TENNISNEW YORK -- For quite a while, Novak Djokovics opponent in the U.S. Open semifinals, Gael Monfils, looked as if he didnt want to win -- or even be there at all.That premeditated great strategy of hoping to lull the No. 1 seed and defending champion into complacency and mistakes did not prevent Monfils from falling into a two-set deficit. So he transformed back into his entertaining, athletic self and won the third set.However, Djokovic regained the upper hand to reach his 21st Grand Slam final and seventh at the U.S. Open with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory.Djokovic, vying for his third U.S. Open title and 13th major trophy, will face No. 3 Stan Wawrinka on Sunday Wawrinka advanced to his first final at Flushing Meadows with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 6 Kei Nishikori.NFLCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers coach Ron Rivera wants Cam Newton to receive the same protection on helmet-to-helmet hits as other quarterbacks get in the NFL.Rivera said because of the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newtons size and the Panthers style of play, Newton often doesnt draw the flags on hard hits that smaller QBs do.Newton was on the receiving end of four helmet-to-helmet hits in Thursday nights physical 21-20 loss to Denver, but the Broncos were only penalized once.Rivera even went as far as to say the leagues reigning MVP should receive some preferential treatment. The coach would like to see Newton, now in his sixth season, get some veteran favoritism from the leagues officials.Newton was tested four times for a concussion -- after the game in the locker room, on the bus, on the flight home and Friday morning at the stadium -- and all proved to be negative. He was never tested during the game.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tight end Rob Gronkowski will miss the New England Patriots opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night because of a hamstring injury.The team confirmed Friday night that Gronkowski had been downgraded from questionable to out for the game. Also missing the game will be offensive linemen Jonathan Cooper and Nate Solder -- and suspended quarterback Tom Brady.The Providence Journal first reported that the players did not travel with the team to Phoenix. The team declined to comment about whether the players made the trip.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The rehabilitation of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewaters left knee will require recovery from multiple ligament reconstruction.The team issued a statement from director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman, revealing that the surgery the day before was performed in Dallas by Dr. Dan Cooper at the Carrell Clinic. The dislocation of Bridgewaters knee during practice on Aug. 30 resulted in a complete tear of his anterior cruciate ligament, accompanied by other significant damage as initially announced by the Vikings.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Seantrel Henderson has decided to drop plans to appeal the NFLs four-game suspension even though his agent said the Bills right tackle was using marijuana for medicinal purposes to relieve the effects of Crohns disease.The Bills announced that Henderson was suspended for violating the leagues substance abuse policy.Hendersons agent, Brian Fettner, told The Associated Press that his client tested positive for marijuana. Fettner added it was futile to appeal the leagues ruling.Henderson was diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel disease late last year and had two operations on his intestines this past offseason. Doctors removed a section of diseased tissue in January, and Henderson then had his intestines reattached in April.BASKETBALLSPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- When Shaquille ONeal was 10 years old, his father made a prediction.Friday night when his son became a Hall of Famer, it was realized.Shaq and Allen Iverson headlined the 10-member Class of 2016 enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. One of the most star-packed classes in recent memory, it also featured international star Yao Ming, WNBA great Sheryl Swoopes, coach Tom Izzo, and owner Jerry Reinsdorf, an architect in the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls championship teams of the 1990s.Posthumous honorees were: 27-year NBA referee Darell Garretson; John McLendon, the first African-American coach in a professional league; Zelmo Beaty, the former NBA and ABA star who led Prairie View to an NAIA title in 1962; and Cumberland Posey, who is also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.BASEBALLATLANTA -- Mets general manager Sandy Alderson is defending the teams deal with Tim Tebow, saying the decision is about baseball and not any opportunity to sell merchandise.The 29-year-old Tebow agreed Thursday to a minor league contract that includes a $100,000 signing bonus. He is attempting to launch a baseball career four years after the end of his time as an NFL quarterback.Alderson said Friday it wouldnt be practical to make such a big commitment to Tebow only as an attempt to market Tebows name.Tebow will report Sept. 18 to the Instructional League in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He will test his skills against younger players for three weeks before the Mets determine his next destination.GOLFCARMEL, Ind. -- U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson made two eagles in a span of seven holes, shot 31 on the back nine and set the course record at Crooked Stick with a 9-under 63 that gave him a share of the lead with Roberto Castro in the BMW Championship.Johnson didnt even know he set the course record until Tony Pancake, the golf director at Crooked Stick, congratulated him on the way to the clubhouse.Castro was the first player to reach 14-under 130 on the rain-softened course. He is at No. 53 in the FedEx Cup and only the top 30 make it to the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake and a shot at the $10 million bonus.Paul Casey had a 66 and was three shots behind. John Stockton Jazz Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Karl Malone Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. http://www.jazzauthentic.com/kids-rudy-gobert-jazz-jersey/ . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Jeff Hornacek Jersey . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Pete Maravich Jazz Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons.WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg had hitters flailing at curveballs for seven scoreless innings. The pitch got him all eight of his strikeouts. One batter even had his helmet fly off while trying to chase a low-and-away bender. It was another gem of a performance gone to waste for the Washington Nationals ace. Strasburg said afterward he no longer wanted to hear about the lack of run support, but the only people who can stop the talk are his own teammates, who failed him again Tuesday night in a 4-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. "You know, Im tired of talking about that," he said. "These guys battle every single day, just like I do, and it just didnt work out for us tonight. But Id like to get over that. Id like to stop answering questions about run support." Strasburgs ERA dropped to 2.24 and nearly overshadowed the games actual outcome. He was done after seven innings and 105 pitches, and Juan Franciscos two-run double in the eighth started a scoring spree off Drew Storen (2-2) as the Brewers snapped a six-game losing streak. "Thats the first time Ive really seen him live -- so explosive fastball, really ridiculous curveball," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, giving his Strasburg review. "You dont see too many curveballs like that." The Nationals had scored 23 runs in their previous two games, but theyve now been shut out nine times this season. To get an idea of the their lack of support for Strasburg, here is the running tally of earned runs hes allowed in his last nine starts: 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 0. His record during that stretch? Just 3-2. "I think when a guy throws like that, he should be able to win," Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper said. But he didnt. Francisco got the big hit off Storen and scored when Martin Maldonado hit a warning track fly ball that popped out of Harpers glove. It was ruled a double but Harper said simply: "I dropped it." Maldonado then scored on Jeff Bianchis groundball single that got through the infield only because Maldonado was trying to steal third with an absurd jump off Storen, who still hasnt figured out how to hold men on base. "Fall behind these guys," Storen said, "give them something to hit and theyre going to take care of it. ... I made mistakes not holding the runners and fell behind guys." The earned runs were the first allowed by Storen in 10 appearances, and they made Jim Henderson (3-2) the winning pitcher. Brewers sttarter Wily Peralta had his own shutout in the making until he left during the sixth inning with a strained left hamstring.ddddddddddddHenderson was one of four relievers who finished the eight-hitter. Roenicke said hes hoping Peraltas tight hamstring was simply the result of a lack of fluid on a humid day. "Were hoping in a couple days hell be all right," Roenicke said. The curve was Strasburgs go-to pitch Tuesday against a meagre Brewers starting nine that has only 31 home runs combined. Amaris Ramirezs helmet went flying when he swung at a low-and-outside strike three in the second inning, and his juggling right-handed catch of his headgear was the only thing impressive about his at-bat. Maldonado couldnt quite check his swing at a similar pitch to end the inning. In the third, Strasburg froze Peralta with a bender that hardly seemed fair to throw to an opposing pitcher. Rickie Weeks struck out going after a low-and-away curve in the fourth, and Peralta did the same in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, Strasburg got a called third strike on Francisco on a curveball that was maybe a bit outside, then got Sean Halton on the now-familiar low-and-away curve, with Halton unable to check the swing. Strasburg allowed three hits. Two never left the infield, and one appeared to result from a bad call at first on a grounder to the hole by Norichika Aoki. He was hardly facing the most imposing lineup in the majors. The Brewers started without shortstop Jean Segura and centre fielder Carlos Gomez, who have 196 hits combined. Both have nagging injuries that need some rest, a thumb for Segura and a shoulder for Gomez. Also, team RBI leader Jonathan Lucroy didnt start because Maldonado usually catches Peralta. It was a lineup that couldnt do much -- until Strasburg left the game. "It was good," Weeks said, "to get him out of there." NOTES: Brewers OF Ryan Braun, on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised right thumb, took some swings in the batting cage. "Were getting to the point where its not pain-free, but a lot better than it was," Braun said. Roenicke said hes not expecting Braun to return until after the All-Star break. ... The Nationals sent outright RHP Cole Kimball to Triple-A Syracuse. ... The Nationals agreed to terms with seven international free agents: RHP Edwin Adames, C Jose Cabello, RHP Angel Guillen, LHP Jose Jimenez, OF Victor Robles, OF Dany Rojas and C Edwin Trejos. ' ' '