he job he has been paid to do.That separation has reap

As if being in the same division as the San Francisco Giants isnt taxing enough, now the Dodgers have to contend with the even-year magic of the Washington Nationals. Are you unfamiliar with that trend? Well, it doesnt get nearly as much attention as the Giants, but the Nats have their own little even-year thing going. Just as in 2012 and 2014, 2016 saw Washington capture the NL East crown; these are the only division-winning teams in the 48-year history of the Expos/Nationals franchise.Sadly, just like the 2012 team, this years team will apparently be without the services of Stephen Strasburg.?Only this time, his absence isnt a disaster of the teams own making. Strasburg isnt the only injury the team must deal with as they begin the playoffs. Wilson Ramos, who not only had the best year of his career but one of the best offensive seasons of any catcher in baseball this year, has been lost for the season with a torn ACL. On top of that, Daniel Murphy, who unexpectedly assumed the role of the teams offensive leader from Bryce Harper, hasnt started a game since Sept. 17 due to a nagging leg injury.The Dodgers know all about injuries, of course, as the team needed 15 different pitchers to make a start for them during the 2016 regular season. However, Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw appeared to have worked himself back into top form over five late-season starts, and to a lesser degree, that appears to be the case with Game 2 starter Rich Hill as well.While the health of the two teams is the most obvious contrast between the Dodgers and the Nationals, there are other factors to consider in handicapping the series, and the Chalk team of baseball experts will take it from here. Joe Peta, Dave Tuley, and Andrew Lange explain how theyre looking at this NLDS matchup.Kansas City Royals Store . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Stitched Royals Jerseys .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Royals Jerseys 2020 . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Kansas City Royals Pro Shop . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide.Being in Viennas Hofburg Palace when Nico Rosberg announced his F1 retirement was something of a surreal experience. Despite a room filled with journalists and PRs, no one was entirely sure whether or not the news was a joke -- the newly-crowned champion stood grinning on the stage, with just enough humour in his eyes that the news could have gone either way.It was only when Mercedes boss Toto Wolff took to the stage to speak of Rosbergs bravery in deciding to quit while he was ahead that the news began to sink in.There will no doubt be all sorts of ink spilled in the next few days debating whether or not Nico was right to stop when the childhood dream of attaining a Formula One drivers title came true.On the one hand, leaving on a high is no bad thing -- Nicos memories of Formula One will not be soured by possible struggles with the 2017 regulations, or a season of reliability struggles. Instead, Rosbergs F1 finale will be fixed in his memory as a whirlwind of champagne, hugs, fireworks, and approximately 90 million TV cameras in his face in the team garage.But on the other hand, to leave the sport without even having tested the car with which he may have been able to defend his title risks a future filled with what-ifs, of unanswered questions of what could have been had he only stuck it out a little longer.Over the past seven years I have seen Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Mark Webber, Felipe Massa, and Jenson Button retire from Formula One, and while the last two men on that list probably havent got around to sending that last race suit to the cleaners yet, the first three men all used the occasion of their retirements (or second retirement, in one case...) to reflect on the difficulty of finding the perfect time to go.When Schumacher retired for the second time, he left feeling that there was no unfinished business to keep him in the cockpit. I can be happy with my performance and the fact that I was continuously raising my game during the last three years, he said in 2012.But then, at some point it is time to say goodbye. Already during the past weeks and months I was not sure if I would still have the motivation and energy which is necessary to go on; and it is not my style to do anything which I am not 100% convinced about.With todays decision I feel released from those doubts. In the end, it is not my ambition to just drive around but to fight for victories; and the pleasure of driving is nourished by competitiveness.Massa announced his retirement at Monza, in a deliberate echo of Schumachers first retirement, and said that to reach the decision had involved a lot of soul-searching. Im relieved and happy, he said in September. You need to be strong enough to make decisions that are quite difficult. That is what I did. Im relieved and happy with what Im doing. I think this year was the time to [retire].Rosberg is confident that 2016 was his moment, and said that the sacrifices involved in securing a world title were not to be repeated.Sincce 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my one thing to become Formula One World Champion, he said.dddddddddddd Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now Ive made it. I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before. And of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too -- it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target. I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible. She understood that this year was the big one, our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting our championship first.Rosbergs decision to retire if he won the 2016 title was taken at Suzuka, he told media in Vienna on Friday. But the team were not told until the championship was over and the title secured, with Rosberg telling Wolff and teammate Hamilton of his decision in the early part of the week. The champion admitted to feeling a little as though he had left the team in the lurch having taken the decision at such short notice, but Rosberg was confident that it was the right choice for him.That Rosberg was confident that his time had come to retire was plain for all those assembled in Vienna to see. But the response to the news was divided between those who understood the desire -- the brave decision, as Wolff branded it -- to quit while youre ahead, and those who cant comprehend a passion for racing that is completed once a target is met, a title secured, a goal achieved.The flipside of Rosbergs level-headed approach to challenges both on-track and off is that it is easy to read his even-handedness as a lack of passion. While Formula One is largely fuelled by drivers who would sell kidneys, firstborns, and grandparents for the opportunity to secure a seat with a top-tier team, Rosberg -- for the length of my time in the paddock, at least -- has been the driver best able to separate any burning passion he feels for motorsport from the job he has been paid to do.That separation has reaped dividends for Rosberg this year, handing the Monaco resident a world championship trophy earned after a hard-fought and consistent season. But it is that separation that has enabled him to walk away from the sport without feeling the need to defend his title, to re-prove his ability under a new set of regulations, to stamp himself on the sport as only a multiple champion can. Lets hope there are no regrets or what-ifs to come. ' ' '