Meister der Farbe » l day at Talladeg

CHICAGO -- Just days after winning the World Series, the Chicago Cubs said goodbye to a key regular season component when they declined the $12 million option on starting pitcher Jason Hammel?for 2017, the team announced Sunday.I want to thank Jason for all of his contributions in his almost three seasons as a Cub, team President Theo Epstein said in a press release Sunday. He was an effective, reliable starter the entire time he was a Cub, and this year he was an integral part of one of the best rotations in club history. We would not have been in a position to win the World Series without Jasons terrific performance during the regular season.A source familiar with the situation told ESPN.com that the team gave Hammel the option to decide if he wanted to return in 2017 or test free agency in a very attractive market for starting pitchers.?When we agreed with Jason on this two-year contract back at the 2014 winter meetings, the option was included with the intent that it would be exercised if Jason was going to be a Cub in 2017, Epstein said. The intent was never to exercise the option and then trade Jason, so we will not consider that path. Instead, Jason will have the opportunity to enter free agency coming off an outstanding season and the ability to choose his next club. Meanwhile, the organization gains some flexibility and the opportunity to use a rotation spot to develop a younger, long-term starting pitcher.Hammel, 33, went 15-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 2016, but was left off the playoff roster after a bit of a second-half fade partly due to an elbow issue. He went 1-3 in September and October with an 8.71 ERA. But he helped the Cubs get off to a fast start, going 6-1 in April and May, including a 0.75 ERA in the first month of the season.While Jason is healthy and primed to have another effective season in 2017, we have decided to consider other internal and external options for our starting rotation next year, Epstein said. Our hope is that by giving a starting opportunity to some younger pitchers under multiple years of club control, we can unearth a starter who will help us not only in 2017 but also in 2018 and beyond.Lefty Mike Montgomery is most likely to benefit from the move as he came on strong after the Cubs acquired him in a midseason deal with the Seattle Mariners. Montgomery appeared in 17 regular-season games and 11 postseason contests, starting five games overall. He earned his first career save in Game 7 of the World Series, but from day one the Cubs have discussed using him as a starter in the future. Manager Joe Maddon has raved about Montgomerys stuff, especially a nasty curveball which is effective against both righties and lefties.Hammel was re-signed by the Cubs before the 2015 season after they traded him in 2014 as part of the deal that brought shortstop Addison Russell to the Cubs from the Oakland Athletics. 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Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Martin Truex Jr. showed up at Talladega Superspeedway determined to be at the front of the field and in control of his chances in NASCARs playoffs.A pole-winning run Saturday put him at the top of the field for the critical elimination race.Truex turned a lap of 193.423 mph to earn the top starting spot Sunday. The run came after NASCAR confiscated a bolt from his Toyota, but Truex said he was not worried about ramifications to his Furniture Row Racing team.The jack bolt issue is really not a big issue, Truex said. They just took the left front, so its not a big issue. It was a parts manufacturing issue, no big deal at all.Winner of two races in the first round of the Chase, Truex is winless in round two but above the cutoff point. Four drivers will be cut from the field on Sunday.All we have to do is make it through to the next one, he said. Weve got some good tracks coming up for us and (Sunday) is going to be a tough race. A lot is going to happen, but we just have to hope for the best and do the best job we can do.I feel good about my car and its got a lot of speed in it, obviously.The inspection issue with Truex provided a little early drama on qualifying day, as there was some speculation the team could face a penalty. NASCAR typically issues penalties in the middle of the week, and a point deduction could in theory knock Truex out of the Chase.However, NASCAR vice president of competition Scott Miller said a points penalty is unlikely, and that Truex had no competitive advantage. The bolt taken could have been considered a safety issue, though.I would say it would be unlikely but it has to go through our process, he said. We dont typically do that on a weekend. Because it is the playoffs, everyone has a heightened sense of everything. This is no different than things we have done all year, and we will treat this one like we do all year long.Miller was unsure if NASCAR would accelerate its review process to determine if a penalty will be issued before the race.We dont have any precedent for doing that, Miller said. We will be circling up and trying to figure out the best way to proceed from this moment forward until (Sundays) race.Brad Keselowski, in nearly a must-win situation on Sunday, qualified second. He won the knockout race in 2014 to stave off elimination, and said his best starting position at Talladega bodes well for him.I feel like quaalifying well is certainly a very strong omen for Talladega and Daytona, he said.dddddddddddd I think all of the races Ive won here, weve had good starts and the races that we havent won or been super-competitive we usually dont have any speed in qualifying, so its certainly a confidence-builder.Its not a guarantee by any means, but a confidence-builder that you carry into this weekend and carry into (the) race.Keselowski won at Talladega in May and at Daytona in July.Matt Kenseth qualified third and was followed by Chase Elliott, who is also in a must-win situation on Sunday.Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were fifth and sixth and Roush-Fenway Racing put three of its cars into the final round of qualifying as Trevor Bayne was 11th.Rounding out the top 12 were Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Paul Menard and Reed Sorenson was 12th. It was a huge drop-off for Sorenson, who was the fastest car in the first round of qualifying.Hamlin is also facing a must-win situation, and said he prefers that to points racing all day at Talladega.Im actually trying to lead every lap, he said. Thats all I can do is try to go out there and lead every single lap possible and put ourselves in position at the end. Definitely want to be in the lead if we get down to a shootout and try to defend from there, so weve got our work cut out for us, but its nothing we havent done before.Before the first round runs, NASCAR made the Joe Gibbs Racing teams of Hamlin, Kenseth and Kyle Busch adjust the top of their left-rear quarter panels. The teams were required to go back through inspection and Miller said the body of the cars had been manipulated.It doesnt have to be big to be an infraction, he said. It just has to be fair for everybody and thats what we strive to do.Truex, runner-up to Hamlin in the Daytona 500, is one of the many drivers who doesnt plan to fade to the back of the field on Sunday in an effort to avoid potential accidents. Hes said all weekend he feels more in control of his race if hes near the front, and the pole position puts him right where he wants to be.The strategy is to stay there, but the problem is that its pretty hard to do, he said. Its definitely the place to be to start the race. This is obviously a big race with a lot on the line. ' ' '