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  July 13, 2018 10:33 AM EEST

  WASHINGTON -- With the clock running out, President Obama took one last shot. Cheap NBA Jerseys .The man who spent the morning of his historic election eight years ago playing basketball spent some time on his way out of the White House to pay homage to two of the sports all-time greats.Tuesday was about much more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan, of course. Obama used his last presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony to honor 21 high-achieving Americans, from the woman whose computer programming enabled the Apollo program to land on the moon to the singers who have provided the soundtrack to our lives.?But through his selections, Obama placed two basketball players on the same level as all of them. It was the final salute to the sport from an administration that has embraced it more than any other White House occupant.And after Obama vocalized his appreciation for each and every honoree, be it actor or architect, then draped medals around their necks -- and with the teleprompter turned off -- Obama took a turn toward the personal.These are folks who have helped make me who I am, Obama said.Unlike the software of Bill Gates or even the songs of Bruce Springsteen, incorporating sports stars into American life is more optional than necessary. But if you care about basketball, Kareem and MJ were practically mandatory.If you play the game, at some point youve probably laced up a pair of Air Jordans or dreamed of supplanting Abdul-Jabbar as the NBAs all-time leading scorer. Still, it wasnt just their athletic accomplishments alone that led them to that stage in the White House East Room on Tuesday. And no, it wasnt about their forays into acting, even though Obama felt compelled to shout out Jordans movie Space Jam and Abdul-Jabbars role in Airplane even as they sat with such distinguished actors as Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks and Robert Redford.These medals are about impact. True American excellence.After Obama rolled off the litany of Jordan references that require no more explanation -- like 63 in the Garden, the shots over Ehlo and Russell and even the Crying Jordan meme -- he got down to the indisputable truth.There is a reason you call somebody The Michael Jordan of... Obama said. Because Michael Jordan is the Michael Jordan of greatness. He is the definition of somebody who is so good at what they do that everybody recognizes it. Thats pretty rare.Of Abdul-Jabbar, Obama said The reason we honor Kareem is more than just a pair of goggles and a skyhook. He stood up for his Muslim faith when it wasnt easy, and it wasnt popular. Hes as comfortable sparring with Bruce Lee as he is advocating on Capitol Hill, or writing with extraordinary eloquence about patriotism. Physically, intellectually, spiritually, Kareem is one of a kind: An American who illuminates both our most basic freedoms and our highest aspirations.Serious praise for someone known primarily as a basketball player, and likewise a banner day for the sport. Sometimes it takes the White House to make you realize how much basketball matters. On my first visit there in 1997 to see Bill Clinton honor the 1996 champion Chicago Bulls, the post-ceremony throng around Jordan was larger than the group waiting on Clinton. I shook Clintons hand that day; never got within shouting distance of MJ. Yes, it was easier to get next to the president of the United States than next to Jordan.Basketball mattered on Tuesday, as much as any other endeavor. Its worth noting that the sport also accounted for two of the four African-American honorees, along with entertainers Diana Ross and Cicely Tyson. It was like the Jay-Z line: All us blacks got is sports and entertainment.We can examine and discuss the lack of opportunities afforded African-Americans in nearly every other avenue. Its not an issue in basketball. Tuesday was a reward to the sport as much as it was a tribute to the medal recipients, as well as a reminder of the profound impact the game had on the first African-American president. Dzanan Musa Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Cheap Swingman Nets Jerseys . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. http://www.cheapnetsjerseys.com/ ;. Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. DETROIT -- Justin Verlander has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball for the last six weeks.For most of Tuesday night, he was again.Verlander came into the game having gone 5-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his previous eight starts, then only allowed four hits and a walk in seven-plus innings to the Kansas City Royals.The problem was that three of the hits were home runs, and the Royals went on to a 6-1 victory.Most of the time, Ill take my chances with giving up four hits, but tonight, every mistake I made got hit into the seats, Verlander said. They say solo homers dont hurt you, but that obviously wasnt the case today. It was just one of those games.Raul Mondesi, Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer all homered off Verlander, but Mondesi was the only one who got an ice bath after the game. Batting in the third inning, he hit a hanging slider just inside the right-field foul pole for his first career homer.As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going to stay fair, so I just started running, he said. Im sure everyone could see me smiling when it went over the fence. That was a great feeling.Hitting it off Verlander made things even better.It makes it more special that I hit it in my first at-bat against that guy, he said. Hes a great, great pitcher, and I hit my first homer against him.Kendrys Morales added Kansas Citys fourth solo homer, hitting one off Mark Lowe in the ninth.Danny Duffy (10-1) outdueled Verlander, allowing three hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out five.Youd expect a pitchers duel from those two, and thats really what it was, Royals manager Ned Yost said. Danny was great, and Verlander threw the ball really well. We only got four hits off him, but somehow, three of them were homers. You dont expect that.Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered for Detroits only run. The Tigers have lost seven of nine.We just need to win, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. Our offense is cold right now, and the opposing pitching has a lot to do with that, but sometimes you just go cold as a group.Kansas Citys second hit came in the fifth inning, when Gordon hit another slider into nearly the same spot as Mondesi. Gordon came into the game with a .205 career average against the Tigers ace.Duffy only needed 41 pitches over the first four innings, but Saltalamacchia put the Tigers on the board with a fifth-inning homer into the shrubs above the centerfield fence.Hosmer restored Kansas Citys two-run lead with a seventh-inning homer to center field that was estimated at 443 feet. It was thhe fifth hit of the game -- four solo homers and a double by Detroits J. Wholesale Nets Jerseys. D. Martinez.Victor Martinez got the games first single in the seventh. J.D. Martinez hit into a force at second, but moved to third on a wild pitch and a fly ball. Duffy, though, struck out James McCann to end the inning.Detroits defense fell apart at the start of the eighth. Gordon hit a routine grounder to third, but ended up on second when Saltalamacchia missed Casey McGehees throw. Alcides Escobar singled to left with Gordon taking third, then moved to second when Justin Upton lobbed the ball into the infield.Verlander walked Mondesi on his 112th and final pitch, loading the bases. Bruce Rondon came in from the bullpen and struck out Paolo Orlando, but Cheslor Cuthbert hit a blooper to shallow center that Ian Kinsler got under, but dropped.Kinsler recovered in time to force Escobar at third, but Gordon scored to make to it 4-1. Lorenzo Cain doubled to give the Royals a four-run lead.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: Three pitchers with long-term injuries are scheduled to make rehab performances this week. Kris Medlen, out since May with a rotator cuff problem, started Tuesday night for Surprise in the Arizona League, while Jason Vargas (Tommy John surgery) is scheduled to start for Double-A Northwest Arizona on Wednesday. Mike Minor (shoulder) is supposed to pitch for Triple-A Omaha on Friday. Vargas and Minor have both missed the entire season.Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera was out of the starting lineup Tuesday with a strained left biceps. The injury, sustained in Mondays loss to the Royals, is not considered serious. Cabrera said after the game that he hopes to play on Wednesday. ... Jordan Zimmermann (neck) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, and is scheduled to throw another on Thursday.TIGERS TRADEThe Tigers announced shortly before the first pitch that they had traded utilityman Mike Aviles and minor-league catcher Kade Scivicque to Atlanta for infielder Erick Aybar. General manager Al Avila said the move was designed to give the Tigers more offense off the bench. Aybar is hitting .242 this season as opposed to Aviles .210.UP NEXTThe teams finish their three-game series on Wednesday evening, with Kansas Citys Yordano Ventura (8-9, 4.60) facing Anibal Sanchez (6-12, 6.31). Sanchez has allowed 23 homers in 19 starts and only lasted four innings in his last outing. Cheap NFL Hoodies Cheap Nike NFL JerseysWholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Jerseys NFL China Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '