Termine » match up the big GAA stadia with the big

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. 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Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Liam Neeson is backing Irelands bid to host the Rugby World Cup 2023.The Hollywood star narrates a short film being used to pitch the country against South Africa and France for the tournament.Launching a final push for what would be the biggest event ever put on in Ireland, rugby chiefs revealed the 12 venues that would host the matches.Derrys Celtic Park was a surprise inclusion while uncertainty hangs over Belfasts Casement Park, which has yet to be built. Flagship venues include Croke Park -- one of Europes largest stadiums and home to the Gaelic Athletic Association -- as well as rugby HQ Lansdowne Road in Dublin.Irish premier Enda Kenny said the all-Ireland bid, supported by the governments in Belfast and Dublin, showed how sport could bind up wounds and heal difficulties.Kenny said: This is not going to be easy. But we have every reason to believe we will win the right to host World Cup 2023.Mr Kenny said he was excited about the bid and urged Irelands 80 million strong diaspora to pull on the green jersey to get behind the push.The winning bid will be announced in November next year. Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he was confident about Irelands prospects.If it does come it will be massive for our economy, it will be massive for tourism, it will be massive for our sport and massive for our people, he added.Noting the inclusion of his native Derrys Celtic Park, he added: Wouldnt it be wonderful to see a Rugby World Cup match played in that city. And wouldnt it be even more wonderful to see Casement Park built.ddddddddddddHe joked: I hope whatever judge is in charge of whatever appeal goes to the courts is a rugby fan.Philip Browne, chief executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), confirmed the Irish government has underwritten the ￡120m tournament fee.But he said with two million tickets to sell and a knock-on impact on the economy, the six-week competition would be worth €800m (￡692m) to Ireland.Because of the close proximity to England, Scotland and Wales, Mr Browne predicted an Irish World Cup would be the best ever attended.It is probably the biggest event Ireland could ever hope to host, he added.One of Irelands biggest selling points is that the 12 long-listed venues are all central locations and fans would not need to travel far from their lodgings.World Cup bosses will ultimately choose the venues which would probably be whittled down to between eight and 10, Mr Browne said.Others include Belfasts Ravenhill, Dublins RDS, Kilkennys Nowlan Park, Corks Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Killarneys Fitzgerald Stadium, Limericks Thomond Park, Galways Pearse Stadium and Castlebars McHale Park.When you match up the big GAA stadia with the big rugby stadia we have an ideal mix of venues, said Mr Browne.Sports Minister Shane Ross admitted work is needed on some stadiums but added: We have got seven years still to do this, it is a long run-in and we will be well prepared for it. 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