the Giants.Miami will counter Syndergaard with right-hander Tom Koehler, who is 9-12 with a 4.02 ERA.Koehler will make his ninth attempt this season at getting his 10th win. He is 0-4 in hi

LONDON -- On the several occasions the question surfaced earlier this fortnight, Serena Williams batted it out of the air like one of her 120 mph aces.What would it mean to collect a 22nd Grand Slam singles title and reach the Open era record of Steffi Graf?Williams, who has been hearing variations on this reoccurring theme for a full year now, has developed an impenetrable defense: essentially, no comment.I dont know, she said Thursday after reaching her ninth singles final here at the All England Club. My goal has never been 22. I dont talk about that anymore.After Saturdays emphatic 7-5, 6-3 victory over Angelique Kerber, let the conversation begin. Its Serena and Steffi, long since retired, in a dead heat. Only Margaret Courts all-time record of 24 is beyond them.With an easy forehand into an open court to win the match, Williams fell dramatically, almost cartoonishly, backward to the grass. When she popped up, she flashed the victory sign -- two fingers on each hand -- and positively beamed.And there, intrepid reporters, was your answer regarding the elusive 22.I have definitely had some sleepless nights, if Im just honest with a lot of stuff, Serena said. Coming so close. Feeling it, not being able to quite get there.But, you know, it makes the victory even sweeter to know how hard I worked for it. ...Its obviously a great relief.She was already the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open era, which came a year ago at Wimbledon. Now, Williams, nearly 35, adds a year to that. This is her ninth major title after turning 30 -- far and away best total ever. Court and Martina Navratilova had three each.It is worth noting that Serena has now reached the final at seven of the past eight Grand Slams. For the record, No. 1 Novak Djokovic is six for his past seven.It was a composed, controlled performance by Williams in front of some of her favorite people, including sister Venus, Beyonce, Jay Z and Ellen DeGeneres.After winning four consecutive majors to reach 21, Serena found herself in a holding pattern. She lost in the semifinals of last years US Open (surprisingly, to Roberta Vinci), then to Kerber, the 28-year-old German, in the Australian Open final and Garbine Muguruza in the recent French Open final.Now, 5? months since losing to Kerber Down Under, she is over that formidable hump.Well, this tournament I came in with just a different mind frame and mindset, Williams said. I knew in Melbourne I thought I played well, but honestly Angelique played great, she played better. She just played really good tennis.So I knew that going into this one, I just needed to keep calm, be confident, just play the tennis that Ive been playing for well over a decade.Serena thus defended her title here and became a seven-time Wimbledon champion, tying Graf and Dorothea Lambert Chambers for third on the all-time list behind Navratilova (nine) and Helen Wills Moody (eight). This one came, incredibly, 14 years after the first, in 2002, as a 20-year-old.?Williams up-to-the-minute list of major trophies: six at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, seven at Wimbledon and six at the US Open.The last time two women met in two Grand Slam finals in the same year? A decade ago, when Amelie Mauresmo beat Justine Henin in Melbourne and Wimbledon. Kerber was hoping to do the same to Serena.Kerber, a better mover, consciously tried to push Serena around and attack her backhand. Aces aside, a formidable breeze favored Kerbers ability to adjust on the fly.The two punched and counterpunched their way to the brink of a first-set tiebreaker, but two loose errors from Kerber gave Williams two set points. A majestic backhand, deep and in the corner, was too good for Kerber to return. That unleashed a screaming Serena, who suddenly seemed to want this very much.With Williams serving the seventh game of the second, a break point -- the first of the match -- suddenly appeared. Serenas response was a 117 mph ace, followed by a 124 mph ace -- a quick end to any thoughts of giving in to Kerber.Serena finished in a blur, winning the last eight points.?I think I played what I could today, Kerber said in her postmatch interview. I can just say, I mean, Serena was serving unbelievable today. At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it today.Yeah, I mean, I think I was not the one who [lost] the match. I think she won the match.Maybe this is the rivalry womens tennis has been aching for? Williams will be No. 1 exiting this tournament (for the 177th consecutive week), and Kerber will be No. 2.And now those snarky scribes have a whole new line of questioning to investigate: How long before Serena Williams passes Courts all-time record of 24 majors? It could happen as soon as next years Wimbledon -- or perhaps sooner.The Rev. Margaret Court, watching from the Royal Box, was more than a casual bystander.Going forward, there will be much discussion about Serena equaling Courts 24 majors.?No, not for me. Ive learned a lot about 22, Serena said. I learned not to get involved in those debates and conversations. I just learned to just play tennis. Thats what I do best.Bobby Orr Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. David Pastrnak Bruins Jersey . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. http://www.cheapbruinsjerseys.info/authentic-phil-esposito-bruins-jersey/ . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Brandon Carlo Jersey . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Steven Kampfer Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August.MIAMI -- Don Mattingly was a New York Yankees minor-leaguer when Thurman Munson died in a plane crash on Aug. 2, 1979.Munson was the Yankees 32-year-old star catcher -- a seven-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time World Series champion and a former Rookie of the Year and American League MVP.The Miami Marlins, the team Mattingly now manages, suffered a horrific tragedy of their early own early Sunday morning when 24-year-old pitcher Jose Fernandez -- already a two-time All-Star -- died in a high-speed boat crash.Mattingly said he can see the correlation to what the Yankees lost in Munson and what the Marlins lost in Fernandez.It feels like that, Mattingly said. The way we talk about Jose and his personality, you are not going to forget that. Jose will have a presence in this organization even after were long gone.Fernandezs tragic death seemed to inspire the Marlins (78-78) on Monday in a 7-3 win over the New York Mets. It was the Marlins first game after Fernandezs body was discovered and after the scheduled Sunday game against the Atlanta Braves was cancelled.The Mets (83-74) clearly ran into a team determined to honor Fernandez, but whether that emotion can carry over to Tuesday is another question.New York will start right-hander Noah Syndergaard, whose turn was moved back a couple of days due to step throat.Syndergaard, whose fastball consistently clocks at 100 mph, is 13-9 this year with a 2.63 ERA. He has been fairly consistent alll year, winning six games at home and seven on the road and posting a 2.dddddddddddd56 ERA before the All-Star break and a 2.75 ERA after the Midsummer Classic.However, given his electric stuff, he probably hasnt been as dominant as the Mets would like, especially with the team in a tight playoff race. New York sits in the first NL wild-card position, a half-game above San Francisco (82-74). The St. Louis Cardinals (81-75) are a game behind the Giants.Miami will counter Syndergaard with right-hander Tom Koehler, who is 9-12 with a 4.02 ERA.Koehler will make his ninth attempt this season at getting his 10th win. He is 0-4 in his past eight starts and hasnt won a game since Aug. 9 vs. the Giants.Against the Mets for his career, he is 2-7 with a 4.37 ERA. This year against New York, he is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA.Mets manager Terry Collins, though, is clearly concerned that his team will once again get caught up in the emotion of what is happening with the Marlins and their loss of Fernandez.It was a tough night (on Monday), but we have to move on, Collins said. I saw some real emotion (before the game). You can understand that from their team, but you saw some of our guys who were touched by the whole thing, too.We are all going to miss (Fernandez) for a long time. He will be in our minds forever. But we have to get back to business now. ' ' '