SEATTLE -- Ken Griffey Jr. strode out from beyond the center-field wall, walked deliberately between the 2 and 4 emblazed on the Safeco Field grass, kissed his fingers and reached to touch the spot of the field he once patrolled.There was one more honor for The Kid this summer, and Griffey soaked up every moment.Griffeys No. 24 was retired by the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night with an emotional outpouring from fans that had the new Hall of Famer fighting back tears. The Mariners retired the number throughout the organization, and the final time it was worn came during batting practice when every member of the roster and coaching staff took the field with No. 24 on their jersey.The nearly hour-long program included former teammates, special Hall of Fame guests from other sports and an eloquent 5 minute video narrated by Grammy Award rapper Macklemore that brought the stadium to its feet and left very few dry eyes.It also included a video message from Willie Mays, who chided Griffey for not returning Mays call after Griffeys Hall of Fame induction was announced in January. So Griffey pulled out his cellphone and called Mays -- but had to leave a message he said.Griffey entered the stadium, appropriately, through center field, stopping along the way in the sun-drenched outfield to acknowledge the roaring ovation. It was an opportunity for those who didnt make the trip to see Griffey inducted in Cooperstown to give their thanks for what Griffey meant to baseball in the Pacific Northwest.I cant really explain what the last two weeks have been like. Its been unforgettable, Griffey said. The fans, the people, I walk down the street and Im getting high fives like I just scored again. Thats a tribute to you guys here, the way that you treat baseball players, basketball players, football players like people. You make us feel like part of the community and I want to thank you guys.Griffey managed to maintain his composure until it came time for the unveiling of his retired number. The Mariners quietly pulled his daughter, Taryn, from the on-field ceremony and repositioned her in left-center field to pull the curtain that was covering the No. 24, placed right next to Jackie Robinsons No. 42.Griffey couldnt hold back the tears at the point, dabbing his eyes with his tie.Its only fitting from here forward Kens No. 24 will be displayed next to Jackie Robinsons No. 42, Mariners President Kevin Mather said.Mather also announced that the team will construct a statue of Griffey outside of Safeco Field to be unveiled in 2017.Griffeys speech was nearly 20 minutes shorter than his Hall of Fame induction speech, and he was able to keep the emotions in check as he cracked on former teammates and honored the city where he broke in as a 19-year-old in 1989.Ive had so many great memories in this city. Its been an unbelievable ride, he said.The Mariners pulled out all the stops, including the presence of Hall of Fame players from other Seattle professional franchises. Steve Largent and Cortez Kennedy represented the Seattle Seahawks, adorned in their gold Hall of Fame blazers, while Spencer Haywood and Gary Payton represented the Seattle SuperSonics. Payton, nicknamed The Glove, presented Griffey with a bronzed glove created by the same group that made Griffeys Hall of Fame plaque.And the Mariners brought in a pair of No. 24s in the Baseball Hall of Fame with a special connection to Griffey: Rickey Henderson, a teammate in Seattle, and Tony Perez, a teammate of Griffeys father in Cincinnati. Henderson was also the punchline of the parting shot to Griffeys speech.Rickey, you were the greatest, Griffey said. Today, I am the greatest. Air Max 97 Shanghai . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Air Max 97 Fake . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. http://www.outletairmax97.com/air-max-97-silver-bullet-for-sale.html . PAUL, Minn. Air Max 97 Valentines Day 2019 .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Cheap Air Max 97 . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. LONDON -- In his changing room before the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa, referee Howard Webb wasnt comfortable in his blue shirt.So he took it off.Put it back on.Took it off.Put it back on.Did this six times.Moments from the most important game of his life, Webb was struck down by another bout of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior.Webb kept the condition secret throughout a career that saw him referee the Champions League final and World Cup final in the same year, fearing the harsh world of soccer would mark him down as mentally unsound.He has revealed the condition in an autobiography, and told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he didnt want to jeopardize his career. You have to give the impression of being an assured and confident person, he said.In Johannesburg, as the Netherlands and Spain prepared for the World Cup final, Webb was trying to get changed. He wrote: I reached into my kit bag and grabbed my azure blue Adidas shirt. However as I pulled it on, a negative thought invaded my head, my anxiety levels rose and I took the top off again to erase that niggling feeling.In the end it took me about six attempts to keep that bloody shirt on my back.His mood wasnt improved by what happened on the field. In a dirty game full of nasty fouls, the ex-policeman showed the yellow card 14 times and the red card once, a record for a World Cup final. He also missed a vicious kick to the chest of an opponent by Netherlands player Nigel de Jong.There are some that are unrefereeable and that was one of them, he said about the biggest game in global soccer.Webb said he tried to avoid sending players off, but agreed that that sometimes meant he failed to show the red card when he should have done.I recall a Manchester derby when Cristiano Ronaldo sarcastically applauded me after I booked him, Webb said. Of course, I should have showed him the red card (sarcastic applause is seen as dissent, a booking offense) but I thought to myself, `Im going to change the coursee of the game by doing this.dddddddddddd For want of a better word, I bottled it by not sending him off.The 45-year-old Webb is a soccer analyst and head of refereeing for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, and says hed like to land more roles that help to develop refs.Famous as much for his bald head as his refereeing, Webb says the OCD began when he was a boy growing up in Rotherham, east of Manchester in northern England.He noticed that sometimes he kissed his mother goodbye in the morning and a bad thought entered his head that something was going to happen to her. So he would kiss her again -- and again -- until a positive thought about her entered his head and he could relax.His parents noticed the behavior, but brushed it aside as Howards habits.Webb kept it from his football employers. I could have imagined some less-than-sympathetic person remarking, `Can we trust Webb on a football field? Or shall we hand that semifinal to a ref whos, erm, not so flaky?Until he retired in 2014, Webb was Englands top referee, and his autobiography reveals a profession riven by in-fighting among the small group of elite refs who control English Premier League games.What had been intended as an informal beer and barbecue night in Cumbria almost descended into a version of Fight Night ... between Graham Poll and Mark Halsey, Webb wrote.He said: Watching them trading personal insults and squaring up to each other was pretty unedifying. Both ex-referees have denied any such clash took place.While more and more technology was being introduced to help refs, Webb said footballing authorities needed to recognize that technology has its limits.There has to be a clear acceptance that it wont be the answer to every decision in the game, he said.Goal-line technology has proved a big success, but Webb was a less a fan of video technology.Some decisions arent right or wrong, he said. Theyre subjective decisions that should be made by the referee. ' ' '