Ron Simmons has been selected for the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame class, and we are very happy with this selection.  Simmons wrestled mostly as "Faarooq" in the WWE, first leading the "Nation of Domination" faction in the late 90's and then spending the rest of his WWE tenure in a tag team with Bradshaw (who would later be known as JBL).  Prior to that, Simmons was the first African American World Heavyweight Champion in WCW and was a college football standout at Florida State.  Of note, this makes the third major post career accolade for Simmons as he is already in the College Football Hall of Fame (2008) and had his jersey retired by the Seminoles.  We congratulate Ron Simmons on this latest achievement in what has been a stellar career.   

Okay, we know that Tim Wakefield is not a Hall of Famer, and will not escape the first year of eligibility on the ballot.  With that said, we have a soft spot for good knuckleball pitchers, and Wakefield was certainly that.  He retires with 200 wins, the bulk of which were with the Boston Red Sox.  He was a one time All Star with a pair of World Series rings.  It may not be Hall of Fame, but it is a solid career to us.