a lawsuit could be worth billions, this release is pretty imp

Cooperstown, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio were voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. This marks the first time in 60 years that as many as four players were elected and the first time in history that three pitchers were honored in the same election. The Baseball Writers Association of America last elected four candidates in 1955, when Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance earned election. Johnson led the group by being named on 97.3 percent of the 549 ballots cast, while Martinez was on 91.1 percent and Smoltz garnered 82.9 percent of the vote. The trio were appearing on the ballot for the first time. Biggio, who was appearing on the ballot for a third time and fell two votes shy a year ago, was on 82.7 percent of the ballots. Seventy-five percent of the vote is needed for induction. They will be inducted July 26 as part of the Halls Induction Weekend July 24-27 in Cooperstown, N.Y. Johnson pitched 22 seasons for the Expos, Mariners, Astros, Diamondbacks, Yankees and Giants, posting three 20-win seasons (1997, 2001-02) and winning five Cy Young Awards. The hard-throwing left-hander ended his career with a 303-166 mark and a 3.29 ERA, finishing in the top 10 of his leagues Most Valuable Player Award voting twice: 1995 (6th) and 2002 (7th) and was named to 10 All-Star Games, starting four times. Known as a strikeout pitcher, Johnson led his league in strikeouts nine times (1992-95, 1999-2002, 2004) and is second on the all-time strikeout list with 4,875. Martinez played 18 seasons for the Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies, going 219-100 with a 2.93 ERA. He had two 20-win seasons (1999, 2002) and captured three Cy Young Awards (1997, 1999-2000). An eight-time All-Star, the right-hander finished in the top 10 of his leagues Most Valuable Player Award voting twice: 1999 (2nd) and 2000 (5th). He won 1999 American League Pitching Triple Crown after leading the league in wins (23), earned run average (2.07) and strikeouts (313). Smoltz made a name for himself as a starter and closer, pitching 21 seasons for the Braves, Red Sox and Cardinals. He had a career record of 213-155 with a 3.33 ERA with 154 saves. He won the 1996 National League Cy Young Award and was named to eight All-Star Games. As a reliever, the right-hander topped the 40-save mark three times (2002-04), the only three full seasons he served as his teams closer. His 3,084 strikeouts rank 16th all-time. Smoltz appeared in 25 postseason series over 14 seasons with the Braves and Cardinals, posting a 15-4 record with four saves and a 2.67 ERA in 41 appearances (27 starts). Biggio was a seven-time All-Star, collecting 3,060 hits during a 20-year career with the Houston Astros. Known for his ability to play multiple positions, he appeared in 428 games as a catcher, 363 as an outfielder and 1,989 at second base. He had 291 career homers, 1,175 RBI, 1,844 runs scored and a .281 batting average. He is the only player in baseball history with at least 3,000 hits, 600 doubles, 400 stolen bases and 250 home runs. The player closest to election was Mike Piazza, who was on 69.9 percent of the ballots. That is an increase from the 62.2 percent of the ballots he appeared on a year ago. Jeff Bagwell (55.7 %) and Tim Raines (55 %) were the next two players to not receive the nod. The others receiving votes who will remain on the ballot are: Curt Schilling (39.2%), Roger Clemens (37.5%), Barry Bonds (36.8%), Lee Smith (30.2%), Edgar Martinez (27.0%), Alan Trammell (25.1%), Mike Mussina (24.6%), Jeff Kent (14.0%), Fred McGriff (12.9%), Larry Walker (11.8%), Gary Sheffield (11.7%), Mark McGwire (10.0%), Sammy Sosa (6.6%) and Nomar Garciaparra (5.5%). Don Mattingly was appearing on the ballot for the final time and received 50 votes. Coming off the ballot next year because they didnt receive five percent of the vote are Carlos Delgado (3.8%), Troy Percival (0.7%), Aaron Boone (0.4%), Tom Gordon (0.4%), Darin Erstad (0.2%), Rich Aurilia, Tony Clark, Jermaine Dye, Cliff Floyd, Brian Giles, Eddie Guardado and Jason Schmidt (0.0%). Benoit Pouliot Jersey . However, after review it became clear Kadri kicked the puck in. Wayne Gretzky Jersey . Ribery, who won UEFAs best player in Europe award for the 2012-13 season, helped Bayern Munich win the Champions League and Bundesliga and German Cup titles. Messi, winner of the last four Ballon dOr awards in voting by coaches, team captains and media, was injured late in the season and could not prevent Barcelona from being beaten by Bayern in the Champions League semifinals. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/connor-mcdavid-jersey/ . Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood tall with 41 saves between the pipes, but it was defenceman Ryan McDonagh who got the first star of the game as he had a goal and an assist and now has two goals and four assists for six points in two games. Boyd Gordon Jersey . -- Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias says he has stress fractures in both legs and isnt sure when hell be able to play again, leaving the Tigers two weeks to fill his spot for opening day and perhaps a lot longer. Jari Kurri Jersey . -- Shanshan Feng was alone in her opinion about the pin positions in the Kraft Nabisco Championship.It has been announced that the Los Angeles Clippers have been sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. Don Sterling purchased the San Diego Clippers in 1981 for $12 million before moving them to Los Angeles in 1984 (without the permission of the league, by the way). The team had a number of suitors, including Oprah Winfrey, David Geffen, Larry Ellison, Magic Johnson (known to many for his show The Magic Hour), Grant Hill, Sean Combs, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Matt Damon (but no Ben). While a deal has been announced, the sale of the team is not finalized. The key issue that will need to be addressed before the team can be sold is the likelihood of Don Sterling objecting to the sale of the team by way of a court action. Contrary to what you may have heard, the Clippers are not owned by Sterling personally. The team is actually owned by the Sterling family trust, which would include his wife Shelley. Assuming that Don Sterling has control over the trust, he would be the one with the sole authority to sign off on the sale. However, ESPNs Ramona Shelburne has reported that Don Sterling has been declared by "medical experts" as "mentally incapacitated." As a result, his wife Shelly has obtained sole power over the trust. A court, though, will generally hold a competency hearing and make that ruling. Given the speed at which this sale has been handled, it would be a surprise to learn that such a hearing was held. Rather, it seems he may have undergone a psychological assessment. As a result, should Sterling not agree to sell the team, he could turn around and sue the league. If he is indeed not mentally incapacitated, he would argue that his wife Shelley did not have the authority to unilaterally sign off on the sale of the team. Sterling could also argue proportionality: the punishment doesnt fit the crime. While his comments were disturbing, he would argue that they were made in private, illegally recorded and nothing unlawful was said. As a result, compelling the disposition of the team is too severe a penalty. As far as the NBA, it has reasonable arguments to make to strip the Sterling family trust of its ownership stake in the Clippers. Bottom line is that the NBA Constitution provides that an owner cannot do anything that "adversely" affects the league. With sponsors, players and fans all reacting negatively to Sterlings comments, the NBA is arguing that his comments adversely impacted the leagues economics and reputation. Remember the focuus is not on what Sterling said, but on the impact his comments had on the league.dddddddddddd A fine distinction but a distinction nonetheless (and one that allows me to pay my mortgage). Ive also been asked whether Sterling could argue that he shouldnt be forced to sell the team because he was mentally incapacitated at the time he made the comments. This defence was not raised in his written submissions related to his June 3 hearing where the league will look to strip him of his ownership stake. However, that does not preclude the introduction of this defence at a later date. That being said, such a defence would be difficult to make out. The NBA Constitution doesnt care if you intended to do something, but only that is was done. The NBA Constitution provides that an owner cannot do anything that will "affect" the league "adversely". The introduction of the term "affect" and the absence of language requiring intent or a certain mental state of mind make a mental incapacity defence challenging. So even if Sterling did not have the intention of making those comments on account of cognitive impairment, the leagues rules focus on the impact or result of those comments. On the other hand, if Sterling does not oppose the sale of the team, the NBA will want him to sign a release waiving all claims against the league arising from this case. Basically, the league will want his guarantee he wont sue. Since a lawsuit could be worth billions, this release is pretty important. There has been some talk that Shelley may want to stay on as a part-owner. The NBA wants the Sterling name permanently disassociated from the team so that wont fly. The league will therefore want an assurance from Shelley that she is out. The hearing to strip the Sterling family of its ownership of the team (or as the league calls it, its NBA "membership") is scheduled for Tuesday June 3. At the hearing, the league will need 22 of 29 owners to vote to remove Sterling. Assuming the league has the votes (a pretty safe assumption), Sterling would be removed as owner immediately following the vote and Commissioner Adam Silver would take over control of the team. Its that quick. In light of the potential sale of the team to Ballmer, the league is likely to postpone the June 3 hearing if it has assurances from Sterling that he will not oppose the imminent sale the team. If, however, the indication is that Sterling is prepared to fight, then expect the hearing to proceed on June 3. ' ' '