Kämpfe » eam in a month after an elbow injury put him on the

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Brad Keselowski admits that one of his dreams as a kid was to be president of the United States.I think its a very American thing to dream for, dont you? Keselowski said. Its like [dreams of] being an astronaut, a fireman or being the president.A driver known to have an opinion -- and whose opinion might be viewed through a different prism than many in the garage -- Keselowski said he hasnt seriously thought about becoming a politician once he hangs up his firesuit.The Team Penske driver wouldnt say in a recent sit-down with reporters just how he would vote in the upcoming presidential election, only that he is not happy with the current election vibe.I would be sad if I was in a debate like was on the other night, Keselowski said about Sundays presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. I would be very sad. I would not relish that. If I was in a real debate about real issues, I would relish it.In reality, if Keselowski likes politics, hes in a fine place. Navigating the politics of NASCAR can be rough, and Keselowski now has a little bit bigger voice since being selected by his fellow drivers as one of the members on the Sprint Cup drivers council.The nine-member council was launched in May 2015 as a way for NASCAR executives to have better dialogue with drivers. The top driver from each manufacturer gets a spot on the council the following year, with the rest elected by their peers to have a mix of past champions, new drivers and drivers from throughout the standings. Drivers on the council this year are Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.The drivers will lose one of their biggest voices after Stewart retires following this season. Stewart and Jeff Gordon could be vocal with their opinions with the media, and their opinions could carry a lot of weight. Other drivers, for fear of not wanting to upset their teams or sponsors or just not wanting to have to deal with the fallout, appear more inclined to sidestep issues.Im tired of being responsible for it, Stewart said. Its somebody elses responsibility now. Ive had my fill of fighting the fight.At some point you have to say, Why do I keep fighting this fight when Im not getting anywhere? Its extremely exhausting.Could Keselowski pick up that role? Does he want that role?Keselowski said that with the emergence of the drivers council in the past two years as well as a technical council made up of one team technical director from each manufacturer, NASCAR has much more open dialogue now than when drivers needed to use the media to have a voice.Tonys right -- its not easy being the driver that has to step up and say things, Keselowski said. I would say that if you check the books at the NASCAR Foundation, I have made enough donations [by paying NASCAR fines] as well to maybe have the right to say that.But Id really like to see the forums and formats that there are to have an active dialogue in the sport and have that opportunity. If those fail, then somebody needs to be the jerk. If I get anointed that, Im fine.The drivers council has met with NASCAR three times this year and also has met with Speedway Motorsports Inc. executives. It has one more meeting left this season with NASCAR.Weve made a lot more progress as a sport, at least behind the scenes, collaborating or moving forward where the need to have conversations through the media has not gone away but certainly been dramatically reduced in my mind, Keselowski said. Im very thankful and happy for that.The councils often discuss big-picture items rather than go over recent NASCAR decisions. For instance, the drivers council more likely would talk about potential ways to reward the regular-season champion rather than going over specifics like whether NASCAR was right to retroactively set rules for the race at Chicagoland and not penalize Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.The council is, in my opinion, is ... something that wants to look forward and wants to try to help divert problems instead of create problems, said Harvick.Keselowski said the drivers are so focused on the Chase this time of year that they arent thinking too much about the health of the sport at the moment. Theyre thinking about winning another trophy.Everybodys so focused on [the] championship and Chase and all that -- sometimes we lose vision outside of our own implicit needs, said Keselowski, who sits fourth in the Chase standings. Which is good and bad -- its good for our teams, maybe not great for the sport.I dont think there is any one emergency hot-button item coming up that we need to look at, but there is still a lot of stuff to work on. Adidas Nmd Herre Danmark . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Adidas Nmd r1 Herre Danmark . LUCIE, Fla. http://www.dknmdskotilbud.com/ . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Adidas Nmd Herre Sort Tilbud . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Yeezy Powerphase Danmark . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs youthful energy is rubbing off on Alfonso Soriano. The 37-year-old outfielder hit two of the Cubs season high five home runs and Travis Wood earned his first win in nearly six weeks in Chicagos 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. "We have so much talent in this clubhouse," Soriano said. "Its a long season and they have to believe in themselves because they have the talent." Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney also homered for Chicago in the interleague game, the Cubs fourth straight win. "Obviously a lot of power -- the Sori show continues," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Barneys home run was huge and Castro put a great swing on that ball and hammered it as well." Its Soriano who seems rejuvenated while playing with so many youngsters. He is hitting .400 with eight home runs and 17 RBIs in his last 11 games. "Thirty-seven years old, to do what hes doing again, and carrying a ballclub at a time when we really needed it offensively with the way our guys have been pitching, is tremendous," Sveum said. "Its like hes a rookie out there." Wood (6-6) allowed four hits over 6 2-3 innings, with two walks and five strikeouts, to earn his first victory since May 30. Wood, who was named to the National League All-Star team, retired 14 straight Angels from the start of the second inning until allowing a two-out single in the sixth. He gave up Albert Pujols two-run homer in the seventh and left with two runners on and two out. "Its a very stout lineup," Wood said of the Angels. "Theyre pretty solid through and through. For us to go out there and have the game that we did is pretty outstanding." Joe Blanton (2-11) went five innings, giving up eight hits, including four homers, and six runs with three walks and three strikeouts. He leads the majors in losses. Rizzo and Soriano hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning with two outs, the second time this season theyve done it. Castro gave Chicago a 3-0 lead with his fifth homer in the third. Barneys fifth homer of the season came in the sixth after Dioner Navarro doubled and Nate Schierholtz was hit by a pitch. Blanton left trailing 6-0 after allowinng Barneys homer.dddddddddddd "I really didnt have good stuff tonight," Blanton said. "It was just one of those games. I tried to battle through, but I made too many mistakes over the plate. "The three-run (homer by Barney) hurts the worst. You can live through solos and battle around everything else. Three-run homers kill you, but honestly, all of them." Soriano hit his 387th career home run and 15th of the year in the seventh off Michael Kohn. "Im not going to tell you how were trying to get him out, but Soriano is a guy if you miss some spots and sometimes if youre hitting spots, he has the ability to hit a wide range of pitches hard like he did tonight," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. Sorianos hot streak has coincided with the hottest days weather-wise this season. "When its warm, my body is loose and I feel my hands," he said. "I like when its hot." Pujols ended Woods bid for a shutout with his 14th homer of the year, a two-run shot in the seventh. The win left the Cubs 40-48. They havent been better in relation to .500 since May 31 when they were 23-30. NOTES: Sveum said right-hander Scott Baker could be back with the team in a month after an elbow injury put him on the DL. Baker had his fourth simulated game in a rehab stint Tuesday and the next step is pitching in actual games. ... Cubs outfielder Brian Bogusevic will likely be available without limitation for the series against St. Louis starting Thursday. Bogusevic pulled left hamstring Thursday. ... Starting catcher Welington Castillo, who missed Mondays game with the White Sox due to dehydration, was available Tuesday but manager Dale Sveum wanted to hold him out one more day as a precaution. ... After Tuesday, Pujols has 27 home runs against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, tying with Adam Dunn for most by an active opposing player. ... Scioscia said left-hander Jason Vargas should begin throwing by the end of this week. He went on the 15-day DL June 18 with a blood clot in his left armpit. ... The Cubs hadnt hit five home runs at Wrigley since Sept. 17, 2006. ... Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija (5-8, 3.54) opposes Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson (8-6, 3.49) in the final game of the series Wednesday. ' ' '