Focus on... May the best man winThere will be no asterix next to Nico Rosbergs name if he wins this years world championship. For much of the season there has been a debate among pundits and on social media about how much the German deserves the title and whether he has been handed the championship on a platter thanks to Lewis Hamiltons numerous reliability issues.Rosbergs campaign has been far from perfect this season but so has Hamiltons, and both men approach the Abu Dhabi finale with 9 wins each to their name. Thats a fitting stat for a season which has ebbed back and forth between the pair since the lights went out in Melbourne. Engine failures are part of the game of Formula One and Hamiltons bad luck this year means they have all happened, against incredibly unlikely odds, on his side of the garage.Those failures now put his biggest errors of the year -- such as his qualifying shunt in Baku -- into perspective. Finishing fifth in that race -- one which should have been a comfortable Mercedes one-two -- cost him 15 points to Rosberg which look so vital now, as they would have kept him in charge of his destiny even after his heartbreaking engine failure in Malaysia -- and proves that for every piece of bad luck a driver can encounter, in a year of 21 races there is always at least one example of a driver not maximising his job completely on a weekend. Hamilton can add Australia, Italy and Singapore to that list. If Rosberg does not come away with the title this weekend he will be able to point to the collision in Spain and his struggles before the summer break, where he finished off the podium in Monaco, Canada, Austria and Germany and also lost points at Silverstone when Max Verstappen beat him to second position due to a post-race penalty.However as it stands, Rosberg has one hand on his first championship trophy -- with the permutations looking increasingly favourable to the German given Mercedes recent string of double podium finishes. An engine failure looks the most likely thing to thwart Rosberg, who hasnt been off the podium since stuttering to fourth from pole at his home race before the summer break, in what would be an ironic and painful final twist to the tale of this season. But regardless of the criticisms against him this year, Rosbergs race-by-race approach has paid dividends and he has responded admirably to what looked like a significant body blow in 2015 when Hamilton beat him to the championship with three rounds to spare.At the same time, Hamilton has been turning in some of his best drives recently -- his dominant Brazil win overshadowed by Max Verstappens heroics -- and will definitely be able to add this year to the list of ones that got away with 2007 and 2010 if he does not emerge with the title. Both men would be deserving in equal measure and, for all the debates about the issues that have hit Hamilton this season, the history books will only remember the victor.So, as Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said coming into the weekend, may the best man win, and lets hope we get a bit of classic title showdown drama to cap it all off.In need of a winThough Lewis Hamilton needs a win for the best chance of upsetting Rosberg, were looking away from the championship battle for this one. Ferrari is on the verge of repeating its winless 2014 campaign despite coming into the Melbourne opener with such optimism of an imminent championship challenge. Given everything thats occurred this season, including the departure of James Allison, a shock desert win would be a welcome boost for everyone at Maranello going into 2017.In need of pointsIts hard not to feel sorry for Manor -- before Brazil, the team looked on course for a vital 10th place finish. Felipe Nasrs ninth-place for Sauber at Interlagos relegated the minnows to 11th and may well cost the teams millions of pounds in prize money for 2017. Finishing ninth or above in Abu Dhabi may be unlikely but that result is an absolute must if the team wants to reclaim that financial boost heading into next season.WeatherBrazils classic in the rain showed what a bit of unpredictable weather can do to a modern day grand prix, but that will not be a factor in the heat of the Abu Dhabi desert this weekend. According the F1 weather service UBIMET, the highest temperatures this weekend will range between 29 and 32 degrees Celsius in the day, though qualifying and race temperatures are known to drop when the race continues after sunset under the floodlights. A dry weekend throughout gives an extra boost to Mercedes hopes of closing out the season with a dominant performance and might nullify some of Red Bulls threat.ESPN predictionAfter the drama of Brazil, this one could well peter out into something of a procession. Lewis Hamilton is in great form currently and we at ESPN are backing him to make it four wins in a row in the desert. However, Rosberg has not needed to stretch himself in recent races and will see no reason to go all out in Abu Dhabi -- regardless of what hes said ahead of the weekend. That, coupled with Mercedes recent improvement, is why we are backing him to claim the podium finish he needs to become the second Rosberg on the list of F1 champions.A lap with... Romain GrosjeanStraight line to the first corner - it comes pretty quickly - a 90-degree left-hand corner, normally in fourth gear. Turns two and three are then flat out. You go down the hill, braking into (turn) six - very tricky braking turning into six, then straight away into (turn) seven. You need to be well positioned for the hairpin going down the backstraight. Its tricky to get the car to turn.Long straight line, big braking for the chicane, and again you need to be well positioned between the left- and right-hand side corners. Then its another straight line on to (turns) 11, 12 and 13. Its a triple chicane and as soon as you exit that part you go flat out then brake for turn 14, which is a 90-degree left-hand side corner. Flat out again into (turns) 16 and 17, two right-hand side corners flat out.As soon as you go out of (turn) 17 you have to brake again for (turns) 18. (Turns) 19 and 20, youre going under the hotel, with a tricky exit out of (turn) 20. The second to last corner is good. Its high speed in fourth or fifth gear. Then the last corner is very tricky. Its very wide on the entry phase with the pit lane on the right-hand side. Its not easy to find a line. Then you go as early as you can on the power to finish the lap.Tyres? Yas Marina has a very smooth track surface with a wide variety of corners and speeds, as well as warm weather that is consistent all year round, which makes it a favoured venue for testing.? Because the circuit is quite varied, teams tend to run a medium downforce compromise set-up.? Overtaking tends to be quite tricky at Yas Marina, so strategy can help boost track position.? The smooth surface generally leads to quite low levels of tyre wear and degradation.? The grand prix starts in the late afternoon at 5pm and ends in the evening, which means that track temperatures tend to vary from start to finish, sometimes dropping off dramatically.? Traction is a key aspect of tyre behaviour in Abu Dhabi, with all the acceleration out of corners.? Like Brazil, Yas Marina is an anti-clockwise lap, which is not typical of the rest of the season. D.K. Metcalf Youth Jersey . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Phil Haynes Jersey . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/steve-largent-jersey/ . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Marquise Blair Seahawks Jersey . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Steve Largent Womens Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Detroit Tigers slipped back toward the pack in the wild-card race with an ill-timed stretch this month of 10 losses in 13 games.They found the perfect tonic on this trip to Minnesota, using the last-in-the-league Twins as a launching pad for their playoff push.James McCann had a three-run homer among his four hits, Daniel Norris pitched into the seventh inning and the Tigers completed a sweep with an 8-5 victory on Thursday for the Twins seventh straight defeat.Our pitching is solid, especially in the second half, manager Brad Ausmus said, but were built to slug and its nice to see it.The Tigers, who are 10-2 against the Twins this year, stretched their winning streak at Target Field to eight games.We needed this for sure, Norris said. Weve kind of been up and down a little bit, but anytime you win three in a row thats always good.Norris (2-2) struck out five in 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits without a walk in his longest and strongest start this season. He took a shutout in the sixth, surrendering RBI singles by Robbie Grossman and Eduardo Escobar over his last two innings.It showed me I can go out there and compete without my best stuff and get deep into games, Norris said.Jose Berrios (2-4) finished five innings, but the organizations top pitching prospect gave up six runs on six hits and five walks in his ninth major league start and was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after the game. Tyler Duffey, the starter on Wednesday, was sent down, too.Im surprised. However, I do understand the decision, Berrios said through an interpreter. I do understand they want me to go down there and gain more confidence in what Im doing.His ERA actually dropped four percentage points to an unsightly 9.24.Young players struggling up here, manager Paul Molitor said, it takes its toll.Catcher Juan Centeno made a mound visit three batters into the game after Berrios issued back-to-back walks, and Ian Kinslers two-run double in the second sent the Tigers on their way.McCanns two-out, three-run drive into the flower bed above right-center field pushed the lead to 6-0 in the third inning. Hee missed the cycle by a triple.ddddddddddddt definitely feels good to have another day like this, McCann said, and constantly making hard contact is all Im really looking for.Victor Martinez went 3 for 4 with two RBI for the Tigers, raising his career batting average at Target Field to .370 in 46 games. Hes 16 for 26 there this year and has scored seven runs in six games.Max Keplers two-run double punctuated a three-run eighth for the Twins, giving him 55 RBI to lead AL rookies, but the Twins finished 2-8 at home in August while allowing an average of 7.9 runs per game.Francisco Rodriguez preserved the victory by striking out two in a perfect ninth for his 35th save in 38 opportunities.STREAK STOPPEDJ.D. Martinezs 14-game hitting streak, the longest active run in the league and tied for the longest of his career, ended with a 0-for-5 afternoon. He was the only Tigers starter not to reach base. In 21 games since coming off the disabled list, Martinez is still batting .410 with six home runs.TRAINERS ROOMTigers: With Jose Iglesias expected back on Friday from a DL stint for a strained left hamstring, Ausmus said hell still play Erick Aybar at SS at times. Casey McGehee will continue to be the regular 3B with Nick Castellanos out.Twins: Miguel Sano was the DH again, with a sore elbow that has kept him from playing 3B for a week. Molitor said he doesnt believe Sano is confident enough yet to make the long corner throws.UP NEXTTigers: RHP Justin Verlander (13-7, 3.38 ERA), who ranks second in the league in strikeouts and innings, will take the mound on Friday at home against the Angels. RHP Ricky Nolasco (4-11, 5.22 ERA) will start for Los Angeles.Twins: LHP Pat Dean, subbing for an injured Hector Santiago, will pitch on Friday at Toronto. Dean (1-3, 5.48 ERA) last started for the Twins on June 17. Hell face former Twins LHP Francisco Liriano (6-12, 5.21 ERA), who was recently acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh. This will be Lirianos fourth start for the Blue Jays. ' ' '