Derek Jeter: ll I ever needed to know …

Derek Jeter: ll I ever needed to know about Kobe Bryant was this: that throughout our friendship, the most meaningful conversations we had — they were always about family. Put aside one of the all-time great basketball careers for a second. Put aside his famous work ethic, the Mamba mentality, that incredible will to win. I’ll let everyone else tackle that. But when I think of Kobe, I really just end up thinking about those special few personal conversations that we were lucky enough to share together, each time one of us had a new baby daughter. I end up thinking about how, here was this guy who was beyond gifted as an athlete, who was obsessed with being a champion, who was known as an absolute assassin with a ball in his hands. And in the moments I got to spend with him? He didn’t really talk about any of that. He cared much more about being a husband to Vanessa and a dad to his girls. He loved his family — he was his family. That’s what was important.

Eli Manning wants to know who didn’t vote for Derek Jeter

New York Giants QB Eli Manning announced his retirement on Friday, but not without questioning reporters on who didn’t vote for Derek Jeter.

It’s been a big sports week for the city of New York. First, New York Yankee great Derek Jeter was voted into the Hall of Fame. The next day, the world found out that Eli Manning would be calling it a career.

Manning held his retirement press conference in front of family, friends, former teammates and coaches Friday morning. And as part of a round of questioning, Manning was asked about Jeter and what he learned from the Yankees captain.

Manning responded in traditional Eli fashion.

“Well, I’m just trying to figure out which one of y’all didn’t vote for him. There’s only one of ya, so I know you’re probably in here,” Manning cracked.

Jeter got 99.7 % of the possible votes to get him into the Hall of Fame. The baseball world has been wondering who it was that didn’t vote him in on their ballot. Apparently, Eli is wondering the same.

Manning also talked about the call he got from Jeter during his rookie year and how he watched Jeter closely after that. Manning admitted to taking a lot of notes about how Jeter handled New York.

The two combined to bring multiple championships to New York and if you are a Yankees and a Giants fan, it’s likely both Manning and Jeter are guys who are near to your heart as a sports fan.

John Mara has already come out and said that the Giants will indeed put Manning in the Ring of Honor, where he belongs. His number will be retired, just like Jeter’s number was at the conclusion of his great career.

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Giants legend Michael Strahan delivers message to Derek Jeter after HoF vote

New York Giants legend Michael Strahan had a message for Derek Jeter after the Yankees legend was voted into the Hall of Fame.

New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, a forgone conclusion to many but still exciting to see for New York baseball fans.

One fan is a Hall of Famer himself, former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who starred for and captained the Giants in many of the years Jeter was doing the same for the Yankees.

From the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

Of the 397 ballots cast by select 10-year members of the BBWAA, Jeter was named on 396 (99.7 percent), second only to former New York Yankees teammate Mariano Rivera’s 100 percent in 2019, and ahead of third-place Ken Griffey Jr., who received 99.3 percent of the vote in 2016.

Whereas Jeter was elected in his first year of eligibility, Larry Walker made the grade in his 10th-and-final year on the BBWAA ballot. They will be honored as part of the Hall’s Induction Weekend July 24-27 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with catcher Ted Simmons and the late Major League Players Association executive director Marvin Miller, who were elected in December by the Modern Baseball Era Committee.

Expect to see more legendary New York athletes send their respects to Jeter in the coming days.

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The Baseball HOF should be laughed at until Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens get in

It continues to be hard to take the Baseball Hall of Fame seriously.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning WinSubscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

The Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 was announced on Tuesday (Derek Jeter and Larry Walker) and once again two of the best players to ever play the game did not get their names called.

Which is pathetic.

Yup, another year of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens not getting into the Hall makes it another year for us not to take that silly museum in Cooperstown all that seriously. Because come on, how are you not going to have Bonds and Clemens in there?

I know what you’re thinking – they cheated and allegedly took PEDs. Well boo-freaking-hoo. These two legends shined during a period of time in baseball when a lot of guys were juiced to the gills. Oh, and Bonds and Clemens also outperformed most of those juiced up players.

They also shined well before the steroid era, too, which only makes their cases even that more worthy.

Some baseball writers who get a HOF vote really need to get over themselves and do the right thing before it’s too late – both Bonds and Clemens have been eligible for the last eight years and have just two years of eligibility remaining. I don’t know how anyone could take that place seriously if these two guys don’t make it over the next two years.

Bonds is the all-time home run leader, has the most home runs in a season, is a 7-time NL MVP (including three that he won in the early 90s when he was a skinny little fella), is the all-time leader in walks, won eight Gold Gloves, and is a 12-time Silver Slugger award winner.

He’s the greatest baseball player of all time. And he’s not in the silly Hall of Fame.

How ridiculous.

Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game, as he racked up 354 wins in 24 seasons. He won over 20 games six different years. He led the league in strikeouts five times. He won seven Cy Youngs and did the double dip in 1986 when we won the AL Cy Young and the AL MVP awards, which is something that pitchers rarely pull off.

How he isn’t in the Hall of Fame is beyond me, too.

So congrats to Derek Jeter and Larry Walker for making it this year, but shame on those who don’t have the courage to do the right thing and actually make this Hall of Fame what it should be – a celebration of the best to ever do it.

Hopefully, things change soon.

Tuesday’s big winner: Las Vegas.

AP Photo/Laura Rauch

It was announced on Tuesday that this year’s NFL Draft will be held in Vegas and the league will – as you often do while in Vegas – go big. The red carpet event before the draft is going be in the fountains of the Bellagio with boats bringing players across. Boats! The main draft stage will be at Caesars Palace. It’s going to be nuts.

 Quick hits: NFL trying something new… Hurts’ perfect helmet… Tebow wedding photos… And more!

– The NFL is trying out a fun new alternative to onside kicks at the Pro Bowl this week. Could they try this in real games eventually?

– Jalen Hurts has the perfect helmet at the Senior Bowl.

– Tim Tebow is now married and here are some photos from the event.

– Check out our latest “Bachelor” power rankings.

Patrick Mahomes among fans upset about Derek Jeter falling 1 vote shy of unanimous HOF pick

Derek Jeter got 396 of the 397 votes.

Derek Jeter, to the surprise of no one, was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

There was one somewhat surprising thing about the announcement however – he wasn’t a unanimous selection as Jeter got 396 of the 397 votes.

He will be joined by Larry Walker, who was inducted in to the HOF in the final of year that he will be on the ballot, which is cool.

The fact that guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens still aren’t in the HOF, however, makes this whole thing feel a really silly. But hey, two new former stars will be enshrined in Cooperstown on July 26.

MLB fans – including Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes – really want to find out who the one person was who didn’t vote for Jeter:

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Baseball Hall of Fame voting: How it works and who is on the ballot for 2020

Derek Jeter could become the second unanimous choice for the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame class will be revealed on Tuesday evening, and the baseball world is waiting to see if Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will finally garner enough support to earn their spot in Cooperstown.

Derek Jeter is a lock to join the 2020 Hall of Fame class, and he could become just the second player in history to earn 100 percent of the vote. Fellow Yankees superstar Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous choice in 2019.

When will the voting results be announced, and how does the process work? We’re here to help.

The 2020 Hall of Fame voting results will be announced at 6:00 p.m. ET on MLB Network.

How voting works: Players are eligible to receive votes five years after the end of their career, provided they played for a minimum of 10 seasons. A Baseball Writers’ Association of America screening committee votes to determine which players who become eligible each year will make the ballot. A BBWAA voter can vote for a maximum of 10 players to make the Hall of Fame each year.

Players who earn at least five percent of votes each year will be included on the next year’s ballot, up to a maximum of 10 years of eligibility. To earn election into the Baseball Hall of Fame, a player must be named on 75 percent of all ballots cast.

Players on the ballot for the first time in 2020 (via baseballhall.org):

Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, Heath Bell, Eric Chávez, Adam Dunn, Chone Figgins, Rafael Furcal, Raúl Ibañez, Paul Konerko, Carlos Peña, Brad Penny, J.J. Putz, Brian Roberts, Alfonso Soriano and José Valverde.

Returning players on the ballot:

  • Curt Schilling (60.9% in 2019)
  • Roger Clemens (59.5% in 2019)
  • Barry Bonds (59.1% in 2019)
  • Larry Walker (54.6% in 2019)
  • Omar Vizquel (42.8% in 2019)
  • Manny Ramirez (22.8% in 2019)
  • Jeff Kent (18.1% in 2019)
  • Scott Rolen (17.2% in 2019)
  • Billy Wagner (16.7% in 2019)
  • Todd Helton (16.5% in 2019)
  • Garry Sheffield (13.6% in 2019)
  • Andy Pettite (9.9% in 2019)
  • Sammy Sosa (8.5% in 2019)
  • Andruw Jones (7.5% in 2019)

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On 31st birthday, Russell Wilson says he wants to play until he’s 45

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson reiterated on his 31st birthday that he hopes to play in the NFL until he is 45.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, celebrating his 31st birthday on Friday, reiterated to media members that he hopes to continue playing football until age 45.

“That’s just what I feel like I can do,” Wilson said. “It’s my eighth season I feel like I’m just getting started. I feel like I haven’t done anything yet. That’s a good feeling. I’m fortunate to be able to play every game and be out there every play. I just feel really young and more vibrant than ever. Arm feels great, mind feels better, heart feels even better than that. Got a great organization, great people around me. I’ve just invested in my body, my mind, making sure my mind is ready to go every week, every season and in the offseason.”

Wilson may not feel like he has done anything yet, but five Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl ring is certainly not nothing. He’s also on an MVP pace so far this season, and is all but a lock to make his sixth Pro Bowl appearance as well.

Wilson takes inspiration from a handful of athletes, from a variety of sports, for his longevity goals.

“My favorite athlete is [former Yankees shortstop] Derek Jeter, I just remember when he retired playing 20 years for the New York Yankees and tipping his hat,” Wilson continued. “I think that 20 years is kind of in my head. I got a long ways to go. Eight years in and I feel better than ever. And then obviously seeing Tom [Brady] do it, I’ve gotten to know Tom over the past several years, just talking to him and seeing where he’s at. I think for me it’s realistic and I feel great.”

Wilson has had a profound impact on the game of football, as a mobile quarterback who has bucked the trend by being injury-free and not seeing his performance decline as he aged.

If he is able to play into his 40’s, he will not only be a surefire Hall of Famer, he’ll have cemented his legacy as a trendsetter for dual-threat quarterbacks.

For now, Wilson will hope to celebrate his birthday weekend with a win over Minnesota on Monday night, which would bring the Seahawks to 10-2 on the season.

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