Former Chicago Rush star Bob McMillen has been hired as the team’s new head coach, the Rush announced today at a press conference at Mike Ditka’s Restaurant in Chicago. McMillen, who becomes just the second head coach in Rush history, replaces Mike Hohensee who resigned last month to take the head coaching position for the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul.

ST. LOUIS—Jeff Samardzija appears to have made the most of his time in the minors this year. The former Notre Dame football star pitched shutout ball in his first major league start this season and drove in a run to lead the Cubs past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Monday night. Samardzija was sent down to the minors after going 0-1 with an 18.30 ERA in 3 1/3 innings in April. The Cardinals fell seven games behind first-place Cincinnati in the NL Central. The Reds beat Arizona 7-2 and reduced their magic number to 13 for clinching the division title. Samardzija (1-1) filled in admirably for Carlos Silva, scratched due to pain in his pitching elbow. In his first big league appearance since April 19, the right-hander allowed six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out one.St. Louis had several scoring opportunities, but Samardzija was able to wiggle out of trouble.Cubs interim manager Mike Quade said Samardzija will get another start this weekend in Florida.Geovany Soto went 3 for 3 with an RBI single and reached base all four times up. Alfonso Soriano drove in two runs and Kosuke Fukudome had an RBI single for the Cubs.Matt Holliday drove in the Cardinals’ run with a two-out RBI single in the seventh off reliever Andrew Cashner.The Cubs did most of their damage against rookie starter Jaime Garcia (13-8), who dropped his second consecutive decision. Garcia lasted six innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out four. Samardzija helped himself in the second when the Cubs jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Aramis Ramirez led off with a double and went to third on Xavier Nady’s infield single. Soto hit an RBI single and, two outs later, Samardzija singled to right in his first at-bat of the season to score Nady.In the next inning, the Cubs scored two unearned runs with the help of an error by second baseman Skip Schumaker, who couldn’t handle a throw from shortstop Brendan Ryan. The Cubs loaded the bases with two outs and Soriano drove in two runs with a single to left. Fukudome added a run-scoring single in the eighth.

NOTES—Starlin Castro was a late scratch due to a sore left hip…..Cardinals third baseman Pedro Feliz grounded into double plays his first two times up and has just four hits in his last 46 at-bats…..Tyler Colvin came out with a bruised left elbow after being hit by a pitch from Garcia in the third…..Ryan went 1 for 3, ending a streak of four straight multihit games……The Cubs are 12-7 since Quade took over from Lou Piniella….The Cardinals are 16-24 against the Cubs, Astros and Brewers. Those three NL Central teams are a combined 35 games under .500.

It took a bit a luck with the Officials and the Booth Review for the Bears to escape and hand the Detroit Lions their 21st consecutive road loss,19-14. A late Jay Cutler 28 yard TD pass to Matt Forte(with 1:32 left)along with one zebra overruling another on a would be Calvin Johnson TD catch with :31 left gave the Bears the opening day win,but like many games this first NFL weekend, this was ugly and not at all impressive! The Bears moved very well on their first possession,and Cutler was able to scramble down to the Lions 1,but on third down, Forte was stuffed for a two yard loss. Robbie Gould then kicked a 10 yard field goal for the Bears first points of the season.After the Lions were stopped three and out,the Bears took over,but on a third and long,Cutler had a pass tipped twice and intercepted by Aaron Berry who returned it 23 yards to the Bears 42. After a third down pass,Matthew Stafford took a blow to the head from Julius Peppers which moved the ball to the Bears 21.That led to a 7 yard TD run by Rookie Jahvid Best which gave the Lions a 7-3 lead with 2:15 left in the quarter.As the second quarter started,the Bears were driving and got to the Detroit 17.But red zone problems continued,but not due to an interception this time.

NOTES—Cutler was 23-35 for 372 yards,two TD’s,and 1 Int. He was sacked four times for losses of 10 yards and a QB rating of 108.3….Stafford was 11-15 for 83 yards,a QB rating of 86.3 and Hill 9-19 for 88 yards and a QB rating of 38.9…..Forte caught 7 passes for 151 yards and two TD’s…..The Bears play at Dallas next Sunday at Noon. 

LES 

Cutler hit Greg.Olsen at the Detroit 8 but when he was hit by Chris Houston,he lost the ball and Julian Peterson fell on it at the 8.But Detroit was conservative,ran the ball three times and Nick Harris punted to Devin Hester who got it to the Lions 43.Each team went three and out and after a holding call on the Bears,they started at their own 31.The Bears got to the Detroit 42 when they turned it over for the third time in the first half.Cutler’s pass was caught by at the 27 but C.C.Brown jarred the ball loose at the 30 and Cliff Avril recovered for the Lions and ran it ten yards to the 40.Right after the two minute warning, Stafford hit Nate Burleson for 19 yards and his second effort got the ball to the 4.Best ran it in with :1:30 left to make it 14-3. After the kickoff,the Chris Williams was called for holding on first down,but then Curler hit Forte on a screen play which he broke down the East sideline.He appeared to step out of bounds,but the Officials missed it and the booth review did not overturn it,so the touchdown closed the Bears to within 14-10.The Lions tried to get into field goal range,but Stafford was hit by Peppers from behind,coughed it up,and Tommie Harris recovered it. After a Brian Urlacher late hit, the Bears started at the 37 and Gould kicked a 31 yard field goal to make the halftime score 14-13 Detroit.Stafford hurt his shoulder in the play in which he was hit by Peppers and did not return,Shaun Hill played the second half.Nick Roach of the Bears pulled his hamstring and missed the rest of the contest.Hunter Hillenmeyer became “ill” and did not return.The third quarter saw both teams held off the scoreboard,but the Bears fourth turnover, a Cutler fumble which Turk McBride caused and recovered,but a Hill pass intented for Calvin Johnson was picked off by Charles Tillman at the Bears 10.The Bears had the ball as the fourth quarter started.The Bears hot the biggest break of the game when an aborted hand off by Hill went to the ground and Lance Briggs fell on it inside the one yard line,but they failed on four downs to score.Forte was stuffed on first down for no gain.Cutler,then under pressure threw one away-out of the end zone. On third down, Forte was again stopped at the one. And on fourth down, Forte was again stuffed,and the Lions took over the at the one.After another exchange of punts,the Bears took over at their 44 with 3:15 left.They faced a second and long from the Detroit 28 and Cutler hit Forte,who made a catch falling down in the end zone with 1:32 left. Cutler’s pass on the two point conversion was off target. The Lions then got a two minute drill that by all accounts appeared to beat the Bears. Hill threw a perfect pass that Johnson made a one handed grab on and got his feet and leg down in bounds,but the ball did come loose before he totally landed which is the reason the officials gave for overturning the TD on the field,then upholding that no-TD via booth review. Two more Hill passes were incomplete in the endzone with double coverage. 

Cutler hit Greg.Olsen at the Detroit 8 but when he was hit by Chris Houston,he lost the ball and Julian Peterson fell on it at the 8.But Detroit was conservative,ran the ball three times and Nick Harris punted to Devin Hester who got it to the Lions 43.Each team went three and out and after a holding call on the Bears,they started at their own 31.The Bears got to the Detroit 42 when they turned it over for the third time in the first half.Cutler’s pass was caught by at the 27 but C.C.Brown jarred the ball loose at the 30 and Cliff Avril recovered for the Lions and ran it ten yards to the 40.Right after the two minute warning, Stafford hit Nate Burleson for 19 yards and his second effort got the ball to the 4.Best ran it in with :1:30 left to make it 14-3. After the kickoff,the Chris Williams was called for holding on first down,but then Curler hit Forte on a screen play which he broke down the East sideline.He appeared to step out of bounds,but the Officials missed it and the booth review did not overturn it,so the touchdown closed the Bears to within 14-10.The Lions tried to get into field goal range,but Stafford was hit by Peppers from behind,coughed it up,and Tommie Harris recovered it. After a Brian Urlacher late hit, the Bears started at the 37 and Gould kicked a 31 yard field goal to make the halftime score 14-13 Detroit.Stafford hurt his shoulder in the play in which he was hit by Peppers and did not return,Shaun Hill played the second half.Nick Roach of the Bears pulled his hamstring and missed the rest of the contest.Hunter Hillenmeyer became “ill” and did not return.The third quarter saw both teams held off the scoreboard,but the Bears fourth turnover, a Cutler fumble which Turk McBride caused and recovered,but a Hill pass intented for Calvin Johnson was picked off by Charles Tillman at the Bears 10.The Bears had the ball as the fourth quarter started.The Bears hot the biggest break of the game when an aborted hand off by Hill went to the ground and Lance Briggs fell on it inside the one yard line,but they failed on four downs to score.Forte was stuffed on first down for no gain.Cutler,then under pressure threw one away-out of the end zone. On third down, Forte was again stopped at the one. And on fourth down, Forte was again stuffed,and the Lions took over the at the one.After another exchange of punts,the Bears took over at their 44 with 3:15 left.They faced a second and long from the Detroit 28 and Cutler hit Forte,who made a catch falling down in the end zone with 1:32 left. Cutler’s pass on the two point conversion was off target. The Lions then got a two minute drill that by all accounts appeared to beat the Bears. Hill threw a perfect pass that Johnson made a one handed grab on and got his feet and leg down in bounds,but the ball did come loose before he totally landed which is the reason the officials gave for overturning the TD on the field,then upholding that no-TD via booth review. Two more Hill passes were incomplete in the endzone with double coverage. 

NOTES—Cutler was 23-35 for 372 yards,two TD’s,and 1 Int. He was sacked four times for losses of 10 yards and a QB rating of 108.3….Stafford was 11-15 for 83 yards,a QB rating of 86.3 and Hill 9-19 for 88 yards and a QB rating of 38.9…..Forte caught 7 passes for 151 yards and two TD’s…..The Bears play at Dallas next Sunday at Noon. 

LES 

MILWAUKEE—Yovani Gallardo pitched four-hit ball for seven innings and doubled and scored on Ryan Braun’s two-base hit in the fifth, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-0 victory over the Cubs on Sunday.Gallardo won for the first time since beating Houston on Aug. 8, a span of seven starts. He allowed three singles and a double while walking three and striking out six.Casey McGehee homered in the eighth after the Brewers scored their first run of the three-game series.Gallardo (12-7) led off the fifth with a double, then scored two outs later when Braun blooped an opposite-field double down the first-base line. The Cubs had held their opponent scoreless for 25 innings before Braun’s hit, a streak that started Sept. 8 against Houston. Kameron Loe retired the first two batters in the eighth, but was lifted for John Axford after giving up Xavier Nady’s single. Axford got Tyler Colvin to fly out to the warning track in center on the first pitch.Axford stayed on and pitched the ninth for his 21st save in 23 chances, finishing the five-hitter and Brewers’ sixth shutout.McGehee gave the Brewers a cushion in the eighth when he hit the first pitch from reliever Thomas Diamond into the Brewers’ bullpen in left for his 21st home run. He also snared a hard grounder off the bat of pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez in the ninth.Casey Coleman (1-2), the club’s 15th round pick in the 2008 June draft took the loss in his fifth career start after relieving in his first four games.He allowed one run on five hits, struck out three and walked three as he tried to duplicate the Cubs’ dominance the previous two games.On Friday, Carlos Zambrano was outstanding in a 4-0 victory on Friday. Ryan Dempster was just as dominant in a 1-0 win Saturday that was the 100th of his career. Carlos Marmol finished each game for saves.The Brewers’ offense scratched out just three hits in each loss after producing 20 runs on 30 hits to take two of three from St. Louis as the six-game homestand began.Gallardo was making his 10th start since coming off the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain. Coming in he was 3-3 in that span, including three no decisions. He had one of his better outings in his last start despite losing 8-6 to St. Louis last Monday when he went seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits.Coleman showed some veteran composure weathering shortstop Starlin Castros’ throwing error, his 25th, that set up a bases-loaded jam in the third.Corey Hart walked before Castro bobbled Braun’s two-out grounder and then threw wide of first. With Hart at third and Braun at second, Coleman intentionally walked Prince Fielder and then got McGehee to hit into a fielder’s choice.

NOTES—With a look toward next season, Macha said that RHP Mark Rogers, the team’s top pick in the 2004 first-year player draft, would get a start against the Florida Marlins during the final homestand. Recalled last Friday from Double-A Huntsville, he made his major league debut that night, pitching a perfect ninth inning against the Cubs. … Fielder’s 95 walks leads the NL. … Marmol has struck out a career-high 119 batters and is on pace to strike out 136 which would surpass Bruce Sutter’ single-season franchise mark of 129 Ks by a Cubs reliever in 1977.

Paul Konerko had a pair of two-run homers and an RBI single and pinch-hitter Andruw Jones had grand slam in a six-run sixth inning, leading the White Sox to a 12-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.Konerko lined a run-scoring single to left to give the Sox their first lead of the game in the sixth inning.Kansas City led 6-0 after a half inning, but the Sox chipped away with two runs apiece in the first, third and fourth innings.The victory helped the Sox keep pace in the AL Central. The White Sox remain six games behind Minnesota, who beat Cleveland, and face the Twins in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.

EVANSTON—The Northwestern Wildcats returned home and as expected,handled the Illinois State Redbirds 37-3.Dan Persa was 19 of 23 for 240 yards, and Drake Dunsmore caught both his TD passes. Arby Fields ran for 96 yards and a touchdown run for the Wildcats (2-0).After the Northwestern running game had trouble at Wake Forest last week,they came out, um, running the ball on the first drive.After Illinois State moved the ball deep into NU terratory to start the game,the Cats stiffened and forced a punt which was fair caught on the 11. But with mostly running,the Wildcats moved 89 yards in 15 plays with QB Persa,the one guy who did run the ball for 82 net yards in Nashville,hit Dunsmore from 9 yards out in the back of the end zone to make it 7-0 with 7:56 left ion the half. The Redbirds moved the ball again and in fact marched 68 yards,but again their drive stalled-this time at the NU 6 and Steven Fetzer booted a 23 yard field goal. But the Cats answered and used a 50 yard pass from Persa to true Freshman Rashad Lawrence which put the ball on the ISU 2. Two plays later,Persa crashed over from the 1 and it was 14-3 which was the score after the first quarter. On the Wildcats third possession, Persa hit Sidney Stewart for 28 yards to the Illinois State 36, but then on a third down,Steward dropped a perfect pass in the end zone and Stefan Demos kicked a 39 yatrd field goal for a 17-3 lead with 11:06 left in the half. The first turnover occoured when Quentin Davie intercepted Matt Brown’s pass at the Cats 40,and Persa hit Jeremy Ebert for 45 yards to the ISU 4. Two plahys later Fields,with a nice second efford scored from the one with 1:51 left in the half to make it 24-3.The Cats got it back with ** left when Davie again intercepted a Brown pass and returned it to the Illinois State 22.Persa would then throw a 5 yard TD pass to Dunsmore with :18 left.Demos missed the Pat wide left whichleft the half time score 30-3.The only score in the entire second half was a 1 yard plunge by backup Mike Trumpy with 4;31 left in the game.

LES

SOUTH BEND—If Denard Robinson’s performance last week was a jaw dropper, what he did against Notre Dame on Saturday topped it.He broke off the longest run in the history of the Irish’s fabled stadium — an 87-yarder for a TD.That’s just for starters. How about a school-record 502 yards total offense for a QB, including 258 yards rushing on 28 carries and 244 more passing? And oh, yeah, he directed the game-winning TD drive, scoring himself from 2 yards out with 27 seconds left to send Michigan (2-0) to a pulsating 28-24 victory.No wonder Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez said the spectacular new star of his spread offense might sleep on the trip back to Ann Arbor. He deserves some rest.He doesn’t lace his spikes, either. And he’s durable.Kelly’s guy was tough, too. But he just couldn’t pull out the victory.Dayne Crist missed most of the first half after getting blurry vision from hitting his head on the ground during a run in an opening TD drive. But he brought the Irish back in the second half and connected with tight end Kyle Rudolph on a 95-yard TD pass to put Notre Dame (1-1) ahead with 3:41 left.Then Robinson showed that not only is he fast and strong, he’s a clutch player, too. He led Michigan on a 12-play, 72-yard drive, capped his game-winning TD — a fitting end.Notre Dame (1-1) had one last chance from the Wolverines’ 27 with six seconds left, but Crist threw the ball out of the end zone on the final play.

The White Sox ran into Kyle Davies at the wrong time.Davies pitched six solid innings, Gregor Blanco and Kila Ka’aihue each had three hits and the Kansas City Royals won 8-2 on Saturday night.Blanco and Ka’aihue each scored two runs as Kansas City roughed up Edwin Jackson (3-1) on its way to 18 hits. The Royals snapped a four-game losing streak.Davies (8-9) allowed one run and five hits, winning consecutive starts for the first time this season. The right-hander also improved to 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in his last four starts against the Sox, dating to Sept. 20, 2008.Davies struck out five and walked two, throwing 64 of his 102 pitches for strikes and impressing manager Ned Yost.Paul Konerko hit his 34th homer for the White Sox, who have lost four of five. They again trail AL Central-leading Minnesota by six games.Minnesota edged Cleveland 1-0 in 11 innings on a Jim Thome homer.A.J. Pierzynski doesn’t think the pressure of keeping up with the Twins is taking a toll on the team.Jackson had been outstanding since he was acquired in a trade with Arizona on July 30, going 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in his first six starts with the Sox.This one was much different.Kansas City scored in each of the first three innings and five of the first six to build a 6-1 lead.Blanco walked and scored on Wilson Betemit’s single in the first. Yuniesky Betancourt hit a sacrifice fly and Blanco had an RBI double in the second. Pena doubled in a run in the third to make it 4-0.Betemit and Mitch Maier also had three hits apiece for Kansas City, which improved to 8-9 against the White Sox this season. Pena finished with two RBIJackson, who allowed six runs and a season-high 13 hits in five-plus innings, was hurt by his defense in the second. With Alex Gordon on third and the infield playing in with one out, second baseman Gordon Beckman fielded Chris Getz’s bouncer and tried unsuccessfully to get Gordon at third.Gordon scored on Betancourt’s fly ball and Getz eventually came home when Blanco legged out a double, sliding past shortstop Alexei Ramirez’s tag.Ramirez reacted to second base umpire Joe West’s call and manager Ozzie Guillen, who was kicked out of Friday’s game for arguing a balk, took a step out of the dugout, waved his hand and returned to the dugout. Guillen has been ejected by West’s crew twice this season.Konerko doubled and scored on Ramirez’s two-out single in the fourth, cutting Kansas City’s lead to 4-1, but Gordon singled in a run in the fifth and Maier chased Jackson with an RBI single in the sixth.Konerko’s homer came in the eighth against Gil Meche.

NOTES—Freddy Garcia was scratched from his scheduled start Sunday with a sore lower back. Guillen said RHP Lucas Harrell will get the start instead. … Yost said RHP Brian Bannister will pitch out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. He has made 23 starts this season. … Royals DH Billy Butler established a franchise record with a hit in 97 consecutive series.