Last Week's Best: The Top-Five Games (June 30-July 6)

Another exciting week in sports, as tennis makes its first appearance in the top-five games list. Wimbledon, as usual, did not disappoint.

Baseball games flood this list, too. They did their part in contributing to the incredible day that Sunday, June 6 was, with exciting games throughout the day.

But nothing can top Nadal's triumph.

5. MLB: Rays 5, Red Sox 4 (June 30)

There were no punches thrown in the rematch between these two newfound rivals. No batters were hit and the benches never emptied.

But Tampa Bay managed to land a pretty heavy body blow, sweeping Boston in the three-game set to build a sizable division lead.

A week later, the Rays have won seven games in a row and suddenly lead the American League East by five games. Their 55-32 record is by far the best in baseball, three-and-a-half games clear of the Cubs.

They had to earn the first game of the series. After a brilliant start from James Shields had the Rays leading 5-2 in the ninth inning, the Sox mounted one of their patented rallies—with a little help.

What appeared to be a routine flyball off the bat of Brandon Moss was sailing towards Tampa right fielder Gabe Gross for an easy out when it suddenly dropped. The ball had struck Tampa’s infamous catwalk; it fell in shallow right field for an RBI double, putting the tying run on second base with one out.

The next better, Jason Varitek, hit a sacrifice fly to keep the rally going. On that same play, Tampa closer Troy Percival came up lame running to backup third base. Suddenly, young reliever J.P. Howell was all that stood between the Red Sox and first place.

But Howell came through in the clutch, retiring Julio Lugo to give the Rays a leg up on the Sox in the standings. They haven’t looked back since.

4. Wimbledon, Fourth Round: Mario Ancic defeats Fernando Verdasco in five sets (June 30)

Matches like these are what make Grand Slam tennis tournaments such amazing events. Two scrappy players fighting for a place in the quarterfinals on a side court, where any spectator can get within a few feet of the action if he spots a good match in its early stages.

Then again, in the early stages, this didn’t really look like a good match at all. Verdasco handled Ancic without too much trouble in the first two sets, winning them 6-3 and 6-4, respectively, and it appeared the Spaniard was on his way to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.

But then Verdasco’s fatal flaw emerged: He got tight. Ancic capitalized, winning the next two sets by the same scores as Verdasco had the first two.

The stage was set for an epic fifth set, and the players obliged. Both had their chances, but in the end it was Ancic who finally prevailed, 13-11. Watch Federer destroy Hewitt on Centre Court if you choose, but I’ll take a match like this instead, any day of the week.

3. MLB: Tigers 2, Mariners 1 (July 6)

Perhaps overshadowed by the incredible tennis, which will be discussed later, Sunday was actually quite a day as far as exciting baseball games went. The resurgent Tigers did their part, outlasting the Mariners in 15 innings in this low-scoring affair.

It is not Detroit's offense—given much of the credit for the revival that has brought the Tigers back to the .500 mark after a dismal start—that prevented them from being swept by the Mariners, however. Instead, a tremendous start from struggling pitcher Nate Robertson, who allowed one run in nine innings to lower his ERA to 5.19.

In a season that has been so trying for the Mariners, it is no surprise that the losing pitcher in this game was Seattle’s backup catcher. Jamie Burke didn’t pitch all that badly, allowing one run and one hit—a Miguel Cabrera double—in his inning. His performance at least gave some joy to a pretty hopeless team.

For Detroit, who needs wins any way they can get them, Burke’s appearance in the game was nothing less than a blessing. The Tigers still have a long way to climb, but they aren’t dead yet.

2. MLB: Braves 7, Astros 6 (July 6)

These two teams combined for another endless game—remember the 2005 NLDS, when Houston beat Atlanta in an 18-inning game to clinch the series—Sunday. Mark Teixeira’s RBI single gave the Braves the win in the 17th inning.

Neither team has come close to replicating its ’05 success this year, but the win was a crucial one for the Braves, a preseason pick to at least contend for the playoffs, who currently sit at 42-47, well out of the NL East and Wild-Card pictures.

Both bullpens were fantastic, as neither team scored a run after the eighth inning—that is, until Teixeira’s game-winning hit. He, Chipper Jones, and Yunel Escobar accounted for all seven of Atlanta’s RBI.

If the Braves are to turn their season around, the continued production of these three offensive leaders will be of the utmost importance. Of course, they also need to find some starting pitching.

1. Wimbledon, Finals: Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer in five sets (July 6)

What can even be said about this match? A true classic, just incredible.

I had the privilege of watching it in London with some fellow students (I thought about going to the match, but it was my first day in town and would have been rather difficult to organize), and the atmosphere was simply electric.

The quality of tennis was simply spectacular. Winner after winner, with few errors in between. There were only a few drawn-out rallies, mainly because the players were too precise—it’s almost impossible to get back into a point when the other player just keeps hitting punishing forehands deep in the corners.

Nadal finally got over the hump, defeating Federer on his best surface. And all credit to him: Nadal played better tennis than I have ever seen him play. He was much more aggressive and did a fantastic job of constructing points. Clearly, he will win many more majors in the future.

But in many ways this match was about Federer. A lot of people seem to think this was his swan song—the day Nadal officially passed him forever as the world’s best tennis player. This group apparently includes the BBC, who showed a long tribute to Federer during the first rain delay, almost as if he were about to retire.

I don’t agree.

While it means little, especially to him, given the match’s final outcome, Federer was simply incredible yesterday. How many times did it appear he was out of the match, only for him to hit a miraculous shot to get right back in it?

In the third-set tiebreak, Nadal only got Federer’s serve back over the net once. Federer even hit two winners off his weaker side, the backhand, to stave off Nadal’s first two match points.

Yes, the chink in Federer’s armor was evident—he was just a little loose with his shots at times, and it cost him late, as he uncharacteristically dumped several forehands into the net. He is, in fact, mortal.

But mere mortals can still win Grand Slam trophies.

Nadal, while having fully earned the title of vanquisher, does have his own Achilles heel: He has bad knees. That is why he has never had much success on hard courts, and has never won either the U.S. Open or the Australian Open.

So Federer, then, is still the clear-cut favorite in two of the four Grand Slam tournaments for at least the coming year, with Novak Djokovic as his primary competition. Djokovic beat him in Australia, but don’t expect that to become a regular occurrence.

If I had to guess, I’d say Fed wins the U.S. Open in September. The reports of his demise are premature.