We initially were not going to comment on this but based on the buzz it is generating, and the fact that we are Notinhalloffame.com, we have decided to give our pair of pennies.

In an interview with Today on NBC’s Today on why Steph Curry would not be on his dream five-man pick-up team. His answer was:

“He’s still a great player…Not a Hall of Famer yet, though.  He’s not.”

Keep in mind this was said in a playful tone, so we have no idea whether this was done with a wink, and whether he actually meant it.  We have to believe that he didn’t and was just playing, or perhaps if he did, it is not by his “hall of fame standard”.

If he does mean it, he is in the minority, as he is a two-time MVP and three-time NBA Champion with six All-Stars and a scoring title.  

As for our opinion, in our new section that ranks active basketball players based on their existing Hall of Fame resume, we have Curry ranked #5, and feel that he is already a Hall of Fame lock.

Either way, it generated a few comments in the 24-hour news cycle of sports and will be forgotten tomorrow.  

Until Curry brings it up in his Hall of Fame speech.

It was reported today that Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Willie Brown, passed away at 78.  As of this writing, the cause of death is unknown.

Playing his college ball at Grambling, Brown was undrafted in 1963 and would try out for the Houston Oilers of the AFL.  He didn’t make the team, but would with the Denver Broncos, where he would become a starting Cornerback as a rookie.  Brown would go to two AFL All-Star Games with Denver, but he was traded to the Oakland Raiders before the 1967 Season.

In the next seven seasons, Brown was an AFL All-Star/Pro Bowl Selection and would be named a First Team All-Pro four times.  Brown would help the Raiders win Super Bowl XI and would record what was then the longest Interception Return Touchdown (at the time) for 75 Yards in the win.  He would retire in 1978 with 54 career Interceptions.

After his playing career ended, he would become the Raiders Defensive Backs Coach, a role where he won two more Super Bowls (XV & XVIII).

Brown served on the Administrative Staff of the Raiders since 1995, a position he held until his death.  He would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, family and fans of Willie Brown at this time.

With the Yankees post-season now officially over, the career of CC Sabathia is now officially over. Arguably, it ended three days before in Game 4, when he had to leave the game when his knee buckled and his shoulder appeared to give out.  He limped off the field and was replaced on the post-season roster.  This was not the way that he wanted to go out, but that is often the case for the great ones.

From Vallejo, California, Sabathia made his debut in 2001 with the Cleveland Indians and he would go 17 and 5 and finish behind Ichiro Suzuki for the American League Rookie of the Year.  The southpaw would later go to the All-Star Game in 2003 and 2004 and in 2007, where he would ho to his third All-Star Game, he would have his best season to date.  That year, he would go 19-7 with 209 Strikeouts and lead the AL in Innings Pitched (241.0) and SO/BB (5.65).  Sabathia would also win the Cy Young in that campaign.  

2008 would see him traded to the Milwaukee Brewers midway through the season.  Sabathia was an impending Free Agent, and Cleveland was not performing well.  He would finish off the season in the National League by going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and help the Brewers make the playoffs.  Despite only having 17 Starts, he would finish fifth in Cy Young voting.

Sabathia would sign with the New York Yankees for the 2009 Season, and this will would be the third and final team he would play for.  That year, Sabathia would help the Bronx Bombers win the World Series and he would win the American League Championship Series MVP.  That year, he would lead the AL in Wins (19) and finished third in Cy Young Voting.  

The Pitcher would then go on a three-year run of All-Star Game selections and in 2010, he would again lead the AL in Wins with 21, a career-high.  He would also notably finish third and fourth in Cy Young voting in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Sabathia reached 3,000 Strikeouts this year, and retires with 3,093.  As of this writing, 18 Pitchers have reached the 3,000 K milestone, and all of those who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame have been inducted with the exception of Curt Schilling.  It could be decades before we see a 300 Game winner in the Majors, and Sabathia retires with 251, which is arguably the “modern 300”.  He was the active leader in the category and he is 47^thall-time.  

In terms of advanced statistics, Sabathia has a career bWAR of 62.5, which is below the average Hall of Famer (73.2), as is his 51.2 JAWS below the HOF average of 61.5.  Sabathia’s numbers might be low in those metrics, but he has been considered such a special for so long, that it should not hurt him at all.  The fact that he was a six-time All-Star, Cy Young Winner and a World Series Champion are in your face accomplishments, and that won’t be ignored.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish CC Sabathia the best in his post-playing career, and we would like to thank him for the memories. 

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players and executive. As such, it is news to us that the New England Patriots Hall of Fame have announced the opening of a new exhibit called “Yes, It’s Still A Dynasty”.

Obviously, you would have to be a really good team for the past decades to have an exhibit with that title and arguably only the New England Patriots can pull that off!

The new section will focus on events of the last 20 years, which as NFL fans know would see New England win six Super Bowls, nine AFC Conference Championships and 16 AFC East Titles.  The last time the Patriots did not win their division was in 2002, and they are strongly favored to win it again this year.  The Patriots Hall of Fame Executive Director, Bryan Morry, stated that it seemed to fit as this is “Bill Belichick’s and Tom Brady’s 20^thseason with the team.”

Some of the showcases announced will be:

Tom Brady’s game worn jersey when he threw his 50^thTouchdown of the 2007 season.

Rob Gronkowski’s game worn jersey in his last home game; their 2018 playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Willie McGinest’s cleats that he wore during Super Bowl XXXIX.

Vince Wilfork’s gloves when he made his first career interception against the Chargers in 2011.

Ty Law’s cleats worn during New England’s Super Bowl XXXVIII win.

Troy Brown’s 2002 game worn Pro Bowl Jersey.

Julian Edelman’s game worn jersey when he caught 10 passes for 100 Yards in New England’s 2015 Playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the New England Patriots Hall of Fame for their continued growth and dedication to their history.