its very important to have a talent like him on your team,

TURKISH STADIUM BOMBINGISTANBUL -- Turkey declared a national day of mourning and paid tribute to the dead Sunday after two bombings in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded 155 others near a soccer stadium. The carnage was claimed by a Turkey-based Kurdish militant group.The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK, said two of its members had sacrificed their lives in the Saturday night attack that targeted security forces outside the Besiktas stadium shortly after the conclusion of a match.It described the blasts as reprisal for state violence in the southeast and the ongoing imprisonment of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. TAK is considered by authorities as a PKK offshoot.The twin car-and-suicide bombings near the stadium enraged top officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. The attack was the latest large-scale assault to traumatize a nation confronting an array of security threats.The attack targeted police officers, killing 30 of them along with seven civilians and an unidentified person, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters. He said 13 people had been arrested in connection with the terrorist act.WILL SMITH TRIALNEW ORLEANS -- The man who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints defensive leader Will Smith was convicted of manslaughter, ending a week-long trial in which the defendant insisted he only fired because the popular football star was drunk, violent and had grabbed a gun following a traffic crash on the night of April 9.Smith was part of the Saints team that lifted the stricken citys spirits in the years after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, helping carry the team to a winning season in 2006 and a Super Bowl win four years later. His death at the hands of Cardell Hayes, 29, was stunning, even for a city where residents are accustomed to reports of multiple gunfire deaths every week.Hayes faces a possible sentence of up to 40 years in prison at his sentencing on Feb. 17. Jurors opted for the lesser charge rather than second-degree murder, which would have carried a mandatory life sentence.Hayes also was convicted of attempted manslaughter for wounding Smiths wife, Racquel Smith.OLYMPICSMOSCOW -- Russia will accept an International Olympic Committee plan to retest all drug test samples given by its athletes at the 2012 and 2014 Olympics, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said.The IOCs declaration Friday followed the publication of a report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren. This alleged that more than 1,000 Russian athletes, including medal winners at the London and Sochi games, had benefited from a state-backed campaign of doping and drug test cover-ups.Mutko, whose brief as deputy prime minister covers sports policy, also suggested that he does not expect Russia to be barred from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. He said the IOC set a precedent when it decided against a blanket ban for Russia from this summers Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.PRO FOOTBALLNEW YORK -- The NFL says no formal complaint was filed last week by the New York Giants, who reportedly alerted the league that the Pittsburgh Steelers were using deflated footballs during their game.Fox reported that after the Giants forced two turnovers during their 24-14 loss last Sunday, they tested the footballs on their sideline. After both of the footballs tested below the NFL standards for PSI, according to the report, the Giants sent them to the league office.The NFL issued a statement saying: The officiating game ball procedures were followed and there were no chain of command issues. All footballs were in compliance and no formal complaint was filed by the Giants with our office.Fox reporter Jay Glazer, who had the report, wrote on Twitter that the NFL was correct in saying no FORMAL complaint was FILED, Giants tested balls & informed the NFL they were under legal limit. Giants confirmed.COLLEGE BASEBALLBEVERLY, Mass. -- NCAA officials plan to hand deliver an award to the former Boston College baseball captain who inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge that raised millions of dollars for ALS research.The collegiate sports organization says Pete Frates is unable to attend an awards celebration in Nashville, Tennessee, this January to accept the 2017 Inspiration Award because the neurodegenerative disease is progressing.So NCAA President Mark Emmert and NCAA honors committee chair Dr. Michael Benson will present the award to him at his home in Beverly, Massachusetts.Frates was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012. The disease, also called Lou Gehrigs Disease, weakens muscles, impairs physical functioning and has no cure yet.The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $220 million when it took off worldwide on social media in 2014.COLLEGE FOOTBALLNEW YORK -- Lamar Jackson leapt over a loaded field of Heisman Trophy contenders early in the season and by the time he slowed down nobody could catch him.The sensational sophomore quarterback became the first Louisville player to win the Heisman Trophy, beating out preseason favorite Deshaun Watson of Clemson despite some late-season struggles.Baker Mayfield finished third and Oklahoma teammate and fellow finalist Dede Westbrook was fourth. Michigans Jabrill Peppers was fifth.Jackson, wearing a red velvet blazer with shiny black lapels, said he could feel his heart pounding in his chest right before his name was announced, and he barely held it together while giving his speech with the former Heisman winners standing behind him on stage.BALTIMORE -- Donald Trump was greeted with cheers on his arrival at the annual Army-Navy game, basking in one of the nations most storied football rivalries as he prepares to enter the White House.The future commander in chief, protected by panes of bulletproof glass, waved to the crowd Saturday and pumped his fist as he arrived during the first quarter of the 117th game between the military academies at West Point and Annapolis. The game, on a sunny but chilly day, was being held on relatively neutral ground, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.Trump, in an interview with CBS Sports announcers Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, said he was totally neutral on the outcome of the game and quipped that he might make Lundquist, who was retiring from the play-by-play booth, his ambassador to Sweden. Hockey Jerseys China .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. Wholesale Hockey Jerseys . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. https://www.fakehockeyjerseys.com/ . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Cheap Hockey Jerseys China . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Hockey Jerseys Black Friday . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. SEARS POINT, Calif. -- Ryan Hunter-Reay left the last Verizon IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen International on Sept. 4 having just learned that his title sponsor DHL was on the brink of signing a contract extension through the 2020 season with Andretti Autosport. It was great news.Since then:? He and his wife Beccy welcomed a third child to their Florida home, a healthy baby boy named Rhodes, on Wednesday.? Later the same day, Beccys father, Bob Gordon, and his wife perished in what Orange County (Calif.) police are calling a murder-suicide.? Friday was Beccys birthday. Thats the same day Ryan went back to work, stepping into his No. 28 DHL Honda Indy car across the country at Sonoma Raceway to practice for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.? Sunday afternoon, Hunter-Reay and the Andretti Autosport team signed the contract extension and made the news public.Few people have experienced the wide spectrum of emotions that have affected Hunter-Reay over the past few days, yet once strapped into his bright yellow race car at Sonoma, he was at his level-headed best.In a season when most Honda cars have struggled for qualifying speed on road courses, Hunter-Reay advanced to the Firestone Fast Six for only the third time this year.While he understandably misses his wife and family, being in the company of his extended work family has brought the driver comfort at a difficult time.Absolutely, Hunter-Reay said Sunday, speaking to a small group of reporters after the media conference to announce his contract extension.Especially to be surrounded by a group of people I work so well with. They feel like family; theyre my friends. I know this is not about me, but being here is what everyone wanted and it has been a great bit of relief.Nothing can really prepare you for any of it, but on the professional side, things are going in the right direction and todays announcement is great news, he added. Im very happy about this and obviously its been a lot of highs and some lows. Its just been a wild ride for the past week and a half.Hunter-Reay has been though his share of professional stress and strife. After winning an Indy car race as a rookie in 2003 in the Champ Car World Series, he struggled to maintain a foothold in the sport over the next few years.He caught a break when Rahal Letterman Racing signed him in mid-2007, but even though he won a race, that ride fell through when the sponsor pulled out of racing and he faced several winters of uncertainty.Michael Andretti scraped together enough backing to sign Hunter-Reay to a three-race deal at the start of 2011, and once again, RHR came through by posting a win at Long Beach in his third start. The Andretti/Hunter-Reay combination has been together ever since, with DHL signing on as title sponsor in 2012.Now the most experienced American driver in the IndyCar Series is contracted for three years as opposed to three races.I was on the brink there in 2006-07, Hunter-Reay admitted. I was maybe a month or two away from going and doing something else with my life when Bobby Rahal gave me the chance at Rahal Letterman. Every time I got in the car I knew I had to prove myself immediately because it wasnt going to be a two-year deal where I could just take my time to develop.dddddddddddd.That fighting mentality was instilled at that time, when I was given opportunities and not a lot of time to prove myself.Beccy was a big part of Ryans support network in those tough times, and now the couple are established in the fabric of the IndyCar Series. Having grown up in a racing family (Bob Gordon was a well-known off-road racer, and brother Robby is a former Indy car and NASCAR star), she understands why it was so important for Ryan to get back into his work environment this weekend.That didnt make it any easier for Ryan.Beccy is doing amazing, Ryan said. Shes strong, and focusing on a newborn baby has been a blessing at this time. Its amazing how strong she is, how strong Robby has been, and her sisters Robyn and Hailey. Its blown me away because this is nothing you can prepare for. This isnt as simple as a life passing.Team owner Michael Andretti had no doubt that Hunter-Reay would be in the car this weekend. As a former driver, Michael knows that being in the car is the best sanctuary during emotional times for a racer.Michael famously continued competing in the 1992 Indianapolis 500 after his father Mario and brother Jeff were both hospitalized with significant leg injuries from crashes.Hes a professional, Andretti said. He even made the comment that hes so happy to be here at the racetrack and getting back in the car because hes able to just focus on that. Thats the best medicine. I know how he feels; Ive been there where I had to focus when there were outside things. It was always good to get in and just do your job and I know thats the way it is with him.I truly believe hes one of the best and its very important to have a talent like him on your team, Andretti added. Now hes got stability as well and thats huge. Its big for him, its big for us, its big for the team itself.Now in the most secure position of his career, its likely that the best is yet to come for Hunter-Reay. Hes won 16 races and the 2012 championship, making him the most successful American driver currently competing in the IndyCar Series, and at age 35, hes just hitting his prime.Hes the lead driver for Hondas flagship Indy car team, putting him in prime position to capitalize if the manufacturer can gain the upper hand over its competition from Chevrolet.And even though he has been put through a world of worry in the last week, the next four years look pretty much care-free.To not stress about a contract, I cant tell you how beneficial it is to the racing side, Hunter-Reay said. You dont have to think about the pressure involved in that. You can just go out there and put everything on the line and you know that if you over step the edge or if you try to make that pass and it doesnt work out, its not going to blow back on you.I know when we get this program sorted, were going to contend for championships. ' ' '