k, but hes still a highly volatile pitcher who is particularly generous to right-handed hitters (.385 wOBA). With the Mets on the docket, Yoenis Cespedes and switch-hitters Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera should be high on the priority list.Drawing the lowest game score of the day is Jason Vargas, who

LOS ANGELES -- Maybe its not Bernard Hopkins favorite song, but it has meaning to him, which is why before his fights in recent years, he has walked out to the ring to the strain of Frank Sinatras My Way.For most of his legendary career, Hopkins indeed has done things his way, against all odds, whether he was fighting the system (his battles with promoters are legendary), imposing his unbreakable will on opponents, being a master of mental games or breaking records (20 consecutive middleweight title defenses and the oldest fighter to win a world title, first at age 46 and then again at 48).Although Hopkins has not fought since losing two light heavyweight world titles to Sergey Kovalev by one-sided decision in a unification fight 25 months ago, he wanted one more fight. He wanted to go out his way.Philadelphias Hopkins, a month shy of his 52nd birthday but still in extraordinary physical and mental condition, will bow out on his own terms when he takes on Joe Smith Jr. in a 12-round light heavyweight fight on Saturday night (HBO, 10 p.m. ET/PT) at The Forum in Inglewood, California.Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) insists that the fight with Smith, who earned Hopkins attention with his upset first-round knockout of contender Andrzej Fonfara in June, will be the last of his incredible 28-year career.Whether you want to call him The Executioner or The Alien, Hopkins established a Hall of Fame legacy many years ago. During his career, which began when Ronald Reagan was still president and a year before Smith was born, Hopkins was the undisputed middleweight champion, a three-time light heavyweight titleholder, and pulled memorable upsets against Felix Trinidad, Antonio Tarver, Kelly Pavlik and Jean Pascal, not to mention knocking out Oscar De La Hoya, a man who later became his business partner and close friend, to become the first fighter in any division in the four-belt era to hold all of them at the same time.Hopkins, of course, did not have to come back to the ring after the loss to Kovalev. Having overcome a 4?-year prison sentence for armed robbery, Hopkins made something of himself. He is now a wealthy man with various business interests, including real estate holdings, a stake in Golden Boy Promotions, a burgeoning career as an analyst on HBO and owner of a monumental boxing legacy.But Hopkins, as always, wanted to do things his way. That meant not walking away off a loss to Kovalev. It meant one more fight, one he wanted against a credible opponent.I want the book to be written good, Hopkins said. The last thing you remember about a good book is not the beginning, its the ending. I look at this as the final icing on the cake or that exclamation point. This is it. You know this is history.I achieved my first goal of success in the first part of my life. That was rougher than boxing. If you know anything about Bernard Hopkins history, if you go into details about the inner-city Philadelphia guy, who was in the penitentiary from age 17 to 25 and survived, youd realize I became champion a long time ago. We, as humans, put limitations on ourselves. When all is said and done, I dont want to regret what I didnt do.So with no regrets, Hopkins went through one more training camp, this time with John David Jackson as his head trainer after parting ways with longtime trainer Naazim Richardson for reasons neither cared to explain.In the co-feature, 24-year-old featherweight up-and-comer Joseph JoJo Diaz (22-0, 13 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian from South El Monte, California, will fight Horacio Violento Garcia (30-1-1, 22 KOs), 26, of Mexico, in a scheduled 10-rounder. In the opener, cruiserweight world titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (10-0, 9 KOs), 29, the 2012 Ukrainian Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, will make his first defense against Thabiso The Rock Mchunu (17-2, 11 KOs), 28, of South Africa.Hopkins stays in shape all the time. He has done that from Day 1 of his career. But he admitted that it was tough going back into camp after such a long layoff and at such an advanced boxing age.As much as I stay in shape and shadow box -- the shadows dont punch back -- I got my ass kicked the first few days of sparring, Hopkins said. I know certain positioning and punches that I normally slide away from, and I know the timing, but it wasnt there. After about two weeks, my timing came back, and I was fine. But you realize your body is saying, Were going to do this again?There were some kinks, some adjustments I had to make to get back into the flow. I think its more on the inactivity of not having contact than my age.Hopkins said the layoff was not by design. He had been staying in shape and looking for a fight, often bugging De La Hoya and Golden Boy president Eric Gomez about what they might be able to line up for him. He would have loved to have moved down to super middleweight and challenge for a world title, but any notion of that prospect vanished earlier in the year when Arthur Abraham, a possible opponent, lost his title.Winning a title is significant, but it wasnt the most important thing, Hopkins said. I have a lot of belts at home that I can look at it. This last fight wasnt about a championship.So he sat, but never thought about not fighting once more.I look at it as rest coming off the Kovalev fight, which was a grueling fight, as having benefited me more than if I would have fought last year, Hopkins said. I had that stretch to figure out what I wanted to do and also stayed in shape.As much as Hopkins wants the buildup to the fight with Smith (22-1, 18 KOs), a 27-year-old Mastic, New York, union laborer, to be a celebration of his career, Hopkins has not wanted to spend much time reflecting on his past conquests. He said that will have to wait until after the fight.The past will never be forgotten, but I cannot let the next few days be about reminiscing about my career, because my mind right now is so stuck on being focused on the battle in that ring come Saturday night, he said. We all know my legacy, but my mind is built on Saturday. Im telling myself that I trained so hard, and just like Joe Smith is thinking he dont want to be a construction worker all his life, and he wants to be where I am, I am putting in the work too and thinking like him.Whatever happens on Saturday, the result is unlikely to either enhance or diminish Hopkins legacy. That was sealed years ago. But Hopkins has always needed to find something to serve as motivation, be it a real or imaginary foe, so he is in battle mode this week.Im fighting for my legacy, to preserve it and keep it. I dont want to diminish it, he said. I wanted to do a fight that matters to not only give a real fight to the fans, but I am motivated to win. I didnt want to just grab a few bucks to bully somebody and raise my hand up like I got my ego back in check. Im going to win. Im going to try my best to whip his ass. Im dedicated and disciplined in what I do, and I love and respect my job.Hopkins also said he finds motivation for the fight in showing people of all kinds that age is nothing but a number.There are millions who are judged by their age, Hopkins said. There is a group of people of all religions and colors that understand that I am their motivation, who know I am the poster man for the middle-age human being thats walking around, women or man, that is showing that age is only a number. Age shouldnt define you wanting to prove that you are still worthy. They wont look at me just as a prizefighter who is going to be 52 next month. I can inspire the old lady in the nursing home. My legacy, my story, my performance is more than just for me.So Hopkins will make that last ring walk -- to My Way once again -- climb between the ropes once more and fight one last time.When Im done, theres no stone that hasnt been unturned, and thats the key, Hopkins said. Remember that quote: Theres no stone when my career is over that hasnt been unturned. So there will be no regrets. There will be no Oh, I should have did this or I should have done this.Im done after Saturday. So sit back and enjoy and understand that there will be no more like me.Certainly no more that did it quite his way.Ecco Schuhe Schweiz . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Ecco Schuhe Schweiz China . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. http://www.eccoschweiz.ch/ . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Ecco Schuhe Outlet . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Ecco Schweiz Online . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play.A Thursday slate with no elite options is nothing new, but the news isnt all bad. While no hurlers crack a 60 game score to get into the elite tier, four pitchers draw game scores between 57 and 59. All 10 regularly-scheduled games place in the evening, so we dont have to worry about a split slate. However, there will be a single afternoon game, due to last nights postponement of Detroit-Minnesota. theyll play twice today. But enough with the formalities -- lets get to work.PitchingEliteNope. Not this time.SolidJustin Verlanders game score on Thursday falls just short of the elite tier, but make no mistake: The Detroit right-hander has re-established himself as an elite fantasy hurler. He currently resides in the top 10 among starting pitchers on the Player Rater, thanks in part to a tremendous second half that has seen him post a 2.11 ERA and 10.3 K/9 over 13 starts. The last time he allowed more than three runs in a start was June 26. Verlander will work the second game of the doubleheader and finds himself in a terrific spot, facing a Twins team thats below average against right-handed pitching and is whiffing at a 25 percent clip in September. Hell be a popular target in cash games.Over the last 30 days, David Price is the No. 1 pitcher on the Player Rater. Winning seven of his last eight starts has something to do that, but he has also posted a 2.73 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over that span. Heading to Camden Yards, which greatly inflates power, is no easy task. Then again, Baltimore has been the worst offense in AL versus left-handers this season, sporting an 82 wRC+ to go along with a 22 percent strikeout rate. Price has battled the Orioles three times since June, posting a 2.45 ERA with 24 whiffs in 22 frames.Seth Lugo has made a strong impression since stepping into the Mets starting rotation. Over six starts, he owns a 2.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. A 5.4 K/9 keeps any upside at bay, but he has been reliable in terms of run prevention. That should continue as Lugo draws a home date against the Phillies, who are tied with the Padres for the worst wRC+ (82) in baseball against right-handed pitching. They are also striking out a whopping 29 percent of the time so far in September. Lugo is a worthwhile cash-game SP2 on multi-pitcher sites.Drawing the always-coveted Padres matchup is Jeff Samardzija. The Padres, of course, present the best matchup in baseball for right-handed pitchers, sporting an 82 wRC+ and a 25 percent strikeout rate. For his part, Shark has allowed three or fewer runs in seven of his last eight outings and owns a career 2.54 ERA and 1.02 WHIP at Petco Park. The right-hander has yet to whiff double-digit batters in a game this season, but hes a threat to hit that mark on Thursday.Tyler Chatwoods home/road splits have been highlighted in this space before, but theyre worth mentioning again. At Coors Field, his ERA sits at 6.12. On the road, however, that mark drops all the way to 1.77. Fortunately, Chatwood and the Rockies are traveling out of town on Thursday to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The Dodgers present an imposing matchup, as their 108 wRC+ against righties is tops in the National League, so its not an ideal time to target Chatwood. Still, his effectiveness on the road this season keeps him in play.StreamersStreaming options are few and far between on Thursday, but Ervin Santana stands out as the best. Drawing the nightcap against the Tigers is no picnic, but the Twins righty has quietly been a fantasy asset over the last couple of months. Dating back to July 1, Santana owns a 2.33 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 14 starts. And while his K/9 this season sits at 7.dddddddddddd, he sports a 9.5 K/9 over his last eight turns. Santanas ownership is at just 57 percent on ESPN.com.Available in 72 percent of leagues, Mike Fiers gets a home matchup against an Angels team that has done little offensively since the break (94 wRC+) and even less so far in September (79 wRC+). Fiers has been an inconsistent fantasy option this season, but he has shown at least a bit of stability of late, allowing no more than three runs in five of his last six starts.After a rough first half (5.22 ERA), Ricky Nolasco has settled down since the break (4.14 ERA). In fact, he has posted game scores of 69 or above in three of his last four outings. On Thursday, Nolasco faces an Astros offense thats league average against righties and strikes out at a 24 percent clip. Hes a free agent in 95 percent of leagues.Jose Urena certainly presents risk, as his last start can attest (7 ER in 2 IP). However, his most recent outing aside, he has pitched pretty well over the last month. He actually produced a game score of 87 against the Dodgers two Sundays ago, when he twirled 8 2/3 innings of shutout ball. A matchup against the Braves, who have one of the weakest lineups in baseball, puts Urena in play if you need innings in deeper formats.AvoidChris Tillman finds himself in a tough spot, facing a Red Sox team that smashes the ball against right-handed pitching (116 wRC+) and has scored 106 more runs than any other AL team. The Orioles righty is solid and usually able to avoid any really bad outings, but there are better pitchers in better spots on Thursday.Pat Dean?has been slated to pitch the afternoon affair in the Twins-Tigers twinbill, coming out of the bullpen after losing his rotation spot. Not only is it a tough matchup against a right-heavy lineup, but Dean is no longer stretched out, thus wont throw many innings regardless of effectiveness.HittingAdam Morgan has been pitching a little better since the All-Star break, but hes still a highly volatile pitcher who is particularly generous to right-handed hitters (.385 wOBA). With the Mets on the docket, Yoenis Cespedes and switch-hitters Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera should be high on the priority list.Drawing the lowest game score of the day is Jason Vargas, whos matched up with Cleveland on the road. He managed just three innings in his first start back from Tommy John surgery, and hes unlikely to have high pitch count in this game, either. Still, the Indians lineup is tough on left-handed pitching, and they figure to be in for a productive night on Thursday. Target Mike Napoli and switch-hitters Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor in this one.Ryan Vogelsong owns a 5.40 ERA since the break, and left-handed hitters have particularly given him trouble, putting up a .382 wOBA against him. Jonathan Villar is the prime play here, along with Scooter Gennett, a career .297 hitter against righties.Opposing Vogelsong and the Pirates is Chase Anderson, who has shown reverse splits this season, allowing a .386 wOBA to right-handed batters. Feel free to fire up the right-handed Pirates bats, including Andrew McCutchen, who has done more damage versus righties this year.Most likely to go yard: Yoenis CespedesCespedes mashes lefties, and Morgan has trouble with righties. Lets not overthink this one.Most likely to swipe a bag: Jonathan VillarFrancisco Cervelli has allowed an MLB-high 101 stolen bases this season. Meanwhile, the Brewers lead all of baseball in steals. Villar must be licking his chops. ' ' '