lders choice. B.J. Upton replaced his brother as a pinch-runne

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Matthew Centrowitz always wanted to be an Olympic runner. Kind of like Matt Centrowitz.Like father, like son -- as the tattoo across his chest says. Only the son, who goes by Matthew, is bringing home a gold medal and neither he nor his dad, known as Matt, can believe it.During his victory lap after a surprise win in the 1,500 meters at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday, the American runner suddenly spotted his dad in the stands.I was like, `Are you kidding me? Centrowitz recounted. It hasnt sunk in. Were both just absolutely astonished right now.Centrowitz surprised himself as he took the lead in a leisurely paced race with around two laps remaining. He only got stronger with the finish line in sight. It was the first title in the event for the United States since Mel Sheppard won the metric mile more than 100 years ago at the 1908 London Games.Im a confident guy, Centrowitz explained. But I dont know if I was this confident.I thought, on the best day, maybe Id get a silver medal. But sure, in the back of my head, I thought I could get a gold.He was motivated by a good-luck email from running great Jim Ryun, a silver medalist in the 1,500 in 1968. He was spurred on by a rock-solid race plan -- a couple of them depending on what transpired. And he was in awe of the person handing out the gifts at the medal ceremony -- Sebastian Coe, the president of the IAAF and a middle-distance running icon.Seeing dad and the rest of his family was a big highlight.Distance running just so happens to run in the Centrowitz family. His father represented the United States at the 1976 Montreal Games. His sister, Lauren, competed in college for Stanford.Then theres Matthew -- the confident runner who always believed he was going to be the next big thing in the 1,500.I have a lot of respect for everyone in that field, said Centrowitz, who finished fourth at the 2012 London Games, missing out on a medal by 0.04 seconds. I never took anything for granted.Thats why he had so many race plans -- so nothing would surprise him.Steadily pulling away, then holding on at the end, Centro finished in 3 minutes, 50 seconds, beating defending champion Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria by 0.11 seconds. Nicholas Willis of New Zealand captured bronze.After crossing the line, Centrowitz looked straight ahead, stunned at what he had just done. He then dropped to his knees and put his hands on top of his head.It was that unbelievable.His dad took in the entire scene from the stands. These two are tight, so much so that the son has that tattoo across his chest that reads, Like father, like son.Matt couldnt find the right words when asked about what his sons win meant to him, responding in a text message, Wow, impossible to say.Matthew Centrowitz went to the University of Oregon, home of the late Steve Prefontaine -- the training partner of his father before Pres death in a car accident at the age of 24.The 26-year-old Centrowitz grew up hearing all the stories. He even hung posters on his wall of Prefontaine, the charismatic and talented runner who finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympics.Its great to make history, Centrowitz said. Ive been joking since Ive gotten this medal, that I dont have to do anything for the rest of my career now and its not a complete failure. Saquon Barkley Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Lawrence Taylor Youth Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.giantsrookiestore.com/Giants-Saquon-Barkley-Jersey/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Deandre Baker 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. Mark Bavaro Youth Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday.ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman and Atlantas hitters made certain the end of a long winning streak would not be followed by a new streak of offensive futility. Freeman hit a three-run homer, Jason Heyward had four hits and the Braves beat the Miami Marlins 9-4 on Sunday. The Braves took two of three in the series. Their 14-game winning streak ended in a 1-0 loss to the Marlins on Saturday night. Freeman said it was important to move past the shutout loss. "When you win 14 in a row, its always a good thing and then the next thing you know you get shut out," Freeman said. "You dont want that to keep going. We wanted to come out here and get some runs on the board early." B.J. Upton drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and Chris Johnson hit a two-run double in the four-run seventh inning that broke open a tie game. Evan Gattis had three hits, including his run-scoring double in the seventh. Mike Minor (12-5) gave up four runs on six hits and one walk in seven innings, ended a streak of six straight starts with no more than two earned runs allowed. The Braves trailed 3-0 in the second inning before taking their 38th comeback win of the season, the most in the majors. The Texas Rangers began Sundays games second in the majors with 36 come-from-behind wins. "Theres a lot of trust in our guys," Freeman said. "We never panic. We lead the league in coming back. I think thats just a testament to our team." Braves outfielder Justin Upton left the game in the fifth inning with cramping in his left hamstring. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said its the second time this season Upton has had the problem. "Its just a cramp that he gets every once in a while," Gonzalez said. "Weve got to figure out a way to keep him on the field without cramping." The Marlins have lost seven of eight. Right-hander Henderson Alvarez gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings. "I thought Henderson was good," said Marlins manager Mike Redmond. "We came out and scored those runs early and we couldnt shut them down. ... Thats a tough lineup to plow through." The game was tied at 4 when pinch-hitter Joey Terdoslavich replaced Minor in the seventh. Dan Jennings (1-3) walked Terdoslavich to start the BBraves four-run inning.dddddddddddd Heyward singled and Terdoslavich scored the go-ahead run on a line drive to left field by B.J. Upton off A.J. Ramos. Following Ramos intentional walk to Freeman, Gattis hit a run-scoring double and Johnson drove in two runs with a double over Giancarlo Stanton in right field. Stanton appeared to lose the ball in the sun. "That seventh inning, we just couldnt stop them," Redmond said. "We didnt execute some pitches and theyve got a lot of weapons over there. And as you can see, they have the ability to do some damage with the middle of their order and we couldnt stop them. Couldnt get them out." Justin Upton left the game after running to first base on an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt in the fifth inning. Marlins catcher Koyie Hill threw out Minor, who was not expecting the bunt, at third base as Upton reached on the fielders choice. B.J. Upton replaced his brother as a pinch-runner. Freeman followed with his three-run homer that gave Atlanta a 4-3 lead. Alvarez escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. Freeman led off with a double and moved to third on an infield hit by Gattis. With one out, Dan Uggla walked to load the bases, but the inning ended on Andrelton Simmons fly ball to shallow right field and Jordan Schafers groundout. The Marlins took a 3-0 lead in the second. Ed Lucas doubled and scored on a single by Jake Marisnick. Hill singled before Alvarez lined a two-run double over Justin Upton in left field. NOTES: Marlins LF Christian Yelichs 10-game hitting streak ended. ... Braves C Gerald Laird was activated from the 15-day DL after having kidney stones removed. ... The Braves optioned OF Todd Cunningham to Triple-A Gwinnett. ... C Brian McCann was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight day with a sore right knee. McCann said he had similar soreness last season and wants to better control the situation this year. ... Schafer, who came off the DL on Saturday, made his first start since June 26. ... The Braves continue their nine-game homestand on Monday night when RHP Julio Teheran faces Philadelphia LHP Cole Hamels. The Marlins open a series at Kansas City with RHP Tom Koehler facing Royals RHP Wade Davis. ' ' '