CHASKA, Minn. -- Give Phil Mickelson credit for being prepared for a Ryder Cup that has his fingerprints all over it.He tees off Friday morning secure in the knowledge that this is his team, even if the official title of captain belongs to Davis Love III. Hes paired with his choice of partners, and doesnt have to worry about Tiger Woods stealing any of the credit for what he surely believes will be the biggest U.S. win ever.Just to make sure he hasnt forgotten anything, Mickelson went over his list of things to do while waiting for play to actually begin:- Welcome rookies with tales of Ryder Cup failures of the past. Check.- Give out gift of dog tags to teammates to signify just how important this is. Check.- Make sure the pingpong table in the team room has extra balls. Check.- Publicly trash former captain Hal Sutton for a Ryder Cup debacle from 12 years ago. Double check.Its been a busy week for Mickelson, who shoulders the burden of being both the leader of the Ryder Cup team and the smartest guy in golf. With all thats been going on, its amazing hes even had time to practice.Still, everything finally seems to be like Phil wants it as he tees off in his 11th Ryder Cup.Hes playing a ball he likes. Hes playing clubs he likes. Hes playing with whom he likes.Not having to answer to any captain? Well, that he really likes.That wasnt the case two years ago when Mickelson publicly grumbled about how bad a captain Tom Watson was. It certainly wasnt the case 12 years ago when Mickelson and Woods were put together in a dramatic pairing by Sutton.Mickelson took it upon himself Wednesday to dredge up the past failure, complaining that Sutton didnt give him enough time to get used to Woods and a different golf ball in the alternate-shot foursomes format. For reasons unknown to anyone but Lefty, he tossed Sutton under the bus without being prompted.It all starts with the captain. I mean, thats the guy that has to bring together 12 strong individuals and bring out their best and allow them on a platform to play their best, Mickelson said. Thats the whole foundation of the team. I understand and I hear, `Well, guys just need to play better or they just need to putt better. Absolutely you do. But you play how you prepare.Mickelsons preparations apparently havent been that great during much of his Ryder Cup career. Hes played on only two winning teams since 1995, and has an overall record of 16-19-6.Hes the leader of this Ryder Cup team only through longevity and the force of his own personality. Still, he seems sure that only he understands the key to getting 12 players to work together over three days to win back the Ryder Cup.When you look back on what the difference is, when players are put in a position to succeed, more often than not they tend to succeed, Mickelson said. And when they are put in positions to fail, most of the time they tend to fail.Mickelson backed off a bit Thursday, saying he didnt mean to disparage Sutton like he did. But words hurt, and Sutton was taken aback when told what Mickelson said.Making it worse was that Sutton is here as part of a U.S. plan to bring former Ryder Cup captains together to foster some camaraderie for a team that has won only two of the last 10 Ryder Cups.My God, somebodys got to be the fall guy, Sutton told Golfweek magazine. If it needs to be me, I can be that. I dont have anything to say to that. My God. The world saw what happened. They saw it. I didnt have to cover it up.The world did see what happened, and on the U.S. side it wasnt pretty. Mickelson and Woods lost both their matches, and the Europeans ended up trouncing the American squad.What Mickelson failed to mention this week, though, was that he had just switched equipment companies right before the Ryder Cup, something that may have been as much to blame for his bad play as having to play an unfamiliar ball.No reason to let the facts get in the way of his revised narrative.Sutton said hes surprised Mickelson isnt focusing more on what he has in front of him.I think Phil better get his mind on what he needs to have it on this week instead of on something that happened 10 years ago, he said.Thats the kind of advice that should come from a captain.But its hard to imagine Mickelson giving it to himself.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlbergChris Bassitt Athletics Jersey . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Fake Athletics Jerseys . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . 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. 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Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed.SAN DIEGO -- As they struggle to stay alive in the race for a postseason berth, the San Francisco Giants simply cannot figure out the rookie-laden San Diego Padres.They lost 7-2 on Friday night to journeyman pitcher Edwin Jackson, who held them to four hits in six innings while getting all the backing he needed from All-Star Wil Myers, who hit a three-run home run off rookie Albert Suarez in the first inning.It was the seventh loss in eight games against the Padres since the All-Star break.I wish I could figure it out myself, said Bruce Bochy, a former Padres skipper who managed the Giants to World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. We have blown two saves against them, so thats a big difference. They have pitched well against us, I will say that. Weve had a hard time scoring runs.The Giants swept the Padres three times in the seasons first two months. Things turned dramatically, starting when the Padres swept the Giants in San Diego in the first series after the All-Star break. The Padres, who have gotten younger as the season advanced and they shed high-priced veterans, swept again in San Francisco last week.The Giants dropped into the second wild card position, a game behind the New York Mets. San Francisco fell to seven games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.The Giants beat the Padres 2-1 on Thursday night but couldnt get much going Friday.With four hits, two runs, were down three right away, so obviously thats not going to make it, Bochy said. These bats have just been quiet. We had a great pitching effort yesterday to win the game for us, and found a way to win that one, scratched and clawed for runs. But two big innings got us.Finishing the regular season strong will be critical, Bochy said. Whats going to happen is pretty simple -- weve got to pitch and weve got to get these bats going, too. We cant put this kind of pressure every night on the pitchers. Weve had a tough time scoring runs here against this club. You look at the last series and this series. We had two last night, two tonight. Its hard to get on a consistent run without this offense going.Jackson (5-6) won for just the second time in seven starts. He struck out five and walkeed five.ddddddddddddIm just trying to bounce back, Jackson said. I wish I could have less walks. They kind of cost me in the fifth inning, walked a couple, then Posey comes up and got a big hit, but nevertheless, all in all, some decent game of bounce back,. Were always hard on ourselves, but it was great to have the offensive support and see the young guys come up and get first hits and see the excitement in the dugout, it was definitely a lot of fun and it makes the game fun.Suarez (3-5) fell behind 3-0 before recording an out. Jon Jay hit a leadoff single, rookie Carlos Asuaje doubled for his first big league hit and Myers homered into the party deck just beyond the fence in right-center, his 28th.Buster Posey pulled the Giants to 3-2 with a two-run double off the wall in left-center with one out in the fifth.But Giants reliever Matt Reynolds came on to start the bottom of the fifth and allowed four runs without getting an out. He allowed a leadoff single to Jay, a double to Asuaje and then intentionally walked Myers before walking Ryan Schimpt to bring in a run. He was chased by Alex Dickersons two-run single to right. George Kontos came on and got the first out before Austin Hedges hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-2.Suarez allowed three runs and five hits in four innings, struck out one and walked one.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: RHP Johnny Cueto, who left his start Tuesday night with a strained groin, was scheduled to play catch before the game. His spot in the rotation comes up Sunday. Bochy said Cueto is questionable to make the start. ... SS Brandon Crawford (dislocated pinky on his glove hand) also was to play catch and if that went well, take some dry swings.UP NEXTGiants: On Saturday night, LHP Madison Bumgarner (14-9, 2.57) will try to become the third-youngest pitcher in franchise history to win 100 games. Hes 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA in four starts against San Diego this year, but is 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA in his last two starts against the Padres.Padres: RHP Jarred Cosart (0-4, 5.63) is scheduled to make his ninth start with San Diego. ' ' '