The International Tennis Hall of Fame has released their ballot for the Class of 2019 and let’s get right to the eight nominees:

Jonas Bjorkman: Bjorkman would win 6 Singles titles and had a career high rank of #4 but he was a specialist in Doubles where he was a nine time Grand Slam Champion (Australian Open 1998, 1999 & 2001, French Open (2005 & 2006), Wimbledon (2002, 2003 & 2004) and the U.S. Open 2003). The native of Sweden would also assist his country win three David Cups.

Sergi Bruguera: From Spain, Sergi Bruguera won the French Open in both 1993 and 1994 and won 14 singles titles and in 1994 he was ranked as high as #3. He also won the Olympic Silver Medal in 1996. Notably he is the only player who has a wining record over both Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.

Goran Ivanisevic: In 2001, Goran Ivanisevic would a surprise winner of the 2001 Wimbledon Title. The Croatian star never did win another Grand Slam, although he did win 22 career titles and was ranked as high as #2. He would also help Croatia win the Davis Cup in 2005.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov: Kafelnikov is the last man to win a Grand Slam Singles and Doubles in the same year when he did so at the French Open in 1996. The Russian also won the Australian Open (1999) and the Olympics in Sydney (2002). He is a former #1 player and also won three more Grand Slam Doubles (French Open 1997 & 2002 & U.S. Open 1997).

Conchita Martinez: Martinez won the Wimbledon in 1994, which made her the first Spaniard to win a Grand Slam. She would win 33 Singles titles and three Olympic Medals (Silver 1992 & 2004 & Bronze 1996).

Thomas Muster: From Austria, Thomas Muster was once ranked # (1996) and he would win the French Open in 1996.He would win 44 Singles Titles over his career.

Li Na: Na won the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014, which made her the first (and to date) the only Asian to win a Grand Slam. She won 9 titles in the WTA and was once ranked #2 on the world and should she be chosen for the Hall, Na would become the first player from Asia to be selected.

Mary Pierce: Pierce won the Australian Open in 1995 and the French Open in 2000 and had 18 career singles titles overall.   The Frenchwoman was ranked as high as #3.

As mentioned earlier in the week, the International Tennis Hall of Fame has announced a fan vote that will play into the voting as the leading vote getter will receive a three percent vote increase, the runner-up will receive a two percent increase and the third place finisher will be bumped up one percent.

To enter the Hall, a nominee must receive 75% of the vote.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the nominees.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced their two contributor finalists for the 2019 Class, which are Pat Bowlen and Gil Brandt.

Pat Bowlen became the owner of the Denver Broncos in 1984 and over that time the franchise would win the AFC seven times and the Super Bowl three times. In 2014 due to Alzheimer’s disease he would step down as the CEO of the team.

Brandt worked as a scout for the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the late 1950’s and he would take over as the chief talent scout for the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, a position he would hold for nearly 30 years. Brandt’s innovations in scouting would become a template for NFL teams.

Bowlen and Brandt automatically become finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which will be chosen days before the Super Bowl.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate both Bowlen and Brandt for advancing to this stage.

Victor Cruz announced today that he has retired from Pro Football and will be joining ESPN as an analyst.

Cruz was undrafted out of the University of Massachusetts but was able to sign on as a free agent with the New York Giants in 2010 and would see limited action as a rookie, however he was given the opportunity in 2011 and made the most of it accruing 82 Receptions for 1,536 Yards, which noticeably included a 99 Yard Touchdown Reception, the longest in NFL history. More importantly, he would help the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI.

The Wide Receiver would be named to the Pro Bowl in 2012 and again had 1,000 Yards. He would also have a career high 10 Touchdown Receptions. Cruz would be riddled with injuries and regression shortly after and he his numbers would subside. He would miss the 2015 season completely and in his return season of 2016 he only tallied 586 Yards. The Giants would release him in February of 2017 and while he signed shortly after with the Chicago Bears, he was not able to crack their roster.

Cruz is not likely to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame (he will be eligible in 2022) but his end zone Salsa Dance will be missed.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Victor Cruz the best in his new career at ESPN.

The Tennis Hall of Fame has made a slight adjustment to their voting procedures to make it a little more fan interactive. Starting late this month the Hall will have an online poll that will allow fans to vote on who they think should be inducted.

To get inducted a candidate requires 75% of the vote and the members who vote on the Hall of Fame remain the same. What the online vote does do is provide a jump in the percentage. The top vote getter will receive an additional 3%, the second highest will receive 2% and the third place finisher in the online vote will receive a 1% boost. While this may seem like a lot, chances are that one year that it will make the difference on a fringe candidate.

While this is a minor change, it does make this Hall of Fame more fan friendly, which is an easy thing for us to celebrate.