ourself, you do know it. People know what needs to be do

STANFORD, Calif. -- As Johanna Konta pounded the ball from every spot on the court Sunday and rarely missed, there were moments Venus Williams could do little more than applaud her opponents stellar day as winners whipped down the line and drop shots fell perfectly.With a crowd of 2,268 largely rooting for the American icon Williams, Konta regularly reminded herself to breathe to keep her mind on the match and not her daunting task.The hard-hitting Konta outslugged top-seeded Williams to capture her first career singles title at last while playing for her first championship, winning the Bank of the West Classic 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.Its actually quite an incredibly humbling experience. Its a great validation of the hard work youve been putting in and its a great motivator on the things you want to keep getting better at, she said. I played her twice previously. I knew going into it I was going to be playing against a magnitude of experience. Venus Williams doesnt need an introduction.Her serve and return games equally solid on another unseasonably hot day at Stanford, Konta held on in the third set after squandering a 4-1 lead in the second to open the door for Williams to come back.When Williams netted her forehand return on the third match point, Konta dropped her racket to the ground and covered her face in triumph before heading to the net for a handshake. After receiving her trophy and addressing Williams directly with a thoughtful compliment of the 36-year-old stars grace and game, Konta posed for a round of photos that this time will be all the more special.She played at such a high level today, Williams said. She saved her best tennis for the final, which is what you want to do.Konta is having a blast being part of British tennis right now, everyone riding high after Wimbledon with Andy Murray winning at home.Yeah, long live the Queen, guys, she said with a big grin.Over the 2-hour, 18-minute match, the third-seeded Konta figured out Williams big serve for the second time this year, standing some 10 feet behind the baseline to return it and generating pace from Williams regular serves of well higher than 100 mph.The 25-year-old Konta also stunned Williams with the straight-set victory in the first round at this years Australian Open. Coming into Sundays match, Konta considered her return game a key to whether she would win.She plays really well against me, so maybe she comes out and doesnt feel any pressure and just swings for it, Williams said. I tried to stay in there and fight. ... What can I say but give her credit.Konta became the fourth-oldest first-time titlist this year. A steady serve helped carry Konta to Sundays final. She nailed 11 aces and moved Williams all over the court with an array of powerful groundstrokes and timely drop shots.Konta, headed to the Olympics next month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also was the first British woman to reach the final at Stanford since Virginia Wades runner-up finish in 1981.Williams was seeking her third tournament win at Stanford and denied career singles championship No. 50 while playing for her 80th title. At 49 singles tournament wins, she remains second among active players only behind younger sister Serenas 71.Of course I wanted to win, but I imagine with any luck Ill have more chances to get another title, she said.Williams is projected to move up to No. 6 in the next rankings. She will play in Montreal this coming week before the Rio Olympics next month.See you all in Rio, she told the crowd before exiting the stadium. Jacob deGrom Mets Jersey . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Mookie Wilson Jersey . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. http://www.metssale.com/mets-keith-hernandez-jersey/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Nolan Ryan Mets Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Lenny Dykstra Mets Jersey . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Wait. What just happened here? I had the craziest dream. I dreamed we just saw a trade deadline where the Cubs and Indians went for it -- and meanwhile, the biggest sellers in baseball were ... hold on, this cant be right .... the Yankees?Yeah, it feels like a dream. But Im pretty sure it just happened. And if it did, you know what that means? It means the world has officially turned upside down. And its going to take a little while to digest that.The Chicago Cubs made a series of deals that sent a clear message: This is the year. The Cleveland Indians made a trade for Andrew Miller that sent the same message: Our time is now. And the New York Yankees unloaded at the deadline instead of loading up -- for the first time in almost 30 years. Wow. Did I just write that paragraph?No one has ever said those words, said one incredulous scout Monday, as the deadline dust was settling. No one has ever typed those sentences. Its amazing.Said those words? Typed those sentences? Heck, no one has ever lived on that planet.But every season, the earth keeps spinning. And now it has spun us into this unfamiliar place -- where the Cubs and Indians look like your official World Series favorites ... and the Yankees are saying, Wait til next year. Or, Wait til whenever we can finish clearing about $7 billion in ugly contracts off our payroll.Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs attacked the deadline like Michael Jordan once attacked the rim. Saw they needed to build a bullpen that could protect a one-run lead in October -- and bam, reeled in Aroldis Chapman, Joe Smith and Mike Montgomery.Thats why Theo is a Hall of Famer, said one rival executive afterward. He recognized it. And he did it.A few hundred miles to the east, the Indians of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff were following the same script. They paid a huge price (and took on big dollars) to go get Andrew Miller. But it isnt just their bullpen that isnt the same because of it. Its their clubhouse -- and their whole city. Which was already buzzing with LeBron Fever.Now theyre like that high school football team that goes running through the hoop before the kickoff, said the same exec. They just busted through that hoop and theyre going for it.Meanwhile, the Yankees of Brian Cashman had to make a totally different decision, but one just as momentous. It was their time, all right -- their time to move on, move veterans and move forward. Once they were through dealing away Chapman, Miller and Carlos Beltran, they suddenly had a system with six of Keith Laws top 50 prospects in baseball. And if it hurts YES ratings for a couple of months, whatever. Now, at least, they can see the future.As difficult as it was for Brian Cashman to do what he did, said another longtime executive, he did the right thing. Theyve played over 100 games. They were a .500 team. The game tells you who you are. And thats what they were -- a .500 team.But prospects give the Yankees something else, too -- a reminder that in baseball, not all the currency can be measured in dollar bills.They still have money, said a third exec. So this winter, if they want to spend money to sign a closer -- say, Kenley Jansen -- theylll always be able to do that.dddddddddddd But now they also have prospects as currency. And I fully expect theyll take that currency and use it this winter to make deals, at a time when there isnt much in free agency.But we can reflect more on the details of what just happened and where its leading some other time. Right now, its more important to reflect on the bigger picture here.To the people who run these teams, the trade deadline isnt some giant rumor fest, the way it is for you and me. Its an important moment in time. Its a moment when the best GMs in the business dont just weigh who theyre trading and what theyre giving up. They need to have a special feel for the meaning of this moment. And that feel leads to the most powerful decisions they can make.The biggest thing we talk about, said one of the execs quoted above, is that you truly never know. You dont know whats going to happen next year. So I think its important to know when its time to make those decisions. The worst thing you can do sometimes is worry about the future. When your team is good enough, the only thing you can really worry about is now. And sometimes that means you have to just go for it.Knowing when that time has arrived isnt a skill these guys can learn in some sports management school. Its more like a sixth sense, a voice only they can hear that points them toward doing things they might not ordinarily do. But they have to be listening to hear it.It comes to you in a quiet moment, said another of the veteran execs quoted above, where you figure out, This is what I have to do. But you owe it to your organization to do what you did. You owe it to your players. You owe it to your fans. And you owe it to yourself. But if youre honest with yourself, you do know it. People know what needs to be done.Its what Dayton Moore did in Kansas City last July. We know how that worked out. Its what Alex Anthopoulos did in Toronto last July. We know how that worked out. Its what Sandy Alderson did in New York. We know how that worked out.Those men didnt simply make baseball deals. They made This Is Our Moment deals. And this July, it was the Cubs and Indians turn to make those moves.The Cubs have been waiting over a century for their moment to arrive. The Indians have been waiting more than half a century. So its a message that had to be delivered loudly and emphatically enough for everyone to hear -- and understand what they just heard.So I cant say this loudly enough: The tuned-in people who run the Cubs and Indians just told the world: Our time is now. And it wasnt a dream. It happened. In real life. With real earth-rattling deals involving real people.Its the Cubs year? Its the Indians year? And those things are happening in the same year? Holy Rocky Colavito. The planet we live on just spun in a way no living human has ever witnessed before. So we might have to call this the coolest trade deadline ever -- just as soon as we process what happened.Yeah, think how crazy that is, said one of the execs. And think about special it is. ' ' '