Bewerbungen » with the decision.Just a bad day overall,

Poor Lewis Hamilton. Its one thing to lose what looks like being a guaranteed race win when you have yourself to blame -- making a mistake and putting it in the wall, or colliding with a backmarker when blue flag frustration becomes too much to bear -- and another thing entirely when your loss looks to have been an act of god.Mechanical failures are the worst way to retire, feeling as though the wheel of fortune has spun you from top to bottom so rapidly that theres nothing left but the twin senses of injustice and despair, and perhaps a little nausea on the side.When reports of Hamiltons post-race statements in the TV pen began to filter into the press room -- someone doesnt want me to win -- the initial assumption was that the Mercedes driver was referring to some form of celestial power, be it god, the universe, or karma.But once the full selection of quotes had been transcribed, it rather looked as though Hamilton was pointing the figure not at the big guy upstairs, but at nefarious forces within his own team. He may not have used the word himself, but the implication was more sabotage than it was shoddy luck.My questions are to Mercedes -- we have lost so many engines, Hamilton told the BBC immediately after the race. There are eight drivers and mine are the only ones who has failed. Someone has to give me some answers and it is not acceptable. Something or someone doesnt want me to win this year.Its a brand new engine, he added. Ive done one race with it. I did P3 with it, qualifying, its a brand new engine from the three that I had. Its just odd. Theres been like 43 engines from Mercedes [this season] and only mine have gone.But an hour or so later, having had time to reflect, Hamilton told his open print media session that his comments referred not to the team, but to some form of higher power or celestial being.It feels right now that the man above, or a higher power is intervening a little bit but I feel like Ive been blessed with so many big opportunities, firstly being here with all these people around here, the opportunity in this great team winning the last two championships. Lots and lots of big trophies and records that Im breaking time and time [again]...While Lewis can hardly be blamed for feeling himself to be a victim of a string of reliability issues that have plagued car #44 -- and only #44 -- since the start of the season, it is unfortunate that the Briton felt the need to make comments that appeared to ask questions of his own team (and the associated Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, based in Brixworth). Fomenting discontent within the ranks -- even unwittingly, and even in the passionate heat of 25 points lost -- rarely does anyone any favours.That this latest failure came at a race which would have seen Hamilton equal Nico Rosberg in the championship standings will have been a real kick in the teeth. That it took place at a grand prix paid for by Mercedes team sponsor Petronas wont have helped matters either. And the fact that when Hamilton drew his stricken car to a stop it was on the very part of the track painted with Petronas branding will have been good news only for the right place, right time snappers now able to command high prices for their photos of the incident.Toto Wolff burying his head in his hands on the global television feed says it all about the feeling in the Mercedes garage on Sunday afternoon. This could have been the weekend in which Mercedes sewed up the constructors championship, and now that most profitable of moments will be delayed by at least one more race weekend. The fact that the WCC is essentially inevitable -- and has been since what feels like the dawn of time -- hardly helps.Following Hamiltons understandable yet undesirable outburst, Mercedes will head to Suzuka with a sense of discomfort within the ranks. Winning races and titles is very much a team effort, and despite the praise Hamilton heaped on his own race crew, the very fact that one of the teams drivers is publicly asking questions that imply (at best) bias and (at worst) outright sabotage is only going to lower morale in a team that should be celebrating their most dominant season yet.Nico Hischier Devils Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Will Butcher Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. http://www.devilssale.com/authentic-damon-severson-devils-jersey/ . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Jamie Langenbrunner Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Travis Zajac Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium.ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Deciding to go for a game-winning two-point conversion in the final minute might not have been the boldest move Raiders coach Jack Del Rio made in Sundays season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints.Benching $38 million cornerback Sean Smith midway through the third quarter and sitting him for the remainder of the afternoon clearly stood out and raised eyebrows in Oaklands locker room as well as around the NFL.Smith was one of the marquee offseason additions made by general manager Reggie McKenzie yet Del Rio didnt hesitate to pull Smith after he failed to get a hand on Saints wideout Brandin Cooks and was beaten for a 98-yard touchdown.Its a move Smith agreed with, even if it came at his expense, and he said he was not surprised when it happened.Not at all, Smith said Tuesday. I was getting killed, Im not going to lie to you. It was getting bad out there. I was costing our team points. Coach did what he had to do. Obviously I would have loved to stay in and fight that thing out but coach made a decision on whats best for the team so Im going to ride with it.The Raiders expected Smith to bring stability to their secondary after nearly a half-decade of constant changes. They inked him to a four-year contract that included a $20 million signing bonus to lure Smith away from Kansas City.Smith got off to a decent enough start in New Orleans but struggled as the game went on, allowing a 49-yard completion before thee Saints franchise-record 98-yarder from quarterback Drew Brees to Cooks.ddddddddddddThats when Del Rio made the decision to bench Smith in favor of former first-round draft pick DJ Hayden. Hayden was flagged for two pass interference penalties that helped sustain touchdown drives by the Saints after Smith was pulled from the game.I have to make those kinds of calls and guys have to trust my judgement, Del Rio said. Im going to always do what I think is best for the football team and thats what it was.Smith, who had 41 pass breakups and five interceptions during his three years in Kansas City, had no qualms with the decision.Just a bad day overall, bad technique, Smith said. Thats pretty much what it was, bad technique. You want to go out there with a game plan and execute and thats something that I didnt do.An eight-year veteran, Smith said he had never been benched in the middle of a game before Sunday.But if you play long enough youre going to have days like that, Smith said. You just have to move on, have a short-term memory and be ready to roll. Its over. Its just like any other job. I had a bad day at work. Its one game. Its not going to define myself, my career or this season. It was a bad day and Im ready to roll into Week 2.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '