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 the pre-2021 update of our top 50 Tampa Bay Rays of all-time.

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

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

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

There are three new additions, and one significant jump, but nothing that impacts our top five.  As always, we announce our top five immediately, but out full list can be found here.

1. Evan Longoria

2. Carl Crawford

3. Ben Zobrist

4. David Price

5. Kevin Kiermaier

The three new entries are:

Infielder, Joey Wendle, enters at #36.  Second Baseman, Brandon Lowecomes in at #40.  Outfielder, Austin Meadowsdebuts at #49.

The only significant jump of an active player, Shortstop, Willy Adames, climbed from #36 to #31.

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

There was a time when sports betting wasn’t permitted in the US. Because PASPA was repealed back in 2018, this has now changed.

States can now make up their own rules, with most of them now allowing their residents to legally place sports wagers. Even states which don’t permit this may enable people to offshore. 

In New Jersey, residents are permitted to place bets in both brick-and-mortar establishments and their choice of 15+ betting sites accepting their wagers.

What are the Main Types of Bet You can Place on the NFL?

Wagering on American football is relatively simple. After looking at a list of current games and upcoming events, players pick which team they’d like to bet on, plus the amount based on the odds listed.

There are different forms of bet that can be placed, affecting how much a player could receive in winnings. An excellent place to start is with the easy types of bet. These include money line, point spread, totals and over/under bets. Here’s what you need to know about each one.

Money Line. A money line bet is perhaps one of the easiest types of bets to both understand and place. A player simply chooses how much they’d like to wager on a team they believe could win the game. This choice is influenced by the odds of winning and how much a player could potentially earn. While these odds are usually listed by the sportsbook themselves, there is no shortage of other sites that display this. While this type of bet is easy to place, it doesn’t offer a particularly strong return. To determine the best choice, players should look for teams with minus signs, indicating they’re more favourable to win. In comparison, teams displaying a plus sign next to them are expected to lose, so they should be avoided. However, ‘plus’ teams pay out more than ‘minus’ ones.

Point Spread. While being a much more common type of bet, it is more complicated than a money line wager. Players must bet on a particular team to win within a certain amount of points. Bets are encouraged for both teams, as spreads are arranged to create an even playing field between them.

Total Bets. Players aren’t concerned about which team wins or loses when they place a bet on a total. Instead, the bet’s outcome is determined by the total number of points scored by both teams. Specifically, players have to guess whether the total amount of points scored will be over the specified amount or under.

As More Sportsbooks Get Established, the Popularity of Live Betting Improves

There are now hundreds of online bookmakers, many of which offer plentiful betting options and favourable odds. Betting online is an easy way to make cash, particularly if you love the game.

There are many top-rated sites out there with excellent chances to wager and win that also offer a very secure experience. 

The Super Bowl is one of the most popular betting events throughout the entire year. So much so that more wagers are placed on it than any other single event.

Aside from Money Line, Point Spread & Total Bets, what Other Types of Bet are Available?

There are quite a few. They include things like futures, teasers, proposition bets and parlays. As well as in-game betting where wagers can be placed as live games are taking place, so players know the latest odds.

Here are the main types of bets you can make on the NFL. 

Prop Bets. This kind of bet is when a player bets on something that doesn’t actually impact the game’s outcome. For example, some form of oddity or something to do with a player or team.

Live/In-Play. As the game is still in play, live or in-play bets are when someone wagers on odds as this is happening. 

Parlays. This form of bet allows a player to combine multiple betting lines to achieve the best payout possible. However, players must be careful. Just one loss results in losing the entire wager. 

Teasers. This is similar to a parlay wager. However, lines can be changed around by the player. For example, when betting on a two-team teaser, a player might decide to change the spread by six points in their favour.

Futures. With a futures bet, players have the opportunity to place their bets on NFL odds weeks or even months before the game takes place. The result of this is achieving a much better payout. This is usually based on whether a team will win or not.

Hundreds of Online Sportsbooks Now Exist in America to Meet Demand

Historically, sports wagering wasn’t allowed in the US. However, this has now changed, and individual states can now make their own rules.

The majority now allow sports wagering, either online or in brick and mortar establishments. This is the case for New Jersey. 

Because of the popularity of sports across America in general, bookmakers have latched on. Hundreds of sportsbooks now exist online, and they are hugely popular. Particularly with significant events like the Super Bowl.

If you want a piece of the action but are new to sports betting, you should consider the easier types of bets. These include money line, point spread and total bets. You might want to then move on to more advanced bets in future once you’ve mastered the basics. 

It’s perhaps easy to dismiss Thierry Henry’s time in the United States as nothing but a swansong following a glittering career at the summit of European football, but that would be a mistake. Henry ended up spending four and a half years with the New York Red Bulls and over that time he helped the side win their first trophy in 17 years. 

That landmark day came back in October 2013 when the New York Red Bulls won the Supporters' Shield after a 5-2 win against Chicago Fire. Henry’s contribution was vast as the Frenchman scored one and assisted twice during the stunning romp to the regular-season title. In essence, if that fixture is a condensed version of Henry’s time in the States, he was by no means there to make up the numbers after he signed for New York in May 2010. 

Over the course of those four and a half seasons in the Big Apple, Henry racked up 135 appearances whilst scoring 52 goals and assisting a further 42 times. Tellingly, the only clubs he spent more time at during his career were Arsenal and Monaco. In fact, Henry’s time in the US was so successful that his name has been included in the finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame's 2021 Class. The 43-year-old’s efforts are included under the criteria of ‘illustrious playing careers that involved significant MLS contributions.’

Whether Henry will ultimately be included remains to be seen but the very fact that the Hall of Fame’s selection committee is considering his admission speaks volumes given how exclusive this club is. 

The World Cup-winning star didn’t let the grass grow under his feet when he arrived in America and single-handedly took the league into more homes around the world than ever before. One could even argue that Henry’s time in the MLS rivaled David Beckham’s in terms of putting the league on the map.

As it turns out, Beckham has also been drawn up alongside Henry in the 2021 list of potential inductees so perhaps we may find an answer to that question sooner rather than later. 

Looking back, however, you have to admire how Henry, in particular, took to American culture so seamlessly which undoubtedly aided his on-field performances. There are a few memories that stick out but above all, who can forget the warm welcome the Frenchman received in 2017 upon his return to New York?

Henry was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field in front of adoring New York Mets fans. It must be said, decibel levels are rarely that loud at Citi Field after a barren run that last saw the New York team win the World Series in 1986. Unfortunately, their MLB odds on bet365 suggest that trophy hiatus won’t end anytime soon with the Mets at 10/1 for a shot at World Series glory this season. 

But perhaps this is the year for Henry and the Mets in their quest to pull off the impossible. 

Henry has won the biggest soccer trophies everywhere he’s gone, from the World Cup to the English Premier League, the formidable French player has claimed them all but perhaps his crowning glory is still to come. An eternal place in the National Soccer Hall of Fame would cement his legacy as the MLS’s most prolific foreign import. 

From Aruba, Xander Bogaerts is one of the best players to ever emerge from that Caribbean island.

Signed in 2009, Bogaerts made it the Red Sox in 2013, and was an everyday infielder for Boston the following season. Boegarts won the Silver Slugger in 2015, which he followed up the following year with his first All-Star Game. Showing power, Boegarts has had three 20-plus Home Run years, peaking with 33 (with 117 RBIs) in 2019.  That season, Boegarts was fifth in MVP voting and was the All-MLB 1 Selection.  Boegarts was also a key cog in the Red Sox 2018 World Series win.

When full-season play returned in 2021, Bogaerts again proved upper-tier, adding another Silver Slugger and All-Star with a 23 Home Run/.295 Year, and was even better in 2022, adding a fourth All-Star with a .307 Batting Average.

In a move that would have seemed unthinkable only years before, Bogearts departed for the San Diego Padres as a Free Agent.  With the BoSox, he had 155 Home Runs, 1,410 Hits with a .292 Batting Average.