Willie Davis was a local high school track star whose gear for speed that few in the history of the sport have ever matched. Taking over center field from the legendary Duke Snider, he stepped into a role that demanded both elite production and a massive personality to match the Hollywood backdrop. 

It was a rapid ascent from raw prospect to run-scoring catalyst.  Davis demonstrated a specialized ability to manufacture runs alongside Maury Wills, forming a high-caliber "table-setting" duo that helped pave the way for the Dodgers' success. By 1962, he had already established a high ceiling, recording 21 home runs, 103 runs, and 32 stolen bases. This early stretch gave the organization the high-stakes speed needed to capture World Series titles in 1963 and 1965, with Davis delivering key RBIs in the '63 clincher and a then-record three steals in a single '65 Series game.

He matured into a professional mainstay during the late 60s and early 70s. In 1969, he authored a franchise-record 31-game hitting streak, a masterpiece of offensive efficiency that still stands over 50 years later. He evolved into a technical master of the outfield, earning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1971 to 1973. While he was often criticized for a "free-spirited" approach to the game, his efficiency was undeniable; he led the league in triples twice and maintained a high volume of at least 20 steals in 11 separate seasons for the Dodgers.

Despite his outstanding contributions, his legacy is occasionally overshadowed by a problematic inning in the 1966 World Series, a brief struggle that dimmed a career marked by defensive excellence. He demonstrated remarkable durability for the organization, playing over 140 games in nearly every full season with the Blue before being traded to Montreal following the 1973 season.

With the Dodgers (1960–1973), Davis compiled 2,091 hits, 154 home runs, 335 stolen bases, and a .279 batting average, but for the purposes of Notinhalloffame, he is an anomaly as he was a man with a career bWAR over 60, who was left off the Hall of Fame ballot completely. 

Steve Garvey first made the Los Angeles roster in 1969, a first-round draft pick with a tireless work ethic and Popeye-like forearms that seemed designed for the Southern California spotlight. While he initially spent a few years searching for his defensive home, he eventually anchored first base for over a decade.

After shifting positions on the diamond, he secured the starting role at first base in 1973, transforming it into a stronghold. Garvey maintained frequent contact at the plate, batting .304 during his first full season as a starter. His standout year came in 1974, when he achieved 200 hits and 111 RBIs, leading the Dodgers to the National League Pennant and earning the NL MVP Award. This impressive season initiated a streak of eight consecutive All-Star selections as a Dodger, during which he was a consistent presence in the middle of the lineup. He also proved to be a clutch performer in the postseason, ending his career with a .338 batting average in October across 55 games.

Between 1974 and 1980, he recorded six 200-hit seasons, twice leading the National League in hits. While he was known as a premier contact hitter, he also provided a high-caliber offensive engine with five seasons of at least 20 home runs, including a career-high 33 long balls in 1977. He was a technical master in the field, winning four consecutive Gold Gloves and setting a National League record for consecutive games played (1,207).

The postseason was his domain, especially during the 1978 NLCS, where he earned MVP honors despite a World Series loss to the Yankees. He achieved team success in 1981 with a World Series title, but left Los Angeles after 1982. As a free agent, he wanted a five-year deal, but the Dodgers hesitated at his age, leading him to sign a five-year, $6.6 million deal with the Padres, ending his prominent LA sports career.

He was formally recognized in 2019 as one of the inaugural Legends of Dodger Baseball.  As a member of the Dodgers, Garvey compiled 1,968 hits and 211 home runs.

Entering the very late bye of Week 14, the Chicago Bears sported a humbling 3-10 record. The .231 percentage had Chicago ranked as the lowest team in the NFC, on par with the Denver Broncos, and only below the 1-11 Houston Texans. It’s not great company for a team with a good share of high-quality talents.

Regardless, this was never meant to be the season that the Bears surged towards the playoffs, as the CBS Sports preseason predictions suggest. In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers were meant to be the top contender, but the Minnesota Vikings bulked up and the Detroit Lions are starting to realize the quality of the players at the team’s disposal.

Even if three wins were to be the final count for the Bears this season, it hasn’t been all bad. The 270 points for coming out of the bye was seven better than the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers, which is always nice. With five games lost by seven or fewer points, some by less than a field goal, the Bears certainly showed up more than the record would suggest.

There have been bright spots dotted around the 2022 season for Chicago, even if the season will end with the 17th game. Importantly, there’s good reason to be optimistic next season, especially once a high draft pick is secured.

Injuries and working out the receiver room

While the Chicago Bears have been able to stay mostly healthy overall, little irritating injuries have popped up at inconvenient times. Justin Fields missing one, Khalil Herbert going down just as he looked set to almost take the backfield for his own, and the double knockout of Bears defensive backs Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker for two games all contributed to a somewhat stop-start feeling around the Bears this season.

Overall, though, the good take is that most key players and up-and-coming stars have been able to play the majority of the games. That said, this makes the receiving space that much more baffling. Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet have become the main targets for Fields, sharing 111 targets over 13 games, but behind them, it’s anyone’s guess with Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis, and Chase Claypool seemingly the frontrunners of the other six or so candidates, but is largely ineffective.

 Ground game gathering speed

If there’s been one outright shining light for the ’22 Bears, it’s been the run game. Perhaps the only frustrating element has been that Herbert hasn’t been allowed to take full command just yet. David Montgomery hit 641 yards and a 4.0 average through 12 starts. Herbert, in one start and ten games, collected 643 yards and a 6.0 average. To Montgomery’s credit, he’s picked up in the passing game, collecting 25 of 30 targets for a 9.8 average.

Of course, the star of the show has been Fields. Yahoo reports that Fields is hitting the highest yards per carry mark in a single season of any player at 125 carries coming into the bye. Accompanying this, a historic average of 7.1 yards per carry, as well as a franchise-record 67-yard stomp to score a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.

However, one of the reasons why the receiving corps has been relatively hit-or-miss has been Fields getting hurried – which has also encouraged his absurd rushing figures. At the start of the season, the Bears’ O-line ranked nearly dead last, but legend Olin Kreutz sees flashes of potential from Teven Jenkins, perhaps even enough to one day earn him a Pro Bowl nod.

It’s been very slow going as far as a football season goes, but the starting set of Jenkins, Riley Reiff, Sam Mustipher, Cody Whitehair, and Braxton Jones has undoubtedly improved a great deal throughout the season. The number of pressures put on Fields has waned as the games have ticked along, and space is being made for the ground game to flourish.

Tanking for an opportunistic draft day

With four games to go, the Bears were tasked with facing the two leading Super Bowl contenders – the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles – and then their divisional leaders. First to come, the Detroit Lions, somehow knocking around the wild card contention. Then, the leaders, the Vikings. Earlier in the season, the Bears lost by a single point to the Lions, and by seven to Minnesota.

So, it won’t come as a surprise that even the platform with the highest rating among all Illinois sports betting outlets was fairly undecided on the Bears even getting one more win. Also offering a $1,000 risk-free bet, the 9.6-rated BetMGM had the bears at -200 to get over 3.5 wins this season and +165 to remain on three. For the Bears, staying under that three-win mark wouldn’t be the worst thing.

As it stands, Chicago would likely get the second overall pick – even higher than when the team landed linebacker Chuck Howley. Naturally, the first-overall Texans would take the top quarterback, leaving the Bears with a potential star pass rusher, Will Anderson. However, with bolstering protection for Fields surely the priority, and the offensive lineman going mid-round in most mock drafts, perhaps a trade for even more value could come in.

All-in-all, 2022 is going to go down as a building season, and there’s been plenty to have Bears fans optimistic for the future.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the San Francisco Giants.

The franchise began in 1883 as the New York Gothams, changing their name to the Giants shortly after.  In the pre-modern World Series era, New York won the 1888 and 1889 Pennants, and in 1905, they captured their first World Series. The Giants won the World Series again in 1921, 1922, 1933, and 1954, but like the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Giants were not going to be the top dog in NYC, and they moved to San Francisco in 1956.

Even though they had Willie Mays in tow, it would take long after he left until the turn of the century for the Giants to win another title.  San Francisco won the 2010, 2012 & 2014 World Series, giving them eight in total.

This list is up to the end of the 2022 regular season.

Our Top 50 lists in Baseball look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2022 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Willie Mays

2.  Barry Bonds

3. Christy Mathewson

4. Mel Ott

5. Carl Hubbell

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our more material coming soon!

As always, we thank you for your support.