Liebe, Lust und Leben » .He will be on Irelands Olympic team, thoug

RECIFE, Brazil -- Luis Suarez has reminded anyone wholl listen at the Confederations Cup that hes playing for Uruguay, and not for a transfer from Liverpool to another club -- perhaps Real Madrid. "Im going out to play for my country of Uruguay," Suarez said. "Im not here thinking about a transfer or anything like that." The Uruguay striker is one of the games best, elusive on the dribble with a knack for scoring. He also has a penchant for getting into trouble and doing the wrong thing, drawing attention to himself in a way that has embarrassed his club and country and detracted from his playing skills. Still -- and heres the caveat -- hes the most important player for Uruguay if the South Americans are to beat World Cup champion Spain on Sunday in the their first game in the Confederations Cup, the eight-team warm-up for next years World Cup. In addition to fending off rumours about a move to Real Madrid, Suarez has also tried to use the Confederations Cup to apologize again for his behaviour. "Obviously I have done things that I myself recognize, and Ive asked to be pardoned," he said. "As a player, as a professional Id like to be valued more for the way I play on the pitch than for other things." Suarez has a long record of getting into trouble. The 26-year-old was criticized in the 2010 World Cup for using his hand to stop a shot from Ghana that was heading towards goal. The move saved Uruguay in the quarterfinal match and got the South Americans into the semifinals and a fourth-place finish. More recently, he was banned for 10 English Premier League matches in April for biting Chelsea defender Branisalv Ivanovic on the arm. He missed the last four Premier League games -- he still finished with 23 goals -- and will miss the first six next season. This was not the first biting incident. While playing in the Netherlands in 2010, he served a seven-match suspension for biting another player, earning him various nicknames, including the "Cannibal of Ajax." A year later at Liverpool, he served an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, who is black. He subsequently refused to shake hands with Evra prior to a match, again raising the charge of racism. And -- and this seems minor in comparison -- he has a reputation as a diver. Despite it all, Suarez has his defenders. Sebastian Bauza, president of the Uruguay Football Association, has singled out Suarez as the countrys key player. "We need for Suarez, as soon as possible ... to be the player he was in the (2011) Copa America and the World Cup in South Africa," Bauza said. "We have tough games coming up and we need Suarez at 100 per cent." Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has tried to take off the pressure, saying the Group B game with Spain is less important than the second match against Nigeria. Uruguay finishes with Tahiti. Spain defeated Uruguay 3-1 in a friendly in February in Doha, Qatar. "The key game is the second," Tabarez said. "Winning it will be a giant step to put us among the final four. This is not to downgrade Tahiti, but in reality this is a team with less experience." Vans Schuhe Schweiz Store . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Kaufen Vans Schuhe Schweiz . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. http://www.vansschweiz.ch/ . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Vans Schuhe Schweiz Outlet .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Vans Schuhe Schweiz . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- His time seemed to have passed. Hes ranked 150th in the world and almost surely wont be playing on Europes Ryder Cup squad.His chances for making the FedEx Cup playoffs are in danger, too, particularly because he plans to stay at the Rio Olympics after playing in them.And despite winning the PGA Championship in 2008, the years final major hasnt been one of Padraig Harringtons better tournaments, either. Hes missed the cut eight times, including the last three years.All of which the three-time major champion from Ireland would greet with a shrug and a smile.Make that a big smile after he posted a 5-under-par 65 in Saturdays third round of the PGA, the best score among morning starters.There was definitely a score on the golf course, he said after a bogey-free round. I probably made the most of the round today. I played average, but made the most of it, took my chances. Hit the right shots at the right time, and any of the shots that I didnt hit well didnt do me any harm. So it was one of those days. Its nice when you score better than you play.Ranked as high as fourth in 2008 when he also won his second British Open, Harrington has been an infrequent visitor to leaderboards for nearly four years. Yet he also has a win in that span at the 2015 Honda Classic, his first on the PGA Tour in seven years.But inconsistency has accompanied Harrington, 44, for a while. After his Honda victory, his best showing last year was a tie for 20th at the British. He missed nine cuts in 22 tournaments, with one withdrawal.And 2016 hasnt been much better -- at least until this week on a course where he also failed to advance to the weekend in his only appearance 11 years ago.His 65 came well before heavy rains hit the course and suspended play. He hoped conditions would toughen Baltusrol the reest of the way.ddddddddddddn my head, Im hoping the scoring goes a little bit like it did the last time the PGA Championship was here, Harrington said, and the leaders come under a bit of pressure on the golf course, and maybe some guys behind, namely me, get a bit of momentum early on and can push on.Harrington will be at the Ryder Cup as one of Darren Clarkes vice captains. Short of winning here, though, he wont be playing at Hazeltine in Minnesota.He will be on Irelands Olympic team, though. It took a bunch of defections by the likes of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell for Harrington to get his spot, one he relishes. So even though he ranks 140th in the FedEx Cup standings and will miss several chances to improve that, barring an unlikely win in the PGA his decision to attend other events in Rio figures to cost him a playoff berth.This is very unusual for me, even if Im not in the FedExCup, I normally come back and would play Wyndham (in Greensboro, North Carolina), Harrington said. But I think so much of the Olympics, Im going to take a weeks holiday and go to a number of events. Its an opportunity of a lifetime to really have a great weeks holiday the second week. The first week will be all business, but hopefully the second week well have a good week and hopefully Ill do enough this week and next week to get myself up in the FedEx points.What events does Harrington plan to attend in Brazil? Nearly everything.Table tennis, gymnastics, diving, velodrome, boxing, he said enthusiastically. Im sure Im missing out on one or two. This is all the second week. So Im trying to do two things a day the second week.---AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson contributed to this story. ' ' '