MILWAUKEE -- It's the key unit of the Cubs' roster that is supposed to lead them to the postseason, but Chicago's high-priced starting rotation is as big a crapshoot as any part of its game right now. On Friday night, against the Brewers, left-hander Cole Hamels continued a disturbing trend for this rotation when he took his team out of the game way too early for anyone's liking -- especially his.

"Sometimes, it's a battle and you'd rather it be a battle against the other team as opposed to internally, against yourself," Hamels said after a 7-1 defeat.

In the first inning, Hamels walked the leadoff batter before getting in and out of a bases-loaded jam. He settled down but not for long. Things fell apart in the third, as he gave up nine hits overall in 3⅓ innings, including a three-run home run to Christian Yelich. The Brewers never looked back, as the Cubs saw a short-lived 1-0 lead evaporate.

At his best, Hamels can place his fastball where he wants it and then put hitters away with his changeup. But he is far from that pitcher right now. The Brewers went 7-for-8 against his fastball and chased almost nothing out of the zone -- only 17% of his pitches to that area Friday, Hamels' lowest number of the season. Even at less than ideal, the veteran usually keeps his team in the game. That's not happening.

"Time is ticking and this is why I'm here," a frustrated Hamels said. "It's to get the job done and to continue to put good games out there for this team to give them an opportunity to win, and I'm not doing so."

Since a months-long stay on the injured list for an oblique injury, Hamels has been throwing batting practice. That was understandable for his first few starts back off the IL, but the time to shake off the rust should be well behind him. Over his past seven starts, he has given up a whopping 47 hits in 30⅓ innings while compiling a 7.12 ERA. His manager says Hamels is healthy, so this is about execution.

"I thought he was throwing the ball well, then it all went south," Joe Maddon said. "I didn't see it coming. I thought he was in for a pretty good night."

Hamels hasn't had a good night in a long time, but the even bigger problem for the Cubs is that Hamels' rotation mates are seemingly just as inconsistent. Kyle Hendricks can't seem to pitch on the road. Jose Quintana has come back down to earth after a great stretch. Jon Lester is performing frequent escape-artist tricks; eventually, the traffic on the bases might catch up with him.

Which is why, on Saturday night, all eyes will be on Yu Darvish when he returns after skipping a start because of forearm stiffness. He has been excellent, but no one thought the Cubs would have to rely on him to lead the way at the most important time of the year. In March, a good season from Darvish was thought of as gravy. Now? He is as big a key as anyone on the team.

"We've always gathered our strength from our rotation," Maddon said. "That's been a bedrock for us."

In the past, Chicago could count on big-game pitchers such as Lester, Hamels and Hendricks -- and maybe the Cubs still can -- but time is running out and there's little margin for error. Clinching a wild-card spot is far from a done deal for them, and winning the National League Central is still an arm's length away, with September days disappearing from the calendar. Is it over? No. But it's getting late.

"I have four more starts to make a dent and help this team win," Hamels said.

Giving his team a better chance would be a start. It's not what the Cubs should be worrying about right now, not Hamels and Lester. Father Time catches up with everyone. The only question is, when is it their time? Maddon says it's not now.

"Moving forward, the starting rotation is going to be a big part of our success," he said.

Is that a prediction or hopeful thinking? The final weeks of the Cubs' season will tell us.

British veterans enjoy 100m success at European Masters Championships in Venice with three golds in 15 minutes and five overall

After the extremely hot weather of the opening day, Friday was mostly cool, wet and windy and not conducive to fast sprint times.

Nevertheless, Britain’s sprinters had a highly successful time and there were 100m gold medals for Steve Peters, John Wright, Don Brown, Jonathan Browne and Caroline Powell.

The first three golds came back to back in the space of just 15 minutes. Elsewhere, walker Ian Richards also won gold.

Doctor Stephen Peters, surely one of the greatest ever British masters with well over 20 years of domination in his age group, started it rolling with a M65 gold medal.

The well-known sports psychologist had remarkably not raced since winning a world masters sprint triple last September in Malaga.

After holding back in the heats he blasted to yet another gold in the final, winning easily in 12.95 (-2.2). Germany’s Rudolf Koenig (13.18) followed with John Browne winning bronze in 13.20.

Next on the track was the M60 race and John Wright won easily in 12.57 (-1.9), two metres up on US guest Val Barnwell (12.77) though Guner Gumgor took European silver in 12.78.

Britain’s hat-trick of titles was completed by Don Brown, who was a clear winner of the M55 race. He fought a strong 3.6m/sec headwind to win in 12.13, two metres ahead of Paolo Mazzocconi’s 12.34 as Pat Logan took bronze (12.61).

Jonathan Browne won the M35 100m in 10.94 into a strong 2.5m/sec headwind as he just edged Giovanni Tomasicchio of Italy (10.95).

Ciaran Harvey won a M45 bronze in 11.83 behind winner Ricardo Lemos of Portugal’s 11.79 and M75 Victor Novell (14.34) and M80 Anthony Treacher (16.19) won further bronzes.

Controversially, while the men ran their 100m races in the main stadium in Jesolo, where nearly all athletes are based, the women were competing 20km away in Caorle, where there were far fewer supporters and they did not get the usual support from the male sprinters.

Caroline Powell continued her long run of successes. In her first Europeans in the W65s age group she won in 15.09 (-0.4) with fellow Brit Joylyn Saunders-Mullins second in 15.30.

Malgorzata Gasowska of Poland won the W40 100m in 12.60 (2.2) but was followed home by three Brits – Susie McLoughlin (12.72), Joanne Frost (12.90) and Karen Burles (13.00).

Away from the sprints, Ian Richards continued his good form with a clear win in the M70 5000m walk in 27:08.70 to take gold by almost 25 seconds.

Peter Boszko won a further British medal in third (27:33.14) just three hundredths of a second behind Ettorino Formentin.

Also in the walks, Catherine Duhig picked up a W60 silver in 30:26.63 behind Marie Astrid Monmessin of France (27:20.00).

Iris Holder, the W75 triple jump winner on day one, showed her versatility with a 18.93 for bronze as Hannalore Venn of Germany won in 18.25.

Dorothy Fraser won W80 bronze in 22.14 in a race won by Rietje Dijkman in a European record 17.56.

In the field, David Valentine won a M60 hammer bronze with a 48.23m throw as Gottfried Gassenbauer won an Austrian gold with 54.51m.

Louise Wood won a W50 triple jump bronze in 9.86m as Kirsi Spoof-Tuomi of Finland won with 10.38m.

Marianne Berndt won W40 bronze in 10.82m behind Spanish winner Cristin Teixera Garcia’s 12.52m while Lynsey Whyke won W35 triple jump bronze (10.37m).

In the weight, M35 George Perkins (13.48m) and M40 Stuart Thurgood (15.51m) both won silver medals.

Other performances of note included W65 Romanian Mihaela Loghin’s 12.28m shot win.

At the end of day two Germany were top of the medal tables (17 gold, 15 silver, 12 bronze) from Italy (13, 12, 9), Finland (9, 4, 6) and Great Britain (8, 7, 13) and so far remarkably 24 different countries have won a gold medal with just under a 100 having already been decided with eight days of competition still to go.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake beats Richard Kilty at Great North CityGames but local star Kilty is still smiling after brilliant day at Stockton-on-Tees

Richard Kilty promised everyone that Stockton-on-Tees would stage a memorable Great North CityGames – and he was right. Large crowds turned out on a bright and breezy day at the Tees Valley venue to watch the local star sprinter plus athletes like the legendary Allyson Felix in a meeting that will live long in the memory.

“Everyone was shocked when it was coming to Stockton as Newcastle and Manchester are really big cities,” Kilty said. “But I told them we have an amazing high street and the fans are incredible.

“The athletes got an amazing reception and the crowd was electric. It was an amazing emotional day for me and one I’ll never forget.”

Kilty’s day began with a crowd-pleasing 100m win in 10.57 (0.2) over Sam Osewa and Sam Miller, who both clocked 10.80.

The 30-year-old later faced a tougher test in the 150m and finished a close third behind Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and winner Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, the latter clocking 15.43 to win by seven hundredths of a second after a strong finish.

Kilty was returning from a hamstring tear sustained when winning the 200m at the European Team Championships last month. “But I was never going to miss this!” he smiled.

Richard Kilty talks proudly about today’s Great North CityGames in his home town of Stockton-on-Tees. #GNCG2019 @RKilty1 pic.twitter.com/qsWU3mRo6f

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 7, 2019

Rarely has Teesside been graced by an athlete of Allyson Felix’s class and the multiple global sprints champion delivered with a 150m victory in 17.37 over Brits Ashley Nelson (17.42) and Beth Dobbin (17.49).

The 33-year-old is a six-time Olympic gold medallist and has won a record 16 medals at the IAAF World Championships and in Stockton she showed her improving form during a comeback season following a baby break.

When it came to popularity with the spectators, Jonnie Peacock almost gave Kilty a run for his money. The 26-year-old, who is preparing for the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai in November, was also too fast for the rivals in his race as he took the IPC 100m in 11.53 (-1.9) from Felix Streng of Germany.

Similarly, Sophie Hahn showed fellow competitors in the women’s IOC 100m a clean pair of heels by building up a big lead with a lightning start which she never relinquished as she clocked a CityGames record of 13.07 (-1.8).

Abigail Irozuru was all smiles after winning the long jump with a CityGames record of 6.66m (0.4). The Briton beat Quanesha Burks of the United States by four centimetres with Olympic champion Tianna Bartoletta third.

The thumping atmosphere in Stockton was on display in the men’s pole vault as Cole Walsh of the United States beat Charlie Myers of Britain on countback after both vaulters cleared 5.45m in blustery conditions.

Earlier in the day elite mile races took place on the Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside which were won by Jordan Williamsz and Eilish McColgan.

After winning the CityGames mile in 2017 and 2018, Williamsz made it a hat-trick of victories as he pipped fellow Australian Ryan Gregson to the post in 4:10.95, while McColgan (pictured below) clocked 4:32.04 to beat Melissa Courtney by 1.7sec despite admitting she wasn’t sure exactly where the finish line was.

Back in Stockton, Tony van Diepen of the Netherlands and Jaide Stepter of the United States won two competitive 400m races that began on the road and went up a tiny ramp before finishing on the temporary synthetic track.

Van Diepen, a 400/800m specialist, was boxed in as the field reached the closing stages but he extricated himself in time to burst clear and clockd 47.40 to beat Tyrell Richard of the United States and Britain’s Martyn Rooney and Dai Greene, whereas 400m specialist Stepter clocked 54.10 to out-pace Brits Amy Allcock and Jessie Knight.

In the sprint hurdles, Queen Claye put on a great show for the crowd – during the race and in her exuberant post-race interviews – as the American clocked 13.08 (0.7) ahead of Britain’s Cindy Ofili, whose fine comeback from Achilles injury continues as she ran 13.11 in second.

The men’s 110m hurdles saw Damian Czykier of Poland run 13.93 (-1.3) to beat British champion David King by one hundredth of a second.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Rookie center Jack Hughes need not be too disappointed over the dud he and the New Jersey Devils produced in the No. 1 draft pick's debut in an NHL competitive setting Friday night.

Overlooking the 6-4 loss to Buffalo at the Sabres' prospects tournament, Devils minor-league coach Mark Dennehy was more impressed by how Hughes' focus never wavered when the game was essentially out of reach.

"It's 6-3 and we're on the power play, and he asked me a question that tells me not only is he locked in, but that he's a student of the game," said Dennehy, declining to share the specific question Hughes asked.

"It was a situational thing, and as a coach, for a player at his young age to sort of change gears was pretty impressive to me," said the AHL Binghamton coach, who was behind the bench.

"As skilled as he is, he's a competitor, too," Dennehy said. "I know he's not happy with the result. But I think he showed everybody especially the Devils' fans that he's got a bright future."

The 18-year-old Hughes wasn't in much of a talkative mood following a game the Devils trailed 6-0 before scoring four times over the final 23 minutes.

"We could've played better," Hughes said. "I felt OK in my game. First game of the year, so just a building block."

Though he scored a goal, Hughes was more disappointed in the several chances he missed. Turnovers were an issue, too, for Hughes, who coughed up the puck several times in the opening period.

"It was more just getting my feet wet again," said Hughes, whose last game was representing the United States at the World Championships in May. "I'm sure it's only a start."

His night got off to a bad start when Hughes fell while losing a faceoff in the Devils end, which led to the Buffalo's Kyle Olson opening the scoring 30 seconds in. On Hughes' next shift, he coughed up the puck at his own blue line.

It wasn't until midway through the opening period, when Hughes began showing off the play-making skills which led him to set the two-year USA Hockey National Developmental Program scoring record with 228 points (74 goals, 154 assists) in 110 career games.

Driving into the right corner of the Sabres end, he eluded a defender and made a no-look pass to the left point to set up a scoring chance.

Hughes' highlight came with 3:43 left in the second period. After getting knocked down by Buffalo's Casey Fitzgerald in the Sabres end, Hughes got up, raced to coral a loose puck and scored the Devils' first goal.

"It was more beat the goalie to the spot, grab the puck, spin around and shoot," Hughes said, describing the goal. "Yeah, it was nice. Good to get on the board. But, I mean, I had five or six other chances and should've scored at least one or two more."

Hughes and the Devils' prospects will get two more games in Buffalo to knock the rust off before the team opens training camp next week. And that's when most eyes will be on Hughes, the 5-foot-10 play-making center from Orlando, Florida, who was the eighth American to be selected with the No. 1 pick.

Hughes was part of a Devils lineup that featured two other first-round picks: center Michael McLeod (selected 12th overall in 2016) and defenseman Ty Smith (17th in 2018). And then there's newly signed forward Jesper Boqvist, a 2017 second-round selection, whose 35 points tied him for second among players 21 and younger in the Swedish Hockey League last season.

The Devils are counting on Hughes to immediately contribute to a roster that's been restocked after New Jersey finished last in the Metropolitan Division. A day after drafting Hughes, New Jersey turned heads by acquiring defenseman P.K. Subban in a trade with Nashville, and also signed power forward Wayne Simmonds in free agency.

Though they've yet to meet in person, Subban is already looking forward to assisting in Hughes' development.

"I think the focus needs to be on his development as a player. He's got a lot of time, and there's going to be a learning curve," Subban told The Associated Press. "But he's a tremendous talent, and you're going to see when the puck drops. I'm just excited to be able to try to help someone like that in any way I can."

Devils head coach John Hynes watched from the stands and liked what he saw in Hughes' first game.

"I liked his speed. I liked his competitiveness. I think all in all for him, it's a pretty good first game," Hynes said.

Neymar's second half goal gave Brazil a 2-2 draw against South American rivals Colombia in an international friendly on Friday night.

The match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens marked the competitive return of Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar, who has not played for club or country since injuring his right foot in a June friendly against Qatar.

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Brazil took the lead in the 20th minute when Casemiro headed home a corner from Neymar, who was making his return to the national side after missing their victorious Copa America campaign.

Luis Muriel equalised from the penalty spot six minutes later after Alec Sandro was penalised for a clumsy challenge, and he gave Colombia the lead 11 minutes before half time when he rifled high into the net from 10 meters out to finish off a superb team move.

Brazil improved in the second half and Neymar got them level after 58 minutes when he tapped in from close range after Philippe Coutinho had split the Colombian defence with a long pass.

Neymar had a strong penalty claim turned away with a quarter of an hour remaining when Davison Sanchez forced him face first into pitch-side advertising but the referee waved the claim away and neither side could get the winner.

"It was a difficult game, but I think that we had more chances and we could have won," said Brazil captain Dani Alves after the match.

"But I think that a game at this level really could have gone either way. It's left a bitter taste in our mouth."

Brazil will now go to Los Angeles where they face Peru on Tuesday, while Colombia play Venezuela in Tampa the same night.

Trinbago Knight Riders 191 for 4 (Webster 66*, Narine 46, Jacobs 1-14) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 169 for 6 (Worker 46, Russell 44, Narine 2-23, Neesham 2-27) by 22 runs

An all-round show by Sunil Narine and Tion Webster's maiden T20 half-century spoiled Chris Gayle's homecoming as Trinbago Knight Riders beat Jamaica Tallawahs by 22 runs for their second straight win.

After being asked to bat, Webster's unbeaten 66 off 49 balls helped Knight Riders to 191 for 4. While Webster was played the anchor's role, Narine smashed 46 off 22 and Kieron Pollard contributed 33 not out off 21 towards the end to take Knight Riders to a formidable total.

In response, Tallawahs could never get going as the Knight Riders spinners made the run-scoring difficult right from the start. Narine, Khary Pierre and Seekkuge Prasanna bowled ten overs combined, conceding only 61 and sharing three wickets.

When Andre Russell made his way to the middle, Tallawahs needed 99 from 42 balls. Despite not looking at his best, Russell struck four fours and as many sixes in his 24-ball 44 but even for him, it proved too much in the end.

Narine leads the attack

Lendl Simmons started the Knight Riders innings with a four over covers and struck a six three balls later. But his stay was cut short by Christopher Lamont's left-arm spin. In comes Narine, out goes Lamont's next three balls for four, six, four. Oshane Thomas wasn't spared either. The pacer's two near-yorkers were squeezed out to the extra-cover and deep midwicket boundaries. When he bowled short and wide, Narine carved him over covers for a six and took Knight Riders to 53 in just four overs. With Webster going at almost a run a ball at the other end, Narine's innings ensured the scoring rate didn't suffer. Narine eventually fell in the ninth over when he mistimed a slower one from Shamar Springer to long-on but Knight Riders had already posted 85 by then.

Webster's maiden half-century, Pollard's umpteenth onslaught

Webster had opened his account with a first-ball four off Jerome Taylor. He had also struck a four and a six in one Russell over to move to 18 off 12. But the next 12 deliveries brought him only seven runs. With just three down at the half-way mark and Pollard still to come in, Webster realised he needed to go big. And then as if a switch was flipped. The first ball of the 11th over - bowled by Springer - was slog-swept for six. The next two balls were steered for two off-side boundaries. Three overs later, Webster brought up his half-century, off 37 balls.

Pollard came to the crease in the 15th over, after Russell bowled Ramdin with a dipping full-toss, and warmed himself up with seven singles off the first seven balls he faced. But his late onslaught meant Knight Riders took 34 from the last three overs, with Pollard accounting for 26 of those with the help of four boundaries.

Knight Riders spinners strangle Tallawahs

After just 12 from the first two overs, Pollard brought in Narine who straightaway found the turn. After hitting Glenn Phillips on the pads a couple of time, Narine managed to sneak one through the gate and uproot the leg stump.

Gayle hit the 19-year-old Mohammad Hasnain for back-to-back sixes but he too struggles against Narine's spin. Trying to collect as many runs possible from the other end, he smashed Ali Khan over the bowler's head for a six but while trying to repeat the act next ball, he holed out to deep midwicket, leaving Tallawahs 39 for 2 in the sixth over.

Pierre and Prasanna kept up the pressure and conceded just 19 from the next four overs. As a result, Tallawahs could manage only 58 in the first ten overs at the loss of three wickets.

Go big or go home

With 134 needed from 60 balls, Tallawahs had to find boundaries and find them soon. One such attempt from Chadwick Walton - off Narine - ended up straight into the hands of James Neesham at long-on. Russell slog-swept Pierre over wide long-on for a six but the next ball was hit towards long-on, to the left of Neesham who overran it and could only see the ball bursting through his fingers for four.

With 72 needed off 25, Russell got another life when he failed to middle a slog sweep off Narine but Prasanna at short third man spilled the chance. Russell was dropped once more - off Hasnain - but even all those chances and the Russellmania couldn't take Tallawahs to victory.

Hours after the Oakland Raiders said Antonio Brown will indeed play in Monday's season opener, the star receiver posted a video on YouTube that showed a phone call he had with coach Jon Gruden amid his uncertain status with the team earlier this week.

In the video, which was posted Friday night and lasted 1 minute, 57 seconds, Brown is heard taking a call from Gruden, who asks the receiver: "What the hell is going on, man?"

Brown answered: "Just a villain all over the news, man."

Gruden then called Brown "the most misunderstood" person he has met, before asking him: "Do you want to be a Raider or not?"

Brown answered: "Man, I've been trying to be a Raider since Day 1. I've been f---ing working my ass off harder than anyone. I don't know why it's a question of me being a Raider. It's like do you guys want me to be a Raider?"

Gruden then asked the receiver to stop the off-the-field stuff and "just play football."

"How hard is that?" Gruden could be heard saying. "You're a great football player. Just play football."

Brown then told his coach it's not that simple.

"I'm more than just a football player, man," he said. "I'm a real person. I'm a real person. It ain't about the football, I know I can do that. I show you guys that on the daily. This is my life. Ain't no more games."

It wasn't immediately clear when the call between Brown and Gruden took place. A Raiders source told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Gruden was truly amused by the video and even thought it was "awesome."

California's wiretapping law is a "two-party consent" law, making it a crime to record or eavesdrop on any confidential communication, including a private conversation or telephone call, without the consent of all parties to the conversation.

The video marked the latest chapter in the ongoing saga between Brown and the Raiders. Its posting came hours after Brown apologized publicly to his teammates and the Raiders organization after a confrontation he had Wednesday with general manager Mike Mayock that put his future with Oakland in doubt.

The confrontation, which a source told ESPN stemmed from Brown being unhappy he was fined for missing some of training camp and a walk-through, included the receiver calling Mayock a "cracker" and unleashing a barrage of "cuss words" at him, sources told ESPN. Brown later denied to ESPN's Dianna Russini that he used the word "cracker."

The exchange with Mayock put Brown's status with the Raiders in flux, with sources telling ESPN on Thursday that Oakland planned to suspend the receiver. Asked Thursday about the Brown situation, Gruden said he was "emotional about it."

"I think a lot of this guy," the coach said. "I think Antonio is a great receiver, and deep down I think he's a really good guy. So, I'm frustrated, I'm not going to say anything more about it, hope it all works out. But I don't have anything official to say about anything else until I get all the facts, and that's what I'm going to do."

On Friday, Gruden said Brown had returned to practice and was set to play in Monday's opener against the visiting Denver Broncos.

"Antonio is back today," Gruden said. "We're really excited about that. Ready to move on. He's had a lot of, obviously, time to think about things. We're happy to have him back, and I know Raider Nation is excited about that, too."

Brown was fined an unspecified amount for the confrontation with Mayock, ESPN's Ed Werder reported Friday night, and Brown is "not happy" about it, a team source told Werder.

Mayock did not speak to reporters Friday.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- SuperSonics legend Jack Sikma, a driving force behind the franchise's only NBA title 40 years ago, pleaded with the league to bring back pro basketball to Seattle for the first time since 2008 during his Hall of Fame induction speech Friday night.

"To all the diehard Sonic fans who proudly sport the green and gold ... there's a hole in Seattle that needs to be filled," Sikma said at Symphony Hall, less than a mile from the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, into which Sikma became the 10th member of the Sonics to be enshrined.

"Speaking for all Sonics fans, it's our great hope that the NBA will soon find a pathway to bring a franchise back to Seattle. It's time."

The crowd erupted in agreement.

Businessman Clay Bennett relocated the Sonics to his hometown of Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season after a squabble with the city of Seattle over a new arena. He took 20-year-old budding superstar Kevin Durant and a rich basketball history with him.

In 1979-80, the Sonics set a per-game attendance record of 21,725 that has since been broken.

That number has been reduced to zero over the past 11 seasons.

A new arena, with a reported price tag of more than $900 million, is being built on the plot of Seattle's old KeyArena. It will host an NHL expansion team for the 2021-22 season and, Sonics diehards hope, an NBA squad if and when the opportunity presents itself.

The return of the Sonics almost came to fruition earlier this decade, but the NBA's board of governors in 2013 denied the relocation request of Chris Hansen, one of the prospective owners, who was trying to buy the Sacramento Kings and move them to the Emerald City.

When it was in the Pacific Northwest, the franchise made a miracle run to the NBA Finals in 1978 after starting the season 5-17. Seattle would lose to the Washington Bullets in seven games. Seattle then hoisted its lone trophy in June 1979, exacting revenge on those Bullets -- winning in five games. Sikma averaged 15.8 points, 14.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in the series. In his speech, Sikma spoke proudly of the 1979 team's 40-year reunion earlier this year.

The eighth overall pick of the Sonics in 1977, Sikma was inducted into the Hall alongside Al Attles, Carl Braun, Chuck Cooper, Vlade Divac, Bill Fitch, Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, the Tennessee A&I College teams from 1957-59, the Wayland Baptist University teams from 1948-82, Teresa Weatherspoon and Paul Westphal.

During his playing days -- nine seasons in Seattle and five in Milwaukee -- Sikma was a long-and-lean presence in the middle. The 6-foot-11 Sikma's signature behind-the-head jumper was nearly impossible to block and helped him average 16.8 points during his career with the Sonics, who retired his jersey in 1992. He's also the franchise's all-time leading rebounder.

But on this night, Sikma was the Sonics' biggest cheerleader.

NEW YORK -- Rafael Nadal found himself trailing in a tight first set against a bigger, younger opponent who was finding ways to cause trouble in their U.S. Open semifinal.

Never one to panic, never liable to have a letdown, Nadal hung tough, waited for 24th-seeded Matteo Berrettini to wilt ever so slightly and then pounced.

Nadal moved closer to a fourth US Open championship and 19th Grand Slam title overall -- one away from Roger Federer's record for men -- by pulling away for a 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-1 victory over Berrettini under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night.

The second-seeded Nadal was down 4-0, then 5-2, then 6-4 in the opening tiebreaker before taking the next four points and was on his way.

"You don't want to be in a tiebreak against a player like Matteo. ... I was a little bit lucky, no?" Nadal said. "I survived at that moment and ... after that, the match completely changed."

Sure did. Nadal broke once in the second set and three times in the third, while never facing a single break point in the match.

He will face No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Sunday.

It is Medvedev's first major final, Nadal's 27th. They've played each other once before, the final of the Montreal Masters hard-court tournament in August, and Nadal won 6-3, 6-0.

"He's one of the more solid players on tour," Nadal said. "He is making steps forward every single week."

Medvedev advanced earlier Friday by beating Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3 for his tour-leading 50th win of the season.

The 23-year-old Russian first made a name for himself at the U.S. Open by earning the wrath of spectators. During his on-court interview Friday, Medvedev referenced his "tournament of controversies," which included accumulating $19,000 in fines and antagonizing booing fans last week, saying he knew it was "not going to be easy with the public."

Medvedev's tennis was a bit scratchy Friday, and like Nadal, he barely avoided dropping the opening set. But he did just enough with his mostly defensive style to get past Dimitrov, who had eliminated Federer in a five-set quarterfinal.

"I do think he was better player in first set. I do think I was kind of lucky to win it," Medvedev said about Dimitrov. "Then the momentum changed completely. I think after, I was playing better than him in the next two sets."

A year ago at this time, Nadal was retiring from his semifinal against Juan Martin del Potro because of knee pain. He's famously had trouble with his body over the years, particularly when it comes to less-forgiving hard courts, but right now, he sure looks healthy, hale and hungry as ever.

The 33-year-old Spaniard -- Federer, it's worth noting just turned 38 -- made it to the semifinals at every major this year. Nadal lost in the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic in January, won a 12th French Open title in June, and lost to Federer in the final four at Wimbledon in July.

Berrettini, 23, had never been to a Grand Slam semifinal but didn't look intimidated early on against Nadal.

A decade apart, this was their first matchup, and so the early stages were as much a chance for Nadal to familiarize himself with the guy as it was for fans who might not know much about Berrettini.

What's obvious is that his strengths are a big serve that tops 130 mph and a forehand that can end points. Less apparent at first glance is Berrettini's touch, which he showed off with about a half-dozen drop shots to claim points in the first set, taking advantage of just how faaaaar behind the baseline Nadal stood to return.

As the match progressed, Nadal started going more to Berrettini's backhand, avoiding that furious forehand. So Berrettini adjusted, too, running around his backhand as much as possible to get in position to swing away from his preferred side.

And swing away he did, throwing his barrel-chested, 6-foot-5, 198-pound frame behind forehands that repeatedly approached 100 mph. Nothing subtle about them. Berrettini is built like a boxer and he often borrows terms from that sport when discussing his matches, such as when he spoke metaphorically about wearing down opponent Gael Monfils with body blows in their exhausting five-set quarterfinal.

The key to the opening set and, indeed, the entire semifinal, was that tiebreaker.

Berrettini grabbed a 4-0 lead, then kept getting closer to the finish line. At 6-4, there he stood, needing one point to take the set, as raucous supporters stood and yelled -- including the fellow Roman who owns a restaurant on Manhattan's Lower East Side where Berrettini has been going for pasta throughout the tournament.

That, then, is when Nadal needed to dig in, and did.

Berrettini? Unaccustomed to these stakes and these moments, he wasn't quite up to the task.

Nadal flicked a forehand passing shot that dipped enough to make Berrettini's volley try rather tough, and the ball found the net. One set point erased. On the next, Berrettini tried a drop shot, but this one was only so-so and it, too, landed in the net. A second set point was gone, and Berrettini covered his mouth.

The next two points -- the last of the set -- also went to Nadal via errors by Berrettini, a backhand into the net on a 24-stroke exchange, followed by a forehand that sailed long. Nadal reacted by shouting and pumping his fist repeatedly. Berrettini's jaw dropped. Fans rose and roared.

Berrettini hardly packed it in from there, but Nadal was simply better, grinding away until his foe finally succumbed. After Berrettini managed to save nine break points in a row, Nadal converted his 10th of the match to lead 4-3 in the second set.

Once that set was his, Nadal broke to go up 1-0 in the third. And that, folks, was that.

Soon enough, Nadal was able to move on from this test and start thinking about beating Medvedev -- and gaining on Federer.

"It means a lot," Nadal said, "to be back where I am today."

THIBODAUX, La. -- Maybe it was sharing a field with Peyton and Eli Manning that had LSU senior quarterback Joe Burrow feeling so confident. Or it might have been the throwing session he had with Sam Darnold a day earlier.

Or maybe, just maybe, Burrow knew something we didn't as he sat down with a group of reporters at the Manning Passing Academy in late June and started talking about how different the Tigers' offense had become.

"I don't think a lot of people are used to LSU scoring 40, 50, 60 points per game," he said, "and I think we have that capability."

The comment raised some eyebrows, to say the least, but Burrow didn't appear to be joking or saying it for shock value. If anything, he sounded excited to be part of something that hadn't been done before.

LSU potentially having a potent offense, and what that could mean for the SEC and the national college football conversation, had been one of the more interesting subplots of the offseason. With coach Ed Orgeron, his staff and Burrow, many pieces of the puzzle have been put into place to quell the skepticism.

Is it finally time to take LSU seriously?

The answer will come into greater focus when the Tigers travel to face Texas on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN App) after a convincing 55-3 victory in their opener against Georgia Southern.

Months earlier, during SEC media days in July, Orgeron seemed to acknowledge the doubters. Since taking over as head coach in 2016, he had hired former Broyles Award winner Matt Canada as offensive coordinator; Canada brought the spread and run-pass option to town for all of 15 minutes before it fell by the wayside. Replacing Canada with a more conservative playcaller, Steve Ensminger, led to a return under center and an offense that ranked 68th nationally in yards per game last season.

So when Orgeron took the stage to face the media, it was no surprise he got a little pushback when he talked about his latest staff addition, New Orleans Saints offensive assistant Joe Brady as passing game coordinator, and installing the spread. One reporter took the mic and said, point-blank, "You keep threatening to go to this upbeat spread offense, [like] a lot of schools -- I'm taking you at your word this time."

"It's in the playbook," Orgeron said. "So it's not a threat."

Brady installing the offense and Ensminger serving as the playcaller might sound like an awkward operation, but Burrow said it has had a positive impact on his game.

When the quarterback transferred to LSU from Ohio State in May 2018, he struggled like anyone else would with a similar move. He routinely got lost trying to find his apartment and couldn't come up with the names of more than 10 players on the team. Being from the Midwest, he wasn't used to the Southern summer heat lingering until December, and he lost weight because of it.

The game was unfamiliar, too. He hadn't taken a snap under center since the sixth grade. He had never taken a seven-step drop and had to learn how in about a month and a half. Managing the offense, he helped the Tigers beat Auburn and Georgia, but he threw for 300 yards in a game only once during the regular season (against Rice) and oversaw an offense that didn't score a single point against Alabama.

Heading into Year 2 at LSU, Burrow said he feels more comfortable in Baton Rouge. He traded his long hair for a buzz cut to better manage the heat and can now tell you who his teammates are. The game is also familiar again, thanks in part to Brady's arrival, as Orgeron has charged the co-coordinator with bringing a 21st-century offense to the unit, complete with the shotgun, the spread and even the run-pass option.

When we met with Burrow at the Manning Passing Academy earlier in the summer, he was already saying how fired up he was to play Texas -- Longhorns coach Tom Herman, who recruited Burrow to Ohio State, would be on the opposite sideline. It was shaping up to be a "special season," Burrow said. He believed the Tigers could have one of the best offenses in college football.

"It's going to be a lot different," Burrow said. "I'll try not to tell you how different it's going to be."

Burrow was guarded about the details, other than to say to watch what little LSU revealed during the spring game. He pumped up his receivers on how they'd get the ball in open space and added that the running backs would become a threat in the passing game. The offense would be explosive, where "that hasn't always been the case in the past," he said.

And with Burrow in "Joe's type of offense," where he can be a dual threat and run the ball, Orgeron expects fireworks. Fans and skeptics alike got a glimpse during the season opener in Baton Rouge. Against Georgia Southern, the Tigers opened up in the shotgun with three receivers and one tight end. The running back, who began by Burrow's side, motioned out of the backfield to set up -- gasp! -- an empty formation. The pass ended in an incompletion, but it was one of only four all day from Burrow.

When Burrow completed his first pass moments later, it took only 10 seconds before he was snapping the ball again. The offense was moving so fast at times that Burrow actually barked at the referees for not letting the Tigers snap the ball as quickly as they'd like. There were bunch formations and RPOs, and the Tigers even went into the shotgun inside on first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line. They barely huddled. It was positively un-LSU-like. Burrow had said to expect 40 points per game, and LSU had that before halftime. Burrow completed 24 of 27 passes (to more than 10 players) for 278 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

After the game, Burrow joked about his "40, 50, 60 points" comment and how he "took some heat" for it.

"Hopefully we can keep building on this thing," he told reporters. "I wanted 60 tonight."

It took a decade for LSU to earn the reputation as an offensive black hole, so Burrow knows one game isn't going to change everyone's minds.

"It was nice," he said of the offense's debut, "but, at the end of the day, it was Game 1 and we have 11 games left. We could tank the final 11 games and everyone would be right back bashing us."

Ahead of Saturday's prime-time game against Texas, he said the offense needs to clean up short-yardage situations, which he estimated took 14-21 points off the board against Georgia Southern. The offensive line held up well in the opener, but the Longhorns have much more talent up front. On top of that, going on the road and playing in a raucous DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium will make communication difficult. Orgeron said there might be some checks they just can't use in that environment.

Burrow said he expects an array of blitzes and different looks meant to confuse him; he will have to watch out for Caden Sterns, whom Orgeron called "one of the best safeties we're going to see."

If LSU does find a way to win, it could land in the thick of the playoff hunt. "I'm fired up about it," Burrow said. "We have our work cut out for us."

ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff contributed to this report.