Offtopic/fun » tight end was contemplating retiremen

NEW YORK -- He is already the worlds No. 1 player with a spectacular skill set currently unmatched in all of tennis.But as if he needed it, Novak Djokovic has another thing going for him heading into the Sunday mens final:The gift of time -- time not spent on court.Djokovic has played only 13 sets, and a total of 118 games. This puts him on a record pace for fewest sets and games in an Open era major that featured a 128-man draw and only best-of-five-set matches.Defeating No. 10 seed Gael Monfils in a crazy, topsy-turvy match, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, required some extra attention but, despite some late cramping in hot and humid conditions, Djokovic still has an advantage.Although Djokovic came in with nagging injuries -- a sore left wrist and a right arm -- he had some historic good fortune in his journey to the semifinals.The quirky Frenchman, employing the unusual tactic of appearing not to try, made it far more interesting than anticipated. He charged back from a 5-0 deficit in the first, then won five straight games after trailing 2-0 in the third.At times in decisive, tense moments, we had many exchanges form the baseline, Djokovic said in his on-court interview. Gael is very entertaining to watch, a very charismatic guy. I do sincerely hope all you guys enjoyed our battle today.Djokovic did not come close to criticizing Monfils style of play.By contrast, Le Monf had not dropped a set coming into the match, but ultimately played 19 sets and 178 games.Djokovic benefited from three injured opponents: Jiri Vesely (withdrew), Mikhail Youzhny (retired) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (retired).Some more takeaways from the strange match:The old rope-a-dope: After Djokovic won those first five games, Monfils began hitting casual, uninspired returns, which set Djokovic off. He let four set points get away. Ive seen strategy changes, ESPN analyst John McEnroe said on the air, but this tops everything. Even Sigmund Freud above couldnt figure this out. This is bordering on unprofessional. The only reason Im saying borderline is because its working. This is one of the craziest matches Ive ever seen.The shirt off his back: Even before Monfils walked off with the third set, Djokovic had torn his stylish white Uniqlo shirt out of frustration. He had completely shredded it and taken it off by the time he got to the changeover chair. Why did he do it? I keep asking myself the same question, he said, laughing. Sometimes you dont have answer. Sometimes it just happens in the heat of the moment. Monfils unpredictable behavior, serial serve-and-volleys, stalling, inconsistent effort and variety of questionable tactics that even included a left-handed forehand, affected Djokovics concentration and allowed Monfils back into the match.A ridiculous get: This is what separates Djokovic from the field: In the fourth game of the fourth set, Djokovic sprinted forward to collect a Monfils drop shot, then raced back to the opposite corner. He slid and stretched mightily to hit a cross-court forehand that just eluded Monfls. Two points later, Djkovic converted a break point and took an insurmountable 3-1 lead.Singular success: Lost in the Monfils histrionics, was another remarkably consistent effort by Djokovic, who reached his 19th Grand Slam singles final of the last 25 played. Put another way, Djokovic has missed only six major finals in the past six-plus years.Sweet summer, nonetheless: Monfils, 30, finishes his hard-court season with a 19-3 record, also losing to Djokovic in the Toronto semifinals and to Kei Nishikori in the Olympic quarterfinals. He is, however, 1-16 against world No. 1s.A lucky 13: Djokovic has now beaten Monfils in each of their 13 meetings. The only opponent with a worse record? Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open winner, is 0-14 against Djokovic. Wholesale Vapormax . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Clearance Air Vapormax . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. https://www.cheapvapormaxoutlet.com/ . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. Fake Vapormax . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Vapormax 2020 . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeVeon Bell is ready to serve his suspension and move on.Bell spoke on Saturday, one day after the NFL suspended the Pittsburgh Steelers running back for the first three games of the regular season for missing multiple drug tests, which is a violation of the leagues substance abuse policy.I already apologized to my teammates, my coaches and Steeler Nation, Bell said. Im sincerely sorry about everything I put everybody through. Its been frustrating and I own up to everything. Its all my fault and I cant blame nobody else for that.Bell stood by a now-deleted post to his Instagram account he put up on Friday, offering an apology shortly after the suspension was announced. He initially faced a four-game suspension, but it was reduced to three games following an appeal to the league.Bell will be eligible to return to the active roster Sept. 26 before the teams Week 4 home game against Kansas City.Im glad they shaved a little bit of time off, Bell said. The sooner I can get on the field, the better.This is the second time Bell has faced discipline from the league. He sat out the first two games of the 2015 season as punishment for his arrest in August 2014 on DUI and marijuana possession charges following a traffic stop. Bell was originally suspended three games before it was reduced on appeal.It (stinks) to keep having to miss time, Bell said. I want to play football and be out there with my teammates. I accept the suspension. I just have to learn from this and move on.Bell feels the experience will help him moving forward.I think this is going to help me be a better person, a better player, and obviously smarter, Bell said. Its definitely a learning experience. Im not the perfect person. I didnt do everything right, but I didnt do everything wrong either.Rumors initially surfaced about Bells suspension during the teams June minicammp.dddddddddddd He declined to get into specifics when the Steelers opened training camp as additional information circulated about the case. Bell said he doesnt let those rumors bother him.I just let everybody say what they want to say, Bell said. People who say I smoke weed, thats fine. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. The people who know me know the person I am.While Bell is scheduled to return in Week 4, the Steelers arent sure when tight end Ladarius Green will be back.Green, the Steelers biggest free agent signing in the offseason, is on the physically unable to perform list because of offseason ankle surgery. On Saturday, Green denied multiple recent reports that he was suffering from recurring headaches.I dont know what those reports are, Green said. I heard about it, but I didnt look at it. Im still on PUP because of my ankle.There were also reports suggesting the Steelers could release Green or that the fifth-year tight end was contemplating retirement.Im wondering who said this, Green said. Im only 26, so I dont think Im going to retire any time soon.Green said theres no timetable for his return. Green admits hes frustrated, but hes confident that he will play this season as he continues to rehabilitate his ankle and workout on adjoining practice fields.Ive still been rehabbing my ankle, Green said. I havent been dealing with anything else but that.Game notes Quarterback Dustin Vaughan suffered a fractured bone on his throwing hand during a sack in the second preseason game against the Eagles. ... The Steelers signed quarterback Bryn Renner and guard Antoine Everett and released running back Christian Powell and center Valerian Ume-Ezeoke.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '