east one earned run.IN A PINCHDarin Rufs pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning was his second of the season and third of his career. It was the P

NEW YORK -- Monica Puig gazed out at her fellow Puerto Ricans jamming the parade route, and in their eyes she saw hope.They hailed her with a sense of satisfaction, she recalled Saturday, and a sense of belief that things are going to get better.Throughout her stunning run to the Olympic tennis gold medal, Puig embraced the symbolism of each upset victory. An economic crisis is devastating the island of her birth, and she appreciated that if she could prove the impossible is possible, that message would reverberate far beyond sports.If Puerto Rico channels that same energy and belief that things will get better and working for the better of the island, the better of the community, things will improve, Puig said four days after the U.S. territory honored its Olympic team and, above all, its first gold medalist.I really hope I gave them a lot of confidence moving forward, she added, that things will actually get better.The worlds 34th-ranked womens tennis player met with a roomful of reporters Saturday, exactly two weeks after she beat Australian Open champ Angelique Kerber in three sets in the final in Rio de Janeiro. Poised and philosophical in ways that bely her age, the 22-year-old realizes some people deem her gold medal a fluke.After all, Puig has never made it past the round of 16 at a major. And at the U.S. Open, which starts Monday, shes never advanced beyond the second round. Puig is already bracing herself for the reality that her run at Flushing Meadows could fall well short of what took place in Rio.Im 22 years old. Theres still a long way for me to go, a long stretch of career, she said. If anything happens, any kind of slip-up, its not really going to be a big deal, because I have a process and I have a long-term view of where I want to go.Which isnt to say she expects a slip-up.I know that the Olympics wasnt a fluke for me, because I have worked very hard to get to where I am, Puig said. I know the hours and the tears and the sweat and everything thats been put into my practices. Its been very difficult for me.But that moment, nobody will be able to take away.Even she considers that Olympic moment to be like something out of a movie script. When spectators chanted Si se puede! (Yes you can! in Spanish) during the final against the second-ranked Kerber, Puig flashed back to a scene from the film Miracle about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.With fans roaring U-S-A! coach Herb Brooks tells his players: Listen to them. Thats what youve done. As Puig said Saturday, I needed to listen to the crowd.Her gold might not have been quite as unlikely as the Miracle on Ice, but it wasnt too far off. The night after her victory, Puig slept with the medal on her nightstand, waking up every few hours to make sure it was real. She still feels the need to check up on it during the day.I see the videos and Im like, `Did this really just happen? Puig said.When they showed the clip of her medal ceremony when she was honored in Puerto Rico, she started crying again. Through it all, she insisted Saturday, she felt she kept her focus, knowing the U.S. Open was looming.After Rio, Puig spent some time with her family in Miami, where she lives. Then it was on to the island where the big party was waiting. Its been hard to squeeze in sleep and alone time and practice -- all the things she needs to recover from one big event and prepare for another.Puig faces 60th-ranked Zheng Saisai, who upset Agnieszka Radwanska at the Olympics, in the first round Monday. She originally wasnt seeded at Flushing Meadows, which meant she could have faced a top player in her opening match, but she moved up to the final seed when Sloane Stephens withdrew because of an injury Friday.Its the first time Puig has been seeded at a major, and in what was a breakthrough season even before her golden moment, shes starting to grow comfortable with those sorts of roles.I feel like I finally understand what Im doing when it comes to tennis, she said.Air Max 97 Have a Nike Day For Sale .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Nike Air Max 97 Plus Sale .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. http://www.outletairmax97.com/wholesale-air-max-97-undefeated.html . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Air Max 97 Fake For Sale . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Cheap Air Max 97 Wholesale . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium.PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard isnt sure what to expect when he likely plays his final game in a Phillies uniform on Sunday.Ill just show up and see what happens, Howard said after getting four standing ovations and being called out of the dugout in the Phillies 5-3 loss to the Mets on Saturday.The 36-year-old slugger, the only player remaining from the Phillies 2008 World Series title team, brought the fans out of their seats when he hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the fifth inning.Howard turned on a 1-0 fastball from Mets starter Bartolo Colon, driving his 25th homer of the season into the right-field seats.At the urging of fans, Howard, who is expected to receive a $10 million buyout from the Phillies after the season, stepped to the top of the dugout steps and raised his right hand in appreciation.The curtain call was awesome, Howard said. It was good to be able to do it and tie the game.His home run was his 382nd for the Phillies and tied him with Jim Rice and Frank Howard for 67th place on baseballs all-time list.Howard is averaging a home run every 9.69 at-bats since the All-Star break. Thirty-five of his 65 hits this season have gone for extra bases.Hes been swinging the bat well, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Hes been great. He gets along with all the guys. (Sunday) willl be fun to watch.dddddddddddd . Hopefully hell hit another one.NO RELIEF IN SIGHTThe Phillies bullpen has allowed 62 earned runs in their last 58 1/3 innings over the past 14 games. In fact, 20 of the last 27 relievers used by the Phils have given up at least one earned run.IN A PINCHDarin Rufs pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning was his second of the season and third of his career. It was the Phils fourth pinch-hit homer of the year.HECTOR WTH A KPhillies reliever Hector Neris has 102 strikeouts, the most by a Phillies reliever since Dick Selma fanned 153 batters in 1970.BUNTING HIS WAYCesar Hernandez recorded the Phillies first hit against Colon when he led off the fourth inning with a bunt single. It was his 15th bunt single, tops in the National League and the most in a single season by a Phillies player since Larry Bowa had 15 in 1975.TRAINERS ROOMPhillies shortstop Freddy Galvis, who left Friday nights game in the seventh inning with tightness in his left hamstring, did not play. He was replaced in the lineup by Andres Blanco.UP NEXTThe regular season ends Sunday, with RHP Gabriel Ynoa scheduled to face Phillies RHP Jerad Eickhoff (11-14, 3.72). ' ' '