CANBERRA, Australia - Challenged before the Asian Cup to prove it can be more than a footnote in Australias crowded sporting calendar, the national capital Canberra has responded with good attendances and an impressive audition for more prominent roles in the future. Vente Air Max 90 .In the leafy streets of the capital, quiet in January with the politicians on holiday, Asian footballs biggest event has taken hold. It is a payoff for organizers who took a gamble by giving Canberra — a city of around 400,000 people — seven out of the 32 games, equal to Sydney and Melbourne, cities with populations ten times as large.The national capital has a Super rugby team in the ACT Brumbies, while the Canberra Raiders are a long-term fixture in the National Rugby League, but otherwise it has little presence when it comes to national and international sporting events.In the week before kick-off, Asian Cup CEO Michael Brown drew the ire of Canberra residents by telling the city to put up or shut up and that the only way to get more sporting events was to show up to the Asian Cup.I may have upset a few people but Canberra has been amazing, Brown told Associated Press. They have talked for years about having an A-League team or a Big Bash (Twenty20 cricket) team but the only way to do that is to turn up in big numbers for the events that do come.China versus North Korea last Sunday was a virtual sell-out and there is not expected to be a spare seat for Fridays quarterfinal between Iran and Iraq. Canberra has so far averaged over 10,000 for the six games it has hosted, without yet seeing the three biggest drawing teams of the tournament: Australia, Japan and Iran.Overall, the target of 500,000 tickets sold is almost certain to be met as with eight games to go, the figure is almost at the 400,000 mark. Australia has been amazing, added Brown. We sold out Japan and Jordan, and think we will have up to eight sell-outs across five cities. The best teams have reached the quarterfinals, and with a surprise or two such as China there as well, it is a promoters dream.Nicholas Amies, 22, is a volunteer at Canberra Stadium and has enjoyed the experience of being close to the best teams in Asia and sampling the atmosphere. Its been really good so far. Attendances have been better than expected. There have been a lot of neutrals attending games, the tickets are affordable which is good for families.Attendances at stadiums may have been helped by the difficulty accessing games on television, as the tournament is on a newly launched cable channel which most homes, and even many bars, do not have.Viewing figures on the channel have been mixed. While almost 400,000 watched Australia lose to South Korea, just 26,000 saw Uzbekistan defeat Saudi Arabia 3-1 in a vital Group B decider.The local media has given a reasonable amount of prominence to the Asian Cup, even as the tournament competes against the familiar mainstays of Australian sporting summers: cricket and the Australian Open tennis.When it comes to quality on the field, the fare has been fine rather than fabulous but quarterfinals such as Australia against China and Iraq versus Iran are sure to provide drama and excitement. And then it will be time to discuss the legacy.For Canberra, it is simple: a team of its own in the countrys professional competition, the A-League, to get behind and support.It already is a football city and thats why we have seven games, said Jeremy Lasek, the CEO of the National Australia Day Council as he watched Australia defeat Oman 4-0 in a Canberra bar. We love sport. Its great to see the different cultures here and it really shows what the world game is all about. Balenciaga Pas Cher Chine .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown. Air Max 90 Pas Cher France . Coetzees finish, with six birdies and no bogeys, took him to 19-under 268 overall and past South African compatriots Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters, the overnight co-leaders. Coetzee was flawless on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club to clinch his maiden title after 24 top 10 finishes. http://www.airmaxpaschervente.fr/destockage-air-force-1-france.html . The Canadian Football Leagues all-time passing leader said he has not made a final decision, but he will discuss his future with Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall on the weekend. LOS ANGELES -- Victor Martinez helped the Detroit Tigers overcome the struggles of Joe Nathan. The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers. But Martinez picked him up in a big way with a leadoff home run in the 10th against Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen, and Detroit pulled out a 7-6 victory in which both pitching staffs made a combined 382 pitches during the 4 hour, 16-minute marathon. "Kenley Jansen is filthy, but Victor Martinez is a professional hitter," Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter said. "Hes at the plate, just trying to figure you out, and I think he figured out how Jansens ball moves. "He was able to get inside of it and hit it out of the ballpark and come up with another clutch hit. Thats what this team is capable of doing. We have some veteran guys who have good at-bats and can get the job done." Martinez drove a 2-2 pitch deep into the pavilion seats in right-centre to make a winner of Nathan (2-0). One night earlier, Martinez tied the score with a two-out single in the ninth against Jansen before the Dodgers pulled out a 3-2 victory in 10. "Vic takes hitting very seriously, and I think his main focus is to just try to get the barrel of the bat to the ball," manager Brad Ausmus said. "If you watch him on a regular basis, hes fighting to do that. And if a pitcher is trying to get him out, Victor is going to make it very difficult for him -- especially with men on base." Joba Chamberlain gave up a single to Hanley Ramirez to open the 10th. But left-hander Ian Krol struck out Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier, and Al Albuquerque retired Matt Kemp on a grounder to get his first major league save. Nathan, who said during a radio interview earlier in the day that he was experiencing a "dead arm" -- and reiterated those thoughts in the clubhouse before batting practice, was trying to protect a 6-3 lead for Anabel Sanchez. But Gonzalez led off with a home run to centre field, and the Dodgers loaded the bases with walks to Ethier and Kemp and a single by Juan Uribe. Yasiel Puig, who wasnt in the starting lineup for the third straight game because of a strained ligament in his left thumb, batted for Tim Federowicz and struck out. Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke got a run home with a fielders choice grounder before Dee Gordon singled to right field, delivering Kemp with the tying run. "Joes stuff looked as crisp as weve see it, and he said he felt like that was the best stuff hes had, in terms of the break on his sslider and the way the fastball came out of his hand," Ausmus said. Air Max Tn Pas Cher Chine. "So maybe once he got out there, his arm played a little better than he mentioned earlier." Detroits Nick Castellanos helped spoil Josh Becketts long-awaited return with a three-run homer, his first in the big leagues. Sanchez allowed three runs -- one earned -- and six hits over five innings and struck out six. Beckett threw 85 pitches through four innings, giving up five runs -- four earned -- and five hits while striking out five. The three-time All-Star, who joined the Dodgers in a nine-player megadeal with Boston in August 2012, made only 15 starts with them prior to this one because of injuries that had sidelined him since his previous outing on May 13 of last season. Beckett gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the second, laying down a suicide-squeeze bunt in front of the plate with Uribe charging down the line. It was Becketts first RBI since June 14, 2009, when he homered against J.A. Happ in an interleague game at Philadelphia. But the Tigers pulled ahead 5-3 in the third when Castellanos drove a pitch to centre field, and the ball skimmed off the top of the eight-foot fence before landing on the other side. "It was just rust," Beckett said. "After the first inning it was just a baseball game. I felt good in that fourth inning." Hunter did not play because of a bruised left knee, which occurred Tuesday when he tried to make a sliding catch of a foul ball by Federowicz near the short padded wall in front of the grandstand. "I came here early today, trying to get it loosened up, and its still swollen," Hunter said. "I cant really do too much about it. But its only been a little over 24 hours, so what were going to do is just take it one day at a time. My plan is to come back Friday, but if its still a little sore, we want to get rid of it early in the season so Ill be able to perform for my ballclub." NOTES: One of A.J. Ellis biggest regrets about going on the disabled list Tuesday was missing this series against the Tigers and Ausmus, his teammate during Ausmus final two major league seasons (2009-10). "I was fortunate to catch in the major leagues before I met Brad, but I wasnt a major league catcher until after I met Brad," Ellis said a day after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. "The two-year mentorship he gave me was what turned me into the catcher I am today. He taught me how to prepare a game plan, how to take care of my body in between starts, how to be a better teammate, and how my focus should be on my pitching staff only." ' ' '