Paul Gallen is one of the toughest and most passionate players ever to wear a New South Wales jersey but Queensland great Chris Close says he still doesnt deserve a State of Origin farewell.Gallen, who is due to play his final Origin game, made his Blues debut in 2006 - coincidentally, that was also the year the Maroons started their triumphant era of 10 series wins in 11 years.However, among the heartbreak there is one highlight.In 2014, Gallen captained the Blues to their solitary series victory but not even that can mask a dismal Origin record of just 15 wins from 23 previous attempts - a record not lost on Close.Hes a great player - hes been captain in six of the 10 losing Origin series for New South Wales; thats fantastic, Close told ESPN with more than a hint of sarcasm.I dont wish Paul Gallen any harm but its an absolute fact. I think hes a good player but I dont think hes a superstar.Gallen has always been as unpopular as daylight saving in Queensland, and its a status he is more than happy to embrace.His confrontational football style made him public enemy No. 1 in Queensland a very long time ago, and hes adopted a similarly aggressive approach off the field.Gallen famously described the Maroons fans as two-heads, and he fired another parting shot ahead of his Origin swansong.Ill say one thing about Queenslanders, I think theyre bad winners to be honest with you, Gallen said. I think theres a respectful hatred there.Theres that many times I go to Queensland with the Australian side and everyone says wed love to have you as a Queenslander any day of the week and I find that an insult.Its difficult to imagine Close as one of those Queenslanders. In fact, you get the feeling that the mere sight of the Cronulla captain in Origin III will infuriate him.Gallen escaped charge for a late slinging tackle on Parramatta hooker Isaac de Gois in an NRL match - fuelling Queenslands long-held belief that New South Wales receive preferential treatment.What a grubby act. If he can sit and watch that and justify it then hes a grub, Close said.Hes not learning from his past. I remember he got interviewed years ago and he said he wanted to show his kids that he wasnt the person that everybody thinks he is.He hasnt changed one bit.Discount Running Shoes . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Womens Running Shoes .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. http://www.cheaprunningshoesforsale.com/ . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Running Shoes Free Shipping .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Green Cheap Running Shoes . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It has not been an easy march through NASCARs playoffs for Denny Hamlin, who once again must race his way into the next round.Hamlin was on his own at Talladega Superspeedway, a track that requires help from other drivers to be successful. Hamlins teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing had too much to lose that day and rode around in the back of the pack. He needed a strong finish, and had to figure it out alone.Now he again goes into an elimination race with the pressure on to pull off a big finish. Carl Edwards is the only JGR driver who already has earned a berth in the championship race, and Hamlin is competing with teammates Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch for a spot in the final four.All three of the JGR drivers are within two points of each other in Chase standings. Busch is tied with Team Penskes Joey Logano for the lead, with Kenseth one point behind them and Hamlin two behind. Hamlin finished third at Phoenix earlier this year.Phoenix was a good track for us in the spring, Hamlin said. I look to go back there and have another great run and go out there and try to win. Thats what were going to do. Any time Ive been below (the cut line) in an elimination race, Ive found a way to get in (to the next round).I like our chances. Its a pressure race and I like pressure.CREW CHIEF FINEDTeam Penske crew chief Todd Gordon has been fined $10,000 because a lug nut was not properly installed on Joey Loganos car at Texas.The penalty was the only monetary fine issued by NASCAR on Wednesday. But, five drivers were docked 15 minutes of practice time for inspection issues at Texas.Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. all failed the pre-qualifying template inspection three times. AJ Allmendinger failed the laser inspection three times before qualifying. All will miss practice time Friday at Phoenix.DIBENEDETTO CLEAREDMatt DiBenedetto was cleared to race at Phoenix International Raceway after NASCAR held him out of one event because of a possible concussion.DiBenedetto missed last Sundays race at Texas Motor Speedway, where he was involved in a craash during the Xfinity Series race one day earlier.dddddddddddd Jeffrey Earnhardt replaced DiBenedetto for BK Racing and finished 34th.It was the first Cup race DiBenedetto had not started since early in the 2015 season.DiBenedetto had said Sunday morning at Texas he felt fine and able to race, but said he had to respect the decision by NASCARs doctors.They decided they wanted to err on the side of caution, which I understand, he said. Theyre doing their job.DEJORIA-CONCUSSIONAlexis DeJoria has a concussion that will sideline the Funny Car driver from this weekends NHRA Finals in Pomona, California.DeJoria suffered the concussion in a crash during qualifying at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas, where her head hit the roll cage after the impact. Shell be replaced this weekend by Jeff Arend. DeJoria is not cleared to race, or even fly in a plane.I underwent a series of cognitive tests and the doctors diagnosed me with a full-blown concussion that required me to step away from the seat for the time being, she said. It takes two weeks for these symptoms to subside and even then, because of the trauma from the concussion, it would be unsafe for me to race this weekend.DeJoria missed two races earlier this season with a fractured pelvis.MERCEDES-IMSAMercedes-Benz USA will race next season in IMSAs SportsCar Championship as Riley Motorsports will race two Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars in the GT Daytona class. One of the teams cars will run as AMG-Team Riley Motorsports, and the other as WeatherTech Racing.The No. 33 AMG-Team Riley Motorsports entry will be co-driven by Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen, and the No. 50 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be shared by co-drivers Cooper MacNeil and Gunnar Jeannette. MacNeil and Jeannette got their first seat time in the car in a late September test at Germanys Hockenheim circuit.Other cars announced for the new-look IMSA GT Daytona class next year include the Acura NSX GT3 and the Lexus RC F GT3. ' ' '