A few weeks ago, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced their 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame Class.  The result was that Derek Jeter (on his first ballot), and Larry Walker (on his tenth and final) were chosen to enter Cooperstown. The two will join former Catcher, Ted Simmons, who was elected by the Veteran’s Committee.  All three of those former players were ranked in the top ten, and have been removed from the list.

For the first time since we began this list in 2010, there is no new entry in our top 15.  Actually, there is no new entry in the top 50.  This should assist in clearing any existing backlog. 

The new top ten is:

1A. Pete Rose.  Following the bombshell that was the Astros sign-stealing scandal, Rose again lobbied for reinstatement in the Majors.  His reasoning was that since no Astros player was punished, that logic should transfer to his own situation.  That likely won’t happen, but he did remain in the news as President Trump also said he should be in the Hall of Fame.  Since he is ineligible, he has the “1A” designation.

1B. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Like Rose, Jackson was banned from baseball, which is now 100 years old.  Jackson was banned for his (alleged) participation in the 1919 Black Sox scandal where players were paid by gamblers to throw games in the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.  Jackson was a Hall of Fame worthy player, but as such his estate has to settle for his “1B” rank.

1C. Roger Clemens.  Unlike Rose and Jackson, Clemens is Hall of Fame eligible, but the PED stain has kept him out thus far.  He has two more years left and a big mountain to climb, but what looked impossible a few years ago, could be attainable.  

2. Barry Bonds.  Ditto for Bonds, and the only reason he is behind the “Rocket”, is because he has a slightly lower vote total than anyone than Clemens.  The all-time Home Run king is in the same boat as Clemens, as they both are in the low 60s in voting with two years left of eligibility.  

3. Lou Whitaker.  Playing his entire career with the Detroit Tigers, Lou Whitaker was only on the Hall of Fame ballot for one year, but has appeared on the Veteran’s Committee Ballot. There is still a good chance that he could enter via that route and join his double play partner, Alan Trammell, who also had to wait for a Veteran’s Committee admission to Cooperstown.

4. Bill Dahlen. “Bad” Bill Dahlen has been a Veteran’s Committee Nominee before, and could be again. The surly Shortstop was a defensive gem, a World Series Champion with the Giants in 1905, and is still in the top 50 in bWAR for Position Players.

5. Curt Schilling.  Had it not been for the mouth, political views and Twitter account of Curt Schilling, he would likely already have been inducted by now.  As it stands, he is close with a recent tally of 70% on his eight ballot.  Schilling has been on his best behavior in the last year, and with the weakest ballot in memory, he will enter Cooperstown in 2021 if he keeps his nose clean.

6. Manny Ramirez.  Unlike Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez WAS caught using PEDs and did so when the Baseball Player’s Union had an agreement with Major League Baseball.  Ramirez has approached 30% in the last ballot, and statistically he belongs, but induction is unlikely as of this writing.

7. Todd Helton.  Helton could follow Larry Walker into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and his Hall of Fame support approached nearly 30% on his second year on the ballot. Helton is definitely on the right trajectory.  

8. Gil Hodges.  This might surprise you, but one of the most debated players on our baseball list is Hodges.  This is the player who has the most accumulated votes that never got inducted, and his name is synonymous with Dodgers lore.

9. Tommy John.  Tommy John Surgery is actually represented in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but John himself is not.  He has 288 Wins and 2,245 Strikeouts and he will definitely appear in a future Veteran’s Committee ballot.

10. Scott Rolen.  Rolen jumped from 17.2% to 35.3% on his third year of eligibility, and while he was not a Colorado Rockie like Todd Helton, he is the one called the “New Larry Walker” based on belief that he will methodically work his way into Cooperstown.  We agree with that assessment.

As you can see, there are no new entries in the top ten.  There are actually, nobody new in the top fifty.  The only two new entries are Mark Buehrle at #74, and Tim Hudson at #101.

This brings a unique opportunity for those who are on the 2021 ballot as the returning nominees will not be looking to be “slotted” below anyone new. 

We are in the preliminary process of expanding our list to 300.

You know what we want you to do!

Take a look, and if you haven’t done so already, cast your vote and offer your opinion!

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.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Indiana Pacers. 

Founded in 1967, the Indiana Pacers were an inaugural team of the American Basketball Association, and they were the most successful team in the upstart league with three championships (1970, 1972 & 1973).  They would be one of four teams that would merge with the NBA in 1976, and they would struggle for years.  While the three-time ABA Champs have yet to capture a title in the NBA, they contenders in the 1990s led by Reggie Miller.  

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 NBA.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

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

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2018-19 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Reggie Miller

2. MelDaniels

3. George McGinnis

4. Roger Brown

5. Billy Knight

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for or All-Time Top 50 Edmonton Oilers coming next!

As always we thank you for your support.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has announced their North American Finalists, as is tradition before the NBA All-Star Weekend.

It is a reduced number of Finalists from previous years, though this is nothing new as the Hall has never been consistent with their amount of Finalists as there are only five men and three women on this short list.  Last year, there were 10 men and three women who made it this far last year.

The five male North American Finalists are:

Kobe Bryant:  Many outlets interpreted the statement by Hall of President, Jerry Colangelo, who said he had “no doubt Kobe (will) be honored as he deserves” as acknowledgement that he is already in.  He isn’t, but there was never any doubt that he would be.  Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash last month, and the impending ceremony will likely be a tribute to the “Black Mamba.”  As a player, Bryant played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and would lead them to five NBA Championships.  He would go to 18 All-Star Games, was a 15-time All-NBA Selection and was the 2008 MVP.  The two-time United States Olympic Gold Medalist is fourth all-time in Points.

Tim Duncan:  Playing his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs, Duncan would take his squad to five NBA Championships.  “The Big Fundamental” was a 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA Selection and was a two-time MVP.  The only player to win 1,000 Games with one team, Duncan is in the top ten in Rebounds and Blocks.  Collegiately, he played at Wake Forest and was the Consensus Player of the Year in 1987.

Kevin Garnett:  Garnett was a 15-time All-Star who would win the NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008.  KG played most of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and over his NBA career, he also won the MVP (2004), Defensive Player of the Year (2008) and was a nine-time All-NBA Selection.  Internationally, he was a member of the 2000 Olympic Gold Medal team for the United States.

Eddie Sutton:  Nominated last year, Sutton was a Head Coach with a record of 805-326 with stops at Creighton (1969-74), Arkansas (1974-85), Kentucky (1985-89) and Oklahoma State (1990-2006).  He appeared in three Final Fours, and was a four-time National Coach of the Year.

Rudy Tomjanovich (Coach):  A five-time NBA All-Star with the Houston Rockets, Tomjanovich is nominated as a Coach, and he would helm the Rockets to two NBA Titles (1994 & 1995).  He also led the United States to the Olympic Gold Medal in 2000.

The three female North American Finalists are:

Tamika Catchings:  An NCAA Champion at the University of Tennessee in 1998, Catchings played her entire WNBA career with the Indiana Fever.  She would be the league MVP in 2011, and was a five-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.  Catchings would take the Fever to a title in 2012, and she is a four-time Olympic Gold Medal winner with the United States.

Kim Mulkey (Coach):  Mulkey has been the Head Coach at Baylor where she has taken them to three NCAA Division I Titles.  She is a two-time NCAA Coach of the Year.

Barbara Stevens:  Stevens has won over 1,000 Games in College, and took Bentley to a Division II Title in 2014.

While we have no issues with the smaller number of Finalists, the lack of consistency is frustrating.  Notable Finalists from last year, Chris Webber, Marques Johnson and Ben Wallace did not return.  Another interesting turn of events, is that Chris Bosh, who was also eligible, did not appear as a Finalist.  Not that Bryant, Duncan and Garnett needed a clear path for entry, it is next to impossible to conceive that any of those three will not be part of the Class of 2020.  

If the Hall inducts all of the Finalists from the North American male pool, it would still be less than last year.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class will be announced during the Final Four.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the men and women who made it this far.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that the Boston Celtics will be retiring the #5 of Kevin Garnett next season.

Debuting for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995, Kevin Garnett plated for them until 2007.  Garnett was a perennial All-Star and he was the 2003-04 MVP, but he grew frustrated with the team and sought a new environment.  Minnesota dealt Garnett to Boston for multiple players and picks, and his new team also signed Ray Allen, who was a free agent.  Together with Paul Pierce, the Celtics had a “Big Three” and they gelled immediately winning the NBA Championship.  

While that would be the only title that Garnett would win, he would have six seasons in a Boston uniform, with four All-Star Game appearances. With Boston, he also won the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year Award, was a First Team All-NBA Selection (2008), and was a three-time All-Defensive Selection (2008, 2009 & 2011).  

The other retired numbers by the Celtics are Walter Brown (#1), Red Auerbach (#2), Dennis Johnson (#3), Bill Russell (#6), JoJo White (#10), Bob Cousy (#14), Tom Heinsohn (#15), Tom Sanders (#16), John Havlick (#17), Dave Cowens (#18), Don Nelson (#19), Bill Sharman (#21), Ed Macauley (#22), Frank Ramsey (#23), Sam Jones (#24), K.C. Jones (#25), Cedric Maxwell (#31), Kevin McHale (#32), Larry Bird (#33), Paul Pierce (#34), Reggie Lewis (#35), Robert Parish (#00) and Jim Loscutoff (LOSCY).

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Kevin Garnett for earning this honor.