nder Chad Bettis hopes to be back on the mound for spring trainin

NEW YORK -- Novak Djokovic seemed on his way to a shattering 6-0 first set over Gael Monfils when the funky Frenchman appeared to stop playing seriously.With Djokovic leading their US Open semifinal 5-0, an uninspired Monfils began hitting exceptionally casual returns, which clearly irked Djokovic, who saw four set points evaporate.Ive seen strategy changes, ESPN analyst John McEnroe said on the broadcast, 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.Only to a point, because Monfils eventually lost the chaotic and disjointed match 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 on Friday in Arthur Ashe Stadium.Djokovic will next face No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, who made his way into the final later Friday night by defeating No. 6 Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.In head-to-head play, Djokovic leads Wawrinka 19-3. However, Wawrinkas biggest win as a professional came over Djokovic last year in the French Open final, and Wawrinka has won his past 10 finals in a row.Im really excited, Wawrinka said in his on-court interview. I watched the final so many times here. Roger [Federer] and Novak are great champions. To play in the final against him is going to be special.Hopefully, Im going to be ready.In classic Muhammad Ali rope-a-dope fashion, Monfils turned would-be tanking into a tactic. He created a distraction, then rushed into the void left by Djokovics waning concentration.It happened again in the third set, when Monfils quirky behavior drove Djokovic to tear off his shirt after the final point.Afterward, Monfils answered McEnroes charges.Im sorry if you think Im unprofessional, but I guess Im working, Im learning, Monfils said. I think Im failing, for sure, a lot, but I try to stand up. Its tough, because when he calls me unprofessional, he calls my coach unprofessional, calls my physio unprofessional -- all my team, actually, unprofessional.I have nothing personal [against] him, so Im very sad to heard that. Im very sad to learn that such a legend criticized me, because at the end what I can say to John is, I want to be the best.Both Monfils and Djokovic cramped significantly in the fourth set and called for visits from the ATP trainer amid the hot and humid conditions.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 stopped short of criticizing Monfils style of play.Monfils finished with 11 double faults and 52 unforced errors.Djokovic benefited from three injured opponents: Jiri Vesely (withdrew), Mikhail Youzhny (retired) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (retired).After defeating Monfils, 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.Wawrinka has played a staggering 23 sets and 237 games.And what prompted Djokovic to tear of his shirt?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.And how did he bounce back from that?The way I bounce back from that, he said, is take another T-shirt from my bag. I already feel better. Jason Witten Womens Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Michael Gallup Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. https://www.cowboyssportsgoods.com/Womens-Taco-Charlton-Inverted-Jersey/ .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. DENVER -- Colorado Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis hopes to be back on the mound for spring training after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.Bettis said in a statement that he underwent surgery on Nov. 29 to have a testicle removed after bloodwork revealed an abnormality. Bettis added that doctors are confident the cancer was isolated and hasnt spread.I was completely caught off guard by my diagnosis, but have subsequently found that the vast majority of cases occur in men 20 to 40 years of age, and that the survival rate is 99 percent when contained and caught early, Bettis said in the statement released through his agent, Matt Sosnick. This only reinforces my belief that each of us needs to be totally in tune with our own physical health, and that taking action sooner than later when we feel like something is off can sometimes literally be the difference between life and death.ddddddddddddThe news was first reported by ESPN. The Rockies wished him well on the teams Twitter account as he works toward a return for spring training in February.My understanding is that I will be physically ready to have a normal spring training, and I greatly look forward to the upcoming season, Bettis said. The Rockies and the MLBPA have been great, and I truly appreciate the care and support shown by (general manager) Jeff Bridich to both me and my family.The 27-year-old Bettis was 14-8 with a 4.79 ERA last season. He figures to be an integral part of the 2017 starting rotation under first-year Colorado manager Bud Black.Bettis was a second-round pick by the Rockies in 2010. ' ' '