Hilfestellungen » Web.com Tour as the pathway to the PGA Tour.

LONG POND, Pa. - Mario Andretti wants one more race, family style. At 73, Andretti has been long retired from racing, and one of open wheels all-time greats hasnt turned a competitive lap since a spectacular crash during practice for the 2003 Indianapolis 500. Andretti, though, hasnt completely put the idea of one final race out of his mind. Hes serious when he says he wants to team up with son, Michael, and grandson, Marco, for an endurance race like the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona or 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Id do it," Mario Andretti said. "Theres no point in me coming back unless theres a compelling a reason." And theres no more compelling reason than family ties on the track. Dont start dreaming of the greatest comeback in motor sports just yet. Theres one big hitch. "Marco would do it. Michael doesnt want to do it," Mario said. "Hes much younger than I am and he says hes too old. You figure that out. But if I can convince Michael to do it, Ill do it. I would. I still have the competitive spirit, which is good." His grandfathers dream of an Andretti reunion seemed like fun for 26-year-old Marco, who posted fast practice times this week at Pocono Raceway. The third-generation driver said Mario would be "up to the task," of becoming a tag-team partner in the annual races. "He would start and finish and dad and I would do all the brunt work," Marco Andretti said. Told Michael had balked, Marco hardly seemed surprised. "I think dad doesnt love it like me and my grandfather," he said. "He was just very good and he knew he was good. But I think hes really happy and content where hes at and hes doing a heck of a job there, too, as an owner." Mario Andretti won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969 and went on to a long, brilliant career before he retired from IndyCar in 1994. He last got behind the wheel for a lap in 2003 when he tested a car for Michael at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andrettis car hit debris left when Kenny Bracks car hit the wall, sending his car flying through the air and flipping end over end. He walked away unhurt. "I figured, Im going to meet my creator. I didnt know which way I was going to go," he said. "But I was OK. It wasnt my fault. I was in my element. I was lucky as hell. I landed on the wheels and only got a scratch." But that was it for Andretti. Even though he won Indy and Michael has celebrated two 500 victories as an owner, the accident is just another part of the "Andretti Curse," that reigns at IMS. "They always have to talk about something," Mario said. "But weve had great times there, just tough times really finishing when we were dominating. Not only myself, Michael as well. Were we capable of winning multiple times? Damn right." Pocono, back on the IndyCar slate for the first time since 1989, is a hometown track for the Andrettis, who hail from nearby Nazareth. But Marios been commuting this week from his house near Lake Wallenpaupack, about an hour north of the track. Hes also keeping busy. Andretti voices a character in the upcoming movie "Turbo," the animated story of a snail with amazing speed who takes on the Indianapolis 500. While he no longer attends each race, he feels IndyCar can rival or top any series in the world when it comes to quality competition. Even if TV ratings and attendance can use a boost, the on-track product is as strong as ever. "Look at the quality of racing, just in the last two years," he said. "Its there. Its something you cant predict. When it happens, you just try to enjoy it. Its riveting." _____ Follow Dan Gelston at www.Twitter.com/APGelstonTiger Williams Kings Jersey . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Rob Blake Kings Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. http://www.kingsauthentic.com/authentic-drew-doughty-kings-jersey/ . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Luc Robitaille Kings Jersey .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Anze Kopitar Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Tim Finchem officially retires at the end of the year as PGA Tour commissioner, ending more than two decades during which he expanded the tours footprint around the world and saw prize money grow to nearly $300 million.The PGA Tours board of directors accepted Finchems resignation Monday and unanimously approved Jay Monahan as his replacement.Monahan, who has served as Finchems deputy commissioner since April 2014, becomes the fourth commissioner on Jan. 1.I have the highest regard for Jay and have total confidence in his ability to lead the PGA Tour well into the future, Finchem said. He has been a key member of the executive team since joining the tour and has worked closely with me on all business matters since becoming deputy commissioner. Jay is well respected throughout the PGA Tour family and the golf industry. I know he will do a tremendous job for the players and all constituents of the PGA Tour.Neither development was a surprise. Monday was the final quarterly meeting of the board this year, and Finchem had indicated he would not seek another extension.Monahan, 46, was executive vice president at Fenway Sports Group when he joined the PGA Tour in 2008, first as executive director of The Players Championship, and quickly moving his way through other business functions, including the key role of chief marketing officer. He was appointed chief operating officer earlier this year.Ive worked with him closely now for a good period of time, and hes absolutely the right guy, Finchem said at the Tour Championship in September. He doesnt have a negative moment in his day. He is a total glass-is-half-full individual, and I think youll see that as we go forward.Finchem also was a deputy commissioner under Deane Beman when he was appointed in 1994, and he leaves behind a legacy of growth and new programs.Total prize money in 1994 was $52.4 million for 40 official tournaments. As the 69-year-old Finchem retires, he leaves a fully sponsored schedule of 43 tournaments with prize money this season at just under $300 million. That doesnt include the four majors.Finchem used the arrival of Tiger Woods to negotiate massive television deals that drove prize money, and his finest work might have been the last one.He steered the tour throughh a severe economic downturn in 2009, keeping it fully sponsored with prize money slightly increasing.dddddddddddd And with Woods on the sidelines coping with injuries and a scandal in his personal life, the tour negotiated a nine-year television contract through 2021.Under Tims leadership, the PGA Tour has made remarkable progress, even in the most difficult economic times, Monahan said. We are now entering a very important time in our organizations history, and I know our executive team and I will draw upon and be inspired by the invaluable experience of working with Tim as we take advantage of the extraordinary opportunities, as well as face the challenges, that are ahead for the tour.The first big challenge is likely to be the next television contract. Finchem and Monahan already have been meeting this summer with media executive to prepare for the next negotiations and figure out where advancements in media fit into the future.Finchem also used the arrival of Woods to launch The First Tee, an education program geared around golf.The Presidents Cup began in his first year as commissioner, and he was behind the World Golf Championships that began in 1999 and have been played in America, Spain, Ireland, England, Australia and China. Another one is schedule for Mexico City next March.Finchem also tried to provide structure to the sprawling golf season with the FedEx Cup, which pays $35 million in bonus money to the players and $10 million to the winner. He also emphasized the Web.com Tour as the pathway to the PGA Tour. That also led the tour to create satellite circuits in China, Canada and Latin America.Monahan comes from a rich New England golf heritage, playing at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He previously worked at EMC Corp. in branding and global sponsorships, then spent three years at IMG where he ran the Deutsche Bank Championship until leaving for Fenway Sports Management, and then the tour.Jay has proven himself to be an outstanding leader who has developed an intimate knowledge and understanding of the PGA Tour and a clear vision for the future of the organization, board chairman Victor Ganzi said. ' ' '