Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that the Minnesota Twins will be inducting Justin Morneau in their franchise Hall of Fame.

Playing 11 of his 14 seasons with the Twins (2003-13), the Canadian born First Baseman would go to four consecutive All-Star Games (2007-10) and would win the American League MVP in 2006 when he had 34 Home Runs, 130 RBIs with a .321 Batting Average.  Morneau would win two Silver Sluggers for the team, and overall as a Twin, he smacked 221 Home Runs, 860 Runs Batted In with a Slash Line of .278/.347/.485.

The ceremony will take place on May 23 against the Chicago White Sox. He becomes the 34^thmember of the Twins Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Justin Morneau for earning this honor.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that New York Giants co-owner, John Mara, stated in a recent interview that Eli Manning and Michael Strahan will have their numbers retired.

Sort of.

This is what he said about Eli’s number:

“It’s retired.”

When asked to clarify, Mara responded:

“Not yet.  We’ll do Michael’s (Strahan) announcement another day, but Eli’s will be retired.”

As for when that will happen is anyone’s guess.  

Wearing #10, Manning announced his retirement this past Friday.  Playing at Quarterback, Manning threw for 57,034 Yards and 366 Touchdowns, and led the Giants to two Super Bowl Championships, both over the New England Patriots.  He was named the MVP in both of those games, and he is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025.

As for Strahan, he has already been inducted into Canton, which occurred in 2014.  Like Manning, Strahan played his entire career with the Giants and he was the 2001 Defensive Player of the Year.  The seven-time Pro Bowl won a Super Bowl in his last game in the league.  He wore #92, which has never been issued since his retirement.

At present, the Giants have retired the numbers of Ray Flaherty (#1), Tuffy Leemans (#4), Mel Hein (#7), Phil Simms (#11), Y.A. Tittle (#14), Frank Gifford (#16), Al Blozis (#32), Joe Morrison (#40), Charlie Conerly (#42), Ken Strong (#50) and Lawrence Taylor (#56).

We here at Notinhalloffame.com are looking forward to these events in the future and are hopeful that the Giants will move on this action soon.

Gladiators were the primary form of entertainment during the Ancient Roman Empire. These powerful, awe-inspiring men-at-arms would fight to the death in what was seen as a very glamorous calling. It’s been a long-held belief among some people that Roman gladiators were merely long-standing criminals and slaves coerced into fighting. While it may be true that the initial ‘wave’ of gladiators tended to be those who were caught red-handed breaking the law, or had been conquered from other lands, the reality is that some of the latter Roman gladiators enjoyed a celebrity status.

While it’s true that many of the world’s biggest wrestlers from WWE have enjoyed celebrity status too, many have gone on to achieve A-list fame far quicker away from the wrestling ring than those who remain in it. You only have to look at ‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnsonand Dave Bautista, whose Hollywood careers have set them up for long-term stardom. Many years before The Rock, Hulk Hogan was the wrestler on everyone’s lips, appearing in commercials and movies too in a bid to enhance his profile – with clothes on as opposed to solely pants!

Back to the Roman Empire, once some people realized just how exciting and thrilling gladiatorial battles could be, it soon became an absolute free-for-all of locals looking to sign up and become the next unbeatable gladiator, agreeing contracts voluntarily and even spending time at so-called training schools to try and hone their fighting craft before being unleashed into the white heat of battle and fight for cash prizes. This changing demographic saw gladiators become less about the blood and gore and more about the pre-battle build-up and intense promotion of duels.

More recently, the world has developed an undeniable fascination with Roman gladiators and the lengths they would go to achieve notoriety in Ancient Rome. At the turn of the Millennium, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator movie, starring Russell Crowe as general Maximus Decimus Meridius, captured the imagination of millions of viewers at the box office. Heart-broken by the murder of his father by a young upstart named Commodus, who takes to the throne and forces Maximus into slavery, Maximus sees no other way to avenge his father’s death than to fight his way up that gladiatorial ranks. HBO’s Game of Thrones must surely have used gladiatorial arenas as inspiration for Meereen’s fighting pits too. The Spartacus Gladiator video slot, that’s available to sample at VegasSlotsOnline, was another release inspired by a gladiator who led the major slave uprising against the Roman Republic.

Some gladiators had promoters, yes, you heard correctly

After the NFL’s 100th regular season, we now know the Kansas City Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIV.

The Chiefs were the first team to book their spot in that game as they overcame the Tennessee Titans 35-24. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes shone for the number two seed, scoring three touchdowns and throwing for 294 yards. Just like the Divisional Round against the Houston Texans, the Chiefs got off to a slow start at Arrowhead. Once they got going though, the Titans were unable to handle the hosts who are into the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years.

This will be head coach Andy Reid’s first shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy since he took over the franchise in 2013. He fell just one game short 12 months ago when the New England Patriots defeated them 37-31 in a classic encounter.

2018 NFL MVP Mahomes will be making his Super Bowl debut. Although he didn’t quite match the same numbers he put up in 2018, it was still an impressive year for the QB. He inspired his team to victory in their last six matches of the season to secure the number two seed in the AFC Championship.

The Chiefs were many people’s pick to win the AFC Championship, including with the WSN Podcast team, who also took them to cover the 7.5 point spread. They have opened up as the favorites with the bookmakers in the Super Bowl market.

San Francisco eyeing record-equalling sixth Super Bowl Crown

San Francisco 49ers go into Super Bowl LV one short of the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers when it comes to record number of wins in the game.

It has been some turnaround for the west coast franchise as they won just four games in 2018, with Jimmy Garoppolo's ACL injury playing a large part in that. Some smart draft picks, trades and excellent coaching have helped them transform into one of the best teams in the NFL.

Victories over divisional rivals Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in week 16 and 17 respectively ensured that Kyle Shanahan’s team wrapped up the number one seed in the NFC Conference.

The 49ers took full advantage of playing in front of their home fans at the Levi’s Stadium when they beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Their freshness from having a week off in the Wildcard Round showed in the fourth quarter.

The NFC West champions then proved too strong for the Green Bay Packers to lift the NFC Championship title. They got off to a flying start in that game as they led 27-0 at halftime before going on to complete a 37-20 victory.

San Francisco have run the ball very well in the postseason so far - Raheem Mostert rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns against the Packers. Shanahan is likely to stick to that winning formula in the Super Bowl, while he also has one of the best defenses in the league to lean on in his attempt to stop the Chiefs.

It looks set to be an exciting showdown in Miami between two very good football teams.