SEARS POINT, Calif.
Linval Joseph Youth Jersey . -- For the first
time since 2005, the Verizon IndyCar Series championship was decided by a
landslide.On the strength of seven poles and five race wins, Simon Pagenaud
overwhelmed the open-wheel competition in 2016 on the way to his first IndyCar
Series title.The 32-year-old Frenchman delivered on all the potential he has
demonstrated throughout his varied racing career to take a commanding victory
Sunday in the GoPro Grand Prix at Sonoma Raceway. He led 76 of 85 laps to best
his longtime rival Graham Rahal by 3.25 seconds to put an exclamation point on
his championship season.Although they didnt factor in Sundays race, Will Power
and Helio Castroneves completed a 1-2-3 sweep of the IndyCar Series season
standings by Team Penske on the occasion of team owner Roger Penskes 50th season
in motorsports.With a 44-point cushion over Power to start the race, it was
going to take something going drastically wrong for Pagenaud to miss out on his
first IndyCar title. Instead, the misfortune befell his teammate, who finished
20th after an electronics glitch caused a clutch failure in the finale.Its
unbelievable. ? What a race! Pagenaud exclaimed in a Victory Lane interview.?So
much emotion right now, and to be honest its hard to find the words.My whole
career has been about this, about today and getting to this point, getting to
this level and running up front like that when you need it, he continued. For an
athlete, I think when you can perform 100 percent under pressure like this is
amazing.?Its such a great feeling.Befitting Penskes year-long 50th anniversary
celebration, The Captains Indy car team performed even better than expected,
winning 10 of 16 races in 2016 as well as 11 poles.Despite Powers best efforts,
Pagenaud showed he was head and shoulders above the rest this year. His
127-point margin over Power in the final standings is the biggest since IndyCar
introduced the basis of its current scoring system in 1996.Pagenaud went out and
took it this weekend, Team Penske president Tim Cindric said. He sat on pole,
led laps, won the race -- I mean, he did everything he needed to do. It was
really impressive.We wanted to give Roger some success on his 50th anniversary
and thats what we were able to do, Cindric added. After what happened here last
year, its a lot easier to leave here 1-2-3 than the way it turned out last year
for sure.The turnaround compared to a year ago could not have been more
complete. At the 2015 season finale at Sonoma, Penskes Juan Montoya collided
with Power and squandered a seemingly safe 34-point championship lead, handing
the title to Ganassi Racings Scott Dixon.This year, the only question was
whether Penske could finish off its first 1-2-3 whitewash of the IndyCar
standings since Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy throttled the
CART series back in 1994. Castroneves edged Ed Carpenter Racings Josef Newgarden
(who many observers tip to join the Penske team next year, replacing Montoya)
for third place in the points chase.I felt bad for Will, but Ive had my share of
bad luck and I know thats the way it goes sometimes, Pagenaud said. I think its
safe to say we had a fair fight this year.One thing I did well this year was
that I tried to keep my emotions very steady without going crazy on the radio,
he added. When I saw he was slowing down, I have to say it was a relief. I
thought, Now we can finally unleash the beast inside and go for the win.What an
incredible day -- this is the most dominant we have been.After what was widely
perceived as a disappointing first year with Team Penske in 2015, when he failed
to win a race and finished 11th in the standings, Pagenaud performed at a high
level from the start of the 2016 campaign.He led the most laps in the opener,
and while he lost the win on an aggressive restart by teammate Montoya, the 43
points Pagenaud scored at St. Petersburg proved to be the decisive advantage he
needed over Power all year long.Although he is yet to win on an oval, Pagenaud
significantly upped his game in that aspect this year. But his bread and butter
remains the natural terrain road courses, where he earned wins at Barber
Motorsports Park, Indianapolis and Sonoma to go along with a street course
triumph at Long Beach.But his win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will stand as
Pagenauds signature moment. He and Power battled wheel to wheel for a full
14-corner lap before the Frenchman pulled ahead into a lead he would not give
up.Its like a football team, he said. You have to make sure the chemistry is the
best and it took awhile to make it happen. My team worked so well this year and
there werent any disputes with any of my teammates.But to me, the biggest points
this season were the times when it was bad, he added. Obviously we always see
the good days, but Gil de Ferran told me if you can have a bad day and nobody
notices, thats how you do a really good job -- and thats how you win a
championship.While Pagenaud celebrated, Power was left to consider his fourth
second-place finish in the IndyCar Series championship since 2010. But he didnt
take this loss as hard as he may have in the past.Ive had much more frustrating
ends to a season than this, I can promise you, Power said. It was still a great
year. We won a 500-mile race -- not the right one, but we won a 500-miler and
1-2-3 in the championship for the team, which is really good considering the way
it turned out last year.It was just his year, Power added. Everything fell for
him and when it came down to the end here, he did everything he needed to do and
made it difficult for me.He did a great job.
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Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden
Eagles.
Harrison Smith Youth Jersey . Peter Gammons,
an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of
hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their
physical game the night before.
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.7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for
$8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jim Harbaugh
rarely, if ever, says someone is like him.DJ Durkin is an exception.Does things
at a very high level with a lot of enthusiasm, Harbaugh said when asked about
Durkin. Kindred spirit.Harbaugh hired Durkin to be his first defensive
coordinator last year at Michigan, reuniting with one of the key members from
his staff at Stanford.Which coach, Harbaugh or Durkin, is more intense?I dont
think I can choose, Michigan running back Karan Higdon said. Theyre both
masterminds of their domain.Durkin helped the Wolverines have success last
season, helping him earn an opportunity to lead the Terrapins. Hes making the
most of it. Maryland won its first four games, surpassing last years victory
total of three, and is a win away from being bowl-eligible and making Harbaugh
even more proud.I follow all the coaches that we worked with and pull for them
when theyre not playing us, Harbaugh said.Facing players Durkin knows well might
give him a slight edge.Anytime youre familiar with the roster, you dont spend as
much time breaking down each player, he said. It certainly helps when theres
familiarity. Players play games, not coaches.Here are some things to watch when
No. 2 Michigan (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) hosts Maryland (5-3, 2-3) on Saturday:SPEIGHTS
STATS: Wilton Speight didnt have a touchdown pass for the first time this season
and threw just an interception for just the third time in last weeks win at
Michigan State. Harbaugh, looking beyond the box score, came away impressed with
Speights latest performance.You could make an argument that this was his best
game, Harbaugh said.Speight has completed 63 percent of his passes with 13 TDs
and three interceptions. Harbaugh hailed Speights grasp of the offense, saying
he asks the quarterback which plays he likes best before and during games.
Speights teammates praise his poise in the huddle and pocket.Hes calm, cool and
collected, Higdon said. He doesntt get too high, or too low.
Kyle Rudolph Womens Jersey. .SACK PREVENTION:
Maryland gave up four sacks last week, and now must contend with Michigans
defense that leads the Big Ten and ranks among the nations best with 3.4 sacks
per game.Their defensive front is probably the best in the country, Durkin said.
Its a big test for our guys.DAZZLING DARBOH: Amara Darboh as emerged as
Michigans top receiver, moving ahead of Jehu Chesson with a team-high five TD
receptions. Darboh had eight receptions for a career-high 165 yards receiving in
last weeks win at Michigan State. He has a team-high 38 receptions, almost
doubling Chessons total, for a team-high 664 yards receiving to lead Butt and
Chesson by 200-plus yards.NO CUPCAKES HERE: After missing out on an opportunity
to become bowl-eligible at Indiana, the Terrapins start the toughest stretch of
their schedule with a trio of games against ranked teams. After playing at the
Big House, Maryland hosts Ohio State and then plays at Nebraska.Barring an
upset, the Terrapins will have to beat Rutgers at home to end the regular season
with a .500 record.We know we have a big task ahead of us, Durkin said. Weve got
to find a way to get a win on the road in our conference.LOOK WHAT BROWN CAN DO:
When Durkin left for Maryland, Harbaugh searched all over the country to find
someone to replace him and was thrilled to lure Don Brown away from Boston
College to lead Michigans defense. Brown seems to be getting the most out of the
talent on the roster, helping the defense lead the nation in a handful of
categories without blitzing as much as he has in the past.Theyre probably doing
less on defense than coach Brown is known for, but theyre doing it at a very
high level, Terrapins offensive coordinator Walt Bell said.---AP college
football website: collegefootball.ap.org
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