fourth.dddddddddddd "I really thought we had that one, but it didnt work out," said Mathews. "When you get that close it makes you want it even more. I have no doubt that well get there.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Rio de Janeiro Olympics are still just over five weeks away. But they become a tangible reality on Friday when one of their so-called Mega souvenir shops opens on Copacabana Beach.Bring plenty of cash, at least for anything more than a keychain that sells for 25 Brazilian reals ($8). A bikini with the Olympic logo will cost about $100, and a commemorative gold medal at just over $2,000. A bottle of Brazilian wine -- hardly world-famous -- with an Olympic logo lists for $40.Olympic merchandising is big business.Rios head of licensing and retail sales, Sylmara Multini, says organizers hope to sell merchandise worth about 1 billion Brazilian reals ($310 million) to Olympic visitors.Our products are very top quality products and we feel this is a fair price for them, Multini told The Associated Press.Multini said Rio will operate 132 stores around town during the Olympics, many of which will be small kiosks like the six to be set up at the famous Maracana stadium. She said all of the stores are operated by individual companies, which pay royalties to the organizing committee.We dont own the stores, and we dont set the prices, Multini said.Multini talked up the beachwear on sale- the flip-flops, the beach towels, the swimsuits.This is first time in the games that we have such a substantial beach line, she said. It couldnt be anything different. Were in Copacabana. Were in Rio, and we believe these are the products that are really going to fly off the shelf.Brazil is in the midst of its steepest recession since the 1930s. As reporters were shown the souvenir store on Thursday, across town some of the citys soup kitchens for the poor were being closed.The governor of Rio de Janeiro says the state is broke, jeopardizing policing during the games. The completion of a subway line for the games is also in jeopardy. All state-run schools have been hit by teacher strikes. Hospitals are operating, but many workers are not being paid.The show for reporters also came a day after a mutilated body washed up on the beach, just a short walk from the merchandise tent and the beach volleyball venue.Alex Martins, cradling his 9-month-old daughter Camila, stopped by the store during a day at the beach. He said hed probably limit his gifts for Camila to a small stuffed animal for $40.I think this is will be very expensive for regular people here, Martins said. Maybe some will try to buy, but not many will be able to because of the bad economic times. This will be for tourists, I think.The 1,800 square-meter (19,300 square-feet) layout on Copacabana is one of the three largest souvenir stores for the games. The largest store will be a 5,000 square-meter (53,800 square-feet) store in the Olympic Park, while the Athletes Village shop will be 1,000 square-meters (10,750 square-feet).The Copa store could be a windfall for vendors operating kiosks up and down Avenida Atlantica, which runs the 4-kilometer (2.5 mile) length of Copacabana beach.Any Merci works at the kiosk just outside the store -- located between Posts 3-4 on the beach -- and serves up machete-opened coconuts and $4 caipirinhas to thirsty customers. Shes worked around the beach for a dozen years and has never seen business this bad.This last year has been horrible, she said. Im hopeful well do some business, but Im not sure how hopeful we should be.Juliana Mesquita worked alongside Any on Thursday. She senses the possibility for a good few months.Were looking for the foreigners to come by and spend something here, she said. I hope they dont spend it all inside (the store).---This story has been corrected to show that the commemorative gold medal costs just over $2,000 rather than around $3,000.---Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wadeFake USA Soccer Jerseys .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. USA Soccer Jerseys China . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. USA Soccer Shirts . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Custom USA Soccer Jerseys . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Hes been nosing around it for a while and Steve Mathews feels its time to take the next step. Mathews splashed onto the scene in 2009 in his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 debut at the Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario by setting fast time in practice and the race results showed it wasnt a stab in the dark. After qualifying fourth, the now 22-year-old out of New Liskeard, Ontario finished sixth to prove that he could compete with Canadas best stock-car competitors. In three subsequent races on that same half-mile oval Mathews has driven his No. 15 Bill Mathews Motors Ford to two more top-10 finishes and a start from the outside pole position a year ago in the Clarington 200. After 22 series starts - primarily on ovals - across five seasons now, Mathews, who scored a series career-best finish of third on June 15 at Delaware (Ontario) Speedway, has three top-five finishes and two pole wins. While not an indictment on his performance Mathews notes the glaring lack of a victory. Considering the competition, its not a huge red flag, but he thinks its past time to go to Victory Lane. Further whetting his appetite for a win was last Septembers battle at Barrie (Ontario) Speedway. Mathews started from the pole position and had a late-race lead before tangling with some ttraffic resulting in a disappointing finish in fourth.dddddddddddd "I really thought we had that one, but it didnt work out," said Mathews. "When you get that close it makes you want it even more. I have no doubt that well get there. We have a solid team." Cutting his racing teeth on the half-mile oval at Delaware, Mathews believes the two Ontario tracks are similar enough for the experience to transfer. "I began my career at Delaware and the two tracks are fairly similar," he said. "We run the same gear and the setups are pretty close. There are a few differences between the two (tracks), but I feel comfortable there." The relatively flat egg-shaped oval at CTMP creates some setup problems for race teams, but Mathews enjoys competing there. "I like that track," he stated. "It can be a little tricky, but everyone knows it well and will be ready for the race. I dont expect anyone to be surprised." The stakes for the Clarington 200 were raised last week with Canadian Tire Motorsport Parks announcement that they will cease operation of the oval track later this summer to continue the ongoing renovation of the facility by the new ownership group that came onboard in 2011. "I absolutely would love to win the last Canadian Tire Series race there," declared Mathews. ' ' '