Sports Radio 1400 WSJM @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Tuesday, December 16, 2014
NFL – National Football League – Week 15
Yesterday
New Orleans Saints 31, Chicago Bears 15
Saints 31, Bears 15 – Saints beat Bears 31-15, grab South lead
Drew Brees threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns and the New Orleans Saints beat the Chicago Bears 31-15 on Monday night to grab the NFC South lead. The Saints (6-8) moved into first place ahead of Carolina (5-8-1) and Atlanta (5-9) and came away with the win after dropping four of five. They also rebounded from a 41-10 loss to the Panthers. Brees, shaky last week, was spectacular this time. He completed 29 of 36 passes and reached the 4,000-yard mark for the ninth straight year. He threw two touchdown passes to Josh Hill and another to Marques Colston. Pierre Thomas had five catches for 83 yards. David Hawthorne had three of New Orleans’ seven sacks and the Saints intercepted three of Jay Cutler’s passes to bring his NFL-leading turnover total to 24. The Bears dropped to 5-9.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Atlanta Hawks 93, Chicago Bulls 86
Los Angeles Clippers 113, Detroit Pistons 91
Hawks 93, Bulls 86 – Horford scores 21, leads Hawks past Bulls 93-86
Al Horford scored 21 points, including a huge jumper with just under a minute remaining, and the streaking Atlanta Hawks won for the 10th time in 11 games with a 93-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. The Hawks led most of the way, but never by more than 10 points. After Taj Gibson’s dunk with 1:13 remaining brought the Bulls to 87-84, Horford got loose for a 19-footer on the wing and knocked it down. Pau Gasol followed his own miss to make it 89-86 with 23.7 seconds left, giving the Bulls one more chance. But the Hawks grabbed possession on a jump ball and sealed the victory at the foul line, ending Chicago’s three-game winning streak. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 22 points.
Clippers 113, Pistons 91 – Griffin, Jordan lead Clippers over Pistons 113-91
Blake Griffin scored 18 points, DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers breezed to a 113-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Chris Paul had 11 points and eight assists. He committed one turnover in 24 minutes, after getting six in each of his previous two games. Paul finished last season with a league-best 4.57 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jodie Meeks had 20 points for Detroit. J.J. Redick scored 14 points, and his streak of 29 games with a 3-pointer ended one game shy of teammate Matt Barnes’ franchise record. Jodie Meeks had 20 points and Andre Drummond had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, who were coming off road wins against Phoenix and Sacramento after losing 13 straight.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Columbus Blue Jackets at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
NHL – Oilers dump coach
Dallas Eakins has been fired as coach of the Edmonton Oilers. The move isn’t much of a shock as the Oilers have lost 15 of 16 games and are well on the way to missing the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. According to reports, general manager Craig MacTavish will coach the team for the rest of the year. At the time of the firing Edmonton had 19 points through 31 games, good for last in the Western Conference. In parts of two seasons the Oilers went 36-63-14 under Eakins. Eakins played for eight NHL teams from 1988-2004, he also played for the Chicago Wolves in both the International and American Hockey Leagues, winning a championship in both leagues. The Oilers have promoted Todd Nelson, who was the coach for their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City as Head Coach..
NCAA Basketball – Women’s
Today
Delaware at Central Michigan, 12:00 p.m.
Alcorn State at (18) Michigan State, 7:00 p.m.
NCAA Football – Miles informs LSU athletics staff he’s not leaving
Les Miles has informed LSU athletic officials that he has not been contacted by Michigan about the Wolverines’ coaching vacancy and has no intention of leaving the Tigers. LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette says Miles sought to make his status with LSU clear Monday following reports by news outlets in Michigan, citing unidentified sources, that Miles had been contacted by Michigan. Miles is in his 10th season at LSU, a span that included the Tigers’ 2007 national title and 2011 Southeastern Conference championship. He is paid about $4.3 million annually and his two top assistants each are paid more than $1 million.Miles played at Michigan and was a Wolverines assistant coach under the late Bo Schembelcher, but has remained at LSU through the past two Michigan coaching vacancies.
NCAA Football – Kelly says Notre Dame will use 2 QBs against LSU
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says Everett Golson and Malik Zaire will share quarterback duties against No. 22 LSU in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Golson started all 12 games for the Irish (7-5), but has thrown 14 interceptions and fumbled the ball away eight times. He was replaced by Zaire, a sophomore, late in the first half in the regular-season finale against USC with Notre Dame down 35-0. Zaire led the Irish on a pair of scoring drives in 49-14 loss, completing nine of 20 passes for 170 yards. Kelly said Monday evening he believes both can help the Irish win against LSU. Kelly says Golson has more experience and is the better passer, but Zaire is better with the read-option.
MLB – AP source: White Sox reach $42M deal with Cabrera
The White Sox finalized a $42 million, three-year contract with free agent Melky Cabrera. The 30-year-old left fielder hit .301 with 16 homers and 73 RBIs in 139 games with Toronto last season.
MLB – AP source: Cubs, Motte agree to 1-year deal
A person with direct knowledge of the deal says veteran reliever Jason Motte (maht) has agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. He went 1-0 with a 4.68 ERA in 29 games with the Cardinals after recovering from ligament replacement surgery.
MLB – Lester hopes to end Cubs’ century-plus drought
Jon Lester says he believes in the Chicago Cubs’ plan and is ready to try to help bring them their first championship since 1908. Lester says “we fully buy in.” A three-time All-Star who won two World Series with Boston, he was introduced at a news conference on Monday and presented Kerry Wood’s old No. 34. Lester agreed to a $155 million, six-year contract with the Cubs at the winter meetings last week that set baseball records for largest signing bonus and biggest upfront payment. Chicago President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein says this “really marks the start of a transition for the Cubs.”
MLB – Officials to consider plans for Tiger Stadium site
The Detroit Economic Development Corp. is expected to consider redevelopment plans for the old Tiger Stadium site. A meeting is scheduled Tuesday morning. The Economic Development Corp. said no announcements would be made before the meeting. It was not clear Monday night if the redevelopment plans were connected to a preliminary agreement approved in July that would allow part of the site to be used for a new Detroit Police Athletic League headquarters and a youth baseball field. Tiger Stadium opened in 1912 as Navin Field. The Tigers left for Comerica Park after the 1999 season. The last portion of the stadium was demolished in 2009, but people still use the field.
ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Today
Greenville Road Warriors at Toledo Walleye, 10:35 a.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball
Lake Michigan Catholic 73, Countryside Academy 48
Lake Michigan Catholic 73, Countryside 48 – LMC pulls away to beat Countryside
Lake Michigan Catholic posted a 73-48 win over Countryside Academy. Leading by five after the first quarter, Catholic steadily pulled away from there. Four Lakers scored in double figures, led by Danny McEachen’s (mac-EECH-en’s) 17 points. Jermaine Boxx scored 18 for the Cougars.
Other scores
Brandywine 63, River Valley 30
Kalamazoo Home School 68, Centreville 36
Battle Creek Central 73, Battle Creek Harper Creek 61
Girls Basketball
Lake Michigan Catholic 60, Countryside Academy 10
Tonight
Boys Basketball
SMAC
Benton Harbor at Gull Lake Sports Radio 1400 WSJM
Lakeshore at Battle Creek Central
St. Joseph at Kalamazoo Central
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Niles
Portage Northern at Battle Creek Lakeview
Mattawan at Portage Central
WOLVERINE
Plainwell at South Haven Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM
Sturgis at Berrien Springs
Allegan at Coloma
Three Rivers at Dowagiac
Vicksburg at Edwardsburg
Otsego at Paw Paw
SAC (boys games first, 5:30)
Watervliet at Saugatuck
Lawton at Bangor
Decatur at Bloomingdale
Hartford at Fennville
Lawrence at Gobles
Marcellus at Martin
BCS
Cassopolis at Bridgman
Howardsville Christian at Mendon
Colon at White Pigeon
RED ARROW
Dream Academy at Eau Claire
Girls Basketball
SMAC
Gull Lake at Benton Harbor
Battle Creek Central at Lakeshore
Kalamazoo Central at St. Joseph
Niles at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Battle Creek Lakeview at Portage Northern
Portage Central at Mattawan
WOLVERINE
South Haven at Plainwell
Berrien Springs at Sturgis
Coloma at Allegan
Dowagiac at Three Rivers
Edwardsburg at Vicksburg
Paw Paw at Otsego
SAC (girls games second, 7:00)
Watervliet at Saugatuck
Lawton at Bangor
Decatur at Bloomingdale
Hartford at Fennville
Lawrence at Gobles
Marcellus at Martin
BCS
Cassopolis at Brandywine
New Buffalo at Westville (IN)
