Okkultismus » (in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa).

HALIFAX -- Milos Raonic did just what was expected of him. The Thornhill, Ont. native won both his singles matches in a playoff tie with Colombia, including the clinching match on Sunday, as Canada stayed in the Davis Cup World Group for the fourth straight year. Raonic, No. 7 in the ATP singles rankings, beat Santiago Giraldo 6-1, 7-6(2), 7-5 in front of a spirited crowd at Halifax Metro Centre. The win gave Canada a 3-1 lead in a best of five tie, and secured Canadas spot in the World Group for 2015. "I knew I wasnt playing my best tennis, probably at B-plus level at the very best," said 23-year-old Raonic. "But I am extremely happy the way I competed in both matches, and giving Canada a deciding point in a tie for the fifth time." Raonic won deciding points against Mexico, South Africa, Spain and Italy. "I was struggling a little bit in the second set, but decided to put an extra pressure on Giraldo by serving and attacking the net as often as possible." "I dont think that Milos was in danger even if he had lost that second set," added Canadian coach Martin Larendeau. "He was serving well, and played aggressively, so I was confident he could win for us." As for his part, Giraldo played at a very solid level on the surface he dislikes the most. "I like slower surfaces like clay, slower hard courts to be able to construct the point. I played one of the top players today on his favourite surface and played a good match," said Giraldo. Giraldo had two set points in the second set, but Raonic saved the first one with a volley, and then Giraldo made an unforced error sending the ball to the net. On Friday Raonic beat World No. 90 Alejandro Gonzales 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 -- overwhelming his opponent with 30 aces (Gonzales had only one). Teammate Vasek Pospisil, of Vancouver, gave Canada a 1-0 lead when he beat Giraldo 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the opening match. Joining Raonic on the Canadian team were Frank Dancevic (ATP No. 135) and Daniel Nestor (ATP No. 3 doubles), whos played his 47 Davis Cup tie. On Saturday Pospisil and Nestor lost their doubles match to the team of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-6(4), 7-6(7) 6-4 in a close match where the winners won the total of 109 points and the losing team won 102. Winning the doubles match on Saturday gave the Colombian team some hope before the reverse singles matches on Sunday, but Mauricio Hadad, Colombias coach, had no doubt that winning both singles against very well serving opponents would be a tough order. "The doubles team kept us in the match, but we knew that winning both singles on the surface that heavily favours Canadian players is going to be very, very difficult." In the last match Dancevic, of Niagara Falls, Ont., lost to Alejandro Gonzales 6-4, 5-7, 2-6. Raonics win on Sunday was crucial, particularly that he wasnt happy with his level of play coming to Halifax from the U.S. Open. "I have to clean up my serve, find a rhythm, and this is what I will be working on for the next few days." As for the opponent in the World Group, "I am not going to think at all about this right now, and probably will even miss the draw. When it comes closer to the tie I will think about it," said Raonic. Canada will learn who the opponent in the 2015 World Group is on Sept. 18 when the ITF will have the draw in Dubai. Mexico Jerseys . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT. Giovani dos Santos Jersey . - Mathew Barzal scored 3:47 into overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds downed the visiting Everett Silvertips 4-3 on Tuesday in Western Hockey League playoff action. http://www.soccermexicojerseysteamstore.com/andres-guardado-mexico-jersey/ . The eighth-year point guard played in his 500th career game on Sunday, a 98-93 win over the Orlando Magic. Does he feel like hes played in that many games? "No," he said initially, before reconsidering. Hugo Ayala Jersey . - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson sat on the scorers table at Oracle Arena on Wednesday morning. Jesus Manuel Corona Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos are shuffling their offensive line this off-season and Orlando Franklin provided some insight into their plans Monday by tweeting that hes moving from right tackle to left guard.PHOENIX - Richard Sherman has contingency plans in place should his girlfriend give birth to their first child — a son — before Sundays Super Bowl against New England.Sherman doesnt seem worried about the potential arrival of his son interfering with his chances at winning a second straight Super Bowl title. Hes expecting his son to be co-operative from birth.Hes not supposed to come on Sunday. Obviously that would change some things. But I think hes going to be a disciplined young man and stay in there until after the game. Hes going to do his father his first favour and stay in there for another week or two, Sherman said on Thursday.But Ive thought about the possibility of him coming during the game and coming before the game and we have things in place in case that happens and well cross that bridge when we get there. But I did not know it was a topic of national debate, honestly. I would not like to miss the birth of my first son, my first kid. Thankfully, hopefully and God willing we wont have to cross that bridge.Sherman revealed the pending birth of his son earlier this week in a first-person article for The MMQB.Sherman also had no reservations about the idea of his son playing football in the future.Football teaches you discipline and helps you develop a sense of leadership and courage and camaraderie among your friends and teammates, Sherman said. It also shows you how to work with the group, how to depend on one another, how to trust someone to do their job and how to be dependable, to doo your job.dddddddddddd. There are a lot of aspects of football that people dont talk about, and these are the things you learn and they are essential throughout your life.WORTHY CAUSE: Cancer Treatment Centers of America and the NFL Alumni Association announced a partnership to raise awareness among NFL Alumni and fans around the country about screening, diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer.The partnership also calls for CTCA to treat NFL Alumni who are fighting the disease at each of its five hospitals (in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa). CTCA will also become a sponsor of the NFLAs Super Bowl of Golf, an annual member event that is part of the NFLAs charitable fundraising activities.Other than non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. Nearly one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2014. More than 29,000 men succumbed to the disease that year.BRIGHT LIGHTS IN THE BIG APPLE: The Empire State Building will track the Super Bowl on its tower lights with a virtual scoreboard on Sunday. The lights, which will shine in the colours of the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, will change depending on the score of the game, ultimately shining in the colours of the winning team for the rest of the evening.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '