Baseball lost a great one today.

Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher Luis Tiant passed away at 83. 

Beloved by his fans and teammates, Luis Tiant was born in Cuba in 1940.  Tiant came to the United States in 1961 when the Cleveland Indians signed him.  Due to the conflicts between the U.S. and Cuba that would arise a year later, Tiant would not be able to return home for years, but he was able to do what many Cuban baseball stars could do in the decades that followed: he became a star in Major League Baseball.

Tiant made it to the Indians in 1964, where he was a part of their starting rotation.  He had his best year in baseball with Cleveland in 1968, where he went to his first All-Star Game, had a record of 21-9, and led the American League in ERA (1.60), Shutouts (9), ERA+ (186), FIP (2.04) and H/9 (5.2).  He struggled the season after and was traded to Minnesota, where he was released after a poor year. 

Tiant signed with Atlanta in a minor-league deal where he altered his pitching style to reclaim his past glory.  The Red Sox traded for him, and he was called up but again continued to struggle, but he rebounded in spades in 1972, where he won his second ERA Title (1.91).  Tiant won 20 Games the next two seasons, earning a second All-Star in 1974, and the year after, he was the ace on the Red Sox squad that won the American League Pennant.

He was an All-Star again in 1976 and later played for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and California Angels.  He finished his career with a record of 229-172 with 2,416 Strikeouts.

Tiant was on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for fifteen years, but could not make Cooperstown.  He is, however, a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

We at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to Luis Tiant's fans, friends, and family.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023-24 revision of our top 50 Winnipeg Jets.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

First, as mentioned on the main Winnipeg Jets page, this takes on the lineage of the original Atlanta Thrashers, as that is the history they own, despite the acknowledgment of their previous incarnation throughout the city, team, and home arena.   This is why you won’t find Dale Hawerchuk here!

Last year, the Jets had their best regular season, but they were bounced in five games in the first round. There were many changes in the Top 50, with two new entrants.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a new number one:

1. Connor Hellbucyk
2. Blake Wheeler
3. Ilya Kovalchuk
4. Mark Scheifele
5. Dustin Byfuglien

You can find the entire list here.

Hellebucyk took over the top spot at #1 off his second Vezina Trophy-winning season.

Another top five change was Mark Scheifele moving from #5 to #4.

Notably, Kyle Connor, who had a decent season, remains at #6

Defenseman Josh Morrissey went up two spots to #7.

Right behind Morrissey is Left Wing Nikolaj Ehlers, who advanced from #10 to #8.

Defenseman Neal Pionk advanced from #18 to #15.

Left Wing Adam Lowry climbed to #25 from #19.

Defenseman Dylan DeMelo went up to #32 from #36.

The first new entrant is Brenden Dillon, who appears at #35.

The second debut is Nate Schmidt, who enters at #43.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

If so, you might be wondering just how much dough you need to save up to make one of these shiny instruments yours. Given that increasing number of people want to purchase this unique handpan instrument, it is important to know what determines its price. The cost of handpan drums from the craftsmanship to how rare materials are can largely affect price. Throughout this post, we will guide you through the handpan prices and other specifications that give a detailed account of how to find the ideal handpan for sale.

What Determined Handpan Prices

Craftsmanship and Materials The craftsmanship involved in creating a handpan drum is one of the most important price determining factors. These are mostly made by hands but not an ordinary hand, these instruments require hours of practice before mastering the art. It has also something to do with the materials used; there are some pan drums that are handpan which may be made out of higher quality metals and so will have more resonant frequencies, and therefore a more expensive price tag.

Number of Notes Handpan Instrument with more notes are usually higher cost instrument. Most handpans have 7-8 notes, but some types may range from 9 to over 12 notes. All other notes that do not clearly fit within a certain range require additional time to be tuned and further details can lead to extra prices.

Maker Maker’s reputation is one of the reasons that top makers can justify such high prices for their instruments. For one of those elite handpans for sale from a well-known maker, you should be prepared to pay between $1,000-$4,000. Older, well-established plier makers come with a certain guarantee of quality while newer upstart makers may offer lower prices, the old saying “you get what you pay for” is definitely true here.

SpecialtyAnother reason is that some people prefer the sound of a Custom handpan or have a particular scale in mind. These handpan devices are costly due to the tailor made work required. You can get a custom handpan from $3,000– over $5,000 depending on the complexity of workmanship involved and maker.

New vs. Second-Hand Handpans

New handpans can be expensive but there are second-hand alternatives as well. The good news is that plenty of reliable sellers are selling a ready-to-use handpan drum — and for less. Forums/Facebook groups/Cosmoshandpan/grey93/etc. Certain sellers could include certain extras such as carrying case or free shipping.

Beware of Scams

Because of the increase in popularity of this one-of-a-kind instrument, there is an increasing amount of handpan scams. Be careful when buying from unknown sources Get references from reputable members in the handpan community and make sure that they have a good reputation. When a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is. To avoid scams: Shop only known sellers/makers

Price Ranges for Handpans

Price range of handpans To give you a rough idea, typical price ranges for traditional handpans are as follows.

The handpan for beginners $1000-$2500

High-End and Custom Handpans: $3,000-$5,000

Used Handpans: Edge to edge not at all, but typically $800 — $2,500

Final Thoughts

If you are looking to buy handpan drum, make sure to know what is important for you — the sound quality, making design or maybe price? Bear in mind that although some handpans might be expensive, they are an investment you should make due to the care and skill placed into their creation.

When shopping around for a handpan, new and second-hand handpans for sale can be found in a variety of options based on your requirements and budget. If you are patient and do a little research, you will find the perfect handpan pan drum for your musical pursuits that will last for years.

Nate Schmidt was an eight-year NHL veteran when the Defenseman was traded to the Winnipeg Jets from Vancouver.  In the three seasons in Manitoba, he was a stay-at-home defenseman who could provide offensive punch in situational play. 

Schmidt accrued 65 Points with 286 Hits and 148 Blocked Shots