Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 Minnesota Timberwolves.

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

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

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

Last year, Minnesota did not take the step they thought after going all in on Rudy Gobert.  Can they make a leap this year?  Either way, last year did see Gobert make the list, and see one player make a sizable jump.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Kevin Garnett

2. Karl-Anthony Towns

3. Kevin Love

4. Wally Szczerbiak

5. Terrell Brandon

You can find the entire list here.

Towns remains at #2, and will take a long time, if at all possible) to supplant Garnett for the top spot.

Anthony Edwards, who is ascending to NBA top ten status, vaulted to #18 from #33.

D’Angelo Russell, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers late in the year, advanced to #22 from #29.

Center, Naz Reid, continued his climb, moving to #27 from #34.

Rudy Gobert, whose arrival could be debated for decades to come, is still good enough to be here even with one year of service, even if it was down by his Utah standards.  Remember, the Timberwolves have not been around long, have never been great, and basketball fields small rosters.  This rank is warranted.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Okay, before we dive into the ever-growing popularity of NFL outside of its native USA, we have to answer a question for all the non-US readers. Why is it called the National Football League?

Sure, the ball gets a few kicks, but it’s not like actual football in Europe where said ball is exclusively manipulated with the feet -save goalkeeping etc. NFL is far closer to the English game of Rugby, so why not call it US Rugby, or something more appropriate?

Well, both games came to the US from the UK: Rugby was originally known as ‘Rugby football’ but over time the ‘Rugby’ was dropped leaving just the ‘football’. As for Soccer, it was originally known as ‘association football,’ which newspapers nicknamed ‘assoc’, which was shorted to ‘soc’ and finally wound up as ‘soccer.’ 

Back to the matter in hand, up until October the 2nd 2005 all NFL games were played exclusively in the US. The first game outside of its founding country was in Mexico and it attracted a whopping 103,467 fans: the genie was out of the proverbial bottle. 

So, what if you fancy grabbing a slice of the action outside of the US? Well, there are a few things you need to know in advance.

We’ll base this information on the recent games that took place in London, England this October. Following that, we’ll cast our nets a little wider and check out what we know about non-USA NFL in 2024.

London 2024

Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in London became the temporary home to the NFL on 1st, 8th and 15th October 2023. The games featured matches between The Ravens vs Titans, Jaguars vs Bills and Falcons vs Jaguars.

This is the 16th year that a regular season game has been played in London after the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins in 2007.

In case you don’t know the results, we’re not going to publish them here. Discover for yourselves and treat it as an incentive to get you into the action for London in 2024.

Speaking of which, we don’t know too much, save the Jaguars playing at Wembley once more and there will be two more games in Tottenham. What we know for sure is that NFL is incredibly popular in the UK, so take heed of the following if you want to experience the thrill of a live game.

Please note that the following advice (with obvious London-centric caveats) applies to every NFL game, anywhere in the world!

• Sign up for all the latest news and get alerts from at least the official NFL and a preferred UK sports site with a dedicated NFL channel. Not only will this keep you up to speed with the game as a whole, you’ll be able to grab tickets as soon as they come out! 

• Don’t buy dodgy tickets to save a few bucks. Unless you know for a fact that the tickets are legit, always buy from official sites or partners.

• Check the location of your seats before committing to buy a ticket. Some only offer partial views.

• If you’re disabled, ensure you can get easy access to your seat. Check the facilities and ask the venue for advice on the best way to get around. 

• It’s not just about getting tickets. You’ll be wanting somewhere to stay, so your second task is to find suitable accommodation ASAP!

• If you’re not based in London your next job is to book flights (if necessary) and figure out transport links to/from the airport and hotel/stadium. If you’ve not been to the UK capital, the city is enormous, but the transport links are great -so long as you’ve done your homework!

• Speaking of airports, only City Airport is actually in London. All the other London airports are, on average, an hour from the centre.

• Choose the airport closest to where you’re watching the game. Crossing London takes hours and the two stadiums in question are on the opposite side of the capital.

• Either way, be prepared to spend time travelling, so get a portable charger for your smartphone/tablet. Play Bally casino games online, bring a book and always have water and snacks with you. 

Munich 2024

After the two games played on Nov 5th and 12th 2023 (Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots respectively) the NFL will return in 2024.

But they won’t be at the Frankfurt Stadium, this time they’ll be in Munich. For up-to-date information jump online and check the official statements from the NFL -after reading this, of course!

Brazil or Spain in 2024?

Arguably it’s the latter venue, but that could change. But it’s worth noting that the NFL don’t just have their eyes on Europe, the rest of the world is also hungry for some action too.

Watch this space.

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The clock begins!

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has unveiled the official Modern Hall of Fame ballot for the 2024 Class, and it features 26 men, 14 of whom are returning names.

Alphabetically, they are:

Bobby Abreu:  5^th Year, 15.4 percent last year.  Abreu was one of the game’s most patient hitters, having drawn 1,476 career Walks, while batting over .300 six times.  A two-time All-Star, Abreu won one Silver Slugger, one Gold Glove and scored 100 Runs over eight times.

Jose Batista:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Batista is best known for his bat flip and time as a Toronto Blue Jay where he won back-to-back Home Run Titles and Hank Aaron Awards.  He went to six All-Star Games and won three Silver Sluggers.

Carlos Beltran:  2^nd Year, 46.5% percent last year.  Beltran is one of four players (along with Barry Bonds, Willie Mays & Alex Rodriguez) who has at least 1,500 Runs, 2,700 Hits, 400 Home Runs and 300 Stolen Bases.  He went to nine All-Star Games, won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.  He is a former Rookie of the Year and won the World Series in his final season.

Adrian Beltre:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Beltre played most of his career at Third Base and is one of the few players in MLB history to have at least 3,000 Hits and 450 Home Runs.  He is a four-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and won five Gold Gloves.  He also batted over .300 seven times.

Mark Buehrle:  4^th Year, 10.7 percent last year.  Buehrle went to five All-Star Games and recorded a record 14 200-inning years in the American League.  He won four Gold Gloves and threw a no-hitter.  Buehrle also won at least 13 Games twelve times.

Bartolo Colon:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Colon won the 2005 AL Cy Young and was an All-Star four times.  He led the league in Wins once, and topped 15 in that statistic nine times with 247 in total.  Colon also is 36^th all-time in Strikeouts with 2,535.

Adrian Gonzalez:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Gonzalez went to five All-Star Games, won five Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.  He had 317 Home Runs over his career.

Todd Helton:  6^th Year, 72.2 percent last year.  Helton was a five-time All-Star who played all 17 of seasons with the Colorado Rockies.  The First Baseman had three Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers and smacked 30 Home Runs in six different seasons.  He also batted .300 12 times, and won one Batting Title.

Matt Holliday:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Holliday went to seven All-Star Games and won four Silver Sluggers playing at Leftfield.  He won the World Series with St. Louis in 2011.

Torii Hunter:  4^th Year, 6.9 percent last year.   Hunter won nine Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger and was chosen for five All-Star Games.  He was one of the most exciting players of his day.

Andruw Jones:  7^th Year, 58.1 percent last year.  Jones was a five-time All-Star, a ten-time Gold Glove recipient and won the 2005 NL Home Run Title.  He is in the top fifty all-time in Home Runs with 434.

Victor Martinez:  1^st Year on the Ballot.  Martinez won two Silver Sluggers, was a five-time All-Star, and he had eight .300 seasons.  He is one of four Catchers (along with Carlton Fisk, Ivan Rodriguez and Ted Simmons) with at least 2,000 Hits, 400 Doubles and 200 Home Runs.

Joe Mauer:  1^st Year on the Ballot:  Mauer played all fifteen of his seasons with the Twins where he won the 2009 MVP.  He is the only Catcher to win three Batting Titles, and he went to Six All-Star Games, and won five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves.

Andy Pettitte:  6^th Year, 17.0 percent last year.  Pettitte won five World Series Rings with the New York Yankees, and had eight 15-Win years.  He went to three All-Star Games and exceeded 200 Innings ten times.

Brandon Phillips:  1^st Year on the Ballot.  Phillips was a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner at Second Base.

Manny Ramirez:  8^th Year, 33.2 percent last year.  Twice suspended for PEDs, Ramirez has the stats for the Hall with twelve All-Stars, nine Silver Sluggers and two Hank Aaron Awards.  Ramirez batted over .300 eleven times, won three OBP Titles, three Slugging Titles and one Home Run Title.  He is 12^th all-time in Slugging (.585), 15^th in Home Runs (555) and 20^th in RBIs (1,831).  Ramirez also won two World Series Rings with the Red Sox, winning the MVP in the first one.

Jose Reyes:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Reyes went to four All-Stars and won one Silver Slugger and Batting Title.

Alex Rodriguez:  3^rd Year, 35.7 percent last year.  Like Ramirez, A-Rod has the stats for the Hall, but was popped twice for PEDs.  He won three MVPs, ten Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves and went to 14 All-Star Games.  Rodriguez belted 30 Home Runs in fifteen different seasons, and won five Home Run Titles.  He is fourth all-time in RBIs (2,086), fifth in Home Runs (696) and 23^rd in Hits (3,115).

Francisco Rodriguez:  2^nd Year, 10.8 percent last year.  Rodriguez went to six All-Star Games, won two Rolaids Relief Awards, and led the league in Saves three times.  He won the World Series in 2002 with the Angels and is fourth all-time in Saves (434).

Jimmy Rollins:  3^rd Year, 12.9 percent last year.  Rollins’ best years were in Philadelphia where he won the 2007 MVP and the 2008 World Series.  He also won four Gold Gloves, was a three-time All-Star, and led the NL in Triples four times.

Gary Sheffield:  10^th Year, 55.0 percent last year.  A 22-year veteran, Sheffield went to nine All-Star Games, won a World Series with the Marlins and also owns five Silver Sluggers.  The Outfielder also has a Batting Title, and is 27^th all-time in Home Runs (509).

James Shields:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Shields played 13 years and was an All-Star once.  He posted at least 10 Wins nine years in a row, and was part of two American League Championship Teams.

Chase Utley:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Utley played most of his career with Philadelphia where he won the 2008 World Series, appeared in six All-Star Games, and captured four Silver Sluggers as a Second Baseman.

Omar Vizquel:  7^th Year,19.5 percent last year.  Vizquel’s Hall of Fame momentum was derailed by domestic violence allegations which could prevent the 11-time Gold Glove and three-time All-Star from enshrinement.  He is also 44^th all-time in Hits (2,877).

Billy Wagner:  9^th Year, 68.1 percent last year.  Wagner is sixth all-time in Saves (422), and second among southpaws.  He won one Rolaids Relief Award and went to seven All-Star Games.

David Wright:  1^st Year on the Ballot.  The Third Baseman went to seven All-Star Games and won two Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves.

We will be paying attention in the upcoming weeks as the votes trickle in.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate those who have made it this far.