. Theyre constantly looking to share the ball.WELCOME

A highlight of any Hall of Fame ceremony, like the one Friday at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is the introduction of past Hall of Famers who have managed to unearth their dark blue Hall of Fame blazers and show up for a deserving round of applause.There is something reassuring in the informal recognition of such living legends, setting the stage as they do for the individuals about to join them in the Hall. Tradition sometimes can be distracting and continuity overrated, but in this case, it does the heart and soul good to know that certain bars have been set at their lofty heights for many years, and will be for years to come.The Hall of Famers called forward on Friday included jockeys Eddie Maple, Chris McCarron, John Velazquez, Jose Santos, Angel Cordero, Jorge Velasquez, Manny Ycaza, Braulio Baeza, and Walter Blum. The Thoroughbred trainers on hand were Bill Mott, Carl Nafzger, D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito, Shug McGaughey, and Jonathan Sheppard. The steeplechase wing was represented by not only Sheppard, who bestrides both worlds, but also Janet Elliot and Jerry Fishback. Their records are public, and imposing.The arc of the Hall of Fame began in 1955 with the induction of nine horses, 12 jockeys, and six trainers. None of them were Man o War, Eddie Arcaro, or Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, which should give you a pretty good idea of how deep the Hall of Fame founders dove to stock the freshman class.Over the decades, the rules for induction have changed, sometimes even for the better. At the end of the day, though, the right people and the right horses seem to end up in the Hall of Fame, no matter how long it takes.It is a good thing that Hall of Famers are still striding around the game, in whatever capacities, and the demographics of the Class of 2016 offer the prospect of more of the same. Steve Asmussen is 50, Ramon Dominguez is 39, Zenyatta is 12, and Rachel Alexandra is 10. Long may they hang around.On that score, here are the Hall of Famers who have been around the longest:Well split the honor among trainers. Jack Van Berg was inducted in 1985 at the tender age of 49 and gets to tell folks hes been in the Hall of Fame longer than any other trainer, even Ron McAnally, who joined the Hall in 1990. At 84, though, McAnally is the oldest living trainer in the Hall, and for those who just tuned in, McAnally trained Donut King to win the 1961 Champagne Stakes and Quick Casablanca to win the 2016 San Juan Capistrano. Some guys never give up.Claiborne Farm was very much in the Hall of Fame spotlight on Friday with the induction of Arthur Bull Hancock Jr. and William Woodward Sr. as Pillars of the Turf. Hancock developed Claiborne into a world-class breeding establishment, and the Woodward family was deeply involved.It is fitting, then, that the oldest living female racehorse in the Hall of Fame is Inside Information, the champion older mare of 1995 and a hale and happy 25 living in a pasture with other retired mares at Claiborne Farm. Racing for Ogden Mills Phipps, Inside Information is a granddaughter of Damascus, who carried the Woodward colors through the Bancroft branch of the family and was Horse of the Year in 1967. Damascus is buried at Claiborne Farm.Zenyatta lives at Lanes End Farm. So does A.P. Indy, who is 27 and ranks as the oldest living male Hall of Famer. A.P. Indy was retired from stallion duties last year. With champions like Mineshaft, Bernardini, and Honor Code at stud, plus daughters such as Rags to Riches, Secret Status, Dreaming of Julia, and Got Lucky, chances are his legacy is set for decades to come.It was great to see Walter Blum, 81, introduced with his contemporaries Manny Ycaza, 78, and Braulio Baeza, 76, at the ceremony. They all take a backseat, however, to Sam Boulmetis Sr., who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 alongside Bold Ruler, Hollie Hughes, and Fred Burlew. Boulmetis is 89.I was with Sam just last Sunday at a family gathering, said Tony Black, whose mother, Margie, is Sams sister. Hes doing fine.Black, 65, has never officially retired but has not ridden a race for several months. Blacks record of 5,208 winners dwarfs Boulmetiss total of 2,783. Then again, Boulmetis rode only until age 39 before retiring to become a racing official.The Boulmetis record is replete with quality stakes wins, including the Washington, D.C., International, the Beldame, the Widener, the Brooklyn Handicap, the Laurel Futurity, and three runnings of the Monmouth Handicap on his home turf.We must have visited for three or four hours, Black said. He had a stellar career, and it wasnt really plagued with injuries. A broken leg might have been the worst he had. He was in good shape physically when he got out, and he told me he never missed getting on horses. He had a new career to go into as an official, and thats how he wanted to stay in the game and make a contribution.He was a hard ass, but he had a real respect level among jockeys, and he was truly professional, Black added. We could use a few more like him in the stewards stand today. 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MINNEAPOLIS -- An off-court investigation and ankle injury slowed down Reggie Lynch earlier this year.Now his coach believes the redshirt junior is one of the Big Tens best players in the middle.Lynch and Jordan Murphy each had a double-double and Minnesota pulled away to beat Northern Illinois 77-57 Sunday.Lynch scored 11 of his career-high tying 18 points in the second half. His 11 rebounds were two off a career best.Murphy had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota (10-1). Nate Mason finished with 11 points and Akeem Springs and Dupree McBrayer had 10.I played pretty good, but everyone all around did very well, Lynch said.Accused of sexual assault in May and not allowed to practice with the team until it was announced in August he would not be charged with a crime, Lynch, who transferred from Illinois State, also missed the Nov. 25 game with an injured ankle.He just needs as many reps as he can, but I thought he was terrific today, said coach Richard Pitino. To me, I think hes one of the better centers in the league. . Hes a game-changer for us.Lynch feels like hes had a groove the whole time.I know how to play the game, he said. My teammates are finding me and everyone is playing really well. Even if Im in a little bit of pain on defense or trying to score I know my team has my back.Lynch and Murphy combined for 12 of Minnesotas first 21 second-half points as the Gophers, who led by six at the break, built a 50-38 lead. Springs, who played two seasons at Northern Illinois, had a 3-pointer and layup in that stretch.I thought that Lynch, he came out and it seemed like he wouldnt miss a shot in the first half. We tried to slow him down in the second half, but it just wasnt enough, said Northern Illinois coach Mark Montgomery.The Huskies (4-5) loost for the fourth time in five games.dddddddddddd They were led by Marshawn Wilsons 19 points. Dontel Highsmith had 10.Northern Illinois has lost 14 straight games to Big Ten opponents since Dec. 14, 1999.Minnesota finished with a 48-28 rebounding advantage and was 25-for-30 from the free-throw line after entering the game with a 67.8 percent rate.PASSING FANCYMinnesota finished with 17 assists on 24 baskets.I think our whole team is really, really willing passers, Pitino said. Theyre very unselfish. . They look like theyre having fun together. Theyre constantly looking to share the ball.WELCOME HOMEA smattering of cheers could be heard when Northern Illinois Wilson made a play. He went to high school about 10 miles from Williams Arena and was a finalist for the states 2015 Mr. Basketball award. He had 13 points in his first six games before Sunday.BIG PICTURENorthern Illinois: The Huskies need to shoot better away from the basket. Northern Illinois had zero points outside the paint in the first half and finished with 10. The Huskies were 2-for-11 on 3-point attempts.Minnesota: The Gophers, who struggled in a 74-68 win over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Wednesday but beat Georgia Southern by 37 on Friday, continue to seek offensive consistency. They shot just 30 percent in the first half despite a 5-for-21 start, but 53.6 percent in the second 20 minutes.UP NEXTNorthern Illinois: Plays its only home game in a 35-day stretch Wednesday against Olivet Nazarene. The Huskies have four road games in that span.Minnesota: The Gophers are home Wednesday against LIU Brooklyn before a nine-day layoff for final exams. ' ' '