The tough part is, you realize its two at-bats a game, thre

A lucky champion? An undeserved champion? Or a worthy champion? As Nico Rosberg prepares for match point in Brazil, where he can wrap up the 2016 drivers title with victory, is it time to reconsider the Germans candidature for Formula 1 immortality?Theres no denying Rosbergs CV has imperfections. Conspicuous by its absence is an overtaking move on his Mercedes team-mate - and solitary title rival - Lewis Hamilton. Hes beaten Hamilton off the line on a few occasions this year but those spurts to the first corner owe more to computer software than driver skill. And hes had a lot of luck - or, to be more accurate, Hamilton has had a lot of bad luck. But the fortunes of fate play a part in every sport. If an asterisk was put alongside every champion who enjoyed good luck the rollcall would look like an item of morse code.Nobody, not even Nico or his most committed supporters, is saying he is a faster driver than Hamilton or the best in F1. But is it fair to argue that if Nico does win the title, either in Brazil or Abu Dhabi, it would be fair reward, fair enough, and good fare for Formula 1?Here are seven reasons why Rosberg would be a worthy winner of this years title - if he wins it... It would be a triumph from adversityBarely a year ago, Rosberg looked a broken man - and a broken driver. Whats remarkable about his 2016 title push is that it began less than a week after his lowest moment: Cap spat at the US GP when his mistake allowed Hamilton through to wrap up the title.The following Sunday, displaying admirable fortitude and resilience, Rosberg bounced back with victory in Mexico - the first of seven successive victories for the German. Since the pain in defeat in Austin weve all seen a changed Nico, says an admiring Damon Hill.Whatever your opinion of Rosberg the driver, its impossible not to be impressed by his tenacity. Hes been more consistent than Hamilton Rosberg doesnt have Hamiltons pace. He doesnt have Hamiltons skill at overtaking. And he doesnt have his team-mates capacity to ignite a weekend from the mundane to Box Office entertainment. But neither has Rosberg self-destructed in the manner of Hamilton in Baku, when Lewis crashed into a wall during qualifying, or in Suzuka where Lewis distractions were well snapped and well documented. Rosberg has instead been a model of consistency. His one poor performance occurred on race day in Monaco and his only race-day mistakes, when tangling with Hamilton twice in Spain and Austria and with Max Verstappen in Germany, are open to alternative description.In qualifying, he has scarcely put a wheel off line all year - as testified by the fact he has qualified on the front-row for every single race. As Wolff remarked after the Japanese GP: If you want to be a world champion, you have to minimise mistakes, and thats what Nico is doing. Hell have won it his wayRosberg surprised reporters at the start of 2016 by scoffing at suggestions he needed to get his elbows out and play dirty to prevail over Hamilton. Apparently unconvinced that Mr Nasty would work, Rosberg instead opted to be Mr Nice for 2016. As early as April, his disarming description of Hamilton as the benchmark had become a familiar refrain.Nicos self-discipline has been taken to new levels this year, said Wolff last month. He wouldnt even read a news article that is bad for him because it would annoy him. He just hides everything away that might distract.In the testosterone-driven world of the F1 grid, where the DNA of every driver is built on an unyielding conviction they are uniquely special, Rosbergs self-denial and modesty makes for an unusual approach. But by enabling him to simply focus entirely on his own performances without fretting about any of his team-mates superiorities, its one which has worked for him.To repeat what we wrote in September: Nico doesnt have Hamiltons pace but he has resolve, defiance and a capacity for clear thinking which is standing him in good stead against the occasional torpedo from his team-mate. Hanging in there isnt a motif legends are written around but its an approach which is working for Nico, a driver whose greatest strength is his acceptance of his weaknesses. Hes done the hard yardsBeen there, worked it, deserved to win it?As Martin Brundle recently noted: Nico joined Mercedes when they werent successful; he has worked hard and been integral to their development.In other words, hes done the hard yards at Mercedes, shown loyalty and commitment, and seen the good times and bad at Brackley. Does it therefore follow he deserves to reap the rewards? F1 needs a new championBetween them, Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have won the last six drivers world championships and all-but one of the last eight.Regardles of whether Nico is worthy or not, F1 could do with a new champ as a buffer against accusations of predictability. At times this season Rosberg has been exceptionalWhile hes perhaps never hit the heights Hamilton has been capable of scaling throughout his career, a cluster of Rosbergs performances this year have been truly outstanding. Some of his drives have been impeccable, says Hill. Former Mercedes boss Ross Brawn thinks Nico Rosbergs preparation off the track has given him the edge on Lewis Hamilton this year. In China, Nico won by almost forty seconds and had the edge over his team-mate long before Hamilton was scuppered by an engine failure at the start of Q3. In Singapore, his qualifying lap was the best of his career as he out-paced Hamilton by over half a second - the largest such defeat Rosberg has inflicted on Hamilton during their four years together. This is his yearRosberg has never been better and in all probability, given that he is already 31, has been at the absolute peak of his powers in 2016. After Singapore, Wolff said that is the best Nico Rosberg I have ever seen and only Hamilton seems unconvinced Rosberg has raised his game. If he does win the championship this season, it would be fitting he does so in a season when hes actually driven like a champion. And thens the importance of the final act to consider.If Rosberg does win the championship in Brazil then, barring an aberration or a car failure for his team-mate, hell win it in the most worthy way possible: with a race victory.In that scenario, a champion drive for a championship, would anyone really argue he doesnt deserve it?Can Nico Rosberg clinch the title at Interlagos? Watch the Brazilian GP live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday, the race begins at 4pm; Watch the whole race weekend with a NOW TV week pass - £10.99, no contract Also See: Whens the Brazilian GP on Sky F1? WATCH: Ross Brawn Special Get a NOW TV weekend pass The race to the Formula 1 title Cheap Steph Curry Shoes . Seth Smith hit a towering drive for a tying homer leading off the eighth and Chris Denorfia singled home two runs to give the Padres a 3-1 victory against the rival Dodgers in baseballs North American opener Sunday night. 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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.BRADENTON, Florida – J.A. Happs hold on a spot in the Blue Jays starting rotation is in question. The tall lefthanders sore back and poor performance this spring, combined with the emergence of Drew Hutchison and the sense that Marcus Stroman is almost ready to contribute to a successful major league club, has cast doubt on his role with the team. "I think were going to take the best team north," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "Especially right now, we have J.A. and the back, the performance, things like that, we have to get him on track, stay healthy. Obviously R.A., Mark and Brandon. Again, we expect J.A. to be in the rotation but at the same time, the backs flared up on him twice. I just dont know. Look, if guys perform well and they force our hand, well take the best team." Hutchison has stood out. Members of the Blue Jays brass caution against overvaluing spring training performance. However, it isnt just about results. Hows a pitchers "stuff?" Is he locating his pitches, especially his fastball? Hutchison was dominant in two innings against the Orioles last Saturday, striking out four. The parks radar gun had his four-seam fastball clocked at 94 miles per hour while Jays scouts say it hit 96 on three or four occasions. The command was there, too. "We saw that velocity at the end of his time in 2012 before he got hurt," said Anthopoulos. "When I went to the Arizona Fall League, it was so encouraging to see him pitch that way. He really started to come into his own in 2012 before he got hurt so Im not surprised. I think I said it before. Hes a guy I expected to really impress. Hes off to a great start, hes definitely opened some eyes, hes a strong candidate to make the rotation but hes got to make it. But I love what I see." The Jays are enamoured with the makeup of both Hutchison and Stroman. Coaches say both men have come to camp on a mission – to make the team – and say neither will be satisfied with simply being a major leaguer and collecting a healthy paycheck. Both are driven to be front end of the rotation pitchers. Both expect to be the ace of a big league staff. About Stroman, the general manager jokes hes never seen a guy chomping gum in the middle of his delivery. Stroman was scheduled to throw three innings in Bradenton on Thursday. Due to rain, the outing has been rescheduled for Friday. To use Anthopoulos words, its a "big day" for the 22-year-old. "Im saying it more tongue-in-cheek. Its not like the decision gets made tomorrow but I think every outing for him is important." "He has a chance. I dont know what the chances are, the percentages, but theres a reason hes getting stretched out, theres a reason were giving him the innings. We want to take a look. If he can impress and really come on, hes going to make it hard on us, which is what we want." Happ was scheduled to pitch on Saturday but has been pushed back in the wake of the rainout. Tests have revealed no structural damage in Happs back, the Blue Jays say, just inflammation. This isnt the first time Happs battled the problem in his career. Anthopoulos remains willing to consider external options to add to the roster. Hes in periodic touch with representatives of free agents and is open-minded to a deal if the prices drop. A trade between now and opening daay seems more likely and hell try to deal from a position of strength.dddddddddddd "We do have inventory in the bullpen and we talk about it daily but we know how quickly that inventory can vanish," said Anthopoulos. "Guys get hurt. I think as we get to the last 10 days of camp is when things will ramp up a little bit ... Id say the last 10 days of camp or so is when youre expecting guys to stay healthy and itll be interesting, especially with all the guys we have who are out of options." Innings limits for the kids? Some in the organization would prefer Hutchison and Stroman begin at Triple-A Buffalo, to the extent there is debate it is healthy, not confrontational. Given that jobs could be at stake this season, it behooves the front office and coaching staff to take the best team to St. Petersburg on March 31. If that team includes both Hutchison and Stroman and they stick for the season, Anthopoulos says their innings will not be monitored. "Someone said Marcus threw 126 innings and 25 in the Fall League, well he threw more than that because he was being stretched out as a starter last year in extended and no one has those innings," said Anthopoulos. "The year before he was around 160 or something. He has no restrictions at all. He was a pretty high number last year." "Drew, the same way," Anthopoulos continued. "I think Drew, I think Ive said this before, reminds me a lot of a similar scenario with Shaun Marcum. Marcum was more than a year removed from Tommy John. He had it in August the year before, didnt come up in September on the one-year anniversary date, came into spring training, pitched great, was our opening day starter and had a three and a half ERA and pitched 195 innings, I think. Drews got no restrictions. I think it would be the same type of thing. I could see him, if he makes this team, going wire to wire." On second base Anthopoulos continues to be effusive in his praise of Ryan Goins. "Defensively, the more you watch him, the more you realize how good he is defensively, just his actions, the way he moves," said Anthopoulos. "You know, the bat, thats something were going to watch in spring training. The tough part is, you realize its two at-bats a game, three at-bats a game, the competition level varies. I would say, again, the competition is still there. Were going to value the defence because its that good. He has room to do less offensively because the defence is so elite. I dont use that word lightly. I really think hes elite and hes got a chance to win a gold glove there." Chris Getz, Jonathan Diaz, Munenori Kawasaki and Steve Tolleson are on minor league deals and are getting looks. "Goins is the front-runner because of the defence that he showed but he still has to earn that job," said Anthopoulos. Jays rained out Thursday The Blue Jays and Pirates were rained out in Bradenton on Thursday, forcing manager John Gibbons to adjust his pitching lineup. Mark Buehrle, scheduled to start on Thursday, will instead start Fridays home game against the Rays. Marcus Stroman and Ricky Romero will also appear. Drew Hutchison will make the start, at home, on Saturday against Minnesota. R.A. Dickey will take his knuckleball to Kissimmee on Sunday for a date with the Astros. ' ' '