~Tritt herein~ » Beijing-based British sports commentator

Jenson Button believes that seventh place would have been possible at the Malaysian Grand Prix had it not been for an unlucky final Virtual Safety Car period.Button finished ninth in Sepang but lost out during the last Virtual Safety Car, having pitted just two laps before the race was neutralised following Lewis Hamiltons dramatic retirement with an engine failure. Button had been ahead of McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso and Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg, but ended up being jumped by both drivers when they effectively gained a free pit stop.It wasnt so bad but I was so unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car, he said. The cars behind me were on three-stops, I was on a two-stop strategy and two laps after I pitted there was a Virtual Safety Car so they gained about 15s with that.I was actually fourth after a great start but Kimi and Max just out-dragged me easily. It was looking OK, Hulkenberg and Fernando, behind me, were going for three stops, I was going for two and it was all looking good but then the Virtual Safety Car came out two laps after I pitted and that was it.The Briton struggled for pace on older tyres than Alonso and Hulkenberg in the latter stages in Malaysia. He was left to rue the missed opportunity to score more points and says he hopes his fortunes turn around in the final five grands prix of the season.Right at the end I simply wasnt that quick as my tyres were older than those of the cars in front. Hopefully for the last five races Ill be a bit luckier as Ive been a bit unlucky with strategies recently. Its a shame but I seem to be, in the last few races, with no luck on my side.The pace wasnt that great but I was still looking good for seventh place until the last VSC. Two stops is a better strategy but if theres a VSC at the right time for the others, then theres nothing you can do. We can just put this behind us and move forward. Nike Air Zoom Baratas . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Nike Zoom España .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. http://www.nikezoombaratas.es/ .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Nike Zoom Comprar Online . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Zapatillas Nike Zoom Baratas . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. BEIJING -- A native of Shanghai, a city synonymous with the Chinese growth miracle, Yi Weizhong watched up-close as his country morphed into a world economic powerhouse.Yet he cant envisage anything like that happening on the international football scene, doubting that even a coach of Marcello Lippis caliber can transform the dismal national team into a genuine World Cup contender.Its not worth hiring Lippi, Yi said, referring to the 2006 World Cup-winning managers appointment as head coach of the Chinese team.I would rather hire more good coaches for youth training, added Yi, a salesman, who attended a game last week at Shanghais Hongkou stadium. I cant see hope for the next 10 years.Ever since the Chinese Football Association announced last month it had coaxed Lippi out of retirement, the national teams long-suffering fans have greeted the news with indifference, cynicism, and even a hint of outrage.Rather than celebrating the appointment of the most high-profile coach China has ever had, some supporters have balked at the size of Lippis rumored contract.A popular joke circulating on the Wechat messaging service compares it with a nouveau riche family hiring a Harvard professor to tutor their kid.Given the teams record of failure under a string of foreign and Chinese coaches, the problems are more often attributed to the lack of a strong youth program and a misplaced, money-driven focus on the domestic league.Lippi was hired to replace Gao Hongbo, who quit after a 2-0 loss in Uzbekistan last month left China with one point from four qualifying matches and with little hope of making it to Russia in 2018. China has qualified for one World Cup -- the 2002 edition co-hosted by Japan and South Korea -- where it bounced out in the group stage without scoring a goal.Fed up with such results and seeking to close a glaring gap in its international sporting prowess, China this year announced an ambitious football development plan closely identified with President Xi Jinping, a fan of the game. The plan envisions 50 million players joining in the game by the end of the decade and the transformation of the country into a first-rate major footballing power by 2050.The blueprint is seen as another aspect of Xis grand narrative of national rejuvenation -- dubbed his China Dream -- that is generally a point of pride for the public. Yet the mixed reactions to Lippis appointment reflect a deep cynicism when it comes to supporting a football team that is ranked 84th and which also recently lost to Syria.Though Xis administration has been applauded for proposing to build academies and thousands of football fields, the politically-tinged directive has also spurred the domestic league into spending extravagantly on foreign stars and big-name managers. That has prompted talk of a bubble that will burst before any benefits trickle down to the grasssroots.ddddddddddddAgainst that backdrop have been reports in Italian and Chinese media that Lippi would be paid a record salary of 20 million euros a year.The former Juventus and Italy coach told Italian reporters last week the figures were exaggerated, but that hasnt quieted grumbles about yet another football import taking money that could be spent developing Chinese youngsters.Ma Dexing, one of Chinas best-known football commentators, said Xis campaign, with its intended emphasis on developing youth, was already losing its way amid Chinas frenzy of flashy managerial hires and exorbitant player purchases. But Ma said hiring Lippi was justified at whatever cost.His situation is different, Ma said in an interview. The national team is the dragons head -- the symbolic leader. If it doesnt do well, everyone else loses interest in football.Lippi, who guided Italy to World Cup success in 2006, coached Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande from 2012 to 2015, winning domestic titles and the Asian Champions League. Rather than serve merely as another foreign figurehead, Ma said, Lippi has the authority and the experience of working in China to truly overhaul the countrys football organization.In the past they changed the water but not the medicine, Ma said. This is a real revolution.In his first meeting with the Chinese media as national coach, Lippi said his top task would be to evaluate his players psychology and boost their confidence, rather than introduce new tactics. He said it was highly improbable for China to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but urged the nation to back his players.Mark Dreyer, a Beijing-based British sports commentator on China Central Television, said in some ways China resembled England, a country also locked in a perennial cycle of high short-term expectations and intense pressure on the national team, followed by disappointment and cynicism. Chinese football authorities need more independence to do their work, Dreyer said.They need someone who can come in and say, `Give me 20 years, you cant expect results in two years just because you want them, Dreyer said. But how can they suddenly be free from the government and not answering to Xi Jinping?Others are less positive. Outside Shanghais Hongkou stadium, property manager Xu Chao said he preferred watching local club Shenhua because the national teams level of play was simply unwatchable.Its useless to hire an expensive coach when the teams foundation is not good, Xu said.Yan Shihao, a junior in university, said it wasnt just China making a costly bet by hiring Lippi.Lippi chose China, he said. Its a brave decision to gamble with his honor.---Associated Press researcher Fu Ting contributed to this report from Shanghai. ' ' '