The Staten Island Yankees continued their hot play with an 8-3 win at Hudson Valley to sweep a home-and-home series for their sixth win in a row Friday night.

Second baseman Damon Sublett had three hits including his eighth home run knocking in a pair and left fielder Austin Krum added three hits, an RBI and two runs as the Baby Bombers improved to 42-25 and closed in on a playoff berth.

Combined with Lowell being shutout by Tri-City at home, Staten Island now has a commanding five game lead for the wildcard with less than a week to go in the regular season.

The Bombers were also able to keep pace with first place Brooklyn, who rebounded with a 6-1 victory at Aberdeen to maintain their two and a half game lead entering a pivotal five game series with Game 1 later today at Key Span Park.

Staten Island will play host to a day/night doubleheader Sunday before traveling back across the Verrazano for the fourth game of the series Monday. The Bombers will then play host to the Cyclones for the series finale Tuesday night at St. George.

The series should decide whether or not the Bombers can come from behind and overtake their bitter rivals for the McNamara Division.

Offensively, they’re rolling into this series having exploded for 30 runs and 45 hits the past three wins. Just how hot are they? After finishing off the Renegades a night prior, they scored in each of the first four innings outscoring their opponents 6-2 through four to cruise to another triumph.

Third baseman Braedyn Pruitt got it started with a two out RBI single which plated center fielder Taylor Holiday in the first.

After Cody Cipriano ledoff the bottom half with a solo homer which knotted it, the Bombers responded with two more in the second. A one out double by catcher Jose Gil was followed by an RBI triple from Krum. The speedy outfielder came into a score a batter later on Brian Chavez’ sac bunt.

They tacked on a run an inning later thanks to another two out hit this time by first baseman Chris Raber which scored Sublett to make it 4-1. In the fourth, Holiday doubled in Krum and a Sublett sac fly to increase their lead to five.

The offense came in support of rehabbing Yankee pitcher Darrell Rasner who wasn’t sharp giving up a couple of earned runs in three innings while striking out three.

It didn’t matter because Nick Chigges came on in middle relief and worked five solid innings of one-run ball to pickup his third victory.

Right fielder David Williams added a seventh inning RBI single and Sublett put the finishing touches in a series which the Bombers outscored the Renegades 16-6 with his club leading eighth dinger.

Jason Kiley retired the side in order getting Cipriano swinging which ended it.

Notes: Leadoff man Justin Snyder got his second straight night off in the field as the DH reaching base three times and scoring a run. Chavez played short and knocked in his second run of the season. … With his third consecutive three hit game, Krum is 9 for his last 13 with a homer, four RBI’s and three runs scored. … In his last four contests, Sublett is 9-for-16 with a dinger, seven runs and four RBI’s. He’s hit in 10 of his last 11 batting .463 (19-for-41) over that span with two homers, eight RBI’s and 13 runs scored. The notable Penn League All-Star snub also swiped his ninth base last night. … Tonight’s game at Brooklyn starts at 6 PM.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Everything is working for the Bombers these days. Suddenly, a once dubious task now seems possible.

That’s because the Staten Island bats remained hot in an 8-3 triumph over Hudson Valley before 4,324 on Kids Night at Richmond County Bank Ballpark Thursday.

Their fifth consecutive win improved them to a season high 16 games over .500 (41-25). Combined with a Brooklyn 8-1 defeat at Aberdeen, suddenly the Bombers find themselves just two and a half games behind the Cyclones for the McNamara Division with a week to go in the regular season.

With a huge five-game series starting Saturday at Key Span Park, the Bombers now have a realistic chance to overtake their Verrazano rivals from Coney Island.

A three-run second highlighted by a two-run double off the left field wall by red hot backstop Jose Gil gave winning starter Adam Olbrychowski all he needed. Pitching in front of family and friends, the 20 year-old Malibu California native went a solid six innings giving up just a pair of runs while walking three and striking out two to notch his second victory of the season.

The key to arguably his most successful outing was his composure during his final inning of work when he ran into trouble loading the bases on a single and two walks with one out. A couple of batters after a wild pitch allowed Omar Luna to come in and score Hudson Valley’s second run, the righthander buckled down and got James Mayer to bounce out to third limiting the damage.

“That was huge. I knew that was my final batter because of the pitch count. So it was nice to get that final out,” the winning starter said after signing autographs and taking pictures with his personal cheering section.

Still up two, the Bombers quickly responded with three in the home half. Gil started it with a double. Walks to third baseman Ryan Wehrle and DH Justin Snyder loaded the bases with one out. After Taylor Holiday bounced into a 5-2 force out, Wehrle came home ironically on another wild pitch this time uncorked by Renegades’ reliever Bladimir Florentino.

The big blow in the frame came off the bat of second baseman Damon Sublett, who stroked an opposite field two-run double which put the Bombers up 7-2. It was the All Star snub’s league leading 49th and 50th RBI’s.

After Staten Island reliever Nick Peterson got five outs before giving way to Daniel Kapala, the Renegades got one back on an E4 from Sublett which allowed Mike McCormick to score from third with two out. The Hudson Valley catcher was a bright spot also with a 400 foot homer to left center off Obrychowski to get his team on the board in the fourth.

Some aggressive base running enabled the Bombers to get that run back when Holiday and Braedyn Pruitt executed a double steal attempt. With two out, Pruitt got caught in a rundown between first and second long enough to allow the streaking Holiday to swipe his club leading 17th base and restore a five-run lead.

Kapala worked around a one out walk getting Luna to bounce out to Gil, who made an accurate throw to first baseman Chris Raber which ended it.

Notes: A night removed from scoring 14 runs on 18 hits, the Bombers scored eight times on 13 hits with only three regulars failing to get a hit. … Holiday and Austin Krum each finished with three hits while Gil, Sublett and Raber all had two hits apiece and knocked in five of the club’s eight runs. Krum termed the catcher’s production “huge for us all season” afterwards. Since Aug. 19, Gil has six multi-hit games including one four hit night and is hitting .455 (15-for-33) with a homer, eight RBI’s and nine runs scored. … The teams combined to leave 34 runners on even though the game took less than three hours to play (2:50). … Staten Island tries to complete a sweep of the home-and-home at Hudson Valley tonight before their big series against Brooklyn kicks off tomorrow.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- They say speed kills which is especially true in baseball.

Try telling that to many Staten Island Yankee opponents and they’d probably just nod in agreement. It’s just one of the reasons they lead the wildcard by four games over Lowell with eight days left in the New York-Penn League regular season entering tonight’s home game against Hudson Valley.

They might not possess a speed demon but with opportunistic players such as leading base stealer Taylor Holiday, D.J. Hollingsworth and Austin Krum on the basepaths, it’s not necessary.

“We’ve got good enough athletes on this team to guys who could run,” Krum said after hitting his first homer and driving in two in Staten Island’s 14-4 win over Aberdeen Wednesday night.

“We’ve got a lot of good team speed. Pretty much everybody up and down in the lineup has the ability to steal bases and also has the ability to put the ball in the play on hit and runs when they’re hitting and it’s a big weapon for us. Speed definitely is one of our good attributes.”

Krum’s eight stolen bases in 11 attempts are tied for fourth on the club with leading RBI man Damon Sublett who also has added eight swipes of his own to 48 runs knocked in which are tied for the league lead.

“It’s definitely something we try to utilize,” the team’s leading base stealer Holiday with 16 pointed out the other day.

“We’ve been stealing bases, hit and run. All those different things that get you to score runs. That’s something we do well and we take pride in. So it’s definitely something that as an offense, we’ve done well to help us score runs.”

The center fielder who played first last night and had a runscoring double also made a point as to why they’ve had success.

“You got to try to get good reads and picking a good time to run. That’s the key to being a good base stealer.”
Perhaps the team’s quickest base runner is Hollingsworth who stole his ninth base in 12 attempts to go with a couple of hits and three runs scored in last night’s win.

“We actually talked about that Monday before our game,” the left fielder noted before a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in their final at bat Tuesday night.

“We stole home a couple of nights ago with [Chris] Raber and I think that kind of brought it to Mike’s [Gillespie] attention that he wanted to let us know that, ‘Hey, we can run.’”

What makes the Bombers speed on the basepaths so effective is that it’s not just limited to one or two guys. Something which Hollingsworth eluded to.

“There’s probably 10 guys on the team that can really fly. The other ones that don’t think maybe they can run can run and Mike loves to put us in motion and be aggressive on the basepaths. It’s definitely an advantage. It opens up holes and gets things rolling if we’re struggling offensively to that point.”

“It’s not just the top of the lineup. We got guys who come through everyday and they come in and do a great job. Obviously, Krum can run real well and DJ’s been a mad man out there on the bases. I kind of have given him the nickname The Microwave cause he can fly.”

Another player who’s contributed on the base paths is Raber, who stole home in a recent game on the road and has five of his own to the 93 the club has which places them second in the league just a couple behind Hudson Valley.

“It’s pretty big. A walk and is like a double if you steal a bag. So I’d say it helps out quite a bit. You can create a little offense and get things going for yourselves instead of just relying on the home run,” the first baseman/DH expresseda day before a huge four hit six RBI performance in Wednesday’s win.
As for his swipe of home in last Saturday’s loss at Lowell, it wasn’t something the Coastal Carolina product was too familiar with.

“That was definitely a first for myself. It was definitely a unique situation. … You just got to catch a guy that’s slow to the plate and he’s not really paying attention to you, you have an opportunity to get a good enough jump to steal the base. It doesn’t happen very often.”

“We don’t have a bunch of guys who are really fast. We just have a bunch of guys that have good speed,” leadoff hitter Justin Snyder added last night after walking scoring two runs and stealing his ninth base to tie Hollingsworth.

“Everyone can steal bases and get a good jump off the pitcher. I think it’s just a style of baseball that everyone’s used to. Krum’s a nutcase anyway. Krum’s always going 100 miles an hour at everything he does. … He’s always been there loosening things up and getting things going. He’s keeping things loose and then DJ coming in and hitting and starting something like seven straight.”
“I think like Justin said earlier, we have pretty good team speed in general,” noted right fielder David Williams who also has swiped seven bases and drove in a run Wednesday night. “I think Gillespie comes from a college program. That’s what you do to win. I think he uses that to our advantage. … I think our coaches put us in a situation where we can succeed. Not all of us are like Holiday. You have to rely on other people.”

Williams also notices that his teammates have developed a good chemistry entering the home stretch.

“I think we do have really good chemistry,” the sarcastic Rutgers product remarked while being teased by his locker buddy Snyder. “As a team, the guys like making fun of each other. So I think that sorta takes the pressure off in certain situations.”

On the verge of a third consecutive postseason which would give them a chance to defend their last two Penn League championships, Krum realizes how vital this kind of aggressive baseball can be in crunchtime.

“You get guys on base early in innings and early in the game and you can pretty much run teams to death and kind of control the tempo of the game and use your speed to a huge advantage. That’s what it’s all about.”

STATEN ISLAND, NY- If his bat was any hotter, it would’ve been on fire. That was the kind of night it was for Chris Raber, who had four hits and six RBI’s to spark the Bombers to a 14-4 blowout and two-game sweep of Aberdeen before 2,618 at St. George Terminal Wednesday night.

The DH’s big night was only part of a 14 run 18 hit attack which included a four run first, six run fourth and three for good measure in the seventh as Staten Island (40-25) cut Brooklyn’s division lead to three and a half with a pivotal five-game series starting this weekend.

“It was a good night for the offense,” Raber pointed out. “Everyone did a little bit today. So it was good.”

“We were really hitting on the road trip last week and then a couple of really good pitchers shut us down for a little bit. And then we bounced back. I think everyone’s doing the job for us. So it’s been fun to go hit,” right fielder David Williams said after finishing with a multi-hit night, a run scored and an RBI single in the sixth which was the Bombers’ 11th run of the contest which took three hours and five minutes.

Austin Krum also had a big game with three hits including an RBI single to cap a four run first and a leadoff home run to right center in the fourth which ignited a big inning in which Staten Island batted around to put a once close game out of reach.

Zach McAllister ran into trouble in the top of the frame by allowing a two-run dinger to Aberdeen’s Joe Maroney which sliced the lead in half. The 2006 third round pick then gave up consecutive hits which put runners on the corners before catcher Jose Gil came out to talk. He then responded by getting the final two batters swinging.

McAllister’s teammates responded right away. Krum started it by digging out of an 0-2 hole before depositing a Luis Noel pitch over the right field wall for his first homer of the season to make it 5-2.

“Just trying to stay with your approach and luckily I got a hold of one and put enough on it to get it out,” the center fielder said. “Today, I felt good today at the plate. I was seeing the ball well and I was relaxed. It’s been a bit of a learning process for me this season but when you can get a couple of hits in a game, it’s always a good thing.”

That was just the beginning as the first five S.I. batters reached base. Third baseman Brian Chavez singled and shortstop Justin Snyder walked. After they advanced a base due to a wild pitch, first baseman Taylor Holiday sent them home with a ground-rule double to left increasing the lead to five and knocking out Noel.

They greeted Aberdeen’s third pitcher of the night Fernando De Nabal rudely. After a Damon Sublett single and Gil strikeout looking, D.J. Hollingsworth knocked in the fourth run of the frame with a runscoring base hit to center. Two batters later, Raber singled home two more for his second two-run hit of the night.

He capped things off with another two-run single in the seventh for the Bombers’ final runs in the 10-run blowout of the Ironbirds.

“They’ve been working hard in the cage. That’s Raber’s second game with six RBI’s. And Austin. He deserved it. He’s had some rough luck this year but he finally got one. So I’m happy for him,” Williams added.

“It’s just like we talked about last night. Different guys coming off the bench and contributing and tonight again, Raber did an awesome job. Austin did an awesome job and D.J. did too,” expressed Holiday of his teammates getting involved.

The two touchdowns of offensive support were plenty for McAllister, who went the first five giving up three earned on nine hits while fanning five to improve to 4-4.

Craig Heyer worked two scoreless while Phil Bartleski allowed a run in the eighth before Kyle Hollander came on to toss a 1-2-3 ninth.

“In baseball, they always say hitting’s contagious,” Holiday noted. “It was definitely contagious all the way through the lineup tonight.”

“Everybody’s just stepping it up,” Krum said. “So hopefully, we can keep this momentum going till the playoff push.”

Notes: With Lowell falling at Oneonta 9-3, the Bombers increased their stranglehold on the wildcard to four games with a little more than a week left in the regular season. … Braedyn Pruitt sat out a second straight night. … Every starter in the lineup had at least a hit except Snyder who took the collar in four plate appearances dropping his average to .344. However, the leadoff man drew a walk, swiped his ninth base and came around to score twice. … Gil continued to swing a hot bat with two more hits including a two-run single plus three runs scored. … Hollingsworth finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, steal and three runs scored plus a couple of walks to hike his average to .375. … Sublett added three hits in the win. … Hudson Valley comes in tonight in a brief two-game home and home series before a huge five-game series commences this weekend against Brooklyn.

STATEN ISLAND, NY- Staten Island Yankee left fielder D.J. Hollingsworth might not be the biggest player.

However, it was the 5-7 170 pound San Leandro California native’s willingness to get dirty which gave his ballclub its third consecutive win as they pulled out a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen in their final at bat before 2,446 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark Tuesday night.

On a night when it was very tough to score even a run, Hollingsworth’s determination to beat out an infield hit resulted in a weird ending as he collided with Aberdeen first baseman Anthony Martinez.

With shortstop Tyler Henson’s throw getting there at the same time, the speedy Bomber lunged forward into the 6-3 240 pound Martinez jarring the ball loose which allowed second baseman Damon Sublett to come around from second and score the game’s only run sending an excited Staten Island dugout out to home plate to celebrate the unusual win.

“That’s the second time I ran into someone way bigger than me and I don’t think I’ll ever do anything like that again,” a pleased Hollingsworth indicated. A line drive, [Henson] catches it. Doesn’t catch it and then a collision at first base to end the game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.”

Before their final at bat, the Bombers managed only three hits. None of that mattered when Sublett started the rally with one out by beating out an infield single just getting his foot on the bag. Catcher Jose Gil followed by climbing out of an 0-2 hole working the count full before lining a clean single to left which put runners on first and second.

Following Matt Morris’ popup for the second out, Hollingsworth lined a shot to Henson which the Aberdeen shortstop couldn’t glove for the final out. He threw a strike to first but the gritty Hollingsworth did what he had to do to give his team another big win.

“[Joseph Esposito] came in when we were in Aberdeen and he struggled a little bit. … But tonight he came out and pitched very well. Had us all off balance. The first lefthander [Zach Britton] was doing the same exact thing. Keeping us off balance tonight. It was a struggle for hits but fight, scratch. Find a way to win at the end,” the left fielder pointed out as the wildcard leading Bombers improved to 39-25 to maintain their three-game lead over Lowell, who won 5-3 at Oneonta.

“It was a good win for us. We kind of struggled early in the game to get on base and get some hits but you know, we came up big late in the game and got a win,” Sublett added.

Though they didn’t manage a hit off Britton until Gil’s two out single to right in the fourth, starter Jason Stephens matched zeroes with the Aberdeen starter and Esposito for six frames before giving way to Jason Kiley.

Kiley almost let in the first run on Brian Bent’s infield single but shortstop Justin Snyder made a good throw to Gil to get Ryan Adams at the plate.

The Staten Island reliever worked two more scoreless to pickup his fourth victory.

“I go out there and just try to keep the game close,” Kiley said after also getting a huge 4-6-3 double play in the ninth after a call went against him.

“Our pitching has been doing pretty good as of late. It’s great that out pitching was there to pick us up when our bats were down. If we do that, we’re going to go a long way,” Sublett said.

Notes: Gil had another multi-hit night to lift his average to .241. He’s six for his last 12 with a homer, two RBI’s and two runs. Going further back, he’s 11 for his last 24 including four two hit games. … Frank Lonigro was 2-for-3 as the designated hitter. … With six scoreless frames and six K’s, Stephens lowered his ERA to 1.70. … The game took only two and a half hours to play. … Aberdeen SP Britton went the first five scoreless allowing two hits, walking three and striking out four. … Braedyn Pruitt got the night off with Ryan Wehrle getting the start at the hot corner making a great diving stab and throw to get a runner. … Staten Island aims for a sweep of the two-game series later tonight before hosting Hudson Valley tomorrow.

Pitching and timely hitting prevailed as the Staten Island Yankees picked up a huge win, holding on to edge the Lowell Spinners 2-1 in Massachusetts Monday night.

Ryan Pope tossed six scoreless innings fanning eight and leadoff man Justin Snyder snapped out of his recent funk to deliver both RBI’s in the victory including a go-ahead eighth inning RBI double before 5,030 up north.

The win improved the wildcard leading Baby Bombers to 38-25- three better than the Spinners who dropped to 36-29.

Though Pope was in command, the 2007 third round selection out of Savannah College got a little help from his defense when center fielder Taylor Holiday fielded Tyler Weeden’s single and nailed Rafael Cabreja at third for an 8-3 putout to end the second.

The righthander only permitted one more baserunner retiring 12 of 13 including the final 10 batters he faced.

While he was taking care of business on the mound, Snyder drove home Staten Island’s first run in the fifth with an RBI infield hit which allowed first baseman Chris Raber to score from third. It snapped an 0-for-14 skid for the shortstop.

With left fielder Austin Krum on third already having stolen second during the inning, he broke for home but was caught to end it with the unusual play going 2-4-2-5-1.

The Spinners drew even by pushing across a run in the seventh with Pope out of the game. Bomber reliever Jacinto Gonell walked Jorge Jimenez. Two batters later, Rafael Cabreja doubled him in. Gonell settled down to strikeout the final two batters with Cabreja on third after swiping it.

But the Bombers responded right away thanks to Snyder. With Krum on first after a one out walk, the shortstop doubled into the left field gap allowing Krum to score the go-ahead run.

Gonell ran into more trouble in the eighth when he put the first two runners on forcing skipper Mike Gillespie to go to closer Jonathan Ortiz for a two inning save. After Carlos Fernandez-Oliva sacrificed them over into scoring position, Ortiz K’d Oscar Tejeda for the second out. After an intentional pass to Jimenez which loaded the bases, he then got Deshaun Brooks swinging to wiggle out of it.

Staten Island had a chance to pad their lead in the ninth but third baseman Braedyn Pruitt was thrown out at home.

Ortiz managed to escape in the ninth. After a leadoff walk to Cabreja, he fanned pinch hitter Brett Lewis and got Weeden looking. However, a David Marks double to left put runners on second and third with two outs. But the reliever bared down by getting Pedro Vasquez swinging to strikeout the side for his 12th save.

Notes: Pope went the first six permitting just three hits walking no one while fanning eight to earn a no-decision, lowering his ERA to 1.96. … Despite blowing the save Gonell got the win to improve to 2-0. … In two innings of work, Ortiz K’d five. … For Lowell, Cabreja finished 2-for-3 knocking in their only run on the night. … Craft gave up only one unearned run in six on just two hits striking out six. … Tony Bajoczky took the loss to fall to 0-1. … The Bombers finished their six-game road swing in Vermont and Lowell with a successful record of 4-2. They return home tonight to St. George and host Aberdeen in a two-game series.

Hilligoss tabbed South Atlantic year-end All-Star: Former Bomber third baseman Mitch Hilligoss was named a year-end All-Star by the South Atlantic League yesterday. The 22 year-old who helped lead the Bombers to consecutive Penn-League championships leads Charleston in hits (155), average (.314), doubles (33) and steals (33).

The ex-Penn League AS MVP is trying to lead the Riverdogs to their third postseason in four years along with the help of other former Bombers including Seth Fortenberry, Kevin Smith, James Cooper, Jonathan Hovis, Tim O’Brien, Grant Duff, Kyle Anson, Chase Odenreider, etc.

With a split in a doubleheader tonight at Roma, the Dogs trail Columbus by two and a half games with a crucial three-game series starting later tonight with a week to go.

Once a year for two weeks spanning the final days of August as schools open back up with Fall approaching, America’s grand slam event takes center stage in the city that never sleeps.

It all got started today as the 2007 U.S. Open kicked off at Arthur Ashe Stadium with opening round matches on a nice Day One at Flushing Meadows.

The biggest question is who will be holding the trophies at the end?

Last year, Russian Maria Sharapova fulfilled part of her legacy by winning her first Open in straight sets over Justine Henin- adding her second major to legitimize her career after having not won any slams since she was 17 when she kissed the Wimbledon crown in 2004.

Meanwhile on the men’s side, a familiar champion once again held the trophy for the third consecutive year as the best player in the world Roger Federer bested American Andy Roddick in four sets for his ninth career slam.

So what’s in store for this year’s event? Well, already there was a big upset on the men’s side as 18th seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis fell to “The Beast” Max Mirnyi in four sets. The 30 year-old veteran serve and volley specialist got the better of his younger foe besting him 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (6) at Louis Armstrong Stadium advancing to the second round.

Mirnyi came into net 173 times converting 57 percent of his volleys. He also outaced Baghdatis 16-2. The match was very close as he won just four more points than the Cypriot 147-143.

For Baghdatis, it was a disappointment. The former 2006 Australian Open runner-up didn’t play badly making only 27 unforced errors and hitting 62 winners. But he didn’t do enough on the big points. Though he fought off a match point on a crosscourt backhand winner pushing the match into a fourth set tiebreak, the 22 year-old blew a 5-1 lead in the breaker allowing Mirnyi to comeback from a set point down to take the match when his backhand sailed into the net.

This was not the result he had in mind. Especially after what’s been a disappointing season with his best slam result the Wimbledon quarters where he fell to Novak Djokovic.

Once ranked as high as eighth, he’ll drop out of the top 20.

It’s back to the drawing board for the Cypriot who has as much talent as anyone but hasn’t been able to duplicate his Aussie run where he fell to Federer in four sets.

Meanwhile, the three-time defending Open champ was up a couple of sets on 21 year-old American Scoville Jenkins leading 6-3, 6-2, 2-3.

He came out with not much energy but it didn’t seem to matter. Once he got his teeth into the match, he took control. Figure Federer to wrap this up soon.

So, can the magnificent 26 year-old Swiss world No.1 become the first men’s player to win four straight in over 110 years?

For starters, it’s tough to bet against the man chasing Pete Sampras. After matching Bjorn Borg with his fifth consecutive Wimbledon in which he showed the mettle of a champion to beat archrival Rafael Nadal in five sets, Federer is just three slams shy of Pistol Pete’s record 14.

If he wins again in New York City, you have to believe he’ll at least match the record next year.

His chief competition should come from Roddick who he could see in the quarters, Nadal if he overcomes his recent Open struggles and a sore shoulder to conquer a winnable section.

There’s also rising Serbian Djokovic, who is just 20 and all the way up to three in the world. He recently got the better of Federer a couple of weeks ago in a final beating him in three sets, even winning two breakers to do it.

With opening round opponent Mario Ancic pulling out due to injury, Djokovic’s draw doesn’t look all too difficult but could see either Lleyton Hewitt in the Round of 16 and 2006 semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny in the quarters.

It wouldn’t be surprising if a resurgent Hewitt uses his guile and experience to pull the upset and get through this section. He’s had some recent solid form taking Federer to three sets before losing a close match.

American James Blake is another player to watch. The Yonkers native is a fan favorite who always gets plenty of support and has been playing better lately, losing to Federer in Cincinnati and also winning in New Haven the next week over buddy Mardy Fish.

He already caught a break with Baghdatis getting bounced but could still see German Tommy Haas in the fourth round if the 10th seed prevails on Day One. He was tied a set apiece with Steve Darcis.

If Blake doesn’t get tricked by veteran magician Fabrice Santoro in the second round, he should be able to reach the quarters where he could see Nikolay Davydenko. The fourth seeded Russian has been to the slam semis before and has better slam results but has never beaten the American in six tries.

If Davydenko doesn’t run into trouble against veteran German Nicklas Kiefer, he could meet Brit Andy Murray in the Round of 16. Fitness could become an issue for Murray who’s just back from a nagging injury which caused him to miss Wimbledon.

A Blake/Davydenko quarter would be entertaining. No doubt, Blake would have the crowd with a chance to finally make a slam semi. It would be an ultracompetitive match.

Nadal’s section isn’t too bad. Though the fiery second ranked Spaniard has never been a strong hard court performer, his draw isn’t bad. If he’s in form, Nadal should have enough to get by big server Janko Tipsarevic. He could see Russian Dmitry Tursunov in the third round.

There’s also former Open semifinalist David Nalbandian or fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the Round of 16 lurking. So Nadal should get tested.

The other side of the draw could have some upsets. Since making the Australian final, Fernando Gonzalez has struggled. It wouldn’t be shocking if he lost to American Robby Ginepri in Round 2, assuming the former ‘05 Open semifinalist gets through Olivier Rochus.

Croat Ivan Ljubicic is always a threat with his big serve but has never fared well in slams. The top half is so wide open that if a motivated Marat Safin is in form, he could reach the quarters. The problem is the former 2000 Open winner might be reaching the end. You just never know.

If Nadal plays well, he should reach the Final Four.

Picking a winner is always a difficult task. Of course, Federer is the favorite here but his draw which also features Richard Gasquet in the Round of 16 along with Roddick in the quarters could prove very tough.

One potential spoiler in this section is Czech Tomas Berdych who boasts a huge serve and bigger groundstrokes. If he’s consistent, he could give Roddick all he wants in the Round of 16.

If Roddick/Federer happens, the winner could get either Davydenko or Blake in the semis. We’re taking Federer to best Roddick in a tight match and then beat either future foe to make the final.

On the other side, Djokovic and Nadal would meet in the semifinals if they both get there. Djokovic has a huge game and a lot of confidence but Hewitt could prove tough in the quarters. This might be the former 2001 champ’s best chance to go deep into a major again. He’ll take it where Nadal should be waiting.

Most aren’t picking Nadal in this slam because the faster courts usually work against his game but his draw isn’t top heavy and could give him an advantage. If he’s playing well, this could be his breakthrough major away from the clay.

If Nadal could seriously challenge Federer on his best surface, why can’t he do the unthinkable and win his first Open? It’s a risky pick but that’s who we’re taking.

The women’s draw should come down to four or five competitors. The Williams sisters, Henin, defending champion Sharapova along with former winner Svetlana Kuznetsova appear to be the favorites. Don’t also rule out rising Serbs Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. Both have the game to reach the semis.

So, how do we see it going?

The first section looks like a potential quarter showdown between Henin and Serena Williams. The Belgian got the better of her at the last two slams. If it happens, it would be another fierce battle probably going three sets and lasting two hours.

Who could get in the way of that match? There aren’t many serious threats but Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli is playing the best tennis of her career. She upset Henin at Wimbledon to reach her first final before falling to Venus Williams in straights.

Fortunately for Henin, she’s on Serena’s side of the draw and could be looming in the Round of 16. Dinara Safina has a big game like her older brother and could pose a threat if she sees Henin in the same round.

Tatiana Golovin has a lot of talent on and off the court but she’s never been consistent and is better known for her red knickers which matched her dynamite outfit in London. Not familiar with it? We suggest you check it out here: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007290588,00.html
If Henin/Williams doesn’t happen, it would be a big upset. It would be a toss up. I like Henin.
The second section features both Serbs and could pit Jankovic against Ivanovic for a spot in the semis. That’s if Venus doesn’t ruin it. She’s coming off her Wimbledon win and should be in form.

At the top half, Jankovic shouldn’t be challenged until the fourth round where she could run into former finalist Elena Dementieva. The lanky Russian has huge groundstrokes which are made for this surface. The question is always her serve which could go off at any moment. If she was more consistent, she could be a champion. She hasn’t had the best year. So who knows if she’ll even get to that point.

As for Ivanovic, she projects to play Venus in the Round of 16 which would be a great match. Venus beat her in the Wimbledon semis but she could exact some revenge this time to meet her fellow countrywoman in the quarterfinals.

Some are picking Venus to come out of this bracket but we’ll take Ivanovic who I still maintain is better than Jankovic.

The third bracket features Kuznetsova and Russian Nadia Petrova on the other side. Something will happen to prevent that quarter from taking place. Whether it’s Petrova’s nerves getting the best of her or an unexpected upset, it won’t happen.

Though this section doesn’t pose many threats, it does have some big hitters in Daniela Hantuchova and Michaella Krajicek on Petrova’s side. Hantuchova has never had great slam results but the nice looking Slovak with the big game has had a pretty good year and gotten back into the top 10. If she’s playing well, it wouldn’t be surprising if she beat Petrova to reach the quarters. It also wouldn’t be shocking if she lost early because she has a tendency to play to her opponents.

On Kuznetsova’s side, there’s Martina Hingis who hasn’t had a good season and is only seeded 16th. Hingis’ portion of the draw isn’t bad. So if she is motivated after calling off her engagement to male player Radek Stepanek, she should get to the Round of 16 and be waiting for Kuznetsova.

Kuznetsova’s only real challenge in the first week should come from Spaniard Anabel Medina-Garrigues in the third round.

The former 2004 champ is rounding into shape with a recent win at The Pilot in New Haven for her first title of the year. She really looks like the favorite to come out of this section and reach the semis. We don’t see Hingis, Petrova or even Hantuchova having enough to beat her. And out of the three, Petrova has the best chance but she’s never proven she can take that next step in a slam.

Sharapova got a great draw. The defending champ is expected to reach the semis without breaking a sweat. Who could potentially get in the way?

The 20 year-old Russian could see either Israeli Shahar Peer or Nicole Vaidisova in a competitive fourth round match. Both can slug the ball from the baseline and push her. Three sets wouldn’t be surprising but Sharapova is tougher and more experienced than either which should carry her through to the quarters.

The top half includes Russian Anna Chakvetadze, Patty Schnyder and Francesca Schiavone. Any of them could come out of this portion and meet Sharapova for a chance at the semis.

We’ll take Chakvetadze who’s climbed to sixth in the world. Sharapova never plays great against her but should have enough to prevail in straights to make the Final Four.

On one side, a Henin/Ivanovic semi would be fun to watch. The experience would be with the Belgian but the younger Serb on this surface could have the edge. We’re going to take her in an upset to reach her first second flam final of the season and get a measure of revenge on Henin for Roland Garros.

Kuznetsova and Sharapova know each other well having split six matches with Maria taking three of the last four. Both are formidable on this surface but Sharapova hits bigger and should come out victorious to reach her second consecutive Open final against Ivanovic.

On this big stage, it’s hard to go against Sharapova. It wouldn’t be surprising if this match goes the distance because you got two heavy hitters but when push comes to shove, we’ll take the elegant Russian to repeat in New York and win her further cement her reputation with a third grand slam title.

-After another excruciating one-run loss today at the hands of the Tigers, you have to wonder how a team as talented as the Yankees could be so dreadful in close games?

They fell to 11-17 in games decided by a run after falling to Detroit 5-4 to drop 7.5 behind the Red Sox. The bigger problem is they now trail the Mariners by 2.5 (4 in loss column) pending how Seattle fares tonight against the Rangers.

With 32 games left and Boston coming in for three on Tuesday following the series finale in Motown, the Bronx Bombers need to turn it up a notch. Especially against stiffer competition where you’re not almost guaranteed to blow out inferior opponents.

These are the types of games which have given Joe Torre’s ballclub all sorts of trouble this summer. The heartbreaking 11 inning loss on Saturday morning and today’s nailbiter in which the Tiger pen silenced their bats the final five frames summed it up.

Down the stretch, the Yanks need to reverse this trend if they’re going to see a 13th consecutive October.

-One other aspect that has to be extremely disappointing when it comes to the Pinstripes is their play on the road. While they do post a very good home record (41-24) at the Stadium, they’re now three under (31-34) away from the Bronx.

The real good teams are capable of winning on the road. Just look at the Yanks’ crosstown competitors the Mets as example No.1. The Amazin’s have actually played their best baseball away from Shea Stadium.

Their 38-26 record away from Queens ranks second only to the Red Sox, who improved to 40-28 with a four-game dismantling of the hapless White Sox earlier today. At home, the Mets are only six over .500 (35-29) while baseball’s best team comes in at 40-23 at Fenway.
For the Yanks, they still have 17 road games left including the final six of the season in Tampa Bay and Baltimore. While the D-Rays might be pushovers, the Orioles have been a thorn in the side of the Bombers taking eight of the first 12 winning the first four series.

They’ll see the Birds six times in the final two weeks.

-Those White Sox sure put up a fight against Boston, huh? Outscored 46-7 on their home field. Just pathetic. How does Ozzie Guillen still have a job? The fiery skipper should still be getting more out of this hapless bunch than their dreadful 56-74 record after losing their fifth straight.

With players such as Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Javier Vazquez and Bobby Jenks still around, it’s just ridiculous to think that this team won the World Series two years ago. Especially when you see Contreras’ record (6-16) and ERA (6.18).

Toss in rookie third baseman Josh Fields (16 HR) and there’s no way this team should be performing this badly.

Right now, they’re a laughingstock.

-Remember when Baseball Tonight’s Steve Phillips proclaimed that the Braves would win the NL East and that both New York teams would miss the postseason? It sure explains a lot about ESPN these days.

-So Brett Myers ripped a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter over giving up a couple of gopher balls in hitter friendly Citizens Bank Ballpark yesterday referring referring to them as “retarded” and “just a fill in who didn’t know the game” because they questioned the pitcher’s claim that the two dingers were “just pop ups.”

Sadly, maybe the former starter turned closer had a point because on some days, almost anything can go out there. It kind of reminds us of the old Tiger Stadium where at times, you had pop ups winding up in the second deck.

Is it time for hitter friendly parks to reconsider moving fences back? Maybe it is.

-Andy Roddick having to play Roger Federer in a potential quarterfinal showdown at the U.S. Open stinks. You’d think they would have more sense than to put them in the same section of the draw. However, if it happens, it would be another opportunity for Roddick to make a statement against tennis’ best player. A night match could be memorable.

-I don’t normally put much emphasis on NFL preseason but who would you rather have QB-ing your team if you’re a Gang Green supporter? Chad Pennington or Kellen Clemens?

-Where was Tiki “Meki” Barber on NBC last night while the “leaderless” Eli Manning looked splendid against the Jets in the first half? Instead, you even had respected sports anchor Len Berman defending this clown. It says here Eli has his best season without the talented yet selfserving running back.

-Don’t you just love how Mike Lupica always has to use the Mets to bash the Yankees in his Shooting From The Lip columns? He still probably believes Pedro Martinez is the best pitcher on the Mets. Newsflash: Whatever they get from him will be a bonus because he’s not even the third best pitcher on that staff.

If they had any guts, he’d be in their bullpen. It’s not the staff which could potentially wreck their October aspirations.

-If Chase Utley was in the Phillies’ lineup the past few weeks, you have to believe they’d be a little closer to the Mets.

-If they covered preseason football games anymore, you’d swear it was already January.

The magic number was three.

Two three run innings by Lowell sent the Bombers to their second straight defeat on the road as they were spun for a 6-3 loss in the first game of the series up in Massachusetts Saturday. They’re now 2-2 on the six-game road trip.
Suddenly, the Spinners (36-27) are only a game behind Staten Island (36-25) for the wildcard which makes the final couple of games of this series pretty big.

The defeat also dropped the Bombers to four games behind the Cyclones, who posted a blowout win over Vermont.

Lowell used a three-run third and fourth to get the victory.

Tyler Weeden got the scoring started with a leadoff solo homer to center off losing Staten Island hurler Adam Olbrychowski (1-5). After an E3 by Taylor Holiday allowed Luis Segovia to reach putting runners on second and third, a Carlos Fernandez-Oliva sac fly and two out Jorge Jimenez RBI double gave the Spinners a three-run lead.

The Bombers responded with a run of their own in the fourth thanks to an RBI bunt hit from left fielder D.J. Hollingsworth which plated Damon Sublett to cut it to 3-1. But with the tying runs on, DH Chris Raber bounced out to second to end it.

Up two, Lowell immediately put up three more. After consecutive base hits from Rafael Cabreja and Deshaun Brooks, Weeden tripled home both for his second and third RBI’s of the night. He then scored on a David Marks sac fly to put his ballclub up five.

The Bombers got a run back in the fifth when catcher Frank Lonigro doubled and scored from third two batters later on Holiday’s infield single to short. Sublett followed with his second hit of the night moving Holiday to third. However, the rally stalled when third baseman Braedyn Pruitt hit into an inning ending 1-6-3 twin killing.

After two scoreless frames from reliever Phil Bartleski, the Bombers got a little closer thanks to some hustle from Raber. After a leadoff double to start the seventh and advancing to third on a Justin Snyder bouncer for the second out, he stole home to slice the deficit to 6-3.

The Bombers got a runner on in the ninth when Hollingsworth was beaned but Lowell closer Felix Ventura got Raber and Lonigro swinging to fan the side, notching his 14th save.

Notes: In a losing effort, Sublett finished 3-for-4 with a run scored to raise his average to .314. With two more hits, Hollingsworth is up to .366. … Miguel Socolovich went the first six for Lowell giving up two runs on eight hits while K-ing five to improve to 4-3. … Hitless on the night, Snyder is 0 for his last nine. In his last five games, the utilityman who’s settled into playing short has just one hit in his last 15 at bats lowering his average to .358. Despite the slump, he’s still managed to get on due to six walks scoring three runs. … Staten Island reliever Daniel Kapala worked the final two scoreless frames striking out three. … Bombers will look to bounceback in the middle game which begins just after 5 PM today.

In a scary movie, if you awaken a monster, it could be deadly. For the Bombers, that’s exactly what transpired in a 10-0 blowout loss to the Lake Monsters, who avoided a sweep to get within three and a half of the wildcard leaders Friday night.

The win improved Vermont to 33-28 while Staten Island dropped to 36-24, still two better when they get to Lowell for a pivotal three-game set starting later today in Massachusetts.

Despite being blanked, the Bombers got some good news in their division as Brooklyn was swept in a doubleheader by Oneonta to pull them within three games.

Penn League All-Star starter Zach McAllister was banged around by the Monsters, giving up nine earned on seven hits while walking four in just three innings of work.

After tossing a scoreless first, the 2006 Yankees third round selection lost the plate leading to a six-run Vermont second.

With one out, he loaded the bases on three straight walks and then permitted consecutive runscoring singles to Anthony Benner (1 RBI) and Brandon Whiting which put the Monsters up 3-0.

After McAllister got Stephen King swinging for the second out, Vermont executed a double steal with Benner swiping home for the fourth run of the inning. Bill Rhinehart followed with a two-run home run to right putting Staten Island in a six-run hole.

The Monsters struck for three more two innings later knocking out McAllister (3-4) before he retired a batter. With Benner and Whiting in scoring position, King doubled both home to increase their lead to eight, forcing Staten Island skipper Mike Gillespie to bring in Jason Kiley.

It didn’t start well for the reliever due to an E6 on Justin Snyder which allowed King to score Vermont’s ninth run in four frames. It was Snyder’s third miscue in two nights.

The Monsters tacked on their final run in another even inning thanks to an Englund sac fly in the sixth.

It was plenty for victorious starter Jordan Zimmerman, who pitched shutout ball through six before finally giving way to Randy Matias, who came on to get the final nine outs to salvage the final game of the series.

Zimmerman allowed just four hits in the first six while walking nobody and striking out seven to improve to 4-1 on the season.

Notes: In sharp contrast to the previous night, the game took only two hours and thirty eight minutes to complete. … Aside from a multi-hit night, a couple of runs and RBI’s, Whiting also swiped his 28th base for the Monsters. … Snyder’s error was his 12th of the summer. … Staten Island relievers Kyle Hollander and Nick Peterson tossed the final two and a third without allowing a baserunner while each struckout one. It was Peterson’s second outing since returning. So far, he’s walked one while allowing no hits and K-ing three in two frames. … Bombers visit Lowell later today with first pitch just after 5 PM.