NEW YORK, N.
Tracy Walker Lions Jersey .Y. - Next January the Hall of Fame focus will turn to Ken Griffey Jr., Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner after an unprecedented dominance by starting pitchers over a two-year span.When Griffey left the Seattle Mariners in 2010, there was no farewell tour. The 40-year-old outfielder pretty much drove off into the night: Griffey got in his car, headed out of Seattle in the middle of a series against Minnesota and telephoned the Mariners with his retirement decision while en route to his home in Orlando, Florida.He started to get a feeling for ceremonies when he was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2013 and then joined his father, Ken Griffey Sr., in the Cincinnati Reds Hall last year.The ultimate goal as an individual player is to be in the Hall of Fame when you grow up, Junior said then. This is no different. To be in the Hall of Fame with my dad is special.Hoffman and Wagner will seek to join Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm as the only pitchers in the Hall who were primarily relievers. The top holdover on the 2016 ballot will be catcher Mike Piazza, who received 69.9 per cent support on his third try this year, 28 votes shy of the 75 per cent needed.Hoffman held the career saves record with 601 before Mariano Rivera topped him with 652. While Wagner had 422 saves, his 2.31 ERA was far better than Hoffmans 2.87. Both were seven-time All-Stars.Gossage spent years arguing relievers were underappreciated — especially in his era, before closers were limited mainly to the final three outs.The bullpen was kind of a junk pile where starters went that couldnt start anymore. It wasnt a glamorous place to be like it is today, he said prior to his election. Now it takes three guys to do kind of what I used to do.Before Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine last year, the only starting pitcher voted in by the writers since Nolan Ryan in 1999 had been Bert Blyleven, elected on his 14th try in 2011. Following the election of Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz on Tuesday, five pitchers who were for the most part starters were voted in during a two-year span, joined by offensive stars Frank Thomas in 2014 and Craig Biggio this year.The only other pitchers elected since Ryan had been a trio who made it for bullpen success: Eckersley (2004), Sutter (2006) and Gossage (2008).And the five pitchers in the last two elections all made it on their first try. Before that only starting pitchers elected on the first ballot since Warren Spahn in 1973 had been Bob Gibson (1981), Jim Palmer (1990), Tom Seaver (1992), Steve Carlton (1994) and Ryan.After this year, no starting pitcher figures to get substantial support until Roy Halladay in 2019, when Rivera also will be eligible for the first time.Lee Smith, who received 30 per cent support this year, maintains the evolution of baseball has put the priority on the bullpen over the rotation.You see of any team in the last 10 years, if they dont have a good closer, they dont go anywhere, he said in 2006. If I was going to start a ballclub, I think I would start with a closer and go back.
Custom Detroit Lions Jerseys . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win.
Frank Ragnow Lions Jersey . Goergl, the 2011 world champion, started 28th after the other top contenders had already gone down but had the fastest time at each interval. Goergl finished the demanding 3-kilometre Kaelberloch course in 1 minute, 47.MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade had everything going. Jump shots, drives to the rim, passes out of the post. He was vintage, on a night when the Miami Heat needed him to be that way. Wade scored 11 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter, an ailing LeBron James added 18, and the Heat got enough stops down the stretch to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-97 on Thursday night for their third straight win. Wade made 13 of 22 shots, added a team-best seven assists, and fueled the fourth-quarter burst that allowed the Heat to build enough of a cushion to hold off the Clippers in the final minutes. "Everyone said he was done," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Go figure." Including playoffs, the Heat (4-2) have won 51 of their last 57 games when Wade scores at least 20 points, going back to June 2012. Its also the first time since last March that Wade has scored at least 20 points in four consecutive games, this streak immediately following him sitting out the second game of the season for rest. "I know I can play basketball," Wade said. "I know when Im healthy what I can do." Wade either scored or assisted on Miamis first six field goals of the fourth quarter, including a three-point play while getting fouled on a jumper by J.J. Redick. About a minute later, Wade set up Shane Battier for a 3-pointer that put Miami up 91-80, and the 2006 NBA Finals MVP punctuated it all with a fist pump. "You can see in the third quarter they slowed the game down and we slowed it down with them," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "And I thought that really hurt us. We had a 6-minute stretch where we could have stretched the game. Instead we started walking it up, slowing everything down. Theyre too good with a set defence. We allowed them to set their defence. Thats when all the turnovers came." Blake Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers (3-3). His dunk with 31 seconds left got the Clippers within four, but Griffin allowed about 15 seconds to run off the clock without fouling James on the ensuing possession. James made one free throw to push Miamis lead to five, and that closed the scoring. Redick scored 15 points, Jamal Crawford added 14, Chris Paul finished with 11 points and 12 assists, and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers, who led for most of the first half. Chris Bosh, playing for the first time since his wife delivered a baby earlier this week,, finished with 12 points for Miami as did Ray Allen and Chris Andersen had 10.
Kerryon Johnson Jersey. The Heat extended their club record by scoring at least 100 points in a sixth consecutive game to start the season. But James spent part of the game with a wrap on his back, which he said locked up on him after he dived for a loose ball in the first quarter. The issue, James said, has been nagging him for a couple weeks. "I would probably have to not be able to get out of the bed," James said when asked what it would take for him to miss a game. "Cant get out of the bed, then cant show up here." James still made a big play late. The Clippers had a shot to get within six with about 3 minutes left, as Redick drove toward the rim from the right wing. James -- an exceptional shot blocker in transition -- was stalking the play, and instead of challenging the leagues four-time MVP at the rim, Redick tried a pullup 6-footer. It bounced off. "I was baiting him to see if he wanted to take it all the way to the hole," James said. "Hes a great shooter. Hell probably make that shot 99 times out of 100." For the sixth time in as many games this season, the Heat found themselves in a quick deficit -- and for the fourth time, it was exactly 9-2, just as it was against Chicago, Washington and Toronto. The Heat trailed Brooklyn 11-3 early, and fell behind at Philadelphia on the seasons second night by scores of 19-0 and 26-4. The Clippers had a 56-52 halftime lead even with Paul being held to five points, his low for a first half this season. Griffin opened the second half with a 3-pointer, but the Heat outscored the Clippers by 15 over the next 15 minutes, mainly by clamping down on Paul. "It was me making bad decisions," Paul said. "I have to trust my teammates. I just played a bad game. I have to get the ball out of my hands." NOTES: The Heat, who have honoured returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan for several seasons, had seven Vietnam veterans on the court for a pregame ceremony. Paul was among the players who greeted them pregame, telling each of them, "I appreciate you." The teams wore specially designed shooting shirts adorned in red, white and blue. ... Spoelstra coached his 400th regular-season game for the Heat. ... Clippers F Matt Barnes remained sidelined with what the team is calling a bruised right thigh. Rivers said he doesnt expect Barnes to be ready to play Saturday at Houston.
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