ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tiger Woods was a large part of the conversation on the eve of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And hes not even playing. Woods is missing Bay Hill for only the second time in his career when the tournament starts Thursday on a course that Palmer said is in the best shape ever. Woods has won eight times, including the last two years, but he called the 84-year-old host on Tuesday to say persistent back pain will keep him from playing. "He didnt tell me how bad his back is. I dont think he knows how bad his back is," Palmer said. "I think hes listening to the doctors. And he mentioned that theyre saying that he needs to give it a bit of a rest and see if he can work it out. He was very nice. And I, of course, have great sympathy for the fact that he tried like hell to come here and play. And I appreciate that and the fact that he called. "I think he wanted to play golf this week," Palmer said. "I think that he needs to take (time) -- whether its this week, next week or the following week -- to get ready for Augusta. Certainly, if I were in that position, Id be doing much the same." Most of the chatter was more about the future with Woods. Will he play at the Masters? Stuck on 14 majors for the last five years, can he match or surpass the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus? And what will be the larger obstacle -- his age (38), his health (legs and back) or the competition (long list)? "I dont think 38 years is the ultimate stopping point for his quest to do what Jack did," Palmer said. "I think it lessens the possibility of that happening. Its going to be tough. Its going to be tough to keep the concentration and the type of the game that is necessary to win majors." Nicklaus won four of his majors after turning 38. Ben Hogan, with battered legs from a car accident, won five majors after turning 38. Palmer, however, believes more than age is at stake for Woods. "These young guys are tough, and theyre strong," Palmer said. "And if they continue to play as well as theyve been playing, its going to be tough for anybody -- whether it be Nicklaus or Tiger or whomever it would be -- to continue to win major championships. And were talking about guys that are playing good and coming on." Palmer actually had a list of players he was talking about. Some of them were young, such as Chris Kirk and Harris English. Others had either won this season (Ryan Moore) or played well recently (Robert Garrigus). "I dont know how many you want me to name," Palmer said. "But really, the strength and the ability of these people is very pleasing to me." Graeme McDowell, a runner-up to Woods two years at Bay Hill, said he can understand what the No. 1 player is going through with injuries. He also believes that competition might be an even larger obstacle than his health for Woods to break Nicklaus record. "Hes a physical player who creates a lot of speed and a lot of power and his body is starting to struggle a little bit, no doubt about it," McDowell said. "But Im sure hell fix it. ... But we all talk about how good the fields are nowadays. Taking Tigers fitness and physicality out of it, winning major championships is getting harder and harder for everyone -- including the best player maybe thats ever lived in Tiger. "Hes got more than just his body to be fighting. Theres a lot of great players in the world now," McDowell said. "Its going to be harder for him to achieve Jacks record. But if anyone can do it, Im sure he can find a way because we all know how good he is." The field at Bay Hill is not as strong as usual, starting with the absence of Woods, the No. 1 player in the world and an eight-time winner of this event. Match Play champion Jason Day (No. 4 in the world) pulled out with recurring pain in his thumb, and Phil Mickelson (No. 5) is not playing this year. Not that it would change the dynamics of what already has been a peculiar season. With 18 tournaments in the books this season, Zach Johnson is the only player to win a PGA Tour event while ranked among the top 10 in the world. The Masters is three weeks away. Is it time for the stars to come out? "Hopefully, this one does," Masters champion Adam Scott said, pointing to himself with a laugh. "But as far as unexpected winners, it seems to me thats happening more and more in golf. There are more and more guys breaking through, putting in a lot of hard work and getting what they deserve. So I think weve seen a bit of a shift in the game over the last couple of years -- a lot less domination by top players." Cheap Basketball Shoes China . -- Andy Granatelli, the former CEO of STP motor oil company who made a mark on motorsports as a car owner, innovator and entrepreneur, has died. Basketball Shoes Sale .com) - Mike Conley scored 20 points with five assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies remain unbeaten with a 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. https://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.com/ .Y. - The Philadelphia Eagles game at Green Bay against the Packers on Nov. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . Terry came from Boston along with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce but has appeared in just 35 games after a knee injury, averaging 4.5 points on 36 per cent shooting. Evans was a favourite of fans but not coach Jason Kidd, who used him in just 30 of their 51 games. Basketball Shoes From China . Wheeler said Kane was just making a joke that was misunderstood and misinterpreted by "Winnipeg folks" and the media once again. Wheeler repeated that he believes Kane is a player who has the ability to help the Jets get to the next level as they try once again to reach the playoffs in 2014. He made the comments initially in an interview, when asked how the Jets could compete in the Central Division with teams that have made some high-profile off-season signings.One of Canadas foremost experts on doping in sports has a solution for a cash crunch thats leaving university football and hockey players rarely tested for banned substances: have an entire team pee into one bucket and then test the collective result. As TSN reported Thursday, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is under intense pressure from the federal government to focus drug testing on athletes who compete in international events representing Canada. Since funding for the tests has been frozen and the cost of testing can eclipse $1,000 per test, university athletes in a number of sports are being tested less often. This coming school year, the CCES expects to conduct about 200 tests of athletes who compete in Canadian university athletics. The number of tests has plunged from 455 during 2011-12. And as testing has slipped, positive drug tests have climbed. Since a scandal at the University of Waterloo in 2010, 14 CIS football players have tested positive for banned substances (taken from 1,399 urine tests and 142 blood tests over that period). The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) has had four violations recorded - three of them in football and one in soccer (taken from 18 urine tests over that period). Three more of the top CIS players tested positive at a CFL-financed training camp in Edmonton in March, TSN reported Thursday. There have also been positive drug tests in other sports, both of university and college athletes. In the wake of TSNs report Thursday, the head of Canadian Interuniversity Sport said he plans to ask officials with the federal and provincial governments, as well as national sports organizations and amateur sports groups, to consider meeting at a summit to discuss whether more can be done to improve drug testing protocols in Canada. "Canada is a leading force around the world for innovation and for taking a stand on clean sport and we need to keep it going to do everything we can to help have clean sport," said Pierre Lafontaine.PC Member of Parliament Bal Gosal, Canadas sports minister, couldnt be reached for comment. Lafontaines remarks come as Doug MacQuarrie, the CCESs chief operating officer, told TSN that provincial governments and Canadian companies should begin funding anti-doping efforts. "To date corporate Canada has been conspicuously absent in funding support for Canadas anti-doping efforts," MacQuarrie said. "They derive great benefit through association with sport. There is a tremendous opportunity for them to signal the type of sport (clean sport) that they wish to associate with." Ira Jacobs, dean of the University of Torontos kinesiology and physical education department said in an interview that Canadiaan officials should consider new testing technologies to help cut testing costs.dddddddddddd For instance, the CCES could have a single team urinate into a bucket and test the combined waste. "You analyze it and if its positive you go back and test the whole team individually," Jacobs said. "The odds are that wont happen very often." Jacobs said the CCES might also narrow the types of drugs it tests for. Its not necessary to test football players for stamina-boosting drugs that cyclists or marathon runners might turn to. Jacobs also said the CCES could take samples from every athlete without testing all of the samples. "Research suggests the most effective deterrent for athletes is the perception of how frequently they are tested, not education about potential side effects." He said one technique might involved "not doing the testing but pretending you are." Bob Copeland, the former athletic director at the University of Waterloo, said the CCES should also consider having lower-cost U.S. labs test results. MacQuarrie said that it can be a slippery slope when organizers find ways to cut costs. "The challenge is we have a best in class and world standard," he said. "You have to determine a comfort level of stepping away from that." For instance, he said taking samples but not testing them would be wrong. "International standards for doping control say that an organization cant collect a human sample without submitting it to the agreed to rigour," he said. "It corrupts the whole process. If you collect a sample, you have to process it. Why submit an individual to the violation of privacy to collect a sample if its going to be poured down a sink?" Richard Peddie, a former CIS board member and former chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, said the CIS should ramp up efforts to generate revenue. Several U.S. schools recently signed licensing agreements with Nike for the sports company to produce school-branded running shoes. Popular Canadian schools like McGill, the University of Toronto or UBC might have similar appeal, and with the added revenue, schools could contribute more money towards drug testing protocols.There are modest signs of progress. MacQuarrie said the Canadian Olympic Committee last year made a financial contribution to the CCES, as has the CFL. CIS schools will follow suit this year, and so will national sports organizations.That money cant come soon enough, Jacobs said. "Im concerned about a safe playing ground and being able to afford it," he said. "Right now we cant afford to do the testing thats mandated by (the World Anti-Doping Agency)." ' ' '