Times wires
Friday, July 13, 2012
Rockies 6, Phillies 2
DENVER — Christian Friedrich pitched six strong innings, Josh Rutledge had two hits and two RBIs in his major-league debut and the Rockies sent the Phillies to their fifth straight loss. Cliff Lee, who got his only win this season in his previous start, allowed three runs as Philadelphia fell to 4-11 in his starts this year after going 22-10 in his 32 starts a year ago.
Times staff
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Baseball
Indians at Rays, 7 p.m., Sun Sports; 620-AM
Nationals at Marlins, 7 p.m., FSN
Angels at Tigers, 7 p.m., ESPN
Basketball
Exhibition: U.S. women's Olympic team vs. Brazil, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
Exhibition: U.S. men's Olympic team vs. Brazil, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Tour de France
Stage 15, 8 a.m., NBCSN
TV: NBCSN: NBC Sports Network
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Brewers 10, Pirates 7
MILWAUKEE — Cody Ransom hit his first career grand slam with two outs in the eighth, and Ryan Braun hit two homers as the Brewers improved to 40-6 against the Pirates at Miller Park since 2007. Ransom's shot was the team's fourth slam this year.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Giants 5, Astros 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey hit a towering two-run homer in the first inning and Madison Bumgarner had a strong effort for the Giants. After losing five games in a six-game road trip to conclude the first half of the season, the Giants jumped to an early lead when Posey drilled a 448-foot shot to center that also scored Ryan Theriot. Bumgarner struck out five and gave up two hits in seven innings.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Dodgers 2, Padres 1
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw pitched in and out of trouble for six innings, batterymate Mark Ellis hit his third homer of the season, and the Dodgers celebrated the return of Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp to the lineup. Kemp was 2-for-4 with a double after missing 51 games with a hamstring strain. Ethier, sidelined since June 28 because of an oblique strain, was 0-for-2 and got hit by a pitch.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Rangers 3, Mariners 2
SEATTLE — Derek Holland, in his second start since coming off the disabled list, pitched 72/3 dominant innings for the Rangers. He allowed four hits, two walks and struck out four while throwing 106 pitches. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth off Kevin Millwood and extended it to 3-0 in the sixth on a Josh Hamilton single and Adrian Beltre's 16th homer.
Times staff
Saturday, July 14, 2012
This week on TV
Today
1: Angels at Yankees, TBS
1: Nationals at Marlins, FSN
1:30: Red Sox at Rays, Sun Sports
2:15: Diamondbacks at Cubs, WGN
8: Cardinals at Reds, ESPN
Monday
7: Angels at Tigers, ESPN
7: Indians at Rays, Sun Sports
7: Nationals at Marlins, FSN
Tuesday
7: Indians at Rays, Sun Sports
7: Giants at Braves, MLB
8: Marlins at Cubs, FSN
Wednesday
3: Phillies at Dodgers, MLB
7: Mets at Nationals, ESPN
7: Indians at Rays, Sun Sports
8: Marlins at Cubs, FSN, WGN
Thursday
Noon: Indians at Rays, Sun Sports
2: Marlins at Cubs, FSN
7: White Sox at Red Sox, WGN
Friday
7: Mariners at Rays, Sun Sports
7: Marlins at Pirates, FSN
8: Cubs at Cardinals, WGN
Saturday
4: Rangers at Angels, Ch. 13
7: Marlins at Pirates, FSN
7: Mariners at Rays, Sun Sports
Sunday
1: Marlins at Pirates, FSN
1:30: Mariners at Rays, Sun Sports
2: Cubs at Cardinals, WGN
8: Rangers at Angels, ESPN
By Pat Damico, Times Correspondent
Saturday, July 14, 2012
What's hot: When hot-weather fly fishing, start your day two or three hours before sunup. Lighted bridges, marinas and docks are magnets for anything that feeds on shrimp, crabs and baitfish. Underwater lights and lights close to the water draw plankton, which attracts baitfish and, in turn, predators. Pick an area with good current flow. Locations close to gulf passes are ideal. Multiple lighted docks in a small area mean you will be fishing more than running in the dark to another destination. We frequently use only a bow-mounted electric motor to move to nearby docks while the one we fish with needs a rest. Returning in 15-20 minutes allows time for feeding activity to resume. Visit your chosen nighttime destination during the day to familiarize yourself with navigation and casting hazards.
Tips: Trout, reds and snook are your primary targets. White is the color of choice for flies that imitate baitfish. Choose patterns that duplicate the size of bait visible in lighted areas. Using 8- or 9-weight rods with weight-forward floating lines and 9-foot leaders that have a 20-pound tippet and 30-pound shock tippet prevents cutoffs and abrasion from snook. Smaller tarpon will take your offering. After setting the hook, remember to move the rod toward the fish when it jumps to prevent line breakage.
Technique: At sunup, head to the gulf beaches or islands to wade for protected snook. Remember to walk the sand and look in the trough close to you for linesiders.
Fly fisherman Pat Damico charters lower Tampa Bay and can be reached at captpat.com and (727) 504-8649.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Blue Jays 11, Indians 9
TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion hit two home runs and the Blue Jays had six extra-base hits in an eight-run third. Aaron Laffey got his first win since Sept. 17, 2011. The Indians' Ubaldo Jimenez matched a career high by giving up eight earned runs and had his shortest start of the season, 2⅓ innings.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Cubs 4, D'backs 1
CHICAGO — Ryan Dempster tied the Cubs' record of a 33 straight scoreless innings (more on 4C) and Darwin Barney hit an RBI double for the Cubs, who have won 11 of their past 15. Closer Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless ninth, when the first two got on then Reed Johnson made a running catch against the ivy in right, and pinch-hitter Jason Kubel hit into a double play.
Times staff
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Bucs training camp
When: Rookies report Thursday, full squad July 26
Where: One Buc Place, Tampa
Public workouts
For information on attending, see Buccaneers.com:
July 27: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
July 28: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
July 29: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 1: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 3: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 4: 6:30 to 9 p.m. *
Aug. 6: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 7: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Aug. 12: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m.
* Intrasquad scrimmage at Raymond James Stadium; free parking, autograph sessions, $1 hot dogs and soft drinks, and fireworks
Preseason schedule
Aug. 10: at Dolphins, 7:30, Ch. 10
Aug. 17: Titans, 7:30, Ch. 10 *
Aug. 24: Patriots, 7:30, Ch. 10 *
Aug. 29: at Redskins, 7:30, Ch. 10
* Subject to blackout
NFL report dates
Team Site Rookies Full squad
NFC
Arizona Flagstaff, Ariz. July 23 July 23
Atlanta Flowery Branch, Ga. July 25 July 25
Carolina Spartanburg, S.C. Monday July 27
Chicago Bourbonnais, Ill. July 25 July 25
Dallas Oxnard, Calif. July 25 July 29
Detroit Allen Park, Mich. July 23 July 26
Green Bay Green Bay, Wis. July 25 July 25
Minnesota Mankato, Minn. July 26 July 26
New Orleans Metairie, La. July 24 July 24
New York Albany, N.Y. July 26 July 26
Philadelphia Bethlehem, Pa. July 22 July 25
St. Louis Earth City, Mo. July 24 July 28
San Francisco Santa Clara, Calif. Saturday July 26
Seattle Renton, Wash. July 27 July 27
Washington Ashburn, Va. Monday July 25
Team Site Rookies Full squad
AFC
Baltimore Owings Mills, Md. July 22 July 25
Buffalo Pittsford, N.Y. July 9 July 25
Cincinnati Cincinnati July 26 July 26
Cleveland Berea, Ohio July 24 July 26
Denver Englewood, Colo. July 25 July 25
Houston Houston July 22 July 27
Indianapolis Anderson, Ind. July 25 July 28
Jacksonville Jacksonville July 26 July 26
Kansas City St. Joseph, Mo. July 26 July 26
Miami Davie July 26 July 26
New England Foxborough, Mass. Thursday July 25
New York Cortland, N.Y. July 23 July 26
Oakland Napa, Calif. July 29 July 29
Pittsburgh Latrobe, Pa. July 25 July 25
San Diego San Diego July 22 July 25
Tennessee Nashville July 24 July 27
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Third baseman Evan Longoria insists he is more frustrated than anyone else over the uncertainty of his return to the Rays from a left hamstring injury that won't quite heal. Even worse when he sees some of the reaction to his extended absence.
"It's been, mentally, really, really tough to go through," he said. "It's tough to look at my Twitter every day and see people say that I'm not the kind of competitor, the kind of player that they thought. So that (stinks)."
But as Longoria works on strengthening the tricky hamstring — and pondering the intriguing possibility, since fielding seems to be the biggest issue, of returning as a DH — an entire organization waits, its future somewhat in the balance.
"Believe me," he said, "I feel the weight of that."
With the July 31 deadline for nonwaiver trades looming, executive vice president Andrew Friedman candidly acknowledges, "getting some clarity on the situation with Evan will help us determining kind of which way to go."
Obviously, having Longoria back in the lineup soon is their best solution: They were 15-8 and averaging 4.61 runs a game with him, and are 30-34 and averaging 4.03 without (through Friday). Plus, they were held to one or no runs only once with him (and won that game), and nine times in the 64 without.
If they feel he won't be back soon, the options aren't as appealing.
Weigh how much to invest in finding an upgraded replacement, be it another castoff (following Drew Sutton and Brooks Conrad), a player with future value with either options or positional flexibility, or (least likely) a frontliner as a two-month rental.
Or give up on this season and look to the future, trading away potential free agents such as Carlos Peña, Luke Scott, B.J. Upton, Jeff Keppinger, Jose Molina, Joel Peralta and others.
How Longoria feels over the next weeks will have a lot to do with how the Rays are feeling in September, and October.
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 14, 2012
tom jones' two cents
We're halfway through the summer, halfway through the year and halfway through golf's majors. With that in mind, as well as the Open Championship being held this week, it's a perfect time to take stock. Here's a look back at the first half of the PGA season, as well as a Two Cents look at this week's Open Championship.
Who has been the PGA Tour's biggest surprise?
Jason Dufner
Dufner spent a good chunk of the last decade on the Nationwide Tour, then came into the spotlight in August when he held a five-shot lead with only four holes to play in the PGA Championship before losing to Keegan Bradley in the playoff.
Overall in 2011, Dufner missed eight cuts in 23 PGA tournaments. But this year he has missed only one and, best of all, has two victories — the first two of his career. Both have come in his past five tournaments, which also includes a runnerup finish and a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Open.
Who has been golf's most disappointing in 2012?
Rory McIlroy
Have early success and the bright lights of celebrity gone straight to the head of the 23-year-old Irishman?
At the 2011 Masters, McIlroy took a four-shot lead into the final day of the Masters before blowing up on Sunday. But then at the U.S. Open, he shot 16 under (a U.S. Open record) and won by a stunning eight strokes. He was the No. 1 player in the world and seemed poised to go on a major run.
But this year has been a bummer, at least of late. McIlroy won the Honda Classic in March and is eighth in the FedEx standings. He was even No. 1 early this year. But then he tied for 40th at the Masters and missed the cut at the U.S. Open. In fact, in his past four events in the United States, McIlroy has missed three cuts, including the Players Championship.
And don't expect him to turn it around this week if the weather is rough. Even though he's from Northern Ireland, McIlroy insists he doesn't like damp, windy weather and that he'd much rather play when it's sunny, 80 degrees and barely a breeze. Sorry, but the British Open doesn't often do a lot of sunny, 80 degrees and barely a breeze.
Who has been the PGA's best rookie?
John Huh
It has been a strong rookie class. There are 25 rookies on Tour, not counting Joe Affrunti, who has been out since April with shoulder surgery. Two have already won. Ted Potter won last week in West Virginia, and John Huh won in February in Mexico. Seung-yul Noh has made a rookie-best 10 cuts in a row.
But there's no question that Huh has been the top rookie performer. Aside from his win, Huh has a runnerup finish amid five top 10s. He has been the low rookie finisher seven times, more than anyone in 2012. Most impressive, he's 15th overall in the FedEx Cup standings.
How's the course for this year's Open Championship?
Like most British Open hosts, Royal Lytham in Lancashire, England, is a links course. The course is not on the coast but close enough that there's plenty of breeze. The biggest hazards, however, are of the sand variety. The course has 206 bunkers. (Yes, you read that right: 206!) Another interesting fact: The first hole is a par 3.
Royal Lytham is hosting its 10th British Open and first since 2001. The past two times it has hosted the tournament, Americans have won: David Duval in 2001 and Tom Lehman in 1996. And don't be surprised if you see low scores. Duval won at 10 under, and Lehman was 13 under.
Who has the best chance to be a first-time major winner this weekend?
Plenty of candidates due to this amazing stat: Six of the current top 10 players in the world have never won a major. At the top of that list are the Nos. 1 and 3 players in Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. They also both happen to be Englishmen and are trying to become the first Englishman to win the British Open in England since Tony Jacklin at Lytham in 1969.
Who definitely will not win the Open Championship?
There is absolutely zero chance that U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson will win this week. Why? He isn't playing. Simpson is staying at home to be his wife, who is expecting the couple's second child.
By the way, the last golfer to win the U.S. and British Open in the same year? Tiger Woods in 2000. Before that? Tom Watson in 1982.
Who's the favorite?
Who else? Tiger Woods. Even when Woods isn't playing well, he seems to be the darling of the oddsmakers, who have once again made Woods the favorite at 7-1.
On one hand, you can see why Woods is the favorite. He has won a PGA Tour-leading three tournaments this year. He's on top of the money list. He also has 14 majors, including three British Opens.
" I expect him to do well,'' ESPN analyst Curtis Strange said. "I think he can get away with some driving the ball erratically over there more so than in the U.S. Open, and I think he can iron it, and his imagination and short game is still very sharp.''
On the flip side, he hasn't won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open and he missed the cut last week in West Virginia. You wonder if Woods is having doubts about winning another major, let alone the four he needs to tie Jack Nicklaus' record 18.
"I think there's one person that's been a little impatient about Tiger winning a major championship, and that's Tiger himself,'' ESPN analyst Andy North said. "I think for the first time in his career it looks like he's maybe trying harder at major championships because he knows he desperately needs to get that first major championship win again, and we'll see how he handles (this) week.''
What about defending champion Darren Clarke?
This guy has been so bad over the past year that we almost forgot he was the defending champ. Since winning last year's Open, the 42-year-old has enjoyed life off the course but not so much on it. Get this: He has made only one cut this year on the European Tour and missed three cuts in four regular stroke-play tournaments on the PGA Tour. His game appears to be a mess, yet 2002 Open champ Ernie Els picks Clarke as a dark horse this week.
Which Americans have the best shot at the Open Championship?
Jim Furyk often shows up on the leaderboard at the majors, but he has had some difficulty at the Open. In the past three years, he has tied for 48th, missed the cut and tied for 34th. However, in his career, he has five top-five finishes.
Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar are all ranked in the top 10 of the World Golf Ranking, but none has had success at the British Open. Watch out for Rickie Fowler. He tied for fifth in last year's Open and tied for 14th in 2010.
"It's a very odd time,'' said ESPN's Mike Tirico, who will host the network's coverage from the Open. "Will we see guys break through? Will we see somebody consolidate this and take that mantle of having been there and done it and continue on and grow to become the next generation of rivalries that are out there?'
Of course Phil Mickelson, no matter how he is playing, is always worth paying attention to in a major.
Who would we like to see win?
Sergio Garcia? No longer a kid, the 32-year-old Spaniard is running out of time to win a major. But this tournament appears to be his best shot. He has seven top-10 finishes in the Open.
Who will win?
Not going out on a limb here, seeing as how he is the No. 1 player in the world, but it's Luke Donald's turn.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Braves 8, Mets 7
ATLANTA — Jason Heyward singled to cap a three-run rally as the Braves kept R.A. Dickey from getting his 11th win in a row. Bobby Parnell gave up RBI singles with two outs in the eighth to Michael Bourn, Martin Prado and Heyward.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Reds 3, Cardinals 2
10 innings
CINCINNATI — Ryan Ludwick led off the bottom of the 10th with a full-count homer that barely cleared the wall in left, sending the Reds to their fifth straight win. Cincinnati (49-38) matched its season high at 11 games over .500.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
NEW YORK — Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson each hit two-run homers off Jerome Williams to lead the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Angels on Saturday.
Freddy Garcia, who walked a season-high five, and three relievers denied Mark Trumbo a homer in what would have been a record sixth straight game against New York.
Former Ray Rafael Soriano struck out Albert Pujols to finish off a perfect ninth.
New York, a season-high 21 games over .500 at 54-33, has a major-league-leading 138 home runs.
"One through nine, they can bang," said Mike Trout, who with two steals became the first Angels rookie since Chad Curtis in 1992 to reach 30.
Cano added an RBI single that bounced off second base in the sixth.
The Yankees secured a second straight winning season against the Angels, who before that had won seven straight series.
"This team is playing about as well as it can because we're getting contributions from a lot of different guys," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
LE CAP D'AGDE, France — Bradley Wiggins doesn't think the Tour de France needs a "boss" of the pack. At least not him. Riders are equal and he's too reclusive, he says.
But the Brit is taking charge and showed leadership Saturday with a bold, though unsuccessful, effort to help a teammate win Stage 13, instead won by Germany's Andre Greipel.
Wiggins finished the windy, flat 134.8-mile ride from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Le Cap d'Agde on the Mediterranean with his top rivals to retain the yellow jersey for a seventh straight day.
Greipel earned his third stage victory this Tour. A photo finish showed he won by half a wheel's length ahead of Slovakian Peter Sagan. Seconds earlier, Wiggins, with Sky teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen on his back wheel, led a speeding bunch of riders around a sharp final bend to overtake two breakaway riders, hoping to set up Boasson Hagen for a win.
Such bold displays are unusual from the wearer of the yellow jersey. Wiggins had his reasons: It's safer to stay in front of possible trouble, and he owed one to Boasson Hagen "because he's been solid this Tour for me — and all season," Wiggins said.
Experts have pointed to riders over the years who have dominated the pack, or peloton, with teamwork, willpower and race mastery, earning them the "boss" moniker. "At the end of the day, we're all equals," Wiggins said.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 14, 2012
You'll never get this one
This is something of a trick question, but who was the most recent player drafted by the Rays to play in the majors? LHP Will Smith, who didn't sign when drafted by the Rays in the 40th round in 2007, then was taken and signed the next year by the Angels, and traded to the Royals, for whom he made his big-league debut in May. The Rays have three big-leaguers of their own from earlier in that draft, C/OF Stephen Vogt (12th round), LHP Matt Moore (eighth), left, and three-time All-Star LHP David Price (first overall).
But starting with the 2008 draft, the Rays are the only team that hasn't had a player it selected get to the big leagues. Part has to do with going from picking at the top of the draft to the bottom as the team did better, part with philosophies — developmentally, philosophically and financially. More than 150 players from the 2008-09-10 drafts have played in the majors for other teams.
On schedule
With the Astros going to the AL in 2013 to even both leagues at 15, there's a need not only for interleague play throughout the season, but more total. The Rays will have 20 interleague games next year, up from 18, and spread over eight series instead of six. MLB is trying to make it so all teams in the same division play the same interleague schedule, but it couldn't quite get there due to some "natural" rivalries. So next year, with the AL East paired with the NL West, the Rays will play four games (two two-game sets) against their rival Marlins (down from six), three-game series against four of the NL West teams (at the Dodgers, for the first time, and Rockies; home vs. the Giants and Padres) and, for the schedule to work, four games (home-and-home two-game sets) against the Diamondbacks. When the AL East is paired with the NL East, the Rays would go back to six games vs. the Marlins.
Tebow-ed
From their seats in the audience, 3B Evan Longoria and RHP James Shields felt the Rays got shortchanged at the ESPYs when then-Broncos QB Tim Tebow's 80-yard TD pass that beat the Steelers in the playoffs was voted "Best Moment" over the dramatics of Game 162. "We should have won," Longoria said. "Not to take away from that moment, but it was something that's been done before — it's a touchdown pass thrown in overtime to win a football game. … But what we did and what happened that last day of the season last year will never happen probably in our lifetimes, probably in my children's lifetimes." Added manager Joe Maddon: "I thought to myself, 'How could that beat us?' ''
Rays rumblings
The 2013 schedule draft has the Rays opening at home vs. Baltimore. … SS Hak-Ju Lee is the only Ray on ESPN's Keith Law's midseason list of top 50 prospects, dropped from 12th to 33rd. … For RHP James Shields, a Lakers fan, highlights at the ESPYs included meeting Steve Nash; for wife Ryane, seeing Bruce Jenner, since she watches the Kardashian shows. … A Tropicana Field autograph signing by RF/2B Ben Zobrist and his wife, Julianna, in celebration of her new Say it Now CD was moved from Tuesday to Aug. 4; for $5 you get the CD and the signatures.
Got a minute? James Shields
What are you scared of?
Spiders. Any spider creature.
Favorite TV show?
Entourage.
Karaoke song if you had to?
Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine.
Late-night snack?
Ice cream, Blue Bell vanilla.
Celebrity crush?
I'd have to say Mila Kunis.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
141st British Open
When/where: Thursday-July 22; Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lytham St. Annes, England
Course: Par 70, 7,086 yards
Field: 156 (154 professionals, 2 amateurs)
Purse: About $7.75 million (winner's share about $1.4 million)
Defending champion: Darren Clarke
Last time at Lytham: David Duval started the final round in a four-way tie for the lead and closed with 4-under 67 to capture his first and only major championship at 10-under 274. He won by three over Niclas Fasth.
Notable: Lytham & St. Annes is the only links on the Open rotation that begins with a par 3 and ends with six successive par 4s. It is the only links with no open views of the sea, protected on three sides by houses.
Key statistic: The past 15 majors have been won by 15 different players, the second-longest streak since the Masters began in 1934.
Television: ESPN — Thursday and Friday, 5 a.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.; Sunday, 6 a.m.
Times wires
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson maintained his innocence on charges that he resisted arrest after shoving an off-duty police officer in a Houston bar.
"I would just like to assure my family, my friends and all my fans that I'm 110 percent — 200 percent — innocent," Peterson said late Friday after a court appearance. "I didn't push, shove, touch, do anything to anyone that night, especially an officer."
Peterson, 26, was arrested in the early morning hours of July 8 in Houston. Police said he was at a nightclub when an off-duty officer working security asked him and his group to leave because the club was closing. Police said it eventually took three men to subdue him.
Peterson has hired attorney Rusty Hardin, who recently represented former baseball star Roger Clemens during his perjury trial over steroids. Hardin said it was the police officers, not Peterson, who acted badly.
Peterson made clear his issue is only with the officers who were working security at the bar that night, not the Houston Police Department.
"I definitely don't have a problem with the Houston P.D. This involves two individual officers that I have an issue with," said Peterson, whose next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6. "Once everything is settled, the truth will come out."
Raiders reach deal with franchise player
The Raiders announced that safety Tyvon Branch agreed to a four-year contract Saturday. CBSSports.com reported the deal is worth $26.6 million ($17.1 million guaranteed). Both sides had until Monday's league deadline for franchise players to reach a long-term contract.
Branch, a fourth-round pick in 2008, has started every game over the past three seasons. His 327 tackles during the span are second among NFL defensive backs, trailing only the 340 of the Colts' Antoine Bethea.
Bears, Forte close: Chicago and running back Matt Forge are "extremely close" to a long-term deal, the NFL Network reported. Forte, the Bears' franchise player, has not signed his one-year tender worth $7.749 million.
