joined

Inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by definition have plenty of marvelous memories when reflecting on the career accomplishments that led them to Cooperstown.

Bumps in the road were inevitable as well.

One big bump for Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones came with the Dodgers in 2008, Kent’s last of 17 MLB seasons and Jones’ first following 12 years with the Atlanta Braves.

Suffice to say neither will enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Dodgers cap.

Kent signed with the Dodgers ahead of the 2005 season fresh off a National League Championship Series Game 7 loss with the Houston Astros. Already recognized as perhaps the top power-hitting second baseman of all-time, he yearned for a championship ring to make his career complete.

Jones, a center fielder from the Caribbean island of Curaçao, signed a two-year, $36-million contract with the Dodgers at age 31 only three years removed from leading the National League with 51 home runs and 128 runs batted in. Already the winner of 10 Gold Gloves, he also was chasing a title after losing twice in the Fall Classic.

“It’s one of those things where we didn’t sign to make the Hall of Fame, we played this game because we love it and because we wanted to win championships,” Jones said Friday.

The Dodgers had high expectations in 2008. Joe Torre, with four World Series championships as manager of the New York Yankees on his resume, was in his first year in L.A. The roster was a blend of accomplished veterans (Nomar Garciaparra, Greg Maddux, Derek Lowe and midseason pickup Manny Ramirez) and budding stars (Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, James Loney and midseason call-up Clayton Kershaw).

Kent was the resident no-nonsense, old-school veteran whose bat remained potent at age 40. Near the end of the previous season he had gone public with his frustrations about the approach of some of the young players.

“A lot of kids in here, they don’t understand that … you hate to waste an opportunity, even if it’s one and even if it’s your first time,” he said at the time. “It’s hard to get them to understand that because they haven’t been there.”

By spring training in what he acknowledged would be his final season, Kent had gotten over it and was ready for a last try.

“So much is made of the idea that we should be hugging, that we should all go out to dinner, but more important is the translation of talent and knowledge, with the older guys showing what they know and the younger ones asking for it,” he said.

Jones was expected to lock down center field and provide leadership. But a poor start and a midseason knee injury torpedoed his performance. He batted .158 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 75 games and suffered torn cartilage in his right knee that required surgery and landed him on the disabled list for the first time in his career.

Kent, as always, was consistent at the plate, batting .280, but he also sustained a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery and sidelined him for all of September.

In what could have been a legit postseason opportunity, Jones did not play and Kent came off the bench to go 0 for 9 during an NLDS sweep of the Cubs and five-game loss to the Phillies in the NLCS.

Kent will wear a Giants cap into Cooperstown. His six seasons playing alongside Barry Bonds vaulted him into the conversation as the best-hitting second baseman of all-time. He drove in more than 100 runs eight times, was NL MVP in 2000 and finished his career with 55.4 wins above replacement (WAR).

In a video call with reporters Wednesday, Kent made it clear that his heart belongs not to San Francisco or L.A., but to Austin, Texas, where he lives on a ranch.

“I’m a boring guy,” he said. “I chase grandkids and chase cows and ride motorcycles. When I retired I kind of went into my hole in Austin and I like living in my hole.”

Jones will don a Braves cap. He made his debut at 19 in 1996 and hit 25 or more home runs in 10 consecutive seasons beginning in 1998, finishing his career with 434 homers and 62.7 WAR.

“When I came [to Atlanta] at the young age of 19, they welcomed me in,” he said. “I never moved from here. I made Atlanta my home.”

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Sunday, July 26 at 10:30 a.m. PDT. Outfielder Carlos Beltrán will be inducted along with Kent and Jones.

“It’s a bigger emotional deal than I ever thought it would be, absolutely,” Kent said. “I still tear up talking about it.”

Added Jones: “Thinking that this kid from Curaçao who came here chasing a dream, gets a chance to play a sport he loves and ends up in Cooperstown, is wild.”

SCISSOR SISTERS added some Spice to their set supporting Duran Duran – by inviting Melanie C to join them on stage.

Gushing over landing Sporty Spice as a special guest at the BST Hyde Park Festival on Sunday, frontman Jake Shears said: “We love Melanie C, she’s always been the loveliest person.

“She loves what she does, she’s a killer singer, so we’re so happy she could join us.

“We’re all big show ponies!

“We’ve had a blast.”

Jake told the audience he still can’t believe the group are still going strong and selling out arenas this far into their career, adding: “It’s been 25 years for us this year, and we’ve gone from literally singing along to CDs to being a fully fledged band in that time.

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“Showmanship takes a long time to learn, as does enjoying yourself on stage.

“Our favourite moments on stage are when we achieve a sense of, ‘What the hell is going on here?’”

Reflecting on their sometimes chaotic live shows, Jake spoke of a particularly memorable performance with the late Dead or Alive singer Pete Burns.

He recalled: “One of our best collaborations has to be in the early days with Pete.

“He was such a special, special human being.

“He was a fierce, amazing character – in stilettos – and we like that, we like a little bit of chaos.

“That show was dangerous, scary, and fun.

“We look back at those times and feel like that was another era, those are people that are gone now.

“It’s very special to know we could do that with someone we looked up to before even becoming a band.”

CAUGHT LIVE: LONDON ROCKED BY METALLICA

FOR a band 45 years into their career, Metallica were still full of life as they tore through the final night of their three-year M72 World Tour.

The rockers turned London Stadium into a theatre on Sunday with an in-the-round stage in the centre of the venue as part of their “no repeats” weekend.

They also played there on Friday night but vowed there would be an entirely different setlist.

That meant they didn’t play many of their hits, but still had plenty of material to keep going for over two hours.

The gig fell on the one-year anniversary of the Back To The Beginning concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park, which the band performed at and where Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne played for the final time.

Honouring the late rocker as his widow Sharon watched on from the crowd, they covered the Sabbath epic, Electric Funeral.

Ending on their biggest UK hit Enter Sandman, it was clear Metallica are still at the top of their game.

★★★★☆

Thanks a bunch, Sara

SARA COX kicked off her tenure as the host of the Radio 2 breakfast show by blasting out Lizzo‘s About Damn Time just after 6.30am.

Full of beans, she was congratulated on air over her new job by Hollywood star Tom Hanks, before leaving the studio with flowers just after 10am.

It sounds like Sara’s taking it old school with a new feature called SurpRise And Shine, where she will phone up listeners who have to answer with a specific phrase to win a special prize – either orange socks with her face on or a Sara-branded toothbrush.

One person who definitely wasn’t listening to Sara’s debut though was sacked host Scott Mills.

His husband Sam Vaughan posted a rare story on Instagram which showed he had snubbed the show and was tuning in to Heart Radio instead.

Can’t say that I blame him . . . 

Hot Tyla, so cool

IF this heatwave carries on, I might have to start dressing like TYLA just to stay cool.

The South African singer took to the stage at Afro Nation festival in Portugal at the weekend wearing this miniscule white top and the tiniest of black miniskirts.

She is gearing up to release her second studio album A*Pop on July 24, which includes her recent singles Chanel and She Did It Again featuring Zara Larsson.

I’ve got a sneaking suspicion we can expect a tour announcement in the not-so-distant future, too.

Tyla was forced to cancel her first headline tour in 2024 due to injury, but she was back on stage last year and is earning rave reviews for her festival sets.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed it isn’t long until she’s back here in the UK.

Shania ends in Styles

HARRY Styles had a smile on his face and the Three Lions on his chest before taking to the stage for the 12th and final night of his record-breaking Wembley Stadium residency.

He posed backstage with Shania Twain, who has been opening for him at the shows, which have been seen by almost one million fans.

Writing on Instagram after the concert – where fellow singer Kylie Minogue and actress Rosamund Pike were spotted in the audience – Shania said: “Thank you again @harrystyles for the memories. You have the greatest fans! Leaving London with an overflowing cup – happy and grateful.”

MADONNA’s Confessions II is now outselling the rest of the Top Five combined in the UK album charts, as it races to become her first No1 record in 14 years.

It came out on Friday and is also on track to land two singles in the Top 40 – Danceteria and her Sabrina Carpenter collab, Bring Your Love.

Prince Harry will not be joined by his wife the Duchess of Sussex and their two children when he visits London next week, it is understood.

Meghan, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, will not travel to London as had originally been planned after it was confirmed that the family would not be provided with taxpayer funded police security during the visit.

There remains a possibility that they will join Harry later in the week when the trip moves from London to the Midlands.

Harry is in the UK on a five-day trip to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.

Last month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accepted an offer to stay in a royal residence with their two children during the visit.

He had previously said he wouldn’t bring his wife and children to the country without improved security arrangements.

Speaking to the BBC last year, he said he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point”.

The challenge over security has been over the rulings of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which decides on the security provision for senior royals and other public figures.

Prince Harry and Meghan were last together in the UK in 2022, at the time of the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He has since travelled to the UK alone – he met his father on a trip last September.

The new Air Force VC-25B Bridge jet “has officially arrived at the Presidential Airlift Group and will commence its initial commissioning flights, marking the successful delivery of a secure, modified executive platform,” the Air Force announced Friday afternoon. As we have reported in the past, this modified, Qatari-gifted 747-8i, is set to serve as an interim Air Force One aircraft ahead of the much-delayed arrival of two fully outfitted VC-25Bs from Boeing. The jet wears President Trump’s preferred paint scheme, a major change for dedicated Air Force One aircraft, which have worn the Kennedy-era scheme for over 60 years.

Commissioning flights are the “final exam” for the aircraft modification, the Air Force explained in a media release. “They provide both an opportunity for the White House enterprise to validate mission-capability, while also finalizing protocols required to safely and securely transport the President of the United States and enable his execution of his three constitutional roles; Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, and Head of State.”

Once these flights are successfully completed, the aircraft is officially “commissioned” into the active executive airlift fleet and becomes available for presidential missions along with the VC-25A and C-32 fleets, the service added in a release that included the new jet in its Trump-preferred red, white and blue livery.

You can read all about the program and the controversy surrounding it, especially having to do with the level of security and connectivity this aircraft provides, in our previous story here.

The VC-25B appears to be in the presidential hangar facility at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. You can read more about that in our story here.

UPDATE: 4:14 PM EDT –

Trump held a press conference at the presidential hangar facility to talk about the VC-25B. Here are some highlights.

“Our pilots, designers, and engineers prepared an aircraft that is the largest Air Force One ever built. It flies further and faster than any Air Force One. Those are incredible engines. You may never have to stop for fuel. They call it unlimited — well, it’s pretty close to unlimited. And it is among the most beautiful aircraft the Air Force will ever see or operate. You’ll never have this opportunity again.”

“With the extraordinary devotion of many of you here today, this plane was transformed into a flying White House — at a level of luxury nobody’s ever seen before — in only 10 months, a timeframe no one thought possible. They put a lot of things on here that normally you wouldn’t. Great protective mechanisms, the latest and greatest in every aspect.”

“We have communications equipment up there that nobody’s ever seen before — the highest level, including Starlink. My friend Elon is going to be very happy. We have four or five different sets of double and triple communications systems like people haven’t seen. It represents what can happen with hard work, innovation, and aggressive timelines.”

“So we had it all painted up in the new colors — red, white, and blue. We liked the baby blue, but it was time for a change. This is the sleekest look. When they asked what color I wanted, I said, “I like the colors of the American flag.” That makes sense. All of the planes in the fleet are being changed to this look — a much better look, and a more appropriate one.”

“The workmanship of this plane — when you see it, you won’t believe it. The quality of the woods, the quality of the materials, the quality of the engines. These engines are the finest and best in the world. Nothing like it. So it’s really an honor, and I want to thank the Emir of Qatar. He’s a fantastic guy. He went through a lot over the last few months.”

• On the VC-25A he used to fly to the G7 summit:

“My return from the G7 summit was the last planned trip aboard the VC-25A — the 747. We’ll probably do the museum thing. We’ll get them fixed up a little, and put them in museums. They’re great planes and great history. It’s a plane that was authorized by President Ronald Reagan so many years ago. It was flown by every president since George H.W. Bush, and it was a great plane. We had very little trouble with it. Boeing has done a fantastic job — they charge too much, but we’re going to get the prices down. Over its lifetime, that aircraft traveled to 96 countries on 223 international trips and flew over 6 million miles. It became the most famous airplane in the entire world. And as you know, it’s actually two planes — Air Force One is two planes, totally identical. The only way I can tell them apart is a slight difference in the wood grain on the desk. They became the most famous airplanes in the world.”

• On the July 4 capital flyover:

“So we’re going to have a big July 4th at the Capitol — flying over the Capitol. The generals promise to do a lot — not just one pass. They’ll do a little back and forth.”

UPDATE: 5:02 PM EDT –

Author’s note: Trump’s statement that his “return from the G7 summit was the last planned trip aboard the VC-25A” contradicts what the Air Force told us yesterday:

“The VC-25B Bridge aircraft will soon join the active executive airlift fleet alongside the VC-25A and C-32,” an Air Force spokesperson told TWZ this morning, but did not offer a firm timeline. When asked if this also meant that both of the VC-25As would remain in the service’s active executive airlift fleet, the same spokesperson said “yes.”

UPDATE 5:25 PM EDT –

Trump left his mark on the aircraft with his signature.