ST. Billy Martin Yankees Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Preparations for the IndyCar Series opener began with a silly spat between the two top organizations over a perceived slight made by the president of Team Penske. The dig -- Tim Cindric compared Penske to the New York Yankees and Target/Chip Ganassi Racing to the Miami Marlins -- irritated the Ganassi camp and created some drama heading into the race Sunday. When the checkered flag waived, it was Penske driver Will Power in the winners circle. With teammate Helio Castroneves finishing third, Team Penske drivers claimed two spots on the podium and fired the opening salvo in the rivalry. "Ive only heard a little bit of that story, so I havent paid much attention," Power said. "Are the Marlins good? Do they win?" Ganassi drivers Scott Dixon, the defending series champion, finished fourth and Tony Kanaan was sixth in his debut for the team. So with Verizon-sponsored driver Power on top of the podium in the first race with Verizon on board as the series sponsor, and Castroneves on the podium with him, round one easily went to Team Penske. "We dont want to give an inch this year," said Castroneves, who lost the championship to Dixon last season. "We dont want to give any opportunity. We want to give the championship to Roger no matter what it takes." Ganassi has won five of the last six championships, and Penske last won in 2006. It was fitting that the win went to Power, who picked up right where he left off last season. He won three of the final five IndyCar races last season -- including the last two -- and his Sunday win at St. Pete gives the Australian four out of the last six victories. Power passed pole-sitter Takuma Sato for the lead with an outside move headed into the second turn on Lap 31, and was never really challenged again. He had to beat Castroneves off pit lane during stops under caution, and the only hiccup was on the first restart of the race. He was the leader and was slow to restart the field with 28 laps remaining. It caused traffic to stack-up behind him and led to a crash involving rookie Jack Hawksworth and Marco Andretti. Andretti got out of his car with a limp and was favouring his wrist following the accident. "Its hard to see because I was pretty far back, but Will just stopped. Once you go, you gotta go," he said. "It looked like an accordion effect. I had a good restart going, but we were junk all day, so what are you going to do?" Hawksworth blamed the accident on the leaders stopping at the front of the field. "We went when they said green, and all of a sudden the leaders stopped. I dont know what was going on at the front," the rookie said. Power said he never braked and was confused because the field went green earlier than it should. "They actually threw the green before I was even in the (restart) zone, so it was confusing to me," Power said. Castroneves didnt buy Powers version and said he was fooled by his teammate. "Will and I know each other for a long time. He knows my tricks," Castroneves said. "I didnt quite know that trick from him, and he got me." IndyCar said the restart in question was acceptable, but race control did review Powers second restart and issued him a warning for going too early. He was not penalized, but IndyCar said he will be if he does it again. Juan Pablo Montoya finished 15th in his return to IndyCar for the first time since he left for Formula One following his Indianapolis 500 win in 2000. He spent almost five seasons in F1 and seven in NASCAR before returning to open-wheel with Roger Penske. "I think it went pretty good," he said. "We will learn and pass some people and some people passed us. There are a few things we have to do better, but I didnt feel my pace was too bad there at the end. Its going to be a lot of work but I am very excited." Bernie Williams Yankees Jersey . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. Joe Torre Yankees Jersey .C. -- Lucy Li made two double bogeys, a triple bogey and finished her historic round at the U. https://www.cheapyankees.com/2041g-mariano-rivera-jersey-yankees.html . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves.MILWAUKEE -- Anthony Pettis made quick work of Benson Henderson on Saturday, submitting the 155-pound champion in the main event of UFC 164. It was the second time Pettis had taken a title from Henderson. In 2010, Pettis (17-2) needed an incredible fifth-round highlight-reel kick off the cage to win the WEC lightweight title from Henderson (19-3). This time, he needed less than five minutes to take home the UFCs 155-pound title. "It feels amazing to be here," Pettis said after having the belt wrapped around his waist at Milwaukees BMO Harris Bradley Center. "I grew up coming to this arena and sitting in those nosebleeds. Milwaukee made Anthony Pettis. You really cant write a better story than what happened right here tonight." Pettis looked like the stronger fighter from the start, defending multiple takedown attempts from Henderson while looking for opportunities to strike. It came late in the opening round, as Pettis landed a series of thunderous kicks to the body that took a visible toll on his opponent. But as his confidence built, Pettis tried for an acrobatic leaping kick that came up short, allowing Henderson to push the action to the floor. Henderson wasnt out of trouble, even as he set up on top. Pettis turned quickly for a submission attempt, turning immediately into an armbar that left Henderson trapped. As Pettis torqued the hold, Henderson verbally submitted. Pettis let go of the hold, but it took the crowd a moment to gather what happened. When the Milwaukee-born Pettis scaled the cage to celebrate, the arena erupted. Pettis was awarded a US$50,000 "Submission of the Night" award for his effort. After the win, Pettis called out UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and said he was willing to meet the Brazilian at either 145 or 155 pounds. However, UFC president Dana White revealed at the events post-event press conference that Pettis suffered a left knee injury that he will need to address before booking any future contests. The nights co-feature saw two of the sports top heavyweights meet in a long-awaited matchup, though the contest between former UFC champions Josh Barnett (33-6) and Frank Mir (16-8) resulted in a somewhat unsettling finish. Barnett rushed forward from the opening bell, charging with punches and knees as Mir tried to defend against the cage. After surviving the initial barrage, Mir settled into the clinch, where he looked to turn the momentum in his favour. However, Barnett quickly turned up the pressure again and landed a big knee that sent Mir crashing to the canvas. Barnett looked to follow with punches on the floor, but referee Rob Hinds stepped in to wave off the fight at the 1:56 mark of the first. Mir immediately popped up to his feet to protest the stoppage, but the call had been made. While the end was likely inevitable, the stoppage seemed a touch premature, and the crowd on hand booed the decision. Still, the result was a Barnett victory in his first UFC appearance since 2002. "It felt great to get this win here in the UFC," said Barnett. "Its been a long time coming, and its great to get this matchup with Frank. "I actually do feel that it was an early stoppage. I would always prefer to get the clean finish." UFC boss White also said he thought the fight was stopped prematurely but declined to speculate whether or not the promotion would book a remaatch. Mike Tauchman Yankees Jersey. Featherweight contender Chad Mendes (15-1) earned one of the biggest wins of his career, earning an impressive TKO finish of an always durable Clay Guida (30-11). Mendes was the better fighter from the start, patiently handling Guidas fast-paced attacks by avoiding leaping punches and easily turning aside any takedown attempts. But already up two rounds to none, Mendes refused to be content with a decision win and turned up the heat in the third. A right hand stunned Guida and Mendes pounced with a flurry of brutal power shots inside until Guida collapsed to the floor, forcing referee Yves Lavigne to step in 30 seconds in to the final round. Mendes has now earned four straight knockout wins since his January 2012 loss to champ Jose Aldo and hopes to book a rematch later this year. Meanwhile, Guida loses by knockout for the first time in his 18 UFC appearances. "I feel like I have made as big of a statement as I possibly could in this division," Mendes said. "I wanted a knockout very badly, and I got it. I knew it was my best bet." Mendes, who earned the evenings "Knockout of the Night" bonus for his win, said he believes hes deserving of another shot at the belt. UFC boss White said Mendes place among a strong list of contenders at 145 pounds is uncertain but admitted, "I love this kid." Fighting at heavyweight for the first time since 2008, former dual-division contender Brandon Vera (12-7) tried to use a movement-based strategy to outwork a bigger Ben Rothwell (33-9). While the strategy worked for the better part of two rounds, Veras luck ran out in the third. After chasing Vera for much of the contest, Rothwell finally snapped in the final round, wildly gesturing and bobbing his head before rushing forward with a barrage of heavy punches. Vera tried to defend against the cage, but the blows snuck through his defence and he toppled to the floor. Rothwell followed to the floor and pounded away until referee Herb Dean waved off the fight at the 1:54 mark of the round. "I think the best of me came out in that third round tonight," Rothwell said. "Ive still got some things to do, but Ive got a great training facility, coaches and training partners, and that all helped me." In the nights first main-card contest, top featherweight contenders Dustin Poirier (14-3) and Erik Koch (13-3) combined for a thrilling affair that included an opening frame likely to wind up on some "Round of the Year" lists. Both fighters came close to finishing the contest in the opening round, Poirier through devastating strikes and Koch with a triangle choke that his opponent later admitted nearly forced him to submit. Poirier took firm control of the momentum in the second round and seemed well on his way to victory, but Koch remained game until the very end, looking for a rear-naked choke in the final seconds of the third frame that he just couldnt quite finish. In the end, it was Poirier who was awarded a unanimous-decision win, 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27. "I was dominant in the first two rounds, but I made a mistake in the third and he capitalized," Poirier said after the win. "Hes slick but not that strong. I knew I had hurt him a couple times, but hes a tough guy." UFC 164 drew a reported 9,178 fans for a $907,116 live gate according to UFC officials. ' ' '