Yankees 7, Mariners 4: A big 7th inning helped propel the Yankees to victory against the worst team in the American League. They scored 5 runs in the frame, sending all 9 batters to the plate and giving Sidney Ponson his first win since August 6th. Mariano Rivera pitched 1 1/3 innings for his 33rd save. As the season slowly ticks away, the Yankees continue to hold onto hope. After defeating Seattle on Saturday and......

Photograph of Johan Santana pitching against the Brewers by Bill Waugh/AP Mets 4 Milwaukee 2: There is a good chance that this series could be a preview of the playoffs so it behooves the Mets to jump on the Brewers and pay them back for a series loss back in April. Johan Santana pitched very well, striking out 10 over six innings, but he left the game losing 2-0. Luckily for the Mets, Brewers’......

Roger Federer has won the last four U.S. Open titles, but he won't be the favorite when the tournament starts tomorrow at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing. That honor will go to Rafael Nadal, the new world No. 1 and winner of the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics this summer. Federer, 27, has looked mortal or worse this season, and Nadal, 22, has peaked while displaying an all-surface versatility that had eluded him in previous summers. For the first time since the 2004 Australian Open, Federer will not be the top seed at a Grand Slam event. ...

Move over Madonna, you may be 50 now, but newly divorced Christie Brinkley's 54 and sans scary arms, in fact, "her hair is thick and golden, her skin is tanned but only just. Her teeth are gleaming, her waist is narrow." That's all according to the opening paragraphs in the uptown girl's cover story in New York magazine's current style issue. Rafael Nadal graces the back cover, and we learn all about his pirate look,......

With the local baseball teams off, tennis took center stage in New York on Thursday, at least among those not watching the NFL season kick off. Novak Djokovic, 20, beat Carlos Moya, 31, in the last men's quarterfinal at the U.S. Open. When Super Saturday rolls around, Roger Federer will face Nikolay Davydenko and Djokovic will take on David Ferrer. On Friday, the women play for a spot in the final when Svetlana Kuznetsova battles......

Yankees 12, Mariners 3: Chien-Ming Wang doesn't deserve the American League Cy Young award, but he should get some lower votes. In a game the Yankees needed to win to keep their wild-card lead, Wang pitched 7 1/3 innings and kept the Mariners under wraps. That came as a welcome development after the Yankees learned that Roger Clemens will need a cortisone shot in his pitching elbow. Why was he out there Monday anyway? Horacio......

Mets 3 Braves 2: Some people may question Willie Randolph’s managing, but they had better give him credit for this weekend. After a dismal sweep at the hands of the Phillies, the Mets responded in a huge way, sweeping their archrival in Atlanta. Tom Glavine contributed at both ends, driving in the first run of the game and allowing only one run in six innings. David Wright added his 25th home run of the year,......

Mets 7, Braves 1: What the? After getting swept by the Phillies, the Mets managed to get a win against a team they've had little success against all this season. Boy did they need it too after losing five straight games. John Maine pitched marvelously over 7 innings, only allowing 3 hits. The one run the Braves scored came on a wild pitch in a tense 6th inning when the Braves had the bases loaded.......

Phillies 3, Mets 2: With Shawn Green's weak ground ball to shortstop, the Mets appeared ready to tie the game. With runners on first and third and one out in the ninth, Endy Chavez jogged home as the tying run. But Marlon Anderson, who was on first, blatantly -- and unnecessarily -- pushed Tadahito Iguchi with two hands. Umpire C.B. Bucknor called interference and the automatic double play, ending the game. Thanks in part to......

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......

After rain washed out Tuesday's action, plenty of tennis made up for the lost time on Wednesday. Mikhail Youzhny took out Rafael Nadal in four sets, opening the draw for Andy Roddick, who disposed of Lleyton Hewitt. Roddick has enjoyed a resurgence since he hired Jimmy Connors. His backhand has improved -- it couldn't get worse -- and his attitude has changed. Could Roddick beat Roger Federer if they met in the final on Sunday?......