SPORTS
WEEKEND, AUGUST 5-6, 2017
1B
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Football
A time to celebrate
FILE - In
this Dec.
10, 2006,
fi le photo,
San Diego
Chargers
running
back
LaDainian
Tomlinson
is carried
by team-
mates
after
scoring
his 29th
touch-
down
of the
season,
breaking
the NFL
sin-
gle-sea-
son
record, in
the fourth
quarter of
the Char-
gers 48-20
victory
over the
Denver
Broncos
in a foot-
ball game
in San
Diego.
AP Photo/Denis
Poroy, File
Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomes Class of 2017 on Saturday
By BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio — For several
members of the Pro Football Hall of
Fame’s class of 2017, it was a time
to campaign while celebrating.
Terrell Davis wants more
attention paid to the running game,
and stronger hall consideration
for running backs — something
similar to this year, when both he
and LaDainian Tomlinson were
selected.
Morten Andersen , just the
second full-time kicker to make the
hall, spoke out Friday for the guys
who put the foot in football.
Kenny Easley can’t believe
there are only eight pure safeties
enshrined.
So
while
enthusiastically
embracing their entry into the hall,
which will happen Saturday night
along with Kurt Warner , Jerry
Jones and Jason Taylor , Davis and
FILE - In this
Jan. 25, 1998,
fi le photo,
Denver Bron-
cos running
back Terrell
Davis holds the
Lombardi tro-
phy in the air
after Denver
beat the Green
Bay Packers
31-24 in Super
Bowl XXXII,
at San Diego’s
Qualcomm
Stadium. Davis
will be induct-
ed into the Pro
Football Hall
of Fame on
Saturday, Aug.
5, 2017.
Pro Football Hall of
Fame Enshrinement
• Today, 4 p.m.
• Hall of Fame Museum, Can-
ton, Ohio
• TV: NFL Network
• Online: NFL.com
Andersen and Easley represented.
“The running game is not just
go to minicamp and then training
camp in shorts and T-shirts and
think you will be successful,” Davis
said when the unusual presence of
two running backs in the same hall
class was mentioned. “You need
the pads on, need lots of hitting and
repetitions. It’s like an orchestra.
“I think now they are realizing
in the NFL you’ve got to fi nd other
ways of getting the running game
going.”
See HALL OF FAME/2B
AP Photo/Hans Deryk,
File
Warner
takes
unlikely
journey
to Hall
of Fame
By BOB BAUM
Associated Press
PHOENIX — Kurt Warner
was 28 years old before he
became a starting NFL quar-
terback, a late start for a Hall
of Fame career.
Before that came one
season as a starter at Northern
Iowa;
t i m e
stocking
grocery
shelves
to make
e n d s
meet;
t h r e e
years of
Arena
Warner
Football;
and one
year in NFL Europe.
It’s a remarkable journey
that led him to three Super
Bowls with two franchises.
He won one Super Bowl, was
voted NFL MVP twice and
Super Bowl MVP once.
And he might not have
gotten the opportunity had St.
Louis starter Trent Green not
gone down with an injury in
1999.
Suddenly Warner was a
starter, and the Rams took off,
evolving into “The Greatest
Show on Turf.”
By the time he called it
quits after the 2009 season, he
had led the Rams to two Super
Bowls, winning one, and had
guided the long-downtrodden
Arizona Cardinals to their
only Super Bowl appearance,
nearly winning it.
He appreciates that Hall of
Fame voters were able to look
beyond his statistics, which he
acknowledges don’t approach
those of many of the game’s
greats.
“They felt that they
See WARNER/2B
MLB
Mariners earn win with big 7th inning
Paxton earns 7th
straight win with
6 strong innings
Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
— James Paxton tied a
Mariners’ record by winning
his seventh straight start, and
Seattle beat the Kansas City
Royals 5-2 Friday night to
move back over .500.
Paxton (12-3) did not
allow a hit until Mike Mous-
takas’ single with one out in
the fi fth, and Brandon Moss’
two-out single
ended Paxton’s
scoreless streak
at 21 innings.
Seattle
Paxton gave
up two runs and
four hits in six
innings with
one walk, seven strikeouts
and a pair of wild pitches.
Scott Bankhead won seven
straight starts in 1989 and
Jamie Moyer in 2003.
David Phelps, Nick
Vincent and Edwin Diaz
each followed with a perfect
inning as Seattle improved to
13-8 since the All-Star break.
Diaz got his 22nd save in 26
5
chances.
J a s o n
Hammel (5-9)
Kansas City gave up three
runs and six
hits in 6 1/3
innings.
D a n n y
Valencia drove in Jean
Segura with sacrifi ce fl ies in
the fi rst and eighth innings.
Paxton’s wild pitch in the
sixth scored Whit Merrifi eld
and gave Kansas City a 2-1
lead. Merrifi eld doubled and
advanced to third on Lorenzo
Cain’s single.
Guillermo
Heredia’s
tying double chased Hamel
2
in a three-run seventh, and
Jarrod Dyson and Leonys
Martin hit RBI singles off
Ryan Buchter.
CANO’S MILESTONE
DOUBLE
Robinson Cano’s fi rst-in-
ning double was the 500th
for his career.
UP NEXT
RHP Felix Hernandez
(5-4), who is 2-4 with a
3.00 ERA in seven games
at Kauffman Stadium, starts
Saturday for Seattle and
LHP Danny Duffy (7-6) for
Kansas City. Duffy is 1-1
with a 2.25 ERA in seven
games against the Mariners.
AP Photo/Orlin Wagner
Seattle Mariners’ Jarrod Dyson, left, beats the tag by
Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifi eld
during the seventh inning of a baseball game at Kauff-
man Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Aug. 4, 2017.
Dyson fi nished the game 2 for 4 on offense with one
run scored and the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh.
Sports shorts
Darvish dazzles in Dodgers debut
NEW YORK (AP) — Yu Darvish fi t right in
with the steamrolling Dodgers, striking out 10
over seven innings of three-hit ball during his
Los Angeles debut to pitch the top team in the
majors past the New York Mets 6-0 on Friday
night.
Chris Taylor hit a leadoff
homer against Jacob deGrom, and
Mets nemesis Chase Utley added
a two-run shot as Los Angeles
improved baseball’s best record
to 77-32 with its 11th victory in
12 games. Yasiel Puig also went
Darvish
deep for the Dodgers, who have
outscored New York 42-11 in winning all fi ve
meetings this season.
On the best extended roll by a National
League team since World War II, the Dodgers are
42-7 since June 7 a stretch unequaled in fran-
chise history. They have won 22 of 25 since July
4, with all three losses coming against Atlanta.
“My life sucks. It’s no fun
being in this body right
now. Everything hurts ...
think of getting in 50 car
wrecks a week for 20
straight weeks a year.“
— Jim Plunkett
The former NFL quarterback and
Super Bowl champion opened
up in an interview with the San
Jose Mercury News about the toll
football took on his body and the
fears he has of future issues. He
has had 18 operations since re-
tiring and currently takes 13 pills
a day for various ailments.
Doc Rivers has front offi ce duties
stripped by Clippers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Doc Rivers is
losing his dual roles with the Los Angeles
Clippers, keeping his position as
coach while Lawrence Frank takes
over Rivers’ responsibility for
basketball operations.
The team announced the
changes Friday, saying the moves
are “aimed at bringing the team
to a new level of excellence by
creating separate roles.” The team says the
change came as a result of discussions between
Rivers and owner Steve Ballmer.
Rivers and Frank will be equals in the
Clippers’ power structure, with each reporting
directly to Ballmer.
Rivers said he’s “excited to focus on the
coaching side” since two-thirds of the team’s
roster will be new next season. He has a
217-211 career regular-season record.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1921 — Radio station
KDKA and announcer Harold
Arlin provide the fi rst broad-
cast of a major league game as
the Pirates beat the Phillies 8-5
at Pittsburgh.
1936 — At the Berlin
Olympics, Jesse Owens wins
his third of four gold medals,
winning the 200-meter race
in an Olympic-record 20.7
seconds.
1967 — The Denver
Broncos beat the Detroit
Lions, 13-7, in a preseason
game, for the fi rst AFL
victory over an NFL team.
2007 — Tom Glavine
earns his 300th victory in an
8-3 victory over the Cubs.
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