With all due respect to Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, two incredible players, the acquisition that sent them for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter was the transaction that made Toronto.

Carter was the one who hit the most famous Home Run in Blue Jays history, but Alomar was the true gem of the deal.  In the five seasons that Alomar was with Toronto, there was no doubt that he was the top Second Baseball in the American League, both with his bat and glove.  Alomar went to the All-Star Game and won the Gold Glove in all of his Jays campaigns, and was the engine that led Toronto to back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993.

Alomar was an excellent hitter when he played for Toronto.  He batted over .300 in four of his five years, with the other year seeing the Second Baseman bat .295.  He had a patient eye, walked often, and when he was on base, he was always a threat to steal, swiping over 50 bases twice and 206 in total in Toronto.  

As good as Alomar was, he grew impatient with the Blue Jays management when they went into rebuilding mode, and he signed with Baltimore after the 1995 Season as a Free Agent.  He batted.  307 with 832 Hits for Toronto, and would enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and is also a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall.  The team also retired his #12, and inducted him into their Level of Excellence, though neither are no longer displayed following sexual misconduct allegations when he worked for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Vernon Wells was the fifth pick taken in the 1997 Amateur Draft, and the Blue Jays slowly moved up the native of Shreveport to where he was a bona fide starting Outfielder in 2002.

Wells had a breakout year in 2003, where not only did he go to the All-Star Game, he led the AL in Hits (215) and Doubles (49) while posting career-highs in Home Runs (33), RBIs (117) and the Slash Line (.317/.359/.550).  He would also go to his first All-Star Game, and Wells earned a Silver Slugger with an eighth-place finish in MVP voting.

Wells continued over the next few seasons to be one of the top Outfielders in the American League, winning three straight Gold Gloves (2004-06) and continuing to blast Home Runs.  He was an All-Star again in 2006 and 2019 and would belt 223 taters as a Blue Jay.

Wells was traded to the Angels before the 2011 Season but never came close to what he did as a Jay ever again.

Last night, at UFC 284, Jen Pulver was announced as an impending member of the UFC Hall of Fame.  He will be entering via the Pioneer Wing.

The first ever UFC Lightweight Champion won the belt at UFC 30 in 2001 with a win over Caol Uno.  He defended it twice before leaving the promotion for PRIDE, but would return in UFC 68, albeit in defeat.  He had an overall MMA record of 27-19-1 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Pulver for his impending honor.

If you are a regular visitor at Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we created the Notinhalloffame NHL Cup, where in every regular season game, we award points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five performers.  This is the second year that we have done this, and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid won the first one.

To keep everyone regularly in the loop this time, we have decided to give regular updates, starting at when the first player cracked 40 Points, and tell all of you the top ten.  We will this going forward with every update as the first player breaches the elevated ten-point threshold afterward.

Here is the current top ten, based on the first player to breach 100 Notinhalloffame Cup Points:

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers.  104 Cup Points:  53 Games, 42 G, 55 A, 97 P, +7, 11.4 PS.  (#1 on last update)

There are a lot of stories at the near-halfway mark of the 2022/23 NHL Season, with one of the top ones being Connor McDavid running away with every major statistical category.  Last year’s Notinhalloffame NHL Cup winner is extending his lead and he is currently the league-leader in Goals (42), Assists (55), Points (97) and Point Shares (11.4).  The Hart is his to lose.  

2. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils.  90 Cup Points, 50 Games, 35 G, 32 A, 67 P, +15, 8.7 PS. (#6 on last update)

Hughes rockets from #6 to #2, and has scored 11 Points in his last five Games.  The two-time All-Star in third in Goals (35) and ninth in Points (67) and Point Shares (8.7).

3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins. 87 Cup Points:  52 Games, 38 G, 34 A, 72 P, +25, 9.7 PS. (#2 on last update)

The Bruins are one of the NHL’s top teams and Pastrnak is their top scorer.  He currently is leading the NHL in Shots (248), is second in Goals (38) and fifth in Points (72).

4. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche. 83 Cup Points:  51 Games, 34 G, 29 A, 63 P, +4, 7.6 PS. (#3 on last update)

Rantanen drops a spot, and is also fifth in Goals (34).

5 (Tie). Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers, 80 Cup Points:  52 Games, 27 G, 46 A, 73 P, +16, 8.2 PS.  (#9 on last update)

Tkachuk has been on fire and proving Florida right in their pursuit of the power forward.  He is currently fifth in Assists (46) and third in Points (73).

5 (Tie). Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning.  80 Cup Points:  52 Games, 32 G, 27 A, 59 P, +8, 7.2 PS. (#5 on last update)

Point is having a good year, and is a point-per-game player, there are still quite a few players with higher point tallies than the Tampa Center.  Saying that, Point has been the most clutch player for the Lightning, and a reason we love this process!  He is currently eighth in Goals (32).

7. Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars.  76 Cup Points:  40 Games, 23-7-7, 2.22 GAA, .926 Save Percentage, 8.8 PS.  (#10 on last update)

In his third season, Oettinger is playing the best hockey of his life and is second in the NHL in GAA and Save Percentage.

8. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks.  73 Cup Points:  51 Games, 25 G, 39 A, 64 P, +5, 6.7 PS.  (not on last update)

The Canucks have been a disappointment, but Pettersson has emerged as a bright spot as their best player.  The fifth-year player and former Calder winner is currently tenth in Points.

9. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars.  72 Cup Points:  54 Games, 33 G, 36 A, 69 P, +26, 9.4 PS. (#5 on last update)

Robertson is on pace to shatter last season’s 41-38-79 output, and the fourth-year player is now the undeniable top dog of the Stars lineup.  He recently went to his first All-Star Game.

10. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers, 71 Cup Points:  51 Games, 29 G, 49 A, 78 P, +3, 8.3 PS.  (#8 on last update)

The 2020 Hart Trophy winner gives the Oilers two players in the upper-tier and is currently fourth in Assists and second in Points behind his teammate, Connor McDavid.

Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck fell off the top ten.

Our next update will occur when the first player breaks 110 Cup Points.