Fan Arts » ranks third in career victories as a manager with 2,728, beh

Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Take Charge Brandi put in a Wednesday workout at Churchill Downs for the Delta Princess Stakes on Nov. 22 at Delta Downs. Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas for Willis Horton, Take Charge Brandi worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:18.20. She came out of the Breeders Cup great, Lukas said last week. Take Charge Brandi set the pace from the start and rolled to victory in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies that begin the second day of the 31st World Championships at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 1. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Take Charge Brandi was sent off as a 61-1 longshot in the 12-horse field of 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles. Take Charge Brandi took the lead out of the gate and set the pace the entire way. The longshot posted a half-length win over 5-1 fourth choice Top Decile with 15-1 longshot Wonder Gal getting third and Feathered, 13-1, fourth. Angela Renee, the 3-1 favorite, finished 10th more than 13 lengths behind the winner. The time for the Juvenile Fillies was 1:41.95 on a fast track. Take Charge Brandi, who returned $125.40 for the win, earned $1.1 million as she registered her second victory from six starts. The 2-year-old has banked $1,170,126. I think she definitely proved she should be in the conversation from her Breeders Cup performance, Lukas said about possible champion 2-year-old filly honors. Will it be enough? Im not sure. If we decide to go to the Golden Rod with her and win, it obviously helps our chances. Take Charge Brandi broke her maiden in her debut at Churchill Downs in June. She was second at Saratoga in the Schuylerville and fifth in the Adirondack Stakes. The filly followed with a fifth in the Pocahontas at Churchill and was eighth in Keenelands Alcibiades. Lukas also had Mr. Z, training for the Nov. 22 Delta Downs Jackpot, work five furlongs at Churchill in 1:01.60. Mr. Z finished fifth in the Breeders Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1. Owned by Zayat Stables, Mr. Z was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith in the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile, but faded to fifth after racing third most of the way in the 11-horse field. The colt finished second as a 17-1 longshot in Keenelands Breeders Futurity behind 2-1 favorite Carpe Diem who would finish second to Texas Red in the Juvenile as the 9-5 favorite. Mr. Z has earned $259,726 with one win and three seconds from six starts. Miikka Kiprusoff Jersey . Spains victory rendered Frances 3-0 win against Finland meaningless as Spain needed just one point to secure passage to Brazil. Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema scored either side of Joona Toivios own-goal as France advanced to the playoff among the eight best second-place finishers. Lanny McDonald Jersey . 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Mike Vernon Jersey .FIFA says it is relaxing the rule which forced match officials to leave its international list at the end of the year they turned 45.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," Coox said.dddddddddddd "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." ' ' '