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Mon Dec 23, 2019 3:54 pm
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INDIANAPOLIS -- The orange and brown glasses slide down the bridge of Jacques Villeneuves nose. Vans Shoes Clearance Sale . Along with the greying hair and growing bald spot, they give the Canadian driver a professorial vibe. Its only reinforced when he begins to speak. In clear, crisp sentences spiced by that unmistakable French-Canadian accent, Villeneuve lays out his opinion on just about anything -- especially when it comes to the Indy 500. He will talk about the latest generation of cars, lament the fact there is only one chassis manufacturer, and argue that spotters who are supposed to make the race safer have often had the opposite effect. Then hell talk about the speed and the danger. "Some younger drivers didnt grow up seeing racing as being dangerous," said Villeneuve, who is back at the Indianapolis 500 after a 19-year absence. "They break their little finger and they are surprised. Its like, Be happy its only that." Of course, Villeneuve forgets many of those younger drivers grew up watching him. James Hinchcliffe, a fellow Canadian, said his earliest memory of watching a race was 1995, when Villeneuve took advantage of a late penalty on Scott Goodyear to win the Indy 500. That was also the last time Villeneuve stepped into an Indy car at the iconic racetrack. At least, it was until this year. "Its cool to have him back," Hinchcliffe said, "because hes obviously one of the guys I looked up to as a young driver, and one of the guys I never thought Id have a chance to race." Villeneuve spent nearly two decades driving just about everything but an IndyCar. He won a Formula One title, tried his hand at NASCAR and drove at Le Mans. He dabbled in RallyCross and even raced V8 Supercars around the street circuits of Australia. But the lure of Indy started to tug him back. Villeneuve, who will start 27th on Sunday, watched with rapt attention last year as Tony Kanaan took the checkered flag. He was intrigued by the record number of lead changes, the way cars moved through the field and how stiff the competition had become. Villeneuve managed to land a ride with team owners Sam Schmidt and Rick Peterson, and will be part of a stable that includes Mikhail Aleshin and Simon Pagenaud on Sunday. "If I jumped from F-1 to this again, it wouldnt be an issue," Villeneuve said of the return to open-wheel racing, "but the first 20 laps, your eyes, your brain -- its not used to those speeds, so it is a big shock. You have to get out, breath again, and then get back in and its like, All right. Business as usual." His team may be an underfunded underdog, at least compared to heavyweights Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Autosport, and he may have struggled Friday in the final practice on Carb Day. But none of that will convince Villeneuve that he doesnt have a chance to win. "When I won here we were two laps down and we spent the whole race minding our own business," he said. "Thats the key: You should mind your own business. Figure out what is happening with everyone else at the end. You need a little bit of luck, and then you need to see how it pans out. I just hope Im not one of those people who does something stupid." Pagenaud was surprised to see his new teammate prepare for the race the moment he arrived in Indianapolis. Qualifying was almost an afterthought as Villeneuve gazed ahead to Sunday. "It actually makes me wonder why he focused so much on the race," Pagenaud said with a wry grin. "Im sure hell come up with something in the race and Ill learn then." If he does come up with something, Villeneuve could make history. The 43-year-old would break Al Unsers record of 17 years between victories that has stood since 1987. Even if he doesnt win, though, a good showing could prove invaluable. Villeneuve has dropped hints that he may be try to run the IndyCar series full-time next year, and that would turn the Indy 500 into quite an audition. "I had an opportunity to spend half an hour with Jacques in the garage area a week ago," said Goodyear, now an analyst for ABC. "Through all the questions I was asking him, catching up with him, I asked him, Why come back to something that youve won, have great memories with? "He said, Racing is my oxygen. I need to race something." Vans Old Skool White . Cain departed in the fourth inning of a 10-5 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout. Cheap Vans Sk8 Hi Shoes . The Oilers will try to get back in the win column on Monday when they continue a four-game road trip with a battle against the Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton won its third straight game last Wednesday against visiting San Jose, beating the Sharks 3-0 as Scrivens stopped 59 shots to set an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/vans-old-skool-sale.html .Y. - Urijah Faber walked out on a Madison Square Garden stage in a Wes Welker jersey, the UFCs fun nod to that other "super" show this weekend.DAVIE, Fla. - Loosening up for their first training camp practice, the Miami Dolphins high-stepped sideways up and down the field while House of Pains song "Jump Around" blared on the loudspeakers. Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes took in the scene and allowed himself a long yawn. With the first game more than six weeks away, the Dolphins tempered their excitement Friday regarding the 2014 season. Even so, every team is undefeated and optimistic in July, and the Dolphins were no different as they opened camp. "We want to play deep into January and February," quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. "Our goal is to win the division and play in the playoffs. Anything less than that is not up to our standards." Actually, thats way above the Dolphins recent standards. They havent made the playoffs since 2008, which is also their most recent winning season. They needed to win only one of their final two games last season but lost both by a combined score of 39-7 to finish 8-8. Tannehill and coach Joe Philbin are back for their third season with the team, but a woeful offensive line has been overhauled, theres more depth at receiver and running back, and the defence has the potential to be excellent. "We want to win. Thats what were all here for," new general manager Dennis Hickey said. "Were really excited about this team and what theyre going to be able to accomplish." Some prognosticators rank the Dolphins among the NFLs worst teams, but owner Stephen Ross anticipates post-season play. "I dont think I start any season without wanting to make the playoffs," Ross said. "If you dont have those expectations, you shouldnt be in the game. You own a team because you want to create a winner." On a 90-degree day, Philbin was already on the hot seat, and Ross was asked if the coach must make the playoffs to keep his job. "Im not going to say here he has to, because I can understand what the headlines would be," Ross said. "I like Joe Philbin very much. Im expecting Joe Philbin to be here a long time. But every year you want to see improvement." The Dolphins desperately need a better locker-room culture after a troubled relationship beetween offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin led to a bullying scandal that sent the franchise reeling. Vans Old Skool Wholesale. Incognito and Martin are gone, and the Dolphins brought in outside consultants for training sessions with players to foster better leadership. Centre Mike Pouncey, implicated in the scandal, said the culture will be much healthier this season. "Coach Philbin and Mr. Ross have done a bunch of things to change that," Pouncey said. "Right now were heading in the right direction. Everyone has bought into the way we want it done around here." As anticipated, Pouncey (hip) and running back Knowshon Moreno (knee) began camp on the physically unable to perform list. Both worked on the side Friday, and while Pouncey is expected to miss at least a couple of games, he said hes ahead of schedule in his recovery. Moreno, who signed a $3.275 million, one-year contract after a breakout season with Denver last year, is expected to join practice sometime during camp. Every other player passed his conditioning test. Defensive end Dion Jordan practiced and will be allowed to play in exhibition games, even though he has been suspended for the first four games of the season after testing positive for a stimulant prohibited by the NFL. Receiver Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson were back on the field after recovering from knee injuries last season. Koa Misi remained at middle linebacker after moving there from the outside as an off-season experiment deemed successful. The first practice was predictably sloppy. With Pouncey out, quarterback Ryan Tannehill dropped at least three snaps. He misfired deep to Mike Wallace — a frequent occurrence last year — the first time he threw long, but they later connected on a 40-yard throw that brought a cheer from spectators. While the stands were only half full, season-ticket sales are up, and the first three home games are projected to be sellouts. "Miami wants to support a winner," Ross said. "We start winning, well have a lot more support, and there will be a lot more enthusiasm." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' ' |
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