AKRON, Ohio -- The U.S. Open trophy was on the kitchen table in Dustin Johnsons home in South Florida. That was by design.So when I came down the next morning, it was sitting right there, Johnson said Wednesday. Gave me a smile a little bit.For all his power, there is a subtle side to Johnson. He never got too down on himself when he was shooting 82 at Pebble Beach or grounding his club in sand without realizing it was a bunker at Whistling Straits. He played golf with friends the day after a three-putt cost him a shot at Chambers Bay.He sure didnt go over the top when he captured his first major at Oakmont.How to celebrate? Johnson skipped all the talk shows in New York. He waited until last Wednesday, his 32nd birthday, to head for some solitude in the Bahamas with family and friends, spending time on his boat, in the water and playing a little golf (a couple holes here and there) at Bakers Bay.He wasnt seen in public until he showed up on the range Wednesday at Firestone for the Bridgestone Invitational, and even then, he didnt get a lot of work in. Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith stopped by for more than an hour, chatting with Johnson and former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and taking a few swings with the driver.If his life has changed, its mainly finding time to respond to more text messages than he can count. Johnson figures he still has more than 100 messages on his phone, and he intends to respond to all of them.But first, he has more golf to play.The Bridgestone Invitational is in a different spot on the calendar because of the Olympics, squeezed in between a pair of majors. It also is opposite the French Open, which angered the European Tour so much that it is not sanctioning this World Golf Championship for the first time and has offered big incentive for players who have skipped Firestone for the French Open.That put defending champion Shane Lowry in a tough spot. The Irish is on the cusp of qualifying for his first Ryder Cup, but felt he should be at Firestone to defend. Whatever ranking points he earns this week will not count toward the Ryder Cup, leaving him three big events -- the Scottish Open, British Open and PGA Championship -- to make the team.Only 61 players are at Firestone, the smallest field since 2001, when this WGC featured a 39-man field of only Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup players.Johnson might have a little rust, but he is equipped with more confidence than ever.It was a popular victory, evident by the number of messages he received. Among the most meaningful was from hockey great Wayne Gretzky, his future father-in-law, who told him it was one of the greatest performances he ever saw. It meant a lot, because hes seen a lot of good things, Johnson said.And it was popular with his peers, particularly having to play the last seven holes not knowing the score because of an impending USGA ruling, and mainly because of how much heartache Johnson already had endured in the majors.Hes arguably the most talented golfer in the world. Ive been quoted saying that quite a few times, Jordan Spieth said. It was not a surprise, but personally knowing him and also knowing kind of the experiences to an extent that hes gone through, I thought it was very cool.Johnson said he had his doubts, normal for someone whos had so many close balls in the majors.Those appear to have been put to rest.I felt like I had it before, but it never worked out, Johnson said. But now I really know Ive got what it takes to get it done. I believed that I had it, but theres always that thing in the back of your head telling you, `Do you really have what it takes?He watched over the last six years as Rory McIlroy won four majors, Spieth won back-to-back majors last year, Jason Day won his first at the PGA Championship.Johnson moved up to No. 3 in the world, and he believes he is just getting started.I know when I play my best I can beat them, he said. But can you play your best all the time? The only person thats ever done that for a long period of time is Tiger (Woods) in recent years. But I know Rory and Jason and Jordan, when they play their best, theyre going to be very, very difficult to beat, just like when I play my best. Its going to be hard to beat me. Nike Air Force 1 Mens . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Nike Air Force 1 Online Store . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. http://www.airforce1shoescheapsale.com/ . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Nike Air Force 1 Shoes Sale . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Nike Air Force 1 Low Mens Sale . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. SAN FRANCISCO -- The oldest Latino civil rights group in the United States opens every meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, a tradition resulting from a long fight to prove Hispanics belong in this country.In the San Francisco Bay Area, a white father of two says he would never require his young daughters to recite the pledge to show their patriotism.And in North Dakota, Native American protesters whose ancestors were here long before there was a United States waved American flags as they fought a proposed pipeline near sacred tribal land. Some demonstrators flew the flag upside down as a distress symbol.San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernicks refusal to stand during The Star-Spangled Banner in protest against racial oppression and police brutality has brought to light deep and sometimes surprising differences in the way Americans view the flag, the national anthem and the pledge.The symbols, people say, inspire skepticism and heartbreak, pride and joy, sometimes all at once in the same person. Some minorities, in particular, have conflicted feelings about symbols honoring a country that has not always treated all people equally.The flag is important to us because we have so many relatives in the military, said Justin Poor Bear, a 38-year-old member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from Allen, South Dakota. There is also a lot of pain.Following Kaepernicks example, pro athletes and high school students across the country are taking a knee or linking arms during the national anthem before sporting events.The protests have raised questions of who gets to be called a patriot.Jason Pontius, a 46-year-old white resident of Alameda, California, said the U.S. of all countries should realize that blind devotion is not the American way. Sometimes when he drops off his second-grader at school, he sticks around while she recites the Pledge of Allegiance with her class. But he doesnt join in.What makes America great, he said, is that people have always challenged the idea of what America stands for.Yet there are organizations that embrace the flag precisely as a way to declare that their members, too, are Americans.The League of United Latin American Citizens -- the nations oldest Latino civil rights group, founded in Texas by World War I veterans -- has historically opened all its meetings with the pledge and a prayer similar to one George Washington is said to have recited.Dennis W. Montoya, the leagues state director in New Mexico, said the groups emphasis on American pride is connected with a long fight by Latinos to prove they belong in this country.If someone doesnt stand for the pledge at one of our meetings, that person will probably be kicked out, Montoya said. Its disrespecting LULACs rituals and traditions.African-Americans have been moveed to create symbols that better reflect their history.dddddddddddd.The national anthem, for example, was written by a slave owner and contains a painful reference to slavery in its little-known third stanza. The NAACP dubbed Lift Evry Voice and Sing the black national anthem in 1919.The hymn is a staple of African American singers and is so important that the clergy member who gave the benediction at President Barack Obamas 2009 inauguration opened with lines from the song.After Kaepernick started his protest in August, C.C. Washington of Waco, Texas, read all the stanzas of The Star-Spangled Banner, including the one that refers derisively to slaves who fought for the British in exchange for their freedom.The 65-year-old African-American retiree -- fresh off visiting the Statue of Liberty last week -- felt betrayed.All this time, Ive been posting on Facebook: Respect our flag, respect our national anthem. Now its totally different, she said, choking up. Ill stand out of respect for the people standing next to me, not because I believe it.Poor Bear said he started looking at the anthem differently after he took a group of Oglala Lakota students to a minor-league hockey game last year. A man yelled slurs and sprayed the children with beer, incensed that one of them did not stand for the national anthem, Poor Bear said. The student had been putting batteries into a camera.So I still stand for the national anthem, Poor Bear said. But I no longer put my hand over my heart.Linda Tamura, a retired professor of education in Portland, Oregon, has no personal objections to the anthem or the flag, even though her family was among tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans put in internment camps by the U.S. government during World War II.Her father volunteered for the military, along with her uncle and other Japanese-American men who felt it was their duty. When she looks at the Stars and Stripes, she says, she feels pride, instilled in part by her parents, who more than anything wanted us to believe in our country.At the same time, she salutes the growing protest movement and hopes it triggers broader discussions about how to improve relations.Thats why my father was in the military. Thats why were part of America. Thats why we believe in America, she said. Because we have the right to say what we believe.---Contreras reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. AP staff writer Deepti Hajela and stringer Rachelle Blidner contributed to this story from New York. Staff writers Errin Haines Whack contributed from Philadelphia; Jesse J. Holland and Noreen Nasir from Washington.---Follow Janie Har on Twitter at www.twitter.com/byjaniehar China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '