Öffentlicher Bereich » The split decision was so reviled that the WBO

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Frank Thomas was always driven to excel, and that sure served him well. "I was never that blue-chip prospect," he said. "I had to outwork my opponents." Hard to imagine now that Thomas was ever anything except a huge star. For Thomas, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound former Chicago White Sox slugger known as the Big Hurt, life has come full circle — from awe-struck rookie in 1990 to baseball royalty. Thomas was elected in January to the Hall of Fame, along with pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Also to be inducted Sunday are managers Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox, who were selected in December. "This is the top 1 per cent in all of baseball that gets in the Hall of Fame," said Thomas, the first player elected to the Hall of Fame who spent more than half of his time as a designated hitter. "As a kid, the big dream is being a professional. But to make it to the Hall of Fame? Come on, youve got to pinch yourself. Im very fortunate it happened for me, especially first ballot." Thomas won AL MVP awards in 1993 and 1994 and finished his 19-year career with a .301 batting average, 521 homers and 1,704 RBIs. He also won the 1997 AL batting title and helped show that in more recent times a power hitter could also be selective at the plate. Thomas played 16 years for the White Sox and established himself as the best hitter in franchise history. Hes the only player in major league history to log seven straight seasons with a .300 average, 20 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 walks. Heady territory for a guy who didnt take baseball seriously until he was 12 and many thought would end up as a star tight end in the NFL because of the devastating blocks he delivered. "Hitting was something I took very serious. The way I swung the bat at times, youd think I was 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds," said Thomas, who decided to focus solely on baseball as a sophomore at Auburn. "But I cared about getting hits and scoring runs. A lot of people didnt know that about my game. Yes, I hit a lot of home runs, drove in a lot of runs, but there were many days that I was just content getting singles and getting on base and letting the other guys drive me in." Just as impressive: Thomas, Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, and Ted Williams, are the only players in major league history to retire with a career batting average of at least .300, 500 home runs, 1,500 RBIs, 1,000 runs scored, and 1,500 walks. The effect of the Steroids Era was front and centre at last years induction ceremony. The 2013 class consisted of Jacob Ruppert, umpire Hank ODay and catcher "Deacon" White — all three had been dead for more than 70 years — and was picked by a select 16-member committee. It marked just the second time in 42 years that members of the Baseball Writers Association of America failed to elect anyone. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens — all linked to steroids — didnt even come close in their first year of eligibility. That was not lost on Thomas. "I played in an era that people are going to be thinking about for a long time," said Thomas, who was plagued by injuries in his later years. "Im proud that I stuck to my guns and did things the right way, the proper way." Induction day probably will seem like a reunion of sorts for Maddux, Glavine, and Cox, who were mainstays together on the Atlanta Braves for a decade. "To have the opportunity to go in with two guys that were a teammate and a manager for a long time, guys that were such a big part of my career but also helped make me a better player, thats a great opportunity," Glavine said. "Every once in a while, Ill have some moments where its hard to get my brain around whats going on." Maddux was elected by an overwhelming margin, receiving 97.2 per cent of the votes from the BBWAA. He won 355 games, four straight Cy Young Awards and a record 18 Gold Gloves. Glavine, who was selected by nearly 92 per cent of the voters, had 305 wins and two Cy Young Awards. Both Maddux and Glavine relied on pinpoint control to get the job done, changing speed and location on their pitches to keep hitters guessing. Maddux won Cy Youngs from 1992-95 (Randy Johnson is the only other pitcher to win four straight), completing his impressive run with two remarkable years. During the strike-shortened 1994 season, Maddux went 16-6 with a career-best 1.56 ERA — the cumulative NL ERA was 4.21 — and the next year finished 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA. Glavine was on the mound when the Braves won Game 6 to clinch the 1995 World Series and give the city of Atlanta its lone major sports title. The lefty pitched one-hit ball over eight innings in a 1-0 victory over Cleveland. "I competed against those guys. They knew how to pitch," said Thomas, picked on nearly 84 per cent of ballots. "They were warriors." Considering the size of this induction class — it equals those of 1971, 1955 and 1953 as the largest ever — and the imposing credentials of the inductees, officials are expecting a very large crowd as the Hall of Fame continues the celebration of its 75th anniversary. Heck, theyll need extra seats just for Torres entourage. "Im looking forward to a huge turnout," said Thomas, whos from Georgia. "Im so happy and proud. To go in with the three most iconic managers of my time, it doesnt get any better than that, to be a part of that group." Custom Jaguars Jerseys . "Ive got a lot of work to do on this team and the sooner that I can get back to my office and start that work, itll be better," he said straight-faced as the rest of the room erupted in laughter. Will Richardson Jersey . Certainly not Monday night. George Hill took care of the early work, scoring a season-high 26 points, and Paul George closed it out by scoring 11 of his 26 points during a decisive second-half stretch that finally allowed Indiana to pull away from Minnesota 98-84 for yet another win. http://www.authenticjaguarslockroom.com/...ite-Jersey/.com) - The 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes continue a four-game homestand at Value City Arena on Wednesday night when they face off against the High Point Panthers in a non-conference matchup. Niles Paul Jersey . -- The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. D.J. Hayden Jersey . The matchup will be made up in Minnesota at a later date. The arena was evacuated about 45 minutes before the scheduled 9:30 p.m. EST tipoff when a generator malfunction outside the arena sent smoke pouring into the building, according to NBA spokeswoman Sharon Lima.BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley intend to leave no doubt this time. Nearly two years after Bradley beat the Filipino congressman in a hotly disputed split decision, the welterweights both seemed uncommonly confident Tuesday as they began promotional work for their April 12 rematch. Thats because each man is still unshakably certain he won their first meeting. "I want to maintain my name at the top and prove I can still fight," Pacquiao said. "My career is not done yet." The June 2012 decision was savaged by fans, media and even Bob Arum, both fighters promoter. They all believed Pacquiaos power and combinations had beaten Bradleys elusiveness and tactical approach. Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs) still feels wronged by the reactions to the biggest win of his life, ranging from catcalls on the street to death threats in the mail. "With all the controversy, this fight is about redemption," Bradley said. "I want to redeem what I didnt get, which is the credit. Its important for me to make the win decisive in the peoples eyes this time. Ive already got a win. This is so I can walk down the street and nobody says, Hey, you didnt win that fight, man. That hurts me." Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs) and trainer Freddie Roach both believe Pacquiao won essentially every round in the first bout. But the Pacman still wants to prove hes back on top of his game by avenging the loss that snapped his 15-fight winning streak. "Im not angry anymore," Pacquiao said. "I was surprised by the decision, but Im the kind of person that I respect the decision of the judges." But did Pacquiao agree that Bradley gave him "a boxing lesson," in the infamous words of judge Duane Ford? "I think I gave hhim a boxing lesson, and the judges gave him that," Pacquiao said with a smile.dddddddddddd Pacquiao and Bradley will meet again for the WBO 147-pound title at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Bradley is opening camp in his native Palm Springs area on Monday, while Pacquiao will train in the Philippines before moving back to Freddie Roachs Wild Card Gym in Hollywood in March. "To be honest, I wasnt as motivated when I was training for our first fight," Pacquiao said. "I guess I didnt take him seriously enough." The split decision was so reviled that the WBO hired five independent judges to re-score the bout on video, and all five favoured Pacquiao. The WBO didnt overturn the result, but asked for a rematch -- and after both fighters boosted their careers with victories last year, they were ready to do it again. Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez a few months after the Bradley bout, and he took nearly a year off before returning to dominate Brandon Rios in Macau. Bradley watched both fights, but wasnt impressed. "He still has all the skill sets," Bradley said. "I just feel like that killer instinct is gone." Bradley turned himself into one of boxings biggest names in 2013 with a sensational brawl against Ruslan Provodnikov and a classy decision win over Marquez. Bradley acknowledges being a bit star-struck before he got in the ring with Pacquiao, but he was surprised how easily he could handle the man who was on top of the sport at the time. Bradley feels he won the first fight, but believes he can win the rematch clearly enough for everybody to see. "I know what to expect this time," Bradley said. "Its like when you learn to ride a bike. The second time is easier." 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