uld be, according to coaches, one of the best in the country. Its been a fight for the other spot between sophomores Marshon Lattimore, who is returning from a nagging hamstring injury, and Denzel Ward, who is the fastest player on the team. Redshirt freshman Damon Arnette also is in the mix.Theyre al

ONE THOUSAND FEET ABOVE CROMWELL, Conn. -- On a picture-perfect Thursday morning, were flying high above TPC River Highlands, site of this weeks Travelers Championship, when my reporters intuition kicks in.Terry Dillard, pilot for the Snoopy 1 Airship -- better known as one of only 22 blimps in the world -- is coolly navigating through the Connecticut sky while discussing how he and the other members of the 15-person crew work year-round, as he spends six-hour shifts hovering over golf courses to produce the camera angles nobody else can get, when I blurt out my next in a long line of questions.So, um, wheres the bathroom in this thing?Were seated in whats referred to as the gondola, the small cockpit structure which sits underneath $80,000 of helium. Dillard is sitting in the pilots station, which is in the front left of the enclosed space, just like the drivers seat of a car.Using foot pedals to determine the speed, which maxes out at about 25 mph, and wheels on each side of his seat which resemble those of a wheelchair in order to steer, he offers a hearty laugh at the question. Surely there are moments when life piloting the blimp can become stressful. This isnt one of them.On a scale of 1-10, he says, today is an 11 as far as it being a perfect day to fly.Dillard, 61, has been piloting blimps for 26 years. Sporting a shaved head and salt-and-pepper Fu Manchu, he has the physical characteristics of a dude you dont want to mess with, but is perpetually affable and not often at a loss for words.There are a few, though, that he refuses to use.In our industry, we dont blow up; we inflate, he explains. We also dont use the D word; we dont deflate.The Snoopy 1 Airship stays inflated while the crew travels from tournament to tournament, Dillard through the air and others on the ground, never more than 30 miles away from each other.It might not be the quickest way to get around, but its absolutely the most scenic.Ive seen every inch of the United States of America, Dillard likes to say, at 25 mph.Hes also seen some of the best -- and worst -- golf shots at professional events from 1,000 feet above the fairways and greens.During the broadcast window, there is a cameraman seated behind Dillard, who controls the exact aerial video shown on your TV, but just like a player and caddie, one cant do his job without the other.The similarities dont end there.The worst type of weather for flying a blimp is heavy wind and thunderstorms, which arent exactly golfers favorites. And the relationship is symbiotic; while the pilot and cameraman use whats happening below them to help tell the story to viewers, the players will look above to assist with their jobs.The players use us, says Dillard. They look at the blimp to see which way the wind is blowing. If its a tailwind, theyll club down; if its a headwind, theyll club up. Theyll say, Look at the blimp and trust your club.Dillard insists that he can identify players from his catbird seat. I look down on the early first round of the Travelers Championship and think I spot Vijay Singh -- or maybe thats Ernie Els. Spotting pros must be a learned trait from up here.Theres more to this gig than just flying around and checking out players. A director in the production truck will ask Dillard to find a specific shot. He must maneuver the blimp into the best position for his cameraman to catch the flight of the ball, while keeping his shadow out of the shot.He admits hes biased, but contends that an event without any camera angles from a blimp loses something in the translation to television.When youre watching a tournament and you dont have a blimp there, its pretty dang boring, he says. There are just some shots you cant see from the ground.We take another quick spin above TPC River Highlands, then Dillard starts the scenic route back, over the Connecticut River and past downtown Hartford. He has to get to work soon, maneuvering Snoopy 1 through the sky on this 11 day on a scale of 1-10.Youll know his work when you see it. When a player hits a towering approach over some tall trees to tap-in birdie range or mishits a drive so offline that it cant be trailed from ground level, that will be Dillard, positioning the blimp into a place where he and the cameraman can best help tell the story.Its a pretty sweet ride up there. If you ever get the chance, enjoy the scenic view in any direction and dont be afraid to put your hand out the window and feel the summer air against it.Oh, and theres one other thing: After Dillard laughed to my question about the bathroom, he finally offered an answer.All Ill say is that you probably dont want to touch the empty Gatorade bottle behind the pilots station.Cheap Air Jordan Shoes From China . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Air Jordan China Factory . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. http://www.cheapairjordan.net/ .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Cheap Air Jordans Wholesale . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Cheap Air Jordan Shoes For Sale . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State opened training camp earlier this month, coach Urban Meyer said it was open season for starting jobs. With a little more than a week to go before the season opener, some of those jobs have yet to be locked down.That happens when a team has to replace eight starters on each side of the ball. Offensive line, wide receiver and cornerback are among the positions where starters for the Sept. 3 game against Bowling Green still havent been named, Buckeyes coaches said this week. Regardless of who starts, there will be many new faces on the field next week.On the offensive line, returning starters Pat Elflein and Billy Price are the anchors at center and right guard. Pencil in Jamarco Jones at left tackle and at right tackle probably Isiah Prince, one of the teams few true freshmen who earned playing time last year. The big competition is for the left guard spot, with 6-foot-7, 310-pound true freshman Michael Jordan mixing it up with sophomore Demetrius Knox and redshirt freshman Matthew Burrell. All likely will see playing time.Highly touted junior college transfer Malcolm Pridgeon, who was expected to compete at guard and tackle, was lost to a knee injury in training camp.The number one thing up front, I think, is experience, so we dont have a lot of it, offensive line coach Greg Studrawa said. Weve got some new guys coming in there. The second thing is getting the group in there playing together. Were struggling with that a little bit.On the defensive line, Tyquan Lewis returns at end, and sophomore Sam Hubbard, who backed up All-American Joey Bosa last season, has locked down the other end position. The competition for the tackle spots continues, with juniors Michael Hill, the most experienced tackle on the squad, and Tracy Sprinkle trying to fend off redshirt freshmen Davon Hamilton and DreMont Jones.Everything is a competition,, no matter if you think youre a starter or youre not, Sprinkle said.dddddddddddd. Everythings a competition, so you have to go out there every day like somebody is on your heels.The No. 6 Buckeyes lost all their starting receivers from last year, which has made for one of the most intriguing competitions in camp.Noah Brown, who has just one catch in his Ohio State career, has been designated a starter at one of the wideout spots. Fifth-year senior Corey Smith had laid claim to the other spot because of his experience, but Meyer said this week that Parris Campbell, who played some last year as a redshirt freshman but has yet to catch a pass, has a chance to grab that job. Terry McLaurin, Austin Mack and others also are expected to play. Curtis Samuel, who backed up Braxton Miller last season, brings some experience to the H-back position.I need six guys who are going to go into every game, and whoever earned it that week will start and the other ones will play just as many plays, receivers coach Zach Smith said. I dont know who it is yet. I cant stamp anybody as `game ready. There are a couple who are close.Returning starter Gareon Conley is locked in at one cornerback spot and could be, according to coaches, one of the best in the country. Its been a fight for the other spot between sophomores Marshon Lattimore, who is returning from a nagging hamstring injury, and Denzel Ward, who is the fastest player on the team. Redshirt freshman Damon Arnette also is in the mix.Theyre all going to play, theyre all going to play early, and Im very, very excited about that, cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy . For some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '