Committee Chairman
Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site. Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .
Football HOF Finalists are out
Jan 12, 2013
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
The Football Hall of Fame has announced their finalists for the 2013 Class. It includes four first time nominees, which should not be a surprise to anyone that they made the cut. Jonathan Ogden, Larry Allen, Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan have all cracked the list of finalists, and all could conceivable have a shot to enter on their debut appearance. This group of four is joined by some familiar faces at this stage.
Wide Receivers, Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed are all back. All three have received a wide breadth of fan support though the induction process and it is hard for us to think that all three will be left out again. Also returning is Running Back, Jerome Bettis whose profile as a television broadcaster keeps his name fresh. Five Time Super Bowl winner, Charles Haley returns with fellow defensive star, Kevin Greene. Will Shields and Aeneas Williams also return to the Finalists as do Former owners of the 49ers and Browns/Ravens respectively, Edward DeBartolo Jr. and Art Modell, who passed away last year. The list is rounded out by former coach, Bill Parcells, who many pundits (including us) think will enter this year.
There are two senior nominees, Curley Culp and Dave Robinson who are also on the ballot. There will be a minimum of four to a maximum of seven players selected which will be announced on February 2nd, the day before the Super Bowl.
Wide Receivers, Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed are all back. All three have received a wide breadth of fan support though the induction process and it is hard for us to think that all three will be left out again. Also returning is Running Back, Jerome Bettis whose profile as a television broadcaster keeps his name fresh. Five Time Super Bowl winner, Charles Haley returns with fellow defensive star, Kevin Greene. Will Shields and Aeneas Williams also return to the Finalists as do Former owners of the 49ers and Browns/Ravens respectively, Edward DeBartolo Jr. and Art Modell, who passed away last year. The list is rounded out by former coach, Bill Parcells, who many pundits (including us) think will enter this year.
There are two senior nominees, Curley Culp and Dave Robinson who are also on the ballot. There will be a minimum of four to a maximum of seven players selected which will be announced on February 2nd, the day before the Super Bowl.
Baseball HOF Reaction
Jan 10, 2013
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
You will have to forgive the chairman as I am set to climb aboard the soapbox again. The reaction received twenty four hours after the Baseball Writers of America pitched a shutout to the most star studded ballot (since the first ballot in 1936) has bothered me; though I realize I should have seen this coming.
Many current Baseball Hall of Fame inductees have been vocal about their opinions about not letting suspected PED users (namely Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds & Sammy Sosa) into Cooperstown. Andre Dawson had commented weeks ago that those players should not be inducted. Jim Bunning recently spoke out and said he would not be comfortable visiting the Hall anymore that they been elected. Slugger, Al Kaline echoed the same sentiment, that he was “honoured to be in the Hall” and he would not feel comfortable “listening to some of these new guys talk about how great they were’. On Twitter, Dennis Eckersley tweeted how the Baseball Writers made a statement and that it “feels right.”
Perhaps nobody has been as blunt as Rich “Goose” Gossage, who entered the Hall of Fame for his work as a Relief Pitcher. The Goose bluntly said that the “steroids guys under suspicion received too many votes” and that they “cheated” and should not be rewarded at all.
Can we assume that many other living Baseball Hall of Fame inductees feel the same way? Probably, we can. Taking PED users (or suspected ones) out of the equation, rarely do Hall of Famers seem happy about others entering the exclusive club. The Veteran’s Committee (comprised of Hall of Fame Players) rarely seem to induct anybody, and when they do it is after they have passed on (see Ron Santo). Okay, that may be a generalization, but doesn’t a club seem more exclusive with less members?
Whether those latter points are right are not, we know one thing for sure: That the Baseball Hall of Fame has taken no stance on whether those associated with Performance Enhancing Drugs should be in Cooperstown. In fact, they have said absolutely nothing on the topic. It is not that the Hall has not taken stances before. When Major League Baseball banned Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson for gambling on the sport, the Hall of Fame removed them from the ballot. Should any Baseball Writer simply write their names in (Rose did have in write in ballots) they would be (and were) discounted. However, we don’t blame the Baseball Hall for their inaction; they simply followed the lead of Bud Selig.
Currently,MLB does have a very stringent policy against its players who are caught using Performance Enhancing Drugs and we applaud them for it. Actually, it is one that other leagues could learn to follow. With that said, nowhere does it address those who used in the past. There is no annotation besides the names of record holders who have been linked to PEDs. There is no note on any Baseball record book with Barry Bonds’ 762 Home Runs, nor Roger Clemens Cy Young Awards. There never will be either. Baseball will not go back and take away those awards or records. How can they, when they did nothing for years?
Curt Schilling recently said “everyone was guilty” and that players either “used PEDs, or did nothing to stop their use”. He continued to say that the “generation got rich” and “there was a price to pay”. If everyone is in fact guilty this includes Bud Selig and the rest of Major League Baseball.
Off the soapbox now.
Many current Baseball Hall of Fame inductees have been vocal about their opinions about not letting suspected PED users (namely Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds & Sammy Sosa) into Cooperstown. Andre Dawson had commented weeks ago that those players should not be inducted. Jim Bunning recently spoke out and said he would not be comfortable visiting the Hall anymore that they been elected. Slugger, Al Kaline echoed the same sentiment, that he was “honoured to be in the Hall” and he would not feel comfortable “listening to some of these new guys talk about how great they were’. On Twitter, Dennis Eckersley tweeted how the Baseball Writers made a statement and that it “feels right.”
Perhaps nobody has been as blunt as Rich “Goose” Gossage, who entered the Hall of Fame for his work as a Relief Pitcher. The Goose bluntly said that the “steroids guys under suspicion received too many votes” and that they “cheated” and should not be rewarded at all.
Can we assume that many other living Baseball Hall of Fame inductees feel the same way? Probably, we can. Taking PED users (or suspected ones) out of the equation, rarely do Hall of Famers seem happy about others entering the exclusive club. The Veteran’s Committee (comprised of Hall of Fame Players) rarely seem to induct anybody, and when they do it is after they have passed on (see Ron Santo). Okay, that may be a generalization, but doesn’t a club seem more exclusive with less members?
Whether those latter points are right are not, we know one thing for sure: That the Baseball Hall of Fame has taken no stance on whether those associated with Performance Enhancing Drugs should be in Cooperstown. In fact, they have said absolutely nothing on the topic. It is not that the Hall has not taken stances before. When Major League Baseball banned Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson for gambling on the sport, the Hall of Fame removed them from the ballot. Should any Baseball Writer simply write their names in (Rose did have in write in ballots) they would be (and were) discounted. However, we don’t blame the Baseball Hall for their inaction; they simply followed the lead of Bud Selig.
Currently,
Curt Schilling recently said “everyone was guilty” and that players either “used PEDs, or did nothing to stop their use”. He continued to say that the “generation got rich” and “there was a price to pay”. If everyone is in fact guilty this includes Bud Selig and the rest of Major League Baseball.
Off the soapbox now.
The 1950 Hockey HOF Class is up
Jan 10, 2013
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
Well, you have seen us grow our site with the addition of existing Hockey Hall of Fame inductees. We have done the first three classes, so we move to the Class of 1950 who comprises:
Frank Patrick
George Richardson
Graham Drinkwater
Harry Trihey
Joe Malone
Mike Grant
Newsy Lalonde
Scotty Davidson
Si Griffis
Gang you know the drill. Check it out, and cast your votes. Look for upcoming classes soon!
Frank Patrick
George Richardson
Graham Drinkwater
Harry Trihey
Joe Malone
Mike Grant
Newsy Lalonde
Scotty Davidson
Si Griffis
Gang you know the drill. Check it out, and cast your votes. Look for upcoming classes soon!
NOBODY enters Baseball HOF.
Jan 09, 2013
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
The most anticipated day in Baseball Hall of Fame history has arrived, and like Al Capone’s Vault, the answer was Nothing. No PED users (or suspected users) got in, and nor did anybody considered clean. Let’s take a look at the vote, and give our synopsis.
Craig Biggio 68.2, 1st Year, #14 on our list.
The highest vote getter this year, Craig Biggio had 3,000 hits, though was never considered a dominating player, was a legitimate seven time All Star. Despite the glut of new talent on next year’s ballot, a 68.2 percent debut tells us that he will get in eventually.
Jack Morris 67.7 14th Year, #38 on our list.
The most polarizing non PED user on the ballot asks the debate of wins and clutch performances VS overall low ERA and Sabremetrics. We thought Morris would have had a good shot this year, but with some very capable pitchers entering next year’s ballot, that 7.3 percent he is shy looks like a canyon; especially considering he only moved up one percent this year.
Jeff Bagwell 59.6 3rd Year, #3 on our list
Is Jeff Bagwell being smeared with a potential “did he do PED’s” brush? Probably. Bagwell did move up from his 56 percent last year, but is he less of a player than long time teammate Craig Biggio? We don’t think so.
Mike Piazza 57.8 1st Year, #4 on our list
Never named to a PED list, but always suspected to be. This could be why the top offensive Catcher in baseball’s history failed to enter Cooperstown on his first try. Still a 57 percent on a debut does bode well for him to move up in the future.
Tim Raines 52.2 6th Year, #5 on our list
I nice move up for the “Rock”, as he has now gone over the 50 percent mark for the first time. His momentum is slowly growing and with and with nine more years to go, he may yet get his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
Lee Smith 47.8 11th Year, #32 on our list.
The top reliever on the ballot is hovering around 50 percent….just like always. No reason to think this will ever change.
Curt Schilling 38.8 1st Year, #19 on our list
Didn’t you think that he was going to debut higher than this? It isn’t that we thought he would get in right away, but we thought that it would be closer than this. With the glut of pitchers coming on next year’s ballot, Curt will have to wait for the call a little longer.
Roger Clemens 37.6 1st Year, #2 on our list
This is about the percentage that was projected based on the AP article two weeks ago. This answers the PED question for the Hall and right now it seems like this is how the voters will think for a few years. We have gone our soap box elsewhere on this site, so you know our feelings on it, so there is no need to debate it again here. We will say that this disappoints us.
Barry Bonds 36.2 1st Year, #1C on our list
See above….only magnify our anger by three. Bonds should be in.
Edgar Martinez 35.9 4th Year, #15 on our list
Forgotten in the PED debate, is the DH debate. Edgar’s vote tally hasn’t moved up much and there is little reason to think that 75 percent of the Hall of Fame voters will ever get aboard the Designated Hitter bandwagon; at least not in our generation.
Alan Trammell 33.6 12th Year, #9 on our list
It seems there are constant articles extolling the virtues of Alan Trammell (and Lou Whitaker) for that matter for the Hall. It may not be working. Trammell actually lost support from his 36.8 percent last year. It is not looking good for him with only three years left on the ballot.
Larry Waker 21.6 3rd Year, #11 on our list
Think this is about PEDs? Nope, this is the Hall of Fame voters debating Coors Field and thin air. Walker actually lost a percentage of support this year from last.
Fred McGriff 20.7 4th Year, #27 on our list
McGriff also lost a few percent off his support, and unlike others who are hovering around the same support on the ballot, the Crime Dog does not get any love from writers extolling his virtues. He is just “there” on the ballot. He will probably be at the same level of support on year 15.
Dale Murphy 18.6 15th Year #48 on the list
For the last week, Dale Murphy’s family has been pointing at integrity as a focal point for induction. Looks like it didn’t work, and Dale is off the ballot for good.
Mark McGwire 16.9 7th Year #12 on the list
So…Apologizing doesn’t help PED users does it? Mark McGwire has his LOWEST total since entering the ballot. He actually said recently that he wouldn’t vote for himself…apparently more voters agreed with him.
Don Mattingly 13.2 13th Year #64 on the list
Maybe he can get in as the Dodgers Manager?
Sammy Sosa 12.5 1st Year #10 on our list
Is there an interpreter to let Sammy know he didn’t make it in?
Rafael Palmeiro 8.8 3rd Year #13 on our list
Honestly, a big part of us just wanted Palmeiro to go under 5 percent to spare him from this. Statistically, he is a no brainer to enter, but of course the PED label keeps him out, but shouldn’t be higher up in relation to his PED brethren?
The following we had ranked, but failed to get the five percent needed to stay on the ballot:
Bernie Williams 3.3 2nd Year, #31 on our list
Kenny Lofton 3.2 1st Year, #43 on our list
Julio Franco 1.1 1st Year, #53 on our list
So, what have we learned? We know (officially) that PED users, or anyone associated with it, have a long and maybe impossible road to the Hall of Fame. Sure, we knew this before, but it when both Bonds and Clemens failed to get 40 percent? Ouch.
We have read writers talk about how they wanted to put more than ten names on a ballot, and others write about leaving it blank out of ‘protest’. \we know, we are going to read the same things next year.
We also know that next year gets harder. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas enter the ballot and with Bonds, Clemens and the rest of our top ten still outside of Cooperstown, our 2013 Notinhalloffame Baseball list will be the most loaded yet!
Craig Biggio 68.2, 1st Year, #14 on our list.
The highest vote getter this year, Craig Biggio had 3,000 hits, though was never considered a dominating player, was a legitimate seven time All Star. Despite the glut of new talent on next year’s ballot, a 68.2 percent debut tells us that he will get in eventually.
Jack Morris 67.7 14th Year, #38 on our list.
The most polarizing non PED user on the ballot asks the debate of wins and clutch performances VS overall low ERA and Sabremetrics. We thought Morris would have had a good shot this year, but with some very capable pitchers entering next year’s ballot, that 7.3 percent he is shy looks like a canyon; especially considering he only moved up one percent this year.
Jeff Bagwell 59.6 3rd Year, #3 on our list
Is Jeff Bagwell being smeared with a potential “did he do PED’s” brush? Probably. Bagwell did move up from his 56 percent last year, but is he less of a player than long time teammate Craig Biggio? We don’t think so.
Mike Piazza 57.8 1st Year, #4 on our list
Never named to a PED list, but always suspected to be. This could be why the top offensive Catcher in baseball’s history failed to enter Cooperstown on his first try. Still a 57 percent on a debut does bode well for him to move up in the future.
Tim Raines 52.2 6th Year, #5 on our list
I nice move up for the “Rock”, as he has now gone over the 50 percent mark for the first time. His momentum is slowly growing and with and with nine more years to go, he may yet get his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
Lee Smith 47.8 11th Year, #32 on our list.
The top reliever on the ballot is hovering around 50 percent….just like always. No reason to think this will ever change.
Curt Schilling 38.8 1st Year, #19 on our list
Didn’t you think that he was going to debut higher than this? It isn’t that we thought he would get in right away, but we thought that it would be closer than this. With the glut of pitchers coming on next year’s ballot, Curt will have to wait for the call a little longer.
Roger Clemens 37.6 1st Year, #2 on our list
This is about the percentage that was projected based on the AP article two weeks ago. This answers the PED question for the Hall and right now it seems like this is how the voters will think for a few years. We have gone our soap box elsewhere on this site, so you know our feelings on it, so there is no need to debate it again here. We will say that this disappoints us.
Barry Bonds 36.2 1st Year, #1C on our list
See above….only magnify our anger by three. Bonds should be in.
Edgar Martinez 35.9 4th Year, #15 on our list
Forgotten in the PED debate, is the DH debate. Edgar’s vote tally hasn’t moved up much and there is little reason to think that 75 percent of the Hall of Fame voters will ever get aboard the Designated Hitter bandwagon; at least not in our generation.
Alan Trammell 33.6 12th Year, #9 on our list
It seems there are constant articles extolling the virtues of Alan Trammell (and Lou Whitaker) for that matter for the Hall. It may not be working. Trammell actually lost support from his 36.8 percent last year. It is not looking good for him with only three years left on the ballot.
Larry Waker 21.6 3rd Year, #11 on our list
Think this is about PEDs? Nope, this is the Hall of Fame voters debating Coors Field and thin air. Walker actually lost a percentage of support this year from last.
Fred McGriff 20.7 4th Year, #27 on our list
McGriff also lost a few percent off his support, and unlike others who are hovering around the same support on the ballot, the Crime Dog does not get any love from writers extolling his virtues. He is just “there” on the ballot. He will probably be at the same level of support on year 15.
Dale Murphy 18.6 15th Year #48 on the list
For the last week, Dale Murphy’s family has been pointing at integrity as a focal point for induction. Looks like it didn’t work, and Dale is off the ballot for good.
Mark McGwire 16.9 7th Year #12 on the list
So…Apologizing doesn’t help PED users does it? Mark McGwire has his LOWEST total since entering the ballot. He actually said recently that he wouldn’t vote for himself…apparently more voters agreed with him.
Don Mattingly 13.2 13th Year #64 on the list
Maybe he can get in as the Dodgers Manager?
Sammy Sosa 12.5 1st Year #10 on our list
Is there an interpreter to let Sammy know he didn’t make it in?
Rafael Palmeiro 8.8 3rd Year #13 on our list
Honestly, a big part of us just wanted Palmeiro to go under 5 percent to spare him from this. Statistically, he is a no brainer to enter, but of course the PED label keeps him out, but shouldn’t be higher up in relation to his PED brethren?
The following we had ranked, but failed to get the five percent needed to stay on the ballot:
Bernie Williams 3.3 2nd Year, #31 on our list
Kenny Lofton 3.2 1st Year, #43 on our list
Julio Franco 1.1 1st Year, #53 on our list
So, what have we learned? We know (officially) that PED users, or anyone associated with it, have a long and maybe impossible road to the Hall of Fame. Sure, we knew this before, but it when both Bonds and Clemens failed to get 40 percent? Ouch.
We have read writers talk about how they wanted to put more than ten names on a ballot, and others write about leaving it blank out of ‘protest’. \we know, we are going to read the same things next year.
We also know that next year gets harder. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas enter the ballot and with Bonds, Clemens and the rest of our top ten still outside of Cooperstown, our 2013 Notinhalloffame Baseball list will be the most loaded yet!