phegley made his major league debut July 5 at Tampa Bay and has since energized the Sox. Although he’s cooled off at the plate, batting .241 in eight games, Phegley has shown off his power, hitting three home runs with nine RBIs. Manager Robin Ventura has said Phegley and Tyler Flowers will split time evenly behind the plate, but Phegley’s performance is pushing that to change. Flowers, 27, hasn’t proved he’s capable of being the Sox’s everyday catcher, posting a .205 batting average and .255 on-base percentage in 69 games. The Sox need to determine whether Phegley, 25, can be their catcher of the future. Otherwise, they have a considerable hole to fill in the offseason. Who stays, who goes: The Sox need to replenish a farm system seriously lacking impact talent, and general manager Rick Hahn will have tough decisions to make as to whom they should trade to bring back talent. With reliever Matt Thornton already dealt to Boston, the Sox need reliever Jesse Crain and starting pitcher Jake Peavy to come off the disabled list and prove they are healthy before the July 31 trade deadline. If Crain and Peavy are traded along with outfielder Alex Rios, a bad
CUBS Next vs. Atlanta, 7:10 p.m. today, CSN, AM-670
Sox team will get worse. With a roster already littered with Triple-A Charlotte players, the final two-plus months of the season will be tough to watch.
Young players on display: It’s not all gloom and doom for the Sox. Second baseman Gordon Beckham, who was part of trade speculation during the offseason, has thrived since coming off the DL after breaking his wrist. Beckham leads the Sox, hitting .335 with only 26 strikeouts in 44 games while keeping his defense at a Gold Glove level. Lefty Chris Sale remains one of the best starting pitchers in the majors in spite of a 6-8 record. Sale has no-hit potential every time he takes the mound, and he alone is worth watching the Sox. Even though the Sox won’t sniff the playoffs, Beckham and Sale in particular are putting together encouraging seasons.
• Meghan Montemurro covers the White Sox for Shaw Media. Write to her at mmontemurro@shawmedia. com. Read the Sox Insider and blog at NWHerald.com and on Twitter @Sox_Insider.
Roster moves galore: With the Cubs ready to sell most assets for a team’s best offer, they will look noticeably different come September. Pitchers Matt Garza and Kevin Gregg are likely gone, and lefty James Russell could join them. Outfielder Nate Schierholtz has impressed and should be traded as well. Those departures, plus expanded rosters in September, will create plenty of spots for minor leaguers. Third baseman/outfielder Junior Lake will get the first shot to prove himself, given all the outfield injuries (Brian Bogusevic, David DeJesus and Ryan Sweeney all are sidelined). Lake, 23, hit .295 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 40 games at Triple-A Iowa. Iowa teammates Logan Watkins and pitchers Brooks Raley and Chris Rusin could join the Cubs at some point. Influence on playoff race: Although the Cubs are an extreme long shot to make the playoffs – trailing the NL Central-leading Cardinals by 15 games – they still will have an influence on the playoff race. The Cubs play divison foes Cardinals, Pirates and Reds, owners of three of the top four records in the NL, a combined 22 times in the second half. The Cubs also have 14 games left against the top three teams in the NL West (Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Rockies, separated by 4½ games). Playing spoiler is
Next at Colorado, 7:40 p.m. today, WGN, AM-720 never ideal, but the Cubs have an opportunity to ruin a few teams’ playoff aspirations.
Core needs strong finish: Shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo haven’t impressed since each signed seven-year contracts worth a combined $101 million. It’s too early to be overly concerned by their first-half output, but Castro and Rizzo certainly didn’t perform offensively as well as the Cubs expected. Coming off back-toback All-Star appearances, Castro is hitting a career-worst .243 with a .280 on-base percentage, six home runs and only 29 RBIs. Rizzo isn’t faring much better, batting .241 with a .328 on-base percentage, although he has hit for power, with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs, which is similar production to last year. Castro and Rizzo need to use these final 69 games to get back on track, otherwise it’ll be a long offseason for the youngsters.
• Meghan Montemurro covers the Cubs for Shaw Media. Write to her at mmontemurro@shawmedia.com. Read the Inside the Cubs blog at NWHerald.com and on Twitter @InsideTheCubs.
WNBA ALL-STAR GAME
Delle Donne top vote-getter for All-Star team Sky 75, Liberty 55
By DOUG FEINBERG
NEWARK, N.J. – The culture is changing around the Sky, and rookie Elena Delle Donne is a big reason why. Delle Donne scored 23 points and the Sky routed the New York Liberty, 75-55, in a matinee game Thursday. She’s leading the team in scoring, averaging 19 points, and has helped the Sky take over sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference. It’s the latest in the season that the Sky (11-4) have been in first since the team came into the WNBA in 2006. The Sky still are looking for their first trip to the postseason after missing by one game last year. – The Associated Press
NEW YORK – Elena Delle Donne already is leaving her mark in the WNBA. The Sky star became the first rookie to lead the league’s AllStar voting when the starters were announced Thursday night. Delle Donne received 35,646 votes, nearly 2,000 more than Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker. “I’m speechless about it, it’s incredible to come in as a rookie and know I have that many fans is so humbling and awesome,” said Delle Donne after her team beat the New York Liberty, 7555, in a matinee game Thursday. “I’ll try to continue to do them proud.” The Sky first-year player, who was the No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft in April, will be joined on the Eastern Confer-
The Associated Press
AP file photo
Sky star Elena Delle Donne (right) became the first rookie to lead the WNBA’s All-Star voting when the starters were announced Thursday. ence squad by teammate Epiphanny Prince. “I think I’m most happy that I get to start with Piph,” said Delle Donne, who is averaging 19 points a game this season. “That
gives me some comfort that Piph’s out there with me.” Prince is playing in her second All-Star game, but was honored to be voted in this year by the fans after being chosen by the coaches in 2011. “It’s very humbling to me because there are a lot of great players out there,” Prince said. “For me it isn’t the first time, but it’s the first time the fans voted for me and I appreciate it.” The other Eastern Conference starters are New York’s Cappie Pondexter, Atlanta’s Angel McCoughtry and Indiana’s Tamika Catchings, who will be playing in her eighth All-Star game. “It’s going to be extremely exciting to have some of those girls on my team now and also to continue to play against the best in the league,” Delle Donne said. “It should be a really good time and I will have a lot of fun with it and really enjoy myself.”
GB — ½ 4½ 14 19 GB — 6 6½ 11 18 GB — 2½ 4½ 6½ 8½
Today’s games Atlanta (Hudson 6-7) at White Sox (Joh.Danks 2-6), 7:10 p.m. Cubs (Samardzija 5-9) at Colorado (J.De La Rosa 9-5), 7:40 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Nolasco 6-9) at Washington (Strasburg 5-7), 6:05 p.m. Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 8-6) at N.Y. Mets (Hefner 4-6), 6:10 p.m. Pittsburgh (Liriano 9-3) at Cincinnati (Leake 8-4), 6:10 p.m. Miami (Ja.Turner 3-1) at Milwaukee (Lohse 5-7), 7:10 p.m. San Diego (Marquis 9-4) at St. Louis (Westbrook 5-4), 7:15 p.m. Arizona (Kennedy 3-6) at San Francisco (Gaudin 3-1), 9:15 p.m. Saturday’s Games Atlanta at White Sox, 3:05 p.m. Cubs at Colorado, 7:10 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Mets, 12:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 3:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at Washington, 6:05 p.m. Miami at Milwaukee, 6:10 p.m. San Diego at St. Louis, 6:15 p.m. Arizona at San Francisco, 8:05 p.m.
BRITISH OPEN Thursday at Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland Purse: $7.8 million Yardage: 7,192; Par: 71 First Round Zach Johnson 31-35—66 -5 Rafael Cabrera-Bello 34-33—67 -4 Mark O’Meara 31-36—67 -4 Miguel Angel Jimenez 31-37—68 -3 Dustin Johnson 32-36—68 -3 Brandt Snedeker 36-32—68 -3 Tom Lehman 35-33—68 -3 Shiv Kapur 30-38—68 -3 Todd Hamilton 36-33—69 -2 Phil Mickelson 35-34—69 -2 Angel Cabrera 34-35—69 -2 Jordan Spieth 35-34—69 -2 Tiger Woods 37-32—69 -2 Francesco Molinari 36-33—69 -2 Oliver Fisher 34-36—70 -1 Bubba Watson 36-34—70 -1 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 37-33—70 -1 Ken Duke 36-34—70 -1 Martin Laird 33-37—70 -1 Henrik Stenson 36-34—70 -1 Thomas Aiken 35-36—71 E Bernd Wiesberger 35-36—71 E Hideki Matsuyama 36-35—71 E a-Jimmy Mullen 34-37—71 E Gareth Wright 36-35—71 E Adam Scott 36-35—71 E Kiradech Aphibarnrat 35-37—72 +1 Mikko Ilonen 35-37—72 +1 Stewart Cink 34-38—72 +1 Jimmy Walker 34-38—72 +1 Jonas Blixt 36-36—72 +1 Marc Warren 36-36—72 +1 Martin Kaymer 35-37—72 +1 Jason Dufner 36-36—72 +1 Ian Poulter 34-38—72 +1 Tim Clark 38-34—72 +1 Camilo Villegas 36-36—72 +1 Mark Calcavecchia 39-33—72 +1 Josh Teater 36-36—72 +1 Steven Tiley 34-38—72 +1 Freddie Jacobson 36-36—72 +1 Michael Thompson 35-37—72 +1 Darren Clarke 36-36—72 +1 Ryan Moore 34-38—72 +1 Lee Westwood 36-36—72 +1 Hunter Mahan 35-37—72 +1 Richard McEvoy 36-37—73 +2 Jason Day 36-37—73 +2 Shingo Kayatama 35-38—73 +2 Thomas Bjorn 37-36—73 +2 K.T. Kim 35-38—73 +2 Johnson Wagner 38-35—73 +2 Marcus Fraser 37-36—73 +2 a-Grant Forrest 37-36—73 +2 a-Matthew Fitzpatrick 34-39—73 +2 Padraig Harrington 35-38—73 +2 Webb Simpson 36-37—73 +2 Eduardo de la Riva 40-33—73 +2 Peter Senior 37-37—74 +3 Bud Cauley 38-36—74 +3 Ben Curtis 35-39—74 +3 Shane Lowry 36-38—74 +3 Carl Pettersson 37-37—74 +3 Ernie Els 37-37—74 +3 Billy Horschel 37-37—74 +3 Scott Piercy 36-38—74 +3 Kevin Streelman 37-37—74 +3 John Huh 37-37—74 +3 John Wade 38-36—74 +3 Oscar Floren 36-38—74 +3 Boo Weekley 39-35—74 +3 Justin Leonard 37-37—74 +3 Harris English 37-37—74 +3 Matt Kuchar 39-35—74 +3 Branden Grace 38-36—74 +3 Jamie Donaldson 36-38—74 +3 Chris Wood 38-37—75 +4 Nicolas Colsaerts 36-39—75 +4 Tom Watson 38-37—75 +4 Fred Couples 38-37—75 +4 Justin Rose 38-37—75 +4 Keegan Bradley 37-38—75 +4 Richard Sterne 37-38—75 +4 Nick Watney 34-41—75 +4 Estanislao Goya 36-39—75 +4 Daniel Willett 36-39—75 +4 Geoff Ogilvy 38-37—75 +4 Charl Schwartzel 36-39—75 +4 Sergio Garcia 36-39—75 +4 Graeme McDowell 37-38—75 +4 Marcel Siem 38-37—75 +4 a-Ben Stow 39-37—76 +5 Brooks Koepka 38-38—76 +5 Ashun Wu 36-40—76 +5 David Duval 40-36—76 +5 Scott Stallings 38-38—76 +5 K.J. Choi 38-38—76 +5