ning of my career," he said. "I felt I had a lot of the ever

SAO PAULO - Brazil assistant coach and former world champion Carlos Alberto Parreira says its "a joke" that the Brazilian government took so long to start working on some of the infrastructure projects needed for the World Cup. With less than five months before the tournament, Parreira said he is disappointed with the countrys preparations and accused the government of missing a huge opportunity to improve conditions for Brazilians. Parreira told Radio CBN in an interview first aired Sunday that he believes stadiums will be ready in time, but its a shame most infrastructure projects that could benefit Brazilians wont be completed until long after the World Cup. The World Cup-winning coach in 1994 is the latest past champion to blast Brazils preparations, following the recent criticism by former players Cafu, Bebeto and Rivaldo. "We missed an opportunity to show the world what we can do in this country," Parreira said. "We missed an opportunity to provide more comfort to Brazilians and to show a different kind of Brazil." The country has only seven of the 12 World Cup stadiums ready for the tournament that opens in June, and there are still doubts whether Curitiba will remain a host city because of delays in its stadium. But the greatest missed opportunities are related to the infrastructure work that was supposed to remain a legacy to the countrys population. Many of the projects promised by the government will not be completed in time or wont even leave the drawing board. "We know the World Cup is about stadiums, but its not only about stadiums. Fans cant live in a stadium," Parreira said. "They say everything will eventually be ready in 2018, 2020... but we wanted it ready for the World Cup to try to change this view that the foreigners have about Brazil." Parreira said the government is mostly to blame. "Everything was supposed to be ready for the World Cup, but it was a total neglect," he said. "I saw recently that they are going to start the bidding processes for (work at) airports in March, three months before the World Cup. Its a joke. We won the bid seven years ago and its only now that they are starting these bidding processes." Parreira, who also coached Brazil in the 2006 World Cup, made some specific complaints about Rio de Janeiro, the city hosting the 2016 Olympics. "Rio will always continue to attract tourists. Its a wonderful city. I cant think of a city that is more beautiful than Rio," said the 70-year-old Parreira, an assistant to Luiz Felipe Scolari. "But we all know that it could offer us a lot more comfort, a lot more safety and a better quality of life." Brazil is expected to spend a total of about $14 billion in the World Cup, and the lack of government improvements to society prompted violent protests during the Confederations Cup last year. There were some demonstrations on Saturday in dozens of cities, and a lot more is expected during the World Cup, footballs showcase event. Cafu and Bebeto, World Cup winners with Parreira in 1994, last week said it would be a disaster if Curitiba was dropped because of the stadium delay there. Rivaldo, the former Barcelona midfielder who was key for Brazil when the five-time champion won the 2002 World Cup, said the country will "embarrass itself" because of its problematic preparations. Cyber Monday Jerseys . The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. Wholesale Jerseys Authentic . New York then missed its next six shots and scored only two points the rest of the night. The Los Angeles Clippers defence and the Knicks general ineptitude both played a role in the unsurprising finish to a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions. http://www.cheapnfljerseysdeals.com/. He also had some help Monday night.Hibbert scored a season-high 29 points to help Indiana beat the Utah Jazz 97-86 Monday night, ending the Pacers six-game losing streak. NFL Jerseys China . Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made just 17 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season as the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the lowly Oilers on Thursday. Cheap MLB Jerseys China . On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees.HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. - Carl Edwards scrolled across a stage at Joe Gibbs Racing and jokingly yelled, Surprise! There was no surprise whatsoever about his formal introduction Tuesday as a fourth driver in the JGR Sprint Cup lineup. The move had been expected since at least May and intensified last month when Roush Fenway Racing said Edwards was not returning in 2015. Edwards, who has driven for Roush for 12 years, will join a new fourth Toyota team for Gibbs next season. The No. 19 will be sponsored by Arris, a telecommunications company, in 17 of the races. JGR has been at three cars since 2005 and has held off expanding to the NASCAR-maximum of four full-time entries. "We felt like if we could get Carl, and we could get another sponsor, that this was the right time," Gibbs said. Edwards had been through a high-profile free agency once before, in 2011 when he was in the thick of the championship hunt. He ultimately spurned JGR in that bidding process to sign an extension with Roush, and although the negotiations were never a distraction, Edwards lost the title that year to Tony Stewart on a tie-breaker. Edwards hasnt been a title threat since. He went winless in 2012 and missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, and although he made two trips to Victory Lane last season, he finished last in the 13-driver Chase field. Edwards is currently ninth in the Cup standings with two wins. The Chase begins next month, and he said hes determined to close out his Roush tenure with a championship for the No. 99 team. But when the season is over, his focus will quickly turn to JGR, where he saw an opportunity for stability and consistency as a teammate to Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. "Sometimes youve just got to shake things up, youve got to do things differently," Edwards said. "When an opportunity like this comes up and the all the pieces come together this perfectly, for me, I didnt want to look back and wonder what that would have been like. I wanted to take the opportunity and go see what I could make of it." Edwards will be reunited with Kenseth, who was his teammate at Roush for nine seasons and had a frosty relationship that went public in 2007 when Edwards confronted Kenseth after a race at Martinsville. Kenseth moved to JGR last season, won a series-high seven races and finished second in the championship race.dddddddddddd Gibbs said Kenseth is the first person the organization consulted when it entered the bidding for Edwards. "Matt was awesome, he said, this guy, you get him over here, hes going to win races. Hell be a good teammate and hes really, really good with sponsors, " Gibbs said. "So Matt was the first person we talked to, and then we went to Denny and we went to Kyle. Because it is teamwork. This sport is unusual because you have to work together to get better, to get more information, to have more input on the weekend. We think this is the right combination for us." Kenseth said the history between he and Edwards is overblown, and much has changed since 2007. Edwards has gotten married and the two drivers have had five children between them. "Carl and I get along fine," he said. "That relationship has changed a lot through the years. Him having kids the same age as my kids, and playing together, has probably made us more friends and made us do things together. I think it will be a good mix, I really do." Edwards said hes changed as a person since he first entered NASCAR and is focused on being an asset at JGR. "I have learned a lot about how to be a good teammate. Admittedly, I was not the best teammate at the beginning of my career," he said. "I felt I had a lot of the every man for himself attitude, and wanting to prove myself regardless of any damage to the relationships. "I really value my teammates now. Im going to do everything I can to be the best teammate I can be, to contribute to the group so that overall we can be better. When I look around at who does well in the sport, it seems the people who do that well succeed." JGR also announced Tuesday that Daniel Suarez will run a full Nationwide Series program and part-time Truck Series schedule 2015. The truck entry will be fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports. Suarez becomes the first full-time Mexican driver in NASCAR. JGR is also launching a diversity initiative along with Escuderia Telmex, which is led by Carlos Slim, one of the richest people in the world, to give Mexican and Latin American drivers opportunities in the NASCAR Toyota Series in Mexico. ' ' '