Talk » Canadian chef de missioon Steve Podborski said

NEW YORK -- Baseball writers could elect a quartet of players to the Hall of Fame for the first time in more than a half-century. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them. The last time four players received the required 75 per cent was in 1955, when Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance all got in. Surprisingly, it was the third ballot appearance for DiMaggio, who fell 81 votes short in 1953 and 14 shy the following year. When he announced his retirement in December 2008, Maddux wouldnt talk about the Hall. "I think theres a lot of good players in there," he said. "Dont really have any thoughts on it." Maddux could break the mark for highest percentage (98.84), set when in 1992 when Tom Seaver topped the record Ty Cobb set in 1936. "I just have just never come across any human being, whether theyre a voter or just a fan, that doesnt think Greg Maddux is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pitchers who ever pitched," The Boston Globes Nick Cafardo said Tuesday. "I cant imagine someone not voting for him. So I would guess that hes going to break Seavers record." Maddux is among three high-profile players on the BBWAA ballot for the first time, joined by his former Atlanta teammate Glavine and Thomas. Holdovers include Biggio, who topped voting at 68 per cent last year, 39 votes short of the 75 per cent needed for election. It was only the second time in four decades the BBWAA failed to elect anyone. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, said Tuesday the only player he voted for was Jack Morris, on the writers ballot for the 15th and final time after falling 42 votes shy last year. "To me, I didnt exclude Maddux. I excluded everybody from that era, everybody from the Steroid Era," Gurnick said. "It wasnt about Greg Maddux, it was about the entire era. I just dont know who did and who didnt." Gurnick said Morris also was the only player he voted for in 2013 and added he intends to abstain in future elections. "Some people quibble over when the era starts, but the bulk of his career was in my opinion well before all of the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs," Gurnick said. Given that 569 ballots were submitted in 2013, Maddux likely could be omitted from six this year and still break the record set by Seaver, who received 425 of 430 votes. Seaver was left off by Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News, Bob Hertzel of The Pittsburgh Press and freelance writer Bob Hunter. They all submitted blank ballots to protest the decision by the Hall of Fame board of directors to bar Pete Rose from the vote because of his lifetime ban from baseball following a gambling probe. Retired writers Deane McGowen and Bud Tucker also did not vote for Seaver. "If it had cost Seaver anything, yeah, I probably would regret it at some level, but it didnt really cost him anything," Hagen, now with MLB.com, said Tuesday. "He still got the highest vote (percentage) total ever, and he wouldnt have been unanimous anyway." The Steroids Era has impacted the vote totals of players with stellar statistics. In initial appearances last year, Mike Piazza was at 57.8 per cent, Roger Clemens at 37.6, Barry Bonds at 36.2 and Sammy Sosa at 12.5. Mark McGwire received 16.9 on his seventh try. The Baseball Think Factory website compiled votes by writers who made their opinions public, and with 194 ballots had Maddux at 99.5 per cent, followed by Glavine (95), Thomas (90) and Biggio (78). The websites count had Piazza (69), Morris (61) and Jeff Bagwell (58) falling short along with Tim Raines (54), Bonds (42), Clemens (41), Curt Schilling (37) and Mike Mussina (26). McGwire (11) and Sosa (8) had little support. Approximately 600 writers who have been members of the BBWAA for 10 consecutive years at any point considered the 36-player ballot. Next years ballot could be even more crowded when Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Carlos Delgado and Gary Sheffield become eligible, five years after their retirements. The BBWAA last month formed a committee to study whether the organization should ask the Hall to change the limit of 10 players per ballot. Nike Air Max Pas Cher . Or take a relaxing vacation somewhere warm. Brayden Schenn and Scott Hartnell scored, Ray Emery stopped 32 shots and the Flyers beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory. Vapormax Plus Pas Cher Chine .com) - The surprising Calgary Flames host the winless New Jersey Devils at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday. http://www.maxnikepascher.fr/destockage-air-vapormax/vapormax-off-white.html . Berkman almost left the game last off-season before signing with the Texas Rangers. He then had another injury-plagued season and was limited to 73 games. Nike Air Vapormax Pas Cher . -- So much for concern that running back Marshawn Lynch would be absent from the Seattle Seahawks minicamp. Air Max 97 Homme Pas Cher . If one fighter gases, he usually gets beat up pretty bad from that point on.TORONTO -- Canada will send 221 athletes to the Sochi Olympics, its largest ever team for a Winter Games. The Canadian Olympic Committee officially announced its full team Wednesday. Canadas goal is to win more medals than any other country in Sochi. Canadas team of 202 athletes finished third overall four years ago in Vancouver with 26 medals, but won a record 14 gold. There are 36 more medals on the table in Sochi due to new events on the program, giving Canada a realistic shot of surpassing its 2010 total. The team is comprised of six skicross athletes, 27 speedskaters, 10 curlers, 16 bobsledders, eight lugers, four skeleton athletes, 21 women hockey players, eight biathletes, 24 snowboarders, 25 male hockey players, 15 alpine skiers, 17 figure skaters, 13 cross-country skiers, 20 freestyle skiers and seven ski jumpers. "The size of our team and its medal potential is a great tribute to our athletes, their coaches and the system Canada has in place to develop high-performance Olympic athletes," Canadian chef de missioon Steve Podborski said in a release.dddddddddddd "Our athletes are very talented and are the best-prepared team to ever represent Canada at the Winter Games." Curling skip Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg is the oldest female athlete at 39 while Calgary bobsledder Lascelles Brown, whos also 39, is the oldest man. The youngest female athlete is figure skater Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., who turned 16 earlier this month. The youngest male is 18-year-old luger Mitchel Malyk of Calgary. Of the 121 male athletes and 100 female athletes, 46 are former Olympic medallists and 108 have made the podium at a world championship. Ontario has the largest contingent with 64 athletes or 29 per cent of the team. Alberta is second with 56 athletes (25 per cent) and Quebec is third with 43 competitors (19 per cent). Canada will field a team in all events except Nordic combined. Hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser will carry Canadas flag into the opening ceremonies on Feb. 7. Some Canadian 85 coaches will also be in Sochi. ' ' '