STREETTEAMS!!! » a One, different people, different customers," Eccles

DETROIT -- Justin Verlander knows he isnt going to make a sixth straight All-Star team. A few more performances like the one Wednesday might mean hes heading in the right direction, however. Verlander overcame a pair of long home runs in the first inning and left with a comfortable lead after the sixth as the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics 9-3 for a three-game sweep. Verlander (7-7) started the day looking like the pitcher who has been searching for his mechanics for most of the season. Coco Crisp began the game with a shot over the access tunnel down the right-field line, and Brandon Moss went even deeper into the right-field stands with two out. That, though, was the last time the As scored off the pitcher who has dominated them in each of the last two postseasons. Verlander wasnt sharp, allowing nine hits, but he didnt walk a batter. "I didnt make a big adjustment, I just got more into my rhythm," he said. "My changeup wasnt good, but I was able to throw my slider to lefties, where usually thats just fastball and curve." With a .500 record and a 4.71 ERA, even Verlanders years of dominance arent going to get him to Minnesota later this month for the All-Star festivities. "Im not going this year -- I can pretty much guarantee that," he said. "I didnt have a good first half, and I know that." "Its going to be the first time I get that weekend off in a while. It will be nice to get that time where I dont have to tax my arm. Ive put in a lot of extra work this year, trying to find my mechanics, so the rest will be good," he said. Torii Hunter hit three RBI singles and capped a six-run burst in the sixth inning. The three-time AL Central champion Tigers won for the 11th time in 13 games. The division leaders reached the halfway mark with a 47-34 mark. Oakland still has the best record in the majors despite its stumble at Comerica Park. The Tigers have eliminated Oakland from the post-season in each of the last two years. Detroit won this years season series 4-2, but with both teams leading their divisions, theres a chance of a fourth October meeting since 2006. "We won three of four here last year during the regular season, but they turned the tide on us this time," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "This wasnt a very good series for us -- getting swept never feels too good -- but we do want to play them again this year." If there is a third matchup, the As wont expect this version of Verlander. "For guys like that, there is a regular-season version and a playoff version," Moss said. "I guarantee you that when playoff time comes, hes going to be dominant." Hunter started at designated hitter for the first time in his two seasons with the Tigers. Hunter, who turns 39 on July 18, came into the game hitting .185 in his last 32 games and has struggled badly in right field. The Tigers had a rough time, too, going 9-20 in late May and early June. "I think it was really good for our team to go through some of those tough patches," second baseman Ian Kinsler. "It taught us a lot about what type of team we are, that we could come out of that thing and still be one of the best teams in baseball." Jesse Chavez (6-5) struggled for the second straight start, giving up five runs in five-plus innings. Reliever Jim Johnson, who replaced him, allowed four runs while only getting one out. "We got the lead in the first, and I gave it back," Chavez said. "Thats the biggest thing. As a starter, when you get the lead, you want to hang on to it." NOTES: Victor Martinez sat out with soreness in his side, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said it was purely precautionary and that he should be back at DH on Thursday. ... DH Yoenis Cespedes (hamstring) and C Derek Norris (back) both returned to the lineup for Oakland. ... The As return home for a series with Toronto, with Sonny Gray (7-3) scheduled to face R.A. Dickey (6-7). ... Detroit remains home for a four-game weekend series with Tampa Bay. Max Scherzer (9-3) is scheduled to pitch the opener against Erik Bedard (4-5). Curt Schilling Jersey . One out away from finishing off an impressive shutout, they let a must-win game slip away. Zack Greinke Jersey . Hes coming back to fulfil them. One of Europes top coaches, Blatt was hired Friday by the Cavaliers, who ended a sweeping, 39-day search with an out-of-the-box selection they hope changes their fortunes. http://www.diamondbacksapparelsshop.com/. - Florida State has suspended Jameis Winston for the entire game against Clemson on Saturday, extending its initial punishment of one half after the quarterback made offensive and vulgar comments about female anatomy earlier this week. Randy Johnson Jersey . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. Custom Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . According to bodog.ca, Cleveland moved up to grab the best odds to win the Larry OBrian trophy at 4-1 on Friday. By comparison, the Miami Heats odds plummeted from 3-1 favourites before LeBron left, to 50-1.Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone says his series and NASCAR wont be competing for the same motorsport fans in Texas when they hold races 190 miles apart in November. Ecclestone dismissed on Wednesday any clash between the series, after the top executive at Texas Motor Speedway called F1 "arrogant" for scheduling the United States Grand Prix in Austin on the same weekend that his track hosts NASCAR in Fort Worth. "I absolutely think its foolish," said Eddie Gossage, the track president and general manager. "Its a shot fired by Formula One at NASCAR. I cant say I was surprised because Bernie Ecclestone does a lot of foolish things. The thing he unfortunately doesnt recognize is there is an 800-pound gorilla when it comes to major American motorsports. The 800-pound gorilla is NASCAR." Texas Motor Speedway will host NASCARs Texas 500 on Nov. 2, the same day F1 will hold its only race in the U.S. this year. Fort Worth is about a 3-hour drive from Austin. While Gossage thought a stronger stance by the management at Circuit of the Americas would have prevented the scheduling issue, Ecclestone believed it was a non-issue. "Ive also spoken to the people that run the race at COTA and their position is thhat they believe the NASCAR crowd is a different crowd to Formula One, different people, different customers," Ecclestone said.dddddddddddd "At the end of the day, they run a domestic series in America -- we run a world championship." F1 requires considerable logistical planning by the teams, he said. "Weve a small problem they (NASCAR) dont have -- we have six jumbo jets to move around all our equipment, and we have to find the most sensible way to use them to do that," Ecclestone said. "We have to be efficient and bear in mind we may also encounter problems at an airport. "There are issues that can occur, but (Gossage) and other people do not realize these things. The race prior to the one in the U.S. is in Russia, in Sochi. Weve never been before, and we have to get out of there and into Austin. That is probably a lot easier than trying to get into Brazil, and then we have to get out of there (Sao Paulo) to go to Abu Dhabi." Gossage said F1 could have found another weekend to race in the U.S. "Its just not smart," he said. "Theres 52 weeks in the year. But that was the only weekend that Formula One could make it work in Austin, Texas. Give me a break." ' ' '