Carl Haas, who died on Thursday, has been described as an American auto racing impresario. Steve Rucchin Jersey . It is a perfect description. Not only did Haas run successful teams in several branches of the sport, he also looked the part thanks to a large cigar permanently clamped between his teeth. In partnership with the actor Paul Newman, Indycar racing provided the most fertile ground for Newman/Haas Racing with no less than eight championships.The F1 fraternity got to know Haas when he ran the Beatrice/Haas team in association with Ford in 1985 and 1986, and several years later when Nigel Mansell crossed the Atlantic to win the Indycar title for Newman/Haas in 1993. Haas may have been an extremely tough negotiator but anyone who knew him had nothing but affection for the man and respect for an extremely professional team that strived to have the best in everything.Haas had his eccentricities to go with a keen sense of humour. I first became aware of him in Montreal in 1980. The Canadian Grand Prix back then was the penultimate race of the season and the championship had come down to a tough head-to-head between Alan Jones of Williams and Brabhams Nelson Piquet.On race morning, I stood in the pit lane and watched with bemusement as this strange figure with a cigar was moving around Joness car, touching every part of the FW07B. Joness number 1 mechanic, Wayne Eckersley, nearly had a fit but Frank restrained the straight-talking Aussie and quietly explained that this laying on of hands was a ritual carried out by Haas on his own cars before each race. There was no harm in it. Jones had won the Can-Am championship for Haas in 1978 and, if thats what Carl wanted to do for his former driver, let him go ahead.Strangely enough, within seconds of the start, Piquet and Jones collided. The Brabham was damaged. The Williams was not. The switch to the spare Brabham for the restart would be Piquets downfall while Jones raced on with his intact car to take the title.Many great names raced for Haas and every one of them has a kindly tale to tell. None more so than Mario Andretti, who won 18 races and the 1984 IndyCar title for the man from Chicago. Over dinner at Milwaukee one year, Andretti got into talking about Haas and recalled that his boss had a fetish for shoes. He had hundreds of pairs. At a party one year, a couple of mechanics were quietly exploring the house when they came across the room with row upon row of shoes neatly racked, many still in their boxes and never worn.Purloining a pair each, they carefully wrapped them and, for fun, presented them to the boss as Christmas presents. Haas was deeply moved by the fact that his guys had gone to trouble of not only finding the style and colours he liked but also the correct size. He was so close to tears, they didnt have the heart to tell him.Paying tribute yesterday, Andretti said: Carl had a heart of gold and a deep commitment to our sport. He earned the respect and admiration of his competitors and all those who drove for him through the years for being tenacious yet fair. Carl always sought the best equipment, the best drivers and the best team personnel. When I recall the joys of my whole career, I have to include my tenure at Newman/Haas because of the people. Spending 12 seasons with Carl and (wife) Berni and Paul Newman was amazing, triumphant, relentless work and heartwarming. All of it. The sport has lost a colorful character, but Carl Haas is unforgettable. Myself and so many others have lost a dear friend. Sergei Fedorov Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Todd Ewen Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. https://www.cheapducks.com/ . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends.(Sports Network) - The New York Knicks are in a must-win situation Thursday night when Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Indiana Pacers shifts back to Madison Square Garden. The Knicks dropped both contests in Indiana, including a 93-82 setback on Tuesday night. In that loss, head coach Mike Woodson changed his starting lineup. Inserted was Kenyon Martin and out was Pablo Prigioni. Woodson said the change had a lot to do with Iman Shumperts health, but he also wanted to go big to match the strength of Indianas frontline. It didnt work. Martin scored zero points in almost 29 minutes. Prigioni played a little over three minutes. "Theres a strong chance we could go right back to that lineup," said Woodson, referring to the Prigioni-based starting group. "That lineup has been great for us for two, three months. "A lot of that was based on guys not being in practice. There were a lot of things playing into why I did what I did." The Pacers still out-rebounded the Knicks, 54-36. Indiana, one of the best defensive squads in the NBA during the regular season, held the New York to 35 percent shooting on Tuesday. The offensive woes for the Knicks have been exacerbated under the bright lights of the playoffs, but they exist. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points on 9-for-23 shooting in Game 4. He has been the butt of subtle criticism from fellow Knicks about stagnant ball movement, but who is going to carry the load for them? J.R. Smith, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has shot 28 percent from the field during this series. His scoring, which was at 18.1 ppg, is down to 14.3 ppg during the postseason. After the Game 4 loss, he was candid about his play. "I take the blame for this whole series," admitted Smith. Derek Grant Jersey. Thats unfair. "My job is to get us out of this hole," Woodson said. He needs some of his players to start scoring the basketball. Jason Kidd hasnt scored a point in the month of May. Shumpert, Martin and Prigioni both took the collar in Game 4. Raymond Felton had 14 and Tyson Chandler managed 12 and 10 rebounds. The Knicks have just been unable to match up with the Pacers awesome starting front court. Paul George had 18 points and 14 rebounds on Tuesday, while David West registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards and Roy Hibbert only scored six points, but had 11 rebounds and three blocks. "The effort theyre putting forth is humbling for me to watch," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "To see these guys pour their heart and souls into the game and playing the game the right way - unselfishly - and doing all the little things to make winning plays. Im excited and extremely proud of them." The Knicks, partially because of the dominant performance of Hibbert in Game 3, elected to double-team almost every post player for Indiana in Game 4. The Pacers swung the ball and made eight 3-pointers. The main beneficiary of the ball movement was George Hill. The starting point guard shot 9-for-14 and paced the Pacers with 26 points. Lance Stephenson (13) and D.J. Augustin (11) also scored in double figures. The Pacers are in great shape, but are too savvy to think this series is over. "We understand the next game will be the toughest game of the series," said West. "They had some desperation, but the desperation they play with Thursday night is going to be tremendous. We just have to be prepared to deal with it." If the Knicks win on Thursday, Game 6 will be Saturday in Indianapolis. ' ' '