Die Planung » adres: San Diego returns to Petco Park to open a thr

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. -- An accomplished veteran in open-wheel racing, Alex Tagliani probably could find a full-time ride in the IndyCar series if he wanted it badly enough. So whats he doing driving stock cars? Having the time of his life, apparently. "You need to throw some challenges into your life, into your career," Tagliani said. "If not, it gets boring. For me, when I drive a stock car, it doesnt come natural. It takes a lot of control. So when I get out of the car, I feel like I want more. Maybe thats what keeps the spark in you to be in love with what you do." Tagliani, a 40-year-old native of Montreal who made his name in Indy-style racing -- he won the pole position for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 -- is driving two road courses for Team Penske in the NASCAR Nationwide series this season. He dominated much of a rain-soaked race at Road America last weekend, only to run out of gas near the end; he refuelled and made a mad charge to a second-place finish in a green-white-checker overtime. Hell drive again for Penske at Mid-Ohio in August. Beyond that, Tagliani is racing in the relative obscurity of the Canadian Tire series, NASCARs humble attempt to establish a foothold for stock car racing north of the border. Hes also doing some sports car racing. He did drive in the Indianapolis 500 in May, finishing 13th, but he has very little desire to pursue a full-time IndyCar ride at this point in his career. Backing away from IndyCar has largely freed him from the money-fueled politics that frustrated him. "The Indianapolis 500 is a huge event," Tagliani said. "But running an Indy car for a full season, theres a price to pay, and I was not willing to continue to pay that price this year." When Tagliani says theres a price to pay, hes being literal; unlike other sports, where teams draft and sign the best players they can, talent is only one factor in determining who gets hired by a particular team in auto racing. All teams expect a driver to be a good spokesman they can sell to a corporate sponsor -- but some teams take it one step further, actually expecting the driver to come to the table with sponsorship deals already in hand. "Youre actually funding, or helping, a team to survive, and youre helping their business, but theyre not helping you back," Tagliani said. "Youre helping them with your energy and your money and your work, and they use that, and theres always the grass is greener somewhere else, right? Youre never able to build something for the long term. To the point where it frustrates you, and I didnt want to drive frustrated. I just wanted to enjoy driving, you know? "And thats where I am now. Every step you make in your career has some consequences, and Im still glad I did them because I ended up in a Penske car. I cant ask for more." The move to the Canadian Tire series was actually a plus to his main sponsor, the Canadian division of drug manufacturing giant Pfizer. The company wants to promote its EpiPen allergy treatment -- a natural fit for Tagliani, who has a nut allergy -- in Canada. "They wanted a Canadian presence," Tagliani said. "So at some point, you can push and push and push, but theyre going to say you either race more in Canada and you give us a Canadian program, or we cut the money out. So I kind of revamped my program, and made sure it was beneficial to me." Now Tagliani doesnt plan on slowing down anytime soon. "Ill replicate this 2014 season again for the next five," Tagliani said. "Because Im having a lot of fun, Im able to do IndyCar at the speedway, that I like. Im able to please my sponsor in Canada and also race the 22 car for Team Penske and run prototypes when Im free. What else could a driver ask for?" Cheap NHL Jerseys China .com) - The collective hearts of Chicago Bulls fans sank on Friday night when Derrick Rose went down with a leg injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. http://www.cheapnhljerseysusa.com/. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. Wholesale Adidas Hockey Jerseys . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. Hockey Jerseys China . 3 Ohio State. Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, Marc Loving scored a career-high 13 and the bench provided 38 points as the Buckeyes sprinted past Nebraska 84-53 on Saturday.PITTSBURGH -- Tyson Ross gave up a leadoff single to Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco followed with a two-run home run. Three batters later, Jordy Mercer singled. All three of Pittsburghs early hits came at the expense of Ross slider. Even without his best pitch, Ross figured it out. Ross recovered from a two-run first to pitch six strong innings, and Seth Smith hit a bases-loaded triple, leading the San Diego Padres to an 8-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. "I just didnt have a good feel for my slider pretty much all day," Ross said. "I gave up three hits in the first inning, all on sliders that were up in the strike zone, and its kind of out of the norm for me." San Diegos win clinched a 14th-consecutive series victory at PNC Park. Ross (11-10) allowed Gregory Polancos two-run shot in the first then shut down the Pirates. He yielded six hits and walked two. "I thought he battled without his best stuff and his best command," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "Hanging slider to Marte to lead off the game and then a hanging slider to Polanco, I think that kind of woke him up a bit." Charlie Morton retired the first 10 batters he faced before Yangervis Solarte walked with one out in the fourth and scored Yonder Alonsos single. "In the fourth inning, the sinker away to left-handers starting elevating," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "A couple left-handers were able to get balls out over the plate and hit them to left field." That happened when Morton left a 2-0 fastball over the plate and Smith tripled to left for three RBIs and scored on a wild pitch for a 5-2 lead. Morton (5-11) was lifted after the fifth, responsible for five runs, five hits, a walk and five strikeouts. "It waas almost like two outings for him," Hurdle said.dddddddddddd "One through three and then four and five, its just two different sides of it." Alonso added an RBI with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Jedd Gyorko singled in two more runs after Jeanmar Gomez walked three to load the bases in the ninth. TRAINERS ROOM Padres: First baseman Tommy Medica was out after a pitch hit him in the head Saturday night. ... Shortstop Everth Cabrera was scratched shortly before first pitch with a left hamstring cramp. Pirates: Second baseman Neil Walker (back spasm) was scratched from the lineup. He pinch-hit Saturday night and was slated to start Sunday. ... Center fielder Andrew McCutchen (rib) was out of the lineup for the sixth straight game. ... RHP Gerrit Cole gave up one hit in six shutout innings Sunday as he made his third rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis. ON DECK Padres: San Diego returns to Petco Park to open a three-game set with the Colorado Rockies. RHP Jesse Hahn (7-3, 2.28 ERA) starts for the Padres against Colorado RHP Jordan Lyles (6-1, 3.72 ERA). Pirates: Pittsburgh continues its eight-game homestand with a two-game interleague series against the Detroit Tigers. LHP Jeff Locke (3-3, 3.78 ERA) opposes Detroit RHP Justin Verlander (10-10, 4.57 ERA). FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATIONS Since PNC Park opened in 2001, the San Diego Padres have never lost a series in Pittsburgh. Their 14-series winning streak at PNC Park is the longest active streak against a single opponent in a single location in the league. Overall, the Padres are 33-12 in Pittsburgh since 2001. "Were just playing good baseball," Black said. "Maybe the times of the year we come in here, were playing well and were pitching well." ' ' '