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NEW YORK -- As excuses go, a tennis player saying he used his cellphone during a Grand Slam match because he wanted to check the time is right up there with my dog ate my homework.But that is precisely the defense Marcos Baghdatis pleaded when given a code violation for scrolling through his iPhone during his fourth-round loss to Gael Monfils at the US Open on Sunday.The former Australian Open finalist was caught holding his phone close to a towel at a changeover after being broken to go down 4-1 in the second set of the match, which he went on to lose 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.Players are not allowed to check cellphones during matches due to rules prohibiting coaching, and chair umpire Alison Hughes issued a warning. The official reason was announced as unsportsmanlike conduct, and Baghdatis was bemused.At the next changeover, he stood near Hughes chair to give his case. What if I want to check the time? I cannot check the time? he asked.The excuse didnt wash, though, given the presence of a giant digital clock on the new Grandstand Stadium court at Flushing Meadows.Baghdatis later changed his tune, saying he picked up his phone because he wanted to send a message to his wife, former top-20 player Karolina Sprem.There are rules, he later told reporters. I guess I broke the rules and I got a warning for it.I never wrote a message to anybody during a match before, but I thought, Why not?But what was so important that he had to tell his wife in the middle of his match?No way Im going to share what the message was, Baghdatis said, laughing. Nice try, though. No way.Baghdatis was playing in his first Grand Slam fourth round since Melbourne in 2009, but Sundays match wasnt an occasion he will remember fondly -- he got just 36 percent of his first serves in against 10-seed Monfils and made 43 unforced errors.I think I had the worst day of my life on my serve, said the 31-year-old. 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The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn is always seeking ways to bring his players closer together.During the offseason, he asked the front office to redesign the locker room, removing two long inner rows of lockers that divided the room and opening up the space so everyone can see the entire room.Locker spots are now mixed by position and age. No longer are defensive backs in one area and quarterbacks in another. Quinn shuffled everyone around.I like it, said defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who sits next to fullback Patrick DiMarco. You see D-linemen all day, so its nice to talk to someone different.Quinn said the change was necessary after the Falcons began last year 6-1 and finished 2-7 to miss the playoffs in his first season. Atlanta opens the season Sunday against Tampa Bay Buccaneers.It was honestly a way to bring the whole team together more, Quinn said Friday. We thought that would be important.Personal locker space shrunk -- linebacker Sean Weatherspoon joked that everyones riding coach now -- but the wide areas allowed Quinn to put in a pingpong table, sofas, recliners and chairs.The seats arent quite as big, but the views pretty good, Quinn said Friday. Youre still having fun with the guys, so thats a good way to look at it.Second-string quarterback Matt Schaub, back with the Falcons after spending his first three NFL seasons in Atlanta, likes the new layout. Its what he was accustomed to in Houston, where he spent seven seasons as a starter.When I was here (from 2004-06), you had to make it a point to go over to other areas and talk to guys, Schaub said. Even though you could be a tight-knit team, its hard to have that in the locker room when you cant see everyone. This is where iits most important.dddddddddddd.Now that the roster has been pared to down to 53 active roster players and the 10-man practice squad, the loquacious Weatherspoon can sense different parts of the room taking on their own personalities.This is already an effervescent area over here, Weatherspoon said. That area over there is a little more reserved. Its louder over here. A lot of personality.Quinn positioned veteran leaders at the three high-traffic exits to other parts of the building.All-Pro receiver Julio Jones and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, the longest tenured Falcon at 12 years, have lockers on either side of the hallway that leads to the equipment room and dining area.Quarterback Matt Ryan, who sits next to new center Alex Mack, is right beside the door that leads to the weight room and practice fields. Kicker Matt Bryant, 41, is positioned near the hall that leads to meeting rooms.With those lockers right in the middle, it was hard to see guys on the other side of the locker room, Babineaux said. I used to be on the far end of the locker room. Now Im in this corner. Tyson (Jackson), Julio, (Devonta) Freeman are all right here, and its a brotherhood. Were all tight.Game notes Quinn said RB Tevin Coleman will split kickoff return duties with Weems. WR Justin Hardy will do the same on punt returns. ... Quinn added that Jones has fully recovered from a mild ankle sprain and will be 100 percent on Sunday. ... Third-string RB Terron Ward (ankle) and reserve S Dashon Goldson (hamstring) are both questionable.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '