Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zach Morris on Jimmy Fallon was indeed epic stuff. More so than meaningless June baseball in NYC.

It’s a cool June New York Wednesday with overcast skies that are threatening. Ah. Kinda sounds like a classic Jimi Hendrix tune.

So, what’s cooking? Oh. Plenty. Well, if you’re as baseball-sessed as the folks here. While there’s a Stanley Cup going to a Game 7 and an NBA Finals where the home team has won all three games thus far, they may as well not exist based on all the sports radio talk about the Yankees suffering their latest defeat to the Red Sox and the Mets actually giving a subpar Johan Santana enough run support to edge the Phillies.

So, here we are in the second week of June with still plenty of baseball left before we go crowning anyone. But that’s not the way it works around these parts. Where one week, the NY baseball teams stink and the next, they are virtual locks for the first Subway Series in nearly a decade. No. Not the fake half a dozen games we get in each new stadium with the Mets invading the real short porch later this weekend with the Bronx Bombers later doing the same at the much longer ballpark in Queens.

So, here are some random thoughts on the area locals and other big sporting events going on:

-If you ignored all the fun pie in the face stuff from A.J. Burnett, he’s been almost Carl Pavano-esque so far in his first Yankee season. Maybe it’s a 2003 Marlins thing. Speaking of DL Pavano, hasn’t he won like six games now with Cleveland or as many as he won in his Bronx stint? Amazing.

-If Santana really did show up Jerry Manuel when he pulled him last night in the eighth for Bobby Parnell which was the right thing to do, then maybe it’s time for someone to get in the ace’s face. This other thing about changing the bunt to a hit which worked out as an RBI double ain’t exactly too encouraging either. Sure. He’s a great pitcher but play by the same rules the rest of your teammates do.

-With him the majors’ first 10-game winner and finishing most of his games in a tougher hitting league, maybe we’d take Doc Halladay over Johan. The Jays ain’t exactly bad either these days. What with Adam Lind looking like an All-Star at second. Imagine if Alex Rios and Vernon Wells get going.

-Heard a fan call into Mike Francesa and compare Jose Reyes and Robinson Cano. Well, one’s a shortstop who bats leadoff and steals at least 60 bases and scores over 100 runs while the other’s a second baseman who hits for a higher average and drives in more. Still, we’d take Reyes over Cano because he can impact the game more. Both are outstanding at times defensively while there are other plays that make you scratch your head. Ditto for Reyes on the basepaths and Cano mailing it in last year. Just imagine if both played up to their full potential.

-When Big Papi goes yard and former castoff Nick Green drives in a pair while Josh Beckett silences the Yankee bats, you know the Red Sox are in their heads. Speaking of which, what will the run-o-meter look like when Chien-Ming Wang starts tonight versus Tim Wakefield?

-I’m more interested to see how Cole Hamels does against his favorite opponent.

-Raul Ibanez now has 20 homers and already speculation has begun about whether he’s on the juice. The Phillie slugging outfielder was far too pleased and even said he’d return every penny earned if found with a positive test. Damn. Maybe he should just take it to prove innocence and sue for libel. Not that it will ever happen.

-I don’t mind how emotional he gets after a save but what happens when K-Rod blows one? Does he still point up to the Heavens?

-Have you ever seen so much fuss made over Mo Rivera’s implosion against the Rays in a tie game? Not like we’ve never seen it before.

-Who has a better built-in excuse? J.J. Putz or Brad Lidge. I’m going with the guy who was a perfect 48 for 48 and won a world championship last year after coming over from Houston.

-I still say Francisco Cervelli should be the Yankee catcher and Jorge Posada the DH. Say bye to Godzilla already.

-David Wright, who hit his fourth homer and first in forever last night is right about Citi Field. But hey. He’s also much younger than Chipper Jones, who he joked to and is having a better year. Suck it up!

-Remember when Derek Jeter was done? Remember when the Yankee centerfield was a weakness? Next.

-I’ll take Carlos Beltran on my team but if he’s going to rip teammates for getting swept by the Pirates and then not bother hustling out of the box, what kind of leadership is that?

-The Stanley Cup rematch has been pretty good but badly needs a last second finish or sudden death. Cause aside from Game 7, what better drama is there than that?

-I like Kobe and he’s the best player on the planet but when he turns to the refs begging and getting a call in crunch time following a clean block by Dwight Howard, something’s very wrong.

-Still can’t believe the Magic rolled out Finals failure Nick Anderson to get the place jumping. What? Dennis Scott wasn’t available.

-There’s absolutely no way Sidney Crosby should be considered for the Conn Smythe given how mediocre he’s looked versus Henrik Zetterberg and Detroit. Our playoff MVP leading candidates:

1.Evgeni Malkin, Pit

2.Chris Osgood, Det

3.Henrik Zetterberg, Det

4.Johan Franzen, Det

If Malkin has a good game Friday and the Pens fall short, it should be enough for the league’s leading scorer to win the award. Only five times in NHL history has the Conn Smythe recipient come from a losing club (Roger Crozier 1966 Red Wings, Glenn Hall 1968 Blues, Reggie Leach 1976 Flyers, Ron Hextall 1987 Flyers, Jean-Sebastien Giguere 2003 Mighty Ducks).

-If Pavel Datsyuk had been totally healthy for this series, it would’ve already ended.

-Has anyone seen Marian Hossa? Please send whatever info you have to the Detroit Red Wings before 8 ET/5 PT Friday night.

-Still can’t believe the Magic shot 63 percent from the field and still had to hang on for dear life to get their first Finals win in seven tries. That isn’t too promising for the rest of the series.

-I really could do without the nauseating second and fourth quarter interviews with the coaches. Though we loved Phil Jackson’s response during the Game One blowout when asked about Kobe and he was like, ‘How about that game.’

-Kudos to Svetlana Kuznetsova on winning the French Open for her second grand slam title easily dispatchng Russian countrywoman Dinara Safina. The elder former U.S. Open winner played steady tennis from the baseline while young Safina melted down for a second consecutive slam final. Last time out down under, it was against Serena Williams, who Kuznetsova bested in three hard fought sets in the quarters at Roland Garros. Too bad she was a sore loser about it. Kuznetsova also went three sets coming back to beat Samantha Stosur in the semis. Congrats on the win and we think she should be ranked a little higher than five. Speaking of which, no player should ever be No.1 and still haven’t won a major. Sorry.

-It’s still great a few days later that Roger Federer finally conquered his Paris demons completing the career slam. Just wish it could’ve come against archrival Rafael Nadal, who we hope will be healthy enough to defend his title at Wimbledon in less than two weeks.

-I don’t care because it’s the story that won’t go away. But someone needs to tell Brett Favre just that.

-And finally, for your entertainment, the absolutely classic appearance by one Mark-Paul Gosselaar as none other than Saved By The Bell’s Zach Morris on Jimmy Fallon a couple of nights ago on Late Night:

Dude hasn’t aged and stayed totally in character which made it work. Full credit to Fallon for letting him do his thing for this anticipated reunion.

“750 Math. 752 Verbal. 1,502 combined score. Stansbury material.“

Roger Federer made tennis history Sunday finally winning the one slam that had eluded him tying Pete Sampras and becoming the sixth man to complete the career grand slam.

Tennis history was finally made today in Paris when Roger Federer finally won the one grand slam title that had eluded him- laying claim to the greatest of all-time with a straight sets 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over surprising No.23 Swede finalist Robin Soderling to capture the French Open.

At age 27, Federer becomes just the sixth man to win all four slams completing the career slam. The Swiss Maestro joins exclusive company that includes Rod Laver, Don Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson and the last man who did it exactly 10 years ago fittingly presenting him with the trophy, Andre Agassi.

Facing the man who upset four-time French Open champ Rafael Nadal, nothing was going to stop Federer from finally making history not only becoming the sixth man to win all four slams but tying Pete Sampras’ slam record 14. Wimbledon is three weeks away and with it comes the distinct possibility that Roger can break the record at the place he’s won five times (2003-07) before his biggest rival Rafa got him at arguably the greatest final ever seen.

Does anyone not want to see the rematch pitting this time Nadal as No.1 vs Federer No.2 with it all on the line? Of course, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic could have something to say about it. I still wouldn’t count out Andy Roddick, who had his best showing at Roland Garros making the Round of 16 before Gael Monfils took him out in straights. Andy has played better this year staying in longer rallies and volleying more. But he’ll be a lower seed which means a likely tougher road. Could he face a Nadal, Federer, Murray or Djokovic in an intriguing quarter? Who knows.

Today though is about Federer, who was simply brilliant finishing with 16 aces, only two doubles while smacking 58 winners to only 24 unforced errors.  He served remarkably well and took advantage of a nervous Soderling, who’d never been past the third round in any slam until his great run the past two weeks. Credit the 24 year-old Swede for at least fighting the last two sets. He finally started serving better and hitting some of those big shots we saw against Nadal that also enabled him to rally from 1-4 down in the fifth past Fernando Gonzalez in the semis. But as he later said during the trophy presentation, Roger was simply too good today.

The toughest moment for him actually came when a crazy spectator ran on the court approaching Federer with a flag before Roland Garros security surrounded the idiot. The best part was when one security guard finally tackled him on Soderling’s side of the court. Just nuts. See for yourself:

Yikes. Who knows what this nutball was thinking? We already had that sick German attack Monica Seles in Hamburg ruining her career. Insanity. Thankfully, nothing bad happened with security responding swiftly.

And so Federer is now in a class by himself with the heavy weight finally lifted off his shoulders. How will Wimbledon go? Nadal pulled out of the Queens Club tuneup. Is he doing so to rest a little more from a very busy schedule? All I know is I want to see another classic final between the two best players the sport has.

Congratulations Roger!!!!!

Rafael Nadal waves to crowd after being dethroned at Roland Garros.

Four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal finally proved human at Roland Garros. There will be no five consecutive titles in Paris and no history made due to unlikely Swede Robin Soderling, who blitzed the Spaniard with relentless power serving and forehands en route to the biggest win of his career- upsetting Rafa in four sets 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2).

And so ends one of the great runs in tennis history with Nadal’s 31-match winning streak coming to a stunning end. Despite not playing his best tennis which was partially due to how well Soderling played dictating much of the play, the classy champ stayed that way not dodging any questions unlike other superstars. Here’s what he said in defeat:

“I didn’t play great. I didn’t play with calm at any time during all the match. That makes him easy to play at this level during all the match. So it was my fault, and he did well. He did very well, but I didn’t play my best tennis and for that reason I lose.

I have to accept my defeat as I accepted my victories: with calm. I need to learn, and you learn more when you lose than when you win. This is not a tragedy, losing here in Paris. It had to happen one day, and this is an excellent season for me. Of course it’s a bit sad, but I have to overcome this as quickly as possible.”

Of course, he’s right. It’s not the end of the world. But it sure makes for a huge story because nobody ever thought it could happen. Especially in the Round of 16 to a guy who’d never even made this round of a grand slam. Sometimes, sports can be so unpredictable giving us unlikely stories we never see coming. Like The Miracle on Ice in 1980 and Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson, this was another moment we’ll remember.

Sure. It’s disappointing because I so wanted to see Nadal reach another final with possibly Roger Federer, still chasing Pete Sampras standing in the way. Now, that changes. Federer can now go for No.14 and try to complete a career grand slam without his biggest obstacle. It doesn’t mean the former world No.1 is a lock. Not when you consider how close he was to bowing out in the second round before a great four set comeback win over Jose Acasuso. Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu also pushed him yesterday before falling in four tight sets.

Many liked No.4 Serb Novak Djokovic to finally win on clay. He was having an excellent season but that meant little when he shockingly also bowed out yesterday to No.29 German Philipp Kohlschreiber in straights. So, two of the big favorites are gone with only Federer left.

Can someone else like rising No.3 Scot Andy Murray emerge? Or can Andy Roddick continue his surprising run tomorrow against 2008 French semifinalist Gael Monfils? Or perhaps it’s someone else like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or fourth round foe Juan Martin Del Potro who emerges with a first ever slam. Fernando Gonzalez is still around as is Nikolay Davydenko, who easily dispatched Australian Open semifinalist Fernando Verdasco.

In fact, Davydenko will be Soderling’s next opponent in the quarters. Not exactly an easy match following his best ever moment in which he slugged 61 winners (28 better than Nadal) and won 27 of 35 points at the net.

“I kept telling myself, ‘This is just another match,”’ the thrilled 24 year-old No.23 seed said. “That helped me.”

He later noted that he needed to stay focused and remember he has another big match coming against “a great player.”

Perhaps the oddest thing about this upset was that it was exactly a month ago that he got derailed by Nadal in Rome 6-1, 6-0. What a turnaround.

It should also be noted that a couple of years ago at Wimbledon in the third round Soderling pushed Nadal the limit in a match which took five days to complete. It also included some animosity between the two players with the Swede mocking how long Rafa takes to serve clearly agitating him. After the Spaniard prevailed, they barely touched each other’s hands.

At least today, it was different with no such antics. As NBC’s Mary Carillo echoed, “It was just great tennis,” with both giving their all till the end when Nadal finally pushed a forehand volley wide allowing Soderling to celebrate his biggest win. After a clean handshake, he tossed his racket into the crowd, then pumping his fist.

A player who’s never been well liked in the locker room did a classy thing by quickly exiting Philip Chatrier court first so Nadal could get a proper hero’s salute from the crowd. A rarity for a winner.

So, who does Rafa want to see win now that he’s out?

“If one guy deserves it,” Nadal said, “that’s him,” referring to Federer. A guy he’s beat the last four times including three consecutive finals handing him the worst defeat of his career last year.

What else would you expect from a classy champ who clearly gets it. Even in the most bitter disappointing defeat of his career, Mr. Nadal proved again what he’ll always be.

A winner.

Well, yeah. I am back. Of course, I have plenty of thoughts on what’s been going on the past month. Been real preoccupied with Battle covering the NHL playoffs which thankfully are almost over. The first rematch in 24 years will get started later tonight when Sidney Crosby and the Pens visit Nick Lidstrom and the defending champion Red Wings.

Maybe it’s just me but I’m a little sick of it already. Who wants to watch the same two teams do battle? Sure. It will be a ratings bonanza for NBC yet they are so fearful of hockey that they forced the first two games to be back-to-back this weekend which is the first time in 54 years (seriously Ranger fans) that will happen. What kind of network does that? They just can’t allow any Cup game to interrupt Conan O’Brien’s much anticipated week debut on The Tonight Show. I’m a huge Conan fan. So, I get why. Still, you’d think the sport’s marquee event featuring the game’s biggest stars wouldn’t make NBC flinch out of the way like it was a Rocky Balboa left hook. It just goes to show how lowly hockey is thought of in this country when their own network basically dictates what the schedule is. Had either the Pens or Wings been extended, the Cup Final wouldn’t have started till June 5. Can you say just a tad ridiculous?

Most puck observers loved the NHL’s move to NBC feeling it would be excellent but based on how they’ve covered it which is hardly at all with their precious horse races and golf and God knows what else they’d prefer to air over hockey. It really is sad. As for Versus, I had a pretty good rant about how dreadful they have been on Battle. There’s nothing else to be said.

Hopefully, they’ll get an exciting Final that goes seven and features 2-3 OT games. I’m leaning towards the Pens because Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been absolutely awesome this Spring and their supporting cast is better than last year. Plus the D is tougher and Detroit is banged up. Toss in the experience of losing to them and facing Marian Hossa and I figure they’ve got more than enough incentive to win the club’s first championship since 1992 when a No.66 and No.68 helped them repeat.

As for the Wings, they’re aiming to become the first repeat winner since you guessed it, their franchise led by Stevie Y and Sergei Fedorov turned the trick in 1998 sweeping the Caps a year after sweeping the Flyers. Not a bad legacy to chase. If they repeat though in this Cap Era, that will be a remarkable accomplishment which speaks to just how special the Detroit organization is. It’s much harder to remain successful in today’s game yet Ken Holland and his legion of scouts along with Mike Babcock continue to churn out talented players who fit right into their winning system. If they pull this off without probably Pavel Datsyuk to start and Kris Draper, it will demonstrate just how much depth they possess.

If you’re not a puck fan, do yourself a favor and watch this series. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

… Of course, if you live in this town, hockey basically doesn’t exist. It died less than a month ago when the Rangers and Devils fizzled out both making the wrong kind of history. Why does it feel like they haven’t played in a year? Because if you watch TV, listen to sportsradio or read the papers, it’s been baseball front and center since mid-February. Isn’t that a little sad? I like baseball too but come on. The way fans carry on here when their beloved Yankees or Mets get out of the gate slowly, pushing the panic button when Game 20 of 162 hasn’t been played is scary.

Fast forward a few weeks later and both high priced big market ballclubs are sitting atop their respective divisions. Of course, the same beat writers are now singing the praises of Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, K-Rod and <gulp> Gary Sheffield. Yep. That same guy who was painted evil but now has become an Amazin hero. Crazy. Johan Santana has been brilliant and Alex Rodriguez has let his bat do the talking. David Wright has erased the boos and Johnny Damon has become a dangerous No.2 hitter in a contract year. Omir Santos has become a cult fixture in Queens and Francisco Cervelli has proven he should be the starting Yankee backstop even if Jorge Posada’s finally healthy. The Captain has quietly produced while Luis Castillo now gets cheered. This is NYC. Where your fate can change over the course of 24 hours. Carlos Beltran has raked and now nobody calls to discuss trading Robby Cano or The Melk Man. John Maine and Mike Pelfrey have silenced critics (Oliver who?) and Andy Pettite has outpitched A.J. Burnett. Nick is Swish-a-licious and Livan Hernandez has turned back the clock. Seriously. Phil Hughes belongs in the Yankee rotation and Joba back in the setup role. The Mets hardly miss Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy’s future is now at first. The Yankee pen is quite scary while the Amazin’s is almost automatic. And the two NY teams are a combined 15 over .500 both half a game up on their chief rivals. Life is so good that even Mike Lupica’s looking forward to June. Until the next crisis.

… It’s safe to say Evan Longoria is the best young hitter in the game. He just might already be the best player. Too bad his team isn’t coming close to performing like defending AL champs. Do you think any Philly fan misses Pat Burrell with the way Raul Ibanez is scorching the ball? The run production for a 37 year-old NY native is a bit scary. I bet the Rays wish they had a doover on trading away Edwin Jackson to the first place Tigers. It’s refreshing to see Texas in first with Nolan Ryan taking games in and holding pitchers accountable. He wants to do away with pitch counts. Are you going to doubt a legend who struckout over 5,000 and tossed seven no-hitters? We didn’t think so! The Brewers have proved there’s life after Ca$h Cow and Ben Sheets. And Tony LaRussa’s at it again with his Cards. Heck. Even the Reds have shown improvement. Is there any doubt what the best division in the Senior Circuit is? I bet Sweet Lou must’ve had an ear to ear grin after Carlos Zambrano’s blowup with another senile ump. The Dodgers sure miss Manny. Juan Pierre has never played better. Somehow, both the Giants and Padres are .500 which speaks to the kinda managing each is getting. Given how deep their staff is, imagine if San Fran had an actual offense. No. Bengie Molina doesn’t count when he bats cleanup. It’s not the manager in Colorado. Is there a more dysfunctional team than the one that plays in the nation’s cap? Jim Bowden sure couldn’t wait to abandon ship. That franchise is so bad, they should be disbanded. Can anyone hit Zach Greinke? Is this really the end for Big Papi? With Carl Crawford tearing up the basepaths and Jacoby Ellsbury doing the same in Beantown, it sure is nice to see the stolen base back. Who is Aaron Hill? The best kept secret in the AL. Joey Votto’s a monster in the state of Ohio. Ain’t it funny how DL Pavano has won five of his last six starts headed into Sunday’s match-up versus his ex-team? It’s also laughable how bad the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal now looks. Especially with Ross Ohlendorf budding into a top three starter. And finally, did Ryan Church piss in Jerry Manuel’s cornflakes? Someone should contact the guys at CSI.

… I’ll just say that I’m disappointed that the Nuggets didn’t take the Lakers seven. To get beat that badly on your own home court when you were basically even most of the series is humiliating. Maybe my brother’s right. Perhaps Denver really is jinxed. Sure. They got the two Stanley Cups with the Avs but those may as well be half a century ago given how God awful they now are. Even former hero Patrick Roy rejected them. How do you think Tony Granato feels? Same thing with the Rockies who we think just two years ago made the World Series. And the Broncos have their two Lomardi Trophies but no Jay Cutler thanks to a dumb egocentric young coach trying to make his mark. Okay. LeBron’s performance scoring or assisting on 32 straight points spanning the end of the third and fourth quarters in an elimination game was amazing. But he’s not better than Kobe. Sorry buddy. You might not have as good a supporting cast but I’ll take Mr. Bryant in crunchtime anyday. Dwight Howard’s a monster but he should be given how freakish he is compared to other NBA bigs. We still think he needs more work in the lowpost. Bet Patrick Ewing still has a better postgame. I’ve said it for a while that Hedo Turkoglu is the most overlooked superstar. He does so many things well. He can shoot, drive and get his points but the versatile small forward also rebound and distributes. Bet the Kings wish they’d kept him. Speaking of brutal franchises. Rashard Lewis has been money from the outside all playoffs too.  Can someone tell me why Mike Brown didn’t start playing Booby Gibson more until his team got behind 3-1? And shouldn’t the LI kid Wally Szczerbiak be getting more PT? When Stan Van Gundy suddenly morphs into a coaching genius, you know you’re in trouble. I’ve always liked his game but some of the decisions Chauncey Billups made in the pivotal Game 5 late were flat out awful. Speaking of coaching, is it any coincidence Phil Jackson got the better of George Karl, who refused to play Renaldo Balkman? If I’m the Nuggets, I have to consider moving J.R. Smith. For as good a scorer as he is, he’s just a little too selfish and has a poor attitude. Unless that suddenly changes, it might make sense to see what they can get. He’d be a perfect Knick. Whatever happened to the Yi Net Era? Just saying. Give me the Lakers over either the Magic or Cavs in 6.

… You only have to watch a few points on clay to fully comprehend Rafael Nadal’s dominance. Poor Lleyton Hewitt. It’s nice to see most of the seeds still around including lone American men’s hopeful Andy Roddick. I’m hoping he’ll at least get to face the exciting Frenchman Gael Monfils in the Round of 16. Roger Federer struggling in the second round either is a very bad sign or a good one depending on how he responds to the challenge. No surprise to see Venus go bye bye in the first week at the French Open. The red surface just ain’t cutout for her or younger sis Serena. And yes. I’d be shocked if she reached the semis. I like one of the Russians to win. Either Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva or Svetlana Kuznetsova. Dementieva was fortunate to win her last match with comeback story Jelena Dokic bowing out due to a back injury. She led by a set and was on serve when it happened. Her life’s already been Hell thanks to eccentric Dad Damir. It would be nice if she got a break. Hopefully, she’ll at least be alright for the grass at Wimbledon in a few weeks. Tell ya what. Her power game is taylor made for it. Novak Djokovic is more than just the other contender in Roland Garros. I’m not sure about Andy Murray but he has a shot to do something as well. There’s at least one real good fourth round match with former top 5 Nikolay Davydenko taking on Australian Open semifinalist Fernando Verdasco. That could be a lot of long, grinding points. Possibly five sets and four hours. If you like good tennis, check it out. I won’t take  defending champ Ana Ivanovic seriously until she beats a real opponent. She gets the winner of Carla Suarez Navarro-Victoria Azarenka, who are a set apiece entering the weekend. Even though clay is not her fortet and it’s her second tournament back, never underestimate Maria Sharapova. She’s already pulled out three three-setters. Will she wear down against Na Li? Jelena Jankovic also shouldn’t be counted out. She has a lot to prove and would love to win her first major in Paris. But can she deliver when the pressure’s on? On the men’s side, other younger seeds to keep an eye on are talented Croat Marin Cilic and Muhammad Ali French clone Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. A possible Tsonga-Juan Martin Del Potro Round of 16 match-up could happen. That would be a lot of fun. Still like Rafa to win a record fifth consecutive French but the road should be tougher. Win and the fiery kid from Mallorca will really take his place among tennis greats.

… I’ll miss Jay Leno but am glad he’ll be back this September. Best of luck. Conan will do great but his replacement ain’t doing too badly. Say what you will but Jimmy Falloon sure is wacky. That ending with Justin Long. Classic stuff. And who don’t love The Roots?

Well, I think I’ve covered pretty much everything. It’s too early to talk pigskin. Mark Sanchez needs to do more than score off the field with hottie Hillary Rhoda.

Until next time. Peace and One Love!

Photos copyright Getty Images

 

No mas once was used to describe a super welterweight championship rematch between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran. It definitely applied to Rafael Nadal’s latest French Open win at Roland Garros where earlier today he not only defeated world No.1 Roger Federer but dismantled the classy 12-time grand slam champion.

Just how thorough was the 22 year-old Spaniard’s domination in becoming the first man since tennis legend Bjorn Borg to win four in a row on the red clay? Against one of the best players the sport has to offer, the No.2 ranked Nadal dropped only four total games easily defeating Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 before a stunned Philippe Chatrier crowd in Paris.

Quite frankly, this was one of the best performances you’ll ever see by a tennis player in a championship. To hand the 26 year-old Swiss No.1 arguably his worst defeat with so much at stake was stunning to say the least. For a third straight year, Federer was attempting to become the sixth male tennis player to complete the career grand slam by adding the French Open title to his distinguished repertoire. On this day however, it wasn’t to be as he couldn’t muster much against tennis’ most dominant clay court performer.

Unlike the last two finals they played there in which Federer got a set off Nadal before dropping the final couple to fall in four sets, he couldn’t make it competitive despite some strong support from a pro-Roger crowd who wanted so badly to see the popular player make history. Instead, what they got for their money was a virtuoso performance by the No.2 ranked player in the world who matched Borg by four-peating improving to a remarkable 28-0 at Roland Garros.

In  fact, his huge victory ranked as one of the most lopsided French Open finals in history bringing back visions of Borg taking apart Guillermo Vilas. Rafa also became the first men’s champion to not drop a set since the aforementioned Swede did it back in 1980.

Much like he was on hand at The Championships to present Federer a fifth consecutive Wimbledon crown, Borg was on hand to personally congratulate Nadal for matching another one of his records making it the first time he was back on that court in 27 years.

Of course, it was extremely disappointing that such an anticipated rematch turned into a rout. Federer just wasn’t sharp getting broken right away in the opening game by a determined Nadal who amazingly broke two more times to easily take the opening set dropping just a game.

When he continued to control play with top heavy groundstrokes from both sides of the racket forcing Federer to do much more running than normally, it looked like the rout was on at 2-0 in the second set making it eight of the first nine games. But just when the top seed looked out of it, he picked up his game finally finding the lines to hold and break back for two all.

Following a rare narrow escape for Nadal during a service game, Federer again held for three apiece and then applied the pressure looking to go up a break in the set. However, like great champions often do, the world No.2 fought off a couple of break points to hold for 4-3. It took some steam out of his opponent who in the very next game dropped four points in a row from 30-Love up when Nadal scooped up a backhand down the line winner to take a 5-3 lead.

The feisty Spaniard didn’t have any trouble serving it out for a two set lead. From there, a mistake prone Federer couldn’t find the range suffering a rare bagel when a forehand went long to give Nadal a fourth straight French Open title.

Just how special was his performance against his best rival? He won the last nine games. Something almost unheard of against such a great champion.

Clearly, Nadal was in a rare zone. According to stat tracker, he committed just seven unforced errors to Federer’s 35. He also slugged 15 more winners (Nadal-46, Federer-31) and broke one of the game’s best servers a ridiculous eight times in 17 opportunities.

Federer, who usually is very stingy on serve won 49 percent of his first serve and just 21 percent on second serve (5 of 24). It’s rare that you see him so bewildered but that was exactly the case Sunday as he couldn’t find an answer against an unreal opponent.

Nadal’s triumph was so thorough that he didn’t even celebrate opting to just run to net and shake Federer’s hand out of proper respect.

Even stranger was that Federer didn’t pass on a live TV interview on court following his toughest loss with NBC’s John McEnroe instead exhibiting such class under difficult circumstances giving all the credit to his opponent. When McEnroe told Nadal he was the best player he’d ever seen on clay, the modest Spaniard deflected attention opting to say that Borg was still better having won six French Opens- two more than he has.

It could be just a matter of time though given how well he’s playing on that surface. Will anyone ever get the better of him?

This was about as disheartening a men’s tennis slam final as I can recall. Federer’s body language wasn’t good throughout. Even when he elevated his level, you never got the sense that he felt he could win and make history. Perhaps that’s how intimidating Nadal’s become on clay. He plays amazing defense going from D to offense better than anyone on that surface hitting sliding winners which defy logic.

Borg said if he played Nadal, he would be more patient. You wonder how a match between tennis’ two greatest clay courters would go. Maybe in a simulated match cause that’s not happening anytime soon.

The bigger question is can Nadal finally conquer Federer on grass at Wimbledon after losing in two competitive finals including a classic five setter last year? Borg indicated that he thinks the No.2 ranked player will win the tournament this time around which still would be an upset considering how special Federer is on his best surface. He’s every bit as special as Nadal on grass as Rafa is on the red surface.

Figure the top two players to get stiff competition from No.3 Novak Djokovic and big serving American Andy Roddick.

It all starts a couple of weeks from now.

All images copyright Getty Images

 

Here we go again. Roger Federer has a third shot at Rafael Nadal to complete the career grand slam in today’s men’s French Open final at Roland Garros in Paris.

So, can the 26 year-old 12-time slam winner finally get the better of the three-time defending 22 year-old Spaniard on the clay? We’ll know later on when the best tennis rivalry is renewed when No.1 takes on No.2 for all the marbles.

For the Swiss world No.1, Nadal has been his toughest foe keeping him from becoming the sixth man to win all four majors. The past couple of years, Roger only got a set off Rafa losing in four both instances. What was discouraging though the second time around is that he really was never in the match as the powerful Spaniard dominated play to win on the red surface for a third straight time.

With Nadal aiming for a bit of history of his own attempting to four-peat in Paris for the first time since tennis legend Bjorn Borg, he has been in unbelievable form dominating opponents more than ever not dropping a set entering another final at Philippe Chatrier. In fact, before his semifinal straight set win over No.3 ranked Serb Novak Djokovic, he had dropped only 25 total games.

Even with a rematch from a year ago and the No.2 world ranking on the line, Nadal took the play to his 21 year-old opponent who won his first slam in Australia earlier this year. Rafa ousted him 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Following the match, Djokovic was disappointed in his performance the first couple of sets. Even though he stepped it up coming back to force a breaker, it wasn’t enough against the champion.

While Nadal has made quick work of his opponents, Federer has had a more methodical approach dropping three sets in three of his victories before pulling them out in four including his quarterfinal unseeded opponent, Frenchman Gael Monfils. They split the first two sets before the No.1 seeded player captured the final couple to prevail 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 advancing to a third consecutive French Open championship date against his No.1 rival.

Federer still trails American legend Pete Sampras by two for the men’s grand slam singles record of 14. He’ll need to be at his absolute pinnacle to get the better of Nadal at a place where he hasn’t lost in 27 matches. That’s right. One more triumph and it will be a remarkable 28-for-28.

Last year at Wimbledon, we saw Roger make history needing five sets before beating Nadal to win a fifth straight time on the grass with Borg also in attendance to see it happen. Now, the former Swede 11-time slam champion will be watching with rooting interest to see if the younger player can match him on the clay at Roland Garros.

It sets up to be another intriguing final with plenty of suspense. Hopefully, the build up will live up to it when they take the court at 9 AM on NBC.

Ivanovic captures first slam: It was a memorable week for Ana Ivanovic. The second seeded 20 year-old Serbian with the good looks not only defeated countrywoman Jelena Jankovic in three close sets taking the final three games to advance to a second consecutive French Open final but she finally delivered by winning her first ever grand slam title defeating Russian Dinara Safina in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 Saturday.

Already having replaced Russian Maria Sharapova as the No.1 ranked female player in the world, Ivanovic still came in with the pressure of having not won a major. She twice had reached finals only to get dismantled by recently retired champ Justine Henin on clay and Sharapova in Melbourne this past January.

However, the third time was the charm for the happy-go-lucky Serb overcoming nerves to post a two set win. She did manage to blow a 4-1 lead in the opening set but recovered claiming the last two games ending the set with a trademark forehand winner down the line. On championship point, a short backhand fell just out of Safina’s reach giving a jubilant Ivanovic her first ever slam.

She certainly is a gifted player who can hit the ball with authority from both sides. So more majors should be coming to a player who once trained back home using an empty swimming pool to tone her skills. Amazing stuff.

Congrats to her on the big win. Now the pressure’s squarely on countrywoman Jankovic to finally deliver a major. Something we picked her to do at the expense of Ivanovic. The lefty fell a little short.

It should setup an intriguing Wimbledon later this month. Amazing to think that’s around the corner.

[yahoo http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=207187&cl=8156730&ch=741176&src=sports Federer advances to semis] 

He still hasn’t won in Roland Garros but that hasn’t stopped world No.1 Roger Federer from reaching another grand slam semifinal. Yesterday in Paris, the Swiss Maestro cameback from a set down to beat Fernando Gonzalez 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in the French Open men’s quarterfinal to setup a semifinal against Frenchman Gael Monfils.

It’s unusual whenever Federer drops a first set. Something he’s done twice during this tournament as he again attempts to complete a career grand slam. However, what can be overlooked is his feistiness and willingness to compete. Rarely will you see Roger fade out of a match which is why it was so shocking that he lost in straight sets to eventual Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic back in January. Though all three were close.

For the 21 year-old Serbian, he’ll try to unseat three-time defending champion and king of clay Rafael Nadal in one semi tomorrow while Federer attempts to advance to a third straight French Open final against surprising Frenchman Monfils, who ousted fifth seeded Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Not only will Nadal’s perfect French Open record be on the line but the No.2 ranking as well when he plays No.3 Djokovic. A year ago, they met and Nadal worked the Serb hard forcing him to retire due to injury. Don’t expect a repeat. It should be a high quality match. Something the just turned 22 year-old Nadal hasn’t come close to seeing destroying opponents including fellow 19th seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 for an early birthday present.

Nadal will be the favorite but it should turn out to be an excellent match. Federer undoubtedly is expected to beat Monfils but the first Frenchman to make the semis in seven years will have the support of his countrymen.

On the women’s side, the Final Four are set with an all-Serbian battle probably for the No.1 ranking at stake when Jelena Jankovic battles Ana Ivanovic later today. The second semi features an all-Russian battle when Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on first time slam semifinalist Dinara Safina.

Safina fought off match points before coming back to stun countrywoman Elena Dementieva 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0. She’s had a great tournament also saving match points against Maria Sharapova before prevailing in three. Can the younger sister of Marat Safin victimize a third straight player from her country to reach the final? We’ll see.

The picks are Jankovic and Kuznetsova. We’ll find out who prevails later today.

[yahoo http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/scp_v3/viewer/share_upv2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcosmos.bcst.yahoo.com%2Fup%2Fplayer%2Fpopup%2Findex.php%3Fcl%3D8108745&title=tennischannel.com%3A%20Safina%20Stuns%20Sharapova Safina stuns Sharapova] 

The French Open women’s quarters began earlier today in Paris and saw an upset from two years ago take place once again. In an all Russian battle, top seed Maria Sharapova blew a set two break lead falling apart against Dinara Safina to fall 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-2 at Roland Garros.

Two years prior in a Round of 16 meeting, Sharapova had a similar meltdown against the same opponent bowing out on the red surface. This time however, she was whistled at by the partisan French crowd for her notorious screeches which reached feverish pitches as the match slipped away. The 21 year-old lanky Russian didn’t appreciate the treatment failing to acknowledge the crowd as she left the court.

For Safina, the big triumph put the 22 year-old younger sister of Marat Safin in her first ever grand slam semifinal. She’ll meet countrywoman Elena Dementieva for a chance at the final. Dementieva eliminated Russian Vera Zvonareva in three sets 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. The 26 year-old veteran has been a runner-up for the French Open once falling to Russian Anastasia Myskina four years prior. She’ll aim for her second final at Roland Garros a couple of days from now.