It is with great pleasure that we continue the third annual Notinhalloffame MLB Regular Season Cup, and let us explain how this works:

With every single regular season game, we anointed the best five players in the game with descending points, 5-4-3-2-1.

We knew the following:

-       The top players for the MLB NIHOF Cup are not always the best in the league, as injuries keep players out of games, and a premium on staying healthy can help pile up points. It also does not hurt to be a top player on an average or mediocre team, as they can amass Cup points easier that elite players on loaded squads.

-       In Baseball, it is more common than in Basketball and Hockey for a player to accrue points with a single Home Run in a game, and overall favors position players. Starting Pitchers have a hard time with approximately 30-35 Starts and throwing less innings than in previous generations. This also is true for closers, which is not made for this process.

-       Please remember, that this is NOT necessarily who we think were the best players this year, and does not reflect overall consistency. Treat this the way did, as a fun process and more of a compilation of temporary statistical domination.

At present 1,067 (up from 1,052 last week) players have generated at least one Cup Point.

So, MLB players! Get your agents to work winning this into your contracts!

This is the sixteenth update, with standings as of the morning of September 11.

1. Shohei Ohtani: Los Angeles Angels, Designated Hitter & Pitcher: (Ranked #1 Last Week)

202 Cup Points, 135 Games, 1.50 Cup Points per Game, 44 Home Runs, 95 Runs Batted In, 20 SB, .304/.412/.654, 10.1 bWAR & 10-5, 3.14 ERA, 167 SO, 1.061 WHIP.

The Notinhalloffame Cup is built for Ohtani, who can compile points in two different avenues; the only one who can do so, although he has been shut down on the mound for the rest of the year, and has missed the last six games. It will be hard for him to lose the cup (though Mookie Betts and Ronald Abuna are making us ponder that), but he won’t be able to compile any more stats pitching wise, as he was shut down on the mound. With his bat, Ohtani is the current AL leader in Offensive bWAR (5.9), Home Runs (44), Triples (8), Walks (91), OBP (.412), Slugging (.654), OPS (1.066), OPS+ (182) and Total Bases (325), while also placing third in RBIs (95), and fourth in Batting (.304). The AL MVP is his to lose, and we don’t think he will.

2. Ronald Acuna: Atlanta Braves, Outfield: (Ranked #3 Last Week)

185 Cup Points, 141 Games, 1.31 Cup Points per Game, 35 Home Runs, 91 Runs Batted In, 64 SB, .336/.417/.586, 7.1 bWAR.

Acuna leads all National League batters in Stolen Bases (64), Hits (192), Runs Scored (128), OBP (.417) and Total Bases (335). He is also second in bWAR (6.8), Batting (.336) and OPS (1.002) and is third in Slugging (.586) and OPS+ (164). Acuna is also the runaway leader in Power-Speed # (45.3).

3. Mookie Betts: Los Angeles Dodgers, Outfield: (Ranked #2, Last Week)

184 Cup Points, 133 Games, 1.38 Cup Points per Game, 38 Home Runs, 99 Runs Batted In, 11 SB, .314/.411/.609, 8.0 bWAR.

Betts has been on fire over the last month, propelling himself to second before relinquishing it back to Acuna. In the National League, he took over the top spot in Slugging (.609), OPS (1.020), OPS+ (172) and bWAR (8.0) and has moved up to fifth in Batting (.314) and third in OBP (.411). Betts has also climbed to second in Runs (118), third in RBIs (99) and fourth in Home Runs (38).

4. Matt Olson: Atlanta Braves, First Base: (Ranked #5 Last Week)

164 Cup Points, 142 Games, 1.16 Cup Points per Game, 48 Home Runs, 121 Runs Batted In, 1 SB, .277/.384/.603, 5.9 bWAR.

Olson has the National League lead in both Home Runs (48) and RBIs (121), and is second in Slugging (.603), fourth in OPS (.987) and OPS+ (158) and seventh in OBP (.384). He is enjoying the best year of his career.

5. Freddie Freeman: Los Angeles Dodgers, First Base: (Ranked #4, Last Week)

155 Cup Points, 142 Games, 1.11 Cup Points per Game, 25 Home Runs, 91 Runs Batted In, 18 SB, .336/.415/.573, 6.2 bWAR.

Freeman has the NL lead in Doubles (54), while also currently placing second in Batting (.336), OBP (.415), and OBP+ (165) third in OPS (.988) and fourth in Slugging (.574). He is also second in Hits (189) third in Runs (115) and eighth in RBIs (91).

6. Kyle Tucker: Houston Astros, Outfield: (#7, Last Week)

146 Cup Points, 134 Games, 1.04 Cup Points per Game, 26 Home Runs, 103 Runs Batted In, 28 SB, .290/.375/.513, 4.5 bWAR.

Tucker took over the American League in RBIs (103), and in regards to the Slash Line, Tucker is fifth in Slugging (.511) and sixth in Batting (.290), and OBP (.375). He is also in the top ten in Hits, Home Runs, Stolen Bases and Extra Base Hits.

7. Juan Soto: San Diego Padres, Outfield: (Ranked #6, Last Week)

145 Cup Points, 138 Games, 1.05 Cup Points per Game, 28 Home Runs, 85 Runs Batted In, 8 SB, .256/.398/.481, 4.3 bWAR.

Soto is the National League leader in Walks (119) and is fourth in OBP (.398), and sixth in OPS (.879).

8 (TIE). Corbin Carroll: Arizona Diamondbacks, Outfield: (#8, Last Week)

141 Cup Points, 139 Games, 1.01 Cup Points per Game, 24 Home Runs, 69 Runs Batted In, 49 SB, .284/.365/.518, 5.2 bWAR.

The Diamondbacks have the likely National League Rookie of the Year in Carroll who is in the top ten in bWAR, Runs, Stolen Bases, Batting, OBP and Slugging and is first in Triples (8).

8 (TIE). Kyle Schwarber: Philadelphia Phillies, Outfield: (Not in the Top Ten, Last Week)

141 Cup Points, 137 Games, 0.96 Cup Points per Game, 43 Home Runs, 94 Runs Batted In, 3 SB, .198/.347/.483, 0.8 bWAR.

Despite the very low bWAR and Batting Average (.198), Schwarber gets on base, has power, and when it matters, he is often clutch. This is his first foray into the top ten, and Schwarber has always been a player that Managers love, providing there is only one of him on the team. He is second in the NL in Home Runs (43) and fifth in RBIs (94).

10. Rafael Devers: Boston Red Sox, Third Base: (Ranked #9 Last Week)

135 Cup Points, 135 Games, 1.00 Cup Points per Game, 29 Home Runs, 93 Runs Batted In, 3 SB, .272/.344/.503, 3.0 bWAR.

Devers remains a surprise being so high as he was not in the All-Star Game, nor was considered a significant snub. He and is currently sixth in the AL in RBIs (93) and Home Runs (29), and seventh in Slugging (.503).

Houston’s Alex Bregman fell out of the top ten.

Our next update will be the afternoon of September 18.

The United States Hockey Hall of Fame announced five new members into their Minnesota-based institution, which comprises Dustin Brown, Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Burke, Katie King Crowley and Brian Murphy.

Brown played all 18 of his NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings where the pounding Right Wing scored 712 Points and was the team captain for their Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014. An All-Star in 2009, Brown also won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2015. Representing the United States, Brown played in two Olympic Games, winning Silver in 2010. He also played in four World Hockey Championships, and has a Bronze Medal from the 2004 competition.

Langenbrunner also played 18 years in the NHL, though this Right Wing played for three different teams, Dallas, New Jersey and St. Louis. Winning a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and the Devils in 2003, Langenbrunner amassed 663 NHL Points. Internationally, Langenbrunner was the captain of the U.S. Silver Medal Winning Team at the 2010 Olympics, and also played at the ’98 Games and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Burke had a long career as an administrator, punctuated with a Stanley Cup Championship as the Anaheim Ducks GM in 2007, and he was also the GM of the U.S. Silver Medal Team in 2010. He is currently serving as the Executive Director of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League.

King Crowley scored 14 Goals for the U.S. in the Olympics and she helped her nation win Gold in Nagano in 1998. She is currently the Head Coach of the Women’s Hockey Team at Boston College where she has led her squad to six Frozen Fours.

Murphy is one of two Americans to have officiated in over 2,000 Games. He has also officiated in nine Stanley Cups.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the new and impending members of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Here we are! Again!!

If you have been following our Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project, you know that we have asked the rhetorical question…what if the PFHOF began in January of 1946?

After soliciting and obtaining a passionate group of football fans and historians, we sent out a ballot for a Preliminary Vote, which we asked each voter to give us 25 names as their semi-finalists, and 5 in the Senior Pool. Following that, we asked the group to vote for their 15 Finalists in the Modern Era, and 3 in the Senior Category. The final stage was to vote for their 5 Modern Era inductees and 1 Senior inductee.

This is the result of the third official class;

Below, are the final results of this project based on 32 votes:

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1948:

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1946:

About the 1948 Inductees:

Duke Slater T, MIL 1922, RII 1922-25, CRD 1926-31: Inducted in 1948 on the 3^rd Ballot (technically his 12^th year of eligibility). Was inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

One of the best Tackles of the 1920s, Duke Slater shattered barriers everywhere he went. A superstar at the University of Iowa where he was a three-time All-Big 10 Selection, Slater played two games for the Milwaukee Badgers before he signed with the Rock Island Independents where he played for four years. He signed with the Chicago Cardinals in 1926, making him the first African-American player who signed with a team still in existence. A Cardinal until 1931, Slater was consistently named an All-NFL player, which considering the racial bias that existed was a testament to his undeniable skill. Following his career, Slater would graduate from law school and later became the first African-American judge to serve on the Superior Court of Chicago.

Guy Chamberlin E, CHI 1920-21, CAN 1922-23, CLE 1924, FRN 1925-26 & CRD 1927: Inducted in 1948 on the 3^rd Ballot (technically his 16^th year of eligibility). Was inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 as a Coach.

Chamberlin was inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 as a Coach, but for the purposes of this exercise, he is here as a player, and deserves to be. An 1920s All-Decade End, Chamberlin was a legend at the University of Nebraska and he followed his hero, Jim Thorpe, to the Canton Bulldogs where in 1919 where he helped them win the Ohio Championship. Chamberlin then made history as a player winning the first four NFL Titles, the first two with Chicago and the next two back with Canton, where he also served as their Head Coach. A fifth title came with the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1926 where he again had the dual capacity of playing and coaching.

Pete Henry T, CAN 1920-23 & 1925-26, NYG 1927 & POT 1927-28: Inducted in 1948 on the 3^rd Ballot (technically his 15^th year of eligibility). Was inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

A three-time All-American at Washington & Jefferson, Henry signed with the Canton Bulldogs in 1920 and played for them that very day. A two-way player, Henry was short and stout (5’ 11 and 245), and was nicknamed “Fats”, but that hid what was a premier athlete, and one of the largest players of his time. Henry was a First Team All-Pro in his first four seasons, and he helped lead the Bulldogs to two NFL Championships. The Tackle was also an excellent kicker and punter, setting marks for the longest Punt (94 Yards) and Longest Dropkick Field Goal (50 Yards).

George Trafton C, CHI 1920-32: Inducted in 1948 on his 3^rd Ballot (technically his 12^th year of eligibility). Was inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

George Trafton was one of the game’s first pure Centers, and a true innovator of the position. Trafton, who like all players from the 1920s, played 60 minutes, and he was with the Chicago Bears for his entire 148-Game career. Trafton was the first player to use one hand to snap the ball, and when he was on the defensive side, he was the first to rove. He would win two NFL Championships and was twice a First Team All-Pro.

Benny Friedman TB-DB, CLE 1927, DET 1928, NYG 1928-31 & BKN 1931-34: Inducted in 1948 on his 3^rd Ballot (technically his 9^th year of eligibility). Was inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Benny Friedman played a large part in the evolution of passing, first as a two-time All-American at Michigan and then in the NFL. In his second season, Friedman led the league in Rushing and Passing Touchdowns, the first and to date only time that has occurred. The year after, in his first season with New York, threw 20 Touchdown Passes, a record that stood for years. Had a knee injury in 1931 not hampered his play, he would have been in the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame decades earlier. As for us, we are pleased to welcome him into our third Hall of Fame Class.

Charles Follis: Inducted in 1948 on the 3^rd Senior Ballot. Was never inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Charles Follis was nicknamed “The Black Cyclone” and he first played football with the Wooster Athletic Association in Wooster, Ohio. After a two-game series against the Shelby Blues, the team manager poached Follis to join their team. In 1904, he signed a contact with the Blues, making him the first African-American to be paid to pay professional football, and he is regarded as the finest player in team history.

The 2023 National Football League Season begin tonight, and we are ready with our revised list of the top 150 active (or hoping to be) players based on their existing Hall of Fame resume.

This is our fourth pre-season monitor, and you can find it all here.

A quick synopsis shows that we have the following:

19 Quarterbacks are ranked, including a brand new number one overall, Aaron Rodgers, now of the New York Jets. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes rocketed to #10 and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos regresses to #11.

Only 12 Running Backs are ranked, with no player in the top 25 overall. The surprising top player at this position is Alvin Kamara of New Orleans.

Wide Receivers are more represented with 21 on the list. Julio Jones is the only one in the top ten (we still rank Free Agents who we think have a shot to return) with three others in (#18 Tyreek Hill, #20 DeAndre Hopkins and #24 Davante Adams) in the top 25.

Only 5 Tight Ends are ranked with Travis Kelce at #7.

22 Offensive Lineman are on the list, including three players in the top ten (#6 Zack Martin, #8 Trent Williams and #9 Jason Peters). There are two other players in the top 25 with Jason Kelce (#12) and Tyron Smith (#16).

On the defensive side, there are 23 Defensive Lineman, led by the Rams’ Aaron Donald, who is ranked #2 overall. Other Defensive Lineman in the top 25 are #17 Cameron Jordan, #19 Calais Campbell and #25 Ndamukong Suh.

With the Linebackers, we have the only position where there are two in the top five, which are Seattle’s Bobby Wagner and Buffalo’s Von Miller who are #3 and #4 respectively. There are 19 overall, and two more in the top 25, #14 Khalil Mack and #15 T.J. Watt.

There are 13 Cornerbacks who are ranked, led by Patrick Peterson of the Steelers at #13. There is one other Cornerback in the top 25 with Jalen Ramsey at #23.

At the Safety position, there are 12 who are ranked, but it takes you all the way to #63 (Minkah Fitzpatrick) before we see our first one.

There are five Special Teams players, led by Ravens Place Kicker, Justin Tucker at #23.

As always, we thank you for your support of the site and look for more improvements, content and lists in the future.