COOPERSTOWN, N. Justin Patton Jersey .Y. - Joe Torre still needs a pinch or two, just to make sure. "Its still sort of unbelievable," he said. "Cooperstown was always something way out there. OK, I know where it is. Doesnt mean Im going there to visit, much less be inducted. I never had a goal of getting to the Hall of Fame." Thats exactly where hes headed Sunday. Torre will be inducted with fellow former managers Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa in what is a banner year for the baseball shrine. Pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas also will enter. Torre, La Russa, and Cox were unanimously elected in December by the Halls Expansion Era committee. It was a tense time for Torre. "I sort of was torn emotionally with the fact that Bobby and Tony were on the ballot," he said. "I remember having dinner with Tony the night before the announcement. Whoever gets in, if the other one doesnt get in, its sort of going to feel unfair. Our three careers just really mirrored each other." "When the three of us got in, I think it just made it that much sweeter. It was probably the first time we stopped lying to each other," he said. Theres always been a mutual admiration among La Russa, Cox and Torre, contemporaries who rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in all-time managerial wins. "I always felt like Joe was the best at teaching a team the right way to win and lose," said La Russa, who compiled 2,728 wins in 33 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and St. Louis, behind only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763). "A loss, they never made excuses. Just got beat." "But they won. They won a lot, and they never showed up the other side," La Russa said. "They never embarrassed you because they beat you, and I cant say the same for other teams and other managers." While Torre excelled as a player — in 1971 he won National League MVP honours with a signature season that included 230 hits and a .363 average, 97 runs, and 137 RBIs for the Cardinals — he became something special in the New York Yankees dugout. Despite mediocre stints managing the New York Mets, Atlanta and the Cardinals (five winning seasons in 15 years), Torre was hired by the Yankees prior to the 1996 season. "That was a good sign for me, trust me," said Torre, the only man to amass more than 2,000 hits (2,342) as a player and win more than 2,000 games (2,326) as a manager, according to STATS. "After youve been fired three times and then you get hired by the Yankees, that was a good sign. I figured it was all said and done by that point in time," he said. Ever the diplomat, 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. 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. Heady territory for a guy who never played in the Fall Classic. "It was magical. I never took it for granted," said Torre, who today serves as Major League Baseballs executive vice-president for baseball operations. "I just think its so important to respect this game, just the fact that you can leave your mark and possibly wind up in a place like this, even though thats not why you play the game. Its just been an amazing ride for me." La Russas teams finished first 12 times and won six pennants, and he was picked as Manager of the Year four times, finishing second in the voting five other times. He went to the World Series three straight years from 1988-90 and also lost in the 2004 World Series when his Cardinals were swept by the Boston Red Sox. That La Russa found success in the dugout and not as a player is not a surprise. He 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 and seven RBIs. "How lousy I was, I was hoping the guy wouldnt call me in to play. Thats the truth," La Russa said. "Then I got to thinking, I cant make a living, so I went to law school." La Russa tried to finance his way through law school as a player-coach in the White Sox organization, and quickly learned there was a lot more to managing than simply making out a lineup card. That allowed La Russa the opportunity to question and second-guess and it all "got my fires going." After graduation, La Russa decided to see if he could manage in the minors to get the bug out, with the ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer. The White Sox gave him Double-A and Triple-A assignments, and he was hooked, becoming a devoted student of the game. In 1983, he managed the White Sox to their first post-season berth in 24 years, and 13 years later he rewarded new Cardinals owners with a division title in his first season in St. Louis (1996). That ended the franchises nine-year post-season slump, and they made it to the playoffs nine times in 16 seasons overall. La Russa also had 70 postseason victories, trailing only Torres 84, and he and his role model, Sparky Anderson, are the only managers to win the World Series in both leagues. La Russa credits early conversations with Anderson, Paul Richards, Earl Weaver, Chuck Tanner, Gene Michael, and Billy Martin for much of his success. "We watched all these masters," La Russa said. "We would study the managers, and there was this one guy in Toronto that after the second series we played against him we agreed, Hey, this guy is as good as any of them. His name was Bobby Cox." The fiery Cox — he was ejected a major league record 161 times — guided the Braves to an unprecedented 14 straight division titles and 15 playoff appearances. Many of those wins came with Maddux and Glavine on the mound for him. When Cox, who also spent four years in Toronto, retired after the 2010 season he was the fourth-winningest manager with 2,504 victories in 29 seasons. To be sure, induction day will be one to remember. "The entire thing can never happen again in a million years, I dont think," Cox said. "A manager being able to go in with two of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball, and then going in with two fellow managers at the same time. I dont think thats ever, ever going to happen again." Trevor Booker Jersey .com) - The surging Montreal Canadiens will try to match their longest winning streak of the season when they visit the Florida Panthers for Saturdays clash at BB&T Center. Wilt Chamberlain Jersey .In the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte, German champion Bayern Munich remained third but Barcelona dropped from second to fourth during its trophyless 2014.In the 2013-2014 financial year, Real generated 549. http://www.76ersstore.com/kids-moses-malone-76ers-jersey/ .L. - Defending womens champion Alberta improved to 3-0 at the Canadian junior curling championships with a 10-3 win over Ontario in Sundays afternoon draw.Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul scored 17 points, handed out 15 assists and pulled down eight rebounds in the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. Jamal Crawfords 18 off the bench led the Clippers, who have won nine games in a row. Blake Griffin scored 17 with 10 boards and DeAndre Jordan chipped in 12 points with 19 rebounds. C.J. Miles led all scorers with 30 points off Indianas bench. The Pacers reserves scored 66 points in their sixth straight loss. Lavoy Allen added 14 points and 13 rebounds in a reserve role and he was joined by Luis Scola, who finished with 12 points and 14 boards. Trailing by 17 entering the final quarter, the Pacers chipped away at the large deficit. A quick 12-4 spurt, including eight points from Miles, cut the deficit to 86-77. With two minutes remaining, Allens jumper pulled Indiana within two. Crawford answered with a jumper at the other end, then Miles rushed 3-pointer the next possession did not fall. Griffin split a pair of free throws and Indiana couldnt muster any offense from there, as Paul hit two free throws in the closing seconds to account for the final margin. It was basically a replay of the first half. The starters come in and get a big lead, and the second unit comes in and loses it. The starters have to hold on, and fortunately, they were able to do it, said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. Los Angeles appeared to pull away from Indiana with a big third quarter, shooting 50 percent from the field and limiting the Pacers to 27.3 percent. After Chris Copelands 3-pointer cut the Clippers lead to two points, Paul bookended a 10-0 Los Angeles run with a pair of jumpers. Charles Barkley Jersey. Matt Barnes scored all 11 of his points in the third. The high-scoring Clippers got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 15-8 lead while making six of their first seven shots from the field, with the only miss being a Jordan desperation heave to beat the shot clock. Los Angeles first quarter lead ballooned to as high as 15 with 3:37 left when Paul completed an alley-oop with Griffin in transition, but the Pacers were finally able to get their footing after that. Miles hit his first of four first half 3-pointers in the midst of a 12-2 Pacers run, but Spencer Hawes hit a triple himself with two seconds left to give the Clippers a 33-25 lead after one. Ive just been able to find some creases and make some shots, said Miles. I think that Ive been able to stay on the floor consistently and practice consistently has helped me out. The Pacers continued to chip away at the Los Angeles advantage and a pair of Solomon Hill free throws with 3:10 left gave them a one-point edge. The Clippers were able to respond and went on a 10-4 run to head to the locker room with a 54-49 lead. Game Notes Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak against Indiana ... Los Angeles J.J. Redick scored 16 points ... The Clippers have two more games on a three-game Eastern Conference road trip ... Indiana was held to 39 percent shooting in the setback. Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '