LOS ANGELES -- When Scott Dixon stood next to the Astor Cup on a stage in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, he was still a bit surprised to be so close to IndyCars championship trophy heading into the season finale. Just two weeks ago, Dixon needed an enormous amount of help to take control of the overall IndyCar race. Helio Castroneves gave it to him with a broken gearbox during a wild doubleheader in Houston, allowing Dixon to head for California with his third series title in sight. "Its been such an up-and-down season for us that its kind of hard to believe were here," said Dixon, the series champion in 2003 and 2008. "We started so poorly, but we managed to find some redemption at midseason and got back in the hunt. And then Houston happened, and now were here. Its been a wild ride." Indeed, Dixon hadnt been on top of the overall standings all season long until he left Houston with the lead. The last time Dixon led the championship was back in 2009, with one race to go -- and Dario Franchitti sped past him to claim the title. Thats why Dixon isnt cocky about his chances in IndyCars season finale at Fontana on Saturday night. "Its very easy to jinx yourself," Dixon said. "I think maybe you start thinking its a given, and you get too complacent. Everybody knows its not over. If were leading at the end of this race, then job accomplished, but we could still very well lose it." The New Zealander realizes he only needs a fifth-place finish to stay ahead of Castroneves for the overall title, but he wont change tactics just to stay safe. He expects a dynamic race on the long oval east of Los Angeles -- but hopefully without the pyrotechnics of the Houston doubleheader, which ended with teammate Franchitti in a hospital with two broken vertebrae, a broken ankle and a concussion. Castroneves had led the overall standings for 14 of the 18 races this season, and the Brazilian had a 49-point lead in the overall standings heading to Houston. But mechanical failures in both races left him 25 points behind Dixon, who won the first race of the doubleheader and finished second in the second race. Despite the horrific results in Houston, Castroneves hasnt lost his usual chipper demeanour -- or given up hope for a dramatic comeback. Hes the only racer who could mathematically catch Dixon for the title. "The reason Im not mad is because its not over," Castroneves said. "We have a chance. Some things happened in Houston that youd never expect. Breaking the gearbox? No way to predict something like that could happen." Roger Penske said his team "fell on our face" in Houston, a failure that could leave Penske just short of the title for the sixth time since 2006. "In our case, with the scenario, its pretty simple," Penske Racing President Tim Cindric said. "Winning is really the only thing at the end of the day, and then you still have to hope." Dixon was among the first people to realize Castroneves championship hopes were in trouble during that second race in Houston: Oil from Castroneves gearbox doused Dixons car from the second or third lap onward, and Dixon screamed about it into his radio. Even when Castroneves was forced to stop, Dixon got no enjoyment from Castroneves woes. "Youre thinking, If its happening to him, it could very well happen to us as well," Dixon said, realizing Castroneves problems probably were caused by contact with a bump on Turn 1 in Houston. "Youve had so many situations where you think its great, and then five laps later, you have a problem yourself. Its very easy to get ahead of yourself and lose focus." Both Castroneves and Dixon are changing engines for the Fontana race, a common tactic on an oval track that makes the resulting speed more important than the 10-spot penalty on the starting grid for making a switch. Castroneves had easily the fastest race car at the Fontana test last month, and hes counting on that speed to give him a shot at the title. Dixon also will have a new teammate as he goes for the Cup: Alex Tagliani is the temporary replacement for Franchitti with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. "Its going to come down to the last lap, the last corner, probably," Dixon said. "Were going to have to dig deep. Im just excited to be a part of it." cheap jerseys from china. Scott already has served three games while waiting for an in-person hearing, which was held Thursday morning. Scott was issued a match penalty for charging and ejected for his hit on Eriksson early in the third period of Bostons 5-2 win on Oct. wholesale jerseys. -- Dan Boyle delivered a proper finish to his length-of-the-ice rush that helped carry the streaking San Jose Sharks to their sixth straight win. http://www.wholesalejerseychinastore.com/. The Canadiens have recorded recent home wins over Winnipeg and Pittsburgh, but the club hasnt notched three victories in a row since a season-high four-game run from Oct. 26-Nov. cheap nfl jerseys. Blantons deal includes a team option for 2015, a person familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical. Burnetts agreement also is pending a physical. Blanton, who turns 32 next week, was 10-13 with a 4. nfl jerseys china. The move to retain Gordon on Saturday was expected, as Hornets general manager Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams had indicated they hoped the 23-year-old former Indiana standout could be the centre piece of a rebuilding effort that will also include first overall draft choice Anthony Davis and No. DENVER -- Justin Upton lost the grip on his bat in the eighth inning and sent it spinning into the stands. Usually, he might have let the lucky fan keep it as a souvenir. Only Uptons down to just a handful of bats after breaking quite a few on this road swing, so he had this one retrieved. Upton put it to good use, too, hitting a two-out, two-run shot off closer Rafael Betancourt in the ninth inning to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 9-7 on Thursday. Upton sent a 93 mph fastball from Betancourt (1-1) over the right field fence for his first homer in two weeks. "That was nice," Upton said. "Just being able to put all my struggles aside and come up big for the team. Thats always a goal, but its not always that easy. When you can get it done, it definitely feels good." His big hit was just part of the story. Upton also made a sliding catch to end the eighth and keep the game tied. Any connection between the catch and the homer? "It shows up a lot that way," Upton said. "A guy makes a good play and comes in and starts off an inning with a hit. It happens that way, but I dont know if you necessarily mentally bring it with you (to the plate). It definitely makes you feel good, that you can stop some runs from scoring. It kind of puts you in a good mood." These days, good moods -- and swings -- have been hard to come by for the All-Star outfielder. Upton entered the game hitting just .163 over his last 13 games. Not only that, but his average was even lower (.111) with runners in scoring position. Thats not like Upton, who had a monster season in 2011 when he hit .289 with 31 homers and 88 RBIs. With one swing, he felt more like himself. "I was yelling at it to get up and it carried for me, which is nice," Upton said. Willie Bloomquist and Ryan Roberts also drove in two runs apiece as the Diamondbacks won for the third time in 12 contests. J.J. Putz escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth by getting Ramon Hernandez to hit into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play for his seventh save in nine chances. The buzz surrounding this game, though, centred on the bees that invaded the stadium, taking over a camera bay next to the Rockies dugout in the fifth inning and temporarily halting the game. They remained stuck to a railing until a beekeeper arrived an inning later to vacuum up the bees and relocate them. "Im not scared of bees," Carlos Gonzalez said. Lately, Coors Field has resembled "Wild Kingdom," with a squirrel scampering into the outfield grass the night before. Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer off starter Trevor Cahill and Jordan Pacheco added a solo shot to help stake the Rockies to an early 4-1 lead. But it wouldnt last. Bloomquiist ignited a four-run eighth with an RBI single off Rex Brothers.dddddddddddd. Jason Kubel, Paul Goldschmidt and Roberts also added run-scoring singles. The three-run cushion wouldnt be enough as David Hernandez was roughed up in the eighth. He loaded the bases and then walked Dexter Fowler to bring in a run. Michael Cuddyer sent a chopper to Roberts, who booted the grounder to allow another run to score. With the bases still full, Marco Scutaro drew another walk to tie the game at 7. Brad Ziegler (2-1) relieved Hernandez and promptly gave up a sinking liner to pinch-hitter Wilin Rosario. But Upton made a sliding catch in right to quell the threat. Gerardo Parra had a one-out double in the ninth and stole third. After Betancourt struck out Bloomquist, Upton drilled his fourth homer of the season. "Hes worked hard and he was rewarded today," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. Putz started out the ninth in rocky fashion, giving up singles to Gonzalez, Tulowitzki and Todd Helton. The Rockies then sent pitcher Alex White to the plate to pinch hit for Betancourt -- with no intention of swinging. "Were not going to let him hit into a double play and wipe the inning out," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. Instead, White took a called third strike on a 3-2 count. "It was terrible. I was doing what I had to do to try to help the team, but obviously I wanted to swing there," White said. Hernandez then hit a weak grounder to Roberts to end the game. "Not the way you draw it up, but made a big pitch when I needed to," Putz said. Rockies starter Juan Nicasio had a scare in the first inning when Bloomquist sent a liner straight at him. Nicasio turned his back just in time and was struck on the right thigh. The play was eerily reminiscent of the line drive that hit Nicasio in the right temple last August, when he suffered a fractured skull along with a neck injury. Doctors had to perform emergency surgery to insert pins into the cracked C-1 vertebra and attach a small metal plate to the back of his neck. Nicasio made a remarkable recovery to become one of the Rockies most reliable pitchers this season. That hit, though, caught him good. "I can pitch, but I couldnt stay back," said Nicasio, who gave up one run in 4 2-3 innings. "I couldnt push off -- I was only throwing with my arm and my shoulder. "It will be all right. I wont miss a start," he said. NOTES: Arizona OF Chris Young (shoulder) could be available as soon as this weekend for interleague play in Kansas City. ... The Rockies host the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, with White (0-2) facing RHP Kevin Millwood (1-4). ... The Rockies issued nine walks against Arizona. wholesale jerseys　 Cheap Jerseys　 ' ' '