XRAY - Model racing cars

LONDON -- Imagine what the reception will be like for Andy Murray on Monday when he first strides onto the green grass of Centre Court at Wimbledon. A year ago, Murray became the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the singles title at a tournament the locals refer to simply as "The Championships," ending a nations long wait and sparking talk of a knighthood. This year, Murray gets the defending champions honour of playing the fortnights first match on the most famous tennis court in the world. Seems safe to say that 15,000 or so of his closest friends will greet him with a full-throated roar. "As the time gets nearer, and, you know, I get ready to play the first match on Monday, Ill definitely ... be excited about it," Murray said. "I will be nervous. It (is) an experience; something I have never experienced before. Players have talked about it in the past, that its a great experience. But it can also be a nerve-racking one." Murray had a slow start this season, coming off back surgery, and he hasnt reached a final since Wimbledon 50 weeks ago. But he showed hes on the way back to peak form by reaching the semifinals at the French Open. Performing that well on clay would seem to bode well for what he can do on grass. "I expect to play well there. Im really looking forward to going back. I think it will give me a lot of positive energy," Murray said. "Im glad Im back playing to a level that was able to get me through to the last stage of Slams." As for how Murray will handle whatever jitters accompany his first trip back to the site of his most significant victory, his peers think hell be just fine. "The way hes got himself back into shape again, I think he can really believe again. Thats whats most important now," said Roger Federer, who won seven of his record 17 major championships at Wimbledon and is coming off a grass title at Halle, Germany. "(Being) defending champion is never an easy thing. But then again, he played so well on grass the last few years. ... I would feel comfortable if I was Andy at this point." Novak Djokovic, the 2011 champion and runner-up to Murray last year, agreed. "Im sure that Andy, with all the experience he has playing in the big matches, and especially here in front of his home crowd, understands and knows the way how to handle the pressure and expectation," Djokovic said. "So I expect him to do well." The other reigning singles champion, Frances Marion Bartoli, will not try to defend her title, announcing her retirement at 28, less than six weeks after the 2013 final. That actually fits well with the quirky career of Bartoli, who certainly did things her way, down to her two-fisted strokes for forehands, backhands and volleys. While Murrays baseline game is rather conventional by todays standards, his coaching decisions have been groundbreaking. After parting in March with Ivan Lendl -- whose hiring was followed by those of fellow past greats of the game Stefan Edberg (by Federer) and Boris Becker (by Djokovic) -- Murray picked former womens No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as a replacement this month. "All Im interested in is to be able to help him (reach) his goals," Mauresmo said. "Thats about it." Murray, who grew up in Dunblane, Scotland, has made plain that those aims are primarily about winning more Grand Slam trophies. He earned his first at the 2012 U.S. Open, shortly after winning a gold medal at the London Olympics. Those triumphs followed his loss to Federer at Wimbledon that year. In 2013, Murray beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final to end the 77-year drought. Scotlands vote in September about whether to break away from Britain -- Murray has steadfastly avoided weighing in -- will be a popular topic of conversation around London this summer, and with Englands early elimination from the World Cup, the attention on "Our Andy" at Wimbledon figures to be as strong as ever. "Anytime you taste what it feels like to win it once, you obviously want to win it again. So theres an element of pressure you put on yourself, for starters, because you sort of want to see what that feels like at least one more time," said ESPN analyst John McEnroe, who won Wimbledon three times. "From that standpoint, hes going to be feeling pressure. Clearly now once people know he can do it, theyre going to think he should do it again." . Horford is out 3-to-4 months with a torn pectoral muscle for the Hawks, who have won two straight and five of six games. Atlanta improved to 2-0 on the residency with Saturdays 93-91 triumph over Minnesota, as Ivan Johnson scored his teams final four points, including the game-winning free throw with 4. . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs. http://www.fakevapormax.com/. Floundering in the English Premier League, United has delivered better performances in Europe this season and stunned Bayern by taking the lead against the run of play through Nemanja Vidics header in the 58th minute. Bayern had dominated possession but struggled to create a clear-cut chance before Schweinsteiger arrowed a half-volley high into the net in the 67th to give the German side a slight advantage ahead of the second leg in Munich next week. . -- Floridas smothering defence returned to form just in time for the third-ranked Gators to keep their winning streak going. . "Yes, Id like to get them in," Detroits rookie manager said. "Mother Natures going to have a say in that." Sure enough, the Tigers had their game against the Kansas City Royals postponed because of rain on Thursday.INDIANAPOLIS - Larry Bird ended the speculation about Frank Vogels job security before it could even begin. Hes safe.On Wednesday, the Pacers president of basketball operations announced Vogel had signed a multiyear contract extension. Terms were not disclosed and players and coaches were unavailable because they had a scheduled day off. The 41-year-old Vogel is expected to take questions Thursday.The move comes exactly three weeks before Indianas regular-season opener against Philadelphia and eliminates a potential distraction since Vogel was entering the final year of his deal with the Pacers.Were very happy to extend Franks contract, Bird said in a statement issued by the team. I believe he has done a great job and I look forward to continuing our relationship and working together to achieve all of our goals.A year ago, winning the citys first NBA title seemed like an achievable feat. Bird acknowledged before training camp that the Pacers were going all in to make a championship run. Vogels players responded with a 33-8 start that gave Vogel his first chance to coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars.Little has gone right since then for the Pacers and Vogel, who has a 147-82 career record.The Pacers stumbled in the second half of the season, finishing 23-18 amid squabbling teammates and questions about whether Indiana had the right mix of players -- or even the right coach. That didnt stop during first- and second-round playoff series against Atlanta and Washington. Indiana wound up advancing to the conference finals and losing again to the Miami Heat.In early June, Bird defended his coach and denied there was any consideration of getting rid of Vogel.The day it (the report) happened, I went down to Frank and all of his assistantss and said, I want you back next year, and that was the end of it for us, Bird said at a season-ending news conference.ddddddddddddut things got worse during the off-season.In July, Lance Stephenson left for Charlotte in free agency, and in early August, two-time All-Star Paul George broke his right leg when he ran into a basketball stanchion during a national team scrimmage in Las Vegas. Stephensons decision and Georges injury, which is likely season-ending, left Vogel without his two best scorers.While many outsiders and some players have acknowledged Indiana needs to scale back its goals this season, Vogel has insisted the Pacers can win.The message to my team is that we have to bring a high level of competitiveness every night. We have to bring it every night, Vogel said last week during the Pacers media day. We have enough talent here to be competitive and compete with the best.Vogel got his big break in January 2011, succeeding the fired Jim OBrien as the Pacers interim coach. He turned around a team that looked like it would miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year, finishing 20-18 and leading it into the post-season for the first time since 2006. Vogel then got the coaching job full-time.In 2012, Vogel led the Pacers to their first playoff series win since Reggie Miller retired seven years earlier, and then to back-to-back conference finals appearances.So with the Pacers facing perhaps their most daunting challenge in years, Bird rewarded Vogel by eliminating by one more potential distraction -- his future.Im excited for the opportunity to continue my tenure as Pacers coach, Vogel said in the statement. Its an honour to represent this franchise and lead this team. I look forward to the challenge ahead. ' ' '