In the player section of US Opens Arthur Ashe Stadium, past the information desk and the stringing area, theres a small room with light green and lavender walls emblazoned with clouds and butterflies. Its the Kids Court nursery. Most players wont enter the roughly 800-square-foot room, but for the 25 or so who will use it this year, its invaluable.It serves a very important function, says Whitney Kraft, director of player operations. As the average age of players has ticked up a little bit, more and more touring pros are having children. And were happy to provide this service.The US Open players guide says this: Located behind the Wilson Racquet Stringing area, the Kids Court nursery/crèche will be open Monday, August 29, through Saturday, September 10, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm and Sunday, September 11, from 10:00 am until the conclusion of the matches to accommodate the children of main draw and Champions Invitational players only. Kids Court is able to accommodate a maximum of 15 children at a time, ages six months to five years, on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to space limitations, Kids Court is unable to accommodate the children of coaches, trainers/physios, agents or any other player guests.The facilitys supervisor says the caregivers look after more children of ATP players than WTA players.Thats not surprising. Consider the singles draws: The womens included two mothers, Kateryna Bondarenko and Evgeniya Rodina. The mens included 24 fathers, including the top two seeds, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.While its not allowed to list players who use this facility, tennis fans would be familiar with quite a few names.All four majors offer this type of facility. The US Opens contains several cribs and, this year, a Peppa Pig drawing on a big chalkboard. While a framed Babar Au Tennis poster hangs on the wall, the nursery looks mostly like many other daycare facilities. The room holds a little desk with little chairs, beanbags and puppets, small posters of boats and airplanes and dump trucks.The nursery doesnt have set programs and schedules given kids age disparity and parents unpredictable schedules. (No one whos seen an order of play will be surprised.)Says Kraft, What I love is that theyre not teeing up movies. Its all interactive and engagement.One player who took advantage of the nursery is Bondarenko, who was the last mother left in the singles draw when she lost in the third round Friday. This type of facility is helpful because she always travels with her husband and 3-year-old daughter, Karina. (Bondarenko once left Karina in Ukraine with grandparents for two weeks. Afterward Karina implored, Dont leave me again -- not even to buy gifts for me.) Bondarenkos daughter sometimes plays in the nursery with Rodinas daughter, Anna.The nursery is staffed by three caregivers. The supervisor is an experienced, full-time nanny whos worked there for more than a decade. Outside the tournament one woman works with autistic children, and the third has worked with children as a nanny, in a domestic violence shelter and as an artist. (She does art projects with the kids.)Theres no fee to use the facility. The first-time players can use the nursery they complete a form indicating a childs allergies and such. They sign every time they drop off and pick up a child.The supervisor provided this and other information as a former Grand Slam champions son slept in a stroller next to her. She noted his mother would be thrilled to find out he slept for two hours straight.Yen-Hsun Lu, who lost in the first round this year, has a son just under 2. Lu brought him to a tournament only once but has seen the nursery here and says its one reason hed consider bringing his son to the US Open and other Slams in the future.Kids can play with other kids, Lu says. For sure they are more happy and more interested. I think its a great setup. From a parents side its great. ... Its a good opportunity to bring them to the big tournaments.Asked for tips for tennis tour moms, Bondarenko offered a few: Spend a lot of time with your child outside of practice and matches. Skip the gym when possible and do stretching and other workouts in the hotel room with your child. Her first tip, though, was this: Have somebody to take care of your child while you practice or while you play.Something every working parent understands -- and a reason for the nursery.Not everyone uses the facility, though.Like Marcos Baghdatis, wholl play 10th-seeded Gael Monfils in the fourth round Sunday. He has two young daughters, and his family hasnt used the nursery here.Why?He says, with a smile and honesty, You should ask my wife. Gold UA Stephen Curry 2 .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Womens UA Stephen Curry 3 . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. http://www.cheapuastephencurry.com/ . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. Black UA Stephen Curry 3 . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. White UA Stephen Curry 1 . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. LeBron James made The Decision but Kevin Durants own decision to depart Oklahoma City and head for Golden State was the real decision that turned the NBA on its head.Free agency has been part and parcel of American sports for decades but here in the AFL, we are still coming to grips with the pros and cons of the concept. We have already seen numerous players make moves to greener pastures but what does the future hold for the AFL and free agency?At the end of the 2012 AFL season, the commission introduced free agency to a game that had been built on loyalty and tradition. Viewed simplistically, free agency goes against the theory of player loyalty but the game and its requirements evolve and therefore, 2012 brought about the introduction of unrestricted and restricted free agents.Here, we still have a very favourable slant on free agency. Clubs are still provided with compensation for losing a player as a free agent - in some cases a top-10 draft pick.In the NFL, NBA and MLB, it is a free-for-all. You want a player who is a free agent? Then go and get them, no questions asked, no compensation required. The free in free agency truly applies, except when it comes to the pay packets of the free agents themselves, who usually receive a slightly bloated salary for leaving.Kevin Durant gave Oklahoma City a decade of excellence and success, without ever tasting the ultimate glory. Even without a championship ring, you could mount the argument that Durant had provided 10 years worth of service and achievement to the Thunder and owed them nothing more. That part I agree on. But Durant didnt depart OKC to help rebuild his hometown Washington Wizards or to make the famed New York Knicks relevant again, he chose to join one of the premier teams to ever play the sport. His move to a powerhouse team was what angered some players, fans and experts - ESPNs Stephen A. Smith even going so far as to say the decision was the weakest move Ive ever seen from a superstar. That reaction is somewhat understandable, but Durant is a FREE agent. His contract has expired and he was free to sign with whoever he wanted to. And thats all he did.While I agree KD had the right to choose his next destination - following on from James 2010 move to join Dwywane Wade, Chris Bosh and the star-studded Miami Heat - it does set a dangerous precedent for the NBA. Will other megastar free agents decide to join forces and create super teams? Experts are concernedd Durants former Thunder team-mate Russell Westbrook might join a side such as New York, teaming him with fellow All-Stars Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Carmelo Anthony, thus leaving many teams without any star players and any real hope of achieving success.ddddddddddddWhile there have been several big-name free agency moves -Lance Franklin from the Hawks to Swans and James Frawley from Melbourne to Hawthorn - thankfully, we arent in that predicament in the AFL. And the fact there is compensation ensures lowly teams are compensated for their losses.Free agency is still finding its feet here and yes, there have been some concerns about its equality but unlike the American sports, free agency is not purely about going and getting as much money as possible. There are just as many examples of AFL free agents moving clubs for greater playing opportunities or to chase success as there have been those chasing extra bucks. Jared Rivers made a move in free agencys debut year, departing Melbourne where he was seemingly on the outer and joining Geelong where he played a few quality seasons and enjoyed some success.While the big-name free agent moves dominate the media landscape, the beauty of it is, it allows those struggling for opportunities at certain clubs to easily find new homes.The most recent free agency period saw a handful of guys find new clubs after needing a fresh start. Matt Suckling, Matthew Leuenberger, Scott Selwood, Andrew Moore, Matthew Wright, Dawson Simpson, Daniel Gorringe and Jarrad Grant all benefited from an easier path to a new club and most have seen enjoyed greater opportunities at their new homes.Would you say Eddie Betts free agent move to Adelaide at the end of 2013 has been a success? Sure, Carlton may wish they had him back but at the time they decided to save the cash and that has been to Adelaides benefit.Another great success story is Jeremy Laidler. He was originally traded from Geelong to Carlton, struggled for some time with the Blues then walked as a free agent to Sydney and is now staring at a finals series and a potential grand final with the Swans.Free agency in any form will always have its flaws, just as other aspects of our game like the draft, umpiring, fixtures and the price of a pie at the MCG but when weighing it all up, the good far outweighs the bad. ' ' '