The April reading for the German Ifo index came in strongerthan expected, lifting some of the gloom over Europe's largesteconomy. willactually help the economy to recover and possibly sooner ratherthan later," he said. "There is a growing conviction that all the policy stimuluswe have seen worldwide and are continuing to see ... "The market is reacting to the sentiment indicators ratherthan the real economy data," Brewin Dolphin strategist MikeLenhoff said. By 1037 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3index of top shares was up 0.7 percent at 797.22 points. * FTSEurofirst 300 up 0.7 pct* Banks, commods gain* Volvo falls after Q1 operating lossBy Joanne Frearson Stocks  |  Global Markets  |  France LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - European shares were higher atmidday on Friday, with commodities and financials the majorrisers as investor sentiment about a recovery in the globaleconomy improved. The Tigers got off to a 6-0 lead in the first after lighting Bonser up like a Christmas tree.  However, they were unable to defend that lead and lost the game 7-6.The Twins have shown poise early, making things happen when it counts.  They've played well despite disappointing performances from Francisco Liriano, who is currently with Triple-A Rochester, as well as some early injuries to pitchers Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey.  Slugger Mike Cuddyer and infielder Adam Everett have also had stints on the 15-day DL.Come August only one thing can be predicted for the AL Central expect it to be a close race that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.  Every game counts, and it's the team on the winning side of the 7-6 games that will play for fame this fall..

This year should be no different.As of May 4, only three games separated the five teams in the division, the least amount of separation for any division in baseball.  The Minnesota Twins lead the division, with the White Sox, Royals, Indians, and Tigers close behind.Most analysts predicted that the Tigers would win the division convincingly. Here we are, just over a fifth of the way through the 2008 MLB season and the AL Central is the tightest division in baseball.  In years past, it has bred extraordinary competition among teams seeking a divisional playoff spot. So even if it's boring, the ratings are sky high and the race attendance is through the roof. . NASCAR and Indycar are doing it and the racing is always great(ovals and road courses).But this will probably never happen since Formula 1 is already the most popular motorsport or even sport in the world. Like I said earlier, the field is closer together and the races are interesting.

Each time this happened, the field was brought back close together and the racing was really exciting!So even if there's a small crash or a blown engine where they would usually pick up the car while the others fly by, take out the safety car. There were many crashes in this race which brought the safety car many times. But watching cars go around a racetrack at high speeds, real far from each other with nothing exciting happening is just as boring.But after watching the Australian Grand Prix this year, I found the solution to better racing. Some people will say I'm stupid saying this because watching cars go around the track at slow speeds and not passing is boring. But I have the solution, we need the safety car to come out more(in North American words, a full course caution).