The possibility of a seventh different winner i...

"This is a lot harder than Beijing, I can tell you that right from the get-go. Udonis Haslem jersey ." Coming from Mike Brown, those words are almost unthinkable. Four years ago in China, the breaststroke swimmer missed out on his first Olympic medal by 0.09 seconds. He still cant remember his post-race interviews, and he doesnt remember getting out of the Beijing pool. All he remembers is lying down on a massage table, pulling a towel over his head and feeling the tears stream down his face. He had missed out on an Olympic medal by less than the blink of an eye, and nothing had ever felt worse. Until Thursday night, at the Canadian Olympic swimming trials in Montreal. "When I touched the wall I knew exactly where I finished," Brown said, speaking through tears, of the mens 200-metre breaststroke final. The event is his specialty, and he had begun the race as its second-seeded entry. "I could see Scotty (Dickens) on the left side of me, I could see Jason (Block) on the right side of me and I knew I was third at the very best." Brown was, in fact, fourth. He had finished his race in two minutes, 14.95 seconds -- more than three seconds outside of the Olympic qualifying standard. That Brown will not race at the London 2012 Olympic Games is heartbreaking, but for the two-time Olympian it is even more excruciating that he cannot explain why. "To be six seconds off my Canadian record, that is inexcusable for me, unexplainable for me. "I am just so baffled on how it went down. I wasnt more nervous than I was before. I was nervous, of course, but I am always nervous before races and that is a good thing for me. I swim my best when I am nervous. I was excited to race, I was ready to go. I had a bunch of friends and family there." Brown, of Perth, Ont., retired after his 2008 disappointment in Beijing. It took the spark of home Olympics -- the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver -- to lure the Olympian-turned-realtor back to the pool. Although other swimmers also fallen short in their recent comeback attempts, including Australias  -- Australias Ian Thorpe among them -- Brown felt he had the tools to succeed in his return bid. For starters, unlike Thorpe, Brown had only taken 15 months off from swimming. Australias five-time Olympic champion sat out for four years. Brown also returned to the pool with two years ahead of him to return to swimming shape."It was definitely long enough, I was ready," Brown said. "The Olympic drive came back . . . September through December were the best four months I have ever trained or raced in my career. "I was on track and I still think I am on track." Brown turned heads with surprisingly quick times at Novembers Canada Cup in Toronto, when he finished first in the 200m breaststroke in 2:13.83. This week in Montreal, following a full training cycle with taper, Brown says he should have been even faster. "I have never been more confused in my career," Brown said. "I have been on the national team for a decade now and there is no other way to explain it (except) that I am confused. "How I went faster (at the Canada Cup) and slower now is something I have never done in my career, ever. I have always been able to excel and really perform when it matters, perform when it counts in the highest pressure situations. I never caved before and I dont really want to say Ive caved tonight." Brown is also not prepared to say whether this weeks races have been his last. It is too early, he says, even to say whether he will watch his teammates compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games. "(This scenario) never, ever crossed my mind." Kobe Bryant Jersey . Edmonton also picked up goaltender Aaron Bold and a second-round pick in the 2012 National Lacrosse League entry draft. Bill Russell Jersey . - Left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, one of the Pittsburgh Pirates top two starters at the beginning of last season, was optioned to triple-A Indianapolis in a surprising move Wednesday. James Harden Jersey . [PU LATI FOR CHINA DAILY] BEIJINGGUANGZHOU - While 9.57 million Chinese students fight for university seats in the cutthroat national college entrance examination that kicked off on Monday, it is no picnic for their parents, who are on a mission to keep all troubles at bay. Kevin Durant Jersey . Evgeni Malkin and Ty Conklin helped changed that, at least for one night. Malkin scored three goals for the second time in 11 days, and Conklin stopped 43 shots to remain unbeaten in regulation as the Penguins beat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Monday night. Wayne Gretzky Kings Jersey . The Hannover striker came on as a substitute for the final 33 minutes and scored with a header from a left-wing cross by Kamil Grosicki in the 81st. Poland coach Franciszek Smuda rested several key players, including the teams top scorer Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund.MONTREAL -- No one knows better than Jenson Button that wild, crazy things can happen at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Englishman who won perhaps the zaniest of the 32 races held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve since 1978 for McLaren Mercedes in the pouring rain last year is hoping to repeat that feat and get back into the Formula One drivers championship race at the same time. Button won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March and placed second two races later in China, but since then has dropped to seventh in the standings as he failed to finish twice between a ninth place finish in Spain. Happily for the 32-year-old, hes still in the hunt as Formula One has been a wide open competition with six different winners in as many races so far. "I dont think anyones streaking ahead in the championship," Button said Thursday. "Its been a very mixed bag in the first six races. "The last three havent been my finest weekends, so yes, I need to score some points this weekend to get it back on track. We all come here aiming for a victory, but as weve seen, just consistently being in the double figures in points (top five) is key to fighting at a front. "Im looking forward to the weekend. Ive had some special memories here." This years hot topic is threats by protesters to disrupt Grand Prix events after weeks of demonstrations in the city that started with students opposed to a government plan to hike university tuition fees. Whether they will do anything to try to impede the race is unknown. Last year, it was a torrential downpour that forced a more-than two-hour delay in mid-race. It took four hours four minutes and 39 seconds to complete. Button started seventh on the grid and survived early contact as he bumped teammate Lewis Hamilton out of the race. He was given a stop-and-go penalty for speeding in pit lane which dropped him to last place. He made six stops, mostly for tire changes as the track got wetter or drier. And then he passed series leader Sebastien Vettels Red Bull in a thrilling final lap to claim the victory. "After any win, its a special feeling celebrating with your friends and family and the team, but that one was very different," Button recalled. "I wouldnt say it was shock victory, but it was unexpected at many points during the race. "It really did mean a lot. The adrenaline was still pumping through my veins for many hours after. Ive watched it back. With 10 laps to go, youd think it was impossible that I won that Grand Prix." The year before, Button had finished second as Hamilton won his second Canadian Grand Prix, so it is a track where the McLaren Mercedes has done well. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a different test from most F1 layouuts, with its long straightaways leading into slow chicanes and one hairpin. Magic Johnson Jersey. It punishes cars with high speeds and heavy braking. It can also be a slippery track, where crashes and other mishaps are common. Which cars will do best is anyones guess in this season of surprises. After Buttons win, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso won for Ferrari in Mayalsia, Mercedes AMG Petronas Nico Rosberg took China, Vettel won for Red Bull in Bahrain, Pastor Maldonado got a surprise victory for Williams in Spain and Red Bulls Mark Webber took Monaco two weeks ago. Alonso leads driver standings with 76 points, three more than Vettel and Webber. Hamilton is fourth with 63 despite not yet winning this year, while Rosberg is fifth with 59 and Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus is sixth with 51. Button has 45 points. "I dont think theres any top teams at the moment," said Webber, whose squad has dominated the championship with Vettels two titles in the last two years. "Its very tight. "It looks quite sensitive to venue, to temperatures, to drivers. Its quite open and thats why were seeing different results, different podiums, different winners like we havent seen before. The teams that werent very good with the regulations last year, like Ferrari, Williams and Sauber, had a good step this year and came back very strong." Red Bull still leads the constructors championship ahead of McLaren Mercedes, with Ferrari and Lotus tied for third. The possibility of a seventh different winner is strong. Hamilton has won pole position three times along with his two wins in Montreal and is hungry. Raikkonen, the 2005 winner, is also seeking a first victory for a Lotus team with Frenchman Romain Grosjean that finished second and third in Bahrain and third and fourth in Spain. And there is seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who has a record seven Canadian Grand Prix wins, although the last was in 2004. Or Sergio Perez of Mexico, who grabbed a surprise second place at Malaysia for Sauber. "Theres a chance for every driver to have a nice surprise," said Perez. The Red Bull Renault cars have won 22 races over the last three seasons, but have never won in Montreal. Webber hopes to change that. He said the car didnt suit the track well until last year, when they placed second and third. "Seb was very close last year but lost concentration at the end and Jenson was there to capitalize," the Australian driver said. "Judging by how the start of the season has gone theres every reason we can do well here. "We come here confident but not crazy on confidence. Renault hasnt won here since Fernando (Alonso in 2006), so its a bit of a scalp that would be nice to get." ' ' '