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SPORTS A21
Friday 8 January 2016
Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Piazza elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
RONALD BLUM Former Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr., left, and former New York Mets Mike Piazza pose for a pho- one thing they can’t do is
AP Baseball Writer tograph after a press conference announcing their election to baseball’s Hall of Fame, Thursday, outwork you.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Ken Jan. 7, 2016, in New York. Both men will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. Griffey and Piazza had
Griffey Jr. was considered contrasting paths to star-
Mr. Clean during 22 years (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) dom. Griffey was selected
in Major League Baseball, first in the 1987 amateur
untainted by accusations Griffey topped the previous 44 percent, both up from on the ballot will be in 2018. baseball draft and be-
of drug use as he climbed high voting percentage of about 37 percent last year. Griffey believes drug-test- came the first No. 1 to
the home-run list during the 98.84, set when Tom Seaver Clemens has denied using ing, which began in MLB in make the Hall. Piazza was
height of the Steroids Era. appeared on 425 of 430 performance-enhancing 2003, should eliminate the taken by the Los Angeles
He nearly made a clean ballots in 1992. drugs, and Bonds said he possibility of stigma for the Dodgers with the 1,390th
sweep in the Baseball Hall A player needs to appear never knowingly took any current generation of play- pick on the 62nd round in
of Fame voting, too. on 75 percent of ballots to banned substances. ers. “There won’t be any 1988; since the MLB draft
Griffey received 437 of 440 gain election. Jeff Bagwell “They were Hall of Famers questions and you’ll know started in 1965, the lowest
votes in his first appear- missed by 15 votes and Tim before all this stuff started,” from here on out,” he said. draft pick elected to the
ance on the Baseball Writ- Raines by 23. Trevor Hoff- Griffey said. Some players who admit- Hall had been John Smoltz,
ers’ Association of America man, second on the career Mark McGwire, who admit- ted using steroids claimed taken with selection 574 on
ballot, a record 99.3 per- saves list and appearing on ted using steroids, received they chose the needle be- the 22nd round in 1985.
cent. the ballot for the first time, 12 percent in his 10th and cause of pressure to com- “It crystalizes how special
“It’s real simple,” he ex- was 34 short. final ballot appearance. pete. Griffey said he never this game is,” Piazza said.
plained after Wednesday’s Total ballots dropped by Half of MLB’s top 10 home- was tempted. “It separates it from other
announcement. “I’ve al- 109 from last year after run hitters are not in the “I also had a dad that said sports. Athletic talent defi-
ways said that I’ve got to writers who have not been Hall of Fame: Bonds (762), you’re never going to be nitely helps, but it’s not the
look my kids in the eyes active for 10 years were Alex Rodriguez (654), Jim the biggest, you’re never only thing that can make
and you want to play fair.” eliminated under a rules Thome (612), Sammy Sosa going to be the strongest you successful.”
Mike Piazza, the top of- change by the Hall’s board (609) and McGwire (583). and you’re never going Griffey was known simply
fensive catcher in MLB of directors. With a younger Rodriguez, who served a to be the fastest,” he said. as “Junior” by many as a
history, was elected, too, average electorate, Roger yearlong drug suspension “There’s always going to contrast to his father, three-
and will be inducted along Clemens rose to 45 per- in 2014, remains active. be someone in each of time All-Star outfielder Ken
with Griffey in Cooper- cent and Barry Bonds to Thome’s first appearance those categories, but the Griffey, who played along-
stown, New York, on July side him in Seattle during
24. Among the many mus- 1990 and ‘91. The younger
cled sluggers whose ac- Griffey became a 13-time
complishments were ques- All-Star outfielder and fin-
tioned during a time when ished with 630 homers, sixth
chemists preyed on club- on the career list.
houses, Piazza was made Wanting to play closer
to wait to be inducted until to his home in Florida, he
his fourth appearance on pushed for a trade to Cin-
the ballot. After falling 28 cinnati — his father’s old
votes shy last year, he was team and the area he
selected on 365 votes. grew up in— after the 1999
He wouldn’t say whether season. But slowed by inju-
he was upset about being ries, he never reached 100
sullied by suspicions. RBIs again after his first sea-
“That’s the freedom we son with the Reds, and he
have,” Piazza said. “You moved on to the Chicago
can say these things, and White Sox in 2008 before
that’s the country we live spending his last season
in.” with the Mariners. q
MLS expansion LAFC picks black and gold, unveils wing crest
GREG BEACHAM Soccer expansion club is “Our promise is to unite the “The wing is such a special mally granted MLS entry
AP Sports Writer already attracting plenty world’s city with the world’s symbol of what this city is, 15 months ago. The club
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Short- of attention more than two game,” LAFC President in terms of meaning, flight, is building Los Angeles’
ly after LAFC revealed its years before anybody offi- Tom Penn said. dynamism,” Nguyen said. first open-air stadium since
black-and-dark-gold col- cially kicks a ball. LAFC managing partner “This is the City of Angels. 1962, playing a part in the
ors and eye-catching new LAFC unveiled its colors Henry Nguyen said the col- And it’s every type of wing. Olympic bid and adding
crest in a gala ceremony, and crest Thursday at Union ors and crest are a major It’s an Aztec eagle wing. even more energy to the
Will Ferrell carried a direc- Station amid cheering and part of the club’s aspiration It’s a dragon wing. It’s an city’s revitalized down-
tor’s chair onstage and sat singing from several dozen to create an internationally angel wing. town.
down between co-owner fans of a team that has no known brand. While black “We’re not going to wait
Peter Guber and Mayor players or stadium yet. The has been part of LAFC’s It’s whatever wing you for any other league to
Eric Garcetti. club will join MLS for the identity from the start, the want it to be.” make a decision, because
“I want in,” LAFC’s 25th 2018 season, but it already club’s shade of dark gold Garcetti, who envisions Los football is here today,”
and newest co-owner de- has an identity built around appears to be unique in Angeles as “the sports cap- Garcetti said, jokingly refer-
clared. those colors and a logo the league, and LAFC also ital of the world” while it ring to the NFL’s protracted
This is a common sentiment featuring a wing incorpo- plans to incorporate red as competes for the 2024 decision about returning to
in downtown Los Angeles, rated into an Art Deco-in- an accent to its schemes Olympics, heralded the the nation’s second-largest
where the Major League spired “LA” monogram. and uniforms. next step in the evolution media market.q
of LAFC, which was for-
