Pirate Galaxy » Michael Brantley, on the DL for the secon

Midway through the second quarter of Sydneys clinical defeat of Geelong, cameras panned to the somewhat incredulous figure of Andre Agassi, sitting next to the AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan. Agassi took that very moment to let out a yawn, choosing his moment of weakness a bit like the Cats had done.On another level, though, Agassi could empathise with the hosts. There had been a day 17 years ago when he was on the end of a similar hiding on a day when he had been expected to be at his best. The 1999 Wimbledon final had been billed as a showdown between a resurgent Agassi and a supposedly fading Pete Sampras. What transpired was a Sampras masterclass, leaving Agassi feeling at times like one of the spectators.I maintained my focus and intensity but I just couldnt stop him, Agassi said after. You have to weather the storm against Pete because then he can be vulnerable. Even when I was two sets down I felt like I could come back but the storm never let up. He was taking chances out there, and people think hes walking on water until he starts missing a few of those. But he didnt. So he walked on water today.Swans, of course, dont need to walk on water. But like Agassi, the Cats needed some early good fortune if they were to weather the storm. An early assault from the Swans had been expected, given their aggressive start against Adelaide last week and also the fact Geelong had played only one match in three weeks due to the pre-finals bye.Yet knowledge of what may be coming does not necessarily equate to an ability to deal with it. If Geelong were to take their time warming into the game, they would need to hope that the Swans did not exactly nail their early lines. Equally, they had to hope the bounce of the ball would fall their way.Instead, the match started in the sort of fashion that suggested this was Sydneys night. The Swans had early momentum, sure, but it was exacerbated by Cats errors. Then when the margin had become substantial, luck weighed in on Sydneys side also.Never was this better exemplified than when Isaac Heeney hurried a kick forward from a pack late in the first term. The margin already stood at 31 points, and Jimmy Bartel was left to look helplessly over his head as an end-over-end mongrel punt cleared him and shot through for six points. Heeney is the sort of player the game tends to roll for, being strong bodied and smart, but this was indeed outrageous fortune.From there, the Swans precision was more than enough to keep a margin between the teams, even as Geelongs high work rate and industry was epitomised as ever by the Brownlow Medal favourite, Patrick Dangerfield. The exemplar for that precision was another fledgling Swan, this time Tom Papley. His set shots at goal were so sure that Papley could be seen reeling away in celebration before the ball had even got halfway there: three times this was a galling sight for the Cats.The obvious threat after the way they played last week was theyd be dominant early and they were clearly that, Cats coach Chris Scott said. So they jumped us and no matter what we tried early we couldnt stop that. Then they were extraordinarily efficient. Their work rate at the contest was great, we didnt play well, but they force us to play poorly around the contest. They were unbelievably clean around the ball, we werent.The first few minutes they had four shots really quickly. We did adjust, the plan we went in with was executed, but even that didnt work, so that put us right behind the eight ball. The last three quarters we dominated a lot of the numbers but unfortunately some for he numbers can tend to outweigh efficiency. Its one thing to go inside 50 a lot, but the looks they were getting [at goal] compared to us didnt augur well for the way the game was going to play out.For his part, John Longmire put his sides swiftness down to an ability to act on best intentions - easier said than done. theres nothing special to it, our blokes just get themselves into a good frame of mind before the game and are really confident in the sort of footy we know we need to play, he said. And we need to play it. Its one thing knowing, another going out and doing it. Our ability to execute over the last couple of weeks with that intensity, particularly early, has been a really high standard.Much as Agassi had tried to rally in the third set against Sampras, Geelong belatedly found some direction and pressure in the third term to bring the margin back to something like manageable dimensions. These sorts of scenarios invariably draw a baying crowd into the equation, and the loudest barracking of the night was certainly for the Cats to close the gap further. However the occasions when that takes effect are memorable for a reason: they are rare.More common is what transpired for both Geelong and Agassi. The Swans steadied, drawing on their greater proficiency over the course of the night, and ultimately carried home a margin comfortable enough to cruise through most of the final term with very little sting in the game. Well-credentialed as they are, Sydney still found exhilaration in the moment: they have regenerated significantly since their last premiership in 2012, even if their last Grand Final appearance was only two years ago.The one parallel amiss from Sampras/Swans and Agassi/Cats is the fact this was not the final, but something like a Wimbledon semi. Whether Agassi will be back next week to sit alongside McLachlan is open to question. 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That included a track-record third run of 51.CLEVELAND -- Mike Napoli found the perfect way to lift up a weary baseball team.Napoli hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning and the Cleveland Indians remained perfect in 10 games against the Detroit Tigers this season with a 5-3 victory on Monday night.The win also ended Clevelands two-game skid that followed a franchise-record 14-game winning streak set with a 19-inning victory in Toronto on Friday. The Indians dropped the final two games of the series and saw the start of Mondays game delayed by rain for 2 hours, 21 minutes.Weve got some guys who are tired and grinding to the All-Star break, Napoli said. You get on that run and then lose two and youre like, oh whats going on? We understand we have to finish strong so we can get some rest.The win came in front of a crowd of 34,163, the Indians second sellout of the season and first since opening day. Cleveland has outscored Detroit 65-23 this season and the Indians now lead the Tigers by 6 1/2 games in the AL Central.Napoli hit an 0-1 pitch from Bruce Rondon (2-1) into the left-field bleachers, helping the Indians to their 12th straight win at home.He throws pretty hard, Napoli said. I was trying to stay short to the ball and I caught it right.We dont live by the home run a ton but when hes up, thats why hes here, Indians manager Terry Francona said. We like to get to him and let him take three good swings.Jeff Manship (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Cody Allen worked the ninth for his 18th save. The game ended when Jose Iglesias bounced into a double play. Iglesias was called safe at first, but it was reversed after a replay review.Nick Castellanos and Steven Moya homered for Detroit, which had won six straight.The guys battled and fought down to the last out, but we hit into some bad luck, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.dddddddddddd And in the end, they beat us.Rondon struck out Jason Kipnis to start the seventh, but walked Francisco Lindor before Napoli hit his 17th homer.Detroit starter Daniel Norris was pulled in the third with a strained right oblique. The Tigers announced hell have an MRI on Tuesday.Danny Salazar allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings and has a 2.36 ERA, the lowest in the AL.Dustin Molleken made his major league debut when he replaced Norris in the third. Molleken was called up from Triple-A Toledo when right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a neck strain.Fridays marathon, along with Sundays 17-1 loss to the Blue Jays, forced the Indians to make several roster moves to help an overworked bullpen. Joba Chamberlain and Tom Gorzelanny were designated for assignment while Mike Clevinger and T.J. House were recalled from Triple-A Columbus before the game.COMEBACK TRAILIndians OF Michael Brantley, on the DL for the second time after offseason shoulder surgery, will take batting practice Tuesday. He began the season on the DL and played 11 games before being sidelined again May 14. Brantley had a cortisone shot for biceps tendinitis last month.TRAINERS ROOMTigers: Zimmermann, who had been scheduled to start Tuesday, won his first five starts but is 4-4 in 10 starts since.Indians: 3B Juan Uribe returned to the lineup after being hit on the right hand by a pitch Saturday.UP NEXTTigers: RHP Anibal Sanchez (3-7, 6.71 ERA), who lost his spot in the rotation on May 31, fills in for Zimmermann.Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (4-2, 2.56 ERA) struck out a season-high 14 over 7 1/3 innings in his last outing, a 4-1 win at Toronto last Thursday. ' ' '