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BARCELONA, Spain - Mercedes rivals hope a busy three weeks of tinkering on their slower cars and the move to European tracks will be enough to at least threaten Lewis Hamiltons and Nico Rosbergs stranglehold on Formula One. The Mercedes pair head into Sundays Spanish Grand Prix after sweeping the first four races in impressive style, with the most compelling driving coming between the teammates while the pack puttered away in the distance. The switch to V6 turbo hybrid engines has dislodged Red Bull as F1s dominant team after four seasons, and Mercedes was also dealing far better than the rest with the new powertrain and other rule changes. Hamilton has led a Mercedes one-two finish with Rosberg in the last three races after the German won the season opener. The silver-and-teal duo have also taken all four pole positions, and set the fastest lap at each grand prix. "We are now four races into the 2014 season and hold a strong position in both championships," Mercedes team executive director Toto Wolff said. "However, the first European round of the year always provides a prime opportunity for teams to arrive with improvements to their cars. Of course, we are no different to any other team in that respect and our aim must be to increase the advantage we enjoyed at the last race in China." Neither Hamilton nor Rosberg has yet to win at the Circuit de Catalunya, although they did take the top two positions in qualifying here last year. Rosberg, who has a four-point lead over Hamilton in the championship, said that after years of racing and preseason tests at Barcelona "there is probably no other track in the world" that he knows better. "I also have some good memories of race weekends in Barcelona," Rosberg said. "Last year (...) I started from pole position so Im looking forward to going back there again, and maybe repeating that particular feat. Each team will have been pushing hard during the break to find some extra performance from new parts. So it will certainly be an interesting weekend." Red Bull will be counting on making strides after a dismal start to Sebastian Vettels title defence. Vettel has yet to finish better than third place, and has twice been ordered by his team to let new teammate Daniel Ricciardo pass him for higher finishes in the last two races. Vettel said a lot would depend on doing well in Saturdays qualifying because the track design offers few chances to challenge front-runners. The Montmelo circuit features one long straightaway before the first corner, which is considered the best for overtaking. It is also known to be tough on tires. Paul Hembery, the director of tire provider Pirelli, said that despite the tracks abrasive surface and high temperatures they expected teams to need only three pit stops instead of four as they have made in the past. Ferraris Fernando Alonso proved last season that wise tire management and smooth pit stops can be enough to compensate for a lack of overall speed. Alonso enters the race in a distant third place, with 41 points to Rosbergs 79 and Hamiltons 75, but after managing to finally reach the podium at Shanghai in Ferraris first race under new team principal Marco Mattiacci. The two-time former world champion has a strong record in front of his home fans, with wins here both last year and in 2006 to give him seven career podium finishes at the Spanish GP. His victory one year ago was Ferraris last as a team. With Alonso and teammate Kimi Raikkonen far behind the pacesetters, the Italian team will need a near perfect weekend to break its poor run. "With Fernando weve seen an extraordinary level of performance, scavenging every possible point at every possible opportunity," Ferrari technical director James Allison said. "We are learning how to get performance out of this new set of regulations, and hopefully to make this car more competitive. The key to a successful season is to keep improving your car at every race." Antonio Brown Steelers Jersey . - The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday. Jack Lambert Youth Jersey . Didnt need any help this time. Wood beat Cincinnati for the first time in his career, repeatedly pitching out of threats for seven innings, and Chicago stalled the Reds week-long surge with a 2-0 victory Monday night. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...eenwood-Jersey/. He even addressed his group of relievers Sunday morning. Dustin McGowan made those worries a nonfactor, at least for a day. McGowan pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Colby Rasmus hit a grand slam and Melky Cabrera added a two-run homer as the Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2. Jack Ham Steelers Jersey . Greece was on the wrong end of a 3-0 rout to Colombia in its first game of the tournament. They surrendered a goal in just the sixth minute of the contest, and despite some promising attacking play, failed to crawl back into the match. Japan, on the other hand, struck first in its match with Ivory Coast, with Keisuke Honda putting his side into the lead in the 16th minute. Joe Greene Steelers Jersey . Messis 75th-minute goal answered some of the criticism the clubs all-time leading scorer had received for his lacklustre performances in the teams recent losses in the league, Champions League and Copa del Rey final.MINNEAPOLIS -- Yoenis Cespedes knew how to pace himself in this rain-delayed home run derby, drawn out further by a new format. The Oakland Athletics outfielder simply trusted his own strength. Cespedes became the first repeat winner of the All-Star skills contest in 15 years, powering his way past Cincinnatis Todd Frazier 9-1 in the final round Monday night. Ken Griffey Jr. took the title in 1998 and 1999. With a serious, determined look on his face the whole time, Cespedes finished with 28 homers. That was four fewer than last year, when he beat Washingtons Bryce Harper 9-8 in the final round. The 28-year-old Cuban even told Athletics teammate Josh Donaldson he was doing this wrong. "I knew he wasnt going to win because his mentality was to take the ball out of the stadium, and I told him that is not the way you win this competition," Cespedes said through an interpreter. He added: "Im somebody whos very conscious of the power that I have. So I dont need to put more of a swing or more of an effort in order to hit a home run. I just have to look for a good pitch and put a good swing on it, and it usually takes care of it." Cespedes saved his best for last, a 452-foot blast to the third deck above left field that officially measured as the longest of the night. As third base coach Mike Gallego again pitched to Cespedes, who went deep 32 times in last years derby at Citi Field in New York. Gallegos arm looked nearly out of gas by the final round, which started after 10:30 p.m. local time. "Maybe next year Ill put up a better showing at the end," Frazier said. "Now that I understand, maybe Ill do a couple of more push-ups." Cespedes topped Torontos Jose Bautista, and Frazier surprisingly beat Miamis Giancarlo Stanton in the semifinals. Bautista and Stanton each earned a bye to the semifinals under the new bracketed format, which gave each player seven outs and pitted the survivors from each side in the final round. Bautista went deep 10 times in the first round, keeping the fans in the second deck above left field on their toes, and Stanton hit six. That was all for him, though. After a long wait for his next turn, Stanton put up a zero in the semifinals and let Frazier advance with only one. Oh, but Stantons six were beauties. One landed in the thirrd deck above left field, about a half-dozen rows shy of the very top of the ballpark.dddddddddddd Another reached the second deck above the centre field batters eye, a place never touched by a ball during an actual game here. Bautista, the AL captain, has 11 home runs in 14 regular-season games here, the most by any visiting player. Thats only one less than Twins cornerstone Joe Mauer, who has played 284 career games at Target Field. Cespedes, who beat Donaldson in a tiebreaker after each finished with three in the first round, breezed by Baltimores Adam Jones in the second round. Frazier topped NL captain Troy Tulowitzki on the other side. Colorados Justin Morneau, the fan favourite after 10-plus years and four All-Star games for the host Twins, was eliminated in the first round. Morneau returned to his roots, and so did the event itself, considering the inaugural contest was held at the Metrodome before the 1985 All-Star game. Admission then was a mere $2, slightly less than the $200-and-up price tags on the derby these days. The original form was actually a 1960s-era television show, featuring sluggers like Harmon Killebrew of the Twins. Morneau is from New Westminster, B.C. Delayed 54 minutes by light rain on an unseasonably cool night -- even for Minnesota -- with a start-time temperature of 59 degrees, the contest began with a rainbow protruding from the clouds beyond left-centre field that framed this limestone-encased ballpark that opened in 2010. Frazier went first, and while he went deep twice, he didnt quite reach the rainbow. Neither did Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, the smallest of the participants who had the backing of the crowd with chants of his last name during his two-homer round. "Even my brother he said he got chills," said Dozier, one of seven first-time participants. His brother, Clay, was his pitcher. The loudest roars were for Morneau, the only left-hander in the event his year. His third derby appearance brought the fans to their feet with AC/DCs "Thunderstruck" blaring in the background, and he hit two in the first round before Frazier beat him in the three-swing tiebreaker. The only player shut out? Dodgers sparkplug Yasiel Puig. He was the first homerless participant since Robinson Cano two years ago in Kansas City. ' ' '