seems to have become one of quarterback

SAN DIEGO -- Hoisting the trophy and spraying champagne will be nice, for sure, for the crew that wins the Americas Cup World Series.Even sweeter will be the two bonus points that can help jumpstart that team when the fleet reconvenes in Bermuda next summer for the elimination rounds.The ninth and final stop of the ACWS will be sailed this weekend in Fukuoka, Japan. The winner of the overall series will earn two bonus points to carry into the qualifiers in June, while the second-place team will earn one bonus point.Thats a significant bonus to take forward, said British sailing star Sir Ben Ainslie, whose Land Rover BAR team holds the overall series lead with 437 points, 14 better than two-time defending Americas Cup champion Oracle Team USA.Emirates Team New Zealand, the hard-luck loser to Oracle in the 2013 Americas Cup, is three points back in third, with 420.SoftBank Team Japan is fourth with 399, followed by Artemis Racing of Sweden with 391 and Groupama Team France with 360.Ainslie, who was knighted a few months after winning his fourth straight Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Games, said Land Rover BAR has been motivated by the bonus points and because its a new team fighting for the oldest trophy in international sports.Its been a huge amount of work, Ainslie said. Ive never worked this hard in my life. Its been massively rewarding for all of us for what weve achieved in a short amount of time. But were just starting. Our goal is to build a sustainable business in the UK with the core goal of winning the Americas Cup. We know it will be a huge battle next summer in Bermuda. If were not able to win the Cup next time, were going to keep going. We set this up to keep going until we get the job done.Ainslie would love to become the first Englishman to hoist the Americas Cup in victory. After losing the trophy to the schooner America in 1851, the Brits have never been able to win it back.Its huge, Ainslie said. For us, we have a very proud sporting heritage. Thats the one sporting trophy weve never won.The two bonus points will essentially represent two wins in the double round-robin qualifiers. In a break with tradition, the defender, Oracle, will sail against the challengers in that series.If a challenger wins the qualifiers and ultimately advances to the Americas Cup match, it will begin with a one-point advantage. Likewise, if Oracle, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, wins the qualifiers, it will begin the first-to-seven match with a one-point lead.After the qualifiers, the top four challengers will advance to the playoffs consisting of semifinals and finals to determine which team faces Oracle in the Americas Cup match.Ainslie said that one-point bonus for the Americas Cup match would be a nice helping hand.It certainly is our approach that its definitely worth fighting for, he said.Land Rover BAR has won three of the eight ACWS stops, with one second and two thirds.Oracle has yet to win a stop on the series, although it has four second-place finishes and two thirds.However, Oracle was last in the previous ACWS stop in Toulon, France.Skipper Jimmy Spithill missed that regatta after having elbow surgery. Hes back for this regatta.Obviously this would be a pretty nice one to crack that, Spithill said. But the biggest thing in this series was consistency. Trust me, every single event we come to as a team, the goal is the same, to try to come away with a win. This one is no different. We want to come away with points. Were in not too bad of a position.Ainslie sailed with Oracle in the 2013 Americas Cup, helping the American-backed team rally to beat Team New Zealand in one of the biggest comebacks in sports history.I would say if they went through without winning an event that would be a disappointment in terms of their psyche, although it doesnt really hurt them, Ainslie said. Knowing that team, they expect to be performing better. Theyve been one of the more consistent teams but they havent been able to nail it on the date. Hopefully, from our point of view, this Japan event wont be when they start.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson Air Max Scontate Outlet . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Air Max 720 Italia . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/ . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Air Max Plus Saldi . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Paul George Scarpe Nasa . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia wide receiver Keeon Johnson wishes he would have worked harder after a fast start to his career at Virginia. Instead, he went from having a prominent role in the Cavaliers plans to being an afterthought.Now, in his final season, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is trying to make up for lost time.After my first year, I kind of didnt grind as hard as I should have and I kind of got complacent and things like that, Johnson said. That can always come back and bite you in the end. Thats one thing I learned from it.A coaching change gave him new life, and a resolve to get back to working hard to be at his best. And it has paid off early in the season as Johnson has a team-high 17 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.In each of the previous two seasons, he managed just 13 catches per year.The Cavaliers (0-3) will look to get their first win on Saturday when they host Central Michigan (3-0). The Chippewas victories include a last-play win over then-No. 22 Oklahoma State.Johnson is eager to get back on the field and continue his career resurrection.It feels good. The biggest thing for me is just to have fun, Johnson said. Its my last year. Its going by way too fast so I just try to make every play, every rep count in practice. From winter workouts in the cold up to camp when its hot outside, you dont feel like doing anything, just try to have fun with it.Defensive end Andrew Brown spoke this week of players who he thought were in the shadows the last few seasons, all but forgotten by the coaching staff, even after making some contributions on the field. Seeing some of them like Johnson and pass-rushing specialist Mark Hall get back in the mix, Brown said, has beenn uplifting to everyone.ddddddddddddNow I feel like this coaching staff is exposing them, finally, Brown said.Johnson, particularly, seems to have become one of quarterback Kurt Benkerts go-to receivers. As Virginia tried to rally last week in a 13-10 loss at Connecticut, Benkert hit Johnson for 34 yards on a fourth-down pass.The rally came up short when the Cavaliers missed a rushed short field goal attempt on the final play. Despite the winless start, Johnson, like many of his teammates, insists the confidence and winning attitude that new coach Bronco Mendenhall is working to instill gains momentum each week.I think everybodys even more focused than they were, Johnson said. You can see it throughout each week. We get closer and closer and everybody, they get hungrier and hungrier throughout the week. We have practice tonight and tomorrow morning were back at it and everybody should be full speed, running around. Theres no negative energy at all. Everybody still has high spirits and up, so thats one positive about the whole situation.Another is Johnson getting a second chance.My first year I was getting the ball a lot, but it came to the point where we were running a lot more than we would throw, he said. Now, in practice, Were throwing the ball a ton of times. Its more reps with me catching the ball and with other receivers as well. Just being able to get those mental reps and all the reps in practice, come game time it becomes easy.---Online: The APs college football page: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '