Photographs of James Blake (above) by Charles Krupa/AP and photograph of Roger Federer by Elise Amendola/AP Whoa! James Blake beat number 1-ranked Roger Federer in straight sets during their Olympics tennis match today. The Yonkers native, currently ranked #7 in the world, won 6-4, 7-6 (2) during a quarterfinals match. According to NBC Olympics, "Federer seemed off his game from the start. His forehand -- once the sport's most feared -- was unreliable, and......

Mets 10 Reds 4: It was September 27th, 2006, when we last saw him. Something was obviously wrong and as he left the mound that night Mets’ fans everywhere felt their playoff dreams go down the drain. It took almost 49 weeks, but the Mets got their ace back Monday. Pedro returned to the mound and while the radar gun readings weren’t pretty, he got the job done. Five innings, two runs and four......

Yankees 9, Devil Rays 6: Mike Mussina might want to worry now. Ian Kennedy threw seven innings of three-run ball -- though only one run was earned -- as the Yankees evened their series against the Devil Rays. Mussina might start if Roger Clemens is unable to go Monday, but the rookie Kennedy probably earned himself a few more starts with this one. Alex Rodriguez found himself at the center of everything today. He hit......

Phillies 11, Mets 10: When a team enters a four-game series against a team six games behind in the standings, one thought has to be, "Let's not get swept." Well, the Mets got swept, and they didn't look good doing it. They put up several fights Thursday, battling back from 5-0 and 8-5 deficits to take a 10-8 lead into the eighth. But Billy Wagner, summoned to pitch an inning early, allowed a home run......

The best part about the end of summer? Maybe that's the U.S. Open, which starts Monday in Flushing. The tennis season's final Grand Slam provides the players with a grueling test to cap what feels like a condensed hard-court season. On the men's side, there's Roger Federer and everyone else. Federer has won three straight U.S. Open titles and hasn't lost a non-French Open Grand Slam since the 2005 Australian Open. He's made every final......

He didn't shine as brightly as he has in other matches, but Roger Federer took care of James Blake in four sets Thursday. The world No. 1 and two-time defending champ sprayed his forehand on big shots, but he held off Blake and the crowd. His tennis hasn't shined during the fortnight, but with his nemesis Rafael Nadal out of the draw, it's easily Federer's tournament to lose. As for Blake, he still doesn't have......

With the US Open heading to its climactic weekend, there have been some fun articles about the ball boys and girls at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Take the NY Times' US Open blog post about "Ballbabes": Male spectators seem to love some of the ladies wearing the Ralph Lauren designed outfits (sleeveless and short, while the ball boys get less revealing polo shirts and shorts) and boo when their favorites get rotated......

- Yankees 8, Twins 1: Doing well against a potential first round opponent is never a bad thing. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they weren't facing one of the Twins' aces yesterday. Fortunately, it looks like Alex Rodriguez might be coming out of his slump. A-Rod got the Yankees off to a good start with a solo home run in the 2nd inning and later added another solo shot in the 7th. There was even......

Andre Agassi's five-set victory over James Blake proves he still has some magic left in the tank, and may have helped saved CBS's bacon. The match, which alteranted between sloppy and brilliant, was played a breakneck speed, with players rushing their serves. Blake was up two sets before anyone had gotten into the match, and although Agassi deserves credit for his dramatic comeback, Blake let him off the hook. At one point, Blake served up......

- Bob Denver passed away at age 70; Gothamist spent so many hours of our youth watching Gilligan's Island on Channel 5 that we really feel like we've lost a bumbling friend who looked great in the color red - The police have arrested a man in connection with the shooting death of a 10 year-old bystander in the Bronx - Lance Arthur explains why San Francisco is superior to New York City at The......

In this era of tennis that does not see American men or women dominate the sport, the United States Open has struggled to maintain its appeal to American sports fans. The casual observer, whose fandom has made the US Open's popularity soar, has paid attention n the past because Americans have been winning. They don't appreciate the genius of Roger Federer or the deceiving power of Justine Henin-Hardenne. No longer can the USTA rely on......