TORONTO -- James Hinchcliffe didnt know how terrible he has been in his hometown race. He was aware his history in Toronto wasnt great -- last year in particular was embarrassing for him -- but he was surprised that four years into his IndyCar career the best he has finished at the Honda Indy Toronto is eighth. "Is that the best Ive done is eighth? I knew it was bad, I didnt realize it was that bad," said Hinchcliffe on Thursday. "Hows it feel? Yeah with those stats great. I mean who wouldnt be excited?" Hinchcliffe is quick to point out how excited he is to return to the track he credits with getting him involved in racing. But all the love the Oakville, Ont., native shows the 85-lap, 2.81-kilometre street course at Exhibition Place hasnt been reciprocated with checkered flags. The 27-year-old Andretti Autosport driver could use some love. His season entering the doubleheader this weekend has been plagued by disappointing results, mechanical issues, collisions and even a concussion after being hit by debris at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Hinchcliffe hasnt lacked for speed. Hes started second in 5-of-12 races so far, but hasnt finished on the podium. Hes been close -- he might have won a race in Houston if he hadnt pitted late and got stuck behind yellow flags -- but with six races left Hinchcliffe is starting to wonder what else might happen before the season ends in August. "Running for a podium in Indy GP and somebody smoked me in the head with a piece of a wing. I mean, like why does that happen? Who does that happen to? Its just been one of those years," said Hinchcliffe. "It is frustrating certainly because I dont think the results match the effort in the job that the whole team is doing. But at the end of the day were sleeping well at night because were I think executing very well and its just really been a function of wrong place, wrong time a lot of the time this year." Hinchcliffes bad luck appeared to be on the verge of ending when he returned from the concussion to qualify second for the Indianapolis 500. But even that hope ended when he collided with Ed Carpenter. Barring a miracle run -- hes 11th overall in the points race -- Hinchcliffe can be forgiven for being reduced to sarcasm when asked how he can salvage the season. "Well I figure, Ill win both of these ones. And then in Ohio. And then Milwaukee, Sonoma and Fontana and I call the year a success," he said. "Really no reason to aim for anything less than that at this point because were pretty far out of it. "Like I said, were just bummed that we havent had the results that we feel we deserve for the effort weve been putting forward. I really want to get a couple of strong results in there for the guys, and for myself or (sponsor) United Fiber And Data, for everybody because I genuinely think that these guys deserve it." By default Hinchcliffe is Canadas only hope to win the Honda Indy Toronto after Alex Tagliani of Lachenaie, Que., departed IndyCar in the off-season. Torontos Paul Tracy was the last Canadian to win the event in 2003. Hinchcliffe finished third at Exhibition Place in his first season in the Indy Lights developmental series. But the IndyCar event has only become progressively worse for him, culminating in the second race last year when a stuck throttle kept him from starting on the grid and ended in a last-place finish among cars still on the track. This year he has predictably low expectations. "I just assume its going to go poorly. Its not really a superstition as much as it is a statistical thing," he said before recalling a collision with Tracy in 2011 and an engine failure that knocked him out of contention in 2012. "Ive had it all here. Maybe now finally theres nothing left to happen. I mean (I) literally didnt even make the start of the race last year. It cant get any worse than that." Hinchcliffe knocked on the table in front of him just in case. "My engineer would kill me for saying that because now Ill get hit by a meteor or something." Wholesale Pirates Jerseys . Week 2s biggest games include Florida facing Miami and Notre Dame travelling to the Big House to conclude their rivalry against Michigan in primetime on TSN2 and TSN 1050. Pirates Jerseys 2019 . "I have had no discussions with Chad Johnson or his representation," Popp said Friday in an email. However, he appeared to confirm a report on Twitter from TSN this week that Johnson was on Montreals negotiation list. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . Icardi is living with the ex-wife of former teammate Maxi Lopez, and the Sampdoria forward refused to shake Icardis hand before kickoff. Walter Samuel and Rodrigo Palacio also scored for Inter while Lopez had a penalty saved. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . -- Packers cornerback Tramon Williams has been fined $26,250 for contact with an official, per NFL guidelines. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then.The day before the biggest match of her life, Genie Bouchard went through a tense practice, which saw her and coach Nick Saviano engage in several heated discussions. "Im telling you my opinion," Bouchard was heard to say to Saviano. "So basically, Im not allowed to tell you my opinion?" "No," responded Saviano. The workout ended with the 20-year-old Bouchard hitting the ball into a nearby food court and walking off. Bouchard and Saviano have worked together since she was just 12-years-old. Its a strong relationship. Both have fiery personalities and arent afraid to show it. Saviano was not available for comment after practice while Bouchard, as is custom with tennis players, did not meet with the media on a non-match day. Several veteran journalists said that while this was an unusual exchange between player and trainer, especially considering the timing, but there is no way of knowing what impact, if any, this will have on Bouchards psyche. But if there is one thing Bouchard has shown in her still young professional career, its that she seems to show tremendouss poise under fire.dddddddddddd "She just finds a way to get herself back into sets and get herself back into matches," said ESPN analyst Darren Cahill. "And then when she gets there, shes not scared of the finish line and I think thats what her greatest quality is." "Experience-wise its a huge gap. Maria was a finalist last year, she won here the year before, shes playing better than anyone on clay than anyone right now, Shes won every Slam once and Genie hasnt even been to a final yet," added Tom Perrotta, tennis reporter for the Wall Street Journal. "Of course the odds are with Maria Sharapova. Shes been in this position many times before but Eugenie has nothing to lose so she can play with youthful abandon, go for broke and see what happens," said Martina Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slam titles over her career. "Shes been playing well, very smart tennis. It will interesting to see if shes playing just well enough to beat Maria. We know one day she will be playing well enough to beat anybody but is that day here now?" ' ' '