for the award, rotating annually between current major league markets (2017), broadcasters whose contributions were realized on a national level (2018), and early team voice

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- IndyCar points leader Simon Pagenaud knows Team Penske teammate Will Power is chasing him down, so earning the pole at Mid-Ohio Race Sports Car Course was important.Pagenaud set a course record with a lap at 127.271 mph around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course Saturday to edge Power.The Frenchman Pagenaud increased his lead to 48 points entering the race Sunday.Thats what you need to do to win the championship, Pagenaud said. Its a long season. Thats what we were doing at the beginning of the season to extend the gap.It was his sixth pole position of the season and the eighth of his career. He won three of the first five races and had top-three finishes in the other two but has made only one podium in the past six races.Weve been good the whole season, Pagenaud said. The pole position shows your strength and speed, but [Sunday] is when the points really matter.Pagenaud competed despite a sore back. He was hurt in practice Friday.All of a sudden, it was like somebody jammed a knife in my back, he said. This morning the pain was 10 out of 10.Power temporarily held the course record in qualifying before being surpassed by Pagenaud, but Power will start in the front row; hes in good position to win for the fourth time in the past five races, including the last one at Toronto on July 17.The Australian hopes for good weather Sunday after two days of showers.A dry race would be very nice, Power said. This course in the rain is very tough. Whatever it is, well try to the best we can to. Weve got to beat to make sure we have a good day and keep beating the 22 car (Pagenaud).Defending champion Graham Rahal, from nearby Columbus, will start sixth in the race his father, Bobby, won twice.GOOD START: RC Enerson will make his IndyCar debut after qualifying 18th. The 19-year-old Floridian will drive the Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 Honda. He comes to the circuit from the Indy Lights series where he won at Mid-Ohio last year. Enerson had the 10th-best practice time Friday. I surprised myself more than anybody else, he said after qualifying. Its being comfortable with the team and finding the limits.LOOKING FOR MORE: Reigning series champion and five-time Mid-Ohio winner Scott Dixon will start 11th. He qualified two days following the announcement that Target is leaving IndyCar after sponsoring Chip Ganassi Racing for 27 years. Ive been very fortunate to be with Chip and have such an amazing sponsor as Target, Dixon said Friday. Were still going to be racing for wins, championships. Its just a change in direction and change in colors.TWEET OF THE DAY: That was a tricky one! Had to take a risk after Q1. Happy with the top 10, think that decision put us in better shape tomorrow with tires. -- James Hinchcliffe, who had to decide whether to use the alternate tires (reds) or fresh ones during the qualifying because of the changing conditions. He used the reds but decided to save a second set.LONG TIME: Sunday will mark the 32nd IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio. Johnny Rutherford won the first in 1980.HOMETOWN BOY: Rahal, who donned a helmet last season that resembled those worn by the Ohio State football team, has added a fire suit that looks like the Buckeyes home scarlet-and-gray uniform to go along with OSU-inspired gloves and shoes. Norm Standlee Jersey .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Kevin Greene Jersey . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/custom-ben-coates-jersey-large-481f.html . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Gary Lewis Jersey .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. Gino Cappelletti Jersey . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith has been named to the board of directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame.The Hall of Fame made the announcement Saturday, along with a restructuring of the Era Committees elections and changes to the Ford C. Frick Award balloting and election processes. Effective immediately, the board restructured the time frames to be considered, with a much greater emphasis on modern eras.The Era Committee provides an avenue for Hall of Fame consideration to managers, umpires and executives, as well as players retired for more than 15 seasons. Umpires and executives who excelled before 1950, as well Negro Leagues stars, will still have an opportunity to have their careers reviewed, but with less frequency.The board also modified the criteria for which active executives can be considered for enshrinement. All age 70 or older may now have their careers reviewed, regardless of the position they hold in an organization and regardless of whether their body of work has been completed. Previously, active executives 65 years or older were eligible for consideration.New criteria for selection for the Frick Award, presented annually since 1978 to a pre-eminent baseball broadcaster, will include commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans,, and recognition by peers.dddddddddddd Only eight candidates will be on ballots, down from 10 in past years, and the three ballot slots previously determined by fan voting on Facebook will now be filled by a committee of historians.A new election cycle also was established for the award, rotating annually between current major league markets (2017), broadcasters whose contributions were realized on a national level (2018), and early team voices and pioneers of baseball broadcasting (2019). This cycle will repeat every three years.Also on Saturday at Doubleday Field, long-time Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy was presented with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for writers and the late Graham McNamee received the Frick Award posthumously.Shaughnessy, with several Hall of Famers sitting behind him, soaked up the moment.Writing about baseball is the most fun you can have in the world of journalism, Shaughnessy said. Baseball connects us to the past and the future. I love the fact that my soon-to-be-born grandchild will someday sit in an obstructed view seat at ancient Fenway (Park) -- his or her view practically blocked by the same green pole that blocked the views of my grandfather back in 1912. ' ' '