Carlos Quentin Headed to the Red Sox?

The Boston Red Sox tried to snag Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin before the trading deadline last season and are making another attempt this offseason.

The Boston Globe reports that the two Sox have talked about making a deal for Quentin, who batted .254 with 24 homers and 77 RBI last season.

The Globe notes that there is "no match right now" between the two teams for the 29-year-old two-time All-Star. Quentin has been with the White Sox since 2008 and played for the Arizona Diamondbacks for two seasons before that. His career average is .252 and he's hammered out 121 homers.

Blackhawks Toy Drive

Chicago Blackhawks Charities launched their annual Toy Drive and continue collecting toys on Sunday, December 11th. Fans are encouraged to bring unwrapped toys to Gates 2, 3, 6 or 7 to be entered into a raffle for team-signed memorabilia. This year's Toy Drive will benefit Neighbor's Development Network, Dreams for Kids and NorthShore University Health System.

White Sox 2012 Home Spring Training Schedule

Date	Opponent	Time (MST)
March 5	Dodgers	1:05pm
March 7	Brewers	1:05pm
March 9	Cubs	1:05pm
March 10	Rangers	1:05pm
March 10	Dodgers (ss)	7:05pm
March 12	A's	1:05pm
March 14	Angels	1:05pm
March 17	Mariners	1:05pm
March 19	Reds	1:05pm
March 22	Royals	1:05pm
March 23	D-backs	7:05pm
March 25	Giants	1:05pm
March 26*	Dodgers	1:05pm
March 27	Indians	1:05pm
March 28	Padres	1:05pm
March 29*	Dodgers	1:05pm
March 31	Rockies	1:05pm
April 2	Brewers	12:05pm
*The Dodgers are the home team

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Earnhardt Says He is Done Racing

Kerry Earnhardt hasn't competed in a NASCAR race since July 2009, and the 41-year-old driver wants to do what he loves. That means he wants to spend his time outdoors, but not necessarily at the race track. The oldest son of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. still hopes to have a connection to racing but hopes it's through drivers appearing on the outdoors television show he's working on or at the track when son Jeffrey is racing. But with 106 starts in NASCAR's three national series - seven in Cup, 72 in Nationwide and 27 in trucks - Earnhardt doesn't expect to have another one.

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Caron Butler the Next Chicago Bull?

The Chicago Bulls will reportedly start their own slew of discussions with former Dallas Maverick Caron Butler, who incidentally has been working out in Chicago. The interest from Butler's side has been pretty well publicized over the course of the last week, capped by Butler saying, "I hope I don't have to leave," but Chicago Tribune columnist K.C. Johnson's report that the Bulls could potentially share that interest means this is a match that just might work.

Top Candidates for Head Coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini

While Illinois is attempting to make a run at top-market head coaches like Southern Mississippi's Larry Fedora and Houston's Kevin Sumlin, athletic director Mike Thomas could turn to high-profile coordinators as a Plan B approach, according to a source. Thomas' eye also was on Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst and Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, who paired off in Saturday's Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis. Another Illini option is Stanford offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who has placed the No. 4 Cardinal in several top-10 categories on offense with quarterback Andrew Luck.

Bears Implement New Security Measures at Soldier Field

Fans attending Bears games at Soldier Field will begin to see increased security measures at some gates beginning with Sundays game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Initiated by a NFL Security recommendation, fans entering the stadium may be scanned by security personnel using handheld metal detectors. Fans will be asked to remove all metal from their pockets and person and hold the items in their hands as they undergo screening. The new procedure is being phased in with a goal of eventually replacing the pat down process at all gates. The program is designed to create a more comprehensive screening process and a safer stadium environment.

Pat downs will remain at most entry points this Sunday without handheld wands. The game day bag policy remains in place at all entry points. Bags will continue to be searched by hand. Backpacks, purses, bags, cases or fanny packs larger than 12 x 12 x 12 will not be allowed into Soldier Field.

The new procedures could increase entry times, so fans are strongly advised to arrive early and allow for extra time when entering the stadium.

Gates will continue to open two hours prior to kickoff. Those unwilling to consent to any security screening procedure may be denied entry into the stadium.

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Dan Carcillo of The Chicago Blackhawks Will Host "The Bomb Shelter"

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Daniel Carcillo can now add “radio broadcaster” to his list of accomplishments. WGN Radio today announced that the hockey forward and music enthusiast will host a new show entitled “The Bomb Shelter,” a one-hour program focusing on Carcillo’s love of all kinds of music featuring song clips, musical history, personal anecdotes, special guests and more. The debut broadcast airs Friday, December 2 at 11 p.m. following the Blackhawks-Islanders match-up on WGN Radio. Future editions of the show will air following weekend home games on dates to be announced.

“Daniel is such an interesting, multi-faceted person and this show will be a great way for fans to see a completely different side of his personality,” said Tom Langmyer, WGN Radio’s vice president & general manager, who worked with Carcillo in developing the show. “He’s a natural in the studio and his love of music, radio, playing drums, learning guitar and exploring Chicago will really connect with listeners.”

In the debut show, Carcillo interviews his father, Gino, about the history of the Carcillo family emigrating from Italy to Canada and plays some Italian music while connecting his family’s musical past to his current musical tastes.

“I’m proud to be a member of the Blackhawks with the chance to broadcast a show on WGN Radio in the great city of Chicago,” said Carcillo. “I’ve always been fascinated with songs and songwriters that tell a story and this will be an amazing outlet to tell my own story through music. When I first walked into the WGN Radio music vault and saw all that classic vinyl, I was like a kid in a candy shop.”

Future editions of the show will delve into Chicago’s musical roots and history, blues, rock and even feature some of Carcillo’s fellow Blackhawks teammates.

Carcillo, 26, is a native of King City, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. He joined the Chicago Blackhawks this season after playing for the Philadelphia Flyers and Phoenix Coyotes. A lover of all types of music, Carcillo especially enjoys classic rock from the 1960s and 1970s from artists such as Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, CCR and The Who

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Top 5 Catchers in Chicago White Sox History

Qualifier: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one.

1. Carlton Fisk: Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk played the second-half of his career with the Chicago White Sox from 1981 to 1993. One of only five catchers to play more than 2,000 games in the field, Fisk amassed career totals of 2,356 hits, 376 home runs, 1,276 runs and 1,330 RBI in 24 Major League seasons. His 214 home runs with the White Sox are the fourth most in team history. Fisk went to four All-Star Games with Chicago and 11 overall, adding three Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove.
2. Ray Schalk: Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk was a durable defensive great who played 17 seasons for Chicago in the 1910s and 1920s. Schalk remains one of only two catchers in all of Major League history with more than 1,800 assists and one of nine to gun down more than 1,000 base-stealers. He helped the White Sox win their second World Series title in 1917 and was one of their clean players in the 1919 Series. Schalk finished the top six in MVP voting twice and totaled 1,345 hits, 594 RBI, 177 stolen bases and a .340 on-base percentage over 1,757 games.
3. Sherm Lollar: Seven-time All-Star backstop Sherm Lollar was one of Chicago's top players during a highly successful era from 1952 to 1963. Lollar's White Sox played better than .520 baseball in each of his dozen years with the team, reaching one World Series in 1959. He was a great on-base hitter, maintaining a .358 OBP with 525 walks against only 360 strikeouts in 1,358 games with the White Sox. He won three Gold Gloves, threw out 45 percent of base-stealers and never allowed more than five passed balls in any season for Chicago.
4. A.J. Pierzynski: Current White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski was a key player in the team's 2005 World Series Championship. Twice named an All-Star, Pierzynski has 1,512 hits on a .283 career batting average through 1,494 games. He averages 13 home runs and 55 RBI per year with a .730 OPS for Chicago. He is the 16th hardest player to strike out among active Major Leaguers. Through seven years with the White Sox, Pierzynski's bat has been worth ten wins above replacement (WAR).
5. Ron Karkovice: Former top defensive catcher Ron Karkovice began his career as backup to Carlton Fisk in 1986, then took over as the starter in 1992. Karkovice was an average offensive catcher throughout his career with the White Sox. Though he rarely hit for average, he had good pop, putting up a 20 home run season in 1993 and totaling 96 in 939 games overall. He led the league in caught stealing rate three times and was worth 13.8 WAR in his 12-year career with Chicago.

Honorable mentions: Ed Herrmann, Mike Tresh, Billy Sullivan and Luke Sewell.

Thanks to William Menna

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Manti Te'o Named Finalist For Lott Trophy

University of Notre Dame junior linebacker Manti Te'o has been an impactful member of the Fighting Irish football team in his three years at Notre Dame but has been an even better person off the football field. Te'o was recognized for that on Tuesday.

Te'o was selected a finalist for the 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced. The award goes to the defensive player who has had the biggest IMPACT on his team, both on and off the field. The IMPACT acronym is Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Recipient of the Lott Trophy Player of the Week award following the Boston College game, Te'o leads the Irish with 111 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four and a half sacks. He is also a finalist for the Butkus Award, presented annually to the top linebacker in college football. Te'o has been a leader on the Notre Dame first-team defense that has allowed only 14.8 points per game in the last 10 contests.

Te'o has earned a 3.37 cumulative grade-point average and was named academic all-district earlier this season. He is on the national ballot for the Capital One Academic All-America team that will be announced Dec. 8.

In June, Te'o worked at the South Bend Center for the Homeless and he has participated in numerous community service projects while at Notre Dame. He has served as a positive role model for South Bend youths and interacted with them by playing games and reading books with them.

The other three finalists for the Lott Trophy are Emmanuel Acho of Texas, Dont'a Hightower of Alabama and Luke Kuechly of Boston College.

The winner will be announced at the eighth annual Lott IMPACT Trophy awards banquet at 6 p.m. PST on Dec. 11 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif. The banquet will be televised live on Fox Sports.

The IMPACT Foundation will award $25,000 to the general scholarship fund of the winner's university with each of the runner ups' school receiving $5,000.

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