LT scores with classy Hall gesture

LaDAINIAN Tomlinson chose his former Chargers’ blocking back, Lorenzo Neal, to introduce him at his Hall of Fame induction, Saturday. Not just a class act, but a great point to make about the lost nature of team sports, especially what stats and TV has done to them. What are the chances that ESPN reject and current FS1 analyst Cris Carter, who doubles as Odell Beckham Jr.’ s “mentor,” will say, “See, Odell? It’s not all about you?”

Michael Kay is among many who watch too much baseball to recite standards and stats that qualify for things such as “Quality Starts.” Checked swings produce doubles, screaming line drives produce outs, even double plays. Pop flies fall in; 400-foot blasts are caught. And with starters now regularly pulled after five or six innings by pre-design, quality start stats are like those that punish QBs for dropped passes.

Michael Conforto had a lead-off single, Friday, and a lead-off HR, Saturday, reminding us of Mike Francesa’s rude dismissal of an early-season caller who suggested Conforto lead off. Francesa said that will never happen. Well, it happened that night and hasn’t stopped happening. That re- cording now sits in the “Lost Tapes” warehouse.

Alex Rodriguez, Saturday on FS1, spoke of the Dodgers’ “great, singular goal to bring the world championship back to Los Angeles.” Yep, the same Alex Rodriguez who inspected the nearby box seat female pickings before soliciting two of their phone numbers — during the 2012 ALCS?

How do you think WFAN semi-regular and taxpayers’ hitthe-road sports fan Chris Christie — in Canton over the weekend for his guy Jerry Jones — would do on state capitals, starting with New Jersey’s?