Hamilton fastest in 2nd Abu Dhabi practice (PA SportsTicker)
Hamilton fastest in 2nd Abu Dhabi practice (PA SportsTicker)
By MICHAEL CASEY AP Sports Writer DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)Having clinched the Formula One Championship and powered his Red Bull team to the constructors title, Sebastian Vettel will be chasing individual records at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The two-time Formula One champion already has won twice in Abu Dhabi, and another victory this weekend will leave him needing to take the checkered flag in the final race of the season in Brazil to match Michael Schumachers record of 13 wins in a season. The 24-year-old German also can equal the record for the most pole positions in a season (14) at the Yas Marina circuit, which has been criticized for having too few places that allow passing. The track in Abu Dhabi is special; this will be our third Grand Prix there, Vettel said. The race starts at dusk and finishes at night, which means we have to drive with special helmet visors because of the different light conditions. The other factor is that we drive anti-clockwise. The tracks a bit like Singapore from the speed, but the asphalt is smoother. Vettel will face competition from plenty of drivers looking to prove a point, including teammate Mark Webber, who sits fourth in the drivers standings but has yet to win a race this season. Then there is McLarens Jenson Button, who wants to tighten his grip on second with a strong performance since he is only 13 points ahead of Ferraris Fernando Alonso. Our car should suit this circuit so Im very optimistic, Button said. We saw at the last grand prix that even though we didnt have the ultimate speed to catch and pass Sebastian, we made him work hard for the win. The championship may not be at stake anymore, but were still aiming to win races and put on a tremendous show. Buttons teammate, Lewis Hamilton, finished second in Abu Dhabi last year and is hoping a victory in Abu Dhabi could erase some of the pain of a season that has been most notable for several mistakes and a running feud with Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. The Indian Grand Prix last month was typical of Hamiltons difficult season. He was penalized three grid places for ignoring yellow flags warning drivers to slow down during the practice session and then collided with Massa during the race – the third time he has done so in four races. Weve got every reason to be confident for Abu Dhabi, Hamilton said. This circuit should really suit the characteristics of our car. Im still determined to end the season on a winning high. Ive won two grands prix this year, and Id love to double that by the end of the year. Schumacher and Alonso, who have nine world titles between them, will be looking to salvage something from what has been an otherwise disappointing season. In his second season since coming out of retirement, seven-time world champion Schumacher has five DNFs, the most recent when he crashed out of the Korean Grand Prix. But the Mercedes driver rebounded to finish fifth at the Indian Grand Prix and is only five points behind teammate Nico Rosberg in the drivers championship. Alonso came into last years race as the points leaders and appeared poised to win the championship. But an ill-timed pitstop to change tires backfired. The Spaniard got stuck behind Renaults Vitaly Petrov and finished seventh. That caused much argument about the lack of overtaking opportunities on the Yas Marina track, but the introduction this year of the DRS zone, and the reintroduction of KERS, creates speed differentials that should allow passing. Its usually been quite difficult to overtake here, especially last year, but I think that DRS will change all that, Button said. The back straight is one of the longest in Formula 1 so I expect to see a lot of action there. It would be great to see the new rules turn this circuit into a place where overtaking is more common and more exciting. Alonso is third in the drivers standing but has only won once. A late season surge that got him back into contention in 2010 never materialized this year and Ferrari has struggled to keep pace with the faster Red Bull. Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said it will be tough for Alonso to return to Abu Dhabi after last years disappointment. But he said he hoped it would serve as an incentive as the team looks to close out the year with two strong performances. Clearly, we are not pleased, as we have said so often, Domenicali said of the teams performance in 2011. In the remaining two races, we want to try and get on the podium and try all we can to get Fernando to second place in the drivers classification. Follow Michael Casey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mcasey1
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Obama congratulates WNBA champs (AP)
Obama congratulates WNBA champs (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP)President Barack Obama has called the head coach of the Minnesota Lynx to congratulate her and her team on winning the WNBA championship. The White House says Obama told coach Cheryl Reeve on Thursday that hes very proud of how the Lynx played and how hard they worked as they pursued their first WNBA title. He said he looked forward to congratulating the team in person at the White House. The Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 73-67 earlier this month to complete a three-game sweep of the womens basketball championship series.
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Head-butt gets Sabres’ Kaleta 4-game ban (AP)
Head-butt gets Sabres’ Kaleta 4-game ban (AP)
NEW YORK (AP)Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta(notes) was suspended four games by the NHL for a head-butt, the NHL announced Thursday. League disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan(notes) ruled Kaletas hit to be illegal after holding a hearing with the player and reviewing the hit, which occurred five minutes into a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. Kaleta was battling for the puck along the boards in the Sabres zone, when he lunged head-first into a crowd of players with the crown of his helmet striking Philadelphias Jakub Voracek(notes) in the chest and face. Shanahan, who has taken a hard stance against head hits in his first year on the job, noted in a video announcing the suspension on NHL.com that this is the third such incident involving Kaleta in less than two years. Kaleta will lose $19,621.64 in salary while serving the suspension, which starts with Buffalos home game against Calgary on Friday. To fill Kaletas spot, the Sabres promoted forward Corey Tropp(notes) from their American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester. Tropp has never played an NHL game and has four goals and three assists in 10 games for Rochester this season.
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Tour Report: Watch: Round 1 highlights (PGATOUR.com)
Tour Report: Watch: Round 1 highlights (PGATOUR.com)
Choi birdies No. 17 in Round 1 of HSBC Champions In the opening round of the 2011 World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions, K.J. Choi holes a 23-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 17th hole. Posted Nov 2 2011 More: Golf video
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Tunnicliffe leads Tulloch in sailing finals (AP)
Tunnicliffe leads Tulloch in sailing finals (AP)
MIAMI (AP)Anna Tunnicliffe, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist, and Sally Barkow, a 2008 Olympian, are among eight U.S. womens match racing skippers who will begin competition Wednesday in the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta. The top four teams will advance to the final selection event to determine the American entry for the London Olympics. That regatta will be held in May at the Olympic venue, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Tunnicliffe of Plantation, Fla., is ranked No. 1 in the world. She won the gold medal in single-handed Laser Radial in the Beijing Olympics before switching to match racing. Crewing for her are Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi. Barkow of Nashotah, Wis., is ranked No. 3. Crewing for her are Elizabeth Kratzig-Burnham and Alana OReilly. Other highly ranked skippers and their crews are No. 11 Genny Tulloch of Sausalito, Calif., with Jennifer Chamberlin, Alice Manard; and No. 25 Maegan Ruhlman of Cleveland with Martha Fisher and Abby Rowlands. The rest of the skippers and their crew are No. 33 Becca Dellenbaugh of Brookline, Mass., with Katie Pettibone and Janel Zarkowsky; No. 38 Stephanie Roble of East Troy, Wis., with Darby Smith and Maggie Shea; No. 100 Sandy Hayes of Scituate, Mass., with Carol Arnold and Cindy Olsen; and No. 105 Kaitlin Storck of Huntington, N.Y., with Sarah Lihan and Emily Babbitt.
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Injured Bucs RB Blount not practicing (AP)
Injured Bucs RB Blount not practicing (AP)
BAGSHOT, England (AP)Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris has a nickname for running back Earnest Graham(notes). We call him Insurance Graham for a reason, Morris said of Graham, a player who has a knack for filling whatever needs the team has. Theres a good chance that reason will be clear to everyone when the Buccaneers face the Chicago Bears at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Graham usually does his work quietly and in the background: blocking for LeGarrette Blount(notes), taking some third-down carries and providing veteran leadership on special teams. Right now, though, the team needs him to grab the spotlight for once. Graham is coming off his biggest game in three years after filling in for the injured Blount and rushing for 109 yards in a 26-20 victory over the New Orleans Saintssurpassing his total yardage for all of 2010. Blount has yet to practice with the Bucs in London this week, meaning the 31-year-old Graham is likely to again be called upon to carry the running game in the fifth edition of the NFLs annual regular-season game in the British capital. Even for an eight-year veteran who is among the most respected players on his team, its nice to get a chance to show a wider audience that he can still play a major role. When you dont show up in the stat lines and those types of things, I think its hard for people to understand your value, Graham said Thursday after the teams second practice in Britain. But my value has always been that I can play multiple positions at a very high level. Just ask Morris, who often raves about Grahams unselfish attitude and presence in the locker room. His veteran leadership isyou cant even talk about it, you cant even (praise) it enough, Morris said. Hes preparing to be the lead dog guy again (this Sunday). Weve seen him do that before. Weve seen him do it for a season, weve seen him do it at different spots at different times of a year. Hes the best guy to do it for you. Morris had his best season in 2007 when he ran for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns, but missed the last part of 2008 with an injury. Since returning the next year, hes mainly had to play a supporting role to first Cadillac Williams and now Blount. While Graham doesnt have the same power Blount provides, he brings a different type of relief for his offensive line. Its like having the best of both worlds, tackle Donald Penn(notes) said. Blount helps us out because people bounce off of him when we miss blocks. Earnest helps us out because he makes us look good when we dont make the right blocks because he makes better reads and he has the better feel for it. So while Grahams performance against the Saints may have surprised some fans, it was nothing more than what his team expected. My teammates, coaches, organization, I dont think they were surprised by me stepping up and providing a nice rushing attack, Graham said. Within the building, we were still very confident that we could get the job done in the running game and I think that showed on the field.
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AFC Conference Betting – Vikings at Saints
AFC Conference Betting – Vikings at Saints
New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts Betting Odds – Game Pick Banner -Online Sports Bettingat Bodog Sportsbook NFL Football Game Picks Buffalo at NY Giants ATS Pick New Orleans at Tampa Bay ATS Pick Chicago at Detroit ATS Pick Green Bay at Atlanta ATS Pick Oakland at Houston ATS Pick Lions at Cowboys ATS Pick Patriots at Raiders ATS Pick Steelers at Texans ATS Pick Packers at Bears ATS Pick Atlanta at Tampa Bay Odds Houston at New Orleans ATS Pick NY Jets at Oakland Raiders ATS Pick Philadelphia at Atlanta ATS Pick San Diego at New England Odds Chicago at New Orleans Betting Dallas at NY Jets Betting Pittsburgh at Baltimore Betting New Orleans at Green Bay Betting Bettors Toolbox 2011 NFL Betting Trends 2011 Strength Of Schedule Free Office Football Picks NFL Handicapper’s Database Weather Forecasts NFL Future Odds AFC East Odds AFC West Odds AFC South Odds AFC North Odds NFC West Odds NFC East Odds NFC South Odds NFC North Odds Super Bowl Odds Rookie of the Year Odds Top Defensive Rookie Most Passing Yards Most Rushing Yards Most Receiving Yards NFL Handicapping Halftime Betting Tips Strategy for Wagering NFL Totals Sandwhich Game Handicapping Theory 8 Myths about Betting on Football NFL Key Numbers Halftime Betting Preseason Betting Football Gambling – How to Win Overlooked Handicapping Tools NFL Betting Basics
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Chase Watch: Johnson plummets after wreck (Yahoo! Sports)
Chase Watch: Johnson plummets after wreck (Yahoo! Sports)
The 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship just got real interesting after Jimmie Johnson wrecked out of Saturday nights Bank of America 500, putting the five-time defending champ in a hole that he may not be able to climb out of. Here is how the Chase field fared in Saturday nights race at Charlotte Motor Speedway: 1. Carl Edwards Finished 3rd: Edwards was nervous going into Saturday nights race, wondering if this would be the one to trip up his title hopes. He left having extended his points lead and, more importantly, doesnt have Johnson breathing down his neck. (-) 2. Kevin Harvick Finished 6th: Once again, Harvick turned in a wholly anonymous top-10 finish. He has said he needs to win a race to win a title, and that may just be true. Still, 10 consistent runs without an error would be better than a win. (5 points) 3. Matt Kenseth Finished 1st: He has flown under the radar, mostly because hes Kenseth quiet, unassuming Kenseth. Not so much anymore. He didnt lead a lot of laps, but it was clear his car was the class of the field. He is definitely a player now. (-7 points) 4. Kyle Busch Finished 2nd: Busch never has been a factor this far into the Chase. Still, to challenge the drivers ahead of him he needs wins. He almost got it Saturday night. Almost. Busch still never has won a Chase race as a Chase contender. (-18 points) 5. Tony Stewart Finished 8th: The rap on Stewart after winning the first two Chase races was that, yes he had won, but hed done it on fuel, not speed. Were seeing that play out now. Stewart is good but doesnt have the speed to keep up with the front runners. (-24 points) 6. Brad Keselowski Finished 16th: A small victory after struggling early in the race. (-25 points) 7. Kurt Busch Finished 13th: Second straight 13th-place finish for Kurt Busch, who was his usual none-too-jovial self over the radio. If crew chief Steve Addington isnt leaving after the season, he deserves a medal for dealing with Buschs attitude on a weekly basis. (-27 points) 8. Jimmie Johnson Finished 34th: For five years, Johnson has been mostly mistake free. He finally flinched. Perhaps racing Ryan Newman a little too aggressively, Johnson lost control of his car with fewer than 20 laps to go and slammed nose first into the wall. He has been down before and came back to win. This Chase either will be his greatest triumph or the one where his reign finally comes to an end. (-35 points) 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finished 19th: A loose wheel forced Junior to come in for an unscheduled pit stop. If his title hopes werent done before, they are now. Its all about getting a win now, and lo and behold, Talladega is on deck. (-60 points) 10. Ryan Newman Finished 10th: Did Newman race Johnson too hard? Or was Johnson too aggressive? Depends on who you ask. (-61 points) 11. Jeff Gordon Finished 21st: Started out terrible, rallied into the top 10, then got spun when David Ragan got into Kasey Kahne. That momentum he had going into the Chase is but a distant memory now. (-66 points) 12. Denny Hamlin Finished 9th: Five races in and Hamlin finally posts a top-10 finish in the Chase. That pretty much sums it up. (-86 points) Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports: NHL roundtable: Debating Mike Richards in his return to Philadelphia Conference USA-Mountain West merger wont stop Big East expansion Best of Midnight Madness: Tom Izzos Top Gun entrance
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Dolphins RB Thomas questionable vs. Jets (AP)
Dolphins RB Thomas questionable vs. Jets (AP)
DAVIE, Fla. (AP)Miami Dolphins rookie running back Daniel Thomas(notes), slowed by a hamstring injury this season, is listed as questionable for Monday nights game against the New York Jets. Thomas was limited in practice Saturday. He has played in two of the Dolphins four games and leads them with 202 yards rushing. Cornerback Nolan Carroll(notes) (hamstring) and safety Chris Clemons (hamstring) also were limited in practice and listed as questionable. Cornerback Vontae Davis(notes) (hamstring), defensive end Tony McDaniel(notes) (hand) and linebacker Koa Misi(notes) (neck) are probable. All participated fully in practice Saturday.
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WTA Beijing Open: Sabine Lisicki vs. Kaia Kanepi
WTA Beijing Open: Sabine Lisicki vs. Kaia Kanepi
Written by Diana on 03 October 2011. Sabine Lisicki will take on Kaia Kanepi on Monday in the second round of the China Open. Sabine Lisicki struggled to make the most of her ferocious serve in her first round matchup against Irina Begu on Sunday, but still managed to clinch a 6-2 retirement victory. The German only put 40 percent of her first serves in, and she would have been in trouble had she not managed to convert four of six break point opportunities on Begus serve. Lisicki might not have produced a polished performance, but the fact that she still dominated despite being inconsistent on serve speaks volumes. The fourteenth seed has been in superb form recently, and her ability to win matches when her biggest weapon isnt fully functioning stands her in good stead for a title challenge this week. Lisicki will now meet Kaia Kanepi on Monday in round two. Kanepi thrashed Saisai Zheng in the first round (6-0, 6-3), and theres a chance that shell give Lisicki a stern test. The world No. 43 beat Caroline Wozniacki last week in Tokyo, and she might be able to pull off yet another upset. Even so, Lisicki should be able to get the upper hand here.
