Welcome back to the WNBA Cup!

In every WNBA regular season game, we award descending points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five players.  At the end of the season, the player with the most points will be awarded the Notinhalloffame WNBA Cup. However, the winning player must accept their award in person in the Emerald City of Seattle.

Here is the current top ten as of games concluded on June 30:

1. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx, 57 Cup Points:  13 Games, 4.38 Cup Points per Game, 24.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 31.5 PER, 3.7 WS. 

2. (TIE) Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty, 51 Cup Points:  16 Games, 3.19 Cup Points Per Game, 20.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 25.6 PER, 3.2 WS. 

2. (TIE) Satou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury, 51 Cup Points: 17 Games, 3.00 Cup Points per Game, 19.1, PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 21.7 PER, 2.0 WS. 

4. A’Ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, 50 Cup Points:  13 Games, 3.85 Cup Points per Game, 21.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 2.6 BPG, 29.6 PER, 2.3 WS. 

5. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream, 49 Cup Points:  17 Games, 2.88 Cup Points per Game, 19.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 21.9 PER, 3.7 WS. 

6. Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury, 48 Cup Points:  12 Games, 3.35 Cup Points per Game, 14.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 26.4 PER, 2.4 WS.

7. Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm, 47 Cup Points:  17 Games, 2.76 Cup Points Per Game, 17.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 22.0 PER, 2.2 WS. 

8. Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks, 44 Cup Points, 17 Games, 2.76 Cup Points per Game, 16.5, PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 3.8 SPG, 1.9 BPG, 21.6 PER, 1.7 WS. 

9. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings, 39 Cup Points:  13 Games, 3.00 Cup Points Per Game, 18.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 21.3 PER, 1.8 WS. 

10. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever, 38 Cup Points:  16 Games, 2.38 Cup Points per Game, 15.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 25.9 PER, 3.3 WS. 

At present, 103 players have received at least one point.

Our next update will be up next Wednesday.

Regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware that we are gradually compiling the top 50 lists for every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the University of Wisconsin has announced the addition of 12 new members to its prestigious institution.

The new class will be inducted on September 5 and will be honored during the Badgers’ home game against Middle Tennessee State the following night.

The new inductees are:

Mohammed Ahmed, Track & Cross Country, 2009-14.  Ahmed was a four-time Cross Country All-American and a five-time All-American in Track.  He won the 2012 and 2014 Big Ten Indoor 5,000 Championships and the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor 5,000 Championships.  Ahmed represented Canada internationally and competed in four Olympic Games, which included a Silver Medal in the 5,000m in 2020.

Dorcas Akinniyi Jansen, Track & Field, 2008-13.  Jansen was a two-time Big Ten Outdoor Champion in the Heptathlon (2010 & 2013), a three-time Big Ten Indoor Champion in the Pentathlon (2010, 2011 & 2012), and was a six-time All-American.

Molly Engstrom, Women’s Hockey, 2001-05.  Engstrom was the two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time First Team All-WCHA Selection, and helped Wisconsin reach its first NCAA Tournament (2005).  She competed internationally for the United States, winning five World Hockey Championships.

Travis Frederick, Football, 2009-12.  Frederick anchored the Badgers to three straight Big Ten Championships (2010-12) and was a First Team All-American in 2012.  He later played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, where he was a five-time Pro Bowl Selection.

Frank Kaminsky, Men’s Basketball, 2011-15.  In his senior year, Kaminsky won the Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year, and was a Consensus All-American, leading the Badgers to back-to-back Final Fours (2014 and 2015). 

Mary Massei Landini, Softball, 2010-14.  Landini was a two-time First Team All-Big-Ten Selection and batted .370 with 249 Hits over her career in Wisconsin.  She helped the Badgers win their first-ever Big Ten Tournament Title in 2013.

Matt Lepay, Special Service.  Known as the voice of the Badgers, Lepay had been the radio play-by-play announcer for Men’s Basketball since 1988 and Football since 1994, and had won the Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year award 11 times.

Joe Pavelski, Men’s Hockey, 2004-06.  Pavelski played two seasons for the Badgers, where he scored 111 Points and took Wisconsin to an NCAA Championship in 2006.  He was a four-time NHL All-Star and a member of Team USA at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, as well as the captain of the U.S. team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Tom Shipley, Baseball, 1970-74.  Shipley was Wisconsin’s team Captain in 1973 and 1974, and was a two-time First Team All-Big 10 Selection.  He compiled 148 Hits for the Badgers.

Martin Smith, Cross Country Coach, 1983-97.  Smith was a two-time NCAA Coach of the Year and a six-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, who also coached the Badgers to two NCAA Cross Country Championships (1985 and 1988).  In all 15 of Smith’s seasons as a Coach, Wisconsin qualified for the NCAA Championships, and he coached a total of four NCAA Championships and 31 Big Ten Champions.

Cara Walls, Women’s Soccer, 2011-14.  Walls scored 42 Goals for the program and led the Badgers to the Big Ten Championship in 2014.

James White, Football, 2010-13.  Playing at Running Back, White gained 4,015 Yards on the ground with 45 Touchdowns for the Badgers, and later won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the incoming members of the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.

It is with great pleasure that we have brought back the Notinhalloffame MLB Regular Cup, and let us explain how this works:

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

We know 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 more easily than 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, which favors position players. Starting Pitchers have a hard time with approximately 30-35 Starts and throwing fewer innings than previous generations. This is also true for closers 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 we did: as a fun process and more of a compilation of temporary statistical domination.

Here is the current top ten after games concluded on June 30.

1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees: 128 Cup Points in 84 Games. (#1 Last Week).  5.9 bWAR, 73 Runs, 110 Hits, 30 Home Runs, 67 Runs Batted In, .354/.458/.717 Slash Line, 1.175 OPS & 224 OPS+.

2. Pete Alonso, New York Mets: 113 Cup Points in 85 Games. (#2 Last Week).   3.0 bWAR, 47 Runs, 93 Hits, 18 Home Runs, 65 Runs Batted In, .291/.380/.541 Slash Line, .921 OPS & 163 OPS+.

3. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers:  106 Cup Points in 83 Games.  (#3 Last Week).  3.9 bWAR, 82 Runs, 94 Hits, 29 Home Runs, 54 Runs Batted In, .287/.388/.633 Slash Line, 1.021 OPS & 183 OPS+.

4. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners: 103 Cup Points in 83 Games. (#4 Last Week).   4.6 bWAR, 60 Runs, 85 Hits, 33 Home Runs, 71 Runs Batted In, .275/.387/.649 Slash Line, 1.049 OPS & 202 OPS+.

5. Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers:  97 Cup Points in 83 Games.  (#5 Last Week).  2.7 bWAR, 47 Runs, 95 Hits, 19 Home Runs, 63 Runs Batted In, .296/.348/.539 Slash Line, .887 OPS & 148 OPS+.

6. (TIE) Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins:  90 Cup Points in 61 Games.  (#10 Last Week).  3.3 bWAR, 53 Runs, 72 Hits, 19 Home Runs, 51 Runs Batted In, .281/.347/.566 Slash Line, .914 OPS & 149 OPS+.

6. (TIE) James Wood, Washington Nationals: 90 Cup Points in 84 Games. (#6 Last Week).   3.9 bWAR, 52 Runs, 89 Hits, 22 Home Runs, 64 Runs Batted In, .283/.386/.552 Slash Line, .938 OPS & 165 OPS+.

8. Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants: 89 Cup Points in 79 Games.  (#8 Last Week).  2.3 bWAR, 51 Runs, 84 Hits, 17 Home Runs, 63 Runs Batted In, .261/.388/.481 Slash Line, .869 OPS & 143 OPS+.

9. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets: 88 Cup Points in 77 Games. (#6 Last Week).   2.6 bWAR, 51 Runs, 86 Hits, 16 Home Runs, 43 Runs Batted In, .258/.327/.447 Slash Line, .775 OPS & 121 OPS+.

10. Bobby Witt Jr., San Diego Padres: 85 Cup Points in 85 Games. (Not in the Top Ten Last Week).  3.9 bWAR, 46 Runs, 95 Hits, 11 Home Runs, 45 Runs Batted In, .284/.337/.488 Slash Line, .825 OPS & 129 OPS+.

San Diego’s Manny Machado fell out of the Top Ten.

Notably, 940 baseball players have earned at least 1 point, up from 927 last week.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Baltimore Ravens.

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

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

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

Last year, the Ravens went 12-5, made the playoffs, but were bounced in the second round.  Despite the season's success and the franchise's relative brevity, there were no new entrants, but multiple elevations in the top 50. 

As always, we present our top five, which has seen a change in that ranking.

1. Ray Lewis
2. Ed Reed
3. Jonathan Ogden
4. Terrell Suggs
5. Lamar Jackson

You can find the entire list here. 

Jackson moved up to #5 from #6 after another phenomenal season.

Of note, Kicker Justin Tucker, who was waived after the season, was unable to move from #9.

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey climbed to #14 from #21.

Tackle Ronnie Stanley also moved up seven spots.  He is now ranked #19.

Linebacker Roquan Smith, who was chosen for his third straight First Team All-American, rocketed from #41 to #27.

Tight End Mark Andrews went to #30 from #32.

Defensive Tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who went to the Pro Bowl last season, shot to #31 from #43.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.