INDIANAPOLIS -- Hes the hometown hope, the Butler University alum and die-hard Indiana Pacers fan who has put his modest, one-car program on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 ahead of powerhouse programs from Penske Racing and Andretti Autosport. Theres more, though, and it runs as deep as blood. The unflappable Ed Carpenter is also the stepson of series founder Tony George. That means his family tree has roots tracing all the way back to Tony Hulman, who bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway after World War II, and includes Mari Hulman George, who still serves as speedway chairman and on Sunday will proclaim once more, "Gentleman, start your engines!" So to say that much of Carpenters life has been lived in Gasoline Alley, where he spent his formative years, is about as fitting for him as the maxim that "haste makes waste." It also means that the Carpenter is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I started racing quarter midgets when I was 8 years old, and at that point, I was already part of the Hulman family. Thats the way its always been for me," said the 32-year-old Carpenter, whose quiet voice and disarming smile belie a fierce competitive streak. "I dont feel the pressure," he insisted moments later, as if driving home the point. "As far as the local fan base and support, its fun. I dont think that translates into pressure." Perhaps its not that Carpenter feels pressure, but that he no longer recognizes it. Hell be making his 10th start in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," but his first from the pole. And while peering eyes have been trained on him most of his life, Carpenter insists that the pressure he endures on a daily basis has never managed to overwhelm him. "I dont like to say it means more to me because Im from here," Carpenter said, "but it does mean a lot because of how much I love this place." His first memories of Indianapolis go back to 1991, when he sat in the balcony overlooking the track and watched Rick Mears qualify for the pole. Even then, Carpenter knew that he wanted to one day drive over the hallowed ground that has been in his family for decades. He proved at a young age that he could find victory lane, too, winning national championships in midgets and sprint cars. He graduated to Indy Lights and made his IndyCar debut in 2003, when he was hailed as part of the next wave of young American drivers who might someday wrestle the series back from a surge of foreign stars such as Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. But things got sidetracked along the way, as they often do in racing, and Carpenter became an after-thought. He started to bounce around to different teams, trying to find magic once more. It wasnt until 2011, when he hooked up with Sarah Fisher Racing, that he won his first IndyCar race. And last year, after founding his own team, he surprised everyone but himself when he took the checked flag at the series finale at California. "Hes really a talent, and hes been developing for a long time, and hes become a special driver," said veteran Buddy Lazier, who also has a single-car team for this years Indy 500. "Its a huge inspiration," Lazier added. "Absolutely." That success would eventually come to Carpenter didnt come as a surprise to those closest to him. Time after time, they point out that he never gets too high or low -- that he keeps an even keel in the roughest of waters, and remains grounded during the best of times. "We all look at sports and talk about sports like its the end-all, be-all, right? But when youre in it, you realize theres a lot more to life," said Butler basketball coach Brad Stevens, whos known Carpenter for about six years. "I think hes got a great perspective on it." It was that perspective that stood out to former Masters and U.S. Open champion Fuzzy Zoeller, whose spirits company sponsors the No. 20 car that Carpenter will be driving on Sunday. "He doesnt run hot and cold, like 90 per cent of athletes do. Hes very, very calm," Zoeller said. "He doesnt get too fired up, he doesnt get too down, and thats very impressive. "Its a difficult thing," Zoeller added, "because they only have one car. But hey, dreams are made, right? You have to start with something." While he insists that pressure seems to run from his shoulders like water, Carpenter admits that hell be anxious when Sunday dawns. Hes not immune to the pageantry of the Indianapolis 500, the fly over and Jim Nabors and everything else that makes it such an iconic event. This is in his blood, after all. Its part of his very fabric. Nor does he know what his emotions will be like when the green flag drops, and he leads the field of 33 cars into the first corner with nothing in front of him but pavement. But its a moment that he intends to relish. "I mean, if someone out there tells you they dont get butterflies or dont get antsy, theyre flat-out liars," Carpenter said with a smile. "Theres no way people dont walk out from driver intros and see the crowd and dont feel that. I get goose bumps just thinking about it."
Dizzy Dean . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda.
Orlando Cepeda . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3.
http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/custom-rogers-hornsby-jersey-large-541q.html . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete.
Giovanny Gallegos . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Keith Hernandez . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Managers in the Premier League have come and gone since Arsene Wenger took over Arsenal on Oct. 1, 1996.Many, many managers.In fact, hundreds of managers.Yet Saturdays match at Emirates Stadium between his Gunners and Swansea City will be notable for the fact the most recent managerial change has brought Bob Bradley -- the first American to be in the opposing coaches box in Premier League history.Wenger is easily the longest-tenured football coach not only in the Premier League, but in all of the top four tiers of English football. The Frenchman has seen all of the other 91 clubs make at least one managerial change during his reign in north London.Including the naming of interim managers, the current 20 Premier League teams have made a total of 285 managerial changes since Wenger arrived from Grampus-8 in Japan. Thanks to the successful run of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United have made the fewest switches in that span with only five managers, while Crystal Palace have rearranged their back room a league-high 28 times before settling on current skipper Alan Pardew.Wenger has been no stranger to the coaches hot seat -- the lack of a Premier League title since 2005 often obscures his incredible streak of top-four finishes that have made Arsenal (5-1-1) a Champions League fixture. Yet Le Professeur has persevered with equal parts diligence, tactical nous, feistiness with the media and a flowing style of football that when done right, is the envy of most of Europe.So Wenger is well aware of the challenges awaiting Bradley and his Welsh side. He is eager to welcome the Yank to life in the Premier League.Hes not a beginner, he has traveled a lot and has accumulated experience in the United States, noted Wenger in his Thursday news conference, perhaps feeling a kindred spirit to his younger vagabond coaching days with Bradleys well-stamped passport. He has been in Egypt, France (recently) and is now in England, which is a fantastic opportunity for him. Its also good for the Premier League because the Premier League is taking off in the United States.To have an American here will create even more interest for the Premier League in the United States. He is equipped to deal with what is asked of him. … What is important is that youre qualified for the job you do, no matter where youre from.Bradley first gained international prominence as the United States national coach, guiding them to the knockout round of the 2010 World Cup and winning a group that featured England. He was fired the following year after losing the 2011 Gold Cup final to Mexico, which then sent him globetrotting at various levels.He quickly landed in Egypt, guiding the Pharoahs to the third and final round of African qualifying for the 2014 World Cup before falling in a playoff to perennial continental power Ghana. Bradley, though, earned more plaudits for stabilising his team and staying in the region following the unrest that came with the January 25 Revolution.He then became a trailblazer for American managers by becoming the first to guide a top-flight European team, and his two-season run with Norwegian side Stabaek Fotball was a success as he guided them into the Europa League after a third-place finish. He then moved to second-tier French side Le Havre, who are run by American owner Vincent Volpe, and had Les Ciel et Marine in fifth place in Ligue 2 before Swansea decided to make a change and fire Francesco Guidolin on Oct. 3.While there may be more willingness to take a flyer on Bradley given Swanseas majority shareholders are Americans Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, long-time Swans chairman Huw Jenkins still carries substantial sway in the organization and was supportive of the move.He is highhly regarded as a coach and has a wealth of experience on the international and domestic front, Jenkins told Swanseas official website about Bradley at the time of the coaching change.dddddddddddd He is well aware of the clubs footballing philosophy and will provide us with strong leadership qualities and a renewed belief to compete at this level.In his first pre-match news conference, Bradley admitted walking onto the pitch Saturday will be a career highlight, but hes also ready to put the distractions of him being a novelty aside and help the Swans (1-1-5) move away from the relegation fight. They enter the weekend 17th in the table.Its something I have done before. When you lead your team on to the field in the World Cup, you have to take a second and look around, Bradley said. But then very quickly I will get my mind back on the game -- you put that away and get ready for the whistle.Now its about making sure we are all together and restoring confidence. The way to do that is re-establish good habits. Sometimes when a team (goes) through a difficult stretch, its easy to slip a little in your reactions or your closing down … its about reminding the players what the best teams do well, not coming in with a whole lot of new ideas.That last part could prove vital because the Swans have a strong recent track record at the Emirates -- theyve gone 3-1-0 in their last four matches there. Last seasons 2-1 victory March 2 effectively killed off Arsenals chances of catching Leicester City for the title -- the kind of defeat Wengers detractors love to use in support of their argument its time for a new manager -- and both managers have taken note of the Swans becoming the bogey team of north London.I am aware that Swansea have a good record at Arsenal, and I like that because we can go there with confidence, Bradley noted. When you go away, you have to have the confidence to have people in front of the ball and play passes that break through the lines and create advantages. We have to go to play -- to play passes forward.Wenger, meanwhile, could use this match as a measuring stick to see how his team has progressed since March.I think thats what is at stake now for us, he said. Thats a good opportunity to show that we have moved forward. We were a little bit in a difficult period at that time and we were a bit unlucky as well on the day, I must say. But it could be a similar game.Arsenal are third in the table with 16 points and have won five on the trot in league play by a combined 13-3 scoreline, but Wenger needed to lay groundwork to scuttle media rumours that front-runners Manchester City are eager to acquire wide-back Hector Bellerin during the January transfer window. City manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly made finding wing backs who can push forward a priority in the winter signing period, and Wenger confirmed the 21-year-old is a target for a long-term contract extension for Arsenal after signing a deal last year.He has nearly three years to go and we always try to get the players to the level we think they deserve to be, Wenger said. So we try to extend, certainly, his contract. For me, his long-term future is here.Bradley may be without some of his first-choice players in is managerial debut as Fernando Llorente and Jefferson Montero are recovering from knee and calf injuries, respectively. Nathan Dyer is still recovering from knee surgery last month and is expected to be sidelined until mid-November.Arsenal will be without striker Olivier Giroud and midfielder Aaron Ramsey, but Frances Coquelin should be available for selection. ' ' '
