last time out against San Francisco, though he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his seven starts.A BEGINNING AND THE ENDTrying to jump over five teams in the cr

AKRON, Ohio -- In the dark, head-to-head, 11 shots clear of the pack, from rooftops and in every other conceivable way, Tiger Woods has dominated at Firestone Country Club. He just says it makes him feel comfortable. "Ive done it all different ways, thats the thing," Woods said Wednesday, the day before beginning his run at an eighth win at the Bridgestone Invitational. "Some years Ive striped it and have really played well, and other years Ive hit it all over the lot and had to be creative. Ive chipped and putted and holed out. Its been such a mixed bag." Woods, coming off a disappointing British Open and steeling for the PGA Championship next week at Oak Hill, headlines a bumper crop of world-class players who are entered. The 73-player field includes 49 of the top 50 players in the world ranking, including this years major champions (Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson), last years winner (Keegan Bradley) and European stars Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Lee Westwood. Yet, Woods always seems to grab the spotlight. Thats what happens when a player has won more than $9.5 million in just 14 appearances at a single venue. Woods first win, in what was then called the NEC Invitational, came in 1999 when he shot a third-round 62 to win in his third appearance, holding off Mickelson by a shot. A year later, Woods triumphal march to an 11-shot victory on the final day was delayed by inclement weather, with his final putt finding the bottom of the cup in almost total darkness. The strobe lights of photographers made it look like a scene from an old movie. The year after that, Woods overcame Jim Furyk in an epic, seven-hole, sudden-death playoff for his third win in a row at Firestone. After finishing fourth, tying for fourth and tying for second the next three years, Woods strung together wins in his next four appearances. The win in 2006 is remembered for a wayward 9-iron shot that hit on the cart path near the ninth hole and bounced onto the roof of the clubhouse, the ball being pocketed by a kitchen helper. Woods won by eight shots in 2007 and then missed the tournament the following year as he recovered from knee surgery. Even that didnt halt his string as he returned in 2009 and took advantage of Padraig Harringtons triple-bogey 8 on the 70th hole to win by four strokes. "This is one of those courses where, for me over the years, I just have felt very comfortable," Woods said. "I think my record has been pretty good since Ive turned pro here." But, as there always seems to be with Woods since his personal meltdown, there are nagging questions. After streaking to 14 major championship victories, he has failed to win in his last 17 tries. The latest disappointment came at Muirfield two weeks ago when he seemed in perfect spot to win but faded to a closing 74 and watched rival Mickelson come out of nowhere to swoop in and grab the claret jug. "I had a chance to win and didnt get it done on Sunday," Woods said. Others are plotting to not only win the Bridgestone but use it as a springboard to the years final major a week later. Mickelson, returning to action after the dramatic win at Muirfield, is geared up to continue his hot play. He won the Scottish Open the week before the British. Why not make it four in a row by sweeping through the Bridgestone and PGA? "Playing the week before (a major) personally helps me play my best and get my best golf out," he said. Rose won the U.S. Open at Merion, then turned around and had his high hopes dashed when he missed the cut in his homelands national championship. After time off, hes rejuvenated and ready for golfs version of the stretch run. "You cant rest on your laurels," he said. "After the U.S. Open I had time constraints and would miss the odd practice session. Your game soon lets you know about that. The last couple of weeks Ive had the chance to get back to normal, get back to doing all the right things." A player trying to salvage what has been a winless calendar year is Rory McIlroy, still No. 3 in the world rankings behind Woods and Mickelson. But hes encouraged by looking back at where he was just about a year ago. "I was really searching last year for answers," he said. "Ive come to the conclusion that I just need to go out there and play. I was focusing too much on mechanics and technique, and I just needed to go out there and see the shots and play them. Obviously, that seemed to work well." It worked so well that McIlroy had a top 10 at the Bridgestone and then turned around and captured the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. Bradley, who took advantage of Furyks double bogey on the 72nd hole to win last year, gets wired just coming to Firestone, an historic old layout that has hosted many memorable majors and regular tour events over the decades. "Because of the history of the golf course, you really can feel it," he said. "Its one of these courses where you can tell the tournament has got a little more of a buzz to it." This year, the buzz is especially loud. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. China Jerseys Authentic . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. http://www.cheapjerseysthrowback.com/ . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Cheap Jerseys Throwback . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Cheap Jersyes . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. A look at whats happening all around the majors Wednesday:---KLUBERS CASEIndians ace Corey Kluber (17-9, 3.12 ERA) looks to strengthen his Cy Young Award resume against Kansas City. The 2014 winner has a sizable lead among AL pitchers with 6.4 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference . Rick Porcello and Chris Sale present some of the stiffest competition, but Kluber has Cleveland closing in on its first AL Central title since 2007.STILL DOING ITDavid Ortiz and the AL East-leading Red Sox seek their seventh consecutive victory when they continue an important series in Baltimore. Big Papi is a big reason why Boston is 11-3 in its last 14 games and a major league-best 13-5 in September. Playing his final season, the 40-year-old Ortiz broke open a tight game Tuesday night with a three-run homer in the seventh inning. He has 36 home runs and 121 RBI.NEED SOME MOOREThe last time San Francisco lefty Matt Moore faced the Dodgers, he lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning on Corey Seagers single. The trade-deadline acquisition can give the struggling Giants a lift when they wrap a pivotal series in Los Angeles. Dodgers rookie Kenta Maeda (15-9) gets his third start against the Giants after winning his first two.And theres this treat, too: Vin Scullys call from the local Dodgers broadcast will be used for the fourth inning during the national telecast on ESPN. In his 67th season with the Dodgers, the 88-year-old Scully will broadcast his final game Oct. 2.TIRED ARMS?Felix Hernandez (11-6, 3.79 ERA) and the Mariners take their playoff pursuit into a series finale agaiinst Toronto.ddddddddddddSeattles veteran ace is limping to the finish this season, posting a 7.65 ERA over his previous four starts. Blue Jays youngster Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 3.17) has likewise struggled recently with a 5.08 ERA in six starts since the beginning of August.WASTED WORKHORSEThe White Sox hope to capitalize if they get another long outing from Chris Sale (16-8, 3.03). He has pitched eight innings or more in six consecutive starts and struck out at least 10 in half of those. Despite that, Chicago is 2-4 in those games and 3-9 in Sales last 12 assignments. The left-hander gets a favorable matchup against Philadelphia, batting just .243 with a .652 OPS versus southpaws this season.BABY BIRDThe Cardinals continue their push for an NL wild card with rookie Luke Weaver (1-3, 3.21 ERA) on the mound in Colorado. Weaver allowed six unearned runs in an abrupt outing last time out against San Francisco, though he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his seven starts.A BEGINNING AND THE ENDTrying to jump over five teams in the crowded AL wild-card race, the Yankees hope to get center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury back from a bruised right knee. They hope for more power from rookie slugger Gary Sanchez and retiring star Mark Teixeira, too. Both homered Tuesday night in a win over Tampa Bay. That gave Sanchez 17 homers in 42 games this season, and Teixeiras 407th career home run tied Duke Snider for 54th place in major league history. 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