Chat-World » ay afternoon. It was the culminatio

There are three races left in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. And this week Im using all the extra positive mojo I can muster, courtesy of a Jack Russell Terrier asleep in my lap, sharing space with a laptop. Its standard fantasy NASCAR writing material.This week, we go racing at Texas, a high-speed, 1.5-mile track. This will be the 10th race this season on a 1.5-mile track, so we have plenty of similar track material to work with.The pole sitter has a crazy 73.2 DraftKings points per race on 1.5-mile tracks this season. But the average is helped significantly by the fact that Martin Truex Jr. put up 197 points from the pole earlier this season. Still, starting position is important at the intermediate tracks. Hakeem Butler Jersey . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Zach Allen Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/kyler-murray-cardinals-jersey-yp/ . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Byron Murphy Cardinals Jersey . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Byron Murphy Youth Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Four years ago, she was the darling of the London Games, the 17-year-old high schooler who burst onto the Olympic scene and won a female-record five medals, four of them gold. Her bubbly personality and infectious, never-ending smile made her just as popular away from the pool as she was in the water.But on a windy Monday night in South America, Missy Franklins smile went away -- at least temporarily -- replaced by reddish, tear-filled eyes and a genuine sense of confusion. Her voice shook as she tried to explain how she failed to make the final in the 200-meter freestyle, finishing last in her heat and 12th overall in a time of 1:57.56.I wish I could tell you, Franklin said when asked what went wrong. I gave it everything I had and it just wasnt there. I did the best I could.Franklins time was nearly a half-second slower than her prelim time on Monday afternoon. It was the culmination of a challenging couple of years that included a back injury in 2014 and a circuitous career path that included swimming collegiately for Cal before returning to her age-group coach, Todd Schmitz, in 2015 in hopes of finding the form that stole the show in London. But it hasnt happened. Franklin was inconsistent at the Olympic trials in Omaha last month, failing to qualify for the U.S. team in the 100 backstroke, the event in which she won her first gold in London.In Rio, she was not a favorite for gold in either of her individual events -- Mondays 200 free or the 200 backstroke that she will swim on Thursday.I felt I tried a lot harder this morning, so to go slower is one of those things Ive been trying to wrap my mind around this year, whats been going wrong, but I havent been able to figure it out, Franklin said. But you dont understand everything, and understanding doesnt always bring you peace.Schmitz said Monday that he is unaware of any injuries affecting Franklin. But he and Franklin have both suggested that she has struggled at times to balance the pressures and expectations that come with turning professional and building a career off promottional endorsements.dddddddddddd In London, she was the fresh-faced teenager who could do no wrong. In Rio, the world expects gold-medal greatness.It also isnt easy living up to a reputation of constant glee.I definitely think its something more than physical, Schmitz said. Obviously, we saw a little bit of that manifest itself at trials. There is clearly something that is not connected. She was nervous this morning -- you could see it.Franklins Rio Olympics arent over, not with the 200-meter backstroke looming Thursday, another event in which she won gold in London (in a world record time of 2:04.06). She will also compete in the 400-meter freestyle relay on Wednesday. Schmitz is optimistic the event will help lift her spirits.When she puts that cap on that says U.S. for a relay, whether its prelims, finals or both, whatever -- she brings her A-game, Schmitz said. That will help her kick over that barrier. Shes a gamer.Added Franklin: I need to keep my head up and doing what I can every day to be the best I can be right now. You just have to put it behind you.That process began seconds after Franklin spoke to reporters, when the swimmer stopped at the end of the interview area to watch on a television as teammate Katie Ledecky competed in the second semifinal of the 200 free. It is the utterly dominant Ledecky who will likely leave Rio not only with the title of the worlds greatest female swimmer -- something many had once said of Franklin - but also as the greatest swimmer in the world, period. Yet there Franklin stood, watching with great intent as Ledecky swam the second-fastest time of the semifinals. Franklin nodded up and down, clapped, and then walked away.Its easy for people to look at elite-level athletes and just think they are superhuman, Schmitz said. But they are just like the rest of us. They have good days and bad days. Its not the result we wanted. But she left it in the pool. And we have to learn from it. ' ' '