n 23 chances. Marcums start is the worst for a Mets pitcher since Anthony Y | Forum

After winning the USTA boys 18s national championship back in August, Michael Mmohs parting gift was a trip to New York City. George Springer Jersey .The American teenager, who soared as high as the No. 2 junior in the world, also received a berth in the US Opens main draw, opposite Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.Mmoh is a terrific athlete with dazzling retrieving skills that have been compared to those of Gael Monfils. But looking a tad tentative, he got schooled by Chardy 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.All things considered, it might have been the best result possible. Chardy, a journeyman with a career record just under .500 and a single tour-level title in more than a decade as a professional, preyed on Mmohs defensive posture.Monumental, was how Mmoh recently described it. You cant play tennis just hoping your opponent is going to miss. You have to have an aggressive mentality to win. Andy Murray didnt win many Slams because at crunch time hed revert to his defensive ways. Look at [Novak] Djokovic in the US Open final. He was very defensive in that final against [Stan] Wawrinka -- thats not going to get it done.His coach, Glenn Weiner, seized on that teachable moment.Its been in our vocabulary to make him more aggressive, Weiner explained. In that respect, Chardy was a great learning experience. We simplified the message to: How do we make you just a little more dangerous?We followed that game plan through the fall. After the summer he had, did I expect him to start winning like he did? No. I have to say I like wheres headed.This is not a random assessment. Weiner, who has played and coached at IMG Academy for nearly 25 years, coached No. 5-ranked Kei Nishikori for three years in Bradenton, Florida.After a terrific stretch run at the Challenger level, the ATPs equivalent of Triple A baseball, Mmoh has another Grand Slam main-draw appointment in January. He accumulated the most points in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Champaign, Illinois to win the USTAs Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge.Mmoh, 18, is one of five American teenagers to win an ATP Challenger Tour title this year, joining Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Frances Tiafoe and Stefan Kozlov, who won in Columbus, Ohio, a couple of weeks ago. Eight American men aged 20 and younger -- the aforementioned five, plus Jared Donaldson, Ernesto Escobedo and Noah Rubin -- are ranked among the ATP World Tours top 204 players.Theres your short list for future U.S. male tennis stars hoping to follow in the tradition of former top 10 Americans Andy Roddick, James Blake, Mardy Fish and John Isner. They are all contenders for the Next Gen ATP Finals next November in Milan, a new event that will feature the top 21-and-under singles players.The last time there more than six Americans under the age of 21 in the year-end top 200 was 1991, when there were seven. That group included Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang -- all future Grand Slam winners.The competition really motivates you, Mmoh said. When Taylor or Francis is doing well, you might be ranked like 300, while theyre 170 and winning a Challenger. You dont want to be the guy falling behind.Its been a constant battle for a long time. At the end of the day, its huge for American tennis, and us, too.That Mmoh is playing under the U.S. flag is something of an upset, considering his unusual provenance.He was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to a Nigerian-born father and an Irish-born mother. Tony and Geraldine (OReilly) met in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s when she was a nurse and he worked in sports marketing. Tony had moved to the United States to play tennis at St. Augustines and eventually became an American citizen. He was ranked as high as No. 105 among ATP players and played doubles at the Seoul Olympics for Nigeria. With Geraldine, he raised the family in both Washington, D.C., and Saudi Arabia.Michael Mmoh was 12 years old when he got his first big break in tennis, playing at the Eddie Herr ?at IMG in Bradenton. He got trashed in the final by Duckhee Lee of Korea but was discovered by the IMG staff and eventually offered a scholarship. Mmoh has progressed steadily ever since.With his ranking in the mid-400s, he began the year playing Futures events and trying to qualify for Challengers. Receiving a wild card in Miami, he forced rising German star Alexander Zverev -- also 18 at the time -- to two tiebreakers before losing in the first round. On the downside, Mmoh blew a 3-0 double-break lead in the second set.An elbow injury cost him April and May, prompting a weeklong visit and a heartfelt discussion with his father, who now lives in Atlanta.I was struggling after the injury, Michael said, and I wanted a different insight into my game. My dad was a top-100 player and had some ups and downs in his career. He gave me some useful words, and I started playing well.When Im not confident, Im not the most aggressive player. I use my athletic ability to retrieve a lot of balls. In todays pro game, guys are hitting the s--- out of the ball. Getting a lot of balls back -- that can be your Plan B. But to be successful, you want to be in control of the points.Weiner helped Mmoh make another adjustment, taking a subtle hitch out of his long forehand stroke, which helped take critical time away from opponents. In late September, Mmoh won three matches to qualify for the main draw at the Tiburon, California, Challenger. He survived three match points in a first-round match against Tennys Sandgren and won when Sandgren retired in the third set. Mmoh won seven straight matches to get to his first Challenger final, where he lost to Darian King.In November, Mmoh went one step further, winning the Challenger in Knoxville. Reaching the quarterfinals a week later in Champaign got him into the top 200 for the first time, his overriding goal for 2016.And now he gets to visit Australia, a place that feels like home. His mother, since divorced from Tony, has an Australian passport, and his aunt has lived there for years. The first Grand Slam that Mmoh watched in person was in Melbourne, as a 7-year-old in 2005, the year Marat Safin won the title.After Australia, Mmohs ranking should allow him into the main draw of most Challengers and qualifying for the remaining Grand Slams and some ATP events. For the next month, he and Weiner will work on strengthening his already strong serve by hitting targeted spots more often.It comes down to how good he wants to be, Weiner said. One thing Ive been working on with him is routines and setting a good example. Ive seen moments where there is a glimpse of some special tennis. Glimpses are not good enough.We have to have a higher percentage. It needs to be more of an everyday thing. I believe he can be a great player.So does Mmoh, who lists reaching the top 10 and winning a major among his top career goals. For 2017?Id have to say, I think the year-end top 100 is realistic for me, Mmoh said. The main thing I need to do to improve my game is be more unpredictable.My games there to do the damage. Jose Altuve Jersey . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. J.R. Richard Jersey . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. http://www.astrosteamproshop.com/Astros-Anthony-Gose-Kids-Jersey/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive.ATLANTA -- Kris Medlen issued a blanket apology to every coach hes ever had. At least he could laugh about an inexplicable defensive blunder. Medlen shook off a Little League-like mistake with seven strong innings, Chris Johnson hit a three-run homer and the Atlanta Braves bounced back from a doubleheader sweep, beating the New York Mets 5-3 Wednesday night. Johnson went deep in the fourth for his first homer since May 13. Jordan Schafer put the Braves ahead to stay with some gutsy baserunning in the fifth, scoring on a wild pitch that didnt even roll off the dirt around home plate. Atlanta evened the five-game series after losing twice on Tuesday. Medlen (4-7) was still trying to figure out what he was thinking in the top half of the fifth. With a 3-0 lead thanks to Johnson, two runners aboard and no outs, the right-hander got just what he wanted -- a grounder right back to the mound. An easy double play, right? Not so fast. For some reason, Medlen whirled and threw to third -- apparently thinking triple play -- but the ball skipped past the bag and rolled toward left field. Instead of getting two outs, both runners came around to score. "It was like I blacked out, and when I woke up, the ball was in left field," Medlen said. "Its one of those plays that as youre making it, youre like, What the hell are you doing?" Manager Fredi Gonzalez wondered the same thing as he watched the play unfold. "I hope no kids were watching that," he said. "Ive never seen that before. Maybe in 10-and-under baseball, but I dont think Ive seen that play -- ever. Believe me, we dont practice that." Medlen bounced back from the miscue, giving up six hits and only one earned run, while striking out seven. He didnt walk anyone and even picked up the first stolen base of his career in the sixth. He had the bag in his locker after the game, a souvenir to help him forget that other play. Maybe. "We won, so Im happy," he said. "But it feels like we lost." Shaun Marcum (0-9) knows what that feels like. He became just the third pitcher in Mets history to start a season dropping nine straight decisions. "Balls are not falling his way. We havent given him run support, either," catcher John Buck said. "Its just not going real well for him. When Im back there, I feel like were in control of everything. Its always just one mistake or that one inning that seems to bite him." The Braves scored first with two outs in the fourth. B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla hit back-to-back singles, and then Marcum left a 2-0 pitch over the plate to Johnson. He drove it into the left-field seats, slapping hands emphatically with first-baase coach Terry Pendleton on his way around the bases. Carlos Beltran Jersey. "It felt good. Not just the homer, but hitting it with guys on base," Johnson said. "I like to drive guys in." Medlen gave the runs right back in the fifth. Marlon Byrd led off with a single and Lucas Duda was plunked, putting two runners aboard to set up the baffling throw to third. Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed with a bloop single just inside the right-field line to bring home Buck with the tying run. "I deserved that," Medlen said. The Braves quickly reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Schafer led off with a double and advanced on Andrelton Simmons sacrifice before Freddie Freeman walked. It looked as if Marcum might escape the jam when he struck out Justin Upton. But a pitch to Brian McCann bounced off Bucks chest protector, rolling off to the catchers right. Schafer was nearly halfway down the line already -- the Mets shifted their defence against McCann, leaving only third baseman David Wright on the left side of the infield -- and the runner broke for home as soon as he saw the ball get away. Even though it rolled only to the edge of the grass and Buck made a quick flip to Marcum covering home, Schafer slid headfirst under the tag. "Great instincts," Gonzalez said. B.J. Upton followed with an RBI double that gave the Braves a two-run cushion, finishing off Marcum. He surrendered six hits and walked four in 4 2-3 innings. Medlen pitched into the eighth, coming out after giving up a bloop single to pinch hitter Josh Satin leading off the inning. Luis Avilan got Mets newcomer Eric Young Jr. to hit into a double play, and Craig Kimbrel struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 20th save in 23 chances. Marcums start is the worst for a Mets pitcher since Anthony Young lost his first 13 decisions in 1993 on the way to a 1-16 record. The only other pitcher in New York history to begin a season with as many as nine consecutive losses was Bob Miller, who started 0-12 in 1962 before winning his final decision with the woeful expansion Mets. "Its been a three-month ordeal for me," Marcum said. NOTES: Young started in centre field and led off for the Mets, less than 24 hours after being acquired from the Colorado Rockies. He singled on the second pitch of the game and finished 1 for 4. ... B.J. Upton had two hits and a walk. ... The Mets placed RHP Scott Atchison back on the disabled list after he injured his right groin while warming up for an appearance Tuesday night. He had just come off the DL for an ailing elbow, but didnt even make an actual pitch before getting hurt again. ' ' '