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By TIMES WIRES
Published September 2, 2006

Stylish Blake pays homage to Agassi

Tampa resident James Blake, above, the top American in the U.S. Open at No. 5 seed, beat Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) Friday. Blake honored Andre Agassi, retiring after the Open, by sporting an Agassi-inspired retro look that included a bandana and fluorescent orange tights under his shorts. "I wanted to show Andre how much he means to the sport of tennis," said Blake, who got Agassi's approval. "We're all on the edge of our seats to see how he ends his career." Blake's getup was appreciated. Before the coin toss, fans chanted, "Andre! Andre!" Blake turned and gave a thumbs up. Agassi faces Benjamin Becker today in a third-round match (Story, 8C).

TODAY ON TV: 11 a.m., Ch. 10; 7 p.m., USA

BUCS BIT

The Bucs finished the preseason with a 1-3 record, the first losing preseason since Jon Gruden took over as coach in 2002. In fact, this was Gruden's first losing preseason in nine seasons as an NFL coach.

OUT OF BOUNDS

WE'LL WAIT FOR THE PAPERBACK: How much would you pay for the definitive Super Bowl book? Wait, don't answer yet. It weighs 90 pounds and is bound in leather. Wait, not yet. It has 2,000 photographs and is written by some of the top sportswriters in the country. Wait, one more thing. It is signed by all the living MVPs of the Super Bowl. Okay, how much would you pay? If you said anything less than $40,000, you're out of luck. That's right, the Super Bowl XL MVP edition comes with a $40,000 price tag. If you're a little short, you can get the book without the signatures. That will set you back only $4,000.

Carp a leapin': Zhang Lianwei was hoping for a birdie, but he found a fish. Zhang was in midswing at a Chinese Omega Tour event in Shanghai when a hefty carp did some out-of-water acrobatics beside the 14th hole. A startled Zhang muffed the shot and took bogey. He shot 69 and is in a five-way tie for first. "I thought someone had thrown a huge stone into the water," he said. "That's what it sounded like."

QUOTABLE

DAVID LETTERMAN, late-night talk-show host:

"I got some good news earlier today before the show. Thanks to Alex Rodriguez, I am no longer the most overpaid disappointment in New York City."

[Last modified September 2, 2006, 01:50:26]