Dein erstes Forum » Bay. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run h

A highlight of any Hall of Fame ceremony, like the one Friday at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is the introduction of past Hall of Famers who have managed to unearth their dark blue Hall of Fame blazers and show up for a deserving round of applause.There is something reassuring in the informal recognition of such living legends, setting the stage as they do for the individuals about to join them in the Hall. Tradition sometimes can be distracting and continuity overrated, but in this case, it does the heart and soul good to know that certain bars have been set at their lofty heights for many years, and will be for years to come.The Hall of Famers called forward on Friday included jockeys Eddie Maple, Chris McCarron, John Velazquez, Jose Santos, Angel Cordero, Jorge Velasquez, Manny Ycaza, Braulio Baeza, and Walter Blum. The Thoroughbred trainers on hand were Bill Mott, Carl Nafzger, D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito, Shug McGaughey, and Jonathan Sheppard. The steeplechase wing was represented by not only Sheppard, who bestrides both worlds, but also Janet Elliot and Jerry Fishback. Their records are public, and imposing.The arc of the Hall of Fame began in 1955 with the induction of nine horses, 12 jockeys, and six trainers. None of them were Man o War, Eddie Arcaro, or Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, which should give you a pretty good idea of how deep the Hall of Fame founders dove to stock the freshman class.Over the decades, the rules for induction have changed, sometimes even for the better. At the end of the day, though, the right people and the right horses seem to end up in the Hall of Fame, no matter how long it takes.It is a good thing that Hall of Famers are still striding around the game, in whatever capacities, and the demographics of the Class of 2016 offer the prospect of more of the same. Steve Asmussen is 50, Ramon Dominguez is 39, Zenyatta is 12, and Rachel Alexandra is 10. Long may they hang around.On that score, here are the Hall of Famers who have been around the longest:Well split the honor among trainers. Jack Van Berg was inducted in 1985 at the tender age of 49 and gets to tell folks hes been in the Hall of Fame longer than any other trainer, even Ron McAnally, who joined the Hall in 1990. At 84, though, McAnally is the oldest living trainer in the Hall, and for those who just tuned in, McAnally trained Donut King to win the 1961 Champagne Stakes and Quick Casablanca to win the 2016 San Juan Capistrano. Some guys never give up.Claiborne Farm was very much in the Hall of Fame spotlight on Friday with the induction of Arthur Bull Hancock Jr. and William Woodward Sr. as Pillars of the Turf. Hancock developed Claiborne into a world-class breeding establishment, and the Woodward family was deeply involved.It is fitting, then, that the oldest living female racehorse in the Hall of Fame is Inside Information, the champion older mare of 1995 and a hale and happy 25 living in a pasture with other retired mares at Claiborne Farm. Racing for Ogden Mills Phipps, Inside Information is a granddaughter of Damascus, who carried the Woodward colors through the Bancroft branch of the family and was Horse of the Year in 1967. Damascus is buried at Claiborne Farm.Zenyatta lives at Lanes End Farm. So does A.P. Indy, who is 27 and ranks as the oldest living male Hall of Famer. A.P. Indy was retired from stallion duties last year. With champions like Mineshaft, Bernardini, and Honor Code at stud, plus daughters such as Rags to Riches, Secret Status, Dreaming of Julia, and Got Lucky, chances are his legacy is set for decades to come.It was great to see Walter Blum, 81, introduced with his contemporaries Manny Ycaza, 78, and Braulio Baeza, 76, at the ceremony. They all take a backseat, however, to Sam Boulmetis Sr., who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 alongside Bold Ruler, Hollie Hughes, and Fred Burlew. Boulmetis is 89.I was with Sam just last Sunday at a family gathering, said Tony Black, whose mother, Margie, is Sams sister. Hes doing fine.Black, 65, has never officially retired but has not ridden a race for several months. Blacks record of 5,208 winners dwarfs Boulmetiss total of 2,783. Then again, Boulmetis rode only until age 39 before retiring to become a racing official.The Boulmetis record is replete with quality stakes wins, including the Washington, D.C., International, the Beldame, the Widener, the Brooklyn Handicap, the Laurel Futurity, and three runnings of the Monmouth Handicap on his home turf.We must have visited for three or four hours, Black said. He had a stellar career, and it wasnt really plagued with injuries. A broken leg might have been the worst he had. He was in good shape physically when he got out, and he told me he never missed getting on horses. He had a new career to go into as an official, and thats how he wanted to stay in the game and make a contribution.He was a hard ass, but he had a real respect level among jockeys, and he was truly professional, Black added. We could use a few more like him in the stewards stand today. CHEAP NFL JERSEYS WHOLESALE . 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Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Manager John Gibbons watched his struggling Toronto Blue Jays fall behind early, hits some home runs to make things interesting, and give the runs right back. Gibbons didnt attempt to sugarcoat the 9-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Monday night afterward, either. "It was less than an inspiring game," he said. "We didnt play a very good game all the way around. We fell behind early, tried to hang around and they blew it open." After a long first inning, Esmil Rogers (3-5) didnt make it out of the fifth in his first career start against the As. He was tagged for a season-high eight runs -- six earned -- on nine hits in 4 1-3 innings. "He wasnt very good tonight," Gibbons said. "This team makes you throw them strikes." Rogers didnt record his first out until the 24th pitch he threw, and needed 35 in all to get out of the first already in a 4-0 hole. That made for a tough night regardless. "The stress is throwing 30-odd pitches in the first inning. I tried to bring it back bit they got me with two outs," he said. "It was my command. I didnt throw any of my pitches consistently for strikes. It was one of those days. Right now I am trying to do anything I can to win but I am still learning." Yoenis Cespedes homered and hit a two-run triple, Josh Reddick added a two-run double and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading As (63-43) won their fourth straight and seventh in nine to move a season-best 20 games over .500, tied for best record in the AL with Tampa Bay. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer, while Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie each hit solo shots against A.J. Griffin (10-7), who retired the first 13 batters of the game before Linds one-out drive in the fifth. Lawrie homered leading off the sixth, and Encarnacion connected for his 29th of the year four batters later. But that wasnt enough against Griffin and Oaklands productive offence. The shaggy-haired Griffin, who went 7-1 last year as a rookie, gave up four runs and fourr hits, struck out five and walked two in seven innings to win for the fifth time in his last six decisions.dddddddddddd He was through four perfect innings on 42 pitches. Oakland has matched its best record through 106 games since 1992. "It means weve won a lot of games to this point. Were still in July," manager Bob Melvin said. "You keep trying to pile up the wins, add them up at the end and see where youre at." Jed Lowrie singled home a run and Reddick hit a sacrifice fly in Oaklands four-run first inning. Cespedes led off the eighth with his 16th home run, snapping a career-high 25-game homerless streak for the Home Run Derby champion. "When Im hitting well, I feel like Im contributing my grain of sand, doing my part," Cespedes said. "This team is pretty dangerous when everybody works together." Toronto, last in the AL East, had its six-game road winning streak against the AL West end. Rogers is still searching for some consistency at this stage of the season. "When hes on hes pretty tough, but he can be wild too and this team works you," Gibbons said. "He didnt get away with anything." NOTES: Encarnacion earned AL Player of the Week after batting .520 over seven games with two homers and eight RBIs. ... The Blue Jays dropped to 10-5 vs. the West, losing for only the second time in their last nine to the division. ... The clubs met for the first time this season. Minnesota is the only AL team Oakland is yet to face. "Its a little odd to be playing a team this late in the season for the first time," Melvin said. ... Blue Jays DH Adam Lind returned to the starting lineup after missing Sundays finale at Houston with back discomfort. ... Former As OF Rajai Davis wasnt in the lineup for Toronto a day after matching a franchise record with four stolen bases. "I got lucky," he joked. ... Cespedes hadnt homered since hitting two June 21 at Seattle. Mondays clout also was his first at home in 25 games since May 19. ' ' '