Last November, The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame announced Rocky Balboa as their inaugural inductee. The Class of 2014 will be decided on an online vote, which will conclude on November 30th of this year. The opening round began with over 300 Athletes and 100 Contributors in the Preliminary Round, which was reduced to 50 Fictitious Athletes and 30 Fictitious Contributors in the Semi-Finalist Round. After three months of voting open during the Semi-Finalist Round, the 15 Athletes and the 11 Contributors with the most votes have advanced to become the Finalists for the Fictitious Hall of Fame Class of 2014. All previous votes have been wiped clean, and one ballot can be entered per person. This vote will be open to the public until November 30, 2014, when the top three vote getting Athletes and top vote getting Contributor will enter the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame. The 15 Fictitious Athlete Semi-Finalists are: Al Bundy (Married…With Children) Apollo Creed (Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III & Rocky IV) Bobby Boucher (The Waterboy) Crash Davis (Bull Durham) “Fast” Eddie Felson (The Hustler & The Color of Money) Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump) Jimmy Chitwood (Hoosiers) Happy Gilmore (Happy Gilmore) Hanson Brothers, The (Slap Shot) Paul “Wrecking” Crewe ’74 (Burt Reynolds) (The Longest Yard) Reggie Dunlop (Slap Shot) Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Major League and Major League II) Roy Hobbs (The Natural) Sam Malone (Cheers) Willie “Mays” Hays (Major League) The 30 Fictitious Contributors Semi-Finalists are: Carl Spackler (Caddyshack Chubbs Peterson (Happy Gilmore) Gordon Bombay (The Mighty Ducks Trilogy) Harry Doyle (Major League & Major League 2) Hayden Fox (Coach) Jerry Maguire (Jerry Maguire) Jimmy Dugan (A League of Their Own) Mickey Goldmill (Rocky, Rocky II & Rocky III) Morris Buttermaker (The Bad News Bears) ‘76 Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid) Norman Dale (Hoosiers) The 1989 Baseball film, Major League had three Finalists, the most of any movie. Adam Sandler (The Waterboy & Happy Gilmore) is the only actor to have two characters who made the Finalist Ballot. Narrowly missing the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame Final Round were such notables as Daniel LaRusso (The Karate Kid trilogy), Al Czervik (Caddyshack), Randy “The Ram” Robinson (The Wrestler), Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez (The Sandlot), Clubber Lang (Rocky III), Ricky Bobby (Talladega Nights) and Jesus Shuttlesworth (He Got Game). Gang, you know what we want you do! Click on the links and let us here your votes! The direct voting on the Athletic Finalists can be found here, and for the Contributor Finalists can be found here:
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Chasing his first berth in the Major League Baseball Playoffs, Adam Dunn, who was just traded to the Oakland A’s has announced that this will be his final season in the game. Dunn, who currently has 460 career Home Runs, and hit the 40 Home Run mark in a season five consecutive years (2004-2008) currently is 36th all-time and fifth among active players. Dunn, an All Star twice in his career (2002 & 2012) may possess a low career Batting Average of .237, but he did lead have two seasons leading his respective League in Walks twice and has a more than respectable On Base Percentage of .365, though this is countered with four seasons leading in the category of Strikeouts. As potent as Adam Dunn could be with his bat, he was far from equal with his glove. He would never have a positive number in Defensive bWAR and has a career number in that regard and plummeted his overall bWAR to 16.6, which is not exactly a number that would get him off of the first ballot for Hall of Fame voting. Still, the fans of Adam Dunn paid to see him hit the long ball, which he was one of the best at. We thank him for the Homers and the memories and will have a soft spot for Oakland this September.
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Shortly after the San Diego Padres controversially renamed their area where they honor past stars, “Selig Hall of Fame Park”, a very uncontroversial moment occurred today for Baseball fans in Southern California. Trevor Hoffman, one of the most accomplished Relief Pitchers in Baseball’s history, officially became the ninth man inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame today. Hoffman, who is second all time in career Saves, had 552 of his 601 as a Member of the Padres, a team in which he spent sixteen seasons with. Hoffman would represent the Padres six times as an All Star, twice leading the National League in Saves, the both of which saw him as the runner up for the Cy Young Award. Hoffman had a 1.043 WHIP and 1,029 Strikeouts over 952.1 Innings as a Padre. He would become a fan favorite, not just for his lights out closing skills but his entrance to the mound to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells”. Mariano Rivera the only man who has more career Saves than Hoffman retired last season is considered a strong candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, however Relief Pitchers have not always seen the kind of respect afforded to Starters. Hoffman, whose career bWAR is 28.3 is well below Rivera in both that stat and in JAWS, the sabremetric used most commonly to evaluate Hall of Fame potential. As such, Trevor Hoffman may not necessarily be a lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but nobody can deny his place in the San Diego Padres Hall, where he will likely be regarded as the greatest closer of their franchise’s history for decades to come.
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A major retirement in the world of Football took place as Linebacker, James Harrison has announced that his playing career is over. Harrison went undrafted in 2002 after his College career at Kent State, but would be signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would be a struggle for him to stick on the team as he floated on and off the practice squad, and only saw one game that season in a Special Teams role. The following year, Harrison would try his hand with the Baltimore Ravens and after being assigned to the Rhein Fire of the World Football League, he was again cut when he returned to Baltimore. Harrison would resign (for a fourth time) with the Pittsburgh Steelers though this time with different results. He would play 43 Games for the Steelers from 2004 to 2006, starting eight of them at Linebacker and performing well on Special Teams, though it would be in the following season that he would breakout and become a star. Harrison would become the starting Right Outside Linebacker after the surprise release of Joey Porter and at the age of 29, would become a star in the National Football League. He would make his first of five consecutive Pro Bowls and in 2008 would be the Defensive Player of the Year, making him the first undrafted player to ever receive that honor. Harrison also is a two time Super Bowl winner, the second of which saw him set the record for the longest Interception Return (100 Yards) in Super Bowl History. Twice a First Time All-Pro, James Harrison had a five year stretch where he was not just considered one of the best Linebackers, he was also considered the meanest and one of the most controversial. As the NFL pushed towards a safer environment, Harrison would become one of the most fined players in the League. He would openly criticize the NFL for cracking down on punishing hits and in an interview with Men’s Journal called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “a crook and a liar” and that he hated him. Harrison has also openly publically criticized other NFL players, including his own Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. In his personal life, Harrison was charged with Domestic Violence, an offence that the NFL now suspends a player for. Controversy or not, five very strong years and not much else might make his Hall of Fame induction difficult. Still, anyone who once won the Defensive Player of the Year will garner a look, and we are very curious to see if the Steelers will honor him in the future.
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We owe all of you an apology, as we have been a little slow in revamping our WWE Celebrity Rankings. With that being said, we are very pleased to announce the new top ten personalities who should be considered for the WWE Celebrity Wing. Before we go into the new list, the Celebrity List of the WWE Hall of Fame could very well be exponentially more controversial than the performer list. Inductees like Drew Carey and William “The Refrigerator” Perry, who have only appeared on one WWE show, does not exactly scream Hall of Fame in any capacity. The most recent selections of Mr. T and Donald Trump, who we had ranked at numbers 3 and 5 respectively were much better selections in our opinion, and had Carey and Perry not entered the WWE Hall of Fame, we are not certain that they would have made our ten. With that said, we would like to announce our new top ten for the Celebrity wing to consider for the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony! Muhammad Ali, the former three-time Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World remains in the top slot. Ali, who was clearly influenced by Professional Wrestling in his promos, competed against WWE Hall of Famer and Japanese legend, Antonio Inoki, was the special referee in Wrestlemania I, and made multiple appearances in wrestling events during his life. Ali, in our opinion, should have been the first person in any “Celebrity Wing” for the WWE Hall of Fame. Cyndi Lauper, who moved up from number four from our last list, holds the number two slot. Lauper, who was an integral part of the original Rock and Wrestling Connection in the mid-80’s, made an appearance recently on Monday Night Raw, which reminded people of what her real impact on the WWE was. Andy Kaufman drops from number two to three. The former star of TAXI, made headlines with his feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler in the Memphis territory, and was a passionate fan of professional wrestling. Floyd “Money” Mayweather, who defeated the Big Show at one of the Wrestlemanias elevates from number six to four. The boxer, who has had Triple H in his corner at Pay-Per-View Boxing Events has long been a fan of the WWE. Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion, David Arquette, moves from number seven to five. Arquette, who appeared often on WCW Television in 2000, also had a brief appearance on WWE TV, the decade after. Maria Menounos, who appeared at Wrestlemania and has been a huge advocate of the WWE debuts at number six and is a new rank for the WWE Celebrity Wing of the Hall of Fame. Based on her support of the organization, we think she we will move up in our rankings. The remaining ten are former Wrestlemania main eventer, Lawrence Taylor at seven, William Shatner at number eight, Dennis Rodman at number nine and Regis Philbin, who makes his debut at number ten. Philbin not only appeared at Wrestlemania VII, but has long track record of interviewing (and not in a condescending way) past WWE talent. We encourage you to make your voices heard and give us your opinions and votes. The new rankings can be found here:
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We needed a few days to truly digest this. The San Diego Padres have announced that they are renaming Palm Court Plaza, the Bud Selig Hall of Fame Plaza, which is located outside of Left Field, near the busiest entrance in the park. The name change is to coincide with a relaunch of their own Hall of Fame, and a celebration of Padres history. To date, with the addition of Relief Pitcher Trevor Hoffman last year, the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame includes nine men. The other eight who have been previously inducted are Buzzie Bavasi, Nate Colbert, Jerry Coleman, Tony Gwynn, Randy Jones, Ray Kroc, Dick Williams and Dave Winfield. The Padres, have been to two World Series, though have yet to hold the championship trophy in triumph. Although San Diego has yet to win Baseball’s Holy Grail, the renaming of Palm Court Plaza to Selig Hall of Fame Plaza is a real headscratcher. Selig, has not exactly been a popular commissioner, and there is really no tie between him and the Padres organization. The intention was to honor Selig, who is leaving his post as the Major League Baseball Commissioner this year, though again, his tenure has been associated with only controversy. With the death this past of year of Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Fame player and arguably the greatest San Diego Padre of all time, it is difficult to imagine that anyone other than the former multi-time Batting Champion as the man whom a Padres Hall of Fame is named after. If they were not going to select Gwynn, than at the very least they could have chosen who has had a positive affect on the franchise. This is not something that is usually attributed with Bud Selig. Although we were happy to see the San Diego Padres attempt to celebrate their past history with a greater zeal, could they not have chosen to rename with it at least one hundred better choices than this?
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The transfer from South Bend, Indiana to Atlanta, Georgia is complete. This weekend, the College Football Hall of Fame has officially opened up embracing the old (many artifacts in the Hall are over 100 years old) and the new with a virtual presence unseen in any other North American Sporting Hall of Fame to date. The three story facility features a chance for NCAA fans to pick their favorite collegiate team and have multiple exhibits display interactive components of their respective team. Multiple videos are also available at the simple touch of a screen, making this Hall of Fame more unique than anything else that exists in the marketplace. This new structure looks to increase tourism to Atlanta, which is already the Sports Mecca of the American South. The new Hall of Fame, located in the heart of Atlanta’s downtown is a place where we will be going soon in the next few years. Based on what we have heard so far, so should you!
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It was made official today as the New York Yankees have officially put the number 6 of former Manager Joe Torre out to pasture, marking the 17th time that the Bronx Bombers have retired a number from the organization.Torre, a former MVP himself as a player was a fringe candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame, remaining on the ballot all fifteen years of eligibility. This Summer, he entered Cooperstown via the Veteran’s Committee for his work as a Manager, predominantly with the Yankees. He would join two other legendary Managers into the Hall this year with Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa also receiving the nod.Torre arrived in New York in 1996 with an overall losing record as a Manager prompting many Yankees fans to wonder why he was hired. Their fears were quickly dispelled when his calm demeanor and ability to manage stars (and their egos) were shown by winning the World Series and the American League Manager of the Year Award in his debut campaign in New York.Torre would go on to win the American League Pennant five more times and the World Series three more times as the Yankees’ skipper posting a Winning Percentage over .600 while there and cementing himself as one of the best Managers the game has ever had. We are expecting that once Derek Jeter retires at the end of this season, that his number 2 will become the 18th number retired by the Yankees.We would like to congratulate Joe Torre for receiving the ultimate honor that can be bestowed by the New York Yankees, and the Yankees themselves for having the most elite group of retired numbers in the sport.
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It happened quietly but a former NHL Conn Smythe Trophy has called it a career today. Jean-Sebastian Giguere has officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League after a successful career that saw him win the Conn Smythe (2003) and the Stanley Cup in 2007. Giguere had his best seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim/Anaheim Ducks, specifically the Conn Smythe season where he may not have won the Stanley Cup, but became a star posting a sub 1.75 Goals Against Average in the Playoffs. In 2007, with a more loaded offence, he hoisted the Stanley Cup, again posting a Goals Against Average of 1.97, which was one of the best of the Playoffs. Giguere would play in one All Star Game (2009), record 262 Wins and a career Goals Against Average of 2.53. Giguere would be reduced to journeyman status and realistically does not have a real chance to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, which he will become eligible for in three years. He probably won’t make out top one hundred of those to consider either. With all of that being said, there is a secure place for him in the history of Hockey, especially in Anaheim as what he did in two different springs will grant him a legacy that few netminders ever have.
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We have been very open in the past about our admiration for the relatively new NASCAR Hall of Fame and how they have put together not only a great facility, but a transparent process that allows for an interactive element to the Hall that allows fans to participate in selecting who gets in. Throw in the perfect location (Charlotte, North Carolina) and you have an institution that is hard to criticize. Still, we have been a little bit neglectful on our Notinhalloffame NASCAR list, which we have updated accordingly and have seen a major fluctuation in the top ten since we last revamped the list as four of the top five have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Those men were Tim Flock (#1), Joe Weatherly (#2), Dale Jarrett (#3) and Rex White (#5). It should also be noted that Fireball Roberts (#6), Fred Lorenzen (#8) and Wendell Scott (#36) have also been inducted and have been removed from the list. Taking over the top slot this year is Mark Martin, considered by many NASCAR fans as the greatest racer never to win the Sprint Cup Series. Martin did however finish second in the Series five times and in third on four occasions. He was also named to NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998. Bobby Isaac and Geoff Bodine hold the #2 and #3 slot respectively. Both have been on the list since the beginning and have moved up from our last list (Issac was #4 and Bodine was #9). Terry Labonte makes his debut on our list at the #4 position. Labonte won the Sprint Cup Series twice (1984 & 1996) and is another who made the NASCAR 50 Greatest Driver’s List. Harry Gant moves from the 10th position up to 5. The top ten rounds out with Benny Parsons at #6 (up from #7), Jack Smith at #7 (up from #15), Speedy Thompson at #8 (up from #11), Buddy Baler at #9 (up from #13) and Davey Allison at #10 (up from #16). With the glut of drivers entering the Hall of Fame, additional spots opened up at the back end of the list. Making their debut are Ken Schrader (#37), Elmo Langley (#45), Neil Castles (#48), Jeremy Mayfield (#49) and Cecil Gordon (#50). As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com encourage all of you to make your voices heard with your comments and votes and let us know what your opinions are!
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