Behinderungen » the Aussie Open quarters and is also the second Canadian ma

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hornets owner Michael Jordan, a 14-time NBA All-Star, is pushing to bring the big game back to Charlotte. The Hornets, in conjunction with the Charlotte Sports Foundation, announced plans Tuesday to submit a bid to host the NBA All-Star Weekend in 2017 or 2018. A contingent of Hornets employees and city officials flew to New York Tuesday to deliver the bid to NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum and other league executives following a morning press conference in Charlotte. "This is a great time to be a Charlotte Hornets fan and a fan of NBA basketball here in the Carolinas," Hornets COO Fred Whitfield said Tuesday. "... This is a chance for us to host the greatest basketball players in the world on not a national, but a global stage." Whitfield estimates eight to 10 other cities will apply to host the game. Charlotte hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1991 at the suburban Charlotte Coliseum, which has since been demolished. The Hornets now play in a downtown arena. Whitfield estimated Tuesday the arena, which opened in 2005, would need between $42 million and $43 million in upgrades. "The City Council at some point will receive the presentation on the results of the discussions that we have had," Whitfield said. "It has yet to be determined and it will be soon. Again, we want to make sure that our arena is very competitive with and against the rest of the region with high quality and high fan experience." Whitfield said those improvements to the arena will most likely be funded with hospitality tax revenues. The team has openly discussed in the past its desire to have the game return to Charlotte for quite some time. In April of 2013, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the possibility of Charlotte hosting a future All-Star game, saying "I cant speak as to the year, but Im very excited about the prospect of the All-Star game returning to Charlotte. Its a terrific arena and one of our best basketball markets in terms of passion." Silver said this past March that no dramatic changes were needed to the arena. He said the scoreboard, suites and lighting were some of the things that needed to be upgraded to host the All-Star Weekend, which regularly features the games biggest stars and a host of celebrities. He estimates landing the All-Star game will have $100 million economic impact on Charlotte area based off the numbers from last years game in New Orleans. Jordans Charlotte Bobcats went 43-39 last season and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2010, but were swept in the first round by the Miami Heat. Charlotte changed its name to the Hornets earlier this year. Lynn Williams Jersey .5 million, two-year contract that runs through 2015. Venable, the son of former big leaguer Max Venable, will make $4. Alex Morgan Jersey . The Oilers jumped into the free agent market early by signing defencemen Keith Aulie (six-foot-six, 228 pounds) and Mark Fayne (6-3, 210 pounds) and left-winger Benoit Pouliot (6-3, 197-pounds). Two days earlier MacTavish traded lightweight forward Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay for 6-3, 203-pound right winger Ted Purcell. http://www.officialsocceruswntshop.com/hailie-mace-usa-jersey/ . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. Blank Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Amy Rodriguez Jersey . - A retired Indiana school principal who was NASCAR star Jeff Gordons drivers education teacher was killed with his wife in a Tennessee crash while returning from watching Gordon race.Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Four-time champion Novak Djokovic, reigning titlist Stan Wawrinka and Japanese star Kei Nishikori highlighted Mondays fourth-round winners at the Australian Open. The world No. 1 Djokovic got past Luxembourg left-hander Gilles Muller 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 in Mondays nightcap at Laver Arena to reach his 23rd consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. The seven-time Grand Slam champion and reigning Wimbledon titlist is seeking his fourth Aussie championship in five years, having captured three straight of his four Melbourne crowns from 2011-13. Up next for the great Djokovic, who has yet to drop a set through four matches here, will be eighth-seeded big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, who is 0-4 lifetime against the Serb. Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Swiss slugger Wawrinka pulled out a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10-8) victory over Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Garcia-Lopez won the first five points of the fourth-set tiebreak and had five chances to force a fifth set at Melbourne Park, but Wawrinka saved all five before moving on. Garcia-Lopez stunned Wawrinka in the first round at last years French Open. Wawrinkas quarterfinal opponent on Wednesday will be the fifth-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Nishikori, who handled ninth-seeded former French Open finalist David Ferrer of Spain 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on Day 8 of the fortnight. Looking ahead to his clash with Wawrinka, Nishikori said, Its going to be a really tough match because I have seen him play on TV a couple of matches. Even today he was playing really good. He can hit balls forehand, backhand -- great backhand actually. He can hit from anywhere at the back. Its going to be a tough match. But obviously Im in the quarterfinals, so no easy matches coming up. Hopefully I can play anotheer good match.dddddddddddd For sure it gives me confidence that I beat him in the U.S. Open. Its not like I cant beat him. Its going to be a fun match for sure. Nishikori made history as he became the first Asian man to contest a Grand Slam final last year when he defeated three Top-10 players, including Wawrinka in five sets in the quarters, to reach the U.S. Open final. The aforementioned Raonic had to outlast 12th-seeded Spanish lefty Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, to reach the round of eight. Lopez saved seven match points before succumbing to the big Canadian. Raonic became the first Canadian man in the Open Era to reach the Aussie Open quarters and is also the second Canadian man in history to reach three major quarterfinals, following in the footsteps of Robert Powell at Wimbledon in 1908, 10 and 12. Its great to be doing what Im doing and that it is making a difference, said Raonic. It is, I guess, part of some history, if you look really deep. But at the end of the day, at the same time, Im always pushing myself for what I want to achieve. Im always sort of looking in the mirror and saying, Thats who I have to compare myself to: to myself. The quarterfinals will commence Tuesday, as third-seeded former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal will take on seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych and sixth-seeded Andy Murray will battle heavy Aussie crowd favorite Nick Kyrgios. Nadal beat Berdych in the 2010 Wimbledon final and is 18-3 lifetime against the big Czech. The reigning French Open king Nadal is a 14-time Grand Slam champ, including an Aussie title in 2009. Hes also a two-time runner-up in Melbourne, including last year when he was stunned by Wawrinka in the final. Murray is a two-time major titlist whos lost in three Aussie Open finals. ' ' '