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 five-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 that 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 also was the punchline of the parting shot to Griffeys speech.Rickey, you were the greatest, Griffey said. Today, I am the greatest. Keyshawn Johnson Youth Jersey . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Curtis Martin Womens Jersey . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Jets-Cj-Mosley-Jersey/ . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Robby Anderson Jets Jersey . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Chuma Edoga Youth Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. LOS ANGELES -- Cmon, Clay Helton. You know you want to. Heres your chance. Heres your chance to tell all the college football experts to go do something anatomically impossible.All he does is give a hearty laugh.Not my style, Helton said. Not my style.Helton is the former soon-to-be-former USC coach. He spent the first month of his first head coaching season hearing why he shouldnt get a second. Now Helton is the middle of his third month, and his No. 13 Trojans are 7-3 with a six-game winning streak as they prepare to finish their Pac-12 schedule at UCLA (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). USC is a half-game behind No. 10 Colorado, and a half-game ahead of Utah, in the Pac-12 South.The Trojans actually can win the division. If they beat the Bruins (4-6, 2-5), and if No. 22 Washington State wins at Colorado, and the Buffs go on to beat No. 12 Utah next week, then the courtly Helton would have every right to say something that is not his style.Google Clay Helton and you dont have to scroll down very far. The fifth story is, Clay Helton Must Be Fired and USC Needs to Find a Real Head Coach. The seventh and ninth stories provide five names as possible replacements. Those three stories were published in late September, when USC had a record of 1-3.The ready-fire-aim section of my business did itself proud. Yeah, the Trojans got humiliated by Alabama in the opener, 52-6. It turned out that USC, in its first game, literally was not ready for the big time. The atmosphere in Cowboys Stadium, not to mention the Crimson Tide themselves, overwhelmed the Trojans.Yep, they followed with an equally inept offensive performance at Stanford two weeks later in a 27-10 loss. After that game, Helton benched fourth-year junior quarterback Max Browne for redshirt freshman Sam Darnold.He played well in his first start, at Utah, but the Trojans lost fumbles on their first three offensive possessions, and then gave up a touchdown with :16 to play to lose 31-27. All they had to show for the first month of the season was a victory over Utah State and a rabble that had been roused.Gah, Helton said, that feels like years ago.His family rallied around him. In the days after the Utah game, his daughter Aubrey, a high school senior, came up to him, gave him a big hug, and said, Daddy, dont worry about it. Its all going to be good.Not even Aubrey knew how good. But her daddy had an inkling. As the carping about Helton being overmatched reached a crescendo, he came away from the Utah loss convinced that the Trojans would be fine. He wont tell you six-wins-in-a-row, 13th-ranked, division-contender fine. But fine. This wasnt a team pointing fingers across the locker room.There were guys coming up on their own to watch extra film in our meeting rooms and taking it upon themselves to bring their teammates with them, Helton said. Thats what hurt, losing that game, because I saw what each kid was trying to do to help this team win.Helton seized on that kernel of determination and, as the geniuses speculated on his successor -- four games into his career -- he let his team know that he paid it no mind.I kept telling myself, Remember, 18- to 21-year-olds look to their leader and look to their coaching staff, Helton said. How we react, theyre going to react. Just stay poiseed.ddddddddddddDont panic. Stay consistent in what youre doing and what you believe in and live with the results.Six starts later, Darnold is the best first-year quarterback in the FBS. Dont ask me, Jalen Hurts fans. Ask Darnolds QBR (86.8), fifth in the nation. Darnold has been so effective as a passer he has reopened the running lanes for backs Ronald Jones II and Justin Davis.That is as good a decision as any to probe whether Helton could coach his way out of a paper bag. With 20/20 hindsight, it seems perfectly obvious that Darnold is the better quarterback. But Helton remains steadfast that the full-speed decision he made to start Browne in the first three games is one he would make again.I had seen a kid, Max Browne, whos a redshirt junior, that had been in college football games, was efficient, had been a team captain, very respected by our team as a leader, Helton said. And I saw Sam, just this ultra-talented thing, just brilliance. But had never seen him in a ballgame, a real live college game.Browne didnt make mistakes, but he didnt make magic, either. Darnold proved he could handle major college football. Boy, could he. Should you blame Helton for not getting Darnold ready for the opener? You should, as long as you ignore that the offense had a new coordinator, the defense had a new coordinator, and so did the special teams. That contributed to the slow start as well.Look at the way the defense has improved over the course of the season: five sacks in the first four games, 14 in the next six. The Trojans have allowed an average of 18 points per game during their six-game winning streak.USC is coming off a 26-13 victory at No. 4 Washington, a vivid illustration of how far the Trojans have progressed since that loss to Alabama. Here was another fast, talented team. Here was a game in Husky Stadium, one of the most intimidating atmospheres in college football. USC didnt wilt this time.As I look back on our entire season, it really culminated in last week, Helton said. ...I just saw unbelievable poise and maturity. It was as electric an atmosphere as you could possibly have. It was as good a scene for college football as you could see, and the moment wasnt too big for them. They really walked in there with a sense of maturity and confidence. Hey, lets just focus on our job. Lets dont care about the stadium. Lets dont care about the noise. Lets dont care about the weather. Lets just get our job done.They have two rivalry games remaining -- Notre Dame comes west next week -- and Helton said he has seen no heads swelled by the win at Washington. Coach Overmatched could end up with a 10-win season. And a Pac-12 title. The guy that the internet fired seven weeks ago may end up in the Rose Bowl.Heltons unfailingly polite, unerringly even-keeled, unbelievably unexciting personality ended up being just the right touch for a young team. So, cmon, Coach. Let it go. Tell the experts off.You have to be very strong-willed, Helton said. You have to have thick skin. And dont get your feelings hurt. Believe in what youre doing. Believe in the things youre doing for kids.Oh, well. They got off lucky. ' ' '