Neues » e country, to have a three-game lead with three to play

INDIANAPOLIS -- While his team struggled with setup and speed, Scott Dixon has flown under the radar during preparations for the Indianapolis 500. Nike Air Max 93 Canada . Its exactly how he wants it. Its how he has tried to be his entire career. "I like to live simply," Dixon said. As such, one of the most decorated drivers of the last decade goes grossly underappreciated for his accomplishments. Hes the Jimmie Johnson of IndyCar, the driver tearing through the record books with his eye on the top names in series history. Dixons 33 career victories rank seventh all-time, and three more wins would leapfrog him past Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Unser into fourth place. The only drivers who rank higher than Dixon in victories right now have the last name Andretti, Foyt and Unser. Since joining Chip Ganassi Racing in 2002 while the team still raced in the now-defunct CHAMP Car Series, Dixon has won at least one race in every season except two. He has an Indianapolis 500 win on his resume, and his three IndyCar championships -- spread out in 2003, 2008 and 2013 -- show a consistency and longevity thats hard to match. At just 33 years old, he conceivably has almost another decade of racing ahead of him. But hes worked in the shadow of some huge personalities and some of open-wheel racings biggest stars. When Dario Franchitti joined the Ganassi organization in 2009, Dixon watched his famous teammate reel off three consecutive championships and two Indy 500 wins. In that same span, Dixon finished second in the championship once, third three times, and finished second to Franchitti in the 2012 Indy 500. Living in Franchittis shadow never bothered him. "I preferred that, actually," said Dixon, who will start Sundays Indy 500 in 11th, in the fourth row. "When I come out of the truck and everyone is standing around waiting, they all chased after Dario and I could just get on the scooter and ride off and get to work. Ive never had any problem not having the spotlight on me." Franchitti is on the sidelines now, forced into retirement last November from injuries suffered in a crash at Houston a month earlier. The imposing 1-2 attack of the two red Target cars has been broken up. It means Dixon finally has the team to himself, but he doesnt view it that way -- he maintains its always been owner Chip Ganassis team -- and the laid-back New Zealander isnt seeking any fame. Its a shame, because hes earned the attention. "Hes achieved so much, hes one of the most successful of all time, but a lot of people dont know that," said reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, a fan favourite and Franchittis replacement this year in the Ganassi organization. "He just does his job. Is he more famous than me? Not really. But were not talking about that. Its not what his goal is. Hes doing exactly what he wants to do." Dixon excels at striving for more and putting in the work toward continuing to improve his race craft. "He doesnt stop learning. He doesnt allow what hes just done to be the high point in his life, in his career. He only uses that as a springboard for the next day," said Mike Hull, Ganassis managing director and the strategist atop Dixons pit stand. "We just do not stop learning together, and he represents us. I wish we could clone him, to be honest about it, moving forward because hes the kind of person you need driving your race cars." In his 13th season with Ganassi, Dixon is easily the longest tenured driver in organization history. The team owner says the longevity is because Dixon "doesnt seem to carry much baggage with him." For an owner who dislikes drama or having to massage egos and manage personalities, Dixon is his easy child. As for where Dixon ranks among the all-time greats, Ganassi doesnt want to be part of the conversation. "Were obviously very proud to have Scott," Ganassi said. "When you talk about legacies ... that will be something someday for you in the media to talk about. I dont think its our position in the race team to talk about that. We certainly think his name deserves to be up there as well." Nike Air Max Flair Canada . He reps the 4-1-6The insecurity of Canadian basketball fans is not what it once was with the home grown talent making its way to the big leagues, but it is still nice to see the local kids remembering where they come from once they make their way south. Nike Air Max 95 Canada .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Colts by 5RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinnati 8-8, Indianapolis 11-5SERIES RECORD — Colts lead 18-10LAST MEETING — Colts beat Bengals 27-0, Oct. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max-270-canada-sale/max-270-mens.html . - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson sat on the scorers table at Oracle Arena on Wednesday morning.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Naadir Tharpe finally got to stand in the middle of the court at Allen Fieldhouse, bask in the adulation of another sellout crowd and celebrate a conference championship. The junior guard, who wrapped up his first two Big 12 titles on the road, had 19 points to lead five Kansas players in double figures Monday night, and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks held off Oklahoma 83-75 to ensure a share of their 10th consecutive league crown. "Just a great feeling," Tharpe said. "To be at home, to hear the fans and all that, its a beautiful feeling. It just shows the tradition of Kansas and what it means to us." Wayne Selden and Andrew Wiggins added 15 points each, and Joel Embiid had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Jayhawks (22-6, 13-2), who poured off the bench at the buzzer to celebrate the latest addition to their nation-leading 57 conference titles. It might be the only one for Wiggins and Embiid, the dynamic freshman duo projected to be lottery picks if they come out this season. Wiggins has already stated his intention to do so. "Winning the championship," Wiggins said, "just a great feeling on the court." Only two schools in mens Division I basketball have won more consecutive conference titles than Kansas: UCLA captured 13 straight from 1967-79 in the Pac-10, and Gonzaga won 11 straight in the West Coast Conference from 2001-11. "Its something you know," Selden said. "When you come in here, thats the standard." Cameron Clark had 18 points and Buddy Hield finished with 16 for the Sooners (20-8, 9-6), who have lost 12 of their last 13 games against the Jayhawks, including both this season. Oklahoma still has not won in the Phog since 1993, when Billy Tubbs was on its sideline. "Its so tough here for a lot of reasons," current Sooners coach Lon Kruger said. "Bill does a great job, theyre very talented, the atmosphere is great, the difference really is in the runs they make, and thats what you have to avoid. Easier said than done." The first half Monday night boiled down to an old-fashioned Big Eight tussle. The Jayhawks threw the first body punnch, picking up right where they left off in a rout of Texas by taking a 15-4 lead. Air Max 90 Canada Mens. Oklahoma answered with a few haymakers of its own, going on a 13-2 charge and eventually pulling ahead 27-25 with 5:26 left in the half. Selden took over down the stretch, though, scoring seven straight points to give Kansas the lead back. Frank Masons three-pointer capped a 10-0 surge and made it 42-33 at halftime. "We handled the ball well, made tough plays, but two or three stretches is why Kansas is so tough," Kruger said. "We gave them moments of run that you have to try to avoid." The Jayhawks, arguably the deepest team in the Big 12, forged their lead despite playing without a handful of players due to foul trouble. Wiggins, Tharpe, Perry Ellis, who finished with 11 points, and Jamari Traylor all had two fouls, and Connor Frankamp was on the bench with three. Wiggins picked up his third on the first play of the second half, when Ryan Spangler drove to the basket for an and-one. It was the start of a 10-2 run that got the Sooners back in the game. "They made a couple shots, we made a couple shots," Clark said, "but the main thing is we didnt take care of the ball at critical times." Clarks hot shooting and a couple of timely three-pointers by Hield gave Oklahoma the lead, only for Kansas to come back once more. Wiggins scored on a putback of his own miss with 8:01 left to give the Jayhawks a 60-59 lead, and their advantage grew to 69-63 a few minutes later. The Sooners kept finding answers. When Wiggins hit a three-pointer to make it 74-66, Isaiah Cousins promptly scored in the paint. When Tharpe got a home-rim bounce on a pull-up jumper, Hield was there to hit a fall-away three-pointer to close within 76-71 with 1:30 left. Oklahoma simply ran out of time, and as the final seconds ticked off the clock, another sellout crowd at the Phog began to chant, "Ten straight! Ten straight!" "In a league this competitive, thought by many to be the toughest league in the country, to have a three-game lead with three to play is pretty special," Kansas coach Bill Self said. ' ' '