Regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly putting together the best 50 players of all time for each team from the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and the National Football League.

Once that is complete, our next task is to tackle how each of those teams honor their former players/executives in terms of franchise halls of fames, retired numbers etc.

One of the teams that we are in the preliminary stages of selecting our top 50 is the Cincinnati Reds, who announced six former players on their modern era ballot.

The nominees are as follows:

Aaron Boone, Third Base: 1997-2003.   The son of Bob Boone and brother of Bret Boone, Aaron went to his only All Star Game in 2003 prior to being traded to the New York Yankees. He had 646 Hits, 86 Home Runs with a .271 Batting Average over his Reds career.

Adam Dunn, Outfield: 2001-2008. An All Star in 2002, Dunn went on a power tear hitting 40 dingers five years in a row from 2004 to 2008. As a Red, the power hitter tallied 270 Home Runs with a Slash Line of .247/.380/.520.

John Franco, Relief Pitcher: 1984-89. Three times an All Star as a Cincinnati Red, John Franco secured 148 Saves including 39, which led the NL in 1988.

Danny Graves, Relief Pitcher: 1997-2005. Graves would go to two All Star Games and had four seasons where he eclipsed 30, including a 41 save season in 2004. He would save 182 Games in total for Cincinnati.

Scott Rolen, Third Base: 2009-2012.   Rolen was only a Red for his last three and a half seasons of his career, though was still named an All Star twice. He had 304 Hits as a Red.

Reggie Sanders, Outfield: 1991-98. Sanders was an All Star in 1995 and finished 6th in MVP voting. As a Red he would tally 781 Hits, 125 Home Runs and 158 Stolen Bases.

To be eligible for the Reds Hall of Fame a player must have played for Cincinnati for three seasons, played in the majors in the last thirteen years and have been retired for at least three years.

In addition to the Modern Player inductee, a Veterans Player inductee will also be selected.

You can vote at Cincinnati.reds.mlb.com.

The announcement of the winner will be made in late September.

It is another big day in relation to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the Bobby Beathard has been named this year’s Contributor Finalist.

Beathard’s career began with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963 as a Scout and while he would leave the team briefly to work directly for the American Football League but would return to the Chiefs and during their 1966 AFL Championship Season. He would later scout for the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1971 and would join the Miami Dolphins in ’72 as their Director of Player Personnel and would win two Super Bowl Rings in the process.

Beathard would be recruited by the Washington Redskins to become their General Manager and he transformed the team into a perennial power. During his tenure, the Skins would make it to three Super Bowls and win two of them. In the 90’s he would take over the GM role in San Diego and built a team that reached their first Super Bowl.

This is the first time that Beathard has been nominated.

We consider this a great day at Notinhalloffame.com!

Jerry Kramer, who we currently have ranked #2 on our Football list has been named a Senior Nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This is a long time coming as Kramer has been a multi-time Hall of Fame nominee and is the only man who has been named one of the greatest 50 NFL players of all time not to be enshrined in Canton. Playing his entire career for the Green Bay Packers, Kramer was the anchor of the famed “Packer Sweep” and a member of Green Bay’s first two Super Bowl wins.

Kramer does have some stiff competition as former Houston Oiler, “Dr. Doom” Robert Brazile has also been named a Senior Finalist. Brazile is ranked #14 by us.

This should be an excellent chance for both to enter the Hall as most of the past Senior Finalists were chosen.

Well, we have another sudden retirement worth talking discussing.

13 days after he signed a one year contract with the Buffalo Bills, Wide Receiver Anquan Boldin has announced his retirement from professional football so that he focus on his humanitarian efforts. He had this to say in a statement to ESPN:

"Football has afforded me a platform throughout my career to have a greater impact on my humanitarian work, and at this time, I feel drawn to make the larger fight for human rights a priority. My life's purpose is bigger than football."

How can you not respect that? Especially considering how much social work he has done in the past!

Boldin was drafted in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals out of Florida State in 2003 and made an immediate statement in the NFL by going to the Pro Bowl and being named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Boldin would play for Arizona for seven seasons where in that time he would make three Pro Bowls and have five seasons where had a four digits in Receiving Yards. He would be traded to the Baltimore Ravens where in his third and final year with the team he would help them win the Super Bowl. Boldin would have six receptions for 104 Yards and a TD in the big game. He would finish out his career with the San Francisco 49ers for two seasons and one final one with the Detroit Lions

Boldin retires with 1,076 Receptions (9th overall), 13,779 Receiving Yards (14th overall) and 82 Receiving Touchdowns (23rd overall). These are numbers that should warrant a look from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though without a First or Second Team All Pro Selection, it might be a little difficult for him to make enshrinement. He will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com wish Anquan Boldin the best in his philanthropic efforts as an agent of change. Football’s loss is society’s gain.