导出博客文章HOMESTEAD, Fla. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Anthony-Hitchens-Jersey/ . -- The congratulatory messages started rolling in long before Jimmie Johnson had finished his obligatory championship photos. Larry Bird. Mia Hamm. Michael Phelps. Mario Andretti. Drew Brees. The Chicago Cubs.The list of dignitaries -- and the friends and neighbors who toilet-papered his North Carolina home overnight -- shows just how significant this latest milestone is for Johnson.Greatest of all time? Maybe. He certainly deserves to be in the conversation.Johnson joined Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the only drivers in NASCAR to win seven titles with a race-winning run Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His record-tying championship came in a bizarre year for Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team, and on a day that did not belong to the iconic No. 48 Chevrolet until the final lap of the race.Hendrick Motorsports was not good this year, and never found the speed to match Joe Gibbs Racing and its fleet of Toyotas. Johnson, for most of the season, was never even mentioned as a title contender.The organization buckled down, improved its cars and got Johnson in position to race for his seventh title.Then he did the rest.When Carl Edwards wrecked Sunday night to essentially lose the championship, Johnson charged through the melee and found himself suddenly leading the two remaining title contenders. On a night when hed started last -- his team was found to have manipulated the body of his car after it had passed inspection -- and clearly wasnt as good as the other three contenders, he had somehow lucked into the lead.He still had to earn the win, though, and did it with the restart of his life to hold off Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. He led one lap and it was the one that mattered.He is probably the most underrated champion in this sport, said his crew chief, Chad Knaus. He is a fantastic, fantastic individual, an amazing race car driver. Most people in the situation we were in just in would crumble. He didnt even waver. He knew what he needed to do. He knew what the demands were on him at that point in time, and he made it happen.Weve got a great team. Weve got a great owner. Weve got a great everything at Hendrick Motorsports. But the fact of the matter is the real spark in this whole thing is Jimmie.A fatigue perhaps set in when Johnson reeled off five consecutive titles. Fans didnt seem to appreciate his dominance, certainly not the way they revered Petty or Earnhardt.Almost each Johnson championship was met with a collective yawn, when they should have been celebrated for their unique achievement.Johnson, at 41, is the youngest driver to win seven. Petty was 42 when he did it in 1979, while Earnhardt was 43 in 1994. He also collected his seven titles in a 10-year span. Earnhardt needed 14 years to do it, while Petty did it in 15 seasons.Johnsons 80 career victories rank seventh all time, one spot ahead of Earnhardt.I think the five in a row was pretty phenomenal, and I think winning seven and tying seven is pretty special, said team owner Rick Hendrick. Its special to see him tie those guys. I think its good for the sport, and I think it draws a lot of attention to our sport. We had Gatorade, had a lot of guys like Peyton Manning telling him how neat it was, and Serena Williams. I think its going to be a big shot in the arm for not only Jimmie but our sport.Johnson will likely add to his totals. With retirement still a ways off, he has a chance to win eight titles, and as he drank a beer and ate a slice of cold pizza in a champagne-soaked firesuit, he was already being asked about the possibility of eight.I dont know what the chances are, but lets go, he said. Im so excited to put that in front of myself and the team has a hurdle to get over and an accomplishment to achieve. I had a lot of fun racing for the sixth. This one and the calm nature and the way we went about business and got it done only gives me more confidence for the future.I honestly feel like Im playing with house money. I never aspired to be famous. I never aspired to be a champion. I just wanted to race. I think it makes us really dangerous, and I look forward to the challenge of trying to get number eight.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org . http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Damien-Wilson-Jersey/ .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Customized/ .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Rico-Gathers-Jersey/ . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. The decisions by LSUs Leonard Fournette and Stanfords Christian McCaffrey to bypass postseason games as they prepare for the NFL could be a jolt to the bowl business.Is it a sign of things to come? asked Arthur Weiss, an agent based in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. I would think that its too early to say for sure, but when you factor in the type of financial considerations that these top-ranked players are facing, it may well be headed in that direction.McCaffrey, the 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up, announced Monday he wouldnt play in the Dec. 30 Sun Bowl between No. 16 Stanford and North Carolina so I can begin my draft prep immediately. Three days earlier, Fournette said he would miss No. 19 LSUs Citrus Bowl matchup with No. 15 Louisville on Dec. 31 to rest an injured ankle.The two running backs are regarded as potential first-round draft picks, with Fournette expected to be among the first players picked.Their decisions garnered so much attention Monday that Texas A&M junior defensive end Myles Garrett released a statement through the university saying he would play in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State. Garrett hasnt announced whether he plans to turn pro after this season, but he is considered a potential No. 1 overall pick.Bowl officials have taken the news in stride, at least publicly.Steve Hogan, the executive director of the Citrus Bowl and Russell Athletic Bowl, said he was aware at the time LSU received a Citrus invitation of the possibility Fournettes ankle might prevent him from playing.I hope its not a trend, Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas said. As far as Christian, Im not speaking for him, but I know where hes coming from, especially based on the fact hed been injured this year already and didnt want to risk reinjuring.Last season, Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith tore two knee ligaments in a Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State, and has not played since.Smith was projected as a potential top-five pick before his injury, and instead went to the Dallas Cowboys in the second round with the 34th overall pick in the draft. The difference in guaranteed contract money is about $19 million.Wright Waters, the executive director of the Football Bowl Association, said he understands if an injury prevents a star player from performing in a bowl game.If we have someone who is just pulling out of the game ... and theyre just saying, `I might get hurt, and they dont hhave any problem, yeah, Ive got a problem with that, Waters said. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Cole-Beasley-Jersey/. And I think thats in some cases kind of narrow-sighted, because they might have the opportunity to enhance their (stock).North Carolina junior defensive tackle Naz Jones will forgo his senior season to enter the draft and will play in the Sun Bowl.I still have things that I can put on film, Jones said. Yeah, Im not in that category to sit out a game like that.Pittsburgh junior running back James Conner redshirted the 2015 season as he recovered from a knee injury and battled cancer. Conner said he never considered missing the 22nd-ranked Panthers Dec. 28 Pinstripe Bowl matchup with Northwestern.I just feel like Im going to take advantage of it really, showing the scouts Im back to my normal self and that I can compete at a high level after everything Ive been through, Conner said.McCaffreys Stanford teammates Trenton Irwin and Solomon Thomas sent out tweets supporting him Monday. Dallas Cowboys rookie running back and former Ohio State star Ezekiel Elliott tweeted: I would do anything to play one more time with my brothers in that scarlet and gray.Elliott bypassed his senior season to enter the draft. He added in separate tweets: there is a difference between not coming back for your last year and not finishing your last season.Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said he understands getting upset about a player bailing out on his team, but there is more to it.Youve got to let go of the moment and look at the big picture, which I think is really, really big in moments like this, Bielema said. These kids now have not only the next six months that could shape their future, but when youre paying the money that some of these people are getting, youre talking about the next 40 years of their life, their childrens lives and everybody can be affected by this.The stakes are higher than ever for players looking at professional careers.Its as simple as this, Weiss said. Its risk vs. reward.---AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Will Graves in Pittsburgh and Kurt Voigt in Fayetteville, Arkansas, contributed to this report.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Steve Megargee at www.twitter.com/stevemegargee Cheap Hoodies From China Discount NFL Shirts Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Fast Shipping China Jerseys Stitched Jerseys ' ' '