We have to go back to the 1880s for this one, Pitcher Ed Morris, who was one of the many players purchased by Pittsburgh from the folding Columbus Buckeyes after the 1884 Season.

Morris went off to have a brief but explosive career on the mound for the Alleghenys/Pirates, winning 80 Games in his first two years and throwing well over 1,100 Innings.  Morris led the American Association in Shutouts in both 1885 and 1886, with both seasons keeping his ERA under 2.50.  The workhorse also led the league in WHIP in both years, and he also was the league leader in Strikeouts (298) in 1885.

As the team migrated to the National League and became the Pirates, Morris struggled in 1887 (14-22, 4.31 ERA) but bounced back in 1888 with 480 Innings logged, a 28-23 record a 2.31 ERA.  The comeback was a one-year-only affair, as his arm gave out the following year, and he jumped to Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League in 1890.  He was a bust there and retired from the game shortly after.

With Pittsburgh, Morris went 129-102 with a 2.81 ERA and 890 Strikeouts.

Fullbacks are one of many vital positions in any good NFL team. Without a good fullback, a team might as well not be playing! A fully qualified quarterback can considerably increase a team’s NFL odds

The fullback is often referred to as the ‘muscle’ of a team. Fullback players are often incredibly powerful and muscular, and, as such can easily cut through an opposing team’s defenses, able to push through even the toughest tackles. 

There have been many fullback players over the years for many different teams, but only a few have ever etched their names in the NFL hall of fame. Let’s take a look at 8 of the best! 

#1 - Jim Brown:

Jim Brown has long been hailed as one of the greatest fullbacks in the history of the NFL. Over the course of his very extensive career, he was able to carry the ball over 2,000 times and carried it over a cumulative distance of 104 yards. 

He has even performed an incredible 106 touchdowns, an incredible hallmark for any player! 

#2 - Joe Perry:

Having played in both the world-famous San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Colts, Joe Perry has had an incredible career over his tenure in the sport. He played from 1948 until 1963, which was his final year, earning him an impressive 15 years in the sport! 

Joe Perry boasted an incredible build that allowed him to carve a path right through so many defensive strategies, this was most likely benefited by his time in the military, where he was first scouted for the 49ers!

#3 - Larry Csonka: 

Larry Csonka proved to be a vital part of his team the Miami Dolphins, and he was able to bring his absolute best to every single game he played. This earned him an incredible reputation that struck fear in opposing forces. 

In his time he was one of the largest and most imposing players on the field, which helped his team to earn an incredible number of career touchdowns! 

#4 - Larry Centers:

Catching is equally as important to a successful play in the NFL as actually touching the ball down, and no player understood this better than Larry Centers. 

He was able to catch pretty much any ball that was thrown his way, which made him the perfect fullback for his varying teams, which included the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and the Washington Redskins. 

He was definitely a player to keep your eye on!

#5 - Jim Taylor:

Jim Taylor was most likely amongst some of the first true NFL superstars thanks to his commanding presence which he boasted across the field from 1958 to 1967. 

He famously played for two teams, the Green Bay Packers, and the New Orleans Saints, and brought his formidable presence to them both, to lead them to many amazing victories!

#6 - John Riggins:

John Riggins was often famously referred to as “The Diesel”. This name was likely given to him as a result of the powerful and fast way in which he cut a course across the field. No players could compete against him, and any player that even attempted to tackle him would quickly be thrown to the wayside. 

John Riggins was definitely a spectacle who had to be witnessed first-hand to be truly appreciated! 

#7 - Bronko Nagurski:

Even in his early days in the sport, playing for university teams, Bronko Nagurski proved to be an absolutely commanding force.

He began his career with the Chicago Bears in 1930 and kept his incredible track record going for an impressive 13 years, until 1943. 

Upon finishing his career in the NFL, Bronko also went on to have a very healthy career in professional wrestling, benefited by his incredibly large and muscular physique. Within both sports, he was able to make an incredible name for himself and create a legacy that will last for many years to come!

#8 - John Henry Johnson:

John Henry Johnson proved to be an absolute game-changer. He made a considerable splash upon starting in the NFL, impressing onlookers with his incredible strength and speed. And on a game-to-game basis, his quick thinking and his incredible strength meant he was able to make game-saving or game-turning moves. 

John Henry Johnson has proven responsible for saving his team from enduring many losses, while also performing many tide-turning touchdowns that shook up the NFL rankings frequently.

John Henry Johnson played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Detroit Lions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him one of the most prolific players of his generation. 

To Wrap Up:

The NFL has seen many incredible Fullbacks come and go, but none are perhaps so amazing and legendary as the eight players we explored above. The legacy of these players will definitely be felt for many more years in the NFL!

We love this day!

Though, that does not mean, we always love the results.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced the results of the Class of 2022, and it ends an era of sorts as many of the controversial PED associated players are off the ballot.

Let’s get right into it.

The Baseball Hall of Fame elected one player this year, which was David Ortiz, who enters on his first year with 77.9%.  The long-time Designated Hitter led the Red Sox to three World Series Championships, and had 541 Home Runs, 1,768 RBIs and went to ten All-Star Games.  Ortiz becomes the first predominant DH to enter the Hall in his first year.

Here is a look at the rest of the vote:

Barry Bonds. 66.0%, 10^th and Final Year:  Bonds was a seven-time MVP, and let’s be frank: We all knew that he was using PEDs, and so did the people who kept voting him as an MVP.  Saying that, Bonds is one of the greatest offensive baseball players that the game ever saw, and is the game’s all-time leader in Home Runs (762) and Walks (2,558), and has a career Slash Line of .298/.444/.607.  Statistically speaking, we know that Bonds belongs in the Hall, and we also know why the voters kept him out.  He climbed from 61.8% from last year.

Roger Clemens. 65.6%, 10^th and Final Year:  We could “lather, rinse, repeat” with Clemens in regards to Bonds, as he is also a generational superstar who won seven Cy Youngs.  Like Bonds, Clemens was surly, but also was never officially popped for PEDs by Major League Baseball.  Clemens has every Hall of Fame stat you can think of, and shatters many of the inductees, but he will have to exist in an island with Bonds of players that eclipse the actual Hall of Famers.  Clemens reached his highest total, increasing from last year’s 61.6%.

Scott Rolen.  63.2%, 5^th Year:  Rolen, continues to rocket up the votes.  Debuting with only 10.2% in 2018, Rolen had 52.9% last year, and is poised to enter in 2023 with this result.  We would bet on it!

Curt Schilling.  58.6%, 10^th and Final Year.  Schilling told voters not to vote for him, and that is exactly what he got, as he dropped from 71.1% from last year.   While we think he has the resume for Cooperstown, his off-field feud with the media did him no favors.  This was his last year on the ballot, debuting at 38.8% in 2013, and peaking at 71.1% in 2021. Frankly, we feel that this elevates his fame, rather than decreases it, and a martyr factor now exists with Schilling.  His only path is the Veteran’s Committee, and it is likely that he will feel the same when he is eligible in those forums.

Todd Helton.  52.0%, 4^th Year:  Helton has now gone from 16.5 in Year one to looking like he is one or two years away.  We recently named Helton the greatest Colorado Rockies player of all-time.

Billy Wagner.  51%, 7^th Year:  Wagner is the top closer on this ballot, and considering his first three years he was barely over 10%, his ascension has been more than impressive.  This is his first year exceeding 50%.

Andruw Jones.  41.1%, 5^th Year:  Jones did not have double-digits if Hall of Fame votes in his first two years, but made it to 33.9% last year and cracks 40% this year.

Gary Sheffield.  40.6%, 8^th Year:   Sheffield has all of the Hall of Fame metrics, but lacks the name, the team, and the notoriety.  It was a little surprising he got to 40 percent last year, and he has the exact same number this year.  This is not boding well for Sheffield.

Alex Rodriguez.  34.3%, 1^st Year:  We said this for years, in that we were most intrigued of any player in any potential Hall to see where he would finish in terms of his first year of eligibility.  A-Rod was popped for PEDs, was at one time massively unpopular, but only Bonds had better stats of any position player on this ballot, and he is among the top ten ever in terms of skills and stats.  Bluntly, this is way lower than we thought.

Jeff Kent.  32.7%,  9^th Year:  Kent is a former MVP but never got past 30 percent on the ballot until last year (32.4).  A rise of less than half a percent tells us all we need to know about his chances.

Manny Ramirez.  28.9%,  6^th Year:  Unlike other PED-associated players on this list, Ramirez WAS popped and suspended for steroids.  He only climbs up .7% from last year.

Omar Vizquel.  23.9%. 5^th Year:   Ouch!!!!  While we don’t this for sure, has anyone fallen worse than Vizquel?  Since the last vote, he was accused of domestic violence, and it has shattered his chances.  Considering he debuted at 37.0, and he is now double digits lower than this, what chance does he have?  He drops from 49.1% and 52.6% from 2020.

Sammy Sosa.  18.5%, 10^th and Final Year:  Say what you want about Sosa, but this is a player who at one point was considered to be one of the top five players in the game for a half-decade, and was in the upper-echelon in terms of popularity.  For what it is worth, this was the highest result that Sosa received.

Andy Pettitte.  10.7%, 4^th Year:  Pettitte has a lot of the numbers you need, but is an admitted PED user.  For whatever reason, Pettitte dropped from 13.7%.

Jimmy Rollins.  9.4%, 1^st Year:  Rollins enters the ballot and survives to see another day.  

Bobby Abreu.  8.6%, 3^rd Year.  Abreu still has not reached ten percent, but he hasn’t dipped below five either.  He had 8.7% last year.

Mark Buehrle.  5.8%, 2^nd Year.  Buehrle hangs on, but plummets from 11.0% from last year.

Torii Hunter.  5.3%, 2^nd Year.  Hunter is clinging to life on this ballot, and like Buehrle, he suffered a similar drop.  He had 9.5% last year.

The following did not receive the 5% needed to remain on the ballot:

Joe Nathan (4.3%), Tim Hudson (3.0%), Tim Lincecum (2.3%), Ryan Howard (2.0%), Mark Teixeira (1.5%), Justin Morneau (1.3%), Jonathan Papelbon (1.3%), Prince Fielder (0.5%), A.J. Pierzynski (0.5%), Carl Crawford (0.0%) and Jake Peavy (0.0%).

We will rework our Notinhalloffame.com Baseball list of those to consider for the Baseball Hall of Fame by the end of February.  This will involve removing those who were inducted, and added those worthy and eligible.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate David Ortiz.

With the 2022 Super Bowl match played at So-Fi Stadium, Inglewood on Sunday 13th February almost here, the remaining teams in the frame will be preparing for their shot at glory. Their place in the sporting history books and into the running for a future hall of fame spot. Which name will reign supreme and become the 57th Super Bowl champion? That’s a question that has got the professional online bettors of the world paying attention. 

Every year we see from the live TV viewing figures that the Super Bowl ranks amongst the most popular fixtures in sport. It’s up there with the soccer World Cup and the summer Olympics so it’s only natural that the biggest NFL betting companies began to show more interest. You can now have your say on dozens of exciting match specials from anywhere in the country using your mobile app.

Super Bowl LVI will be the most-watched and most bet-on American Football match played in history. That’s thanks to the increase of reliable live streaming apps and the easing of the sports betting laws across the United States. It could all become a bit complicated, but we’re here to help. Below you’ll find some of the most common questions asked regarding sports betting and the answers given by the experts.

Is Super Bowl betting legal?

Online sports betting is legal in many countries worldwide and in a growing number of states across America. Online gambling isn’t yet legal in every area of the US just yet with some states still debating the move while others remain dead against it. It is important that you check the latest laws regarding online gambling in your country and state before attempting to place a wager on the Super Bowl. 

If betting is legal, you can join an online bookie and place your bets. If betting is illegal you should respect the laws of the land. It is possible to visit your nearest state where betting has been legalised and place a gamble.

Can I get a free bet on the Super Bowl?

Most online bookmakers offer new customers a welcome bonus when they sign-up, make their first deposit and place a bet. These promotions come in many different shapes and sizes, including free bets, risk-free bets, enhanced odds, cashback, profit boosts and extra places each way. The most popular is the deposit matched free bet. 

With this deal, you should join a bookie, make a deposit and place a qualifying bet on sports. When that wager has been confirmed, a free bet equal in value to your deposit will be added to your account balance and can be used to gamble on your favourite sports.

Do I need to wait for the fixture to be confirmed?

Many bettors prefer to wait until the Super Bowl final line-up has been confirmed and they have just two teams to choose from. This is a fair approach as it ensures you get, at least, a run for your money in the final but there is another way that could allow you to back your team at better odds. The earlier you make your bets, the higher the price will be.

You can bet antepost on the Super Bowl, before game one of the regular season, or at any time during the competition. Traders offer odds on the outright winner during the regular season, the playoffs, on the approach to the Super Bowl and during the big match itself. The more teams in the running, the more risk posed to your stake but the better the rewards.

What Super Bowl markets can I gamble on?

The most popular way to bet on the Super Bowl is to back the team you expect to win the match. Get your stake down and if your prediction is correct, you will be paid out at the secured odds with the profits added to your betting account in withdrawable cash. 

The match winner isn’t the only market available with traders at the leading betting apps going all out to mark the occasion and enhance their customers' enjoyment of the play. Other popular betting markets include total points, handicap, spread, first touchdown scorer, first points scorer and more.