COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- When they were drafted nearly three decades ago, one was on everybodys baseball radar, the other a blip at best, picked almost as an afterthought in the final round thanks to a recommendation by an important family friend.That their baseball paths started so differently -- the Seattle Mariners made Ken Griffey Jr. the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft and a year later the Dodgers selected Mike Piazza on the 62nd round with the 1,390th pick, ahead of only five other players -- in the end didnt matter one bit. Two players who wore their hats backward a lot -- one for fun, the other because he had to -- and left indelible imprints on the game will be rewarded Sunday with induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.Its incredibly powerful, said Piazza, by far the lowest draft pick in history elected to the Hall. This whole year for me has been so euphoric. Its such an honor.Dubbed The Natural for his effortless excellence at the plate and in center field, Griffey, the first No. 1 pick to be selected for enshrinement, hasnt followed form since his selection in January. Hes been feted in Seattle, which likely still has a major league team because of his tenure there, served as honorary starter for NASCARs biggest race, the Daytona 500, and played a lot of golf to avoid thinking or talking about his induction.When he visited Cooperstown in late May for a mini-orientation, Griffey chose not to take the customary introductory tour of the Hall thats become sort of a tradition in recent years. He did attend a series of brief meetings with Hall of Fame staff at a separate location in the village and said he wanted his first walk through the front doors of the stately building on Main Street to be with his kids.I wanted to share the moment with them, Griffey said. It was important for me to be able to do it with them and not just by myself. I just felt that I wanted to be a member of the Hall of Fame to walk in there.Induction day promises to be an extremely emotional moment for Griffey because his mom, Birdie, and father, former Cincinnati Reds star Ken Sr., both cancer survivors and integral to his rise to stardom, also will be part of the celebration.Griffey played 22 big-league seasons with the Mariners, Reds and White Sox and was named on a record 99.32 percent of ballots cast, an affirmation of sorts for his squeaky-clean performance during baseballs Steroids Era. A 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth all-time, and drove in 1,836 runs.Griffey also was named American League MVP in 1997, drove in at least 100 runs in eight seasons, and won seven Silver Slugger Awards. In the 1995 ALDS, he became just the second player in major league history to hit five home runs in a single postseason series (Reggie Jackson of the Yankees in the 1977 World Series is the other).Like Yankees great Mickey Mantle before him, fans are left to wonder what more Griffey might have accomplished had his health not become a hindrance. From 2001-04 he averaged fewer than 80 games played per year while suffering through hamstring tears, knee problems, a dislocated shoulder, and ankle tendon ruptures.Healthy again in 2005, Junior slugged 35 home runs and captured the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Two years later, he had his last standout season -- 144 games, 30 homers, 93 RBI -- and earned his final All-Star Game selection. He finished his career with the White Sox and Mariners before retiring early in the 2010 season.For Piazza, selection to the Hall is validation of an awful lot of hard work.Taken in the draft after Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, a close friend of Piazzas father, 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.When I first signed with the Dodgers, I knew it was going to be a very difficult path, Piazza said. At the time I wasnt having any fun and decided to quit the game. I was just fortunate that I had great coaches and people looking out for me to encourage me to go back. You dont make it to the Hall of Fame alone, you have a lot of people looking out for you along the way.And then it all clicked almost suddenly for Piazza, hitting 52 home runs in the minors before getting called up by the Dodgers in September 1992. He was there to stay after going 3 for 3 in his debut and was named National League Rookie of the Year the following season after hitting .318 with 35 homers and 112 RBI.Piazza played 16 years with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and Athletics and hit 427 career 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 in MVP voting four times. Perhaps even more impressive, Piazza, a .308 career hitter, posted six seasons with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBI 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. He became a bona fide hero to the hometown fans with his walk-off homer in the first game at Shea Stadium after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.The New York market was a difficult transition for me, Piazza said. But I knew that there was a reason I was there, and I knew there was a reason I had to see it through.Broadcaster Graham McNamee will be honored posthumously on Saturday with the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting, and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy will receive the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 Nike Sb Italia .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Air Force 1 False .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. http://www.airforce1justdoit.it/ . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Nike Air Presto Off White Shop . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Air Force 1 Just Do It False . PETERSBURG, Fla. EDMONTON -- With both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Eskimos struggling this season, one team was bound to win when the two met at Commonwealth Stadium Friday night. And although the victory was narrow, it belonged to the Tiger-Cats. Greg Ellingson reeled in a pair of Henry Burris TD passes as Hamilton held on to snap a two-game losing skid with a 30-29 victory over the Edmonton in a battle between two of the CFLs cellar-dwellers. The Tiger-Cats (2-4) also broke a nine-game road losing streak extending back into last season. Hamilton head coach Kent Austin said it was nice to see his team rewarded with a win after some hard work. "Were getting better as a football team," he said. "As you improve you need to get some traction and that traction comes with a victory. It would be disheartening if the improvement we have been showing right now wasnt rewarded. The victory helped to solidify the improvement process we are experiencing right now." Burris said he is accustomed to playing some nail-biters in Edmonton. "Thats a typical game up here," the quarterback said. "Im used to these from my days in Calgary and Saskatchewan and Labour Day Classics and such. They always seem to go down to the wire. Its never an easy place to come into and get a victory. Both teams needed this win going into the bye to get some momentum and some justification for all the work we have put in and everything we have gone through in this locker room with so many guys on the injured list. "Only a few people probably thought we could come up here and get it done, but weve been seeing a steady improvement in our team week in and week out." The Eskimos dropped to 1-5 and are 0-3 to start the season at home for the first time since the construction of Commonwealth Stadium. "Its very disheartening. Disappointing. There are a lot of emotions right now," said Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed. "To put ourselves in a position again to only come up short. And thats the way our seasons been going so far, and its a big and bitter pill to swallow." "We have to put ourselves in a situation where it doesnt come down to the last play." It was the 45th one-point loss in Eskimos history. Edmonton took a 3-0 lead six minutes in on a Grant Shaw field goal, coming on the heels of an Aaron Grymes interception on Hamiltons opening drive. The Tiger-Cats responded with a 17-yard Luca Congi field goal on their next possession. The offensive attacks continued at a snails pace as the next scoring play was another Shaw field goal four minutes into the second quarter to make it 6-3 Edmonton. Hamilton finally got things going midway through the second frame as C.J. Gable scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to put the Tabbies up 10-6. The Tiger-Cats kept the momentum and capitalized on another long drive as Burris had time to connect with Ellingson for a 17--yard passing touchdown with just under two minutes to play in the second quarter to make it 17-6.dddddddddddd A large contingent of frustrated Edmonton fans booed their team off the field at the half. Hamilton conceded a safety early in the third quarter to pull Edmonton to within nine points. Congi got those points back with a 38-yard field goal with five minutes left in the third quarter to put the Tiger-Cats up 20-8. Edmonton finally found its way into the end zone with a minute left in the third quarter. A 37-yard passing play from Mike Reilly to Fred Stamps set up a five-yard pitch from backup quarterback Kerry Joseph to Hugh Charles, who scampered across the goal line to make it 20-15 heading into the fourth. The Tiger-Cats responded just two minutes into the fourth as Burris rifled a 17-yard pass to Ellingson for his second touchdown of the game and a 27-15 Hamilton lead. Edmonton battled back to remain in the game with five minutes left as a 35-yard passing play to Cary Koch set up a seven-yard TD pass from Reilly to a leaping Marcus Henry to make it 27-22. The Tiger-Cats kicked a field goal to give themselves an important cushion with two minutes left, making it 30-22. Edmonton came flying back as a 40-yard passing play to Koch led to a three-yard passing play from Joseph to Calvin McCarthy with 1:24 remaining. The Eskimos attempted a two-point convert to tie the game but running back Jon White dropped a pass from Joseph. Hamilton attempted a passing play on second down with under 30 seconds left and were unable to run out the clock. The Eskimos got the ball back to midfield, but Shaws 50-yard field goal try came up short, giving the Tiger-Cats the single-point victory. Both teams will now take a breather with their bye weeks. The Ticats return to the field on Aug. 16 in Winnipeg, while the Eskimos wont play until Aug. 18 in Toronto. Notes: It was the second and final meeting of the season between the two teams. Edmonton won the previous game 30-20 in Week 2 in Guelpha The Eskimos came into the contest with an impressive 30-11-0 record at home against the Tiger-Cats and had a six game home winning streak against the Tabbies going back to 2006a Tiger-Cats quarterback Henry Burris made his 174th career regular season start, owning a 18-12 record in 30 previous career starts against the Eskimosa Edmonton and Hamilton entered the contest tied for the fewest points scored in the league, each with just 99 pointsa The Hamilton defence has now gone all six games this season without recording an interceptiona The Ticats lost 97 man games due to injury in their first five games, using 69 different players with only 20 seeing action in every game... It was military appreciation night in Edmonton, with fans given the option of purchasing an extra ticket for a member of the Canadian military when they purchased their season ticketsa The announced attendance was 31,006. ' ' '