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INDIANAPOLIS -- The orange and brown glasses slide down the bridge of Jacques Villeneuves nose. Along with the greying hair and growing bald spot, they give the Canadian driver a professorial vibe. Its only reinforced when he begins to speak. In clear, crisp sentences spiced by that unmistakable French-Canadian accent, Villeneuve lays out his opinion on just about anything -- especially when it comes to the Indy 500. He will talk about the latest generation of cars, lament the fact there is only one chassis manufacturer, and argue that spotters who are supposed to make the race safer have often had the opposite effect. Then hell talk about the speed and the danger. "Some younger drivers didnt grow up seeing racing as being dangerous," said Villeneuve, who is back at the Indianapolis 500 after a 19-year absence. "They break their little finger and they are surprised. Its like, Be happy its only that." Of course, Villeneuve forgets many of those younger drivers grew up watching him. James Hinchcliffe, a fellow Canadian, said his earliest memory of watching a race was 1995, when Villeneuve took advantage of a late penalty on Scott Goodyear to win the Indy 500. That was also the last time Villeneuve stepped into an Indy car at the iconic racetrack. At least, it was until this year. "Its cool to have him back," Hinchcliffe said, "because hes obviously one of the guys I looked up to as a young driver, and one of the guys I never thought Id have a chance to race." Villeneuve spent nearly two decades driving just about everything but an IndyCar. He won a Formula One title, tried his hand at NASCAR and drove at Le Mans. He dabbled in RallyCross and even raced V8 Supercars around the street circuits of Australia. But the lure of Indy started to tug him back. Villeneuve, who will start 27th on Sunday, watched with rapt attention last year as Tony Kanaan took the checkered flag. He was intrigued by the record number of lead changes, the way cars moved through the field and how stiff the competition had become. Villeneuve managed to land a ride with team owners Sam Schmidt and Rick Peterson, and will be part of a stable that includes Mikhail Aleshin and Simon Pagenaud on Sunday. "If I jumped from F-1 to this again, it wouldnt be an issue," Villeneuve said of the return to open-wheel racing, "but the first 20 laps, your eyes, your brain -- its not used to those speeds, so it is a big shock. You have to get out, breath again, and then get back in and its like, All right. Business as usual." His team may be an underfunded underdog, at least compared to heavyweights Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Autosport, and he may have struggled Friday in the final practice on Carb Day. But none of that will convince Villeneuve that he doesnt have a chance to win. "When I won here we were two laps down and we spent the whole race minding our own business," he said. "Thats the key: You should mind your own business. Figure out what is happening with everyone else at the end. You need a little bit of luck, and then you need to see how it pans out. I just hope Im not one of those people who does something stupid." Pagenaud was surprised to see his new teammate prepare for the race the moment he arrived in Indianapolis. Qualifying was almost an afterthought as Villeneuve gazed ahead to Sunday. "It actually makes me wonder why he focused so much on the race," Pagenaud said with a wry grin. "Im sure hell come up with something in the race and Ill learn then." If he does come up with something, Villeneuve could make history. The 43-year-old would break Al Unsers record of 17 years between victories that has stood since 1987. Even if he doesnt win, though, a good showing could prove invaluable. Villeneuve has dropped hints that he may be try to run the IndyCar series full-time next year, and that would turn the Indy 500 into quite an audition. "I had an opportunity to spend half an hour with Jacques in the garage area a week ago," said Goodyear, now an analyst for ABC. "Through all the questions I was asking him, catching up with him, I asked him, Why come back to something that youve won, have great memories with? "He said, Racing is my oxygen. I need to race something." Shinji Kagawa Jersey . According to TSN Edmonton reporter Ryan Rishaug, agent Rick Valette met with Oilers senior VP of hockey operations Scott Howson and general manager Craig MacTavish on Monday to kick off the talks. Eric Oelschlagel Dortmund Jersey .com) - Even-money favorite Liams Map proved a little too tough down the stretch and won Saturdays $100,000 Harlans Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park. http://www.footballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Jadon-Sancho-Jersey/. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the search, confirmed reports by several media outlets. The interview took place in Southern California on Monday. Manuel Akanji Jersey .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. Manuel Akanji Dortmund Jersey .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 20th consecutive win across all competitions by cruising to a 4-1 victory at Almeria on Friday.New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Anthony Davis came up big on both ends with the game on the line, helping the New Orleans Pelicans hold off the Dallas Mavericks 109-106 to win their third straight game. With his team trailing by one with 12.3 seconds left, Davis drew a foul on Tyson Chandler while working to get open and calmly made both free throws. Then at the other end, Davis used his massive wingspan to intercept Rajon Rondos inbounds pass and hit two more free throws to make it 109-106. Monta Ellis, who had a terrific game in his own right, then missed a deep 3- point attempt and Davis secured the final rebound. Davis filled the stat sheet with 28 points, 10 rebounds and five steals and Tyreke Evans gave 24 points and 12 assists in New Orleans first three-game win streak of the season. Ryan Anderson and Quincy Pondexter added 18 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench. Ellis scored a game-high 36 points, Dirk Nowitzki netted 24 and Rondo tallied 17 points, nine assists and eight boards in the setback. The Pelicans were the better team off the bat, with an alley-oop from Evans to Davis boosting them to an 18-8 lead just over six minutes in. But Dallas pulled back within 25-22 on Rondos triple late in the first, and the two teams played even until a 7-0 Pelicans run late in the second quarter snapped a 42-42 tie.dddddddddddd New Orleans increased the spread back to 10 during the third quarter before Dallas battled back to make a game of it. Trailing 96-88 early in the fourth, Richard Jeffersons dunk sparked a 6-0 run. Davis then split two free throws before Ellis tied the game at 97-97 with a 3-pointer. On the Mavericks next trip, Rondo secured an offensive rebound on an Ellis miss, then dished back to him for a reverse layup and a Dallas lead. Eric Gordons 3-ball three minutes later tied the game at 102-102, and Pondexter went 1-of-2 from the foul line to put New Orleans back in front by a point. Ellis and Evans then traded layups, setting up the climactic finish. Game Notes Anderson, who missed the Pelicans last game with an ankle injury, went over 5,000 points for his career with a jumper late in the first quarter ... Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is stuck on 599 career wins ... New Orleans center Omer Asik had 10 points and 11 boards. ' ' '