When David Beckham was first nominated for a place in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, he was largely known as an influential player for LA Galaxy. The former England international had already agreed to produce the newest franchise in MLS but the wider public was largely unaware of the formation of Inter Miami.

Back in 2019, Beckham’s legacy for United States’ soccer was yet to be fully appreciated but, fast forward two years and he’s starting to become more widely acknowledged.

Galaxy Alumni

It’s not a great surprise that David Beckham was overlooked when the 2019 nominations were assessed. He had been a pivotal figure for LA Galaxy and made over 100 appearances for the franchise between 2007 and 2012. Galaxy won the MLS Cup twice in that period and Beckham had a significant role to play each time.

As impressive as his contributions may have been, David Beckham’s efforts were hardly worthy of a place in the Hall of Fame at that time. However, two years later, his work to bring Inter Miami into the top division might just see his place among the elite confirmed at the awards ceremony in March.

First Year Report

Inter Miami became the newest members of the MLS family when they were included at the start of the 2020 season. Beckham appointed Diego Alonso as coach and the franchise subsequently finished in tenth place in the Eastern Conference. It was a respectable return for a brand new side and it was enough to see Inter progress beyond the regular season.

The journey didn’t last much longer, however, with the club eliminated at the very next stage - the play in round. David Beckham would have been happy enough with a solid start but it’s clear that he’s aiming much higher in 2021.

A New Era

Diego Alonso’s performance in the dugout wasn’t enough to earn him another shot at the MLS Cup. Inter Miami removed the experienced coach in the close season and replaced him with Beckham’s former Manchester United teammate, Phil Neville. Formerly in charge of England ladies, Neville will need to improve on Inter’s performance in their inaugural season.

The sportsbooks aren’t offering too much hope in this respect: The best betting sites listed on sbo.net indicate Los Angeles FC listed as favorites to win the MLS Cup in 2021. Close behind are last season’s finalists Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders while Canada’s Toronto FC are also rated highly. Meanwhile, Inter Miami are way down the list as 12th favorites for success.

The new MLS campaign gets underway in April and those market odds will start to move as the games commence. To keep up with the changing patterns, stay tuned to sbo.net who will update the prices while offering insight and news updates along the way. Sportsbook offers and promotions will also be in place for those who want to get involved.

Peer Recognition

David Beckham’s potential induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame isn’t dependent on whether his Inter Miami side win the MLS Cup but success would certainly raise his profile even higher. By that point, he may already be among the elite within the game and the recognition of his peers would be fully deserved.

Beckham’s legacy is largely felt in his native England where he helped to make Manchester United win multiple Premier League titles. Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy was largely seen as a stop along the way before the midfielder finally ended his playing career in France with Paris Saint-Germain. As a soccer club owner, his work will be most keenly felt in the United States as Inter Miami look to make their mark on the national game.

Long before specialized relief pitching became a core part of modern baseball, Harry "Slim" Sallee was a key multi-purpose pitcher for the Deadball Era St. Louis Cardinals. The tall southpaw, who arrived in 1908, quickly became essential, often pitching multiple roles. Since the Cardinals often ranked low in the National League, Sallee had to handle various duties, sometimes as a starting ace and other times as a late-inning reliever.

Sallee relied on precise control and an elegant, deceptive delivery rather than raw power, masterfully confounding hitters to anchor the St. Louis pitching staff for nearly a decade. He surpassed the 200-inning threshold in five separate seasons for the franchise, stringing together four consecutive 15-win campaigns from 1911 through 1914. His individual value peaked during a remarkable two-year period between 1913 and 1914, when he accumulated a total of 37 victories, completed 36 games, and maintained an exceptional, microscopic 2.10 ERA during his intensive workload in 1914.

Focusing solely on his 212 career starts for the team masks the broader scope of his adaptability that shaped his legacy in the senior league. Sallee was an early innovator in finishing games he didn't initiate. Long before the official recognition of the “closer" role or the save stat, his effectiveness in high-pressure relief situations was highly respected. He retrospectively led the National League in saves twice while with St. Louis, recording a league-high six saves in 1912 and 1914, all while remaining one of the most durable starters.

Midway through the 1916 season, Sallee was traded to the New York Giants. While Sallee would later secure two World Series championships with the Giants and the Cincinnati Reds—including a magnificent 21-win masterpiece for Cincinnati's infamous 1919 title team—his most extensive, foundational body of work was accomplished in St. Louis.

With the Cardinals, Sallee appeared in 302 games (starting 212). He achieved a 106–107 record, with an excellent 2.67 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Over 1,939.0 innings, he pitched 111 complete games, 14 shutouts, and was retrospectively credited with 25 saves.

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.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the pre-2021 update of our top 50 Atlanta Braves of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we 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.

There is one new addition, but not an active player.  As always, we announce our top five immediately, but out full list can be found here.

1. Hank Aaron

2. Warren Spahn

3. Kid Nichols

4. Greg Maddux

5. Eddie Mathews

There was minor tinkering on the list due to the changing values from Baseball Reference.

One major jump took place as Freddie Freeman, the reigning MVP, rocketed from #19 to #13.

We have a significant debut, albeit from a player who hasn’t played in over a century.  Jack Stivetts, who was an excellent hitting Pitcher arrives at #40.  We had forgotten to take account his competent batting, which accounts for his high rank.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Jack Stivetts played eleven seasons in the Majors with the meat of his career playing for the Boston Beaneaters (1892-98).

The Pitcher had four 20-plus Win years, and was an exceptional hitter, batting .305 for the Braves, a stat that helped to land him on this list.

Stivetts overall win 131 Games with an OPS of .799, which is one hell of a combination.