e.Feb. 2, 2002 -- Arena wins his first title with the U

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- 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 . Under Armour Sale Mens . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Under Armour Sale Womens . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. http://www.underarmoursaleuk.com/ . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Wholesale Under Armour Shoes . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Cheap Under Armour Sale . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Notables games of Arena-Klinsmann terms as US soccer coachAP Photo NY177, NY179Eds: With AP Photos.By The Associated Press=KlinsmannFeb. 29, 2012 -- First win over Italy in 11 meetings, 1-0 at Genoa on Clint Dempseys second-half goal.Aug. 15, 2012 -- First win at Mexico, 1-0 victory at Azteca Stadium on Michael Orozco second-half goal. The Americans had been 0-23-1 against El Tri in 75 years of games at Mexico, including 0-19-1 in the thin air at altitude in Mexico City -- where they had been outscored 81-14June 16, 2014 -- An 86th-minute goal by John Brooks, an unexpected roster pick, gives the U.S. a 2-1 win over Ghana in its World Cup opener. The Americans tie Portugal and lose to Germany, advancing to a second-round matchup with Belgium they lose 2-1 in extra time.July 22, 2015 -- Needing two wins to clinch a berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup, the U.S. loses 2-1 to Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals -- its first home defeat against a Caribbean nation since 1969. The Americans are beaten by Mexico in an October playoff for a Confederations Cup berth.Nov. 11, 2016 -- Mexico wins 2-1 at Columbus, Ohio, in the final round opener, the Americans first home loss in World Cup qualifying since 2001. Four days later, a 4-0 loss at Costa Rica markss the largest margin of defeat for the U.ddddddddddddS. in a qualifier since 1980.---ArenaJuly 30, 1999 -- A 2-0 win over Germany on goals by Ben Olsen and Joe-Max Moore advances the U.S. to a Confederations Cup semifinal, which it loses to Mexico 1-0 in extra time.Feb. 2, 2002 -- Arena wins his first title with the U.S. team, 2-0 over Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on goals by Josh Wolff and Jeff Agoos.June 17, 2002 -- The U.S. beats Mexico 2-0 to reach the World Cup quarterfinals as Arena switches captain Claudio Reyna from central midfield to the right flank. Already assured of its best finish since the first tournament in 1930, the U.S. loses to Germany 1-0 four days later as Scottish referee Hugh Dallas fails to call a hand ball when Gregg Berhalters shot early in the second half bounced off goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and hit the left arm of defender Torsten Frings.July 24, 2005 -- A penalty-kicks win over Panama following a 0-0 draw gives the U.S. its second Gold Cup title under Arena.June 22, 2006 -- A 2-1 loss to Ghana eliminates the U.S. from the World Cup in its first-round finale. Arena is fired on July 14. ' ' '