Wilkommen bei den Schatten » losses elsewhere among ranked t

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- When they were drafted nearly three decades ago, one was on everybodys baseball radar, the other a blip at best, picked almost as an afterthought in the final round thanks to a recommendation by an important family friend.That their baseball paths started so differently -- the Seattle Mariners made Ken Griffey Jr. the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft and a year later the Dodgers selected Mike Piazza on the 62nd round with the 1,390th pick, ahead of only five other players -- in the end didnt matter one bit. Two players who wore their hats backward a lot -- one for fun, the other because he had to -- and left indelible imprints on the game will be rewarded Sunday with induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.Its incredibly powerful, said Piazza, by far the lowest draft pick in history elected to the Hall. This whole year for me has been so euphoric. Its such an honor.Dubbed The Natural for his effortless excellence at the plate and in center field, Griffey, the first No. 1 pick to be selected for enshrinement, hasnt followed form since his selection in January. Hes been feted in Seattle, which likely still has a major league team because of his tenure there, served as honorary starter for NASCARs biggest race, the Daytona 500, and played a lot of golf to avoid thinking or talking about his induction.When he visited Cooperstown in late May for a mini-orientation, Griffey chose not to take the customary introductory tour of the Hall thats become sort of a tradition in recent years. He did attend a series of brief meetings with Hall of Fame staff at a separate location in the village and said he wanted his first walk through the front doors of the stately building on Main Street to be with his kids.I wanted to share the moment with them, Griffey said. It was important for me to be able to do it with them and not just by myself. I just felt that I wanted to be a member of the Hall of Fame to walk in there.Induction day promises to be an extremely emotional moment for Griffey because his mom, Birdie, and father, former Cincinnati Reds star Ken Sr., both cancer survivors and integral to his rise to stardom, also will be part of the celebration.Griffey played 22 big-league seasons with the Mariners, Reds and White Sox and was named on a record 99.32 percent of ballots cast, an affirmation of sorts for his squeaky-clean performance during baseballs Steroids Era. A 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth all-time, and drove in 1,836 runs.Griffey also was named American League MVP in 1997, drove in at least 100 runs in eight seasons, and won seven Silver Slugger Awards. In the 1995 ALDS, he became just the second player in major league history to hit five home runs in a single postseason series (Reggie Jackson of the Yankees in the 1977 World Series is the other).Like Yankees great Mickey Mantle before him, fans are left to wonder what more Griffey might have accomplished had his health not become a hindrance. From 2001-04 he averaged fewer than 80 games played per year while suffering through hamstring tears, knee problems, a dislocated shoulder, and ankle tendon ruptures.Healthy again in 2005, Junior slugged 35 home runs and captured the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Two years later, he had his last standout season -- 144 games, 30 homers, 93 RBI -- and earned his final All-Star Game selection. He finished his career with the White Sox and Mariners before retiring early in the 2010 season.For Piazza, selection to the Hall is validation of an awful lot of hard work.Taken in the draft after Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, a close friend of Piazzas father, put in a good word, Piazza struggled. He briefly quit the game while in the minor leagues, returned and persevered despite a heavy workload as he switched from first base to catcher and teammates criticized his erratic play.When I first signed with the Dodgers, I knew it was going to be a very difficult path, Piazza said. At the time I wasnt having any fun and decided to quit the game. I was just fortunate that I had great coaches and people looking out for me to encourage me to go back. You dont make it to the Hall of Fame alone, you have a lot of people looking out for you along the way.And then it all clicked almost suddenly for Piazza, hitting 52 home runs in the minors before getting called up by the Dodgers in September 1992. He was there to stay after going 3 for 3 in his debut and was named National League Rookie of the Year the following season after hitting .318 with 35 homers and 112 RBI.Piazza played 16 years with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and Athletics and hit 427 career home runs, including a major league record 396 as a catcher. A 12-time All-Star, Piazza won 10 Silver Slugger Awards and finished in the top five in MVP voting four times. Perhaps even more impressive, Piazza, a .308 career hitter, posted six seasons with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBI and a .300 batting average. All other catchers in baseball history combined have posted nine such seasons.Though the Dodgers gave him his start, Piazza found a home in New York when he was traded to the Mets in May 1998. He became a bona fide hero to the hometown fans with his walk-off homer in the first game at Shea Stadium after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.The New York market was a difficult transition for me, Piazza said. But I knew that there was a reason I was there, and I knew there was a reason I had to see it through.Broadcaster Graham McNamee will be honored posthumously on Saturday with the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting, and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy will receive the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 Nike Shoes Cheap China . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Nike Shoes China Wholesale . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. http://www.chinashoesnike.com/ . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Buy Nike Shoes China . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Discount Nike Shoes China . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. EUGENE, Ore. -- Dakota Prukop sees plenty to fix after his debut for No. 24 Oregon.Prukop threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns as the Ducks overcame a both a rocky start and a determined UC Davis team for a 53-28 season-opening victory on Saturday.Our tempo wasnt where it needed to be and thats mainly due to me, he said. Thats one of our biggest weapons and as soon as we start using tempo I think the offense will click even more.Royce Freeman rushed for 87 yards and two scores for the Ducks, who have won five straight season openers. Darren Carrington caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.Prukop, a graduate transfer from Montana State, completed 21 of 30 passes for the Ducks, while also scoring on a 1-yard keeper. He follows in the footsteps of Vernon Adams, a graduate transfer out of Eastern Washington who started for the Ducks last season but was dogged by injuries.Its a dream come true, you know? Prukop said about his first game with the Ducks. Its like you go from driving a car that no one really talks about to driving a Ferrari.Ben Scott completed 27 of 47 passes for 303 yards and ran for a 9-yard touchdown for UC Davis. Manusamoa Luuga rushed for 96 yards and three scores.UC Davis coach Ron Gould had faced Prukop before. Two years ago while he was a sophomore for the Bobcats, Prukop completed 17 of 22 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns against the Aggies while rushing for 148 yards and two more scores. Montana State defeated UC Davis 77-37.You know, hes a special young man. I told him after the game that I got a lot of respect and admiration for him, Gould said. Hes a lot bigger than he was. Hes just as fast, just as athletic and hes starting to come into his own.The Ducks got off to a slow start, allowing Scotts rushing touchdown on the first series of the game and then punting on their first two possessions. But they pulled it together by the end of the first quarter with Freemans 6-yard scoring run.The turning point for the Ducks came with about 10 minutes left in the first half, when Jalen Jelks intercepted Scott and four plays later the Ducks scored on Prukops 10-yard pass to Johnny Mundt. A second successful 2-point conversion put the Ducks ahead 19-7.Oregon also introduced its revamped defense under new defensive coordinator Brady Hoke, and a star emerged in freshman Troy Dye, who had 11 tackles, including seven solo, a sack and a blocked field goal.While Oregons lead was never really threatened, the Aggies hung tough until the end.They embraced the moment, they knew it was going to be a challenge and they went out and put their hearts out there, Gould said.Saturday marked the end of Oregons 110-game sellout streak.dddddddddddd The announced attendance was 53,817, while capacity is listed at 54,000.THE TAKEAWAYUC DAVIS: After keeping their choice under wraps all week, the Aggies started senior Scott at quarterback over sophomore C.J. Spencer. Scott started the first eight games last season before he was hampered by injury and threw for 1,595 yards and 11 touchdowns.OREGON: Charles Nelson stood out on special teams, but he made a couple of first-game mistakes, too. Nelson finished with 288 all-purpose yards, including a 48-yard punt return and a 62-yard kickoff return. He also was the rusher for a pair of successful 2-point conversions in the first half.Nelson, has moved back to offense after switching to safety for a time last season, went into the game needing 591 kick return yards to match all-time leader DeAnthony Thomas.But he was by no means perfect. He struggled at the start, fumbling on his opening punt return. He also fumbled on a kickoff return at the end of the third quarter.I had the first-game jitters. I just took my eye off the ball for a second and fumbled it, he said. Second time, I just tried to make extra yards. I should have run out of bounds. I had the ball in the wrong hand, and the other guy made a great play. Ill be looking to correct that next week.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe victory against lower-tier UC Davis isnt by itself enough to mean movement for the Ducks in the Top 25, but upset losses elsewhere among ranked teams -- including No. 16 UCLAs loss to Texas A&M -- could push the Ducks up a bit.UP NEXTUC DAVIS: The Aggies get another Oregon team next weekend, this time Southern Oregon. It will be the ninth meeting between the two teams, but the first since 1953, with UC Davis holding a 6-1-1 series lead. Southern Oregon was the NAIA champion in 2014 and last year it was runner-up, finishing 11-3.OREGON: The Ducks face Virginia in a night game at Autzen next Saturday. Oregons only other meeting with the Cavaliers came in 2013, when sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota led the Ducks to a 59-10 victory.Virginia lost to Richmond 37-20 earlier Saturday.LAST WORDFrom an effort standpoint I thought we were solid. There were just a thousand other things we can clean up. That happens a bunch in a first game, whether youre a veteran or not -- just the head-slapping, `I cant believe I did that moments. ... You just own it and move forward. -- Oregon coach Mark Helfrich.---Follow Anne M. Peterson on Twitter: (at)anniempeterson ' ' '