Last Night's Action: Roddick Asserts Himself
After rain washed out Tuesday's action, plenty of tennis made up for the lost time on Wednesday. Mikhail Youzhny took out Rafael Nadal in four sets, opening the draw for Andy Roddick, who disposed of Lleyton Hewitt. Roddick has enjoyed a resurgence since he hired Jimmy Connors. His backhand has improved -- it couldn't get worse -- and his attitude has changed. Could Roddick beat Roger Federer if they met in the final on Sunday? Their history doesn't suggest so, but it would be the most intriguing match.
-Yankees 8, Royals 3: Randy Johnson took a no-hitter in the seventh, and the Yankees won the series in Kansas City. Jorge Posada's power surge is a welcome addition (three homers in the series, including two on Wednesday), and with Boston's loss, the Yankees' magic number is down to 15.
-Mets 4, Braves 1; Mets 8, Braves 0: The Mets can beat the Braves in September. They can also hit. Jose Reyes, Shawn Green (twice) and Carlos Delgado all provided the power, and Oliver Perez, fleeced from the Pirates, pitched a shutout. Some fans may be disappointed at the anticlimactic end of the Braves' run of 14 straight division titles, but those fans are greedy.
