Reimagined and reopened museum at Indianapolis Motor Speedway aims to be more than just a museum
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Rick Mears spent some time recently walking through the reimagined, rebuilt and recently reopened museum at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which houses some of the cars and artifacts from his long and distinguished career in motorsports.
It was on the new lower level, though, which had been used as storage and off limits to guests, where the four-time Indy 500 winner had to pause. The only other drivers to win that many times are A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Helio Castroneves, and together one of the smallest clubs in auto racing had an entire wing dedicated just to them.
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Winnipeg Free Press
39 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Montas and Manaea to make rehab starts this weekend as they near return to Mets
NEW YORK (AP) — Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea will make minor league rehab appearances this weekend and both could join the New York Mets' rotation in the coming weeks. Montas will make a fifth rehab start Friday and Manaea will take the mound two days later for his third, manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday. Mendoza said he isn't worried about how to sort out seven pitchers for five rotation slots when Montas and Manaea both get back. 'Usually it plays itself out,' Mendoza said. 'We still are at least two weeks away from making those decisions and I'm hoping that by the time we get there it is going to be a difficult decision. That means everyone's healthy. That means everybody continues to throw the ball well and we have some good problems.' Montas strained a lat muscle early in spring training and made his first minor league appearance on May 24. The 32-year-old right-hander has a 9.00 ERA in two games each for Class-A Brooklyn and Triple-A Syracuse, striking out nine and walking eight in 12 innings. After his next outing for Syracuse, he could make his Mets debut. 'Let's get through this one on Friday and then we'll see where we're at,' Mendoza said. 'This is kind of like spring training for him and hitters now are like midseason form. And it's hard to put too much into it where, you're not game-planning, you're just going out there, which I think we've got to do a better job of that, in preparing him and giving him a little bit of an idea.' Manaea arrived at spring training with a strained right oblique and the 33-year-old left-hander made his first rehab appearance on June 6. He has a 6.23 ERA in two outings and 4 1/3 innings with Brooklyn, and Mendoza didn't specify where Manaea will make his next appearance. New York entered Wednesday with the best record in the National League at 43-24, leading the NL East by 4 1/2 games. Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning have combined to make 63 of 67 starts for a rotation that began the day with a big league-best 2.91 ERA. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP MLB:
Winnipeg Free Press
39 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole put best feet forward for Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Neither took the easy path to get here. But because Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole persevered, the Las Vegas Raiders have perhaps the best kicker-punter duo in the NFL. Las Vegas showed its appreciation to Cole by signing him late last month to an extension that briefly made him the league's highest-paid punter. Now the question is whether the Raiders will show the same kind of appreciation toward Carlson, who enters the final season of his four-year, $18.4 million deal. 'Going on year eight as a Raider now, that's essentially been my whole career,' Carlson said. 'Just honored to be a part of this historic organization and excited about where we're headed this year and the direction we're going as a program. So if (an extension) happens, I'd love that, but I'm focused on the football side.' For kickers with at least 85 attempts over the past three seasons, Carlson was fifth in conversion rate at 89.3%. His 24 made field goals from 50 yards and beyond ranked fourth. He's also having to adjust to new kickoff rules for the second season in a row. The NFL changed its format last year, placing 10 kick coverage players at the opposing 40-yard line. Touchbacks put the ball at the 30. Now touchbacks will begin possession at the 35 to encourage even more kickoff returns. 'It's going to be hard as coaches to say, 'Hey, let's just give them the ball at the 35,'' Raiders special teams coach Tom McMahon said. 'I think that's the biggest thing that's going to change with that new touchback rule.' Carlson was effective in limiting the damage last season when he put the ball in play, which he did often with 68% of kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. For those with at least 30 kickoffs last season, Carlson was second in the league in allowing 23 yards per kickoff return, just behind the 22.2 average of Greg Zuerlein of the New York Jets. 'There's almost like some soccer skills that are popping up again, where it's a little more feel, just because it's a very different kick than a field goal,' Carlson said. 'You don't want to necessarily just kick it straight to the returner or anything like that.' Adapting to new circumstances is nothing new for Carlson. As a rookie in 2018 for Minnesota, he missed three field goals — two in overtime — in a 29-29 tie with NFC North rival Green Bay. The Vikings waived him the following day. Carlson caught on with the then-Oakland Raiders — he's one of four players left who played for the team in the Bay Area — and soon began to establish himself as the one of the league's best kickers. He was a second-team AP All-Pro in 2021 and a first-teamer the next season. Cole's path was different, but like Carlson, became one of the top players at his position when the early odds appeared against him. Cole, who also began his NFL career in Oakland, entered minicamp in 2019 hoping just to remain on the roster after those three days. He wound up beating out Johnny Townsend in training camp. 'I showed up to that minicamp and I really just felt like, 'This could be it, and I'm going to go into every single one of these three days and I'm going to get all the juice I can,'' Cole said. 'I've been trying to keep that same mentality, and I'm just on absolute borrowed time. I enjoy every single day. I don't think there's anybody that has more fun at work than I do. It's just such a blessing.' Cole has averaged at least 50 yards three of the past four seasons, a feat that only Ryan Stenhouse has matched in league history. He also is third in gross punting average (48.6 yards) and eighth in net average (42.1 yards) since his first season. Such production earned Cole first-team All-Pro in 2021 and 2023. And a contract extension. Cole was rewarded with a four-year, $15.8 million deal on May 26 that included $11 million in guaranteed money. That gave him the distinction of being the NFL's highest-paid punter, but this week was passed by two other players. Not that Cole is complaining. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. When asked if he planned a major purchase, he said that already had been made before signing the contract. 'All of my plants died, so we just re-landscaped our yard,' Cole said. 'So I'm really excited that I get to stay here and watch those plants grow up. I don't know if you guys have bought plants before, but they're really, really expensive. 'So that was the big-ticket purchase — a couple of new queen palm trees in the backyard and a couple sweet Bay laurels on the side.' ___ AP NFL:
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Teoscar Hernández hits a 3-run homer and the Dodgers beat the Padres 5-2 to win the series
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Teoscar Hernández broke a sixth-inning tie with a three-run homer and Michael Conforto also went deep for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Wednesday to take two of three games in the first series this season between the NL West rivals. The defending World Series champions bounced back from Tuesday night's 11-1 loss, a rout so bad for the pitching-strapped Dodgers that utilityman Kiké Hernández pitched the final 2 1/3 innings after starter Matt Sauer threw 111 pitches. Rookie right-hander Ben Casparius got through four innings in his second start of the season, with just one rough patch. He allowed five straight Padres to reach in the second but they got just one run, thanks largely to center fielder Andy Pages throwing out Gavin Sheets at the plate on a 99 mph throw on the fly to catcher Will Smith. After allowing three straight singles, Casparius walked consecutive batters, including No. 9 hitter Martín Maldonado with the bases loaded. Fernando Tatis Jr. then flied out on the first pitch to end the threat. Conforto homered to left-center off Randy Vásquez with one out in the fifth, his fourth. Hernández hit a 420-foot shot to straightaway center field off Jeremiah Estrada with one out in the sixth, his 11th. Freddie Freeman was aboard on a single off Adrian Morejon (3-3), and Smith drew a walk from Estrada. After pulling to 4-2 on Sheets' sacrifice fly in the sixth, the Padres blew another prime scoring chance when Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded with one out in the seventh. Anthony Banda came on and retired three-time batting champion Luis Arraez on a weak popup and Manny Machado on a grounder. The Dodgers, who rallied from a 2-1 deficit to eliminate San Diego in a National League Division Series last year, host the Padres next Monday through Thursday. Key moment Pages' throw home was on the first base side of the plate, but Smith caught it, wheeled around and tagged Sheets. Key stat Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Lou Trivino (2-0) got the win and Alex Vesia, the Dodgers' eighth pitcher, struck out the side in the ninth for his third save. Up next Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.20 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at home against San Francisco. Padres RHP Stephen Kolek (3-1, 3.00) starts the opener of a three-game series at Arizona. ___ AP MLB:
