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Who were those face-masked men, and what did they do to his new and improving team, Raiders coach Tom Cable asked inside the film room.
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* Raiders history keeps repeating 08.30.09
* Raiders history keeps repeating 08.31.09
* Raiders' coach in loss: 'This is embarrassing' 08.29.09
* Raiders' coach in loss: 'This is embarrassing' 08.30.09

Oh, yeah. That's those terrible Raiders of seasons past he keeps trying to kick out of the building, the ones who got the past four coaches fired in no time.

Problem is, those same old Raiders - teams that miscued their way to a 24-72 record since 2003 - won't go quietly into the night. Just look at Saturday's 45-7 exhibition loss to the Saints.

"We reverted to a lot of old bad habits in a couple of areas," Cable said Sunday. "We look like we have in the past - poor tackling, misaligned, missing some easy reads in terms of protection. Just really some fundamental issues that have been our issue in the past.

"Felt like we were getting away from it, and it showed up again."

Indeed, the Raiders looked as bad on offense and defense as they did in Cable's interim head-coaching debut last season - a 34-3 loss Oct. 12 at New Orleans.

So much was supposed to have changed since then, from a new defensive coordinator with new blitzing schemes to a renewed emphasis on the passing game with new receivers.

Maybe this is the lesson of the dark hour: Years of losing ways can't be eliminated in a month or three. It takes time.

"What I'm more interested in is figuring out why we reverted to what we're not, or what we're trying not to be," Cable said.

Defensive end Greg Ellis has one theory. This is his 12th NFL season, but his first outside of Dallas. That gives him some outside perspective to the long-running struggles in Oakland.

To Ellis, it starts with discipline away from the field.

"We've got to make sure that, 'Hey, I'm getting the proper rest,' " Ellis said. "Those 12 years of experience from my aspect ... Guys, you can't stay out all night. Can't expect to come in here and just turn it on. This isn't high school or college football. This is the best of the best in the NFL."

Cable said he didn't know about any players partying into the pregame night. But, he does know this:

"The one thing as a coach that you're always leery of is breaking camp because, when they get home, they don't have a curfew," Cable said. "So as grown men, we've got to handle those distractions and be able to take care of our bodies and stay focused on what we're trying to do."

All Cable can do from here is use this unmitigated disaster as a teaching point, proof that using the same tired approach will yield the same old results. It's not as if he can cut a bunch of players with the season opener two weeks away.

They've lived and relived this. At some point, they must learn.

"The sky is not falling," Cable said. "It just looks really gray right now, and it's supposed to after you get your tail kicked like that."

Lone star: Undrafted defensive tackle Desmond Bryant was one of the few players to draw praise from Cable. Bryant has replaced Terdell Sands on the second team.

"He's got the big body, he's got the want-to and he's allowing his coach to take him where he's trying to go," Cable said. source>>>

Silva Moving Up To Heavyweight?

The thought of Anderson Silva putting on enough poundage to fight in the heavyweight division isn't even the eye-catching part of this story. The person he wants to fight is none other than Frank Mir, largely considered the second-best heavyweight in the UFC ranks, behind Brock Lesnar. Silva has been adamant about avoiding a fight with current middle-weight contender Lyoto Machida because they're friends. I know - how adorable!

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But seriously, the idea of "The Spider" ascending to the heavyweight ranks isn't so ridiculous. He is the king of the middleweight division, and it's proven that there is nobody in that division that he would like to face because he's already crushed them all. Coming of a devastating victory over Forrest Griffin was enough to instill the idea in Silva's head that he can fight any heavyweight. His current weight is just about 200 pounds, and he needs to gain a whopping six-pounds to compete in the heavyweight division. He'll be giving up anywhere from twenty to forty pounds, unless he fights Brock Lesnar which would NEVER happen.

However, the fight against Frank Mir is a little bit daunting. As good as Silva is, Frank Mir is an incredibly smart fighter. He was overwhelmed by Brock Lesnar, but the way Lesnar fights, I'm almost convinced that nobody can beat him. He's an absolute freak of nature. That being said - Mir is no slouch and possesses more punching power than the guys Silva's used to fighting. Speed will be an issue, but Mir is also a strong wrestler too. To say that I'm not sweating with anticipation at the thought of Mir and Silva tangling in the Octagon is an understatement.

Yet Dana White has a great concept in hand if Silva is genuinely serious about this. He can bill "one time only" fights like crazy and tour Silva through every single division above middleweight. Of course, the concentration on Silva fighting the big boys is downplaying the fact that Georges St. Pierre, the current welterweight champion, is trying to gain enough weight to fight Silva. So while Silva is busying himself with the bigger badasses of the UFC, he must keep in mind what we really want to see: St. Pierre vs. Silva. source>>>

The UFC paid out $1,525,000 in reported salaries and bonuses for UFC 102, with the night's headliners taking home just over half of the total. The numbers are below. Keep in mind that they don't include income from sponsorships, cuts of the pay-per-view revenue (which Randy Couture reportedly receives), or the UFC's shadowy "locker room bonuses" (which Silva and Duffee likely got a taste of).

- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: $460,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus and $60,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
- Randy Couture: $310,000 (includes $60,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
- Nate Marquardt: $140,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus and $60,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
- Gabriel Gonzaga: $120,000 (includes $60,000 win bonus)
- Jake Rosholt: $86,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus and $60,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
- Brandon Vera: $70,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus)
- Thiago Silva: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus)
- Keith Jardine: $55,000

- Chris Leben: $30,000
- Demian Maia: $28,000
- Mark Munoz: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
- Ed Herman: $24,000
- Mike Russow: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
- Aaron Simpson: $18,000 (includes $9,000 win bonus)
- Justin McCully: $15,000
- Evan Dunham: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
- Marcus Aurelio: $13,000
- Todd Duffee: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
- Chris Tuchscherer: $10,000
- Krzystzof Soszynski: $8,000
- Tim Hague: $7,000
- Nick Catone: $5,000

Overpaid: Gabriel Gonzaga, who took home a six-figure paycheck for beating down another UFC newbie -- and needed a devastating kick to the nuts to do it. If you haven't seen his fight against Chris Tuchscherer, brace yourself, and click here.

Underpaid: Look, you get paid what you negotiate; we understand that. Still, after three straight stoppage victories (and a spot on UFC 102's main card), you'd hope that Krzysztof Soszynski would get more than $8,000 to show. When you're winning fights and taking home Submission of the Night bonuses, being a low-on-the-totem-pole up-and-comer can be a sustainable way of life. But when you fail to shock the world against Brandon Vera, you'd better hope that Sam's Club has an opening in their automotive department. source>>>

UFC 102 was an interesting show, to say the least. Some incredible knockouts and some interesting changes in several different weight classes and we got one of the better main event bouts in some time.

Antonio Nogueira may have handled Randy Couture at times but it was a hell of a fight and Couture impressed, especially since he was able to hang in there and make it interesting. You really can't count him out. There were at least five times during the fight that I leaned over to someone I was watching with and said "that's it, he's not getting back up from this," and he did.

I'm surprised to see Couture signed a new six-fight deal though, especially at his age, but I'm definitely looking forward to watching him fight again. I'd like to see him move down to light heavyweight, at least for a few fights. I think pairing him with Frank Mir at heavyweight could be intriguing as well. The guy will always be a draw, no doubt about that.

AP photo
As for Nogueira, he certainly made people forget about the Mir debacle. He wasn't 100 percent healthy and I'd love to see a rematch with Mir when he is. For now, though, I hope he's next in line for Brock Lesnar. If he looks like he did Saturday it could make things interesting for Lesnar, especially since Nogueira is very good on the ground.

And perhaps the most important part of UFC 102 was having Jardine knocked out of the co-main event status by Thiago Silva. He's a fine fighter but he's not co-headlining material, at least not when the roster at light heavyweight is as deep as it is.
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The Southeastern Conference or the Big 12?

Which powerhouse league rules the roost in college football?

That answer might depend on whether you come from Columbia, S.C., or Columbia, Mo.

"That's Big 12 country where I'm from," said Georgia backup quarterback Logan Gray, who hails from Columbia, Mo. - the home of the University of Missouri. "A lot of people up there think they're the best conference.

"I hear it from people all the time. My Dad always likes to give me a hard time. Anytime there's something going on with the SEC, he'll say something about the Big 12."

There's something going on with the SEC and Big 12 on Saturday when No. 13 Georgia visits No. 9 Oklahoma State. It's the latest installation in the SEC-Big 12 debate.

"You hate to get into that as a coach," Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy said. "There's speculation across the country with your diehard college football fans and the media."

The SEC owns the last three BCS titles, including Florida's 24-14 win last season against Oklahoma of the Big 12. The SEC also won the other bowl matchup between the conferences last season when Ole Miss defeated Texas Tech 47-34.

Florida also won the national title in 2006 and LSU followed in 2007, giving the SEC four of the last six titles.

The Big 12 boasts a nation-leading six teams that have played in the BCS title game, with two titles to show for it: Texas in 2005 and Oklahoma in 2000.

"In the SEC, you've got to look at the teams that beat up on each other," Gundy said. "You can come out of the SEC with two losses and win a national championship. There's not a lot of leagues you can do that in."

The Big 12 had five teams in the top 20 in scoring offense last year to the SEC's two.

"They're really good," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "It reminds me of the style of ball we played with when we were at Florida State. The spread, the manipulating of the pace of the game - fast-slow - getting guys in space making plays, trying to wear people out by putting points on the board rather than trying to punch you in the mouth every time."

The SEC had five teams in the top 20 in scoring defense last year to the Big 12's one.

"I think it's all relative to the type of league you play in, the type of style," Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. "The style of the SEC is smashmouth and we'll hit you and it's a good defensive league. That league is score points and wide open."

The Big 12 had seven quarterbacks in the top 20 in passing efficiency in 2008. The SEC had two. Big 12 quarterbacks had 15 400-yard passing games compared to one in the SEC.

"I know sometimes people pick on the defenses in our league because there's so many offensive numbers, but I just think it's because of the great talent that's in our league, and then obviously spreading people out," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said. "It's very difficult to defend."

The Big 12 has four Heisman Trophy winners in its 13 years, including Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford last year. In that same time, the SEC has two Heisman winners: Florida's Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow.

The Big 12 leads the SEC 10-8 in regular-season meetings. The SEC leads 22-18 if bowl games are included.

The SEC led all conferences with 37 selections in April's NFL draft. The Big 12 was tied for fourth with 28. The SEC has led or tied for most selections in 10 of past 12 drafts.

"Talent-wise, I mean, it's hard to argue the talent level in the SEC," said new Auburn coach Gene Chizik, head coach at Iowa State the previous two seasons. "You got great players. You've got great coaches. And the interest, it's an all-time high."

The SEC led the NCAA with 6.4 million fans last season. The Big 12 was third with 5.2 million.

The Big 12 returns eight starting quarterbacks led by Bradford, Texas' Colt McCoy and Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson. The SEC enters this season with two established quarterbacks: Tebow and Ole Miss' Jevan Snead.

The SEC has five Associated Press preseason top 25 teams: No. 1 Florida, No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 11 LSU and No. 13 Georgia. So does the Big 12: No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 24 Nebraska and No. 25 Kansas.

"We're hearing on the news that they're on the rise to be the top conference in the nation," Georgia defensive tackle Geno Atkins said. "We'll see come Sept. 5 when we play them."

Chizik said the Big 12 is "leaps and bounds" better than it was five years ago, but believes it still hasn't closed the gap with the SEC.

"I'm sure our game will continue the debate," Richt said. "Just one game probably doesn't decide it, but everyone's going to have an opinion after this game about it. source>>>

Steve Spurrier was the reason I wore that God-Awful University of Florida visor when I was in high school. He was the reason I rooted for the Washington Redskins, even though I struggled with their overtly-racist namesake.

The Old Ball Coach (TOBC) was the reason I bought that South Carolina hat in Columbia for $25 bucks, and the reason I started telling people where the "real" USC was.

TOBC is an original. I remember many years ago when there was a fire on the campus at Auburn and, instead of expressing concern about the incident, Spurrier quipped:

"The real shame is that all (the books) hadn't been colored yet."

Instant man-crush.

What about the time when TOBC said that you can't spell Citrus without 'UT'? In one fell swoop the icon clowned both the University of Tennessee -- a school Florida fans hate almost as much as Alabama fans -- and the Citrus Bowl.

Or what about when TOBC roasted in-state rival (and once mighty) Florida State, calling them 'Free Shoes U'? That's platinum smack.

When Spurrier took the job at USC, he did so only after the administration at Florida told him that he would have to interview for their vacancy like any other candidate. Well, TOBC is not any other candidate, he's TOBC. And so, he pulled his name out of consideration for that job and moved to Columbia.

I thought TOBC would tone down his shenanigans at South Carolina, noting that he was no longer at the helm of a college football powerhouse. He didn't.

In 2007, only a year removed from his Gamecocks getting blanked by Georgia, TOBC's team beat the then #12-ranked Bulldogs on the road in Athens and proceeded to act like it wasn't a big deal.

It's coaches like Spurrier that make the SEC the conference above all others -- great football and even greater characters.

Oh, and this is to say nothing about Lane Kiffin (who accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of cheating while he was himself cheating his way through his first season of recruiting at Tennessee).

Kiffin replaced "Fat" Phil Fulmer who cost Michigan an outright national title in 1997 by voting Michigan down in the poll in response to his quarterback, Peyton Manning, losing the Heisman Trophy to Michigan's Charles Woodson.

And then there's Les Miles who got the top gig at LSU after doing this before his team got trounced at Oklahoma.

Lest we not forget about Gene Chizik, whose prospective hiring as head coach at Auburn was greeted like this. (In fairness, Chizik was 5-19 at Iowa State and the laughingstock of the Big 12).

Chizik replaced Tommy Tuberville at Auburn. Tuberville is probably better known down south for saying that he would only leave Ole Miss in a "pine box." Two days later he left in a jet plane.
Al.com
You gotta love Houston Nutt.

Speaking of Ole Miss, they have Arkansas' former coach, Houston Nutt, who brought the Rebels back to respectability last season with a win over the Florida Gators. Nutt, by nearly every account, is a great college football coach. In the end, his undoing at Arkansas was at the hands of a high school kid (and his coach) from Springdale.

These days, the hogs are being coached by Bobby Petrino who did his best Tuberville impression when he bolted from the hapless Atlanta Falcons to take the top job in Fayetteville. (One of our new guys called him a coward.)

Petrino left his coaching gig at Louisville for the NFL less than six months after signing a lucrative 10-year deal. Who does this guy think he is, Nick Saban?

Saban, former coach at Michigan State, LSU, and with the Miami Dolphins, is probably the best football coach and recruiter in the nation. He's also the biggest jerk. Luckily, he's a god in Alabama and the coach of the SEC's second best team in 2009.

Team Rankings:

1.) Florida: The Gators return the most dynamic player in college football, senior quarterback Tim Tebow. They return all 11 starters on defense and have a great chance to earn the first undefeated season in school history. They need to be extra careful on their trip to Death Valley in October, though. But, even with another national championship, can Urban Meyer ever be the equal to TOBC? I think not.
Al.comTerrence "Mount" Cody is a big man. Nick Saban is a big jerk.

2.) Alabama: The class of the SEC West, Saban's Tide roll into 2009 with a new quarterback. After the graduation of John Parker-Wilson, it appears that Greg Mcelroy will be the starter in 2009. He's no slouch, either. Mcelroy, a junior, played two seasons of high school football behind Missouri's Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Daniel before winning a Texas 5A state title and becoming an All-American.

Mcelroy won't need to do anything extraordinary, though, with his stable of top-flight running backs including Mark Ingram, Terry Grant and Roy Upchurch. He also has the added comfort of one of the nation's best receiving targets, all-world wide receiver Julio Jones. Most of the Tide's defense is intact, including one of the top defensive players in the nation -- Terrance "Mount" Cody.

3.) Ole Miss: Maybe I'm biased, but I love these Rebels. Under second-year head coach Houston Nutt, Ole Miss is poised to become a real deal football program once again. They get LSU and Alabama at home and will win one of those games. Their junior quarterback, Jevan Snead, is the most underrated quarterback in college football. Funny story: He's not underrated in the NFL. The Rebels also have arguably the top defensive end in the nation, senior Greg Hardy.
LSUsports.netWide receiver Brandon Lafell is back, and one of the lone bright spots for an LSU program that is still rebuilding.

4.) LSU: With a new quarterback and defensive line, it's probably going to be another rebuilding year for the Bayou Bengals. Even so, a rebuilding year at a major program like LSU is still at least eight wins. Watch for the return of Brandon LaFell, one of the conference's top wide receivers. Tiger fans will probably have to wait until next year for Les Miles to "let 'er rip." It's rebuilding only in the sense that they probably won't be contending for a national or conference title in 2009.

5.) Georgia: Under head coach Mark Richt, the Dawgs are always contenders -- they just don't win anything of much substance. This year should be no different. Richt must find replacements for quarterback (and the savior of the Detroit Lions) Matthew Stafford and prolific running back Knowshon Moreno. Georgia has the talent to win the ACC, too bad they're in the SEC.

6.) Arkansas: Petrino's second season as head Hog need only produce six wins to outperform last year's squad. That shouldn't be a problem as his pro-style offense will be commanded by a real-deal pro-style quarterback, University of Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett. He has a cannon arm and a solid group of running backs to compliment the passing game. Look for the Hogs to win seven games.

7.) South Carolina: TOBC's quarterback situation is a disaster after the transfer of Chris Smelley to Alabama to play baseball -- Smelley was only decent, and yet markedly better than anyone TOBC has currently. The Gamecocks still take pride in defense. I will give them seven wins including two over Kentucky and Tennessee.

8.) Tennessee: It's going to take a little more than just the Kiffin family to get the Vols back on track after last season's debacle -- no bowl game and an embarrassing loss to Wyoming on Homecoming. The Vols defense should be solid with all-world DB Eric Berry, but they still don't have a quarterback worth a hoot.

9.) Kentucky: I feel sorry for Rich Brooks and the Wildcats. By the time they're done with their first five games, they might just be 1-4 and totally demoralized: Miami (OH), Louisville, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina. They have a decent group of players, including superstar defensive back Trevard Lindley. Six wins is no shame at a basketball school.
AthlonThis is what an interception looks like in its early stages. Kodi Burns is going to be under center for Auburn this year, and he's not very good.

10.) Auburn: Tiger fans will rue the day they traded Tommy Tuberville for Gene Chizik. He's simply not a winner and that much will be proven this year and next before Chizik is run out of Auburn. Chizik's quarterback, Kodi Burns, has some athletic talent but can't throw a lick. Auburn is going to be Bama's whipping boy for a long time.

11.) Vanderbilt: The Commodores looked like world-beaters for the first half of 2008, but were overvalued in a down year for the SEC. This year they will be back to being the Vandy of old -- four wins and no bowl.

12.) Mississippi State: Wretched schedule, new coach (Dan Mullen from Florida) and a new offense. It's going to be ugly. Think of Michigan last season with less talent.

Top five players

1.) Tim Tebow, Senior QB, Florida: Simply the most potent offensive weapon in college football in many years. I'm not a big fan, but I'm also not stupid.

2.) Eric Berry, Junior DB, Tennessee: The best defensive player in the SEC, Berry is probably the best overall defensive player in the nation. He's already being talked about as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
Al.comWith Tennessee's ugly offense, Eric Berry will have more time to make his case for a defensive player winning the Heisman.

3.) Julio Jones, Sophomore WR, Alabama: Jones is a monster and probably will be the next "sure thing" at the position in the NFL following Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson. He's 6-4, 210 pounds with sticky hands.

4.) Greg Hardy, Senior DE, Ole Miss: The reason for Florida's lone blemish in 2008 is 6-4 and about 270 pounds. The Rebels' best defensive player harassed Tebow the entire game. He's a beast and would have been a high pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

5.) A.J. Green, Sophomore WR, Georgia: Call him Julio Jones East. Green is of similar size and ability to Jones, and could be one half of another Andre Johnson and Charles Rogers type of pick'em in an upcoming NFL Draft.

Must-see player: Trindon Holiday, SR, RB-WR, LSU: He's the fastest player in college football history, and one of the smallest.

Game of the year: October 10 - Oxford, MS

Ole Miss takes on Alabama at home. Both teams should come into the game undefeated. source>>>

The Night of NASCAR Stars II at Macon Speedway on Wednesday Sept 2nd will feature NASCAR Stars Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, and Ken Schrader. You won't want to miss the POWRi National Midgets, 600cc Outlaw Micros, UMP Modifieds and UMP Street Stocks as they take to the track for the crowd on Night of NASCAR Stars II. Brad Loyet has swept the last two events at the fifth mile speed plant and is carrying momentum with his win at Belle-Clair Speedway on Wed Aug 12th into this event. Brad Kuhn leads the way in the point's championship with Andrew Felker, Tim Siner, Loyet and Nick Knepper all within striking distance of the top spot. Derek King leads the way in the 600cc Outlaw Micro Sprint series with a commanding lead in the points chase with past race winner Andrew Felker, Brandon Graybeal, Ryan Guyett and Jacob Patton battling for the runner up position.

Pick a racing series. Choose a style of race car. Name a venue. Chances are Tony Stewart has proven victorious. The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet is now racing for his new racing team, Stewart Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Since Tony started his NASCAR career, he has scored 11 championships since he first wheeled a go-kart at a Westport, IN. race track in 1978. Tony is a two-time Sprint Cup Series champion winning in 2002 and in 2005. Tony joined the NASCAR circuit by way of IRL IndyCar Series, where he was series champion in 1997. Stewart has raced just about everything including USAC's top three national touring divisions; Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown. He is the first and only driver to have won championships in stock cars, Indy cars and open-wheel Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown cars. Don't miss your chance to see Tony drive the No. 14 Midget on September 2.

Mark Martin driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports will return for the entire 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in 2010. It will be the 22nd full-time Cup campaign of Martin's career and his second with car owner Rick Hendrick. Last July, Martin signed a two-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports covering one full Sprint Cup season in 2009 and one part-time schedule of 26 events in 2010. "Week in and week out, Mark continues to be one of the best race car drivers in the world," Hendrick said. "He's already made an incredible contribution to Hendrick Motorsports, and our entire company is excited about running another full season and winning races with him in 2009 and 2010." With his April 18 victory at Phoenix, Martin became just the fourth driver to record 400 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. It was his 36th career win in NASCAR's top series.

Gates open at Macon Speedway on September 2 at 3:00 PM. An autograph session with the NASCAR drivers will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 on a first-come, first-served basis. Racing starts at 7:00 PM.

All seating for the Nights of NASCAR Stars at Macon Speedway is reserved. Adult seats are $20 and seats for children 12 and under are $5 for the September 2 event. Pit passes will be $30. Orders can be placed by calling 217-764-3000 or 217-764-3200. Tickets are also on sale for the July 22 Night of NASCAR Stars featuring Kasey Kahne. source>>>

In 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored one win, eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has an average start of 14.2 and an average finishing position of 11.6. He has completed 99.4 percent of all the laps he's attempted (6,391 of 6,432 total) and led 633 laps.

ON A ROLL: Earnhardt has racked up two top-10 finishes in the last two Cup events. He scored a ninth-place finish on Aug. 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and took third-place honors on Aug. 16 at Michigan International Speedway. Earnhardt's back-to-back top-10 finishes -- the team's first of the season -- advanced the No. 88 four spots in the Sprint Cup point standings to 21st.

PERSONAL BESTS: Earnhardt's eight top-five finishes at Atlanta match a personal best in that category for the 34-year-old driver. He also has scored eight top-five finishes at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Earnhardt's average finish of 11.6 ties his personal best at a track. He holds the same average finish at Bristol.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt is ranked third in the driver rating category at Atlanta with a score of 101.4. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

ATLANTA CHASSIS: This weekend, crew chief Lance McGrew and the No. 88 engineers will unload Chassis No. 88-559, a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested. It is the second car that McGrew has built from the ground up for Earnhardt.

HENDRICK AT ATLANTA: In 51 events (159 starts) at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied 10 wins, 46 top-five finishes, 71 top-10s and four pole positions. Most recently, Jimmie Johnson led eight laps on his way to Victory Lane at Atlanta on Oct. 28, 2007.

HOT AT ATLANTA: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has recorded a top-10 finish in the last 19 Cup events that have been held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. You have to go back to last century to find the most recent time Hendrick Motorsports failed to record a top-10 result there. It was Nov. 21, 1999, and Hendrick was then a three-car team with drivers Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Wally Dallenbach Jr.

DOUBLE DUTY: Prior to running the Sunday Cup race, Earnhardt will drive JR Motorsports' No. 5 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday. Earnhardt, a 22-time race winner in the Nationwide Series, has six starts this season and most recently raced at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July. In three previous Nationwide Series events at Atlanta, Earnhardt has two top-five finishes and has led 126 laps.

QUOTES

DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON RACING AT NIGHT AT ATLANTA.): "I don't think it's going to change too much. The track is pretty wore down and will slow down over the long runs, but we will be running some pretty fast speeds the first five or 10 laps on new tires under the lights. That place is really, really fast."

EARNHARDT (ON HIS GOALS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON.): "We are mathematically out of the Chase at this point so we are watching everybody else and seeing how they are going to do. We are trying to help our teammates the best we can and support them in their efforts. I think Hendrick Motorsports has several opportunities to win the championship. We are going to try to win some races and help our teammates the best we can."

LANCE McGREW, INTERIM CREW CHIEF, NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET (ON PREPARING FOR THE FIRST NIGHT RACE AT ATLANTA.): "We've qualified at Atlanta for years at night, so you are always preparing for that. I think it's going to be wicked fast because Atlanta is really, really fast at nighttime. So, I don't really know if you go about it any differently than if it was a day race. It's just the track is going to be faster, and there's going to be more grip. That's pretty much it."

McGREW (ON THE CHALLENGES AT ATLANTA.): "I've always thought Atlanta is such a driver's racetrack because it is so wide and races so wide that there's groove after groove after groove. If your car is not good on the bottom, we'll try the middle; if it's not good in the middle, we'll try two-thirds; if it's not good there, try the top. You'll go from the top of one end to the bottom of the other. There's always ability for a driver to hunt a line that helps his car, which I've always liked because, whether you believe it or not, these cars are never perfect. So, you always have to be able to hunt and peck and look for every last little hundredth (of a second) that you can find on the racetrack."
source>>>

Quebecers Andrew Ranger, Jacques Villeneuve and Jean-Francois Dumontier gave the fans what they wanted to see by taking up three of the top seven spots in Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Villeneuve, racing at the track named for his father, quickly got the idea that the caution-filled NASCAR Nationwide series event was not as much about racing as it was keeping your car in one piece.

"The key was just to survive because we were banging into each other all over the place," said the native of Iberville, Que. "Every corner, because of the double-file re-start, it was madness. You just have to go for it and hope you're not the one that gets caught out."

Ranger of Roxton Pond, Que., finished third after competing for the lead all afternoon, while Villeneuve was fourth and Dumontier of Trois-Rivieres, Que., finished a surprising seventh.

Dumontier crossed the finish line with smoke billowing out of his car after having trouble with his brakes the whole race, but he says he never lost hope that he would get to the finish.

"It was indescribable what I went through at the end," he said. "I learned a ton and I adored my experience. I was hoping for a top-10, so finally I got more than I hoped for."

But it was not a perfect day for Canadians as the five others in Sunday's field left the track disappointed.

Perhaps none more so than Alex Tagliani of nearby Lachenaie, Que., who was running in seventh on the final re-start of the race with one lap to go, but got caught up in a heap of cars on the second turn and wound up being the last car to cross the line in 26th.

"We passed 35 cars all day, we went from the back of the pack to the front about three times without a scratch," said Tagliani. "I don't understand how we can do 73 laps without a scratch, then all of a sudden, on one re-start everything gets totally destroyed."

J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge, Ont., began the day with a victory in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series race, but in the main event he had his car break down on lap 69. Fitzpatrick, 21, was able to get back on the track and came within a lap of finishing the race, finally placing 27th.

D.J. Kennigton of St-Thomas, Ont., got into an accident with Steve Wallace on the 58th lap that ended his frustrating day, which began by him getting bounced from the podium and into fourth when Ranger spun him near the end of the Canadian Tire series race.

Both defending champ Ron Fellows of Toronto and last year's runner-up Patrick Carpentier of Joliette, Que., failed to reach the halfway point of Sunday's race.

"This is my Daytona 500 for the Nationwide Series, so this is hard to take," Fellows said. "Worse than that, this car is wrecked."

Carpentier was making a charge from his starting position of 40th and was running in fourth place on the 16th lap when he missed a downshift coming out of the hairpin, causing the engine to rev too high and blow.

"It's the first time I've made a mistake like this, so it's too bad it happened in Montreal," said Carpentier, who finished second here two years straight. "It was going so well, we were passing two or three cars on every turn. We were moving up so quickly, that's what makes it that much more disappointing."

Fellows was in a top-10 position on the 26th lap when he was hit by Justin Allgaier, crumpling the entire right-hand side of his Rick Hendrick-owned Fastenal Chevrolet, which Fellows was driving in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"I got hit so hard I banged my head pretty good," Fellows said. "It was crazy."

Fellows couldn't understand why Allgaier was being so aggressive so early in the race, calling it a "bonehead move." source>>>

Ron Fellows had high hopes of defending his history-making NASCAR win a year ago at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He left in despair.

The Canadian road racing star, who won the first NASCAR points race run in the rain a year ago on the tricky 14-turn street circuit, qualified third for Sunday's Nationwide race and brought the Canadian crowd to its feet with a classic pass of eventual race-winner Carl Edwards in the hairpin turn on the first lap.

Fellows smoked the brakes on his No. 5 Chevy in making the smooth pass and set out to challenge Marcos Ambrose for the lead. But Fellows had to pit on lap five to fix damage to his front-end valence that happened during that hard braking, and his day ended prematurely when he was involved in a three-car crash on lap 26 caused by rookie Justin Allgaier.

Allgaier sideswiped Fellows, then slammed Kyle Busch's right rear.

"I got down in and just got on the brakes and wheel-hopped,'' Allgaier said. "I tried to save it. This is a tough place, for sure. Probably just trying too hard.''

Fellows and Allgaier sustained too much damage to continue, but Busch spun completely around, kept going, and finished 10th.

"The car is an absolute wreck,'' Fellows said. "I got hit so hard I banged my head pretty good. It's just crazy. This road race is my Daytona 500 and here I sit, watching.''

On the bright side for Canada, three Quebec-born drivers finished in the top seven. NASCAR Canadian Tire Series leader Andrew Ranger was third, followed by Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One champ, and Jean Francois Dumoulin was seventh.

That they managed to survive a crash-filled race that featured 11 cautions for 31 of 76 laps was a triumph in itself.

"It's the wildest one (I've ever been in),'' Villeneuve said. "If you did that in F1, you wouldn't survive five minutes. This was wild, definitely crazy. It's a good thing these cars are strong.''

Montreal-born Patrick Carpentier might have been in the mix, too. He started 40th and was running in the top five on lap 17 when he blew a tire and then his motor.

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P.R. MAN: Road racing veteran Victor Gonzalez Jr. made history on Sunday, becoming the first driver from Puerto Rico to compete in the Nationwide Series.

Regarded as a road course ace, the Trujillo Alto native has over 30 career wins and is aiming to race a full Nationwide schedule in 2010.

"It's something new. We're working to do a full deal,'' said Gonzalez, who has dedicated most of his professional career representing Puerto Rico internationally, competing in the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship, Barber Dodge Pro Series, and North American Touring Car Series. "I'm just here to get as many laps as I can in the series. I have really good expectations. Hopefully, I can stay out of trouble.''

He did until the closing laps, when he made contact with Steven Wallace to bring out the 11th and final caution.

Still, Gonzalez finished 14th after starting 36th in the GDSI/Ford Racing Fusion.

"I thought it was like a wrestling match,'' said Gonzalez, who had to qualify in the rain to make the race. "I never in my life saw so many crashes. But we survived. We could have been top 10.''

Gonzalez also has driven GTS and Grand-Am GT cars as well as late model stock cars, and he's the only instructor at Skip Barber Racing School to hail from the U.S. territory. source>>>

On a rainy Sunday North of the border, Carl Edwards and his No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford won the NAPA AUTO PARTS 200 presented by Dodge, his 23rd victory in 166 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. This is his third victory and 20th top-10 finish in 2009. This is also his first victory and second top-10 finish in three races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

Finishing second, Marcos Ambrose and his No. 47 Armor All Toyota posted his third top-10 finish in three races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. It is his second top-10 finish in 2009.

Hometown hero Andrew Ranger and his No. 11 Ridemakerz Toyota posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Former Formula One World champion Jacques Villeneuve and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five finishers.

Brendan Gaughan (ninth) was the highest finishing rookie.

Kyle Busch leads the NASCAR Nationwide point standings by 192 points over Carl Edwards. source>>>

A tiny southwestern Indiana town hopes a giant zucchini can raise money to help repair a clock with a chime that's heard throughout the town.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports that it will cost more than $16,000 to repair the 1924 clock located in a tower above New Harmony's Ribeyre Gymnasium.

New Harmony residents are raising some money through rummage sales, raffles and dances.

But naturalist Sally Roth is pitching in by putting a giant zucchini from her garden up for auction on eBay. She says the squash is as long as a Wiffle ball bat.

It was posted Friday on eBay under the name "giant utopian zucchini," a reference to the town's heritage as a site for 19th century utopian communities. The starting bid for its nine-day auction was $1. source>>>

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You want to establish yourself as an expert, gain the trust of your readers, establish a rapport with them, and direct them to a place where they can purchase a product from you, sign up for a mailing list, or join a group. You want to recruit readers so that you can market to them again later. If you appear knowledgeable, professional, and genuine, readers will come back for more information from you whether it is from the article site or your own website or blog.
I have been using article writing as a means to drive traffic to all of my websites and blogs for years. If you like writing, and are passionate about what you sell on eBay, article writing is a fantastic free way to promote yourself and your store on the internet. The only investment is your time. I often work on articles when my sales are slow or I am caught up on my store. The more times you put your eBay links out on the internet, the greater chance you have of someone clicking them. source>>>

An Byeong-hun has acquired something memorable to showcase next to his parents' Olympic table tennis medals, the Havemeyer Trophy, as he won the U.S. Amateur Championship title Monday (KST) at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

What's better, the South Korean, who will turn 18 in two weeks, became the youngest champion to top the tournament in its 109-year history.

It's the second year in a row that the top U.S. amateur event has crowned the youngest champion in its history.

Danny Lee, a South Korean-born New Zealander, broke Tiger Woods' record to become the youngest champion last year at age 18.

"I can't believe it. I just won,'' said An, who defeated American Ben Martin 7 and 5 in the 36-hole final.

"I've said it before, but my goal was to make it to the first round and then somehow I made it this far. I think I got lucky.''

In clinching the Havemeyer Trophy, An, a resident of Bradenton, Fla., has received a 10-year exemption from qualifying for the U.S. Amateur if he maintains his amateur status. He has also earned an exemption into the U.S. Open and British Open in 2010 and traditionally will be invited to the next Masters Tournament.

In the long title race, both golfers were close through the first 18-hole round until An jumped out in front, winning three consecutive holes from No. 15 for a 3-up lead.

An tightened his grip on the title, going 6-up on the seventh hole in the afternoon's second round.

Although the Clemson senior fought back to win Nos. 9 and 10 to cut it to four, his short-lived charge was stopped by An, who regained his 6-up lead two holes later before sealing the historical victory on the 13th.

An has given South Korea golf fans another reason to cheer -- his win comes on the heels of compatriot Yang Yong-eun's triumph at the PGA Championship.

"They'll all be happy now," An, who has committed to the University of California, said. "Now, they can be happy, like when Y.E. Yang won the PGA Championship. A lot of people were happy for him and they all saw there's a possibility to now win bigger tournaments. I think a lot of people are going to play golf now and come over here and play golf."

An Is Kid of Top Athlete Couples

An, who stands 1.86 meters tall and weighs 96 kilograms, is the only son of former Olympic table tennis players An Jae-hyeong and Jiao Zhimin.

The senior An won a bronze medal in men's doubles, while his wife, who was then a Chinese national player, claimed silver and bronze in the doubles and singles, respectively, at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

The couple married in 1989, three years before Korea and China formed diplomatic ties, in Sweden.

An, who took over the Korean Air table tennis team in 2007, has been caddying for his son since last year when he quit, while Jiao has been in business in China.

The 44-year-old took his son to the driving range at age 7 and sent him to Florida three years and eight months ago to have him work on his game.

"It was a good decision, I think. Thanks to my dad telling me to come over here to play golf. It was definitely worth it," An said. "I guess I'll have to try to win the bigger ones now." source>>>

In a year replete with upsets and heartbreak courtesy of some scene-stealing nobodies, it was entirely appropriate that on a leaderboard that included Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker, the last man standing at the Barclays was some guy named Heathcliff.

Heath Slocum's two previous PGA Tour wins came in second-tier events -- the 2005 Southern Farm Bureau Classic opposite the Tour Championship, and the 2004 Chrysler Classic of Tucson opposite the WGC Match Play -- but there was nothing second-rate about the Barclays field. The FedExCup playoffs may draw little more than a yawn from many golf fans, but the first round of the playoffs drew one of the best fields of the season, and Slocum beat them all. In doing so, he vaulted from 124th to third in the FedExCup points standings, for anyone paying attention to that sort of thing.

Coming down the stretch at Liberty National, the stage seemed set for an epic playoff featuring some true titans, including guys with 20 major championship trophies cluttering their mantels. Els closed with a 66 but turned a bit tentative, closing with four straight pars to finish at 8-under. Facing a 7-footer for birdie at 18, Woods rammed his putt four feet past to finish tied with the Big Easy at 8-under. FedExCup stalwart Stricker bogeyed 18 to finish tied with Els and Woods. And Harrington mounted his brilliant charge just a hair too late and finished in the star-studded logjam at 8-under.

That foursome formed the best backup quartet since the Jordanaires, and playing the unlikely Elvis role was Slocum, who calmly drilled a 20-footer for par at 18 to close a strange final round that included an eagle, three birdies, a bogey, and a slew of nondescript pars for an up-and-down 67 and a realistic shot at the big money that accompanies a FedExCup title.

Not bad for a guy who was teetering on the playoff cutline as recently as last week. Stumbles by other players allowed Slocum to sneak into the 125-player field at No. 124. No. 124 with a bullet, as it turned out.

"I don't know exactly the scenario that got us in," Slocum said. "I was just happy to be here.

"It is the best I felt on a golf course for a very long time, probably since '05. I was just in a great frame of mind. I felt good over pretty much everything, especially the putter. It's one of those days that I haven't had in a very long time.

"Overall it was an incredible day, incredible experience. I was just kind of lucky to come out on top. A lot of good players. At the end of the day, the putt on the last was magical. I'll remember that for the rest of my life."

So Slocum is now a three-time winner on Tour, owns a victory over an elite field and has a legitimate shot at $10 million and a FedExCup title. Is this the start of something, or is it a career-capper for a lifetime journeyman?

Hard to say, but Slocum is going to relish his biggest win, while not apologizing for the other two.

"Obviously you can only beat who's in the field that you're in," Slocum said. "So my (first) two wins were huge for me. My first being in Tucson, because it was my first win. My second in Jackson, Mississippi, where I'd kind of grown up, my dad was caddying for me. Those two were pretty special experiences.

"Now you take this, a playoff event, this caliber of field, all the people like you said that finished one shot behind, it's incredible. Yeah, I mean, I'm going to use this experience hopefully for the rest of my life, knowing that I can come down the stretch and play, if you want, with the big boys. Obviously it's going to take a really hot putter. I did it this week. That's what matters."

In the Moment

So how did Slocum face down the game's greatest player, not to mention a slew of talented and experienced gamers? By not watching the leaderboard, for one thing.

"All I can do is play the golf course," he said. "That's all I was doing. The people that I'm chasing or are chasing me, all that stuff is kind of irrelevant. I really was just trying to play the golf course.

"If I get caught up in that, there's no telling. I had enough going on with myself just trying to hit fairways. It's tough out there. The wind was blowing pretty good. I just kept telling myself, 'Hit this fairway, try to hit this green in the best spot possible, try to make the putt.' As corny as it sounds and as easy as it sounds, that's what I try to do every week. Especially when there's any kind of pressure or anything on the line, if you stay in that routine, for me, I tend to play better.

"It's funny, the tournaments that I've won and played better in, I'm just better able to do that. I don't worry about who is ahead of me, who is behind me. I'm focused right on the golf course and the task at hand. I did it well this week, all week."

Lost on the Moss

Liberty National was built on the site of a toxic waste dump in New Jersey. To listen to some of the players, it's not much of an improvement. Woods offered some slightly veiled criticism of the greens, which proved his undoing and provided another chink in his armor of invincibility, although he still sits atop the FexExCup points standings and remains the favorite to win the Cup.

"This week, I don't ever call Stevie (Williams) in on this many reads," he said. "They were tricky putts, double-breaking putts, 10, 12-footers. Just tricky greens. If you look at these guys with ball in hand, we didn't really go low. 9-under par. Even par on the weekend for guys; that's not really going all that low."

Woods is happy with his ballstriking, almost uncharacteristically so. Sounds like, if he gets his putting woes worked out, we could be looking at a repeat of his 2000 season in 2010.

"It was a week that, man, to miss as many putts as I did this week, to still have a chance on the last green with a putt, it goes to show you how good I am at hitting it. That's a great sign. Just need to make a few more putts." source>>>