year of FBS play before moving back to the FCS Big Sky co

MONTREAL -- Milos Raonic called it a learning experience. It certainly wasnt the victory party the Uniprix Stadium crowd was hoping for as Rafael Nadal took only one hour eight minutes to down Canadas top tennis player 6-2, 6-2 in the US$3.49 million Rogers Cup final on Sunday. But it had taken 55 years for a Canadian just to get to the final of the countrys biggest tournament, so Raonic had much to celebrate despite the defeat. For one, by reaching the final he will be ranked 10th in the world when the next rankings appear Monday morning, making him the first Canadian to crack the top-10. He will be the youngest player in the top 10 as well. "The tournament overall was a great thing," the 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., said. "There were a lot of situations that Im very happy with the way I dealt with them, and there were a lot of learning experiences through it all. "A lot of stepping stones that I need to do in my career happened this week, so thats great. The match, obviously Im a little disappointed with myself. I would have hoped to deal with that situation a little bit better." The last Canadian to reach the final of what was then called the Canadian Open, the now 81-year-old Robert Bedard of Sherbrooke, Que., was among the more than 11,000 at centre court to see the power-serving Raonic meticulously taken apart by fourth-seeded Nadals service returns and brilliant baseline play. Nadal, one of the worlds best who was playing for the first time since his first-round loss at Wimbledon in June, posted his eighth tournament win this year and the 58th of his career. He sees Raonic as one of the rising talents in the sport. "With his serve, his chance to be in the top 10 for a long time is very good," the Spaniard said. "Then what you need is to work on the mental part and in the game from the baseline, to try to play the right way on the important points. "I think he will do it. Hes still young. Hes having great results. This week is going to be very important for him and for tennis in Canada in general." It was an unprecedented week for Canada, which already reached a milestone in April when it defeated Italy to make the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time. Of the six Canadians in the Rogers Cup main draw, a record five got to the second round. Then Raonic and Vernon, B.C., native Vasek Pospisil became the first two Canadians to make the semifinals of an ATP Tour tournament since Andrew Sznajder and Martin Wostenholme in 1990 in Rio de Janeiro. They played each other in a semifinal, a cliffhanger that went to a third-set tiebreaker. So the one-sided loss in the final stung, but it was still a big week as he made the final for the first time in a Masters series event, one level below the grand slams. Raonic had worn different coloured Davis Cup-style shirts with a maple leaf over the heart all week, but saved a red-and-white one for the final. When he walked onto the court, he got a standing ovation. "That was one of the most special feelings Ive had in my career to this date," he said. "I even got a little bit of goosebumps from that. Im very, very grateful to have that memory and that experience here." The crowd stayed with him despite the beating. Nadal had two service breaks in a quick first set, including one game that Raonic led 40-0. The Canadian wasted three break points on Nadals serve in the fourth game of the second set and saw his chance to make a contest of it slip away. His best weapon, his serve, was not on form. He got only 50 per cent of his first serves in, and had only four aces. "I was trying more to serve hard rather than hitting spots," he said. "I wasnt getting the percentages I needed on my first serve. "Obviously, (Nadal) was playing great. He wasnt making many errors, if any. But at some points, I wasnt making him play enough, or waiting for the right shot. I think I was rushing a lot in the first set and a half. "But you live and learn. Its an experience I can learn a lot from and Im sure I will." Asked to comment on Raonic, Bedard says he has a bright future but needs to work on his game. "His return of serve is his weakness, for sure," said Bedard, who still plays doubles a few times per week. "He relies too much on his serve. "If I were his coach, and Im not close to that, I wouldnt let him serve for a while and just make him play and improve on the other shots that he has. One thing he might not be able to improve as much as he should, as much as Pospisil will, is that his mobility is not that great. But that can improve also." Nadal, who is 4-0 against Raonic in his career, won $547,300, while Raonic took in $268,350. Nadal stretched his record for wins in Masters series tournaments to 25 with his fourth this year. He is 48-3 and has reached the final of 10 out of 11 tournaments played in 2013. Raonic and Pospisil are slated to play this week in Cincinnati. Cheap Hydro Flask . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Hydro Flask 24 Oz Cheap . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. http://www.hydroflasknzsale.com/hydro-flask-32-oz-sale.html . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Hydro Flask 40 Oz Sale .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Hydro Flask 40 Oz Nz . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Looking to bet on any college football bowls this holiday season? Weve got plenty of terrific content to help you make your picks at Chalk, including a graphical representation of some key betting numbers for the early bowls, through Dec. 22.Bowl betting guide | Vegas Rankings | Betting nuggetsDec. 17Will Harris: Grambling rallied past two-time defending champion Alcorn State to claim the SWAC crown, while North Carolina Central beat rival North Carolina A&T for the MEAC championship. The Eagles, 9-2, have now won 15 straight over MEAC opponents and have taken at least a share of the conference title for three straight seasons. Grambling (11-1) is, likewise, master of its league, having won 18 straight games in SWAC play. The Tigers are 3-0 all-time against the Eagles, but the schools havent met since the 1980s.Will Harris: On Saturday, New Mexico ran for 428 yards in the first half alone, beating MWC Mountain champ Wyoming to finish 8-4 in the schools best season since former coach Rocky Longs penultimate campaign in 2007. The Lobos lost a 45-37 thriller to Arizona at home in last years New Mexico Bowl. First-year UTSA head coach Frank Wilson, formerly Les Miles running backs coach and top recruiter at LSU, replaced the retiring Larry Coker and led the Roadrunners to a second-place finish in Conference USA West and the schools first bowl game in just its sixth year of football.Will Harris: San Diego State, 10-3, clinched the MWC West division early then faltered down the stretch with losses to Wyoming and Colorado State before rallying for a 27-24 win over the Cowboys on the road in the Mountain West Championship Game. Aztecs star RB Donnel Pumphrey needs just 108 yards to surpass Wisconsins Ron Dayne as the all-time FBS career rushing leader. Former defensive coordinator and interim head coach Todd Orlando will lead 9-3 Houston into this Group of 5 heavyweight matchup after the departure of Tom Herman to Texas.Will Harris: Its a return visit to Montgomery for 9-3 Sun Belt co-champ Appalachian State, who defeated MAC entrant Ohio in a 31-29 thriller in last years Camellia Bowl in the former FCS powerhouses first bowl game since moving up to the FBS in 2014. Toledo, 9-3, has had four head coaches in eight years but just finished a seventh straight winning season. The Rockets finished second in the rugged MAC West this season and last year beat a ranked Temple team in the Boca Raton Bowl.Will Harris: Arkansas State began the season 0-4 in nonconference play but rallied for a 7-5 record and Sun Belt co-championship, the Red Wolves third league title in four years. Central Florida finished 6-6 under first-year coach Scott Frost a year after turning in a winless season in George OLearys final turn with the program. The Knightss play their home games across town in Bright House Networks Stadium.ddddddddddddWill Harris: Southern Miss struggled after losing quarterback Nick Mullens for a late-season stretch but rallied to secure bowl eligibility with a home win over Conference USA West champ Louisiana Tech. Louisiana-Lafayette also gained eligibility in its final game, trouncing rival Louisiana-Monroe to close the season at 6-6. The Cajuns only bowl appearances in school history are a quartet of New Orleans Bowl victories from 2011 to 2014. These schools have met 50 times, with Southern Miss holding a 38-11-1 series lead, including a current eight-game winning streak over the Cajuns, the last loss coming in 2008.Dec. 19Will Harris: Tulsa ended last season -- former Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomerys first as a head coach -- with a 6-7 record and a narrow bowl loss in Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamers final game. This year, the Golden Hurricane improved to 9-3, finishing second in the AAC West division. The senior-laden Chippewas finished with a disappointing 6-6 record and fifth place finish in the MAC West.Dec. 20Will Harris: Defensive coordinator Nick Holt will lead two-time defending Conference USA champion Western Kentucky into this game after head coach Jeff Brohm departed for Purdue following the 10-3 Hilltoppers 58-44 victory over Louisiana Tech in the CUSA title game. First-year Memphis head coach Mike Norvell built on the momentum of the Justin Fuente era with an 8-4 record and third-place finish in the AAC West. The Tigers are bowling for the third straight year and just the ninth time in school history.Dec. 21Will Harris: Old WAC and Mountain West rivals unite for the 78th time and first since 2010. Independent BYU acquitted itself very well in coach Kalani Sitakes first year at the helm, finishing 8-4 with four losses by a combined eight points against a schedule that included six power-league foes who went bowling in 2015, plus Group of 5 heavies Toledo, Cincinnati and Boise State. Wyoming won the MWC Mountain division before falling to San Diego State in the league title game to finish 8-5.Dec. 22Will Harris: Fourth-year coach Paul Petrino led Idaho to an 8-4 mark and the Vandals third bowl berth -- first since 2009 -- in the schools final year of FBS play before moving back to the FCS Big Sky conference next season. Colorado State won four of five down the stretch to finish 7-5 in Mike Bobos second year as coach. The Rams closed 2015 with an Arizona Bowl loss to Nevada and have now qualified for the postseason for the fourth str