Test-Forum 1 » s. Its Villeneuves first win in 19 races, and he receiv

DENVER -- Marlon Byrd hits better when hes sweating and not shivering. He throws more accurately, too, especially since he can feel his fingers. Byrd hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning and threw out a runner from right field in the ninth to lead the New York Mets past the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Thursday in a makeup game for the one that was snowed out on April 17. Give him heat any day, whether its a fastball or the weather. Byrd didnt much care for his last trip to Denver, when the temperature was hovering around 28 degrees and the area was blanketed in snow. A 95-degree day with hardly a cloud in the sky? Now that was much more to his liking. "The cold has never been good for me," Byrd said. "This was nice. Had a real good day to play baseball. To come out with the win was even better." His bat gave the Mets the lead, and his arm protected it. With the Mets trailing 2-1 and a runner on, Byrd drove a fastball from reliever Matt Belisle (4-5) into the left-centre seats. One inning later, the right fielder threw out Michael Cuddyer when he tried to stretch a leadoff single into a double. "Thats that old-school Minnesota Twins baseball," Byrd said of Cuddyer, who began his career with the Twins. "Cuddyer knows how to play the game. He was trying to put pressure on the defence, which I know that he does. I came up and made a decent throw." Byrd practices throwing to the bases all the time. Its really a lost art around the majors, but Byrd makes a point to work on it, just in case of days like Thursday. "He made a good throw," Cuddyer said. "It took a perfect throw to get me and kudos to him, he made it." That was a downer on an otherwise big day for Cuddyer, who had three singles to extend his hitting streak to a franchise-record 24 games. Cuddyer entered the game tied with Dante Bichette before breaking the Rockies mark with a single to centre off Jeremy Hefner on a scorching afternoon. "Anytime you can put your name in any type of record book for a good thing is a good thing," Cuddyer said. "Id trade it for a win, though." The homer by Byrd was about the extent of the offence for New York with star slugger David Wright receiving a rare rest. Hefner drove in the teams other run on a groundout. "Without D-Wright in the lineup, you wonder if were going to score runs," Byrd said. "But we got enough today. Thats the big thing." LaTroy Hawkins (3-1) earned the win with a scoreless seventh and Bobby Parnell closed for his 14th save in 17 chances. The fourth-place Mets finished 7-4 on a four-city road trip that took them to three time zones. They have won eight of 12 overall. The weather was drastically different from the Mets trip to town in mid-April, when the temperatures were bitterly cold. The series opener was postponed, forcing a frosty doubleheader the next day. The game on April 17 was called off, too, leading to New Yorks quick detour to Denver on Thursday after a two-game series in Chicago with the White Sox. This time, the weather was more suitable for baseball. It was tied for the seventh-hottest home game in Rockies history. Colorado was cruising along until the eighth, when shortstop Jonathan Herrera and second baseman Josh Rutledge collided while trying to field Daniel Murphys single up the middle. Murphy stole second and Byrd followed with his 12th homer. It was yet another strong outing from Hefner. He went six innings, giving up two runs -- one earned -- and five hits. "My performances are finally matching up to the expectations," Hefner said. "This doesnt surprise me." Tyler Chatwood took a no-hit bid into the fifth before it was broken up by Zach Lutz, one of four hits the Mets managed off Chatwood. The righty threw a season-high 103 pitches, and his best may have been his last when he struck out Juan Lagares looking on a 92 mph fastball with the bases loaded in the sixth. Earlier in that inning, Chatwood took a line drive off his right leg. After a few warmup pitches, he remained in the game. New York loaded the bases with none out in the fifth, but Chatwood was able to work out of the sticky situation, giving up only one run on a fielders choice by Hefner. Left fielder Carlos Gonzalez ended the threat with a sliding catch in foul territory. "I really didnt have very good command at all today but I was able to keep our team in the game," Chatwood said. "I was happy with it." The Rockies scored twice in the second, when Cuddyer led off with a single and went to third on Wilin Rosarios double. Todd Helton hit a sacrifice fly, and Rosario later scored on a throwing error by first baseman Josh Satin. New York had two former Rockies batting 1-2 in the order in Eric Young Jr. and Omar Quintanilla. Young was acquired by the Mets last week from Colorado after he was designated for assignment. Young received a round of applause from the crowd in his first plate appearance. Hes long been a fan favourite, especially since his dad played in the Mile High City. "Im excited to get a chance to play back here so soon," Young said. NOTES: Mets manager Terry Collins said SS Ruben Tejada (strained quadriceps) might be ready to play in some Gulf Coast League games this weekend. Tejada could head to either Double-A or Triple-A on a rehab assignment after that. ... The Rockies signed INF Reid Brignac to a minor league deal. ... Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (broken rib) has started some light throwing. Custom Atlanta Hawks Jerseys Cheap . The England international raised his middle finger toward Manchester City supporters during Saturdays game at Etihad Stadium, which Arsenal lost 6-3. The incident was not seen by match officials at the time but the FA charged Wilshere retrospectively after a study of video footage. Discount Custom Basketball Jerseys . Marie rink got back in the win column at the Olympic mens curling tournament with a 7-4 win over the host Russian squad on Wednesday. http://www.basketballcustomjerseys.com/ . Johns, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., after a deal was announced to build a new $106-million "event centre" in the Lake Superior community. Custom Basketball Jerseys Outlet . The 30-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Duke spent six years in Pittsburgh and also had stints with Arizona, Washington and Cincinnati. Cheap Custom Basketball Jerseys Sale .com) - James Harden put the Houston Rockets on his back and willed them to an overtime victory on Thursday.Late 1977. Roger Peart receives a call from the president of the Fédération Automobile Québécoise. Its the Labatt beer company, the then-title sponsor of the Canadian Grand Prix held annually at Mosport near Toronto. They want to know if Montreal can host a Formula One race. "Great question," says Peart, who then asks for a little time for reflection — 30 minutes to be precise. "I first thought of Île Notre-Dame. Then, I looked at a route that would start and end at the Olympic Stadium, but that would have been devilishly complicated to implement. I even looked at [building a track at] Laval." "We didnt have to go far down those roads," says Peart. "The first idea was always going to be the best." After 30 minutes, he phoned his interlocutor back to tell him yes, Montreal could accommodate a full-fledged Formula One Grand Prix, and that the best venue was Île Notre-Dame – a man-made island built to host Expo 67 a decade earlier – if for no other reason than its excellent access to public transit. The timing was perfect. Montreals then-Mayor Jean Drapeau had just announced that the artificial island would be devoted to sporting events, while the neighbouring nature-made Île Sainte-Hélène would host cultural-type events. By April 1978, Montreals city council had accepted the idea of a racetrack — "on the express condition that it cost the taxpayers nothing," recalls Peart. Peart, an engineer, is well-known in the world of international racing. Over the past five decades, he has not only competed as a driver (largely in amateur races) but has monitored and inspected racing circuits all over the world. Now 80-years-old, Peart is still president of the Canadian National Sports Authority (ASN Canada), and the only sports commissioner in the country recognized by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), Formula Ones governing body. Unsurprisingly, it was Peart who was given the mandate to design the Île Notre-Dame track, which would need to meet Formula Ones rigid standards. The Briton, who was then living in Montreal (he now calls Ontario home), still remembers the moment he went to first inspect what would become Canadas most famed racetrack. Mother Nature had dropped a major snowfall on top of the island, forcing him to develop the initial drafts without even being able to inspect the actual ground he was surveying. "I remember those days at my cottage in Saint-Sauveur in the Laurentians; when skiing conditions were poor, I drew up plans, plans and plans again." The challenge was more than he expected. "First, I had to ignore the old pavilions of the Expo 67 scheduled for demolition. Then I had to deal with some elements – the lake and park in the center, the river on one side, the Olympic basin on the other – that were obviously there to stay." "There wasnt much space and I had to fit a circuit in there, with rights and turns." Despite the challenges, the track, by and large, remains almost the same as Peart originally designed it. The buildings to the east of the island, where the boathouse was situated and where the hairpin turn is still today, were originally used as the pits. One weekend a year, the boats would then give way to the F1 cars — "It was an economical solution," recalls Peart. Because of the impracticality of this arrangement, new pits have subsequently been built in their current location, to the west, just before the Senna turn. This is the most significant change in the circuits 36-year history, a testimony to the excellence of Pearts original design. "Everything Was Going Too Fast!" The consttruction of the circuit that would later bear the name of Gilles Villeneuve was executed in record time.dddddddddddd "It was a crazy time," says Peart. "Everything was going too fast!" After a winter spent developing the best possible layout, the British engineer travelled to Europe to attain approval for the plans by the FIA. By May 1978, after a meeting in Monaco, approval was granted and the construction began shortly thereafter, in July 1978. The first F1 race was held barely three months later. A Fairy Tale for All Sunday, October 8, 1978. The first of 35 Grand Prix of Canada races to be held on the new Circuit Île-Notre-Dame – its been held there every year since 78, except in 1987 during a sponsorship dispute between Labatt and Molson, and in 2009 when event funding became an issue – unfolds like a fairy. Its a fairy tale for Peart, who, serving as the race director, gets to hear firsthand from racers like Jackie Stewart that "his circuit" is "a little paradise in the middle of a great river." Its also a fairy tale for the Quebec public. In a race seemingly scripted by the gods of motor racing, Quebecs own Gilles Villeneuve takes the inaugural checkered flag in his Ferrari to the delight of more than 72,000 excited spectators. Its Villeneuves first win in 19 races, and he receives his much-deserved trophy from Prime Minister Pierre-Elliot Trudeau. For Ferrari, it is the companys first success in eight years. The track would be renamed in 1982 to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in honour of its first champion after Villeneuve tragically died in a crash during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix 36 Years Later: Peart Still Hasnt Missed a Race A technical track - Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve requires full concentration at all times and leaves little room for error. It is a circuit of long fast rights, interrupted by tight corners where, even today, the tires, brakes, engines and transmissions are strained to their limits. However, "unlike so many other F1 racetracks, Montreal has several opportunities for overtaking," says Peart. "That means the races are always exciting." Peart has not missed a Canadian Grand Prix since 1978. He watches every race from the control tower, as one of the three sports commissioners delegated by the FIA. This year will be the first exception as Peart has delegated his position to another steward — hell still be there, just with a different view. And if you happen upon him and ask if, after all these years, he would change anything about his original design? Hell tell you that, to this day, throughout the world, he has never seen a track as perfect. Encounter With A Young Gilles Villeneuve Early 1970s. Peart is, at the time, chief instructor at the Fédération Automobile du Québec, when as he recalls, "a quiet little man from Berthierville comes to see me." "He wanted to drive race cars. I asked him about his experience, and he replied that he was racing, of all things, snowmobiles. "As our summer events were all finished, I suggested he rent [some time at] Sanair [Super Speedway], bring along a car and we would see what kind of automobile racer he would make." "The day he showed up with his brothers Mustang, I had to leave for a business appointment. But I asked a fellow instructor to work with him and give me a report. Later in the day, the instructor called me, excitedly saying, Hey, boss, we may have something here!" "Each and every lap, the young Gilles Villeneuve was faster than his instructor. Obviously, we gave him his racing license." "I remember that to thank me, he wanted to give me a five-dollar tip." 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