Dein erstes Forum » e. Andersen stopped the first and second shots, inclu

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Two players who began their careers at opposite ends of the spectrum nearly three decades ago ended up in the same place on Sunday -- with their names etched on plaques at the Baseball Hall of Fame.For Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza, the culmination of their long journeys was tinged with tears all around.I stand up here humbled and overwhelmed, Griffey said, staring out at his family and tens of thousands of fans. I cant describe how it feels.The two became a piece of history on their special day. Griffey, the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft, became the highest pick ever inducted. Piazza, a 62nd-round pick the next year -- No. 1,390 -- is the lowest pick to enter the Hall of Fame.Griffey played 22 big league seasons with the Mariners, Reds and White Sox and was selected on a record 99.32 percent of ballots cast, an affirmation of sorts for his clean performance during baseballs so-called steroid era.A 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner in center field, Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth all time, and drove in 1,836 runs. He also was the American League MVP in 1997, drove in at least 100 runs in eight seasons and won seven Silver Slugger Awards.Griffey, who fell just three votes shy of being the first unanimous selection, hit 417 of his 630 homers and won all 10 of his Gold Gloves with the Seattle Mariners. He played the first 11 seasons of his career with the Mariners and led them to the playoffs for the first two times in franchise history.Thirteen years with the Seattle Mariners, from the day I got drafted, Seattle, Washington, has been a big part of my life, Griffey said, punctuating the end of his speech by putting a baseball cap on backward as he did throughout his career.Im going to leave you with one thing. In 22 years I learned that one team will treat you the best, and thats your first team. Im damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner.Dubbed The Natural for his effortless excellence at the plate and in center field, Griffey avoided the Hall of Fame until his special weekend because he wanted his first walk through the front doors of the stately building on Main Street to be with his kids, whom he singled out one by one in his 20-minute speech.There are two misconceptions about me -- I didnt work hard, and everything I did I made look easy, Griffey said. Just because I made it look easy doesnt mean that it was. You dont become a Hall of Famer by not working, but working day in and day out.Griffeys mom, Birdie, and his father, former Cincinnati Reds star Ken Sr., both cancer survivors and integral to his rise to stardom, were front and center in the first row.To my dad, who taught me how to play this game and to my mom, the strongest woman I know, Junior said. To have to be mom and dad, she was our biggest fan and our biggest critic. Shes the only woman I know that lives in one house and runs five others.Selected in the draft by the Dodgers after Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, a close friend of Piazzas father, Vince, 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.His mother and father were foremost on his mind, too.Dad always dreamed of playing in the major leagues, said Piazza, just the second Hall of Famer depicted on his plaque wearing a Mets cap, after Tom Seaver in 1992.He could not follow that dream because of the realities of life. My fathers faith in me, often greater than my own, is the single most important factor of me being inducted into this Hall of Fame. Thank you, Dad. We made it, Dad. The race is over. Now its time to smell the roses.Piazza played 16 years with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and Athletics and hit 427 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 of his leagues MVP voting four times.Perhaps even more impressive, Piazza, a .308 career hitter, posted six seasons with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBIs 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.Three years later, he became a hero to the hometown fans with perhaps the most notable home run of his career. His two-run shot in the eighth inning at Shea Stadium lifted the Mets to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the first sporting event played in New York after the 9/11 terror attacks.Piazza paid tribute to that moment.To witness the darkest evil of the human heart ... will be forever burned in my soul, Piazza said. But from tragedy and sorrow came bravery, love, compassion, character and eventual healing.Many of you give me praise for the two-run home run in the first game back on Sept. 21, but the true praise belongs to police, firefighters, first responders that knew that they were going to die, but went forward anyway. I pray that we never forget their sacrifice.Attendance was estimated at around 50,000 by the Hall of Fame, tying 1999 for second-most all time. Hector Moreno Jersey . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Javier Hernandez Jersey .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. http://www.mexiconationalshop.us/Javier-Hernandez-Mexico-Jersey-Soccer/ . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Hirving Lozano Mexico Jersey . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Mexico Soccer Jerseys . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. TORONTO -- Peter Holland made himself right at home -- at the expense of his former Toronto teammates.Traded to Arizona last week, Holland scored the shootout winner in the Coyotes 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs on Thursday night. He was the only one of the three shooters for each team to score in the tiebreaker.You cant really script it much better than that, to get the game-winner, Holland said. I was joking with one of my friends dads who was in the tunnel after the game that I wished Id done it in the overtime, but well take it. Its two points for our squad and its a good feeling.He beat Frederik Andersen in the third round of the shootout.I know the goalies on the Leafs watch some of the shootout tendencies and obviously going up against Freddie in practice and stuff like that Im sure hes well aware of one of my go-to moves, so I thought I had to change it up on him, Holland said. I think it just kind of squeaked through so kind of lucky, but it went in and thats all that matters.Jordan Martinook and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in regulation for Arizona, and Mike Smith made 44 saves. The Coyotes have won three of their last four games to improve to 10-14-6.Arizona product Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner scored for Toronto, and Andersen made 27 saves. The Leafs have lost four straight at home and are 12-11-6 overall.The Leafs finally broke through on a power play with 8 seconds remaining in the first period after peppering Smith with shots through a one-sided frame.Matthews fired from atop the right faceoff circle, with Tyler Bozak screening Smith. It was the eighth goal in the last 10 games for Matthews and his 14th of the season, upping his team lead in that category.Its always fun to score goals, Matthews said. Its what I like to do.He was especially excited before the game to face 40-year-old Shane Doan, the Coyotes long-time captain and one of Matthews favorite players as a kid.Austons a heck of a player, Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. Hes going too do well for a long time.ddddddddddddToronto outshot Arizona 21-7 in the first, matching a season-high for shots in one period. The Coyotes entered the night yielding almost 36 shots per-game, the worst mark in the NHL.The Coyotes had their best chance to score on the penalty kill after former Leaf Luke Schenn was called for tripping. Schenns one-time defensive partner, Jake Gardiner, strolled up the ice before dropping a pass in the neutral zone that found no one. Arizona winger Tobias Rieder scooped it up in the Leafs zone and went in alone on Andersen, his shot ultimately stopped.The Coyotes got even after 70 seconds in the middle period when Martinook taking care of a rebound around the crease. Andersen stopped the first and second shots, including a strong right pad save on Radim Vrbata, but couldnt get in front of Martinooks attempt.Arizona jumped in front 2-1 about 2 minutes later on a 5-on-3 power play. Ekman-Larsson fired a shot from atop the right faceoff circle with Martin Hanzal offering a screen in front. The Coyotes got the two-man advantage after Ekman-Larsson was crunched into the boards by Leafs rookie and top penalty killer Zach Hyman.Marner evened it at 2 with 6:04 left in the second period. The 19-year-old, who entered the night without a goal in 11 games, whipped the shot by Smiths glove for his eighth goal and 21st point this year.All three Toronto shootout attempts drew iron.We hit a bar and two posts (in the shootout). In saying that, lets be honest, we did tons of good things, Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. It says on this sheet that we directed 85 shots on net that way. It was a pretty good night.Game notes The Maple Leafs are 0-5 in shootouts this season. ... Matthews has scored 11 of his goals at even-strength.UP NEXTCoyotes: At Minnesota on Saturday night.Maple Leafs: Host Pittsburgh on Saturday night. ' ' '