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. Adidas Shoes Cheap China . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Cheap Adidas Shoes Online China . 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What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday.PITTSBURGH -- The Houston Astros havent had many wins to celebrate so far this season. This one was especially satisfying for manager Bo Porter. Jason Castro led off the 11th inning with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a close play at the plate as the Astros topped the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Saturday night. "Even though weve had our share of bumps and bruises, were going to hit a stretch where we start playing well and put together a string of games like we played tonight," Porter said. "Its a tremendous group of guys in that clubhouse. Its a resilient group. They have fun together. They love playing game. They play hard." Castro doubled off the top of the centre-field fence against Bryan Morris (1-2), and Carlos Pena was intentionally walked one out later. The runners moved up on a wild pitch and Castro scored when he beat second baseman Neil Walkers throw home on Matt Dominguezs fielders choice grounder. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle argued the call with plate umpire C.B. Bucknor and was ejected. Pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2. "I thought he was out, but I watched the replay and I was wrong. C.B. got the call right," Hurdle said. Porter credited got baserunning on Castros part for scoring the winning run. "Castro had a great heads-up read on contact and made a great slide," Porter said. Rookie Jose Cisnero (1-0) struck out five in 3 2-3 scoreless relief innings for his first major league win. Jose Veras pitched a scoreless 11th for his sixth save as Houston (12-31) won for the second time in three games since losing six in a row. "Anytime you get that kind of push like that from someone out of the bullpen, he probably should have got the win and the save, too," Hurdle said. Porter was hoping Cisnero could provide multiple innings from a bullpen that has been overworked of late. "In that situation, we have some guys who have been worked hard the last few days," Porter said. "We didnt have many guys available. Most of the guys we had (warming) up were for show. It was pretty his game until we took the lead and then we were going to hand it over to Veras." Chris Carters run-scoring single in the eighth inning tied the game at 2 and ended Mark Melancons string of 13 consecutive scoreless relief appearances, covering 13 innings. Houstons Jose Altuve had three hits to raise his batting average to .342 aafter being activated from the bereavement list before the game.dddddddddddd Altuve missed three games after his grandmother died in his native Venezuela. Andrew McCutchen hit two doubles and Brandon Inge had two hits for Pittsburgh, which lost for the second time in nine games. Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett held Houston to one run in seven innings while allowing five hits and four walks, but wound up with a no-decision when Melancon could not hold the lead. Burnett struck out seven to raise his National League-leading total to 79. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 10 starts this season. "You can talk about (the Astros) record, but theyre all big leaguers, theyre all up here for a reason," Burnett said. "They battled me. They had some really good swings with two strikes and they fought off some tough pitches. I felt good to get out of it with only one run allowed." The Astros Erik Bedard gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings with three strikeouts and no walks in his first career start against Pittsburgh. The veteran left-hander was the Pirates opening day starter last season, but was released on Aug. 30 after going 7-14. "You dont really think about who its against," Bedard said. "You just want to win the ballgame." Inge put Pittsburgh in front 2-1 in the sixth when he hit a two-out RBI single to left field off Bedard. The Pirates scored the games first run on consecutive doubles by McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez with two outs in the first inning. Houston tied in the fifth on Altuves two-out RBI single. NOTES: Houston INF Jake Elmore was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room on the roster for Altuve. ... Porter said Saturday that OF Brandon Barnes, his best defensive outfielder, was unavailable to play in Friday nights 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh because of a sprained right ankle. That is why RF Jimmy Paredes, who dropped Pittsburgh C Russell Martins two-out fly ball in the ninth inning to allow the winning run to score, was in the game. On Saturday, Barnes entered in the bottom of the 11th for defensive purposes. ... 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