it shakes out, Dantonio said.Dantonio said he was optimistic

SOELDEN, Austria -- Racing on home snow in Sundays season-opener, Marcel Hirscher will start his quest for an unprecedented achievement in the 50-year history of the Alpine skiing World Cup.No skier, male or female, has ever won the overall title six years in a row.Hirschers illustrious compatriot Annemarie Moser-Proell is the only six-time champion the sport has seen, but her triumphs in the 1970s were not consecutive.Hirscher is the obvious favorite again -- although he sees it differently.I am not sure I am ready, the Austrian said Friday, two days before the first of 37 races this season.I think nobody is really ready for Soelden. Its too early in the season, he said. There is always a point in your preparation for the season that you think everything is wonderful. Then different conditions come up and you find out nothing is perfect.Hirschers dominance increased over the past three years, with a Norwegian rival finishing runner-up each time.He won the 2013-14 title leading Aksel Lund Svindal by 131 points. The following year, he beat Kjetil Jansrud by 160. And last season, Henrik Kristoffersen finished 497 behind.My energy levels are not unlimited. There is no certainty that it will always go on like this, Hirscher said, adding that the prospect of setting another record doesnt unsettle him.I dont think there is extra pressure on my shoulders, he said.Along with the Norwegians, Frenchman Alexis Pinturault is likely to be among Hirschers closest challengers.Last season, Hirscher trailed Svindal until the former two-time overall champion injured his right knee in a downhill crash in Kitzbuehel, rupturing a cruciate ligament and damaging his meniscus and cartilage.Svindal returned to training on snow in August but wasnt sure when, or even if, he could race again.Its a slower process than it would have been if it were up to me, said Svindal, who has twice before returned from serious injuries.I am still somewhat skiing, but not the amount or at the level I want to, he said. I skied with Kjetil and (Aleksander Aamodt) Kilde in South America, but they started at the top and I started halfway down the hill.He expects Hirscher to defend his title.Behind him you have Pinturault and hopefully one of us (Norwegians), Svindal said.Jansrud said he will need to improve in giant slalom in order to keep up with Hirscher, who usually scores heavily in the technical events and earns additional points in super-G.Physically I am in a way better shape than last year when I had some back problems, Jansrud said.Kristoffersen, a slalom specialist, became a surprise overall contender last season after winning six races in his strongest discipline, but he failed to score big points in other events.Pinturault, who has been in the top 10 for the past five years, had a similar issue.He finished third overall, getting most of his points from GS, but didnt add enough from other disciplines to become a real threat to Hirscher. Tom Brady Jersey .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Rob Gronkowski Womens Jersey . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. http://www.shoptheofficialpatriots.com/Elite-Kevin-Faulk-Patriots-Jersey/ . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. Tom Brady Youth Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Irving Fryar Womens Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Novak Djokovic stood stoically, as still as a stone -- was it another strong take on the mannequin challenge? -- and the smoke billowing at Londons O2 Arena began to engulf him.Before his opening match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals against Dominic Thiem?on Sunday,?Djokovic stood there and briefly closed his eyes, and you have to wonder whether, even for a moment, he wished he could make himself disappear.For four of the past five seasons, Djokovic has finished as the No. 1-ranked player. He could still make it five out of six with a victory in this eight-man event, something that, based strictly on history, wouldnt be terribly surprising; he has won each of the past four editions of this tournament.After losing the No. 1 last week to Andy Murray, the world No. 2 essentially needs to go one step further than Murray in London.With Djokovics uneven 6-7 (10), 6-0, 6-2 victory over the 23-year-old Thiem, it would be a little too easy to declare Djokovics glorious run of dominance over. But its not irresponsible to wonder whether his shelf life at the top has a rapidly advancing expiration date.The recent signs, including this manic match with Thiem, arent particularly good. Lets just say that for Djokovic, the end of the season cant come fast enough.The frustrations were still evident Sunday, even after a smooth final two sets. In his postmatch news conference, Djokovic had a heated exchange with reporters when the world No. 2 found himself on the defensive answering questions about his recent bouts of temper. Heres how it went down:Question: Back to the end of the first set, we saw you similarly venting your frustration at Roland Garros, throwing your racket. Does it concern you one day that will cost you dearly? If it hit someone ...Djokovic: You guys are unbelievable.Q: Why is it unbelievable?Djokovic: Because youre always picking these kind of things.Q. If you keep doing these things ...Djokovic: I keep doing these things? Why dont you get suspended then?Q. You were close, werent you?Djokovic: Im close? Im still not suspended, so if Im not close, Im not close.Q: If that ball had hit a spectator, it could have been serious.Djokovic: It could have been, yes. It could have snowed in O2 arena, as well, but it didnt.Q: Youre not concerned about your mindset?Djokovic: Im the only player that shows his frustration on the court? Thats what you are saying?Q: Youre one of the top-ranked players in the world.Djokovic: So?Just five months ago, Djokovic seemed invincible. He won the Australian Open, the rare Indian Wells-Miami double and then the French Open, completing his career Grand Slam. That was his 12th major singles title, and that noise you heard was the crunching of all-time numbers.How long before the 29-year-old Serb caught his long-time rivals, Roger Federer (17) and Rafael Nadal (14)? Since taaking three Grand Slams in 2011, Djokovic had won an astounding 11 of 22 majors up to that point.dddddddddddd. That trajectory would vault him past Nadal -- and Pete Sampras, too -- by the end of 2017. Federer would be in his sights by 2018.And then Djokovic -- perhaps in retrospect it was inevitable -- came back to the field. He lost to Sam Querrey in the third round at Wimbledon, Juan Martin del Potro in his first match at the Rio Olympics and Stan Wawrinka in the US Open final.After falling to Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Masters earlier this month, Djokovic unblinkingly tackled the elephant in the room: his disturbing and dramatic loss of confidence on the court.A lot of things, a lot of emotions went through my mind and body in the last two years, Djokovic said, with the things that I was blessed to achieve, obviously, and the career Grand Slam this year. But it took a lot out of me, and it has put some things in perspective and, obviously, raised some questions in which direction I want to go to.So Im in the process at the moment, and its going [to] obviously take some time really for me to redefine all these things.Against Thiem, it took a 69-minute first set to accomplish that reset.Djokovic was tentative in that frame and Thiem was consistently fiery. Then, after earning three set points in the tiebreaker, Thiem succumbed to nerves, pounding back-to-back double faults and a tight backhand into the net. Finally, on his seventh set point, he whipped a forehand winner.At one point, Djokovic lost his racket and his legendary balance, winding up on his behind, then offered a thin smile -- maybe it was actually an embarrassed grimace.Whatever it was, it returned him swiftly to full power.As Federer and Nadal have both learned, the 30th year of a professional tennis players life can be a difficult one. After winning his 16th major, at the 2010 Australian Open at the age of 28, Federer has won only one since. Nadal had just turned 28 when he won the 2014 French Open -- and he hasnt won one since. Sampras, too, won one major after turning 29.Djokovic celebrated his 29th birthday just before the French Open. He has struggled with physical and mental issues ever since winning that cherished, life-changing title.This season-ending tournament offers a revealing glimpse into his psyche.Look, in the end of the day, I have to get to that state of mind where Im able to perform as well as I want to match after match, Djokovic said at the Paris Masters. I was not able to find that level for last couple of months.But Im still here, and I feel like Im on the right path. Im in a better state of mind than I was some time ago. Thats all Im thinking about right now. ' ' '