NFL Network starts with Raiders, Chargers and new announcing team

After receiving many bad reviews last year for its three-man booth of Bob Papa, Matt Millen and Joe Theismann, the NFL Network has revamped its announcing team and Thursday night when it kicks off its season with Carson Palmer and the Raiders against the struggling San Diego Chargers and their befuddled quarterback Phillip Rivers, the listening audience might be pleased.

Mike Mayock, who has received positive responses from his work announcing Notre Dame football, has been respected for years for his work with NFL draft coverage, and will be the NFL Network analyst this year.

Brad Nessler is one of those guys doing analysis where you hear him, might not recognize his voice initially, then come to discover that it's Nessler and that you don't recognize him because he is even-toned, mistake-free and knowledgeable. He will be the play-by-play voice on the NFL Network broadcasts.

Mayock said the two, who hadn't worked together before, did some practice games in the studio and found their rhythm almost immediately.

The last time Mayock worked with Nessler, Mayock was a sideline reporter but he says, honestly, that Nessler has always been one of his favorite analysts. "The big thing for us the first night," Mayock said, "is to just not make mistakes. And we both agree, it's the game that's important. Not us."

That philosophy seemed missing last year when Thursday broadcasts often seemed to be debates between Theismann and Millen.

Despite Oakland's loss last week, Mayock thinks Palmer and his strong arm and ability to throw 15-20 yard passes with consistency will ultimately keep the Raiders in the thick of a playoff race in the AFC West that is in no way predictable. Mayock is less cheery about Rivers, who he says "is not playing well."

When Rivers fumbled the snap two weeks ago, Mayock said, "that's one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen, mind-boggling even."

Though Nessler's voice is more familiar to college fans, he has served as lead announcer on the back end of Monday Night Football doubleheaders in 2006 and 2010 and was the radio play-by-play voice for the Falcons from 1982-88 and for the Vikings in 1999.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: NFL Network’s new Thursday Night Football announcing team of Mike Mayock (analyst) and Brad Nessler (play-by-play). Credit: Shandon Melvin / NFL.

 

 

 

 

Tour of California 2012 will finish at L.A. Live

The 2012 Amgen Tour of California cycling race route was released Thursday and for the second time in three years it will have a stage finish at L.A. Live, this time the final stage.

After hosting the time trial in 2010, L.A. Live will be the end of the 750-mile race on May 20. The first stage on May 13 will begin in Santa Rosa, home of three-time Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer.  Other highlights of this year's route include a stage start in Sonora and the time trial in Bakersfield.

Stage 6 next year will begin in Palmdale and end at Big Bear Lake, and Stage 7 will have a start in Ontario, a first-time host city for the event, and will include a climb to the top of Mt. Baldy.

Chris Horner, who lives in San Diego, is the defending champion.

The race has been marked for the past two years by news involving seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. In 2010  during the Tour of California the Wall Street Journal first published accusations made by Floyd Landis, where Landis said he witnessed Armstrong using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, and last May another former Armstrong teammate, Tyler Hamilton, was televised on the CBS news program "60 Minutes" making similar accusations against Armstrong, who has been under investigation by a Los Angeles grand jury.

Armstrong, who long has denied such accusations, retired from cycling at the end of the 2010 season.

The 13 host cities for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California include:
•    Stage 1: Sunday, May 13 –- Santa Rosa
•    Stage 2: Monday, May 14 -- San Francisco to Santa Cruz County
•    Stage 3: Tuesday, May 15 -- San Jose to Livermore
•    Stage 4: Wednesday, May 16 -- Sonora to Clovis
•    Stage 5: Thursday, May 17 –- Bakersfield (individual time trial)
•    Stage 6: Friday, May 18 –- Palmdale to Big Bear Lake
•    Stage 7: Saturday, May 19 –- Ontario to Mt. Baldy
•    Stage 8: Sunday, May 20 –- Los Angeles/L.A. Live

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-- Diane Pucin

Photo: L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. Credit: John W. Adkisson / Los Angeles Times

Carson Palmer talks to Shannon Sharpe for CBS

Former USC quarterback Carson Palmer will be featured on the CBS show "The NFL Today" on Sunday and will be interviewed by Shannon Sharpe.

Palmer is getting ready for his second game as a quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, who play the Denver Broncos in a game that will feature two former star college quarterbacks who are trying to silence critics (Tim Tebow, remember him?).

The show begins at 9 a.m. PDT.

After spending eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Palmer said he would retire rather than play for the team this year and Palmer stayed retired until Oct. 18, when he was traded to the Raiders. After only five days with the Raiders, he made his debut in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs and had three passes intercepted.

But Oakland did not have a game in Week 8 and now Palmer has had two weeks to get ready for what is expected to be his first Raiders start Sunday. The Raiders are 4-3 and tied with Kansas City and San Diego for the AFC West division lead. 

-- Diane Pucin

Germans win Skate America pairs gold medal

Robin Szolkowy and Aliona Savchenko, the defending world champions, won the pairs competition Sunday at Skate America at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, coming from fifth place after the short program with a free skate that beat the field.

Szolkowy and Savchenko, of Germany, finished with 183.98 points. Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China were second with 178.66 points and Canadians Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch were third. The top Americans, Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, were fourth and brought the crowd to its feet with their program, skated to the classical Puccini music "Nessun Dorma." The performance was without major mistakes but it was also cautious and didn't contain as many difficult elements as those done by the medal winners.

Szolkowy made reference to the error-marred short program he and Savchenko had done by saying, "I hope you missed us yesterday. Today's performance, though, was quite OK."

Zhang and Zhang were also happy. After missing much of last year because Zhang Hao was injured, the two had practiced their Sunday free skate only four times. "I was pretty pleased with it," Zhang Hao said. "We're still lacking condition and endurance, but that is still something we can work on. I don't think this is a major problem."

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Robin Szokowy and Aliona Savchenko perform their routine during the free skate portion of Skate America on Sunday at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. Credit: Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

White, Davis win second Skate America ice dance title

Reigning world ice dancing champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States earned a standing ovation and also accumulated five perfect marks of 10 while winning their second consecutive Skate America ice dancing gold medal at the Citizens Business Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Davis and White, skating elegantly to music from the Johan Strauss piece "Die Fledermaus," evoked the atmosphere of a Viennese ballroom in the 19th century as they floated across the ice and scored a commanding win with 178.07 points.

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France, who performed an Egyptian-themed free dance to music called "The Pharaoh and His Mummy," were far behind with 156.29 points. Bourzat, who could barely catch his breath in between coughing spells, said he was going straight to a doctor after receiving his medal.

Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniunas of Lithuania, who received an invitation to the event only two weeks ago after a Russian couple withdrew because of illness, moved up from fifth place after the short dance to take the bronze medal. Tobias is originally from New York and is a trained ballet dancer.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Meryl Davis and Charlie White perform their free dance Saturday at the Skate America event in Ontario. Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Bryan brothers have big charity weekend

 

A.J. Pierzynski likes this baseball broadcasting stuff

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski is working for Fox as an analyst during the World Series between Texas and St. Louis, which begins Wednesday night. If you Google "A.J. Pierzynski" you find lists for "A.J. Pierzynski fight," and "A.J. Pierzynski jerk" and "A.J. Pierzynski meanest."

Maybe soon, A.J. Pierzynski, excellent broadcaster, will be a popular search term. Pierzynski, an Angels-killer in his day job as Chicago White Sox catcher, made baseball fans notice when he had an insightful discussion during the ALCS about how well Texas catcher (and former Angel) Mike Napoli blocked the plate in the series against Detroit, especially a play at home.

Pierzynski pointed out the way Napoli raised both legs up on that play, in contrast to  San Francisco Giants catching star Buster Posey, who had broken a leg early in the season and missed most of this year while blocking the plate on a similar play.

"You take the blow, you roll with it, you get your feet out of the ground. That's the proper way to stay healthy and still get hit hard but you get up and walk away," Pierzynski said.

Pete Sampras big winner at Staples Center

Pete Sampras outlasted longtime rival Andre Agassi, 8-6, to win the HSBC Tennis Cup at Staples Center on Friday night. The HSBC Cup is part of the new Champions Series, a 12-event tennis circuit that offers the top three point earners a chance to split a $1 million bonus pool.

Sampras is the leader by 1,000 points over Michael Chang with four events remaining.

Friday night, Sampras advanced to the final with a 7-6 (3) semifinal victory over Jim Courier. Agassi opened the evening’s action with a 6-3 semifinal win over John McEnroe.

Agassi’s win coupled with Courier’s loss moved both players into a tie for third place in the standings. Chang, Courier and Agassi are separated by only 100 points.

-- Diane Pucin

McKayla Maroney wins vault gold medal for U.S.

McKayla Maroney, a 15-year-old from Laguna Hills and a first-year competitor for the United States at the senior level of gymnastics, won her second gold medal at the world championships in Tokyo on Friday night.

After helping the United States women win the team gold medal earlier in the week, Maroney won individual gold in the vault event final.

Maroney's two vaults averaged a score of 15.3 and gave her a solid win over silver medalist Oksana Chusovitina, a 36-year-old from Germany, who won the silver medal. Thi Ha Thanh Phan of Vietnam won the bronze.

"I was really calm," Maroney said by telephone from Tokyo after the medal celebration. "I didn't worry, I just felt really good going out there."

Maroney said she didn't cry during the medal ceremony but she said her U.S. teammates gave her a hard time. "They said I wasn't smiling," she said. "I think I was smiling. I felt like I was smiling. I don't know, it is just so great."

Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, said the international judges made a point of praising Maroney's skills and form on her vaults, both in the individual event final and during team preliminaries and finals. "She was really electrifying," Penny said, "not only impressing the people in the crowd but for the judges. Members of the technical committee said they were impressed by every one of her vaults."

It is the third year in a row an American has won the world championship vault gold medal. Alicia Sacramone, who tore her Achilles' tendon while training in Japan on Oct. 6, won last year and Kayla Williams won two years ago.

Sacramone, who flew home to Massachusetts to have surgery, congratulated Maroney via Twitter.

"So proud you kept it in the country! thats my girl!" Sacramone tweeted.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: McKayla Maroney sticks a landing in the women's vault event final Friday night at the world championships in Tokyo. Credit: Koji Sasahara / Associated Press

U.S. wins second gymnastics world championship gold medal

The winner, Jordyn Wieber, cried, a bouncy, athletic American astounded that her two mistakes on uneven bars and floor exercise didn’t relegate her to second place.

The loser cried too, an elegant Russian whose fingers and toes must have been pointed just so when she entered the world. Victoria Komova burst into tears after she finished her final event -- floor exercise -- with a routine that was done with some bent knees and maybe a turn that wasn’t quite completed.

The U.S. captured the second major women’s gold medal awarded at the 2011 World Gymnastics championships in Tokyo when 16-year-old Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., won the all-around gold medal by edging out 16-year-old Komova, who won silver.

The U.S. women already won the team gold medal and the U.S. men won team bronze.

Wieber, the U.S. all-around champion in her first senior world championship competition, finished with 59.382 points, 0.033 head of the saddened Komova.

“I was so surprised to see my name up on the top,” Wieber said, “but I was so happy at the same time. It was an amazing feeling.”

Speaking to International Gymnast magazine, Komova, who had suffered an ankle injury in July, said: “My vault was not as fully ready as it should have been. On beam I had mistakes and my bars were not very well done. My floor routine was mediocre.

"Today, on a beam I did not make some connections, therefore, that's why the lower score.”

Yao Jinnan of China won bronze and another American, Aly Raisman, finished fourth and, like Wieber, had a major mistake on uneven bars.

Wieber, coached by John Geddert, became the sixth American to win a world all-around title, joining Kim Zmeskal, Shannon Miller, Chellsie Memmel, Shawn Johnson and Bridget Sloan with the honor. Notable about that group, though? None followed up with an Olympic all-around gold.

Johnson dominated the 2007 world championships and beat out her American teammate Nastia Liukin. But it was Liukin who came back a year later and wowed judges with an elegance that seemed to trump Johnson’s more strength-based gymnastics.

The last reigning world champion to win the Olympic all-around gold was Lilia Podkopayeva in Atlanta in 1996.

With the win Thursday, Wieber and Komova automatically become Olympic favorites along with another Russian, Aliya Mustafina, who won the 2010 world title but who missed this competition with an injury. 

Also last week, Liukin announced she was making a comeback, and so is Olympic all-around silver medalist Johnson, who will show how far she’s come later this month in the Pan-American games.

After making a major error on the uneven bars where she almost came to a stop on a swing, Wieber was convinced she had lost the competition. But she recovered with the best balance beam routine of the night to cut Komova’s lead almost in half. But Wieber finished on floor exercise by taking a step out of bounds and it was after that when she buried her head in Geddert’s shoulder.

“I told her I was proud of her no matter what,” Geddert said. “She was mad because that mistake on bars was going to cost her and she knew it.”

Even Martha Karolyi, the U.S. women’s team coordinator, thought gold was gone after Wieber’s bars. “But Jordyn is such a strong person,” Karolyi said. “She’s just somebody with real special abilities who is able to fight back as strong as she did.”

-- Diane Pucin

MORE:

Shawn Johnson still looking toward 2012 Olympics

Russia finished; U.S. still leads at world gymnastics championships

Photo: Jordyn Wieber. Credit: Koji Sasahara / Associated Press.

Russia finished; U.S. still leads at world gymnastics championships

With two qualifying subdivisions left at the 2011 world gymnastics championships, the U.S. holds a slim lead over Russia. The U.S. has 234.253 points while Russia has 231.062. Defending Olympic champion China is third.

Among the teams left to finish the team qualifying round with a chance to move ahead of the top three is Japan.

The top eight after team finals on Tuesday automatically qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. The other four spots in the 12-team final will be decided next year at a test event in London.

“I am very proud of this very young team and how they pulled it together after Alicia Sacramone's injury,” said Martha Karolyi, national team coordinator for the U.S. women’s national team from Tokyo.  “They were very brave and fought for the United States and for Alicia.”

Sacramone ruptured an Achilles' tendon during training in Japan and flew home to Massachusetts for surgery. Sacramone, the defending world vault champion, was the sole member of the 2008 U.S. silver-medal team in Tokyo.

Russia's Victoria Komova leads the all-around qualifying with 60.157 points over defending U.S. all-around champion Jordyn Wieber, who has 60.032 points. American Aly Raismann is fourth in the all-around with 58.432 points.

Also, 15-year-old McKayla Maroney of Laguna Hills is the leader on the vault with a score of 15.083, ahead of 36-year-old Oksana Chusovitina of Germany, who has a qualifying score of 14.833. Chusovitina was the vault silver medalist at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The controversial Chinese gymnast He Kexin, whose age eligibility was questioned during the Beijing Olympics after evidence was found showing conflicting birth dates, failed to qualify for the uneven bars event finals. She had won gold on uneven bars in Beijing, edging out Nastia Liukin of the U.S.

-- Diane Pucin

U.S. women first so far in world gymnastics qualifying

Despite last-minute injuries to 2008 Olympian Alicia Sacramone and uneven bars specialist Anni Li leaving the U.S. short-handed going into qualifying competition at the 2011 world gymnastics championships in Tokyo, the U.S. is in first place with more than three-quarters of the first round of qualifications finished.

Only the Russians and, possibly, the Japanese are among the teams remaining to finish qualifying with a legitimate chance to overtake the U.S. This portion of the championships is when each nation puts up six gymnasts on the five apparatus and counts the four best scores, although the U.S. only put up five because of the two injuries.

In the team finals, each team will use three gymnasts on each apparatus and all three scores will count.

So far the U.S. has 234.253 points, nearly four points ahead of reigning Olympic champion China. Romania is third. Despite the team's youth -- the U.S. has three members who are first-year senior-level gymnasts on the team and in their first world competition -- they didn't have any major bobbles or falls.

Sacramone, who was also defending world champion on vault, was flown back to the United States to have surgery on her Achilles' tendon, which she tore during a tumbling pass when training earlier in the week.

Before she left, Sacramone, 23, the only 2008 Olympian on the U.S. team, pulled 15-year-old McKayla Maroney from Laguna Hills aside to give her a pep talk.

"She told me to win the vault gold medal for the U.S. now," Maroney said from Tokyo. "She told me I could do it."

Indeed, Maroney so far stands first in the vault and seems likely to be one of the eight competitors on the vault when event finals take place next week.

Americans led three of the four event finals so far, including defending U.S. all-around champion Jordyn Wieber, who is first in the all-around.

Li, a former star at UCLA, said from Tokyo that the abdominal injury she suffered was healing well and that she felt she could be available for team finals. Li's start value on uneven bars is nearly a point better than anyone else on the U.S. squad and could be a boost for the U.S. in the team finals.

The top eight teams qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Teams that don't qualify for London from the world championships will get a second chance to earn a spot at a test event in London next year.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: McKayla Maroney performs a flip on the uneven bars during qualifying at the world championships in Tokyo on Saturday. Credit: Koji Sasahara / Associated Press

Shawn Johnson still looking toward 2012 Olympics

USA Gymnastics women’s coordinator Martha Karolyi said Thursday she expects the three 2008 Olympians who didn’t make the 2011 team that will represent the U.S. at the world championships next month in Tokyo to shine at their assignment to the Pan-Am Games instead. She also is expecting good things from the relatively inexperienced group that will go to Tokyo and try to earn the U.S. team a spot at the 2012 Olympics.

The top eight teams in Tokyo will earn places for the London Games; the U.S. will be led by another 2008 Olympian, Alicia Sacramone.

Shawn Johnson, Chellsie Memmel and Bridget Sloan, also members of the 2008 team who are in various stages of returning from retirements, are still strong candidates for London, Karolyi said, even though they were named to the Pan-Am team on Wednesday night.

“Bridget, with another month to reach her potential, can win Pan-Ams,” Karolyi said. “Memmel had to stop in the middle of her bar routine at nationals because of shoulder problems -- and those problems kept her from her potential and [led to] her not being selected. She’s had to deal with this injury.

“Shawn, nice effort but same thing. She wasn’t in maximum shape on her preparation. She’s had to deal with a knee injury and couldn’t train 100 percent all these months leading up. For next year I think she’ll be a fantastic competitor for the Olympic team.”

Johnson, who won a gold medal on the balance beam in Beijing and silver medals in all-around, floor exercise and team competition,  was designated the “non-traveling” alternate for the world team, and if there is an injury before the team leaves for Tokyo, Johnson might still compete.

“It’s not a disappointment at all,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of progress in the last year. I’m here for the team and right now I’m not the best pick for the team. I think there’s always room for improvement. I’ll go home, work hard, put in the hours.”

Johnson said she isn’t certain she will do all four events at the Pan-Am Games. She may skip the floor exercise, which is most difficult on her knee.

Karolyi said that putting together the world team was made more difficult by recent injuries to former U.S. all-around champion Rebecca Bross, who dislocated her knee at nationals in August, and Mackenzie Caquatto, who severely sprained an ankle at the final selection camp in Texas this week.

Joining Sacramone on the world team are 15-year-old McKayla Maroney from Laguna Niguel, who finished second in the all-around at the 2011 nationals; former UCLA standout and uneven bars specialist Anna Li; 2011 U.S. all-around champion Jordyn Wieber; Alexandra Raisman, who was part of the 2010 U.S. world silver medalist team; and newcomers Gabrielle Douglas, who trains with Johnson in Iowa, and Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Shawn Johnson. Credit: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images.

Alicia Sacramone on USA world gymnastics team; not Shawn Johnson

USA Gymnastics announced the teams that will represent the U.S. at the 2011 world championships in Tokyo Oct. 8-16 and at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 14-30.

Three 2008 Olympians -- Shawn Johnson, Chellsie Memmel and Bridget Sloan-- were picked for the Pan Am Games team rather than the team that will aim to earn the U.S. a 2012 Olympic spot.

A fourth 2008 Olympian, Alicia Sacramone, will travel to Tokyo along with two gymnasts with Southern California ties. McKayla Maroney, a 15-year-old from Laguna Niguel who trains at All Olympia Gymnastics Center  in Los Angeles and Anna Li, an All-American when she was at UCLA from 2007-2010, will be on the Tokyo team.

Also on the world team are Gabrielle Douglas, who trains with Johnson at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in Iowa; Alexandra Raisman, who is a training partner with Sacramone at Brestyan's American Gymnastics in Massachusetts; Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y., and new U.S. all-around champion Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich.

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-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Alicia Sacramone. Credit: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic the champion over Rafael Nadal

For more than four hours Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played punishing tennis that was also beautiful. They grunted and groaned and sent tennis balls straight at each over, over each other, around each other.

And after it appeared Djokovic was down and out, when he had lost the third set and was groaning on the sidelines while a trainer stretched and pulled and pounded on his aching back, the 24-year-old from Serbia came out for more.

Djokovic played the final games as if pain didn’t matter and, after making a sign of the cross, Djokovic bounced the ball 10 times, hit a serve and then a forehand winner, a massive thing that left Nadal almost immobile.

For the sixth time in a row Djokovic beat Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1, in 4 hours 10 minutes. The win made Djokovic 64-2 this year, gave him his first U.S. Open title and also placed him among the all-time greats.

He became the sixth man to win three of the four major titles in the same year since tennis' open era began in 1968. He won the Australian Open over Andy Murray in the final and beat Nadal in the Wimbledon final.

Overall, this was Djokovic's fourth major title. His first was at the Australian Open in 2008.

“It’s been an incredible year,” said Djokovic, who put on a blue baseball cap with FD/NY on it in honor of New York City firefighters, a day after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The second-seeded Nadal, the defending champion, said, “Obviously I am disappointed now. This guy is doing unbelievable things.” Then he looked toward Djokovic and said, “What you did this year is probably impossible to repeat, so well done.”

After dropping the first two games of the first set, Djokovic began opening up the court with his swift movement and Nadal started to grow frustrated at watching some of his shots get shifted by a swirling, late-afternoon wind. Djokovic began making Nadal run corner to corner and from baseline to net and won six games in a row.

After 53 minutes, Djokovic served a love game and Nadal dropped his head as he walked to his seat on the changeover. The Spaniard had his serve broken three times in a row to end the set.

The third game of the second set encompassed enough ovation-causing tennis for an entire match. It lasted 17 minutes 15 seconds, and while trying to defend a sixth break point, Nadal, who appeared positioned for a winning overhead, slammed the ball into the net into the net.

If Nadal had held serve, he would have grabbed a 3-0 lead. Instead it was Djokovic who pumped his fist, came out after the changeover and held serve at love.

It was a game of momentous physical tennis, with both players grunting loudly. Djokovic has a two-toned sound, Nadal’s grunt is deeper and at the end of points and it made that single game sound symphonic.

U.S. Open: Serena Williams fined for outburst, but no suspension

Serena Williams was fined $2,000 for her verbal outburst against chair umpire Eva Asderaki during Sunday's U.S. Open women's final.

In a statement, U.S. Open tournament referee Brian Earley said the fine was for the code violation of verbal abuse.

"This fine is consistent with similar offenses at Grand Slam events," the statement said. "After independently reviewing the incident which served as the basis for the code violation, and taking into account the level of fine imposed by the U.S. Open referee, the Grand Slam Committee Director has determined that Ms. Williams' conduct, while verbally abusive, does not rise to the level of a major offense under the Grand Slam Code of Conduct."

In the first game of the second set, when Williams appeared to have hit a winning forehand against eventual champion Samantha Stosur of Australia, Williams yelled in celebration before the ball landed. Stosur barely was able to touch the ball, but the winner was taken away because of the hindrance rule that allows for a point penalty if the "hindrance" is considered to be on purpose.

After the point penalty, which ended up giving the game to Stosur, Williams launched into a verbal tirade during the next changeover and, among other things, was heard to say, "What a loser," "You're a hater," "A code violation because I expressed who I am? Really. Don't even look at me. I promise you, don't look at me. ... Don't look my way." And, in a comment that could be interpreted as threatening, she said, "If you ever see me walking down the hall, walk the other way."

The $2,000 fine wasn't even the largest issued so far at the Open. Men's doubles players Mike Bryan was fined $10,000 for an "off court" incident after he and brother Bob Bryan lost in the first round. Because Mike Bryan can still appeal the fine, a U.S. Open official said, the nature of the offense would not be disclosed.

Williams was technically still under a two-year probation in major tournaments as a result of her obscene outburst during her 2009 U.S. Open semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters. Had Sunday's incident been deemed "major," Williams could have been suspended from the 2012 U.S. Open.

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-- Diane Pucin in New York

Photo: Serena Williams has a word with the chair umpire during the U.S. Open women's final Sunday. Credit: Don Emmert / AFP / Getty Images

U.S. Open: Serena Williams upset in finals by Samantha Stosur

Serena Williams suffered another temper meltdown at the U.S. Open and then a momentous loss Sunday in the women's final of the U.S. Open.

Ninth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia won her first major championship with a 6-2, 6-3 win over 28th-seeded Williams on Sunday on Arthur Ashe Stadium. If the seedings made Stosur the favorite, Williams, who was already a 13-time major winner, was the heavy favorite.

But in the first game of the second set, as Williams hit what was about to be a definitive forehand winner to save a break point, Williams bellowed just before the ball landed. Chair umpire Eva Asderaki of Greece called Williams for a violation and the point was awarded to Stosur.

It also meant the game went to Stosur and as boos filled Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams had a contentious discussion with chair umpire Asderaki that included Williams saying,"If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way."

The last time Williams played at the Open, in 2009, she lost to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals, a match that ended with a controversial foot fault called on Williams that caused Williams to burst into an obscenity-laden tirade that included a threat of shoving a racket down the throat of the lineswoman who made the call. It also resulted in a penalty point that ended the match in Clijsters' favor.

Sunday, after the code violation was called, Serena seemed to say, "I get a code violation for this? I express who I am. We're in America last I checked."

Stosur seemed momentarily unnerved by the incident and the Ashe crowd booed loudly for almost a minute and Williams came back to win two straight games to take a 2-1 lead from 0-1 down.

But the 27-year-old Stosur never changed expression or quit hitting winners. On her third attempt at match point, Stosur pounded a forehand return winner past Williams to complete the 1 hour, 13-minute win.

Williams was gracious on court during the awards ceremony, saying the point that was given to Stosur didn't matter because Stosur was playing too well anyway.

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-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Photos: (Left) Serena Williams reacts as she plays Samantha Stosur during the U.S. Open women's final. Credit : John G. Mabanglo / EPA (Right) Australian Samantha Stosur hits a return to Serena Williams during the final.  Credit : John G. Mabanglo / EPA

9/11 anniversary: Memories of a decade ago

Ten years ago I was in New York for the U.S. Open and because of that and a couple of other random circumstances, there was a moment or two when I had a seat on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane that was taken by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center.

Back here again, a decade gone by so quickly and there is no embarrassment from me in saying, for certain, when the United States Tennis Assn. holds its 9/11 ceremony before the women’s singles final Sunday between Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur, tears will be shed. Mine.

Some things the U.S. Open doesn’t do well: preventing rain, having covered courts, needing ball kids with towels to mop up the spills from the sky.

But ceremonies the Open does do well and it seems appropriate to have “9-11-01” inscribed on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

I had to look up who won the 2001 men’s Open final, held on Sept. 9. It was Lleyton Hewitt, who beat the diminishing Pete Sampras, 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1.

On Monday, Sept. 10, instead of flying home to Los Angeles as planned, I got a new assignment: to write about the Yankees and Red Sox and Roger Clemens aiming for his 20th straight pitching victory. The game was rained out, of all things, but in the rescheduling of my flight home I briefly held a seat on American Flight 11 on Sept. 11.

Because I’m not much for getting up early, and because of the luck of the airline sticker upgrade lottery, I switched off Flight 11 to one later in the day. My husband woke me up that morning and from that moment, I will never not cry if I’m in New York.

And so I’m back again, 10 years later, staying at the same place, the Grand Hyatt.

It’s always the media hotel for the U.S. Open. Some hate it for its largeness and busy buzz and crowded lobby, but the hotel will always feel like home to me. It felt like a safe hideaway 10 years ago. After helping report on the awful personal tragedies around the city, that Hyatt room was where I’d go to cry.

It’s also attached to Grand Central Station where, within hours of the Twin Towers tumbling, people from all over the city had taped up handmade fliers or pieces of cardboard or business cards with photos and pleadings that if anyone had seen their father or mother, son or daughter, neighbor or friend who had suddenly disappeared, to please, please, phone or fax or text or email. A year later when I was back at the Hyatt many of those handwritten, hope-filled postings were still up. Two years later they were gone.

They stay in my mind, though, as if they had been written just yesterday. That day will always stay in my head, as if it were yesterday.

-- Diane Pucin in New York

U.S. Open: Samantha Stosur into final

Samantha Stosur, who had previously played the longest tiebreaker in women’s major tournament history at the U.S. Open and won the longest women’s match time-wise in U.S. Open history, on Saturday advanced to her first major tournament final.

Ninth-seeded Stosur, a 27-year-old from Australia, beat 92nd-ranked Angelique Kerber of Germany, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

Stosur will play the winner of the second semifinal between top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and 28th-seeded and three-time Open champion Serena Williams.

Kerber, 23, was in her first Grand Slam tournament semifinal and only the fourth semifinal of any type. Until coming to New York, Kerber, from Germany, had lost in the first round of the last four majors she played and was trying to become the fifth-lowest ranked Grand Slam finalist in the open era of tennis. Four of them were Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Serena Williams, all of whom had major wins on their resumes and were low-ranked because of retirements, injuries or pregnancies.

Stosur, who played in the 2010 French Open final, rushed to a 4-0 lead after only 18 minutes of the third set, asserting herself with her willingness to come forward. Overall, Stosur won 27 of 29 points at the net as Kerber sprayed shots long and wide, perhaps evidence of nerves.

The match was played on the Grandstand Court, the third-largest of the show courts at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Because of lengthy rain delays during the week and water damage that shut down Louis Armstrong Stadium, schedules put Stosur and Kerber on the smaller court because the two men’s semifinals were put on Arthur Ashe Stadium along with the Williams-Wozniacki semifinal.

Stosur's only moment of uncertainty in the final set came when she was up 5-0 and had the chance to serve out the match. Stosur committed three unforced errors and was broken, and then lost two straight games. But finally, on her second match point, Stosur smashed a backhand volley emphatically past Kerber.

RELATED:

Roger Federer loses to Novak Djokovic in five sets

Andy Murray beats John Isner in quarterfinals

Rafael Nadal dominates Andy Roddick

Serena Williams moves into semifinals

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Photo: Samantha Stosur hits a return to Angelique Kerber during their semifinal match Saturday. Credit: John G. Mabanglo / EPA

U.S. Open: Rafael Nadal joins Novak Djokovic in finals

Defending champion Rafael Nadal earned his way into the U.S. Open men's championship match on Monday with a 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over fourth-seeded Andy Murray on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Nadal beat Murray for the fifth consecutive time and for the third straight time in a Grand Slam semifinal. Nadal will play top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the finals here for the second straight year. Djokovic eliminated third-seeded Roger Federer earlier Saturday in a five-set match.

Murray had 55 unforced errors to only 23 from Nadal in the 3 hour 24 minute match that ended Saturday's day session at the Open at 9:10 p.m. Eastern time.

RELATED:

Andy Murray beats John Isner in quarterfinals

Rafael Nadal dominates Andy Roddick

Samantha Stosur advances to women's finals

Serena Williams moves into semifinals

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Photo: Rafael Nadal. Credit: Charles Krupa / Associated Press