Cuts » Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, k

Dominic Thiem posted the following message on Facebook early in the morning of Nov. 3, following the second-round upset inflicted on him at the Paris Masters 1000 by Jack Sock:There is not much to say about that result, its just really bitter, he wrote. I am trying to find my old strength, I hope to find it in the off-season ... the season is pretty sure over for me, if I am going to London is not up to me anymore, I can only hope for the best.Before Thiem, an Austrian, even had a chance to unpack and plop down on the sofa to cue up his favorite ski-jumping videos on YouTube, the two men who could still qualify for the final berth in Londons ATP World Tour Finals went down in flames in Paris.Tomas Berdych needed to reach the semifinals, but Andy Murray stopped him one match short. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had his fate in his own hands. If he won Paris (as he had once before), he was in. But Tsonga was bombarded off the court by Milos Raonic.On Nov. 4, Thiem was back on Facebook with an entirely different message: Thanks Andy! Thanks Milos! London is calling!And although hell be making the somewhat unexpected voyage to the final ATP event of the season, the question with Thiem is his fitness. His rap is that he plays too much and becomes increasingly vulnerable to fatigue and injury as the year goes on. Thiem retired hurt from two matches during the late summer, including a set and change into his fourth-round clash with Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open. That was a costly pullout.But Thiem is a strapping 23-year-old, and not long thereafter, he made it to the final of Metz before slumping to a 2-4 record the rest of the way this fall.Still, Thiem strung together an auspicious season for much of 2016. Its nothing to dismiss with an eye-roll, either. Hes already bagged seven ATP Tour titles in 10 final-round appearances. Hes won titles on clay, grass and hard courts, although the achievement is a little deceptive. Thiem has never beaten a top-10 player on a hard court. Next week, hell be competing with seven who are in that elite category.The one thing Thiem wont lack in London is match seasoning. He has played 27 tournaments this year, six more than anyone else in the top 10, and 11 more than either top-ranked Murray or No. 2 Novak Djokovic. The Austrian iron boys intent from the get-go has been to throw himself into the tour with the same abandon and ferocity that he pours into those roundhouse, atomic backhands. The attitude has roots in the sensibility of his coach, Gunter Bresnik.Bresnik, who also developed the game of Boris Becker, is so old school that he doesnt even have a Facebook page. Bresnik likes his players to work long and hard. He taught Thiem to swing for the fences, and if he missed to swing harder. He also counseled Thiem to keep the one-handed backhand, reasoning that at 6-foot-1, Thiem was tall and muscular enough to handle the high balls that were a challenge to other one-handers.Its unclear at this point how fast the court in Londons 02 Arena will be, and that might have a big bearing on Thiems prospects. One reason his game is most successful on clay is because he has a very long take-back on both wings. It allows him to generate teeth-rattling raw power, but those elaborate backswings also take longer. As a result, Thiem may find himself backing off the baseline to buy time, which will leave him vulnerable to ... you get the rest.Speculation about such tactical things are best left for the days ahead. Thiem probably isnt focusing on them just yet, either. Right now, hes probably just overwhelmed by his sense of good fortune. He also issued a statement when informed of his good fortune, declaring: Im so happy to have made it. In the past two years [the Finals] became a goal and to achieve it at such a young age is amazing.Eventually, nobody is going to remember or care how Thiem got into London. The only important thing will be what he did once he was there. Jed Lowrie Mets Jersey . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Tim Tebow Mets Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. http://www.metssale.com/mets-amed-rosario-jersey/ . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. David Wright Mets Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Gary Carter Jersey . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. LOWELL, Mass. -- Isaac White made all 10 of his free-throw attempts and scored 20 points, Matt Harris hit 13 of 13 from the line and scored 18 points as UMass Lowell beat Wagner 87-76 on Monday night.Harris sank two of his free throws with 1:37 remaining to give UMass Lowell a 76-69 lead and the duo combined to make 10 straight the rest of the way.Jahad Thomas had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals for UMass Lowell (1-1). The River Hawks went 32 for 36 at the line and made 50 perccent of their 18 3-pointers.ddddddddddddWhite hit a corner 3-pointer to give the River Hawks a 26-15 lead early in the first half and Thomas made a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to extend the lead to 37-26.Corey Henson led Wagner (1-1) with 19 points. JoJo Cooper had 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Michael Carey added 13 points and 13 rebounds. ' ' '