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Sports
Ken Griffey, Jr., Mike Piazza Inducted Into Baseball Hall Of Fame
LeBron's Foundation To Spend $41M To Send 1,100 Kids To College
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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 Base- ball 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 can't 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. Pi- azza, 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
KEN GRIFFEY
baseball's so-called Steroids 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.
LeBron James is giving kids from Akron — ones with challenging backgrounds like his — the chance to go to col- lege for free.
The NBA star has part- nered with the University of Akron to provide a guaran- teed four-year scholarship to the school for students in James' "I Promise" program who qualify. The scholarship will cover tuition and the uni- versity's general service fee — currently $9,500 per year. James told ESPN he plans to provide this for 1,100 kids, which would cost his founda- tion a total of $41.8 million at the school's current rates.
It's the latest example of James, who often refers to himself "as just a kid from Akron," giving back to a com- munity that helped raise him.
"It's the reason I do what I do," said James, who an- nounced the program Thurs- day while hosting an event for students at Cedar Point Amusement Park. "These stu- dents have big dreams, and I'm happy to do everything I can to help them get there. They're going to have to earn it, but I'm excited to see what these kids can accomplish knowing that college is in their futures."
The school and the LeBron James Family Foundation are still finalizing the criteria for the scholarships. The stu- dents will have to graduate high school within Akron's public school system and achieve standard testing re- quirements as well as fulfill a community service obliga- tion.
James has had a long- standing relationship with the university. As his celebrity soared in high school, James played many game on the school's campus and the four-time MVP deep- ened his connection with Akron soon after he turned professional.
"It means so much be- cause, as a kid growing up in the inner city and a lot of African-American kids, you don't really think past high school," said James, who by- passed college to jump to the
LEBRON JAMES
NBA. "You don't really know your future. You hear high school all the time, and you graduate high school and then you never think past that because either it's not possi- ble or your family's not finan- cially stable to even be able to support a kid going to col- lege."
In recent months, James and members of his founda- tion met with Akron Presi- dent Dr. Scott Scarborough hoping to es- tablish a program that would have long-term impact on the community. The result was an initiative they believe will inspire the area's youth to achieve and reach their po- tential.
Michele Campbell, the executive director of the Le- Bron James Family Founda- tion, said James, who grew up in a single-parent home, became visibly emotional when discussing the impact the program will have on the kids and their families.
"He has a chance to change their futures," Campbell said. "Not everybody can be an NBA superstar, so to be able to provide the frame- work to make your dreams come true is overpowering."
The university is renaming its education department the LeBron James Family Foun- dation College of Education. The first class eligible for the scholarships will graduate in 2021.
The scholarship program was welcomed, positive news for Akron, which announced $40 million in widespread cuts — including the loss of the baseball team — this sum- mer due to financial troubles.
"Every institution has to go through an adjustment from
time to time and you look at what you've funded in the past and you look at the things that are new opportu- nities and new initiatives for the future and this fits in our sweet spot," he said. "This is a program that focuses on the local area. This is a program that rewards earning your way into college. I think Le- Bron's philosophy is that things are earned not given and that aligns well with our emphasis on experience and learning and career service and education.
"We're excited about this and it does represent what the university wants to be about in the future. In the end, this is a university that makes students of all ages dreams come true, so this seems to fit nicely with what LeBron wants for his kids and what we want for the uni- versity."
JPMorgan Chase is provid- ing a program to track the progress of students in the program.
LeBron James, Jr.'s Basketball Highlight Reel Is ... Wow
LEBRON JAMES, JR.
At this point, you've proba- bly heard just how good Le- Bron James' 11-year-old son, LeBron James, Jr., is at basketball for his age.
How good? He's already re- portedly got prospective scholarship offers from Duke and Kentucky.
Is all the hype around this kid because he's LeBron's son? Maybe. But when you see this highlight reel for yourself, you'll quickly realize it doesn't matter what his name is — this 11-year-old is insanely talented and is dom- inating the competition, just like his daddy.
Dennis Rodman Questioning
Eccentric
player Dennis Rodman is apparently a person of interest in a car crash in California, re- ports the New York Daily News.
Police confirm that the driver of a black BMW told California Highway Patrol offi- cers that when he was in a ve- hicular collision last week, the
other driver left the scene after the crash, and that he recog- nized Rodman as that per- son. The driver of the BMW was not seriously injured, but did say that he was in pain after the incident.
“Based on the driver’s state- ment, we have to investigate,” said CHP Officer Florentino Olivera.
In Hit And Run Case
former NBA
DENNIS RODMAN
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