te Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "His velocity was down all night, and he wasnt getting much from his pitches. When you do that against the Tigers, they will squeeze you, make you throw the ball over the plate and then they beat y

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Adam Scott and Steve Stricker dont have much in common except for how infrequently they play golf tournaments. Scott began to scale back on his schedule two years ago, devising a plan that would help him practice more, play less and be ready for the biggest events. Stricker, who turned 46 in February, decided this year to spend more time at home in Wisconsin. The U.S. Open is only his seventh tournament this year, and he might only play three more. "I congratulated him on his semi-retirement," Scott said. "Welcome to the club." Stricker would love to part of another club to which Scott belongs -- a major champion. Since returning to the top of his game in 2006, he has given himself a couple of reasonable chances. Stricker was the 36-hole leader at Winged Foot in 2006 until a 76-73 weekend dropped him into a tie for sixth, three shots behind. He was tied for the lead after 63 holes at Oakmont a year later, only to shoot 42 on the back nine to tie for 13th. He also played in the final group at Carnoustie in the 2007 British Open. He tied the major championship record at Atlanta Athletic Club in the 2011 PGA Championship with a 63 in the opening round, though he couldnt keep it going. At 46, and playing a limited schedule, Stricker is running out of time. And thats OK with him. "Im kind of past that," he said Tuesday. "I think that the decision that I made earlier this year about playing less has taken some of the pressure off me. Im completely fine with my career and what Ive done. And dont get me wrong -- Im still very competitive and I still really want to win. I still want to play well. But Im just enjoying it. "Im enjoying coming out here and playing and not really having any expectations at all." He is far from a forgotten figure. He has a pair of runner-up finishes this year -- to Dustin Johnson at Kapalua and to Tiger Woods at Doral -- and is No. 13 in the world. He remains No. 8 in the Presidents Cup standings, so his form is not far off. What makes him intriguing at this U.S. Open is his wedge game. Stricker is vastly improved off the tee, turning that into one of his strengths. As for his putting? Not only is he regarded one of the best in the game, hes so good with the flat stick that even Woods sought him out for advice in March -- and then beat him to win the World Golf Championship at Doral. But its the wedge play that typically allows Stricker to set up birdie putts. And there are a lot of wedges to be struck at Merion, a course that starts and finishes with holes that are long and strong, and features a stretch of short par 4s in the middle where birdies figure to be made. "I like the setup," Stricker said. "Theres a lot of short irons when you get into certain parts of the course, but there are also a lot of long clubs into some of these holes. I think that still the advantage kind of goes to some longer hitters here, just because were not getting any roll in the fairway at all. But I like that theres a lot of short irons. Theres a good mixture of long and short. You dont really get to play to your medium game too much, unless they move up some of the tees on the par 3s." One thing he can count on is being fresher than anyone else in the field. Stricker hasnt played in a month. He tied for 37th in The Players Championship, where he was coming off another monthlong break since the Masters. Thats not to suggest hes been lounging around the house all day. "Im busier now than I ever have been for some reason," Stricker said. "I dont know what it is -- I guess kids. People know that Im playing less, so theyre asking me for things and to do things. Im staying extremely busy." Air Max 90 Off White Pas Cher .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Chaussure Pas Cher Site Chinois . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. http://www.chaussurepascherchine.fr/ . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Air Max 97 Pas Cher Solde . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Vapormax Plus Soldes . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. DETROIT -- Joaquin Benoit is enjoying a little extra attention these days. Thats taken some getting used to for Detroits setup man-turned-closer. The Tigers are promoting Benoits campaign to win the final vote for the American League All-Star team, and on a night when orange "Vote BENOIT" shirts were all over Comerica Park, the veteran right-hander closed out Detroits 8-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox. "A little bit shaky -- I guess too excited for everything thats going on with the fan votes," Benoit said. "If I dont get there, Im really just happy because everybodys voting for me." Benoit walked two in the ninth, but was able to finish the game. Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera -- who are already on the All-Star team -- had three hits apiece for the Tigers on Wednesday night, including a two-run homer by Fielder. Detroit allowed 23 hits in an 11-4 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday, but it was the Tigers who did the slugging early on in this game. Fielder lined his two-run shot to right field in the first inning for his 16th homer of the year. Alex Avilas two-run single in the third put Detroit ahead 5-1. Conor Gillaspie and Gordon Beckham homered for Chicago. Detroits Rick Porcello (6-6) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings. The Tigers bullpen has been shaky all season, but Benoit has been used more as a closer lately. Hes now 8-for-8 in save chances, and he lowered his ERA to 1.69. Hes part of a group of five relievers up for a final vote for the AL All-Star team. The others are Torontos Steve Delabar, the New York Yankees David Robertson, Texas Tanner Scheppers, and Bostons Koji Uehara. "Its probably the only thing I havent accomplished in my career," Benoit said. "Ive been to the World Series last year, Ive been to the playoffs. Ive been a starter, Ive been a reliever. Ive done almost everything -- now an All-Star game wouldnt be bad." The Tigers extended their AL Central lead over second-place Cleveland to 3 1/2 games. Chicagos Dylan Axelrod (3-6) allowed seveen runs and 11 hits in 5 2-3 innings.dddddddddddd. Cabreras run-scoring single in the sixth pushed his major league-leading RBI total to 93. "Its hard to put in perspective," Porcello said. "Thats a career season for the majority of guys in baseball, and thats only his first half." Chicagos Alex Rios was hitless a night after going 6 for 6, and the White Sox never led Wednesday. After Gillaspies homer in the second, the Tigers made it 3-1 on Austin Jacksons RBI triple in the bottom of the inning. Axelrods problems continued in the third when Avila lined a single to right with the bases loaded. The ball landed just in front of a diving Rios, and two runs came home. "Ax wasnt sharp, and thats a tough lineup to face when you dont have your best stuff," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "His velocity was down all night, and he wasnt getting much from his pitches. When you do that against the Tigers, they will squeeze you, make you throw the ball over the plate and then they beat you." Axelrod has allowed 29 earned runs in 28 innings in his last six starts. Porcello won his second straight start -- he blanked Cleveland for seven innings last week. Chicago scored twice in the fourth on an RBI single by Dayan Viciedo and a sacrifice fly by Beckham, but right fielder Torii Hunter made a diving, back-handed catch on Beckhams hit to prevent further damage. Porcello struck out six without a walk. Detroit added three runs in the sixth on consecutive RBI singles by Cabrera, Fielder and Victor Martinez. That made it 8-3, but Tigers reliever Bruce Rondon allowed Beckhams homer and an RBI double by Alexei Ramirez in a shaky seventh. Then Detroit turned to two relievers who have been pretty sharp in 2013. Drew Smyly worked a perfect eighth, and Benoit pitched the ninth. NOTES: All eight of Detroits runs came with two out. ... Martinez had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. ... Chicago left-hander Chris Sale (5-8) faces Detroit right-hander Anibal Sanchez (7-5) on Thursday. ' ' '