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BALTIMORE -- Jonathan Ogden spent his entire 12-year career with the Baltimore Ravens, played in 11 Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl ring and earned a berth in the Hall of Fame. And Ozzie Newsome saw it all coming -- long before Ogden made his debut as one of the finest offensive linemen in NFL history. Newsome was in charge of the Ravens draft in 1996, the teams first season in Baltimore after moving from Cleveland. The Ravens desperately needed an impact player with the fourth overall selection, someone who could steer the transplanted franchise on a course to greatness. "That was not a pick we wanted to end up three years later going, Good God Almighty, what the heck did we do?" recalled David Modell, the son of then-owner Art Modell and a key front-office component. "That pick had to be good." Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips, a troubled but talented star, was an option. So was Ogden, a 6-foot-9 offensive tackle out of UCLA. The day before the draft, Newsome made it clear: Ogden was the choice. "Ozzie said, Jonathan Ogden will be a perennial Pro Bowl player, will play for this franchise for his career and will have a decent shot at going into the Hall of Fame," Modell said. "What a Babe Ruth call that was." Ogden was the first player drafted by the Ravens, and Saturday he will formally become the teams first entrant into the Hall of Fame. "Hes going to be the Ravens golden child forever," said Edwin Mulitalo, who played guard alongside Ogden for eight years. How appropriate that Newsome will serve as Ogdens presenter at the Hall of Fame ceremony. "He brought me in to Baltimore," Ogden said. "I could always go talk to him, be honest with him. Hes just one of the people that I really respect in the business. It just kind of made sense to me." Newsome, in turn, owes a debt of gratitude to Ogden for justifying his decision in the Ravens inaugural draft. Although the team was in dire need of a running back and already had two solid offensive tackles, Newsome chose Ogden because he was the highest-ranked player on Baltimores board. That philosophy remains in place today and has enabled the Ravens general manager to produce two Super Bowl champions. Newsome often considers what might have happened if he picked Phillips, who totalled 35 games for three different teams over a dismal three-year span. "I could say 17 years later, I probably wouldnt have this job. Its as simple as that," Newsome said. "Lawrence had some productive years, but he didnt pan out. And I dont know if we would have been able to provide the structure he needed. We felt like we could have, but I dont know if wed have been able to do it." As a rookie, Ogden played left guard between veteran tackles Orlando Brown and Tony Jones. In his second season, Ogden became an immovable force at left tackle and remained there the rest of his career. Ogden was a star on the field and a leader within the locker room and on the sideline. He didnt have the bluster of the Ravens other first-round pick in 1996, linebacker Ray Lewis, but the big man showed enough emotion to be noticed by his teammates -- especially after being asked to repeatedly drop back to protect the passer. "He was a great pass blocker, and he was a very technical player," Mulitalo said. "But man, he loved to run block. There were times he got frustrated on the sideline, and most of the time it was because we were getting a little pass-happy. Whenever we switched to the run, he was like a little kid. Maybe the most fun playing next to him was when we actually run-blocked. He took pride in doing that." Many of Baltimores biggest games during Ogdens tenure came against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The majority of those duels were gritty, helmet-banging affairs perfectly suited for Ogdens old-school mentality. Along the way, he made a very favourable impression on then-Steelers coach Bill Cowher. "Jonathan is, without a doubt, a Hall of Fame player who is one of the very best left tackles in NFL history," Cowher recalled. "We couldnt beat him with speed rushers, and he would just engulf power rushers. Those long arms, the great feet, the strength -- he has it all." Ogden wont be talking much at the induction ceremony this weekend. He never did much like boasting about himself. "J.O. is one of the more humble guys Ive ever played with," said Jamal Lewis, who ran behind Ogden plenty of times in 2003 on his way to compiling a franchise-record 2,066 yards rushing. "He led by example and was never outworked. Ive never seen anybody protect the left side the way he did." Ogden was only 33 years old when he quit the game after the 2007 season. He had been fighting a nagging foot injury for years and finally had enough. "He could have continued playing," Mulitalo said. "His 75, 80 per cent was probably better than most of the players in the league. But when youre that good, you hold yourself to a different standard, you know?" Current Ravens coach John Harbaugh had just replaced Brian Billick in January 2008 when Ogden dropped by to talk. "I was really excited to meet him," Harbaugh recalled this week. "And then he told me he was going to retire. After I wiped the tears off my cheeks, I hugged him, and I begged and pleaded, Can we get one more year out of you? But he said no." Harbaugh didnt get the chance to coach Ogden, but he knows enough about him to assess his place in NFL history. "Probably the best left tackle that ever played football," Harbaugh said. "Hes one of the two faces on the Ravens Mount Rushmore, for sure." The other, of course, being Lewis, who retired after last season and is a virtual shoo-in to join Ogden in the NFL Hall of Fame. But Ogden will always be the first pick in the history of the franchise, and the first to have his bust in Canton, Ohio. "It feels great," he said. "When I was playing, I was just out there working. I couldnt help the fact that I was the Ravens first pick. It just kind of happened, and in my mind, all I wanted to do was go out there and help the guys win. So I dont look at it in that perspective. When I do step outside of myself and look at it, its like, Wow, that guy, he had it pretty good." Sale Tom Brady Jersey . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Tom Brady Jersey Throwback . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/michael-jordan-jersey/ . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Womens Michael Jordan Jersey .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. Michael Jordan Jersey Throwback . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. LONDON -- Instead of the ninth all-Williams final at a Grand Slam tournament, there will be a rematch of another sort to determine the title at Wimbledon.And so as Serena Williams again stands one victory from her record-tying 22nd major title, she will need to beat a woman who already stopped her once this year in that pursuit, Angelique Kerber.After Williams needed all of 48 minutes to overwhelm Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-0 at the All England Club, older sister Venus failed to join in the family fun, losing to Kerber 6-4, 6-4 in Thursdays second semifinal.Since winning her sixth Wimbledon trophy a year ago to raise her career count at Grand Slam events to 21, Serena has come quite close to pulling even with Steffi Graf at 22 -- the most in the Open era, which began in 1968 (Margaret Courts all-time mark is 24). But the American lost to?Roberta Vinci in the US Open semifinals last September, then to Kerber in the Australian Open final in January and Garbine Muguruza in the French Open final last month.Reaching the final at each of a years first three major tournaments might sound good to other players.Not to this one.For anyone else in this whole planet, it would be a wonderful accomplishment, Serena said. For me, its about, obviously, holding the trophy and winning, which would make it a better accomplishment for me. For me, its not enough. But I think thats what makes me different. Thats what makes me Serena.Yes, she is one of a kind.When a reporter asked what she makes of it when others talk about her as one of historys greatest female athletes, this was the reply: I prefer the word, one of the greatest athletes of all time.Hard to argue.And the case will be even stronger if she can do what she couldnt in Melbourne: solve Kerbers left-handed game.I know, Kerber said, she will go out and try everything to beat me right now.That Australian Open victory gave Kerber her first Grand Slam title in her first Grand Slam final.She insisted Thursday shes more relaxed and more confident on court, thanks to that big moment.She didnt necessarily look that way at the outset against Venus, who at 36 was the oldest major semifinalist since Martina Navratilova was 37 at the All England Club in 1994.Venus is a five-time Wimbledon champion but hadnt been to the semifinals since she waas the runner-up to Serena seven years ago.ddddddddddddSteps away from making it to the end, Venus said. Thats the position I want to be in, is playing in the semifinals, playing for a space in the final.Against Kerber, Venus was broken the first four times she served and never recovered.A very shaky match from her. She was fighting hard, but she was frustrated. I could tell, said Venus coach, David Witt. Her concentration was up and down. The focus was up and down. That made her game up and down.Perhaps the accumulated court time during this fortnight simply took a toll on Venus, who revealed in 2011 that she had Sjongrens syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain.She was a half-step slow to some balls, was breathing heavily after longer points and wound up with 21 unforced errors, 10 more than Kerber.I was trying to [move] her, as well, the fourth-seeded Kerber said. That was the plan.After a running cross-court forehand winner capped the 19-stroke exchange that ended her victory, Kerber tossed aside her racket and dropped to her knees at the baseline.That match managed to be more competitive than what transpired earlier, which more closely resembled a training session for the No. 1-ranked Serena -- except she probably gets more of a workout when she practices.I couldnt do anything today, Vesnina said.Serenas serve was in fine form, reaching 123 mph and producing 11 aces against the 50th-ranked Vesnina, who was making her major semifinal debut. Serena won 28 of 31 points she served, including the last 17.An almost perfect match, said Serenas coach, Patrick Mouratoglou.Serena had Vesnina looking defeated after all of 12 points. Thats when, after sprinting for a forehand that landed in the net, the Russian leaned over, sighed and slumped her shoulders.There would be plenty more of that sort of body language from Vesnina, a two-time Wimbledon runner-up in doubles who later Thursday went out in the quarterfinals of that event and lost to Serena a second time.The Williams-Williams pairing beat Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-2.That means Venus still has a chance to leave Wimbledon with a trophy, just like her sister. ' ' '