SAN FRANCISCO -- As of one recent count, Edward DeBartolo Jr. had rewritten his Hall of Fame speech some 14 times.After such a long wait to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, alongside the most accomplished NFL contributors, its no surprise he wants his every word to be just right.Im a basket case, a nervous wreck. Wasnt this bad before Super Bowls! he wrote in an email from his sprawling Montana ranch, which offers 3,000 acres and a peaceful place to perfect his words for Saturdays ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his home state of Ohio.He walks his dogs in the wee hours of the morning and was joined by his two executive assistants in the lead-up to a long-awaited trip to Canton, where his daughter, Lisa, will present him. She was an easy choice. Deciding between all of his former players would have been painstakingly difficult, but if late Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh were still alive he would have been the one to do it, of course.God rest his soul, if Bill would have been alive, I probably would have asked Bill to do it, DeBartolo said. As a coach, he came in and brought great credentials. More than that, he just brought a whole new way of doing things.So did DeBartolo, an owner known for caring as much about those in every capacity around him as he did winning football games and hoisting Lombardi trophies. Hiring Walsh in 1979 was among DeBartolos biggest successes in launching a storied franchise that won five Super Bowl titles during his tenure.San Francisco became the first franchise to win five championships.Other coaches study coaches, players study players, said former coach Steve Mariucci, hired by DeBartolo. I think owners study the way he did things, not only football but other sports. He kind of paved the way for a lot of owners, this is how you build an organization from top to bottom.Mr. D. is how he is best known, a show of respect from those who played or worked for him during his two-decade run leading the 49ers.Lisa DeBartolo shared how her father is always there for others, friends and acquaintances alike. He would call every veterinarian around if he knew someone had an ill pet.He just goes over and above what a normal person would do, she said. He would give the shirt off his back when somebody needed it.His former players so appreciate what DeBartolo did for them when they were playing or once they retired -- and still would do if ever they needed a boost, help or a hug.He wins, treats everyone with respect and admiration, and whatever he touches, he betters it, said Deion Sanders, who won a Super Bowl during his lone season with San Francisco in 1994.More than all of the accomplishments, thrilling, history-making wins and hardware he collected along the way, DeBartolos ownership legacy includes that compassion and care for people throughout the organization -- at every level -- and the league.Hall of Famer Steve Young credits DeBartolo for working to build strong relationships between players and owners from the start.He and his players were family -- to this day. If you need something from Eddie, anybody who ever played for the team could call him personally and he would figure out a way to help you, Young said. That fundamental change in how owners looked at players and how they related to each other, I think changed the dynamic for how the CBA was negotiated 15 years later, and players are now truly partners with the owners.The 69-year-old DeBartolo, who owned shopping malls, doesnt pretend to have had a perfect path to finally reaching Canton. He was embroiled in the corruption case against former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards and suspended by the NFL for the 1999 season after being found guilty of failing to report a bribe, a felony. After the suspension, DeBartolo gave control of the team to his sister.I just am so happy for him. Now, everything that he has done for his football career is really now validated because of this, daughter Lisa said. He has had so many hardships with friends, with family. It just was time. I think now its kind of like a weight off of his shoulders. Were just very proud of him.DeBartolo acknowledges the growing pains from his early days beginning in 1977 to the pride he takes in having developed the family atmosphere around the 49ers -- It was more of a philosophy, he said -- that helped him and so many others thrive in the Bay Area.He still cant believe the elite company he will soon join in Canton.Just to think that Im going to have a bust and a jacket where you have George Halas or Mr. Rooney or the people who made this game what it is, is kind of unnerving to me, DeBartolo said. Its so humbling. I think humbling is putting it mildly. ... Just being mentioned in the same capacity is overwhelming.---AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this story.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Wholesale Cheap Jerseys . 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NEW YORK -- Just a couple of days into the seasons second half, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said his team needed to win this one.Fortunately for New York, he had the right men on the mound.Masahiro Tanaka outpitched David Price in their first matchup to win his fourth straight decision, and the Yankees ended Bostons six-game winning streak Sunday night with a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox.I think everybody understood how important it was to win today, Tanaka said through a translator.Starlin Castro keyed New Yorks three-run fourth inning with a double that scored Didi Gregorius from first base, snapping a 10-game drought without an RBI.No. 9 batter Austin Romine lined a go-ahead single with two outs off the glove of diving second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Jacoby Ellsbury added another RBI single off Price, who gave up 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings as the Yankees prevented a three-game sweep.We had to bounce back, Gregorius said. For us, today showed that were fighting.Following a loss on Saturday, Girardi said the Yankees had to turn things around immediately and called Sunday night probably as important (a) game that weve had in July in a long time.New York responded with excellent pitching and a handful of timely hits.When you write up a win for us, this is exactly what we need, Romine said.All-Star slugger Carlos Beltran even called it a must-win game. Well aware he could be an attractive trade target if the Yankees (45-46) decide to sell before the Aug. 1 deadline, Beltran said the current 10-game homestand is important to what the future holds for a lot of guys here.Price (9-7) had only one strikeout following three consecutive outings with 10. Pedroia homered early for Boston, which remained two games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.Were right in this all the way through the end, manager John Farrell said.Tanaka (7-2) fanned seven with one walk over six innings of three-hit ball in his latest stingy performance on extra rest. Pitching with six days between starts, the Japanese right-hander improved to 6-0 in 11 starts with more than four days off.He is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA in his other eight games.More rest means more time to sort of get the inflammation out of your body, Tanaka said.Tanaka had Red Sox hitters in baseballs highest-scoring lineup chasing sliders and splitters below the strike zone. He threw just 87 pitches -- but that was all the Yankees needed because their three big bullpen arms were all fresh and ready to go.I thought he gave us everything he had and I thougght he aired it out in the sixth inning, Girardi said.dddddddddddd We have those three big guys down there for a reason, so Im going to go to them.Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman combined for three hitless innings. Chapman worked the ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances, and the Yankees upped their record to 17-1 when all three pitch in the same game.New Yorks bullpen has thrown 19 straight shutout innings.Boston hasnt swept a series at Yankee Stadium since June 2011, and the Red Sox havent won seven in a row overall since June 1, 2014.Youre the guy who goes out there and doesnt help us win that seventh one, thats tough, Price said.LOOSE WITH THE LEFTIESPrice, who leads the AL with 141 strikeouts, fell to 14-9 in 34 career games (33 starts) against the Yankees -- including 1-2 with a 7.79 ERA during his first season in Boston. The left-hander gave up six hits to left-handed hitters (in 11 at-bats), matching a career high.TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox: RHP Junichi Tazawa (shoulder impingement) threw all his stuff in a 40-pitch bullpen session. But the team would like Tazawa to face hitters in a simulated game -- likely Tuesday -- before activating him from the 15-day disabled list, Farrell said.Yankees: Slumping 1B Mark Teixeira sat out after fouling a ball off his left foot Saturday. He had a CT scan that was negative. Hes just sore, and hell probably be out a few days, Girardi said. Rob Refsnyder played first and went 0 for 3 with a walk. ... C Brian McCann was rested against the left-hander in favor of Romine, even though McCann is 10 for 29 (.345) with three homers vs. Price. Tanaka is 5-0 in six starts with Romine behind the plate.UP NEXTRed Sox: Following a day off, RHP Rick Porcello (11-2, 3.66 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Fenway Park against former Boston RHP Jake Peavy (5-7, 5.09) and the major league-leading San Francisco Giants in the opener of a nine-game homestand. That begins a stretch of 43 scheduled games in 44 days for the Red Sox. Bostons next 20 games are against teams outside the AL East. Farrell said the team thought Porcello would benefit from a few extra days of rest out of the All-Star break.Yankees: RHP Ivan Nova (6-5, 5.18 ERA) will pitch on 10 days rest when he starts the opener of a four-game series Monday night against Baltimore RHP Kevin Gausman (1-6, 4.15). Nova hasnt lasted six innings in any of his past five starts. ' ' '
