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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Frank Thomas choked back tears, Joe Torre apologized for leaving people out of his speech and Tony La Russa said he felt uneasy. Being enshrined in the Hall of Fame can have those effects, even on the greats. Thomas, pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, and managers Bobby Cox, Torre and La Russa were inducted into the baseball shrine Sunday, and all paid special tribute to their families before an adoring crowd of nearly 50,000. "Im speechless. Thanks for having me in your club," Thomas said, getting emotional as he remembered his late father. "Frank Sr., I know youre watching. Without you, I know 100 per cent I wouldnt be here in Cooperstown today. You always preached to me, You can be someone special if you really work at it. I took that to heart, Pop." "Mom, I thank you for all the motherly love and support. I know it wasnt easy." The 46-year old Thomas, the first player elected to the Hall who spent more than half of his time as a designated hitter, batted .301 with 521 home runs and 1,704 RBIs in a 19-year career mostly with the Chicago White Sox. Hes the only player in major league history to log seven straight seasons with a .300 average, 20 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 walks. Ever the diplomat as a manager, Torre somehow managed to assuage the most demanding of owners in George Steinbrenner, maintaining his coolness amid all the Bronx craziness while keeping all those egos in check after taking over in 1996. The result: 10 division titles, six AL pennants and four World Series triumphs in 12 years as he helped restore the lustre to baseballs most successful franchise and resurrected his own career after three firings. Torre, the only man to amass more than 2,000 hits (2,342) and win more than 2,000 games as a manager, was last to speak, and in closing delivered a familiar message. "Baseball is a game of life. Its not perfect, but it feels like it is," said the 74-year-old Torre, who apologized afterward for forgetting to include the Steinbrenner family in his speech. "Thats the magic of it. We are responsible for giving it the respect it deserves. Our sport is part of the American soul, and its ours to borrow — just for a while." "If all of us who love baseball and are doing our jobs, then those who get the game from us will be as proud to be a part of it as we were. And we are. This game is a gift, and I am humbled, very humbled, to accept its greatest honour." The day was a reunion of sorts for the city of Atlanta. Glavine, Maddux and Cox were part of a remarkable run of success by the Braves. They won an unprecedented 14 straight division titles and made 15 playoff appearances, winning the citys lone major professional sports title. "Im truly humbled to stand here before you," Cox said. "To Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, and I have to mention the third member of the big three — John Smoltz — I can honestly say I would not be standing here if it werent for you guys." Smoltz, part of the MLB Network telecast of the event and eligible for induction next year, flashed a smile in return for the compliment. Glavine was on the mound when the Braves won Game 6 to clinch the 1995 World Series, pitching one-hit ball over eight innings in a 1-0 victory over Cleveland. And the slender lefty was one of those rare athletes, drafted by the Braves and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. "I had a difficult choice to make, and as a left-handed pitcher I thought that was the thing that would set me apart and make baseball the smartest decision," Glavine said. "Of course, I always wondered what would have happened had I taken up hockey." "In my mind, since I was drafted ahead of two Hall of Famers in Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull, that obviously means I would have been a Hall of Famer in hockey, too," Glavine chuckled as the crowd cheered. "But Im positive I made the right choice." The 48-year-old Maddux went 355-227 with a career ERA of 3.16 in 23 seasons with the Braves, Cubs, Padres and Dodgers and ranks eighth on the career wins list. He won four straight Cy Young Awards in the 1990s and won 15 or more games for 17 straight seasons with his pinpoint control. "I spent 12 years in Chicago, 11 in Atlanta, and both places are very special," Maddux said. "Without the experiences in both cities, I would not be standing here today." La Russa, who ranks third in career victories as a manager with 2,728, behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw, was chosen manager of the year four times and won 12 division titles, six pennants and three World Series titles in stints with the White Sox, Oakland As and St. Louis Cardinals. La Russa spoke from the heart. There was no written speech. "Its uncomfortable because I didnt make it as a player. Not even close," said La Russa, who made his big league debut as a teenage infielder with the 1963 Kansas City Athletics and appeared in just 132 games over six seasons, hitting .199 with no home runs. "Since December, I have not been comfortable with it. Theres no way to mention everybody, and that bothers me." "From managing parts of two years in the minor leagues, after thinking about all the other young managers who paid a lot of dues in the minor leagues and I get a chance and then I go into the big leagues with three organizations," he said. "All that equates to me is Im very, very fortunate. Ive never put my arms around the fact that being really lucky is a Hall of Fame credential." Lanny McDonald Jersey . -- Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, shot a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to finish first in stroke-play qualifying at the Womens U. 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"Back in 2011, when they announced that the game was coming here, we knew that it was going to be pretty important that we had a good year and hopefully could get into it, let alone win it, so I felt some pressure obviously within for sure," Taman said Monday, less than 24 hours after the Riders won the championship.This week the 2013/14 Premier League season comes to a close. Here at TSN.ca we will take a look back at the season by bringing together a panel of experts to help pick the best 50 players of the season. This list is based purely on their performances this season. It is not a list of who we think the best 50 players in the league are. Fourteen members were asked to take part (panel below) and submit their top 20 players of the season. Their list was then placed into a scoring system and then the totals determined the overall positions in the top 50. Each day this week we will release the list in 10s. The sport is very much about opinions, so please feel free to write your own list in the comments below. You can read part one of the list here. You can read part two of the list here. You can read part three of the list here. Here is how the Top 20 were scored – 1st place – 30pts; 2nd place – 25; 3rd place – 22; 4th place – 20; 5th place – 18; 6th place – 17; 7th place – 15; 8th place – 14; 9th place – 13; 10th place – 12; 11th place – 10; 12th place – 9; 13th place – 8; 14th place – 7; 15th place – 6; 16th place – 5; 17th place – 4; 18th place – 3; 19th place – 2; 20th place – 1. The Panel Six members of TSNs soccer team were on the panel and were joined by eight other members from around the world who were asked to represent their specific field. Joining our staff members were two outstanding statistical experts, Jonny Blain and Simon Gleave, two brilliant reporters/commentators covering the league, Stewart Coggin and Paul Sarahs and two extremely knowledgeable tactics writers, Tim Palmer and Ritesh from the False9 website and a man who covers the development side of the league like no other, Aidan from the England Youth website. In addition, also involved was arguably one of the knowledgeable writers covering the league in the world, Michael Cox, aka Zonal Marking. Follow the Panel on Twitter Aidan from England Youth – https://twitter.com/englandyouthJonny Blain - https://twitter.com/jonoblainNoel Butler - https://twitter.com/TheSoccerNoelStewart Coggin - https://twitter.com/StewartCogginMichael Cox - https://twitter.com/Zonal_MarkingJason DeVos - https://twitter.com/jasondevosSimon Gleave - https://twitter.com/SimonGleaveKristian Jack - https://twitter.com/KristianJackTim Palmer - https://twitter.com/timhpalRitesh from The False9 - https://twitter.com/TheFalse_9Paul Sarahs - https://twitter.com/PaulSarahsPete Schaad - https://twitter.com/PeteSchaadGareth Wheeler - https://twitter.com/WheelerTSNLuke Wileman - https://twitter.com/LukeWileman 20. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham) – We now know that Daniel Levy, Franco Baldini and Andre Villas-Boas didnt see eye-to-eye and we also know a lot of the money, from the Gareth Bale sale, that they collectively spent, may well have better served by being set on fire for a spectacular bonfire in the middle of White Hart Lane. Thankfully, some of their purchases worked out and none better than the new Great Dane, Eriksen. The 22-year-old is on a path to world-class stardom and still managed to perform at a consistent high level, whichever role he was asked to do under whichever manager was in charge. Few in the league can muster a better delivery from a set-piece or make a key pass in the final third. 19. Fernandinho (Manchester City) – The Premier League has not always been good to Brazilians. Sure, Juninho was wonderful for Middlesbrough in the 90s, but for every good Brazilian it seemed five others disappointed. Afonso Alves, anyone? Kleberson? Jo? Robinho? Things, however, are changing with Paulinho, David Luiz, Oscar, Ramires, Willian and Philippe Coutinho all shining in parts of this campaign. Citys Fernandinho, though, was the best of them all this season. Excellent with Shakhtar Donetsk, City identified him immediately as a massive upgrade to Gareth Barry last summer and how right they were. There are few smarter players in the league and the Brazilians discipline allowed Yaya Toure to blossom even more. 18. Leighton Baines (Everton) – The English left back never has a bad game for Roberto Martinezs men and has become one of the faces of the Premier League internationally. It is a remarkable rise to fame for a player who seems uninterested in the bright lights. Baines, regularly linked with a move to Manchester United under David Moyes, might just be the perfect fit for Everton, who continued to evolve under their new boss and didnt use Baines as much as an attacking threat in the final third as in the past (his successful ccrosses were down over one per game this season compared to last).dddddddddddd A shoo-in for a spot on the plane to Brazil for Roy Hodgson. 17. Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) – Many Premier League watchers scoffed when Southampton, recently promoted to the top flight, spent in excess of seven million pounds on a Spanish sounding Englishman from Burnley. ‘J-Rod showed flashes of talent last season, scoring exceptional goals against United and Chelsea, but this season made that price look like a bargain. The Saints were a treat to watch with their attacking flexibility this season, but all of that needed an end product and Rodriguez provided it with 15 league goals before his season, and World Cup chances, ended with a cruciate injury. Few are better in one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper - a real measure of a strikers credentials. 16. Luke Shaw (Southampton) – Rodriguez is likely to stay at St Marys for some time, but his teammate, left back Shaw, may play his final game for the club this Sunday. It will be difficult for the club to turn down large offers from Premier League giants and the 18-year-old will probably be wearing the blue of Chelsea or the red of Manchester United next season. English football has waited for a talent, with a composed left foot, like this for some time. It is remarkable to think Shaw was still in high school two years ago as no stage has fazed him yet at the highest level of English football. 15. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) – The stats will show that Rooney scored 17 goals and, with 10 assists, contributed directly to 27 league goals in 27 starts (heading into the final weekend), but it was far from a great season for the forward. For a player labeled by most as ‘world class, Rooney hasnt taken over enough games and questions still exist as to what is best position is. A liability defensively when played as a number-10 against top teams, Rooney can thrive when placed directly up front, but with Robin van Persie that will not always happen. United paid handsomely to keep him long-term, as they should, seeing that they need a lot more players close to his talent, but the new manager needs to work on Rooneys consistency and see how he fits best with van Persie and Juan Mata. 14. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) – Harshly considered a flop after making a big money move to Anfield at a young age, the English midfielder blossomed on the big stage this season, leading Liverpools intelligent press with his fantastic energy and workrate. After spending almost 20 million pounds on a 20-year-old with much to learn, it looked like Henderson may be cast aside with other big money flops like Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll. Instead, Brendan Rodgers saw something Kenny Dalglish didnt and the rest is history. Henderson was badly missed while he was suspended down the stretch. 13. Gary Cahill (Chelsea) – This season Cahill took his game to another level. As the league continues to get more and more international, fewer English players are relied upon to play in big games. In just over two years at Stamford Bridge, Cahill has played under four Chelsea managers and has been one of the few players who has been trusted by all of them. A true big game performer, after stand-out performances in past European finals, the 28-year-old was exceptional for Jose Mourinho this season. Now an integral part of Roy Hodgsons squad for Brazil. 12. John Terry (Chelsea) – Cahill and John Terry were easily the best defensive centre-back partnership this season. Arsenals duo had a good season, but no one came close to the English pair. Terry will tell anyone who is willing to listen just how much he loves Mourinho and it is not hard to understand why. Last season, under Rafa Benitez, the Chelsea skipper spent much of the campaign on the bench but Mourinhos style, on and off the pitch, has revitalized Terrys career. 11. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) – Once the kid made famous for being shouted at by his manager on the ‘Being: Liverpool documentary series, Sterling is now a potential star in the Premier League. Last season he started well, but tired late and Brendan Rodgers rested his long-term project. This season, it was the opposite with Rodgers taking his time to unleash the 19-year-old until his performances were so good that the manager could no longer keep him out of the side. Had a number of outstanding games, but the world stood and took notice when he played at the top of a midfield diamond at home to Man City and was the games best player. Sterling has a real appreciation for space, but can terrify opposing defenders with intelligent, fast runs, as well. 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