biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in c

Lewis Hamilton is the modern-day version of James Hunt, Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda has claimed ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Britons memorable title triumph.Hunt beat his great rival Lauda to the 1976 championship by just one point following a dramatic season in which Lauda miraculously survived a fireball inferno at the Nurburgring, while Hunt secured the title in treacherous conditions at the final race of the season.Hunt, who died aged only 45 following a heart attack in 1993, had a reputation as a party animal away from the track -- an unruly playboy who once claimed to have slept with 5,000 women. In contrast, Austrian Lauda was depicted as a studious and dedicated racing driver.Hamilton, who is 33 points adrift of Nico Rosberg ahead of this weeks race in America, has spent the last two years hopping from one A-List party to another. He counts Kanye West and Pharrell Williams among his circle of friends. Rosberg meanwhile, lives in Monaco with his long-term partner Vivian. They married in 2014 and have a one-year-old daughter.It is like Hamilton and Rosberg today, Lauda told the Press Association as he reflected on his rivalry with Hunt. One lives one kind of life, and the other lives a different lifestyle. It was a similar situation between James and me.I was trying to concentrate, focus and work on my car, and get everything right. He had an easy life and got it right in another way. He was a straightforward, eccentric, and a weird guy, but very good for Formula One.Lauda led Hunt by 26 points before the Austrians near-fatal crash midway through the season. Lauda suffered severe facial burns -- ones which are still evident beneath his customary red cap today -- after he was dragged from his blazing cockpit.Incredibly Lauda missed only two races, but his six-week absence, and a run of victories for Hunt, saw the Englishman reduce the gap in the championship to just three points ahead of the decider in Japan on Oct. 24.Lauda felt the race in Fuji should have been cancelled due to the wet and misty conditions and withdrew after only two laps. Hunt crossed the line in third to win the title.I have to say that when he won the championship, I said to myself, the only one who deserves it is him, Lauda added. With his ups and downs, and drinking, and the way he lived Formula One, I was really happy it was him, and I told him that.Hunt won three further races for McLaren but failed to defend his title. In 1979, he retired from racing before pursuing a career in the BBC commentary box alongside Murray Walker. A series of poor financial investments however saw him lose a vast amount of money.He was having a rough time, Lauda, who won three championships, said as he recalled an off-the-cuff rendezvous with Hunt. He called me, and I went to meet him on Kings Road in London.He came out on a bicycle which had no air in the rear tyre, and he was completely finished. I spoke to him for a long time and I said if you keep on going like this you will end up in a disaster. I leant him some money, and really backed him to get his act together again.Three years before his death he was completely sober, fit like a whistle, and all the partying, the drugs, and the rock and roll lifestyle was gone. He was safe in his life, so it surprised me and hit me really hard when the guy passed away. I was really sad.Hunts epic battle with Lauda was befitting of a Hollywood script, and Rush -- a movie produced by Ron Howard -- was released in 2013 to great critical acclaim.The reaction was very good for a racing movie, added Lauda, 67. Eighty percent from my point of view is right, and 20 percent is Hollywood. The movie I really liked and the reaction around the world was unbelievable.Pedro Martinez Mets Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Mike Piazza Mets Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. http://www.metssale.com/mets-tim-tebow-jersey/ . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Keon Broxton Mets Jersey . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Amed Rosario Mets Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me.IRVINE, Calif. -- Jaron Martin had four 3-pointers and a career-high 24 points and UC Irvine beat South Dakota State 73-58 in the opening game of the Sanford Pentagon Showcase on Monday night.The Anteaters (1-1) scored the first eight points, never trailed and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.Martin finished 4 of 9 from 3-point range and 10 of 19 overall from the field. Jonathan Galloway grabbed 14 boards and blocked four shots -- both career highs.After the Jackrabbbits (0-2) closed to 52-40, UC Irvine had a 17-5 run to build its largest lead at 69-45.ddddddddddddSouth Dakota tied it twice in the first half but the Anteaters had a 10-0 run to pull away.Skyler Flatten had 12 points and Reed Tellinghuisen scored 11. South Dakota State shot 28.8 percent (17 of 59) from the field and 16.7 percent (5 of 30) on 3-point attempts. ' ' '