NEWS » at scored 34 points or more in all nine of its Big 12 gam

Everything about baseball got bigger during Bud Seligs reign as commissioner.Whats important to remember is how. Because the same outsized contributions that earned him entry into the Hall of Fame should crack open the door wide enough for stars from the super-sized era to squeeze in behind him. Its time.One big reason attendance, TV revenues and franchise values all grew while he was in charge was that players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens -- taking advantage of a lax drug policy and the see-no-evil administration Selig headed for years -- bulked up even faster.So now that the Hall of Fame voters put him in, how are they going to justify keeping those two, as well as a handful of others, out?Well have a more definitive answer a year from now, when the Class of 2018 is announced and the 16-member veterans panel that elected Selig is done sifting through the games past to recognize other deserving candidates. But heres how at least one member of the current veterans committee feels.I dont believe any doors are open, said Andre Dawson, Class of 2010. I just dont think this is the time that that should be moved forward. I can echo the sentiments of some Hall of Famers on that. It may happen in the future.As a committee, he added, we didnt feel like we are the ones to make the decision at this time.At this time?For the better part of three decades, Hall voters have tried to have it both ways when it comes to steroids. Theres almost certainly more than a handful of players who showed up for their induction ceremony in Cooperstown wearing a baseball cap a size or two larger than the one they broke into the big leagues with. Others were racist, drunks, abusers and worse.Thus far, voters have had to sort through the names implicated in drug busts, whispering campaigns and supposedly inside information. Most of the time, theyve made decisions based on their gut. The result is about as unscientific and hypocritical as youd suspect.While the totals for both Bonds and Clemens -- by any objective measure, two of the most accomplished players ever -- creeped up slightly the last few years, theyve topped out at 45 percent (75 percent is required for induction). But just two years ago, Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell -- both admitted using a since-banned substance during their careers -- picked up more than half and nearly two-thirds of those same voters.So if nothing else, Seligs induction will remind us of something USA Todays Bob Nightengale said to Hall voters ahead of the 2016 class announcement, Come on, this isnt the Sistine Chapel.The Hall will rightly celebrate Selig for all the good hes done for the game. He was a patient, consensus-building boss who advocated tirelessly for small- and middle-market owners and always acted in what he genuinely believed were the best interests of baseball. If the bottom line was the only relevant consideration, Selig would have been carried into the Hall on the shoulders of all the owners whose pockets he lined with cash.But being good for the owners also made Selig bad for the players more than once, too. He was involved in the collusion scandal as an owner and led the palace coup to dethrone Fay Vincent and erase any remaining notions that the commissioners office was even-handed. He proved that by becoming the public face and backroom leader of the owners cabal that forced the most destructive strike in baseball history and the only cancellation of a World Series.But for all the pitched labor battles Selig waged, his biggest sin was turning a blind eye to the wave of PEDs that swept across baseball coming out of that 1994 strike. Remember, it was Selig who dispatched a team of scientists on a fact-finding mission -- read: junket -- to the Caribbean in 2002 to rummage through the factories where baseballs are made.Even he must have suspected by then they were poking under the wrong hides. And to his credit, Selig spent most of his last decade in office trying to clean up the mess. The safeguards in place are better and baseball is arguably less doped-up than its been in a long time.The veterans panel that put Selig in had all that information before casting ballots. The conclusion it reached is that, on balance, his record of service to the game outweighed those flaws. Bonds and Clemens and more than a few others who thrived during the steroid era -- like Selig and nearly everybody else in his employ -- deserve the same consideration.---(This version of story corrects Bonds and Clemens vote totals to 45 percent from one-third and that the next Hall of Fame class is 2018).Jim Litke is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and https://Twitter.com/JimLitke Mark Duper Jersey . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Bob Griese Dolphins Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Christian-wilkins-dolphins-jersey/ . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Mark Clayton Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Dan Marino Jersey . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. An undefeated run through the Big 12 earned the Oklahoma Sooners an invite to the 83rd Sugar Bowl.As for the Auburn Tigers, well, theyre off to New Orleans after the College Football Playoff committee decided the program was the best option out of a jumbled mess in the Southeastern Conference.The two teams will meet in the Superdome on Jan. 2.The No. 7 Sooners (10-2, 9-0 Big 12, No. 7 College Football Playoff) finished off a perfect trek through conference play on Saturday with a 38-20 victory over Oklahoma State. Oklahoma lost two of three to start the season, but ended the season on a nine-game winning streak.The Sugar Bowl is a step down for Oklahoma from last season, when the Sooners made the CFP semifinals before losing to Clemson. But coach Bob Stoops didnt expect any sort of letdown.No concerns, Stoops said. At the end of the day its a great bowl game and were playing an excellent football team. Weve just got to be in a position to play the best we can.No. 17 Auburn (8-4, 5-3 SEC, No. 14 CFP) emerged from a pile of options to be the second-highest ranked team in the SEC in the final CFP poll behind top-ranked Alabama. Florida and LSU were also candidates for the Sugar Bowl spot, but finished just behind the Tigers at No. 17 and No. 20, respectively.Auburns eager to prove the CFP committee got it right.Well definitely be motivated, Auburn coach Gus Malzhan said. Were playing one of the top teams in the country.The Oklahoma-Auburn matchup is a rare one: Its only the second time the two schools have faced each other. The Sooners beat the Tigers 40-22 in the 1972 Sugar Bowl.Some of Oklahomas players have played in the Sugar Bowl already: The Sooners beat Alabama 45-31 three years ago in New Orleans.The Sooners are led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has thrown for 3,669 yards, 38 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Running back Joe Mixon has run for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns while top receiver Dede Westbrook has 1,465 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns.ddddddddddddYoure talking about a big-time offense to go with a very good defense, Malzahn said. We have a lot of respect for them.Auburn is led by a running game that features Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson. The two have both had good moments this season and combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing, but both have also battled injuries this season.Here are some things to watch in this years Sugar Bowl:SURGING SOONERS: Oklahoma had a rough start to the season, losing games against Houston and Ohio State during September. But the Sooners regrouped quickly thanks to a stellar offense that scored 34 points or more in all nine of its Big 12 games.SAGGING TIGERS: Auburn has had an up-and-down season. The Tigers lost two of three early, but then rallied with a six-game winning streak to jump back into contention in the SECs Western Division. Auburn couldnt capitalize on the momentum, losing to Georgia and Alabama during the final three weeks of the regular season.NEEDING WHITE: Auburn quarterback Sean Whites health (shoulder) was a concern during the final month of the regular season and the Tigers offense struggled whenever backups Jeremy Johnson or John Franklin III played. White didnt play against Alabama in the Iron Bowl but the Tigers hope hell be fully healthy for the Sugar Bowl. Malzahn said on Sunday he feels the team will be close to 100 percent for the matchup against Oklahoma.OKLAHOMAS DEFENSE: The Sooners offense gets most of the press, and rightfully so, but the defense has been pretty good over the last half of the season. Oklahoma held six of its last seven opponents under 28 points.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . ' ' '