Sox Sign Jenks

The Sox apparently found a reliever willing to sign for fewer than three years AND take a demotion in the process: Bobby Jenks.

Jenks was nontendered by the White Sox after posting a league-average ERA in 2010 despite striking out more than 10 batters per nine innings, allowing a lower OPS (.668) than in 2009, blowing just four saves and allowing just two of 16 inherited runners to score. Oh, and he's only 30 next year.

Looks like a good signing from here. With Jenks and Bard in the bullpen, the Sox would either 1. have a potential for dominant 7th-8th-inning relief if Jonathan Papelbon returns somewhat to form, or 2. have a backup plan in case Papelbon pulls a Keith Foulke. 

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Colt McCoy To Start Rest Of 2010

Eric Mangini is usually unnecessarily coy about his starting quarterback.  Not anymore.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that only one of the three quarterbacks in the Browns stable has played well enough to deserve a starting spot.

Mangini announced Thursday that Colt McCoy will be his starting quarterback on Sunday in Cincinnati, and continued by saying McCoy will be the man when the Browns return home for the final two games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.  McCoy has been on the shelf for 3 weeks with a high-ankle sprain.

The thought right now is that longtime backup Seneca Wallace will be the #2 quarterback with Jake Delhomme selling hot dogs in the stands.  OK, maybe not, but Delhomme will likely not see the field again as a Cleveland Brown.

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Setback for Miller

The Steelers suffered a blow Thursday when tight end Heath Miller was forced to sit out practice with headaches, a lingering symptom of the concussion he suffered two weeks ago in Baltimore.

That could be bad news if Miller is unable to play Sunday against the Jets. With the Jets banged up at safety, Miller would be a heavy target if he plays.

If not, the Steelers are forced to settle for Matt Spaeth trying to go over the middle - ugh.

© On a related note, Darrelle Revis is suffering from a bit of a hamstring injury. That could be good news. But it also continues to lead me to believe the Jets will have Revis follow Hines Ward and Cromartie shadow Mike Wallace.

© Bryant McFadden and Flozell Adams both returned to practice today, but James Harrison sat out for the second consecutive day with an illness.

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Secret Little Giant Road Star, Yao Ming

The Rockets announced the majority of fans are very concerned by the news, Yao Ming received the MRI, the team's press officer to the media, the Chinese giant left again stress fracture ankle phenomenon, and still return to any definitive conclusion. Yao injured surprise news came out that everyone is not small, but doctors Kenneth Houston – Promoting the local 610 radio in an interview in Houston, said the end of this season, Yao Ming, is likely to have to stop his career.

For many young Chinese fans in the NBA are the earliest memories and deepest of Yao Ming, regardless of whether you can be overwhelmed by the success of back injuries, for us, Yao Ming, basketball has been rocked into their own hands around the world Sports Network to bring a comprehensive understanding of Yao Ming in the NBA that the growth law of the jungle mentality of the superstar.

The figure of the data: Year of the Yao Poster

rookie Yao – "came out of hiding giant

8 years ago, for Americans, "Yao" is still a mystery. June 26, 2002, that curtain and outputs Ins NBA draft, held the drama, about this great man of the East, there are many rumors: It was as if suddenly arise a meter giant, most Americans should not know where it comes from, I do not know your preferences and personality, not even knowing if he would play basketball.

Disconcerting as the box characters, the eyes of basketball fans in the United States, he finally settled on the Houston Rockets draft "wrapped in a maze, a mystery in the puzzle."

Prophecy is born of curiosity.

During that time, "Yao" is the theme of sports in the United States. Some pledge: the arrival of Yao Ming, the Rockets changed the whole fortune, in particular, take into account a couple of years before 2002, fireworks groups in terms of how bad it would otherwise not even close the U.S. mainstream media: How to hit the ball Nevertheless, Yao has changed is the future of basketball in the world, of course, increased cultural exchanges between the two largest countries in the United States 30 years ago in a "ping pong diplomacy" approach.

Of course, flooding more emotional or suspect: Besides mastering the long body can really do? Bradley of the Mavericks even greater than its 1 inch. Former Washington Bullets of the Sudanese Bor up to 2 meters 31 – the performance of the two men are well known. Even with the "syndrome of the worship of height" in basketball, in the extraordinary "special race," people still inevitable question: are more like "invited guests" instead of the traditional players, the ball almost on the basket of the people in general, as the cookie in the cup of coffee with the same ease – in this case, who cares if you can run it, understand it or not happen, no cover?

Yao seems to have become the best first test of this point of view. That is the champion Lang's first show in Indiana, which came off the bench more than 20 minutes, two rebounds, a goalless.

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Chip Ganassi Set to Double Up IndyCar Champion Team

Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series championship owner Chip Ganassi will be doubling his efforts in the series in 2011, adding two additional cars to his trophy stable.

The team, which would not confirm or comment on the long-rumored news, has scheduled a press conference Thursday in Indianapolis where Ganassi will introduce the newest additions to a driver lineup that already features two-time defending series champ Dario Franchitti and former two-time champ Scott Dixon.

Second-generation driver Graham Rahal -- son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal -- and Charlie Kimball, 25, a young talent moving up from the feeder Indy Lights Series, will campaign for Ganassi next year, working out of a "satellite" team shop rented from drag racing legend Don Prudhomme.

Rahal, 21, is the youngest IndyCar Series winner in history, scoring his only victory in the 2008 season-opener at St. Petersburg, Fla. However, he did not race full time last season. Kimball will be making his debut in the series.

Thursday's announcement will also confirm full-time sponsorship for both Rahal and Kimball -- significant for the series, which had several high-profile teams struggling to find primary corporate backing in 2010. In a unusual twist, Rahal actually announced a two-year sponsorship deal with TBC Corporation -- which owns several automobile tire retailers -- at this season's finale in Homestead, Fla. before having a contract in place with a team.

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The Crispa Files

Rafe Bartholomew is the author of Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball. He has previously written for FD about style in Philippine hoops. Monitor his every move at @rafeboogs, and visit his website.

Five years ago, about a month after I first arrived in the Philippines, I bought a photo album. I was shopping at an upscale swap meet in Metro Manila. After eying a case full of antique watches, some bearing the likenesses of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos in gold and silver relief, I noticed a crate of Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka vinyl LPs on the ground, and next to it a stack of basketball photos. I found the album underneath the single prints. It was nearly thirty years old, although I had no way of knowing at the time. All I could tell was that it looked ancient—tattered and coverless, with the wax paper between pages humidity-bonded to the photos themselves. Each image was devoted to the game, and even though I couldn't yet recognize the players, I had already heard of the name on their jerseys: Crispa. Almost as soon as I landed in Manila to learn about the Philippines' unparalleled basketball jones, sports writers began telling me about Crispa. This team, along with its 1970s rival Toyota, turned the Philippine Basketball Association into a force in popular culture whose reach and influence rivaled that of politics, the local film and television industries, even the Church.

I bought the album because it looked cool. A hundred or so worn, black and white pieces of basketball history couldn't hurt my research on Philippine hoops. It would take years of interviews and library digging before I understood how important it was. Much has been made of YouTube's role in creating a video archive of basketball history. I can watch Wilt Chamberlain catch lob after lob in a 1957 Kansas victory over my alma mater, Northwestern. What I can hardly watch any of, however, is a Philippine Basketball Association game from the late Seventies, an era considered the golden age of professional basketball by most Pinoys old enough to remember it. The players in these photos are their country's innovators, the Philippine anologues to Oscar Robertson, Clyde Frazier, Bird, Magic and Kareem, the athletes who set the PBA game on its course to the high-skilled, high-scoring, flamboyant modern era.

Now imagine not being able to see Clyde on D, Magic on the break or Bird on a hot streak. With rare exceptions, that's basically the case for Philippine basketball. When the PBA released a five-disc set of classic game DVDs, the oldest game chosen for the series was played in 1990. The Toyota-Crispa DVD showed a reunion game from 2003, when most of the players were in their fifties. If the mother lode of early PBA footage exists somewhere in the Philippines, it seems to be as well hidden as Yamashita's gold, because in three years of research on Pinoy hoops, I never saw a second of tape from the Seventies. The television networks that played the games are either kaput or unrecognizable in their more recent incarnations, and few, if any, records of their PBA broadcasts seem to exist. When I met Crispa greats like Atoy Co and Philip Cezar and they asked me if I had found footage of their old games, I realized how grim the situation was. For Co, the silver lining was that he still possessed betamax tapes of several Crispa games; he just needed a functional betamax player or a machine to convert his tapes to a modern format. Presumably, the PBA has a video archive, although I never gained access to it.

So this album, finally digitized, is not just a cool-looking score from an antique shop. It's one of the best records I've seen of 1970s professional basketball in the Philippines, and although we can't see how Atoy Co set up his split-legged jumpers or assess Freddie Hubalde's bank shot from the wing, we can get a sense of how vibrant the Philippine game was back then, both on and off the court. You can almost smell the funk in wide shots of packed, humid arenas filled with cigarette-smoking patrons; you can sense the speed and intensity of the Philippine game in the players' stretched, splayed, soaring bodies; and you can feel the depth of the nation's passion for the sport in the solemn expressions on the faces of fans, coaches and players alike during the lulls in and around games.

Here are a handful of photos that stand out, with a few thoughts devoted to each. Most of the comments are based on my previous research, although I also consulted Jay P. Mercado, an amateur PBA historian of legendary stature on Philippine basketball message boards. Do yourself a favor and check out the entire album, because I've been digging into the history of Philippine basketball for years, and I've never seen anything quite like this.



Most of these pictures come from the 1977 PBA season, which might explain why so many of them feature Crispa's Freddie Hubalde (#10). Hubalde was the back-up small forward throughout Crispa's first two PBA seasons, playing behind Bogs Adornado, who won the MVP award in '75 and '76. Bogs blew his knee out before the next season, and Hubalde more than ably filled Adornado's shoes by winning his own MVP trophy that year. Adornado was a gifted mid-range shooter who needed little more than shot fakes, jab steps and a sliver of daylight to be an effective scorer. Hubalde was more of a slasher and hustler; if images like this jumping jack knife move are any indication, Hubalde must have spent much of his career airborne with legs akimbo.



Crispa Coach Baby Dalupan and manager Danny Floro sit in the center of the frame, praying for, among other things, victory. The identity of the woman shooting the extremely salty glare into the camera is anybody's guess. It appears obvious, however, that she disapproves of bringing the hoopla of professional basketball into church. Not that there's much she can do about it. The Pinoy basketball universe is as fervently Catholic as the rest of the country. (See Manny Pacquiao's recent stand on birth control.) On my second day of following a PBA franchise through the 2007 season, I bowed my head with the entire team and their families at a special mass to bless the forthcoming campaign. A true believer would say it paid off; the team won the championship.



When imports are allowed to play in the PBA (the season is typically split into separate mini-seasons called conferences, one All-Filipino and one or more where international ringers can be hired), they are the kings of the league. Cyrus Mann, a 6-10 fourth-round draft pick of the Celtics in 1975, wound up anchoring Crispa's defense during several title seasons in the late Seventies. There's something very regal about him – his long, loping gait, his silk shirt, bellbottoms and hat. Crispa Manager Danny Floro leads him across the court, with a child that is almost surely Mann's son in tow. Trailblazing imports like Mann, Byron "Snake" Jones and Andy Fields were the first to taste the PBA's royal treatment.



Here we see "Fastbreak" Freddie Webb, the brightest star of the Tanduay Rhum franchise in the 1970s, who retired from basketball to become a sitcom star, film actor and politician. He was a senator from 1992 till 1998 and has been all over the Philippine press this week, because the country's Supreme Court overturned his son Hubert's extremely specious conviction on rape and murder charges after the younger Webb spent 15 years in prison. Webb is generally credited as one of the more successful and useful athletes-turned-politicians in the Philippines, although rumor has long had it that Webb's political enemies were involved in his son's frame-up.



Felicisima Bais, AKA Mommy Crispa, is probably the best-known fan in PBA history. Truth be told, every team has a Mommy Crispa, a den mother figure to lead the flock of pseudo-professional die-hard fans who receive free tickets and usually a per diem to form a cheering section. Crispa's Astroturf pep squad was known as the Crispanatics, and because Bais led the troupe devoted to the PBA's most-storied franchise, she gets the nod in history books as the league's preeminent superfan. Her accidental death in 1978, after falling down a flight of stairs, only amplified her legend.



Four Crispa players stretch before a game while a ballboy watches. From left to right, Tito "Kojak" Varela, Freddie Hubalde, Rey Pages, Abet Guidaben. In the olden days, this was about the extent of PBA players' physical training. There are probably as many photos of these guys lighting up cigarettes as there are of them limbering up before games. Many players back then believed weight training would ruin their shooting touch; others thought knee braces were for sissies. Practices were simple—sprints and scrimmages. A handful of all-time greats from this era supposedly had a hard time dribbling with their off-hands. Yet even though the skills may have been a bit underdeveloped and the sweat may have reeked somewhat of nicotine back then, few have ever claimed that the game was anything less than electric.

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speeds hit 197 mph during Daytona test on new pavement

Speeds during the Goodyear tire test at Daytona International Speedway have reached 197 mph in the draft, and drivers say they expect more Talladega-style racing on the newly paved Daytona International Speedway. Drivers were comfortable with those speeds, although NASCAR might decrease the size of the restrictor plate for the full test Jan. 20-22. Of the 18 cars that attended the test Wednesday, 14 remained for the second day of the two-day test on the 2.5-mile oval.

“Senna” – the Ayrton Senna movie reviewed | F1 reviews

"Senna" opened in Japan two months ago but British fans will have to wait until June to see the film on big screen.

Luckily I had the chance to attend a private screening of the film in London yesterday where I also spoke to the film's author and co-executive producer Manish Pandey.

In making "Senna" the producers had access to Formula One Management's extensive video archive. That vast amount of material has been condensed into a film which lasts little longer than a Grand Prix.

I'm sure that, like myself, many F1 Fanatic readers would have been happy to watch a Lord of the Rings-style three-part epic. But exerting discipline over what to include and what to cut has clearly been to the film's benefit, and not just in terms of making it suitable for a mainstream audience.

"Senna" tells the story of his life and F1 career through original footage, much of it never before seen. It avoids the dry documentary style of talking head interviews, using insteads voice-overs from several contributors plus clips from television commentaries.

Thanks to this approach the film moves along rapidly, introducing Senna with his breakthrough performance at Monte-Carlo in 1984 and speeding through to the onset of his rivalry with Alain Prost in 1988.

Although the film has plenty to say about Senna's character, his charitable work and, of course, his death, his bitter battle with Prost is the film's principle focus.

While no-one should underestimate the difficulty the producers had in choosing what to leave out of the film, the decision to skip over some events inevitably shapes the film's view of the main figures.

Two important moments in the rising hostility between Senna and Prost are omitted. These are their wheel-to-wheel battle at Estoril in 1988 and the row that erupted over the restart at Imola in 1989.

Perhaps these weren't thought significant enough to include, but putting them in might have helped to balance the film's view of Senna, which verges on the saintly at times.

It is not Prost but FISA President Jean-Marie Balestre who is ultimately portrayed as the villain, and the glimpses of his heavy-handed and partisan interventions do him no favours at all.

As well as these controversial episodes there are moments of great humour, none of which I'm going to spoil by giving them away here.

For a lifelong Formula 1 fan who discovered the sport at the height of the Senna-Prost war, the film is a treasure trove of fascinating moments from a great era.

Telling a story which most people already know the end of presents problems of its own. Watching "Senna", you know what's coming – and you don't want it to get there. You just want to watch the black-and-gold Lotus dancing its way around Adelaide in 1985. And you want to see more of the remarkable behind-the-scenes footage of his first home win at Brazil in 1991.

The film reaches a poignant and moving conclusion. It's impossible to re-watch the events of that Imola weekend without feeling heavy-hearted and the final sequence strikes an emotional chord.

As Manish wrote here in October: "Many non-F1 people know [Senna] because of his death: hopefully, they will now have some insight into his life."

"Senna" accomplishes that brilliantly. Quite simply it's the greatest film about motor racing I have ever seen.

F1 Fanatic rating out of five

"Senna" opens in the UK in June. It has already opened in some regions including Japan and Brazil. Please share information on when it opens in your area in the comments.

"Senna" – the Ayrton Senna movie trailer

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Hyundai i40 Wagon Rendered, Could Join Sonata in U.S. Lineup

It's no secret that Hyundai has been making big strides in the U.S.; the Korean automaker just hit 500,000 annual sales here for the first time, and also made its first-ever appearance on the Car and Driver 10Best list. But Hyundai is also making a push for mainstream success in Europe, where it still is shedding some budget-car baggage. The Golf-rivaling i30 has been a hit on the Continent, and Hyundai is preparing to go head-to-head with mid-size cars like the Ford Mondeo, the VW Passat, and the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia (sold in the U.S. as the Buick Regal) with the i40. That car, rendered here, is set to debut at the Geneva auto show.

Although the i40 shares its basic architecture with the U.S.-market Sonata, it's not merely a carbon copy of our car. Just as Volkswagen bifurcated the Passat line into European and American versions, Hyundai explains that the i40 has been styled and had its chassis tweaked for the European market. That said, we see a lot of Sonata hybrid in the nose. The i40 will launch with the five-door wagon, or cw, seen here, which will be followed by a four-door sedan (wagons are the body style of choice for cars in this segment in Europe). The i40 cw will offer a 1.7-liter turbo-diesel four with either 113 or 134 hp, a 138-hp 1.6-liter gas engine, or a less-powerful version of the direct-injected 2.0-liter four we have in the U.S.-market Sonata.

This is where the i40/Sonata product plans get confusing. While, for obvious reasons, we won't get the four-door i40 here, it is possible that Hyundai will offer the i40 wagon in the U.S. as a companion to our Sonata sedan. There's precedent for this type of move, as Hyundai offered the last-gen Elantra sedan alongside the Elantra Touring, a European model that's sold as the i30 cw elsewhere. An Americanized i40 cw likely would see the same powertrains as the Sonata. Got all that?

If it were our choice, we'd definitely vote to see this sleek hauler in the States. The recent influx of wagons (see the Acura TSX and Cadillac CTS) could make a case for such an offering, assuming they fare well in the marketplace. We should know more about the i40's chances closer to the car's Geneva debut in March.

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2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists Announced

The finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards have been announced, and the choices shouldn't surprise anyone. The Chevrolet Volt, the Hyundai Sonata, and the Nissan Leaf will battle for NACOTY status; truck finalists are the Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Of the three cars, two are familiar faces: The Volt and Sonata were both voted to our 2011 10Best Cars list. We praised the Volt's performance as a viable electric car, and were impressed by the nonhybrid Sonata's strong powertrain and impressive value. As to the trucks, in our most recent comparison test of four SUVs, Jeep's new Grand Cherokee earned first place. The Durango is based on the same platform as the Jeep (which is in turn based on the upcoming Mercedes-Benz M-class's) and the Explorer and Durango are both three-row American SUVs that have made the switch to unibody architecture for 2011.

The initial list comprised 41 vehicles, which was whittled down to shortlists of 14 cars and 14 trucks, by a panel of 49 automotive journalists that includes our own Eddie Alterman and Tony Swan. They'll vote again to select the winners, which will be announced at the Detroit auto show on January 10. To be eligible for the awards, a vehicle must be all-new or "substantially changed" for 2011. Last year, the Blue Oval took both awards with the Ford Fusion hybrid and Transit Connect.

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Cleveland Indians Mourn The Death Of Hall Of Fame Pitcher Bob Feller

Kevin Rivoli - AP

over 1 year ago: Hall of Famer Bob Feller, 90, acknowledges the fans during introductions before the Baseball Hall of Fame Classic in Cooperstown, N.Y., Sunday, June 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

View full size photo »

The Cleveland Indians remember legendary pitcher Bob Feller, who passed away last night.

Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan has issued the following statement regarding the passing of legendary Bob Feller. The 92-year old Feller died tonight at 9:15 p.m. ET of acute leukemia in Cleveland, OH.

"Bob Feller is gone. We cannot be surprised. Yet, it seems improbable. Bob has been such an integral part of our fabric, so much more than an ex-ballplayer, so much more than any Cleveland Indians player. He is Cleveland, Ohio. His statue at Progressive Field is an icon. No more, no less than Moses Cleveland in Public Square.

To say he will be missed is such an understatement. In fact, more to the point, he will not be missed because he will always be with us. Since 1936 he has been with us. For 75 years he has been a contributing citizen, a model for all athletes, and friend of thousands. As so it shall be in the larger sense, Bob will be with us always. Not at Opening Day, not at Fantasy Camp, not in the Press Box, but in our hearts.

We in Cleveland have been blessed to have had him with us these many years. We will never let his memory pass."

Cleveland Indians organization remembers Bob Feller

It is a combination of so many other aspects of Feller's life that make him stand out from other great players. As Midwesterners, fans love that his arm strength came from working on a farm in Iowa. As Americans, we are filled with pride by the fact that he enlisted in the Navy on the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor and immediately volunteered for combat service. He was the first MLB player to do so. Feller was once asked, "What is the most important game you ever won?" He responded, "World War II." Following the war, despite missing four seasons during what many considered his prime years, Feller returned to old form and never once regretted serving his country before himself.

Feller's life, much like his fastball, never seemed to slow down. He remained an ambassador to the game and helped form the Major League Baseball Players Union. Feller constantly maintained a presence in Greater Cleveland and frequently attended Indians games. As evidenced by the Bob Feller statue outside Progressive Field, no player has meant more to the Indians organization, both during and after his career, as Feller.

Many things have changed since Feller was a kid learning the game from his father on their farm in Van Meter, IA. However, kids still play baseball and playing this game lends itself toward dreaming about becoming one of the greats. As an organization, the Cleveland Indians could not be more proud to have had one of those greats so close, for so long. He was more than a hero. Bob Feller is a legend.

Feller spent every one of his 18 seasons in Major League Baseball proudly wearing a Cleveland Indians uniform, epitomizing the loyalty this city has shown its teams for generations. Signed by the Indians at age 17, he started 484 games and won 266 of them. Of those wins, 19 occurred during the 1948 season when the Indians last celebrated a World Championship. He had a lifetime ERA of 3.25, threw three no-hitters -- including the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history on April 16, 1940 -- 12 one-hitters and 44 career shutouts. In 1946, he pitched a remarkable 36 complete games.

Bob Feller was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in August and underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic to implant a pacemaker in October. In mid-November, Feller was hospitalized with pneumonia.

Details on a public memorial service will be announced in near future. Fans are invited to visit indians.com/feller for a tribute to Bob Feller and the opportunity to share their thoughts and memories regarding the Indians legend.

The designated charities for any monetary contributions can be made in the name of Bob Feller to Cleveland Indians Charities (www.indians.com) and the Bob Feller Museum (www.bobfellermuseum.org).

We respectfully inform the media the Feller family has requested privacy at this time.

Mark Shapiro -- Indians President 
"Bob was that rare man, whose legend and feats were matched by his intellect, strength and substance. He was inspirational as a competitor and even more so as a man. I was privileged to have known him and each time I visited with him, he reinforced my passion for baseball and my appreciation of the Indians' heritage."

Mike Hargrove -- Indians Hall of Famer 
"We have all lost a friend and the nation has lost an icon. Bob was always there with a word of advice or a story of Baseball's past. The thing is that they were always relevant and helpful. I will never forget before the first game of the '97 World Series, Bob came up to me and patted me on the back and told me how proud he was of me and the team, then gave me a buckeye and said it was for luck. I don't think that Bob ever believed in luck, just hard work and an honest effort. I will miss Bob very much. He was my friend."

Charles Nagy -- Indians Hall of Famer 
Ever since I joined the Indians organization, it was always an honor to talk baseball with such a legend. It is very sad to lose someone that was such a Cleveland icon. We also had a connection with the University of Connecticut and I enjoyed talking Huskies basketball with him on a regular basis. He was a presence that will surely be missed.

Mike Hegan -- Indians Broadcaster and son of Feller's battery mate and Tribe Great Jim Hegan 
"The Indians of the 40's and 50's were the face of the city of Cleveland and Bob was the face of the Indians. But, Bob transcended more than that era. In this day of free agency and switching teams, Bob Feller remained loyal to the city and the team for over 70-years. You will likely not see that kind of mutual loyalty and admiration ever again."

Rick Manning -- Indians Great and Broadcaster 
"Since my days as a player in the early 70's, over 20 Fantasy Camps and our Indians Cruises together, he was for me someone so special. He took life to the fullest. I don't know anybody who got more out of life than Bob Feller, plus he was very privileged to spend over half of his life in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I admired, loved him and was honored to call him my friend. He will always be Cleveland and will always be Cleveland Indians. I will miss him as he is a piece of history. When you mention greatest baseball players of all-time, he has to be mentioned."

Tom Hamilton -- Broadcaster and "Voice of Indians" 
"Bob was a living legend, but more importantly, a true American Patriot. Nothing was more important to Bob than this country and what it stands for. Of all of his accomplishments, he was most proud of the fact that he served this country with honor during World War II. But Bob always reminded us that he was no hero, the heroes were those that lost their life defending this country. I was always amazed at his incredible recall when reminiscing about his career. It was like you were back in time reliving those great moments. I feel very blessed to have known Bob these last 21 years. Bob was truly an iconic figure who always made you feel like a friend."

Manny Acta -- Indians Manager 
"There has never been a great one with such an affiliation to his original franchise. When you think Cleveland Indians, you think Bob Feller and vice-versa. He was a genuine patriot and a big-time Hall of Famer. Boy, he loved the Indians and we all loved him back."

Dennis Lehman -- Indians Executive Vice President of Business 
"In the short time I have known the Feller's, my wife Ginny and I have really felt a part of their family. Many nights over the course of a summer, sitting with Bob and talking baseball, will always be a fond memory. His love of our country and passion for the game, was without question. His recall of people, places and situations, was like no one I have ever met. Image, Bob having dinner with Joe DiMaggio and his wife Marilyn Monroe, and he could describe the meal conversation.

He was an amazing, engaging person, who was willing to share his thoughts and opinions to all and took the time to spend with so many of us in this community.

I will miss him very much."

Bob DiBiasio -- Indians Vice President of Public Relations 
"Bob Feller loved the Cleveland Indians. It is the ultimate American success story. Consider how a five-ounce baseball provided an Iowa farm boy the opportunity to travel the world as he became perhaps the greatest ambassador baseball has ever known. I had the privilege of working alongside him for more than 30 years and he taught me as much about the game of baseball as he did life. I will miss his friendship."

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Repaved Daytona Track Smooth and Bump-Free, Drivers Say

The freshly repaved track at Daytona International Speedway is smooth, has plenty of grip and plenty of room for racing, said NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who participated in Wednesday's Goodyear tire tests at the track.

"They smoothed out all the bumps," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 Daytona 500 champion. "The track is real smooth. It's got a lot of grip. The track reminds me a lot like Talladega was like when they first finished it.

"The racing during the drafting was exciting and I think it is going to be a good show, a more exciting show for the fans because the cars are going to stay real tight on each other throughout entire runs."

The speedway said 18 drivers took part in the tire test Wednesday -- the first day of a two-day Goodyear test to determine the proper tire compound for the 2.5-mile speedway's new racing surface before the 53rd annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 20. Drivers turned laps on the speedway in both single car and drafting sessions.

It was the first time race cars have been on the track at speed since the repaving job was completed earlier this month. From July to December, the entire track was repaved for only the second time since it was built and opened in 1959.

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The Road to the NHL Winter Classic

I just finished watching the first episode of 24/7 Penguins Capitals: The Road to the NHL Winter Classic for the second time, and I'm already planning on watching it again.

Yes my friends, the show is that good, and if you're a hockey fan who doesn't already have HBO, you need to get in touch with your cable or satellite provider right now to address that oversight. If anything, episode one consistently exceeded my expectations. The cable outlet has another breakout winner on its hands, and the NHL should be thanking whatever god they pray to for being along for the ride.

The moment that kicked the show into overdrive for me was during Pittsburgh's road trip to Buffalo, footage that was backed musically by the 70s hit, "Right Back Where We Started From," by Maxine Nightingale. It was an obvious nod to every hockey fan's favorite film, "Slap Shot," and one that sent the message that the folks doing the series love and respect the game as much as its most ardent fans—a welcome change from the message national media outlets usually telegraph when it comes to their feelings about the game.

It was great to see hockey treated in a manner that we usually see reserved for other major sports. My colleague at The TV News, Jeff Grimshaw, says the key to shooting hockey for television is to eschew the traditional "eye in the sky" view for tight shots on the action, and HBO seems to understand that implicitly. So while you may have watched hockey in HD, few have ever seen it like this, which means while this series is a great reason to subscribe to HBO, it's an even better reason to buy an HDTV if you don't already have one.

But while it's impossible to ignore what I saw last night, it was what I heard that couldn't help but warm my heart. Sure, there have been plenty of times when players have been wired for sound during a game, but those audio tracks have usually been sanitized for a family audience. That's not the case with 24/7. Instead, we get to eavesdrop on fights, meltdowns on the bench and players cursing under their breath after enduring a locker room tirade. We've always known that Washington winger Alex Ovechkin had a wicked sense of humor, but he kicked his reputation to a whole new level last night. After an official explained that teammate Alexander Semin had drawn blood after cross-checking Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles in the neck, a horrible lapse in judgment that earned Semin a game misconduct, Ovechkin deadpanned, "He (Liles) must have sensitive skin."

Considering his team was in the midst of a 12-game winning streak at the time, I'm not surprised that Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma was depicted as cool, cerebral and in control. Then again, through the lens of HBO, it was hard not to come away with the impression that Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau's stock had crashed out of the NASDAQ and into the pink sheets.

That impression crystallized while watching footage of Sunday's 7-0 loss against the Rangers. With his team down 3-0, Boudreau called timeout during the second period in order to rally his troops. After berating the team for demonstrating a lack of courage and strafing them with a string of F bombs, Boudreau wrapped up his rant with, "Let's get our fucking asses out of our heads," a line that can only be described as "bass ackwards." One can't help but wonder what Boudreau's players thought of his malaprop.

After one episode, we have our storyline: one one side we have the Penguins, a team that already has a title, riding high and feeling confident. On the other, we have the struggling Caps, a team with a well established reputation for failing when it matters most, struggling to get things back on track.

After taking it all in, it's impossible not to wonder how the show is playing inside each organization, especially here in Washington. In the past, if the Caps stumbled into a losing streak, the media attention would be negative, but not nearly as searing as it would be in a more rabid hockey market. But now, with expectations of success and television cameras recording their every move, ending the losing streak has become more imperative then ever before. Washington had a chance to alter the narrative last night, but still found a way to lose to Anaheim at home, 2-1 in overtime.

With six days left before the next episode airs, Washington has a pair of chances to alter the storyline, both on the road: first on Saturday in Boston, and then again on Sunday in Ottawa. As the losses continue to pile up, and the gap between Washington and the rest of the pack in the Southeast Division tightens, you have to start wondering whether or not collars are going to begin to tighten in Washington's executive suite too.

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Group Lotus considers building F1 engines

Group Lotus has already confirmed that it has purchased a 25 percent stake in the Renault F1 Team ahead of 2011 although the Proton-owned, Norfolk-based sports car company is now also pondering the fabrication of Formula 1 engines.

Red Bull and Vettel triumph in spite of themselves

Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Silverstone, 2010

Red Bull had the fastest car of 2010 – but they made life difficult for themselves.

The domination of the RB6 often made Saturday qualifying sessions a foregone conclusion. But the team only won half the races.

Still, despite several crashes for Sebastian Vettel – including one catastrophic intra-team smash – the Milton Keynes-based team captured both titles.

Red Bull team stats 2010

Best race result (number)	1st (9)
Best grid position (number)	1st (15)
Non-finishes (mechanical/other)	5 (2/3)
Laps completed (% of total)	2109 (93.4%)
Laps led (% of total)	699 (61.91%)
Championship position (2009)	1st (2nd)
Championship points (2009*)	498 (376)
*using 2010 system

Having ended 2009 as the team to beat, Red Bull skipped the first week of testing while Adrian Newey put the finishing touches to his latest brainchild.

Once it hit the track the RB6 quickly proved a worthy successor to his greatest cars, such as the Williams FW14B and McLaren MP4-13.

Its qualifying performances particularly frustrated the team's rivals. At first suspicion surrounded a claimed ride height-lowering device, but none was found.

Later in the season the team's front wing was seen to be dipping at some circuits to produce extra downforce. The FIA increased the severity of its chassis tests but this only seemed to lessen, not eradicate, the suspicious flexing.

While the RB6 shared the performance characteristics of previous Newey creations, it also bore another family hallmark – dubious reliability.

Although Red Bull's race-finishing rate was no worse than McLaren's, for Vettel the car chose the least opportune moments to break down. It robbed him of wins at Melbourne and Korea and on several other occasions Vettel had to drag a faltering car to the flag.

At the beginning of the season the balance of power was tipped in Vettel's favour. Even at Sepang, where Mark Webber took a brilliant pole position by gambling on intermediate tyres on a drying track, Vettel nabbed the lead at the start and took the win.

Webber hit back with a pair of pole-to-flag victories in Spain and Monaco. He started at the front of the grid again at Istanbul after Vettel suffered a roll bar failure in qualifying.

This put the pair on a collision course and all hell broke loose when Vettel tried to pass his team mate for the lead on lap 40. Vettel edged towards Webber, triggering a crash that ended Vettel's race and left Webber on a damage-limiting run to third.

Now the gloves were off, and Webber wasted no time in calling the team's decision to hand a new specification front wing to Vettel in Silverstone a sign of their favouritism.

Webber, who had survived a terrifying crash at Valencia two weeks earlier, won the day, while Vettel made a scrappy recovery drive to seventh.

Vettel's perceived weakness in overtaking was underlined when he crashed into Jenson Button while trying to overtake the McLaren driver at Spa. But this marked a late turning point in his season – from then on he was never headed by Webber again.

Monza was one of the few tracks at which the RB6 did not excel. Vettel overcame an engine problem during the race to take a useful fourth on a day when he couldn't challenge Fernando Alonso's Ferrari.

A mistake on his qualifying lap at Singapore proved costly as it allowed Alonso in for another win, Vettel chasing him home. But at Suzuka – a circuit he has developed great fondness for – nobody could touch Vettel.

Webber, meanwhile, saw Alonso move ahead of him in the drivers' championship. He lobbied Christian Horner to impose team orders and have Vettel play a supporting role as Felipe Massa had been ordered to at Ferrari.

As I pointed out at the time, Red Bull could have taken the World Motor Sport Council's decision not to enforce the team orders rule in an effective fashion as their cue to back Webber, and ordered Vettel to let him by whenever he was running directly in front of his team mate over the final six races.

Had they done that, Webber would have been champion. To their credit, they did not do this, as it would have involved Vettel pulling over at Singapore, Japan and Brazil.

Smart race strategy was an under-rated strength of the team's in 2010. It saved Webber's race in Singapore, allowing him to salvage third, thanks also to some pin-sharp overtaking and a huge slice of luck when he survived contact with Lewis Hamilton.

At Interlagos Webber re-stated his claim that the team were secretly favouring Vettel. But he had a secret of his own – he revealed after the season that he had picked up a shoulder injury ahead of the final four races. He denied it affected his driving, but at this crucial point in the season his form clearly dipped.

He carried the blame for crashing out in the rain in Korea and was off the pace in the final round at Yas Marina. In a season where the gap between him and Vettel in qualifying was often just hundredths of a second, he was over half a second adrift at the final race, and slumped to eighth on Sunday.

While Alonso and Ferrari took themselves out of contention, the way was clear for Vettel to grab his fifth win of the year and the title along with it.

He had never led the championship at any point previously in the season, though arguably he should have been ahead from round one. If Red Bull can marry speed and reliability in 2011, and Vettel can replicate his late-2010 form across all 20 races, this will be the first of many titles for team and driver.

Red Bull's 2010 season in pictures

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