COOPERSTOWN
https://www.raiderslockerroom.com/authentic-derek-carr-jersey , N.Y. (AP) — Lee Smith had seen the Hall of Fame several times. This visit was completely different.“I’m still in awe,” Smith said after the tour Tuesday, in preparation for his July induction. “Whenever I sign an autograph and someone says, ‘Hey, put Hall of Fame on it,’ I don’t know if the Hall of Fame goes first or the year goes first.”Smith, who emerged as an ace reliever with the Chicago Cubs in the 1980s, and former White Sox star Harold Baines were voted into the baseball shrine in December by a select committee. They will be inducted along with Mariano Rivera, the late Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, and Edgar Martinez, who were elected last month by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.The 61-year-old Smith was at the 2009 Hall of Fame induction of Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice and Joe Gordon. But this time was overwhelming as the monumental aspect of his upcoming enshrinement was still sinking in.Smith appeared on the BBWAA ballot 15 times and never came close.“It was unbelievable just to get that call. You wait so many years,” Smith said. “When I first retired
Derek Carr Jersey White , people told me I was going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I’ve got goosebumps. I’ve never been nervous before, but I’m nervous right now.“It’s been crazy,” he said. “There’s a lot of this stuff here I already knew, especially about the Negro League and guys I played with and against. But being here is like no game you’ve ever been in before.”With his menacing stare and hard fastball, Smith was of baseball’s premier closers in the 1980s and 1990s, an imposing 6-foot-5 atop a pitching mound. During an 18-year career, he pitched for eight teams, making his initial mark with the Cubs from 1980-87. He also pitched for the Red Sox (1988-90), Cardinals (1990-92), Yankees (1993), Orioles (1994), Angels (1995), Reds (1996) and Expos (1997), and was the all-time saves leader with 478 when he retired in 1997.A seven-time All-Star
Antonio Brown Raiders Jersey , Smith led his league in saves four times and topped the 30-save mark 11 times. Smith held the all-time saves record until Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman eclipsed it in 2006 and now ranks third behind Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601).“Everybody recognizes me now because of the Hall of Fame,” said Smith, a minor league pitching coach with San Francisco. “Back in the day I had an identity crisis because in Chicago everybody wanted to throw me on the football field because I was such a big guy. I don’t have that problem anymore. Now they know who Lee Smith is. I’m proud of that.”Smith spent an inquisitive two hours touring the Hall of Fame. While viewing the “Pride and Passion” exhibit dedicated to the African-American baseball experience, Smith told a story from his high school days in Louisiana. Soon after it was desegregated, he said, an opposing team hung Smith in effigy when his school visited.With an early lead, Smith said he began hitting batter after batter. He didn’t even realize, he added, when the other team eventually took the offending image down from a tree. ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders will not get the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft if quarterback Derek Carr has any say in it.For the 15th time in the last 16 seasons, the Raiders will finish no better than .500, and that’s if they run the table over the final six weeks.Barring a sudden turnaround Oakland is headed for another top five pick in the draft. The Raiders are tied with the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals for the worst record in the NFL at 2-8. Based on strength of schedule, the 49ers own the top overall pick followed by the Cardinals and the Raiders.Oakland held the No. 1 spot until beating Arizona last week to snap a five-game losing streak.Carr is determined to keep the Raiders out of that position again.“I want to mess up the draft,” Carr said Wednesday. “I don’t want the first pick. I want to win all these games. I want everybody to be mad at me for that. That’s what I want to accomplish.”Since the merger in 1970 the Raiders have had the first overall pick one other time — in 2007 when they drafted quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Russell lasted just three seasons and is widely considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history.The Raiders had high hopes when the year began
Womens Bo Jackson Jersey , with both owner Mark Davis and coach Jon Gruden talking hopefully of a Super Bowl before the team relocates to Las Vegas for the 2020 season.Those plans were derailed early when the team lost nine of its first 10 games. With the focus now on the future, the Raiders are hopeful of getting better through the draft.Through a series of trades that sent Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears and Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys, they have three first-round picks in 2019 and two more in 2020.Carr, the 36th overall pick in 2014, has repeatedly brushed aside talk of the Raiders tanking in order to get the No. 1 pick and said it’s more important for the team to establish a winning tone.“For us as an offense it’s really just building continuity,” Carr said “We’ve got a lot of young guys playing. We’ve got a lot of new guys playing. Everyone sees what’s going on, what we’re having to deal with but why not just go out and win some games? That would be so cool for this group to be able to hold onto.”Carr will have to do some more adjusting to make that happen.With wide receivers Jordy Nelson (knee) and Martavis Bryant (PCL) questionable, the Raiders signed Keon Hatcher off Green Bay’s practice squad. Hatcher was on Oakland’s 53-man roster coming out of training camp before being waived to make room for Bryant.The Raiders also lost Brandon LaFell to an Achilles injury suffered against the Cardinals. LaFell was placed on injured reserve this week.“Love Keon,” Carr said. “He’s so competitive. That’s the moral of the story with the guys coach keeps around. They’re super competitive.You’re going to see him do the dirty work.”Notes: Wide receiver Johnny Holton was activated from the practice squad. back after beginning the season at receiver. With Oakland’s injury issues at the position, Holton was switched back to offense. . Nose tackle Justin Ellis returned to practice for the first time since suffering a foot injury in Week 1. Ellis is the team’s best run defender but Gruden declined to say whether he would be activated this week. . Wide receiver Saeed Blacknall and cornerback Arrion Springs were signed to the practice squad.