Die Macht » oceeds from a new 50/50 raffle progr

Suppose you had two first baseman up for Hall of Fame consideration. Well save the names for later. Our first candidate played until he was 40 years old, slugged 493 home runs, drove in 1,550 runs and had a career batting average of .284. Our second candidate played until he was 37 and was forced to retire because of a chronic hip condition. He belted 473 home runs drove in 1,512 runs and batted .280 for his career. The numbers are pretty close so far. Our first candidate played for six different teams. Six times he finished in the top ten in MVP voting. He was a five-time All-Star and won three Silver Slugger awards for his hitting ability. Candidate number two was a two-time All-Star who also won three Silver Sluggers and in 2000 won the Hank Aaron Award in the American League and was named Major League Player of the Year. In 2006, he was presented with the Roberto Clemente Award for his Humanitarian work. So far both of these gentlemen appear to be legit candidates for the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. How about their post-season efforts? Well, our first candidate appeared in 10 series over a five-year span. He hit .303 with 10 homers and 37 runs batted in and won his lone World Series in 1995 with Atlanta. Candidate number two didnt have the same amount of good forture in the post-season. He only played in two playoff series, both in 2006. He hit .429 with one homer and two runs batted in during an NLDS victory over the Dodgers. Then in the NLCS against St. Louis which his team lost, he batted .304 with three homers and nine runs batted in. He never played in a World Series. Our first candidate played in two World Series, winning one and losing one, while hitting .279 with four homers and nine RBIs. Strictly by the numbers and by virtue of more post-season success, candidate number one would appear to have the edge. Now for the unveiling. Number one is former Blue Jay Fred McGriff who was part of the trade along with Tony Fernandez that brought Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar to the Toronto from San Diego. He was also the MVP of the All-Star game in 1994. Fred has been Hall of Fame eligible now for a few years and has peaked at 23.9 per cent of the vote. Candidate number two is Carlos Delgado, who had his name raised to the Level of Excellence on Sunday in front of over 41,000 fans at Rogers Centre. Though his career numbers dont quite equal McGriffs, Carlos possessed great intangibles such as leadership. In all of the Blue Jays 37 seasons, Carlos was the one who defined the word Captain. Its never easy comparing players from different eras because of rule changes, equipment variations, steroids (in some cases), and things like specialization of relief pitching roles and pitch counts. This is not to denigrate either of these two men, but Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez are both in the Hall of Fame, with numbers that are comparable or in some categories lesser than Delgados and McGriffs. Cepeda, the "Baby Bull", made his name with the Giants and Cardinals and hit .297 with 379 homers and 1,365 runs batted in. Tony Perez, an RBI machine for Cincinnatis "Big Red Machine" batted .279 with 379 homers and 1,652 runs batted in. One first baseman who I have always felt should be in Cooperstown is former Brooklyn Ddogers great Gil Hodges. He hit .273 for his career with 370 home runs and 1,274 runs batted in. He was a three-time Gold Glover and was regarded as a core player for those great Dodgers teams of the 50s. Hodges also managed the New York Mets to their first World Series title before passing away suddenly and shockingly of a heart attack at age 47. Hodges wont be eligible again until the Golden Era Committee reconvenes again late in 2014. There are 18 first basemen in the Hall of Fame. At the very least, McGriff and Delgado deserve strong consideration to be numbers 19 and 20. Part of History Canadian-born lefty Erik Bedard of the Astros joined some elite and exclusive company Saturday night at Houston. He became one of only nine pitchers since 1901 to throw six or more no-hit innings, leave a game and lose. Bedard took himself out after six and a third innings against the Mariners after reaching his pitch count of 109. Bedards defence of his decision was that he has already had three shoulder surgeries and didnt want to risk further injury by pushing his pitch count. His manager Bo Porter backed Bedards decision all the way. Ironically, it was another Canadian, Ms outfielder Michael Saunders, who had the only Seattle hit of the game, a game-winning two-run double not too long after Bedard departed. The way the Astros rotation lines up, Bedard should be on the mound when Houston hits Rogers Centre Thursday night to kick off a four-game series against the Blue Jays. Before that though, the L.A. Dodgers hit town to open the final home Interleague series for the Jays on Monday night. That means Jays fans should get their first up-close look at Yasiel Puig. After a torrid, if not historic start to his Big League career, Puig has cooled off of late. Hes in a 4-for-25 slump and was given Sunday off by skipper Don Mattingly to clear his head. With Matt Kemp nursing a sprained ankle, Puig figures to be back in the line-up for Game 1. Pete Maravich Hawks Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Dikembe Mutombo Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Pete-Maravich-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Trae Young Hawks Jersey . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Evan Turner Hawks Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. The New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Pelicans, NFL and NBA announced further plans to aid victims of this weeks devastating floods in southern Louisiana.The Saints said proceeds from a new 50/50 raffle program in their first two home preseason games will go toward flood victims through the American Red Cross. And owners Tom and Gayle Benson have generously offered to make sizable and meaningful contributions towards the proceeds from the raffles.The National Football League Foundation also will financially support the effort, according to a news release from the Saints. And the Saints and NFL Foundation announced plans to pprovide funding to help replace football equipment at high schools directly affected by the flooding.dddddddddddd.Furthermore, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association have committed financial support to the American Red Cross and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. The Bensons own both the Saints and the Pelicans.The Saints and Pelicans also have spent time this week collecting food and supply donations on behalf of the Red Cross, United Way and Second Harvest Food Bank of New Orleans. ' ' '