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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The U.S. Olympic Committee and the sports it oversees are behind the curve when it comes to placing women and minorities in key coaching and leadership positions, according to a set of scorecards the federation has released that chart progress over the past three years.The USOC itself is 24 percent or more behind benchmarks it set for hiring people of color on its roster of professional staff, administrative support and executive and senior-level management positions.The federations for swimming and gymnastics, two sports that brought home 45 of the countrys 121 medals from the Rio de Janeiro Games, have similar shortfalls.USA Swimming has no people of color on its board of directors and falls nearly 78 percent short of the USOC-established benchmark for hiring minorities on its professional staff. USA Gymnastics has a similar shortfall on its staff for minorities but far exceeds the benchmark goals in the number of women at key positions in the organization.USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said the organization prides itself on being welcoming and inclusive.Weve come a long way, Wielgus said, and were our own harshest critics when we recognize there is still more we can achieve to make the experience even better for our current members and those who are looking to join team swimming.By law, the USOC collects diversity data every year. The numbers from 2013-15 have been published on the USOC website due to a push by the federations CEO, Scott Blackmun, to confront the issue.If we measure it, and shine a light on it, we will get better, Blackmun said in his address to the U.S. Olympic Assembly.He said improving the numbers is a mission to undertake because its effective, not just fair.He pointed out the success Title IX has had in bringing women to the fore of American sports, especially at the Olympic level. Women accounted for 61 of Americas medals in Rio, which would have placed them fourth on the overall medals table.But the fixes Blackmun is calling for arent all easy, nor are the standards the USOC has set considered a consensus.The benchmark numbers the USOC set were based on its own math -- a combination of census figures, NCAA data and the particulars of each sport. For instance, while USA Gymnastics numbers lag in administrative positions, the sports audience and participation has likely been broadened because the past two Olympic all-around womens champions, Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas, are African-Americans.There are areas where we can see USA Gymnastics as having a high level of inclusiveness and diversity, said the federations president, Steve Penny. And there are areas we can focus on, such as the areas the USOC is measuring, where we need to determine what steps we can take to encourage more participation.USA Track and Field is among the organizations with a makeup of leaders that looks very much like its makeup of athletes. USATFs CEO (Max Siegel) and president (Stephanie Hightower) are African-American. Ten of its 15 board members are people of color and it has exceeded the USOC benchmarks in professional staff and coaches.We take pride in our diversity but do not take it for granted, Siegel said. We make it a priority.Charles Haley Youth Jersey . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. Robert Newhouse Jersey . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Bob-Lilly-Jersey/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Bill Bates Womens Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Terrell Owens Womens Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining.CLEVELAND -- Hey, far be it for us to send waves of alarm rippling through Cubs Nation after one game of a World Series -- even if its a game they happened to lose 6-to-zilch Tuesday night to the fearsome Corey Kluber/Andrew Miller/Cody Allen division of those rampaging Cleveland Indians. But sorry. Theres stuff you need to know about this.So what do you say we get all the terrifying Cubs notes out of the way early on? It will be easier that way.? Over the past three decades, almost every team that lost Game 1 of the World Series found it had just dug itself a canyon it couldnt climb out of. Its tough to comprehend, but Game 1 losers have lost the past six World Series. And 12 of the past 13. And 17 of the past 19. Not to mention 19 of the past 22 and 24 of the past 28. Going all the way back to 1997, the only two teams to lose Game 1 and survive were the 2009 Yankees and the 2002 Angels. Hard to believe in a best-of-seven series, but 100 percent true.? Then theres the Cubs own not-so-beautiful history when they lose Game 1 of any postseason series. Tuesdays Game 1 loss in Cleveland marked the 14th time the Cubs had lost the opener of any type of series. They went 1-12 in the previous 13, coming back to win only in the 2015 NLDS against St. Louis.? If we confine this study just to best-of-seven series, it gets even more ominous. The Cubs now have lost Game 1 of a best-of-seven series 10 times. Theyre 0-9 in the previous nine. Then again, theyre the Cubs! So losing series in just about every way possible has been one of their areas of expertise.? Finally, the Cubs have now been shut out three times in this postseason. Of the seven previous teams to get blanked three times or more in the same postseason, just one -- the 1981 Dodgers -- went on to win the World Series. So are we saying theres a chance? Sure. Why the heck not?But the words of wisdom emanating from the clubhouse of the National League champions sounded remarkably similar to the words welling up from that same group a week or so ago, after theyd been held to two hits and no runs by Clayton Kershaw in Game 2 of the NLCS, and then held to two hits and no runs again, by Rich Hill, in Game 3 of that series.This time, the Cubs were talking about another ace, Kluber. Who held them to four hits and no runs, while striking out nine, in six-plus innings.That, Cubs catcher David Ross?said, is what Cy Youngs do. Thats what aces do.Of course, what Kluber did to the Cubs in this game wasnt quite what Kershaw and Hill did to them in the last round, if only because hes right-handed and the two Dodgers aces are left-handed. But were starting to see signs that this team can be shut down by great pitching this time of year -- when guys like Kluber and Miller show up on the mound with a lot greater frequency than they do from April through September.During the season, this Cubs lineup finished second to Colorado in runs scored. But it has now been shut out more times in 11 games in this postseason (three) than it was shut out in the 102 games it played from June 1 on in the regular season (two).The question is: What does that tell us about where this World Series is headed from here?This is not going to put all the pressure on us, just because we didnt win one ballgame, said the Cubs DH du jour, Kyle Schwarber, who somehow found a way to jet in from the Arizona Fall League, become the first position player ever to get a hit in a World Series after getting zero hits in the season and then rise up to be a voice of reason afterward.Were a good baseball team, Schwarber promised. Well be fine.But will they? They struck out 15 times Tuesday -- something they hadnt done in any nine-inning game in more than four months (since a June 13 meeting with Max Scherzer). They also set a franchise record for most whiffs in a postseason game.So what was the common thread between this game and those two shutouts against the Dodgers? According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the unusually high percentage of fastballs the Cubs took for strikes against the starters they faced in all three of those games.ddddddddddddWhen Kluber threw his fastball Tuesday, he had a 58 percent called-strike rate. It was 55 percent in that game against Hill and 54 percent in Kershaws Game 2 start. Those are the three highest rates against them by any starting pitchers they faced all year.And while the Cubs had some complaints about plate ump Larry Vanovers strike zone, those gripes mostly concerned the pitches on the corners that Jon Lester didnt get, not the pitches that Kluber did get. Their biggest issue was the number of Klubers exploding two-seam fastballs they appeared to give up on, only to see them veer back into the strike zone.Then, when Kluber went to his off-speed stuff, the Cubs didnt fare much better. They had more swings and misses against his slider and curve (eight) than balls in play (seven). So the nicest thing that happened, Ross said, gratefully, was getting Kluber out of there.But if that was the good news, the bad news was it meant they had to spend the next two innings dealing with Miller, a man who had faced 41 hitters in this postseason before this game -- and struck out 21 of them.Unlike the Red Sox and Blue Jays, the Cubs at least made Miller sweat, running four three-ball counts, drawing as many walks against him in two innings (two) as hed issued in the entire postseason before this and forcing him to throw 46 pitches -- the most hed thrown in relief in more than five years.But they also learned all about what makes Miller maybe the most feared reliever in baseball -- when they loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh and got zero runs out of it. The last two outs came on sliders he threw past Addison Russell and Ross. And the movement on both of those pitches was so severe, they were unhittable even for hitters who were pretty sure what was coming. At 3-and-1, Ross said, he threw me a strike slider that kind of backed up a little bit. So what I was seeing [on the next pitch] was, Was that slider going to start in the same place? Im trying to protect against the nasty one and the one that kind of backed up. So as Im trying to look for that, the pitch I struck out on looked like it started from the same spot, but it ended up wrapping around my back leg and pretty much disappeared.Then, an inning later, with two on and two outs, it was Schwarber who got swallowed up by another of Millers most ferocious sliders, swinging over it for the innings final out, then screaming at himself in frustration.Thats his pitch, man, Schwarber said later. Its a plus-plus pitch for a reason.Kluber and Miller were so good, it was easy for the team they beat to fire out the obligatory tip your cap quotes about them and mean every word. But the Cubs will be seeing both of them again. So if theyre going to roar back to win this World Series, theyre going to have to do to those two guys what they did to Kershaw in the NLCS -- make a radical adjustment in the game plan the next time around.The common thread I see, Ross said, is we have a young group that usually gets better the more they see guys and how theyre going to pitch them. Im holding out hope that thats whats going to help us moving forward. But I dont want to take anything away from Corey Klubers performance. It was as dominant as it gets.Well, if they enjoyed his dominance on this night, stay tuned, because there is every indication the Indians plan to run Kluber out there again in Games 4 and 7. And if they grab the lead again, it will be Miller and Allen to follow. Its a formula the Indians already have used to smother two great lineups. And now its the Cubs turn. Lucky them.Asked if he was ready for more of the same fun in Games 4 and 7, Ross laughed and said, Well see. But right now, were going to worry about whoever theyve got on the mound tomorrow. Id rather forget about Corey Kluber for a little while.And after a Game 1 loss that history tells us normally means big trouble -- even for teams this good -- who the heck could blame him? ' ' '