We are getting really tired of writing obituaries.

Tom Seaver, who has been battling dementia for the past few years, has passed away at age 75.

When Seaver debuted for the New York Mets in 1967, it was evident immediately that this was one special Pitcher that the Mets had on their hands.  Named the Rookie of the Year, Seaver was named an All-Star, and “Tom Terrific” would earn that honor 11 more times in his career.  

Seaver is universally regarded as the greatest New York Met of all-time, and how could it he not be?  He was the anchor of the 1969 squad that shocked the baseball world winning the World Series for the “Miracle Mets”.  The Mets were considered underdogs, despite Seaver winning his first of three Cy Youngs that year.  With the Mets, Seaver won three ERA Titles, three WHIP Titles, and five Strikeout Titles.

The Mets shocked their fans by trading Seaver to Cincinnati during the 1977 season, and two of his All-Star appearances occurred as a Red.  Seaver would return to New York, and finished his career with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.

Seaver retired with a record of 311-205, 3,640 Strikeouts with a career ERA of 2.86.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Tom Seaver.

Albert Pujols: A big contract bringing clipping the Angels’ wings

Alberto Pujols is still playing baseball? That question may have crossed your mind when it was announced the current Los Angeles Angels first baseman had passed Alex Rodriguez on Major League Baseball’s all-time RBI list this week. Pujols knocked in his 2,087^thRBI on August 24^thand is now trailing Hank Aaron as the all-time Major League Baseball leader. Sports fans are enjoying a large amount of sports available currently from baseball to horse racing. The biggest horse race in the world will take place on September 5^that Churchill Downs and fans can watch a Kentucky Derby live stream to follow all of the action on race day. 

Now, 40-years-old, Pujols’ standing as one of the greatest in Major League Baseball history doesn’t seem to be as firm as it was years ago. Pujols has spent the last eight and a half seasons playing for the Angels. So, if you forgot he was even in the league at this point, you can be forgiven. 

Pujols’ 2020 season has been rather forgettable. His RBI on Monday night to pull him closer to Aaron was a milestone but there was little to actually celebrate. The Angels are 10-22 as of this writing and 12.0 games out of first place in the AL West. For all the talk of the greatness of Pujols and Mike Trot, they sure have done little to get the Angels into American League West winning position. Of course, baseball takes more than just two players, but Pujols’ stats show a player limping toward retirement and hanging on for too long.

The first baseman is hitting .215 with an OBP of .253, and slugging percentage of .367 as of August 27^th. He has hit just three home runs and knocked in 12 RBI in 79 at bats. The once great hitting machine is a shell of his former self. 

Since arriving in Los Angeles in 2012, Pujols has regularly failed to get the Angels into the playoffs. Just one time have the club made the postseason following Pujols’ big money move from St. Louis. In pure poor money management, the Angels rewarded Pujols for what he did with the Cardinals and not what he could do in the future. 

The club signed him to a 10-year contract in 2012 for a $240 million. According to Spotrac, Pujols was due $29m this season alone. In 2012, signing Pujols for 10 years may have sounded like a great deal. He was 32 and coming off of winning the World Series with the Cardinals. He was also a three-time MVP. 

Pujols’ batting average has never risen over .300 for a full season in Los Angeles. Three times his OBP has dipped below .300, including this season. Other than in the 2015 season, Pujols hasn’t shown the power of his time in St. Louis. The 2015 campaign witnessed Pujols hitting 40 home runs. He hit 40 or more homers six times for the Cardinals. Just once has he done it in Los Angeles.

The last eight and a half seasons in Los Angeles have been well paid for Pujols. But with the Angels making the playoffs just once in that time, Pujols is now just a huge contract around the club’s neck. That deal won’t end until after the 2021 season. Pujols will earns $30m next season.

What is America’s most-watched sport? Rightly said, it is Football. Football represents an amazing display of stamina and strength, exquisite finesse, excellent team spirit, and dramatic finishes. You can never speculate when an underdog can defeat a favorite giant on any given Sunday. Every football match pumps up the adrenaline like never before. That’s the beauty of America’s most popular sport.

No doubt, football has been chosen as the subject of many Hollywood movies. All the drama and glory of the field are precisely presented in each feature film based on football. You can feel the excitement and rush of adrenaline, often further heightened by betting odds offered on these matches at some of the best betting sites UK and other countries’ sportsbooks. Today we list the top 5 football-themed movies that Americans have even witnessed.

Any Given Sunday (1999)

Director- Oliver Stone

Writers- John Logan (screenplay), Daniel Pyne (story)

Stars- Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid

IMDbrating– 6.9/10

The Oliver Stone football classic is one of the best sports films ever. It shows the behind-the-scenes stories of the legends on the field and those who manage them. The movie shows plenty of NPL legends and some great football actions.

Varsity Blues (1999)

Director- Brian Robbins

Writers- W. Peter Iliff

Stars- James Van Der Beek, Paul Walker, Jon Voight

IMDb rating– 6.5/10

Jonathan Moxon, played by James Van Der Beek, is a reserve quarterback who takes the field to keep up with the wishes of his football-crazy father. But when the star quarterback gets injured, he steps up and leads the team towards victory.

Wildcats (1986)

Director- Michael Ritchie

Writers- Ezra Sacks

Stars- Goldie Hawn, Robyn Lively, Swoosie Kurtz

IMDb rating– 6.0/10

This movie features Goldie Hawn as a high school rookie football coach who dreams of coaching a football team. She applies to coach an inner-city team and gets the job. The movie is about her challenges is coaching this team and taking to the championship finals.

North Dallas Forty (1979)

Director- Ted Kotcheff

Writers- Frank Yablans (screenplay), Peter Gent (story)

Stars- Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning

IMDbrating– 7.0/10

Nick Nolte plays the protagonist's role here (Peter Gent), a former American football player in Dallas. The movie is semi-fictional, and the team in the movie – North Dallas Bulls holds a lot of similarity to the Dallas Football club. The famous club was a bit disappointed since the movie showcased pain killers' use in a positive light.

Remember The Titans (2000)

Director- Boaz Yakin

Writers- Gregory Allen Howard

Stars- Denzel Washington, Wood Harris, Will Patton

IMDbrating– 7.8/10

The movie is about a young team and their newly appointed coach who overcomes racial boundaries and play as one unit based on true events. Denzel Washington plays the role of the coach (Herman Boone). This movie is one of the best performances of Denzel Washington and even terming it as a classic might seem to be an understatement.

This has been a horrible week for basketball legends. 

Recently, we lost Lute Olson and Clifford Robinson. Now we lost John Thompson.

Thompson played his college ball at Providence where he was an honorable mention All-American by the AP.  He went on to play three years with the Boston Celtics, winning two NBA Championships under the dynasty led by Red Auberbach.

Immediately after his playing career ended, he took over as the head coach for St. Anthony High School in Washington D.C., and did so well there, he caught the attention of Georgetown, who signed him to be their Head Coach in 1972.  This would be the school he coached for 27 years, and put on the national map.

Thompson had a coaching record of 596-239 and he had a 14-year streak of NCAA Tournament Appearances (1979-92).  That streak was easily the highwater mark of Thompson’s career, as in that timeframe he was a three-time Big East Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year and UPI Coach of the Year.  Thompson took the Hoyas to the NCAA Championship in 1984, and in doing so became the first African-American Head Coach to win the Title.

He would be named to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of John Thompson.