AUSTIN, Texas - When Formula One was last in the United States, Sebastian Vettel had already earned his fourth consecutive world championship in a season of domination not seen since Michael Schumachers days at Ferrari. Wade Boggs Jersey .Then came the engine change, from the screeching V8s to the sublime hybrid turbo V6.The effect was a demolition of an F1 dynasty built by Vettels Red Bull team in a move that most thought would produce a wide-open title chase in 2014.Instead, F1 simply exchanged one dominant team for another. Mercedes has crushed the competition with teammates Lewis Hamilton leading Nico Rosberg by just 17 points in the title chase heading into this weeks U.S. Grand Prix.Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo sits a distant third in the drivers championship with only three races left. Mercedes has already won the constructors title.Success in Formula One does not come easily and we are determined to ensure that our performance this year is not a one-off but the first of many, said Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.Vettels 2013 was a performance for the ages. The baby-faced German tied Schumachers record of 13 victories in 2004, including the last nine of the year. And when he spun circles on the track after his win in Austin, his message to his team was to savour the moment. Even he seemed to know it would all soon end.Mercedes happily filled the void.Rosberg won the season-opener in Australia before Hamilton ripped off four wins in a row. Rosberg regained the lead in the title chase until Hamilton surged ahead again by winning the last four races heading into this weekend. Tension between the teammates and old friends has been simmering for months and another Hamilton victory could further put the squeeze on Rosberg.Its still all to play for in the battle for the drivers championship and I wont be giving up the fight, Rosberg said.Hamilton has a previous victory at the Circuit of the Americas in 2012, when he passed Vettel late to steal the win, forcing Vettel to wait until the final race that season to win the championship.Every point Hamilton can put between himself and Rosberg this week would be precious. Rules changes in place for this season will award double points for the final race in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 23.The reliability of his car is as big of a concern for Hamilton as Rosbergs driving. Car problems have forced Hamilton to retire early three times this season, twice for Rosberg.But the guys have worked very hard to eradicate those through the year, so I hope that we can all go through these next races together as a team, without any of those issues, Hamilton said.Hamilton said he didnt want to even consider a crash or reliability problem that could cost him the title.Im not even going to put that negative energy out there, Hamilton said.Vettel would like to find even a spark of good energy this weekend. Its been a long time since he had any.His troubles started with a disastrous round of preseason testing that raised alarms about Red Bulls grasp on the new engine technology. An early run of bad form behind Mercedes dominance quickly killed any hopes of contending for another title.This year had quite a bad start in terms of reliability, which put us in a bad position, Vettel said.Vettel has no victories this season and just four podium finishes. And hes considering not even driving in qualifying Saturday because a change to a sixth engine this season will force him to start from pit lane, regardless of how fast he goes.His Red Bull run is almost over. Vettel has already announced hes leaving the team after this season but hasnt said where hell drive in 2015.Im looking forward the race, and to enjoy those last races Ive had with the team. Weve experienced a lot over the last few years, Vettel said.The U.S. Grand Prix will have just 18 cars on the grid, the smallest F1 race in nine years. Two teams, Marussia and Caterham, have been sidelined with financial problems and wont race this week.That prompted the FIA, the sports governing body, to call Thursday for any initiative that will help reduce costs to ensure the survival of the existing grid and attract potential new entrants. Bobby Doerr Jersey . Nat Borchers headed in the sole goal in the 54th minute, getting on the end of a Kyle Beckerman free kick. The defeat cost Sporting top spot in the Eastern Conference. Even a draw would have moved the Kansas City club above Columbus. Boston Red Sox Jerseys . And thats good news for Canada. Kelly, who plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, is captain of the Canadian womens team. http://www.theredsoxteamshop.com/Red-Sox-Mitch-Moreland-Kids-Jersey/ . The two were in the batting cage moments before game time. Bautista was taking final warm up cuts. Pillar was hitting soft toss. The one-time utility player turned All-Star pulled aside the clubs young, fourth outfielder and offered him some advice.OTTAWA -- For the past month the Ottawa Senators have been focusing on playing better hockey while keeping a close eye on the Eastern Conference playoff race. And with one game remaining before the Olympic break, Ottawa finally has a chance to crack the top eight in the conference standings. Ottawa (26-21-11) visits the Boston Bruins (36-16-4) on Saturday afternoon hopeful theyll have a hold on a playoff spot once the dust settles. Trouble is, the Senators are in a very tight race and winning still might not be enough. Ottawa has 63 points heading into Fridays action, one behind Detroit for the final wildcard spot. But the Columbus Blue Jackets also have 63 points and more wins. Columbus faces San Jose on Friday night and a Blue Jackets win will leave Ottawa outside the top eight regardless of Saturdays outcome in Boston. And theres also the matter of the Red Wings, who face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. So should either Detroit or Columbus win, nothing would change for Ottawa. "Its a competitive group of teams thats fighting for that spot," said Ottawa defenceman Marc Methot. "It keeps you honest. I like it. "It makes it competitive and it makes every game that much more important and those are easy games to get up for. Its going to be competitive and I bet its going to get right down to the last week of the season." Ottawa is in playoff contention thanks to posting a 9-3-4 mark so far in 2014. The Senators feel as long as they can remain competitive they should find themselves in good standing at seasons end. "Were playing better hockey, were playing more consistent," said captain Jason Spezza. "A win in Boston would go a long way for us to keep moving in the right direction so its a good opportunity for us to win another game and keep grabbing points." Spezza finds himself on a nice roll, having recorded seven points (one goal, six assists) in his last five games. While the Olympic break might not be ideal, the Senators feel they can take advantage of the practice time and return to action with confidence. "Im real proud of the little stretch of good hockey that weve been playing lately," said Methot. "If theres any way to go into the break its playing properly and good structured hockey and as a team right now were clickingg. Luis Tiant Jersey. "You just hope after a little bit of a layover with the break, so to speak, well come back just as strong. Im sure well be putting the work in as soon as were all back together." While holding down a top-eight spot by the Olympic break would be satisfying, centre Zack Smith believes even being within reach is a positive sign. "Weve come a long way in the last month and a half or so," said Smith. "Weve won some big games and theres a few that obviously wed like to have back. "Theyre all emotional games right now so its nice to get points and stay in." But with the teams Ottawa is chasing also winning, that makes the Senators task that much more difficult. "Theres not much separation or breathing room it seems," said Smith. "Everything can change within a few hours so you have to wait and check scores to see whats going on." But one benefit of a tight race is it makes every game important. "Every night youre playing for something and you know the points are that much more important," said Smith. "Its exciting to. "Win or lose you know it has a lot of influence on where your spot is and what position youre in." Should Ottawa be unable to crack the top eight by the break, Smith said there will still be plenty of time for the team to make a move. "When it comes down to it, theres still a lot of games left after the break," said Smith. "Its still a long season. "If we dont win a game or say we lose two games in a row were still not out of it by any means. Its good for motivation." NOTES -- Craig Anderson will start in goal against Boston . . . Forward Stephane DaCosta was re-assigned to the AHLs Binghamton Senators on Friday. In eight games, DaCosta had three goals and an assists . . . Defenceman Chris Phillips will miss his seventh straight game with a lower-body injury Saturday. Phillips skated on his own prior to practice . . . Defenceman Erik Karlsson was given a maintenance day Friday . . . Head coach Paul MacLean shuffled all of his lines at practice. But he said not much should be read into it as he was just having some fun . . . Most of the Senators said theyd be keeping a close eye on the Olympic action but also were looking forward to having a little down time. Cheap Denver Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Oklahoma City Thunder Jerseys Cheap Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys Cheap Utah Jazz Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Clippers Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys Cheap Phoenix Suns Jerseys Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys Cheap Dallas Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Houston Rockets Jerseys Cheap Memphis Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys Cheap San Antonio Spurs Jerseys Cheap Golden State Warriors Jerseys ' ' '