unionization, though he said the drive has prompted | Forum
miaowang123
Dec 21 '17
MONTMELO, Spain -- Sebastian Vettels practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix ended with the four-time defending Formula One champion hitching a ride on a scooter after his Red Bull puttered out. Thomas Vanek Jersey . Lewis Hamilton had no such problems, finishing Fridays opening day of practice with the top times from both training sessions as the dominating Mercedes team showed no signs of slowing down. The British driver is looking for his fourth straight win this season. Mercedes teammate and F1 leader Nico Rosberg was right behind, setting the afternoons second best time after his crew fixed a cooling issue. Vettel was running through his fifth lap on the sunny and dry 4.6-kilometre (2.9-mile) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya when his Red Bull came to a halt. He then helped push his RB10 out of the path of his rivals before a group of fans gathered at the fence to take photographs of the champion using a fire extinguisher on the rear of his malfunctioning car. After Vettel was whisked back to the paddock on the back of a scooter, Hamilton clocked the fastest lap time in the opening session and then bettered that by almost 1.5 seconds in the afternoon with a mark of 1 minute, 25.524 seconds. Red Bull said an electrical problem that "damaged the wiring" of Vettels car meant he couldnt return for the afternoon practice session. That left Vettel with only one session on Saturday before qualifying. "Its a small failure, but a big consequence," Vettel said. Red Bull had given Vettels car an older chassis in a move the German called a "sanity check" to try to find an elusive answer to his cars lack of pace. The Austrian team renowned for its design had a bigger problem than speed, however, when Vettel was left stranded just after the fifth turn. Vettel is having his worst season at Red Bull with only one podium finish so far and sits in a distant fifth place in the standings. He has even had to let new teammate Daniel Ricciardo pass him twice during the last two races. And Ricciardo emerged from the opening day of practice as the closest thing the grid can offer as a threat to the Mercedes duo by recording the third best time in both sessions at almost a second behind Hamilton. Hamilton trails Rosberg by four points despite having won the last three races in front of his teammate. The pair have won all four races and taken all four pole positions this year. Hamilton hasnt lost a step after a three-week break and showed that the other teams have yet to make headway despite their upgrades for the start of the seasons run of European events. "Its been a great day today and Im happy to be back in the car after what feels like quite a long break," said Hamilton. "Our two practice sessions today went very smoothly, in fact Ive not had such a good Friday for a very long time." Last years race winner, Fernando Alonso, had the fourth best effort in both sessions, while Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen could do no better than fifth in the afternoon. Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said he was "not happy" with his team and that he would work closely with new team principal Marco Mattiacci to "improve the situation as soon as possible." Pablo Maldonado of Lotus recorded the most laps through both 90-minute sessions with a total of 76. The early session to prepare for Sundays race featured some close calls. Sergio Perez had to box when the left mirror on his Force India car became detached. The Mexican driver had to grab it and drive one-handed while coming in. Sauber test driver Giedo Van der Garde survived a bigger scare when he told his team he had "a break failure" and ran off course, barely missing the wall. In the second session, Romain Grosjeans Lotus stalled at the end of the pitlane, while Jean-Eric Vergne lost the right rear wheel of his Toro Rosso. Max Chilton twice had to come in due to engine trouble before a piece of his Marussia went flying on his next trip out. He ended the day by driving into the sand. Evan Rodrigues Jersey . The third-ranked Buckeyes were down eight points to Notre Dame with less than 2 minutes to play and their offence was nowhere to be found. Jordan Nolan Jersey . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern Universitys football players will cast ballots Friday on whether to form the nations first union for college athletes -- a potentially landmark vote that will be kept sealed for months and possibly years. The National Labor Relations Board said Thursday it will hear an appeal by Northwestern challenging the decision from a regional NLRB director who ruled the players are university employees and thus have the right to unionize. The board said the ballots will be impounded at least until it issues its decision later this year. If the case lands in court, it could be a far longer before the results of the vote are known. The vote comes one day after leaders at the NCAA endorsed a dramatic proposal to give its biggest and most powerful member schools the autonomy to make decisions for its athletes, including more robust funding of scholarships, the ability to address health concerns and other key areas. Union supporters say they are seeking guaranteed coverage of sports-related medical expenses for current and former players. There have been no raucous rallies or demonstrations on the 19,000-student campus just north of Chicago, just official notices about the vote posted near the Wildcats locker room. But there has been plenty of lobbying in the form private meetings, calls and emails, and everyone from coach Pat Fitzgerald to NCAA President Mark Emmert has called for a "no" vote. The 76 scholarship football players eligible to cast ballots know the spotlight is on them, said Ramogi Huma, president of the College Athletes Players Association, which would represent the players at the bargaining table if the pro-union side prevails. Some of the pressure they feel stems from dire Northwestern claims about the consequences of unionization, he said. "Theyre looking at anything and everything to invoke fear in the players," said Huma, a former UCLA linebacker and longtime critic of the NCAA. "We feel like some of the tactics are scare tactics." Northwestern, which is required by law to let the vote proceed, denies applying undue pressure on players to vote "no." However, it recently sent a 21-page question-and-answer document to the players outlining the problems with forming a union. In it, Northwestern said it hoped unionization would not lead to player strikes in the event of a dispute -- but if it did, replacement players could be brought in to cross picket lines. "The tension created in such a situation would be unprecedented and not in anyones best interest," it said. The school also said divisions could emerge between scholarship players eligible for union membership and walk-ons, coaches and staff. "There is no question but that the presence of a union would add tension in terms of creating an us versus them feeling between the players it would represent and those it would not," it said. Northwestern did not release the document publicly, but The Associated Press obtained a copy and a spokesman for the universitys athletic department, Paul Kennedy, verified its authenticity. Chad Johnson Jersey. Alan K. Cubbage, the schools vice-president for university relations, dismissed Humas suggestion that the school was using scare tactics "I would say strongly that Northwestern has conducted an election campaign ... according to the procedures and the rules of the NLRB," he said. When outgoing Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter announced in January that he would lead the drive to unionize, helped by CAPA and the United Steelworkers, he said nearly all of his fellow teammates were behind him. Safety Davion Fleming said his teammates slowly began to understand the issues arent clear-cut. "When the union talk initially started, it wasnt very clear what was going on," said Fleming, who cant vote because his eligibility is exhausted. "I think they didnt understand the implications." Huma said Northwestern seemed to be intentionally misconstruing the facts, and said the schools "subliminal messages" included the suggestion that a "yes" vote could throw their amateur status into question. "No one is taking about striking," he said. "They are trying to rattle players." The fight has been noticed by incoming recruits, too. "I went there for many reasons, more than just football," said Justin Jackson, a running back recruit from Carol Stream. "Theres no possible way that it would have deterred me from signing back in February." Like the players themselves, recruits and their families have a long list of potential questions should a football players union become a reality. One of the biggest issues is whether scholarships would be counted as taxable income. "I dont feel that were really in the position to get involved in anything like that with it yet," said Phil Jackson Sr., Justins father. "But it does obviously would have an impact on the students as far as the scholarship not being a grant but actually being considered income, yeah, that definitely would be a concern. "But at the same time we also understand theres some important issues that need to be hashed out and were kind of letting the process play itself out for right now." Trevor Siemian, who is expected to replace Colter as the starting quarterback, has said he will be voting against a union. "Ill say theres a significant number of guys on the team who feel the same as me," Siemian said earlier this month. Fleming also said doesnt support unionization, though he said the drive has prompted a much-needed debate about conditions for players. After weeks of both sides vying for votes, he said he detects a common sentiment among players. "They just want this to be over -- and to focus on football," he said. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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