NEW YORK -- Its good to be Hilary Swank. And not just because that would make you a two-time Oscar winner for best actress.Swank -- or her assistant -- can pick up the phone and tell the USTA that she wants to spend finals weekend at the US Open. She can even specify that shes willing to dress well and sit in the Presidents suite on Sunday for the mens final. On Saturday, though, she wants to go more casual, so shed rather be placed somewhere else. Say, the Emirates suite.The USTA is happy to accommodate Swank in exactly that way this year. Swank is an A-lister with a great image. Not every celebrity has her degree of clout, but you can be sure that those whose faces you routinely see flashed up on the big screen at Arthur Ashe Stadium didnt buy a ticket, take the No. 7 train to the Mets-Willets Point station, and empty their pockets to walk through a metal detector.Celebrities are royalty in New York. But while Wimbledon has the formidable Royal Box, Gothams beautiful people are cleverly distributed in a number of locations when they visit the US Open -- the Presidents suite (extending up from the north baseline in Ashe), the Emirates, AmEx and a number of USTA suites.Some of the celebrities who show up are recruited by agents of the USTA, while others appealed directly to those agents or the USTA. If getting into the US Open required a passport, these folks would have protected celebrity status stamped on their visas.The man in charge of wrangling celebrities for the tournament is Michael Fiur, executive producer of entertainment for the US Open. He heads an office with a staff of over 50 people deep in the bowels of Arthur Ashe Stadium. He works hand in hand with Jim Mannino Public Relations in New York. Together, they reach out to celebrities while fielding and vetting requests for celebrity treatment. Part of their job consists of making sure that sponsors who want to have celebrities in their suites are satisfied.Its a two-way street, Fiur told ESPN.com. We need places to put people, and the suite owners often want to host famous people. It can get complicated, which is why we have a daily meeting at 3 p.m. to review where we stand with our obligations.As with all visas, some applicants are turned down. Some of the names that come up at our meeting have us scrambling for our phones to look up who they are, Fiur said. Not everyone makes the cut.The rush for special treatment at the Open has gotten so intense over the years that Fiur and Mannino now send out three different US Open invitations. One solicits celebrities for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day event that takes place the Saturday prior to the US Open. Another invites select individuals to the opening night ceremonies. The third invite is a save the date shotgun blast to numerous parties in the entertainment, sports and fashion industries containing the dates of the US Open. It provides contact info for those who would like to attend.Celebrities at the US Open usually fall into one of two categories: guests of players for a specific match (as Jay Z and Beyonce were for Serena Williams second-round match) or general guests of the USTA. Its an important distinction, because while those in the former category may get free transportation courtesy of the USTA, theyre pretty much on their own otherwise. Guests of the USTA are in for the entire day or night session. They get perks including free food, drink and swag, but also assume certain obligations.They are expected to walk the blue carpet at the West Gate entrance to Ashe, where paparazzi lurk. They also are expected to make themselves available for a short video sound bite for use on the US Open website. Officials ask their permission to put their image and name up on the giant video screen. An interview with ESPN during the networks telecast is voluntary.Weve had some that didnt want to do any of the publicity stuff, and weve told them, Look, you may be the biggest thing out there, but if youre not willing to stop on the blue carpet and take a picture, you can go and buy a ticket for the day and find another way to get out here. Were not going to use up a valuable seat for you.Thats a pretty hardline stance, but then the requests of the USTA can hardly be called onerous. The hosts arent averse to getting the most for their investment in celebrities, either.Last year, Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon showed up late in Roger Federers quick, three-set blowout of Richard Gasquet. The minder with them asked Fiur if hed let the pair chill out a bit before putting them up on the big screen.But Fiur recognized a great opportunity when he saw it. He grabbed the phone and called Todd Noonan, the USTAs dedicated entertainment producer at Ashe, telling him, They just walked in, go for it.Noonan had his DJ cue up Beyonces Single Ladies. Timberlake had famously parodied the dance in that songs video during a Saturday Night Live skit. When Fallon and Timberlake, both good sports, got up and reprised the dance, the crowd went ballistic.Once theyre here, having them be part of the crowd, not just showing them and putting their names up there, thats a real plus, Fiur said.Then there are those celebrities who just dont want the attention. The most principled among them simply show up as regular ticket holders and sit in their seats like regular fans. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning does that. Last year, country star Dierks Bentley also chose to enjoy the US Open like a regular Joe, presumably shelling out nine bucks for a beer like all the other schmoes.Some people just have no desire to twerk for 23,000 tennis fans, even if it comes with a free ticket and a killer dinner in the executive dining room. Rajon Rondo Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Tyson Chandler Jersey . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/James-Worthy-Jersey/ . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Robert Horry Lakers Jersey . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Shaquille ONeal Lakers Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle figured the odds were against Mat Latos extending his impressive streak without a defeat. "Hes due to lose," Hurdle said pregame. With one good inning, the Pirates pulled it off. Pedro Alvarez singled home a pair of runs in the first inning, and the Pirates ended Latos streak of 21 regular-season starts without a loss, beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Tuesday night. Latos (6-1) hadnt lost a regular-season game since last August, setting a club-record streak of avoiding defeat. He couldnt overcome Pittsburghs three-run first inning set up by his uncharacteristic control problems. "I was aggravated with myself," Latos said. "I didnt throw too well in the bullpen and kind of took it into the first. I beat myself today. Its always hard when you put your team in a 3-0 hole." Latos had nine of Cincinnatis 17 strikeouts, which matched the clubs nine-inning record. The Reds also had 17 strikeouts on opening day, but that came in a 13-inning loss against the Los Angeles Angels. Charlie Morton (1-1) was better during his second start since returning from elbow surgery. He gave up three singles and threw 61 pitches in 5 1-3 innings, starting the Pirates toward their NL-leading 12th shutout. "Fortunately the few times they hit it really hard, they hit it at people," Morton said. Cincinnatis lineup managed four hits while getting shut out for the second time in their last four games. The Ohio River rivals have split the first two games of their four-game series, leaving the Reds a half-game ahead of the Pirates. Theyve been right behind the NL Central-leading Cardinals most of the season. There was an undercurrent from Mondays game, when Reds closer Aroldis Chapman threw an up-and-in fastball that levelled Neil Walker. The Pirates werent happy about the pitchs location. Mortons first pitch plunked Shin-Soo Choo on the leg. Morton also threw one inside to Joey Votto, who refused to budge from the box. Votto flied out, and that was the end of the drama. Hurdle encourages his staff to pitch inside, part of what he thinks pitchers need to do in order to control the strike zone. Pittsburgh has hit 39 batters, the most in the majors, but also leads in shutouts. "When two teams are focused on winning and neither one wants to blink and they just want to play hard and compete, you push the envelope in a lot of different places," Hurdle said. "Not just at the plate trying to get balls in on people, butt breaking up double plays and everything.dddddddddddd "So weve got to beat these guys and weve got to beat the Cardinals to get to where we want to go." Latos yelled from the dugout after Choo got hit. Latos hit Walker in the first inning in Pittsburgh last Saturday, prompting plate umpire Bob Davidson to warn both teams. "Its time somebody stepped up and did something about the team thats hit more guys in the league than anybody," Latos said. "I got fined for hitting Neil Walker, but youve got a team drilling guys over and over again. Its time for the league to step up and end it. That fired me up." Latos hadnt lost since Aug. 24, when the Cardinals beat the Reds 8-5. In the last 21 starts, hed gone 10-0 with a 2.80 ERA. The Reds were 17-4 during that streak. Also, Latos had never lost to the Pirates, going 4-0 in eight starts with a 2.29 ERA. Finally, they caught him in a slow start. He struggled with his control at the outset, needing 32 pitches to get through a 19-minute first inning. Starling Marte tripled and scored on Russell Martins infield single, giving Pittsburgh a run after only four pitches. Latos walked Garrett Jones and Walker, and Alvarez singled for two more runs. Latos settled down after the first, fanning eight of the next 11 batters. The problem was his pitch count, which was at 88 when he left for a pinch hitter with two runners aboard in the fifth inning. His streak was left in the hands of the bullpen and the offence. They couldnt bail him out. Marte singled home another run in the seventh. Morton had a lot to do with it, too. The right-hander dominated the Reds in 2011, giving up only one run in two complete games at Great American Ball Park. He had his right elbow rebuilt last June 14 and returned to the majors last Thursday, allowing four runs and seven hits in five innings of a 10-0 loss to San Francisco. He was much better this time, an encouraging sign for a Pirates rotation hit hard by injuries. Tony Watson, Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli finished it. NOTES: The Pirates agreed to terms on Tuesday with C Reese McGuire, their first-round pick and the 14th overall selection in this months draft. ... Pirates LHP Wandy Rodriguez, on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 6 with a tight left forearm, will throw all of his pitches in a bullpen session on Thursday. If he comes out of that without problem, he will make a rehab start in the minors on Sunday. ... Choo has been hit a career-high 19 times, most in the majors. ' ' '