prises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than jus

ARCALIS, Andorra -- Diminished by a fever and still reeling from crashes on the opening two days of the race, two-time champion Alberto Contador pulled out of the Tour de France during the toughest Pyrenean stage Sunday.Slightly more than 60 miles from the end of Stage 9 from the Spanish town of Vielha to the ski resort of Arcalis in Andorra, the 33-year-old Spaniard stopped at the side of the road, hopped off his bike and got into the passenger seat of his team car.I could not keep going, Contador later said at his team hotel. This morning I had a fever. And I did not feel good since I crashed on the first day.Contador crashed in each of the opening stages -- damaging his right shoulder, elbow and hip -- and had already lost time on the other overall favorites.He was in 20th position at the end of Saturdays eighth stage, 3 minutes, 12 seconds behind leader Chris Froome, who said Contadors departure from the race was a big loss for the Tour de France.We are not going to have to chase his attacks 100 kilometers out anymore, Froome said. Its one of the less things for us to worry about, but its maybe a shame of the race.During Sundays stage, Contador dropped back to his team car four times before finally withdrawing.He had started the stage in a bright fashion, attacking alongside fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde to catch a group of early breakaway riders on the first climb.But Contador could not continue his effort and was quickly brought back by the pack before he pulled out in the Port del Canto climb. He handed his bike to a mechanic and waved to TV cameras as he exited the race that made him famous.The withdrawal occurred on Contadors home roads near the town of Vilamur in Spain.Its bad news for me, said Tinkoff team owner Oleg Tinkov, who is planning to leave the sport. It was my last try to win the Tour de France. But who knows, maybe Ill come back in a few years.Contador, who won cyclings showpiece race in 2007 and 2009, had made the Tour de France his main goal of the season, skipping the Giro to focus on the Tour.If he recovers, Contador is still expected to compete in the road race at the Rio Olympics next month.I will undergo tests to find out what is going wrong, he said.Contador was stripped of the 2010 Tour title and suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned steroid clenbuterol in the final week of the race.He was among the three prerace favorites this year alongside defending champion Froome and Colombian climber Nairo Quintana.Kansas City Royals Shirts . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. Royals Jerseys 2019 . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Stitched Royals Jerseys . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Kansas City Royals Pro Shop . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me.SUZUKA, Japan -- Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg had the fastest lap in Fridays first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, edging teammate and title rival Lewis Hamilton.Rosberg clocked a time of 1 minute, 32.431 seconds at the Suzuka circuit, 0.215 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel was third followed by Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen.Rosberg holds a 23-point lead in the championship race over Hamilton with five races remaining.Hamilton is looking too bounce back from the disappointment of the previous race in Malaysia where his engine failed while leading.ddddddddddddhe reigning world champion has won the previous two races at Suzuka.Mercedes says Hamilton will use the engine he used in Singapore for the Japanese GP, while Rosberg will continue with the power unit he ran in Malaysia. ' ' '