CHICAGO -- Robin Ventura doesnt expect any more hoopla or controversy as Chicago White Sox left-hander Chris Sale returns to the lineup Thursday.Whether the White Sox manager is just looking at a best case scenario remains to be seen. But Ventura says there shouldnt be any issues from Sales teammates.I think its going to be fine, said Ventura on Wednesday, prior to the start of the two-game Wrigley Field leg of the White Sox-Cubs inter league crosstown clash.Players always have their teammates backs and thats no different with our clubhouse, Ventura said. I think its going to be fairly normal when he comes in as fair as hes going to be prepared to pitch and our guys are going to get prepared to play and its going to go from there.Sale (14-3) was the first big league pitcher to 14 wins this season but hasnt pitched since July 18. He was yanked from his last start on July 23 and suspended for five games following a clubhouse incident where he reportedly damaged 1976 throwback jerseys intended to be worn that night.(The uniforms were) uncomfortable and unorthodox, Sale said in an interview this week with MLB.com. I didnt want to go out there and not be at the top of my game in every aspect that I need to be in.In the same interview, Sale also apologized to fans who had come out that night to see him pitch against the Detroit Tigers.Ventura said Sale is not required to say anything to his teammates about the incident, but expects there will be some discussion.Theyre going to talk on their own Im sure, Ventura said. Over the course of the year theyve had meetings amongst themselves -- clubhouse meeting son their own. Some of thats going to happen but its not going to be a full team meeting.Sale will make only his second start in three weeks while facing the Cubs for the first time.He might have a little more on it than in the past because hes probably going to come out a little strong, Ventura said. Hes had these situations before hes had a long layoff and hes always been pretty good when hes had a long layoff.Sale goes against Cubs right-hander John Lackey (7-7) on Thursday. Lackey is 0-4 in his last six starts and 3-7 lifetime against the White Sox.Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he felt more upbeat heading into the showdown with Sale after his offense woke up in Wednesdays 8-1 victory.In a game like tomorrow we have to pitch well to beat them because you really anticipate theyre going to pitch well, hes going to pitch well, Maddon said. To go into tomorrows game with a defeat and not swinging the bats well would have been much more difficult.The Cubs are 7-5 since the All-Star break and wins in three straight series. But as they regain health and sharpness, Maddon said they could return to a similar for that saw 25 wins in their first 31 games.I believe we have another really good run in us, Maddon said.The Cubs stick with mostly American League opposition after the White Sox leave Wrigley Field. Seattle comes in for three games starting Friday and the Cubs travel to Oakland for three games starting Aug. 5. The Angels visit Chicago for a pair on Aug. 9-10. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Custom Baseball Jerseys Store . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. http://www.customjerseysbaseball.com/custom-milwaukee-brewers-jerseys-514x.html . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Custom New York Mets Jerseys . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. A new report examining leadership positions in top international sports organizations points to a significant lack of female representation, especially at the top levels.?The 2016 International Sports Report Card on Women in Leadership Roles was published by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida on Wednesday.The study, TIDES first report card on representation of women in leadership roles in international sport, gave the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a D+ for representation of women in leadership roles, while international federations -- FIFA (1.5 percent), International Ice Hockey Federation (0 percent) -- and regional zone confederations each received an F. The United States Olympic Committees B- was the highest mark awarded.The IOCs calls for gender equality across sport have had no teeth, said Richard Lapchick, primary author of the report. The international federations must improve the percentage of female representation. It is unacceptable that only 5.7 percent of international federation presidents, 12.2 percent of vice presidents, and 13.1 percent of executive committee members are women.As the number of women competing in international competition has increased, their representation in leadership roles has lagged. There are only two women presidents of international federations, and women fill only 12.2 percent of vice president positions..dddddddddddd While the United States delegation is sending more women to the Olympics than any other nation in history, the USOC has women represented in only 31 percent of governance roles.Even so, when compared to data from previous TIDES reports, that is less than the percentage of women in professional roles in the league offices of the NBA, MLB, MLS, the WNBA and at the NCAA headquarters, Lapchick said.Americans Anita DeFrantz and Angela Ruggiero are members of the 90-member IOC executive committee. DeFrantz was named the first female vice president of that group in 1997Dr. Lapchicks exhaustive and powerful report reveals an important and sobering truth: While the number of women who play sports around the world has grown, the number who influence and lead key sports organizations remains dishearteningly low, said Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East Conference, and founding president of the WNBA.TIDES is part of the DeVos Sport Business Management graduate program in the University of Central Floridas college of business administration. TIDES releases the Racial and Gender Report Card as an assessment of hiring practices of women and people of color for a number of leagues, including the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS and WNBA.?Lapchick periodically writes for and appears on ESPN. ' ' '