Wheldon's widow given late husband's Indy ring

In remembrance: Dan and Susie Wheldon pose for photos after his victory in the Indianapiolis 500 on May 30, 2011. AP

INDIANAPOLIS — Susie Wheldon somberly celebrated her late husband's Indianapolis 500 victory Thursday.

Seven months after Dan Wheldon was killed in a horrific crash at Las Vegas, Susie and their two children came to Indianapolis to accept the champion's ring.

"He loved Indianapolis Motor Speedway so much," she said softly as cameras clicked. "I'm proud to be here with our two children, Sebastian and Oliver, and to represent him as a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500."

Wheldon didn't take questions during the brief ceremony, but did thank racing fans for showing love and support following the fatal crash.

After posing for photos with the track owners and the ring, two-time Indy winner Dario Franchitti, a close friend of former teammate of Dan Wheldon, walked into the room, gave Susie Wheldon a hug and urged her to try the ring on. She did it with her customary smile.

Series officials said they believed it to be her first trip back to Indy since the city's public memorial service in October.

The 14-karat gold ring includes one full karat of diamonds with Wheldon's name on one side of the ring. It was made by Herff Jones and is valued at $5,000.

Wheldon won Indy in 2005 and won it for the second time last year when race leader JR Hildebrand crashed on the last turn of the last lap. Wheldon passed the skidding car in the final straightaway and Hildebrand finished second.

"You know he was pretty good around here, but every time he was here, he'd be like 'Oh, look at the flags blowing' or 'Oh, they changed the pictures in the Pagoda,' " said Tony Kanaan, another close friend and former teammate.

Fans will get to see Wheldon's No. 98 car in the Pagoda Plaza this weekend and are being asked to display the cardboard sunglasses that will be handed out for Sunday's race on laps 26 and 98 — representative of the two winning numbers Wheldon had at Indy.

Team owner Bryan Herta will take the No. 98 car that won last year's race around the oval during pre-race ceremonies. Ryan Hunter-Reay is wearing a special helmet in honor of Wheldon, and Kanaan is bringing a new pair of sunglasses to the track Sunday, too.

"Hopefully, you guys will understand," Kanaan said, drawing laughter. "I said the two toughest races would be here and St. Pete because that's where he lived and this one because he's the defending champ. I hope after this race we can put some closure on this, but it will be very emotional."

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Contador given own weight in honey

Penalver, Spain — Champion cyclist Alberto Contador has been awarded the peculiar honor of receiving his weight in honey, a delicacy of the Spanish town of Penalver.

Contador, along with his bike, were weighed on a scale set up in the town square on Saturday. The total was multiplied by six for the Spanish rider's major stage wins (three at the Tour de France, two at the Giro d'Italia, and one at the Spanish Vuelta).

Spain soccer coach Vicente Del Bosque received the honor last year that is given to promote the local product.

Contador is awaiting the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport on his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs in the 2010 Tour.

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Bonds avoids jail, given house arrest

SAN FRANCISCO — Eight years of being investigated for steroid allegations ended for baseball home run king Barry Bonds on Friday with a 30-day sentence to be served at home. No more — and maybe less.

Long saga ends: Barry Bonds was sentenced to two years of probation, 250 hours of community service and 30 days of house arrest by a federal judge on Friday in San Francisco. AP PHOTO

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston immediately delayed imposing the sentence while Bonds appeals his obstruction of justice conviction. The former star was found guilty not of using steroids, but of misleading grand jurors.

Even without prison time, the case has left its mark on the seven-time National League MVP. His 762 career home runs, and 73 homers in 2001, may forever be seen as tainted records, and his ticket to baseball's Hall of Fame is in doubt.

Bonds declined to speak in court. Well-wishers hugged the 47-year-old in the hallway courtroom after the hearing was over, and a smattering of fans cheered him as he left the courthouse. It was a marked departure from his initial court appearance four years ago, when guards had to clear a path for Bonds to get through dozens of onlookers to his SUV.

"Whatever he did or didn't do, we all lie," said Esther Picazo, a fan outside the courthouse. "We all make mistakes. But I don't think he should've gotten any kind of punishment at all."

Bonds was sentenced to two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine and 30 days of home confinement. It will take time to determine whether he serves any of it; his appellate specialist, Dennis Riordan, estimated it would take nearly a year and a half for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella called the sentence a "slap on the wrist" and the fine "almost laughable" for a superstar athlete who made more than $192 million for playing professional baseball.

Parrella had sought 15 months in prison and argued that home confinement wasn't punishment enough "for a man with a 1,390-sq. meter house with all the advantages." Bonds lives in a six-bedroom, 10-bath house with a gym and swimming pool.

"The defendant basically lived a double life for decades before this," Parrella said. He ripped Bonds not only over performance-enhancing drugs but over his personal life: "He had mistresses throughout his marriages."

Parrella said Bonds made lots of money due in part to his use of performance enhancers and that he has been "unrepentant" and "unapologetic" about it.

Illston said she agreed with a probation department report that called Bonds' conviction an "aberration" in his life. She said she received dozens of letters in support of Bonds, some discussing how he has given money and time "for decades" to charitable causes.

Bonds is the last — and highest-profile — defendant in the government's investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO, a steroids distribution ring. The ex-slugger has long denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

Illston said she was compelled to give Bonds a sentence similar to the two she meted out to other figures convicted after trial of lying to the grand jury and federal investigators about their connection to steroids.

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Modern Technology has Given Us a Wonderful Range of Sports Sunglasses

Modern technology has given us a wonderful range of sports sunglasses frames and sports sunglasses lenses made to both enhance and stand up to the demands of the sports enthusiast with lightweight, flexible, durable materials, no-slip frames and a wide variety of lens options. The sports sunglasses and discount sunglasses are made to suit whatever sporting activity you might be considering whether it be golfing, skiing, snow boarding, playing tennis, motorcycling, cycling, kayaking, boating, water skiing, fishing, mountain climbing, snow shoeing, mountain biking, playing baseball, running or jogging the options have never been more abundant.

One of the most important aspects of the sports sunglasses is the lenses. The optical quality and visual enhancement of sports lenses has never been better. Lens colors such as brown, yellow, green, gray, rose, amber and orange can help enhance your sports performance by filtering out colors and allowing you to see what is most important. Polycarbonate lenses are a popular choice as they are impact resistant and very strong which is helpful when it comes to sports. Having lenses that are impact resistant is also a necessary factor when it comes to children wearing sunglasses, impact resistant means the lenses won't shatter if bumped or knocked.

The sports sunglasses frames available are just as important as the lenses you choose. Sports sunglasses frames can be found in lightweight and durable frame materials such as polyamide which keeps it shape even when under stress. Goggle frames made of softer flexible materials like rubber, nylon and propionate prove to be excellent as they hold their shape and will not become brittle in the cold temperatures when skiing or snow boarding and therefore will not injure your face. It is possible to find good quality discounted sunglasses, replica sunglasses and sports sunglasses frames to accommodate whatever sporting activity you choose to participate in.

When it comes to sports sunglasses polarized lenses are another popular option as they are ideal for water and winter sports where water and snow can increase the reflective glare, especially on flat surfaces. Polarized sunglasses lenses absorb approximately ninety eight percent of reflective glare offering glare free vision for your sporting activities. Polarized sunglasses are excellent choices for boating, water skiing, skiing, snow boarding, golfing, motorcycling, cycling and jogging with polarized lenses also available in ski goggles. Polarized sunglasses come in a wide variety of designs, colors and styles and can be found on discount sunglasses sites at affordable prices for everyone.

With so many wonderful sports sunglasses, polarized sunglasses, discounted sunglasses and replica sunglasses to choose from you might have difficulty selecting just one or two pairs of sunglasses. With that said the following are just a few of the sports sunglasses trends you might encounter and can include; no-slip temple grips and nose pads (quite often made of rubber); polarized sunglasses lenses that enhance sports performance by absorbing ninety eight percent of reflective glare; lightweight and durable sports sunglasses frames made with polyamide which keeps it shape even when under stress; sports sunglasses with changeable lens systems that allow you to use dark lenses under sunny skies or clear lenses for darker conditions; and sports specific sunglasses with color enhance lenses.

Ski goggles like sports sunglasses have also benefited from modern technology with the materials used to make them. Ski goggles not only provide protection for the face but for the eyes as well, with some ski goggles covering the whole upper portion of the face (smaller goggles are also available). Ski goggles are made with a lens area large enough to give the wearer a wide field of view and good peripheral vision. Unlike sports sunglasses ski goggle frames are made of softer more flexible materials like rubber, nylon and propionate as they hold their shape and will not become brittle in the cold and injure your face. Available in rose, yellow-orange and pink tints ski goggles allow you to make out the shapes, objects and bumps in the snow. Like sports sunglasses ski goggles are also available with polarized lenses which filter out the glare.

Due to the large number of sports related eye injuries each year, the importance of athletes wearing protective sunglasses and sport eyewear becomes obvious.

Whether you wear ski goggles for snow boarding and skiing or protective eye shields made of polycarbonate (impact resistant) for baseball eye safety is necessary.

Sports sunglasses will not shatter or bend like regular sunglasses might. Another reason for wearing protective sports sunglasses is simply for their UV (ultraviolet) protection, you should look for at least ninety eight percent UVA and UVB protection when selecting your sports sunglasses because without proper eye protection keratitis (sunburn) of the eyes can occur. The tinted ski goggles available can also assist with seeing the subtle bumps and lines of the ski hill which in turn can ensure your overall safety.

A popular trend in sports sunglasses is that of sunglasses for enhancing sports performance. Some of the sports enhancing sunglasses can include; yellow tinted sports sunglasses used for tennis where the balls are usually yellow; green tinted sports sunglasses excellent for golf as they give more contrast and visual acuity so the objects in the course such as flag stick and ball will stand out; specially tinted sports sunglasses for trap shooting and baseball; amber or rose ski goggles which enhance the soft grays that mark shadows on a ski slope, these shadows allow you to distinguish the ridges or bumps in the surface. The sports sunglasses that you select should also offer protection for your eyes.

There are sports sunglasses available for whatever types of sports you and your family are interested in. Whether you purchase your sports sunglasses or polarized sunglasses from discounted sunglasses, replica sunglasses or fake sunglasses sites you should always be sure that the quality of your sports sunglasses is high. By selecting high quality designer sunglasses lenses and sports sunglasses frames you will be protecting your eyes from damage, while at the same time enhancing your sporting activity to the fullest.

Valerie Giles owns and operates Eyewear-4U http://www.eyewear-4u.com, an eyewear site featuring fashion eyewear, sports eyewear, prescription eyewear, discount sunglasses and contact lenses as well as accessories.

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