STUTTGART, Germany -- Top-seeded Tommy Haas beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 to join two other Germans in the Mercedes Cup quarterfinals on Thursday. The 35-year-old Haas is the oldest player in the top 100 and is looking for his second title of the year. Haas won another tournament in Germany, in Munich, also on clay. Haas cruised through the first set, but Gulbis bounced back in the second. In the decider, Haas broke serve to win the match as Gulbis slammed a forehand into the net. "There are days like that, I could feel that he couldnt find his rhythm in the first set but I was also struggling. This was my first match after Wimbledon, switching from grass to clay," Haas said. "In the second, he got some first serves in and they are difficult to return. But I also served well at the end." Haas will next play fifth-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy, who overwhelmed Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-1, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Benoit Paire of France also won his second-round match by beating Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 6-3, 6-1. Paires quarterfinal opponent will be Victor Hanescu of Romania, who beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-1, 6-4. Hanescu levelled his record against Bellucci to 1-1. Paire advanced to the quarterfinals in Stuttgart for the first time, having twice lost in the second round previously. In other quarterfinals, Michael Berrer of Germany faces Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, while second-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany meets Gael Monfils of France. Cheap Air Max 200 . The 22-year-old Spanish midfielder recently signed a new three-year contract with Chelsea, and after spending last season on loan with Valencia in La Liga, Romeu will move to the Bundesliga for the 2014-15 campaign. Fake Air Max 270 . -- Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the Dodgers starting pitchers in their two-game season-opening series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks. http://www.airmaxsneakersonsale.com/cheap-air-max-95.html . Cilic cruised to victory, beating the seventh-seeded Seppi 6-1, 6-3 in just 72 minutes. He faced only one break point, winning 24 out of 29 points played on the first serve. Wholesale Air Max 200 .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Falcons by 3 1/2RECORD VS. Cheap Air Max 200 Mens .J. -- Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets.PHILADELPHIA - With his young son sitting on his lap, surrounded by teammates, coaches and family at his home in Philadelphia, Kyle Lowry learned the news. He didnt see it coming. Shocking, the Raptors point guard said, asked what it might feel like to be named an all-star starter on Thursday afternoon, hours before the official announcement was made. It would be humbling to even be put in the category of the top 10, half-season players. Its kind of mind-boggling. I dont know what to say because I never expected it could happen in my career. Later that evening, it became a reality. Voted in by the fans, Lowry will make his first all-star appearance in next months NBA showcase as a starter for the Eastern Conference. A year ago at this time, Lowry was widely recognized as the most deserving player to be left off the team, with the leagues coaches awarding the final reserve slots to Nets veteran Joe Johnson and teammate DeMar DeRozan. This season, the voting public didnt give the coaches a chance to right their wrong. The nine-year guard gets the well-deserved nod, averaging career-highs in points (19.8), rebounds (4.9), assists (7.5) and steals (1.6), while leading the Raptors to a 27-15 record, good for third in the East. Lowry trailed Miamis Dwyane Wade, a 10-time all-star, by over 100,000 votes at the final balloting update on Jan. 8. Since then, the online support for Lowrys bid skyrocketed, primarily north of the border. The Raptors ramped up their promotion over Twitter and on team broadcasts while Canadian celebrities and politicians publicly endorsed the campaign. In the end, Lowry beat out Wade for the second and final starting spot in the Easts backcourt by just over 15,000 votes, easily the smallest margin at any position in either conference this season. Over half of that differential can be attributed to Prime Minister Stephen Harpers pair of Twitter votes - retweeted over 8,000 times. Lowrys late push to overtake Wade is a testament to the power of social media and the benefit of playing in Toronto, something that had been overlooked or devalued for many years as the Raptors carried a negative stigma around the NBA. The 28-year-old chose to stick around and play in Canada, re-signing with the Raptors over the summer, and the countrys basketball fans showed their appreciation this past month. Thank you to the wonderful Raptors fans across the NBA, especially in Canada, Lowry said in a press release Thursday night. I am amazed by your passion for our team and the support you have given me. When I re-signed here this summer, I said one of the great things is being able to play for an entire country. This is further proof how really special that is. Lowry has felt slighted, under-appreciated and overlooked for most his playing career, even before the Grizzlies selected him with the 24th overall pick back in 2006. Only recently has he channeled that passion into becoming the player, person and leader he is today. Hes relentless, hes gritty, DeRozan said of his teammate and good friend. Thats one thing he brings every single dday and it shows in his play every time hes out on the court.dddddddddddd Thats his personality. The same way he plays, thats how he approaches working out, film, every single thing. It all carries over. I mean its definitely amazing, he continued. I know the feeling firsthand, from last year. Just to see how hard he worked. I think every player in this league has the goal to be an all-star. Thats a great accomplishment. Its just a credit to the hard work he put in last summer. He carried the team while I was out and proved his worth. Its been great to see. A modest and soft-spoken person by nature, Lowry often defers to his teammates and the importance of winning when discussing individual accomplishments, most recently his Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for December. But even hes had a hard time hiding what this honour would mean to him if and when it came to fruition. I think every pro athlete, they always have doubt at some point and for me, it was a couple years ago, he said after practice on Thursday. But at the end of the day, I work hard and I know what I can do. The hard work that I do in the summertime, I go extremely hard because Im preparing for the season, for the long haul. I dont want to sit out games, I want to play every single night. These guys pay me to play basketball and do a job I love and I have no problem with doing that. Lowry will become the fourth Raptor to start in an All-Star Game, joining Vince Carter, Antonio Davis and Chris Bosh, the third to be elected (Davis was an injury replacement in 2001). Despite their record and standing in the East, Lowry is likely to be the teams lone representative in this years contest, which will be played in New York on Feb. 15. DeRozan, who missed 21 games with a groin injury, understands the chances of him joining his backcourt partner are slim but he and the rest of his teammates have rallied around Lowry, knowing theyve all had a hand in his success. Last year, I thought he was snubbed and there was an opportunity for both of us to be there, DeRozan said. But it definitely means a lot, especially for us. I remember being here and watching [Bosh] be an all-star, then me being an all-star next. So just to start to see that recognition that weve been fighting for ever since weve been here in a Raptors uniform definitely means a lot. I know how Kyle is, he continued. If he makes it, we all make it. That was the same with me last year; when I made it, we all made it. I couldnt go there without shouting out my teammates, every single guy, because if it wasnt for them, I wouldnt have made it. Its not just an individual thing. You can easily score 40 points a night but if youre losing, that doesnt make you an all-star. It takes a group effort. If one makes it, we all make it. Thats how we feel. I give them all the credit, Lowry said of his teammates. Because at the end of the day, they believe in me, they do things to get me the ball and make plays and finish shots. If it wasnt for them and the coaches and the organization, I wouldnt be in this position. ' ' 'ight while watching Seven Years in Tibet, a 1997 movie starring Brad Pitt.It was a moving experience... It was a spiritual movie, Busch explained, adding that the movie led him to reflect on his own life. There were some tearjerker moments.In a text to Driscoll that night, Busch told her that he was crying, lying on the floor and didnt know which way was up.In another text that night, Busch told Driscoll I dont love anything right now.Driscoll testified tthat she became concerned about Busch after seeing the texts and went to check on him, thinking she and her son could comfort him.ddddddddddddDriscoll and Busch both testified about an angry exchange following a race in New Hampshire, one week before Dover. It resulted in him damaging a rental car and her driving off, leaving him stranded at a Boston airport. She also said she tried to reach out to Buschs mother after the New Hampshire race, saying Busch was drinking and struggling with depression.Busch testified that he told Driscoll bye forever after New Hampshire but acknowledged sending a text nearly a month later hoping to talk to her.Buschs attorneys have portrayed Driscoll as a scorned woman out to destroy his career. Driscoll runs a small Washington, D.C.-based defence consulting firm and is president of the Armed Forces Foundation, a non-profit for veterans,The first witness called by Hardin on Wednesday was Michael Doncheff, who was hired earlier this year to drive Buschs motorhome and serve as a personal assistant to the couple.He said Busch treated him well but had a temper at times. Busch often deferred decisions to Driscoll, who Doncheff said could be high maintenance.Doncheff said on the night of the motorhome encounter, Driscoll sent him a screenshot from her earlier text conversation with Busch. He said he thought it might be a good idea for Driscoll to drive to Dover.Doncheff also said he believed Driscoll when she later told him Busch had assaulted her, even though she previously had made what he considered unbelievable statements.The day before the New Hampshire race, Doncheff said, he noticed that Driscoll was moving gingerly and seemed very stiff. She told him that she had been picked up by a big man and slammed to the ground while helping round up illegal immigrants at the Mexican border, a story Doncheff considered far-fetched.Doncheff also recounted a time when Driscoll was involved in a dispute involving a NASCAR sponsorship issue.NASCAR is nothing, he quoted Driscoll as saying. I take down foreign governments. I own Washington.Doncheff also said Driscoll told him she was a trained assassin for the U.S. government. ' ' 'ones looking to leave a mark on their respective national programs.Derraugh, who was an assistant with Canada in 2012 and coaches the womens team at Cornell University in the NCAA, said the Four Nations is also a chance for him to show he belongs at this level beyond the spring of 2015.In coaching youre always looking to challenge yourself. You want to learn and I think this was a great opportunity for me to learn more, said the Arnprior, Ont., native. Im always trying to get better and this is certainly a good stage to put yourself on to force yourself to work harder and get better.When you get an opportunity to represent your country at this level its certainly an honour. Im humbled by it and certainly want to do the best job I can.The same goes for the Canadian players given leadership roles in Kamloops. Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford are among the 10 veterans who were left at home, meaning that players like captain Haley Irwin and assistants Rebecca Johnston, Lauriane Rougeau and Natalie Spooner arre being given a chance to grab the torch.ddddddddddddYouve got some of the older players not on the squad at this time and its an opportunity for some of the players that havent been in a leadership role to step up and help us in that regard and help develop their leadership skills, said Derraugh. Whether theyre the next leadership group or not, it will help them in the future because theyll have had that and theyll know what its like to be in those roles.I think thats really helpful for a player if you are the captain, but its also really helpful if youre not the captain in the future so you know the pitfalls and you know what its like.At just 26, Irwin said it has been an adjustment being one of the senior players on the squad.Our rosters a lot different. Its weird to say Im a vet on this team, she said. Its definitely a new role for a few of us, but definitely one were embracing.The U.S. also has a lot of youngsters trying to cut their teeth, as well as a coach who is also getting his first experience at this level.Former NHL defenceman Ken Klee coached with the U.S. under-22 program before being asked to lead the senior team at the Four Nations. As it stands now, Klees commitment ends after Saturdays final, but he also sees the tournament as an audition.Thats the way the coaching gig is. Youre here for now and doing the best you can, said Klee, who played 934 games with seven NHL teams before retiring after 2008-09 season. Its that way for the young players and the same for me as a coach. Im enjoying it and trying to do the best job I can.Its a great opportunity. When youre a coach and you have a chance to work with elite-level athletes who want to get better everyday, thats a great situation.Derraughs team already knows it will be playing the final, but he still wants a 60-minute effort from Canada against the Finns, who lost 5-0 to the U.S. before topping Sweden 1-0.Were looking for strong execution of our game plan and see the habits that are going to make us successful not only at this tournament, but in the future, said Derraugh. Right now it hasnt been consistent. Until we get to that point where we are consistently doing the things we need to do its going to be tough.Notes: Canada has won the Four Nations Cup a total 13 times, while the U.S. took top spot in the other five. ... The Americans finished third as the hosts last year in Lake Placid, N.Y., behind Canada and Finland. ... The womens world hockey championship will be held from March 28 to April 4 in Malmo, Sweden. ' ' 'two periods.The trust was there tonight, Gibson said. Like I said before, it takes everybody on the team to trust one another. The trust was there tonight. We were talking. Guys were responding. Everyybody was there for one another.dddddddddddd Thats the old Chicago Bull defence.The schedule has played in a role in Chicagos unusually high average. The Bulls lost 132-129 to high-scoring Dallas in double overtime on Dec. 2, and the Warriors also are one of the NBAs best offensive teams. But Chicago also surrendered 115 points in a victory at lowly Philadelphia, and lost 99-90 to Indiana on Nov. 15.Where you get trust is from the work. The magic is in the work, Thibodeau said before the win over Brooklyn. Its working together. Its timing. Its being tied together. One guy being off is going to hurt, so you need everyone working together. And it doesnt end. Youre not going to have it figured out in three days.When told of Thibodeaus pregame comments, Gibson did not back down from the trust talk.Its just new guys. Thats all it is, Gibson said before Chicagos first home win since Nov. 10 against Detroit. Most of the guys are coming from teams that are not really like the defensive-minded team first. You know what Im saying? So of course its going to happen.But thats just my opinion. Thats what I see on the court. Ive been here for a while. I know what Im talking about. Joakim knows what hes talking about. Hes the Defensive Player of the Year. Of course, he knows what hes talking about.Injuries also have played a role in the defensive issues. Noah missed the game with the Nets with a right ankle injury.___Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '