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Theyre two rare breeds - 16-year-old boys who can see when they need a kick up the backside, and top AFL draft picks.Warrnambool midfielder Hugh McCluggage joined the first group two years ago and that should mean he becomes part of the second this Thursday.As recently as last months draft combine, McCluggage was the popular choice to be taken by Essendon with the No.1 pick in the national draft.Most pundits now expect the Bombers will take Andrew McGrath, but it will be a major surprise if McCluggage is not among the first few selections.McCluggage put himself in the top tier of draft talent with an outstanding season for the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup and Vic Country at the under-18 Australian championships.He won the TAC Cup Morrish Medal, joining an alumni that features Dyson Heppell and Matthew Kreuzer, and earned All-Australian selection.Asked what was behind this years standout form, the 18-year-old pointed to two years ago.It probably started when I was 16, after the development squad with the Rebels, he said.I was a bit disappointed with my performance and I had to decide whether I was going to really pull my finger out and have a crack, see where I could get.Within a year, McCluggage was in the AFL Academy and had reaped the benefits of moving to a boarding school in Ballarat.This year, McCluggage has also come out of his shell, helping him handle the extra attention that comes with being a likely top draft pick.Rebels development coach Phil Partington has said they call McCluggage the observer because of his quiet demeanour.But the move to Ballarat Clarendon College also meant he had some growing up to do.Especially when I first came in, it took me a bit to find my feet ... it was definitely difficult at the start, he said.Its always hard, moving to a new environment.Its gotten a lot easier, now Ive had that experience at the academy.Moving away from home, it teaches you a lot about your character.You have to be able to fit in ... its going to hold me in good stead.Arizona Diamondbacks Pro Shop . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Diamondbacks Jerseys China .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/ . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Arizona Diamondbacks Shirts .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2020 .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win.LOS ANGELES -- Betfair Hollywood Park will close by years end and the 75-year-old racetrack property in Inglewood that hosted Seabiscuit and the first Breeders Cup in 1984 will be developed by its owner. The track announced on Thursday that it wont apply to the California Horse Racing Board for 2014 dates, signalling the end of the line for a property whose future had been in question since Churchill Downs sold it to Hollywood Park Land Co. in 2005. At the time, the new owner said racing would continue for a minimum of three years while an effort was made to revitalize the sports business model. But the track had little luck in stemming declines in wagering and attendance, problems that plague the racing industry nationwide. "From an economic point of view, the land now simply has a higher and better use, so, unfortunately, racing will not continue here once the 2013 autumn meet is completed," track President Jack Liebau said. The owner spent more than $8 million to replace the tracks dirt surface with synthetic Cushion Track in 2006 as part of a then-statewide mandate for such surfaces. The current summer meet runs through July 14. The fall meet opens Nov. 7 and ends on Dec. 22. The stable area is expected to close by the end of the year. The closure is expected to set in motion a scramble by Southern Californias other tracks to acquire Hollywood Parks racing dates. Santa Anita, located across town in AArcadia, may be in line to pick up the bulk of the dates.dddddddddddd That track currently has live racing from late December to early April, and again in early fall. The regions other tracks are Del Mar, located north of San Diego; and in the Los Angeles area, Los Alamitos and Fairplex. Hollywood Park opened in 1938 under the direction of movie moguls Jack and Harry Warner. Celebrities regularly attended the races. Among the star horses that ran at Hollywood Park were Seabiscuit, and Triple Crown winners Citation, Seattle Slew and Affirmed. Champion mare and 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta was based at Hollywood Park, and so was Ill Have Another, last years Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner. The Breeders Cup began at the track in 1984, and was held there again in 1987 and 1997. Some of the sports fixtures began at Hollywood Park and spread throughout the industry, including Sunday racing, which debuted in 1973, and fan giveaways. The Pick Six, a wager in which bettors must pick the winners of six consecutive races, was launched at the track in 1998. Other exotic wagers that originated there include the superfecta, which involves picking the first four finishers in the correct order. "Our fans and all of the employees who have worked at Hollywood Park, both past and present, deserve our thanks and gratitude," Liebau said. "They have been the backbone of this historic venue." ' ' '