-Rafael Nadal took another step closer to the No.1 ranking by defeating veteran German Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2 to capture the Rogers Cup in Toronto yesterday for his ATP Tour leading seventh title of the year. It also marked his fifth consecutive tournament win and extended his match win streak to 29 straight. The 22 year-old No.2 ranked Spaniard also captured a fourth straight French Open and first ever Wimbledon becoming the first male tennis player to win both since Bjorn Borg in 1980. He defeated Scot Andy Murray in straight sets to reach the final after Murray had upset No.3 ranked Serb Novak Djokovic in the quarters of an upset marred tournament which saw top ranked Roger Federer, No.4 Russian Nikolay Davydenko, No.5 Spaniard David Ferrer and No.6 American Andy Roddick all bounced in the third round.

Nadal was able to avoid the upset bug to capture his first hard court tournament of the season. Though Kiefer raised his level early in the second set getting a few break points in the fifth game, the resilient Nadal fought them off and held serve before breaking the German’s spirit with two breaks to take the last four games for the championship.

If he continues to get solid results on the hard courts, then Nadal has to be considered a serious U.S. Open contender. He now believes he can win on any surface:

“I win on every surface, no? I win on grass, on hard, on indoor, and on clay, too. So if I am playing my best tennis I can win on every surface, no?”

In his career, Nadal’s now won 30 titles, making him the third youngest player to win that many behind Borg and Jimmy Connors.

He now trails Federer by just 300 points in the rankings boasting an impressive 61-7 record in 2008. So, can he finally overtake the 12-time slam winner who’s held the top spot a record 234 weeks in a row?

“Every player wants to be No. 1, no? I would love to be No. 1, but I am No. 2 right now. I’m very happy for be No. 2. Because with my titles, with my points, in a normal situation I, well, would have been No. 1 before. So I think I have to be happy, very happy anyway if I am No. 1 or No. 2. Because if I am No. 2 it’s because in front of me there is amazing player like Roger (Federer).”

I’m still a little in shock at how long this All-Star Game went becoming the longest in baseball history as the American League once again found a way to prevail over the National League coming back twice to tie late before pulling out a well earned 4-3 win in an unpredictable 15 innings.

The hero was Texas shortstop Michael Young, whose pop fly to right was deep enough to score Twins’ first baseman Justin Morneau from third due to a dreadful throw by Milwaukee’s Corey Hart. If he had any arm at all, it wouldn’t have been close because Morneau is slow as molasses. Still, his throw which bounced up the first baseline nearly made it in time but Atlanta’s Brian McCann applied the tag too late allowing the AL to once again reign supreme extending their unbeaten streak to 12 (11-0-1).

The question is will the Senior Circuit ever have a better chance to win a game? They led 2-0 until AS MVP J.D. Drew homered to tie it in the seventh. They led 3-2 in the eighth four outs away until Mets closer Billy Wagner, who was called on to get one out imploded probably driving Met fans nuts by giving up a single to Grady Sizemore and tying ground rule double to Tampa rookie third baseman Evan Longoria.

It only prolonged the agony as each team failed miserably with runners on base stranding runner after runner. Heck. Colorado 11-game winner Aaron Cook even did a houdini act escaping a bases loaded no out jam with three consecutive groundouts with the first two coming home. He also got out of another inning as a game which took a record four hours and 50 minutes not concluding until 1:37 EST.

God. I hate the West coast. Why should such a historic game played at Yankee Stadium with legend after legend showing up in New York be catered to the Pacific? How many times do us East coasters have to get screwed by this ridiculous standard? There were barely anyone left of a record crowd of 56,632 when it concluded.

Is that the way to treat the people who coughed up a ton of bread just to be part of history? All cause even when the game’s in New York, the laid back Westerners who don’t give two craps about it and would rather Tivo or DVR it are being catered to yet again.

I have a suggestion which might work for future telecasts. If such a big game is in a different time zone, start it earlier to accomodate the fans who attend it. Remember them baseball? I have to agree with something someone who called into my Hard Hits radio show said. TV is ruining the game. They’ve become so ratings-sessed that they don’t give a damn who they screw. Most people in this city should’ve been able to stay with the game longer before tuning it out.

It’s a complete joke. This happened to be one of the best AS Games I can recall full of drama. Sure. Dan Uggla Ugly stunk it up finishing without a hit, three K’s and an AS Game record three errors. He did everything possible to try to screw his own team but kept getting bailed out. And yes. The two teams stunk it up finishing a combined 3-for-28 with RISP (NL- 0 for 6, AL- 3 for 22).

But who didn’t appreciate the gritty play of Pirates’ center fielder Nate McLouth, who in my book was the MVP if the NL won with a perfect bunt down the line hustling to beat it out in what looked like a potential winning inning for his team. Then, on a basehit, he charged up and threw a strike nailing a runner at the plate to keep the game and long night going. What a player.

Mariano Rivera did his thing after Jonathan Papelbon gave up a run drawing more boos from the crowd for his remarks about wanting to close the game out. And all the best closer in the game did was do what he does best tossing one and two thirds scoreless while fanning a couple.

It’s ashame that many weren’t able to stay up and take in what was one of the most fun and unpredictable AS Games. Imagine if it had started say 90 minutes earlier? You’re telling me they couldn’t? Don’t answer that. Logic of most people on the East coast being home and having dinner before say a 7:15 start never prevails in the corporate world.

They must’ve taken that “City That Never Sleeps” slogan a little too much to heart.

The loser is baseball despite what was a memorable night. Oh well.

The tale of two New York baseball teams is being told as we approach the final weekend before the superhyped final All-Star Game at legendary Yankee Stadium in the cathedral which will soon be replaced by a brand new state of the art ballpark across the street.

For one team at least, they can feel pretty darn good about themselves because the Mets have finally discovered that magic formula under interim manager Jerry Manuel reeling off seven in a row including last nite’s 2-1 squeaker over the visiting Rockies at Shea.

Oliver Perez was rock solid for a third consecutive outing permitting just a run despite walking six before giving way to a pen which wiggled out of a couple of bases loaded jams including Aaron Heilman getting the last two Rockies swinging in the seventh. Pedro Feliciano followed suit by escaping a similar jam in the eighth keeping the contest tied to set the stage for surprising veteran second baseman Damion Easley who provided the heroics with a solo shot in the bottom half to give his team another huge victory.

For once, Billy Wagner closed it out 1-2-3 getting the final out on a deep fly to Carlos Beltran which kept the Amazin’s red hot with a season high seventh win in a row to remain tied with the Marlins a game and a half out of first.

Meanwhile in the City of Brotherly Love, the Phillies cameback to beat the one under NL West-leading Diamondbacks 6-5 in 12 innings getting a crucial two-run eighth inning tying triple from gritty center fielder Shane Victorino and a walkoff Jayson Werth RBI base hit to win for the second straight time. Ryan Howard added his major league best 28th dinger.

While the Mets should feel good for closing the gap after trailing by as much as seven to the Phils, the Yankees have to be increasingly frustrated with their inconsistency.

Having looked like they were about to put something together by taking the last two against Boston and sweeping a two-game series from the suddenly slumping first place Rays (lost fifth straight last night), they followed it up by turning Paul Maholm into a Cy Young candidate scoring just two runs in a depressing 4-2 loss to the Pirates in a makeup game Thursday. After a Bobby Abreu two-run single tied it, Pirates’ All-Star center fielder Nate McLouth responded by hitting a gamebreaking two-run home run off normally reliable Jose Veras in the seventh.

It allowed the Pirates to take the series despite another good outing from veteran Mike Mussina (6 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 5 K’s).

The problem for the Bronx Bombers is that the very next night, they had to deal with Toronto ace Roy Halladay, who brought his ‘A’ game to the table outpitching rookie Joba Chamberlain (6.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, HR, 9 K’s) while going the distance for his impressive major league-leading seventh complete game two-hitting them while walking one and fanning eight.

Only veteran infielders Alex Rodriguez (fourth inning single) and Derek Jeter (ninth inning ground rule double) got hits off Halladay leaving the Yankee captain singing the Toronto ace’s praises:

“He never throws a ball over the middle of the plate. If you face him four or five times a game, you might get one pitch over the plate. He goes from corner to corner as good as any pitcher in the game. He’s probably the best starter in baseball, I would think. I know I’m a little biased because we face him 10 times a year. He’s as consistent as anyone.”

Pretty hard to disagree with that assessment. It’s always been my belief that Halladay and Brandon Webb were the best pitchers in the game. Cue up the arguments.

Unfortunately for Jeter and the Yankee Pinstripes, they blew another golden opportunity to gain valuable ground on Tampa Bay, who lost again to the lowly Indians 5-0. It’s also worth noting that second place Boston also dropped a home game to the Orioles 7-3 remaining a game and a half out of first while the Yanks still trail by six and a half and seven in the loss column.

It’s vital for them to bounceback over the next two days before the break. However, that doesn’t seem likely with struggling fifth starter Darrell Rasner going against Jesse Litsch later today. If he does win, then the finale would see veteran southpaw Andy Pettite take on fireballer A.J. Burnett in a potential great match-up.

We’ll see if Joe Girardi’s ballclub can finish strong.

We return once again to the airwaves where a range of topics shall be covered between all our organized chaos.

Hard Hits will cover the Subway Series as well as more baseball. Plus an NBA Draft review complete with grades. Who will grade best and who will flunk out? Plus I set up the second exciting week of Wimbledon. Can Roger Federer make history by winning No.6 in a row? Or can Rafael Nadal or someone else get in the way? Will either Williams sister rule the women’s draw? Plus a look at the upcoming NHL free agency with the Lightning signing their newest acquistion Ryan Malone to a long-term deal. What do we think?

Find out!

What exactly is the Chatroom Brigade? Well, it was something that got started some seven years ago originating thanks to my brother Justin “NYYN” Felix. He along with original member Corey “Whip” Jones began this crusade recruiting future members John “JPG” Giagnorio, Robert “Kraze” Davis and Nate “Nas” Sousa. Colin “War” Cannaday would become part of this group as would Mike “Metallica” Rosen and Greg “GQ” Quarello.

As for myself, I wouldn’t officially get introduced until the middle of 2002 when I worked at ESPN in Bristol. Much of this was discussed on our show last night- the first one in a month. To all the listeners who archived our prior show, I want to say thank you for checking us out. It’s extremely nice to know people listen.

The most startling aspect going to edit the details on what else was covered for last nite’s show was that already we had over 20 archives without even promoting it. This was a random show put together last minute due to missing out on KrazeMart.

Included in the discussion was the tales of the mysterious unpredictable Eugine. You have to tune in to understand it.

Also covered was a dark secret from my past involving the most talented kid I knew Adam Padilla. How gifted is he? An artist extraordinaire who’s done it all.

We also talked some NBA Finals with the Lakers defeating the Celtics to get back in their series. Plus a little baseball talk and Big Brown by yours truly at the beginning.

Here’s the show archive:

Hard Hits: The Tribute of Fallen Chatroom Brigade Members

When I think of Ken Griffey, Jr., I’m immediately reminded of my childhood watching the the kid with the wide eyed grin and enthusiasm come up with the Seattle Mariners and play the game of baseball the way it was meant to be.

Just watching the way he played his position in center field was always a treat because you knew he’d do everything possible to track a deep drive down sacrificing his body which a few instances led to injuries and is the biggest reason he’s not our home run king instead of Barry Bonds. Cause as great a fielder as Griffey was, he was even more priceless at the plate where at any given moment, you could witness that sweet stroke which has now produced 600 career home runs after last night.

Finally, the 38 year-old veteran Red took his place among the all-time greats joining Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa as only the sixth MLB player to reach 600 for a career. The magical moment occurred when he waited on a Mark Hendrickson hanging curve on a 3-1 count in the first and connected for a two-run shot to right field in Florida.

“I don’t think I touched any of the bases. I sort of floated around,” Griffey said to reporters afterwards while receiving plenty of congrats from Red teammates and Hall of Famers Aaron and Mays.

“My father hit 152 home runs, and that’s who I wanted to be like,” he added of the man he started his career with back in Seattle even becoming the first father/son combo to hit homers in the same game.

Like his 400th and 500th dingers, the special moment came on the road.

“Pretty much everybody knows my track record,” he pointed out of the trend.

So, will there be 700 for a popular player who’s in the final year of his contract?

“I enjoy baseball and as long as I can go out there and help a team win I’ll do it.”

Congrats to one of the finest players this generation’s ever seen. He’s not only been the kid with the smile who played the game the right way but an even better role model off the field.

Even when you broke my heart during Game Five of the 1995 ALDS series rounding third like your life depended on it to beat the Yankees in extras, I knew and always appreciated how special a player you really were.

Thanks for being who you are! :D

Photos Copyright Getty Images

Johnny Damon has been a high quality player for a while. The 34 year-old veteran leadoff hitter had himself a career record breaking day of sorts in the Yankees thrilling 12-11 come from behind victory over his former club the Royals Saturday afternoon in the Bronx.

In a game which saw veteran southpaw Andy Pettite give up a career worst 10 runs including a two out seventh inning grand slam off the bat of Jose Guillen, the Bronx Bombers still found a way to comeback despite some poor managing from first-year skipper Joe Girardi bailing him and the starter out. Why Pettite was still in against the Royals version of an outfield slugger was due to the lack of confidence in the Joba-less bullpen. He had already served up a two-run jack to Guillen back in the first. Pettite’s 111th pitch was crushed to deep left giving Kansas City a 10-6 lead.

But the Yankee bats didn’t cool off on a near record-breaking day of 90-plus degree June heat coming back with a pair in the home seventh off the big bat of Alex Rodriguez (ninth home run) and Damon, who made it five-for-five with a money two-run opposite field single scoring Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera to knot the game at 10 apiece.

Just when it seemed the Yanks had the game in their favor, the reliable Mariano Rivera gave up a first pitch solo homer to Royals left fielder David DeJesus putting them behind a run once again. However, he got the next three batters setting the stage for the fateful bottom of the ninth.

A couple of days earlier, Jason Giambi provided some fireworks with a walkoff right field upper deck blast to beat B.J. Ryan and the Blue Jays. This time, they were facing Kansas City closer Joakim Soria, who entered a perfect 13-for-13 with a 1.03 ERA. With one out, it didn’t matter as veteran starting catcher Jorge Posada took the 24 year-old yard into the short porch tying the game at 11.

The Yanks weren’t done mounting a two out rally to win in exciting fashion. After Wilson Betemit drew a walk, center fielder Melky Cabrera beat out an infield hit to put a runner in scoring position. When Soria fell behind 3-1 on Damon, you knew or at least I did anyway that he was going to win the game. The next pitch, he went down and got slicing it inside the right field line for the winning walkoff extra base hit propelling the Pinstripes to a topsy turvy 12-11 home win.

Six-for-six giving Damon a career day and also becoming the first Bomber to record six hits in a nine inning game. Not a bad day’s work at the office.

The winning hit picked up Rivera, who notched his second victory bringing the Yanks back to .500 (31-31). They still trail first place Boston by six and a half with the Rays a half game behing the Red Sox.

This was a good win for them but the lingering questions remain as to why Girardi stuck with an ineffective Pettite to pitch to a batter he’d already given a long ball up to late in the game. Was he that uncertain about Kyle Farnsworth? At that stage, you have to trust your late inning setup guy to record that key out.

All a product of Joba Chamberlain no longer being available out of the pen. Instead, the 22 year-0ld will try to improve on an ineffective first outing against Toronto later today when he opposes Royal ace Zach Greinke. The 24 year-old Greinke was once a high draft pick just like Joba who was force fed to the majors at a young age by Kansas City only to struggle back to the minors before the Royals patiently allowed the righthander to straighten out. Now, he’s pitching to capability with five wins and a 3.56 ERA.

The Yanks need every win they can get in a much tougher AL East. The question is how long will Chamberlain go? This experiment gets more tantalizing by the day.

In our first segment, I reviewed my top five stories thus far during this baseball season. However, there are plenty of others worthy of mentioning. Let’s swing away!

6.Nate McLouth’s meteoric rise to stardom. Now you might ask who the heck is Nate McLouth? Only one of the most productive center fielders this season. The fourth-year Pirate has gone from obscurity to front and center exploding for 13 homers and 41 runs knocked in along with over a .300 average. Before this season, the 26 year-old from Michigan had totaled 25 homers and 66 RBI’s in his first 284 games. He’s already matched the amount of long balls he hit last year and established a new career best in RBI’s, three better than 2007. Not bad for a former 2000 25th round pick. It helps explain why the Pirates are scoring more this season with McLouth headlining a lineup which includes NL All-Star Jason Bay and slugging right fielder/first baseman Xavier Nady.

7.Cliff Lee’s amazing turnaround. A year ago, the Cleveland southpaw struggled so badly with injuries that he was sent down to Triple-A Rochester. In 2008, here he is leading the AL in wins (8) and ERA (1.87) while walking just 10 in 72 innings with opponents batting .225. Just remember. He came over as part of the Bartolo Colon trade to the then Expos orchestrated by current Mets GM Omar Minaya. Also included in it were center fielder Grady Sizemore and current Reds star second baseman Brandon Phillips.

8.If Josh Hamilton’s rise has been fun to watch, what of the pitcher he was dealt for who’s suddenly the best starter this season? Ex-Ranger product Edinson Volquez has been brilliant thus far posting a major league best 1.46 ERA while winning seven of 11 starts and fanning an NL-leading 83 in 68 frames. Opponents hit just .197 against the 24 year-old from Santo Domingo. Awesome trade for both teams.

9.Carlos Quentin went from crowded Arizona to the White Sox and now is performing up to capability leading the charge offensively for Ozzie Guillen’s first place club. Consider that the former Diamondbacks’ 2003 first rounder had 14 combined homers the last two seasons. Yet already in 54 games entering yesterday he had the same amount which up till Hamilton’s solo blast Sunday was tied for the AL lead. He also had 48 RBI’s trailing just the Texas center fielder. So far, that deal has worked out extremely well for Ken Williams, who dealt away first base prospect Christopher Carter.

10.The Marlins have dropped consecutive series losing two of three to both the Mets and Phillies to fall a half game out of first. However, their surprising play which still has them seven over .500 can’t be overstated. Even after unloading Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to underachieving Detroit, the majors lowest payroll is playing solid ball. Led by shortstop Hanley Ramirez and certain second base All-Star Dan Uggla whose 16 dingers rank third behind Chase Utley and Houston slugger Lance Berkman, the Marlins are winning their share of games. Ex-Met Mike Jacobs’ improvement (13 HR, 33 RBI’s) has bolstered the lineup as has Cody Ross’ power surge (10 homers). Scott Olsen has bounced back to anchor the staff and Kevin Gregg has done an admirable job closing games. Can they stay up in the mix with the Phils, resurgent Mets and maybe the Braves? We’ll have a better idea come mid-July.

The baseball season is two months old and there are many intriguing stories. What are some of the best? Let’s find out:

1.Josh Hamilton continues to rise from former failed No.1 overall substance abuse addict to the AL’s best player. In his first year with the Rangers since coming over from the Reds in the Edinson Volquez trade, the ex-Tampa 1999 first overall draft pick has built on a solid rookie season by stinging junior circuit pitchers with great numbers across the board ranking second in batting average (.326), tied for first in home runs (14) and first by a bunch in RBI’s (61) entering Sunday. With a couple of more hits including a solo shot in a 13-8 home loss to Oakland, he continues to rip it up. With nobody tearing it up like the NL, can Hamilton win the triple crown? Crazy thought but one which might be in reach if he continues his surge.

2.Chipper Jones is hitting over .400 on the first day of June. Sure. The switch hitting third baseman probably will cool down but his remarkable start has been awesome. The 36 year-old career Brave shows no signs of slowing down entering today with a gaudy .413 average, 12 dingers, 35 RBI’s and 40 runs scored. He’s just two homers shy of 400 for what’s been a brilliant 14-year career which is Cooperstown bound. Chipper’s always been one of the most consistent performers who could hit for average, power and drive in runs. A perennial winner.

3.Amazing how Tampa Bay is now just called the Rays and are suddenly boast the AL’s best record. They have a budding star in center fielder B.J. Upton along with former 2006 first round pick Evan Longoria manning the hot corner. The lineup is plenty potent including the likes of Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford but hitting was never the issue when it came to all the losing down in Tampa. They always lacked enough pitching to compete seriously. However, by swapping outfielder Delmon Young for Matt Garza combined with the continued emergence of ace Scott Kazmir and reliable No.2 James Shields, the Rays finally have a staff which can pitch deep into games. Even ex-Dodger farmhand Edwin Jackson has chipped in. Troy Percival’s addition to the pen closing games has been a blessing allowing J.P. Howell, Al Reyes and Dan Wheeler to setup. Suddenly, Tampa is no longer a laughingstock. So, can they stay near the top? Who knows? They’re a young up and coming ballclub. We won’t really know the answer until August.

4.With another win today, the Cubs now own the majors best record at 36-21. Must really be a century later. Lou Piniella’s balanced lineup which features stars Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee can supply plenty of offense. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez continues to rake and even veteran center field pickup Jim Edmonds is contributing. Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome has been a solid addition and veteran middle infielders Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot find their way on base. Rookie backstop Geovany Soto continues to slug giving the Cubbies a lethal middle order. The staff is anchored by Carlos Zambrano with former closer Ryan Dempster surprising as a seven-game winner who’s K-ing almost a batter an inning. Carlos Marmol is arguably baseball’s most dominant setup man throwing gas to pave the way for converted closer Kerry Wood. So far, so good. Maybe the century long wait could really be over come October.

5.Can anyone get out Chase Utley? The Phillies’ second baseman slugged his MLB-leading 20th dinger in a 7-5 win over the Marlins to lift the defending NL East champs back into first. Last year, he was our pick for NL MVP. Had he not missed time, Utley very well could’ve won the award over shortstop teammate Jimmy Rollins. Perhaps this is the year he takes it.

All Photos Copyright Getty Images 

Manny Ramirez became the 24th major league player to reach 500 career home runs earlier tonight during the Red Sox’ 6-3 road win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

The milestone took place during the Boston seventh when the former George Washington High School product stepped to the plate and drove Baltimore reliever Chad Bradford’s first pitch to right center into the bleachers. A no doubter which allowed the charasmatic left field slugger to admire it walking before raising his arms and going into his home run trot.

Ramirez becomes the latest player to reach the exclusive 500 homer club joining the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas and Jim Thome who all did it last year. Out of the 24 to reach the plateau, Manny is only the seventh player in major league history to have 500 dingers, 1,500 RBI’s, 475 doubles and a .300 batting average joining The Big Hurt, Mel Ott, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

Congrats to the Boston slugger on the achievement.