Albert Pujols: A big contract bringing clipping the Angels’ wings

Alberto Pujols is still playing baseball? That question may have crossed your mind when it was announced the current Los Angeles Angels first baseman had passed Alex Rodriguez on Major League Baseball’s all-time RBI list this week. Pujols knocked in his 2,087^thRBI on August 24^thand is now trailing Hank Aaron as the all-time Major League Baseball leader. Sports fans are enjoying a large amount of sports available currently from baseball to horse racing. The biggest horse race in the world will take place on September 5^that Churchill Downs and fans can watch a Kentucky Derby live stream to follow all of the action on race day. 

Now, 40-years-old, Pujols’ standing as one of the greatest in Major League Baseball history doesn’t seem to be as firm as it was years ago. Pujols has spent the last eight and a half seasons playing for the Angels. So, if you forgot he was even in the league at this point, you can be forgiven. 

Pujols’ 2020 season has been rather forgettable. His RBI on Monday night to pull him closer to Aaron was a milestone but there was little to actually celebrate. The Angels are 10-22 as of this writing and 12.0 games out of first place in the AL West. For all the talk of the greatness of Pujols and Mike Trot, they sure have done little to get the Angels into American League West winning position. Of course, baseball takes more than just two players, but Pujols’ stats show a player limping toward retirement and hanging on for too long.

The first baseman is hitting .215 with an OBP of .253, and slugging percentage of .367 as of August 27^th. He has hit just three home runs and knocked in 12 RBI in 79 at bats. The once great hitting machine is a shell of his former self. 

Since arriving in Los Angeles in 2012, Pujols has regularly failed to get the Angels into the playoffs. Just one time have the club made the postseason following Pujols’ big money move from St. Louis. In pure poor money management, the Angels rewarded Pujols for what he did with the Cardinals and not what he could do in the future. 

The club signed him to a 10-year contract in 2012 for a $240 million. According to Spotrac, Pujols was due $29m this season alone. In 2012, signing Pujols for 10 years may have sounded like a great deal. He was 32 and coming off of winning the World Series with the Cardinals. He was also a three-time MVP. 

Pujols’ batting average has never risen over .300 for a full season in Los Angeles. Three times his OBP has dipped below .300, including this season. Other than in the 2015 season, Pujols hasn’t shown the power of his time in St. Louis. The 2015 campaign witnessed Pujols hitting 40 home runs. He hit 40 or more homers six times for the Cardinals. Just once has he done it in Los Angeles.

The last eight and a half seasons in Los Angeles have been well paid for Pujols. But with the Angels making the playoffs just once in that time, Pujols is now just a huge contract around the club’s neck. That deal won’t end until after the 2021 season. Pujols will earns $30m next season.

What is America’s most-watched sport? Rightly said, it is Football. Football represents an amazing display of stamina and strength, exquisite finesse, excellent team spirit, and dramatic finishes. You can never speculate when an underdog can defeat a favorite giant on any given Sunday. Every football match pumps up the adrenaline like never before. That’s the beauty of America’s most popular sport.

No doubt, football has been chosen as the subject of many Hollywood movies. All the drama and glory of the field are precisely presented in each feature film based on football. You can feel the excitement and rush of adrenaline, often further heightened by betting odds offered on these matches at some of the best betting sites UK and other countries’ sportsbooks. Today we list the top 5 football-themed movies that Americans have even witnessed.

Any Given Sunday (1999)

Director- Oliver Stone

Writers- John Logan (screenplay), Daniel Pyne (story)

Stars- Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid

IMDbrating– 6.9/10

The Oliver Stone football classic is one of the best sports films ever. It shows the behind-the-scenes stories of the legends on the field and those who manage them. The movie shows plenty of NPL legends and some great football actions.

Varsity Blues (1999)

Director- Brian Robbins

Writers- W. Peter Iliff

Stars- James Van Der Beek, Paul Walker, Jon Voight

IMDb rating– 6.5/10

Jonathan Moxon, played by James Van Der Beek, is a reserve quarterback who takes the field to keep up with the wishes of his football-crazy father. But when the star quarterback gets injured, he steps up and leads the team towards victory.

Wildcats (1986)

Director- Michael Ritchie

Writers- Ezra Sacks

Stars- Goldie Hawn, Robyn Lively, Swoosie Kurtz

IMDb rating– 6.0/10

This movie features Goldie Hawn as a high school rookie football coach who dreams of coaching a football team. She applies to coach an inner-city team and gets the job. The movie is about her challenges is coaching this team and taking to the championship finals.

North Dallas Forty (1979)

Director- Ted Kotcheff

Writers- Frank Yablans (screenplay), Peter Gent (story)

Stars- Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning

IMDbrating– 7.0/10

Nick Nolte plays the protagonist's role here (Peter Gent), a former American football player in Dallas. The movie is semi-fictional, and the team in the movie – North Dallas Bulls holds a lot of similarity to the Dallas Football club. The famous club was a bit disappointed since the movie showcased pain killers' use in a positive light.

Remember The Titans (2000)

Director- Boaz Yakin

Writers- Gregory Allen Howard

Stars- Denzel Washington, Wood Harris, Will Patton

IMDbrating– 7.8/10

The movie is about a young team and their newly appointed coach who overcomes racial boundaries and play as one unit based on true events. Denzel Washington plays the role of the coach (Herman Boone). This movie is one of the best performances of Denzel Washington and even terming it as a classic might seem to be an understatement.

This has been a horrible week for basketball legends. 

Recently, we lost Lute Olson and Clifford Robinson. Now we lost John Thompson.

Thompson played his college ball at Providence where he was an honorable mention All-American by the AP.  He went on to play three years with the Boston Celtics, winning two NBA Championships under the dynasty led by Red Auberbach.

Immediately after his playing career ended, he took over as the head coach for St. Anthony High School in Washington D.C., and did so well there, he caught the attention of Georgetown, who signed him to be their Head Coach in 1972.  This would be the school he coached for 27 years, and put on the national map.

Thompson had a coaching record of 596-239 and he had a 14-year streak of NCAA Tournament Appearances (1979-92).  That streak was easily the highwater mark of Thompson’s career, as in that timeframe he was a three-time Big East Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year and UPI Coach of the Year.  Thompson took the Hoyas to the NCAA Championship in 1984, and in doing so became the first African-American Head Coach to win the Title.

He would be named to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of John Thompson.

Our second annual pre-season Active 150 NFL Player Monitor ranking their current status for future Hall of Fame consideration is now up.  

Our Football Hall of Fame monitor for football looks at the following criteria:

The biggest factor we look at is how each active player measures up to the last five players at their position who were chosen.  To reflect the modern era and how stats have changed, Senior Inductees will not be considered as part of the last five inductees.  To keep everything simple, we are looking at Pro Bowl Selections, First Team All-Pro Selections, traditional statistics, games played and approximate value.  

Obviously, there are other intangibles, such as playoff success, content of character etc. and we have adjusted where we think necessary due to those considerations. 

While we don’t see this as a perfect system, these are the points that people make when determining whether or not someone is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, it does put forth a good baseline for us to work with.

The other criteria we look at is dominating seasons.  We call this the Terrell Davis Rule.  In Davis’ Hall of Fame resume, you see that he was an elite player for three seasons and was the difference maker aiding the Denver Broncos to win their first two Super Bowls.  The induction of Davis and others with similar careers (like Gale Sayers for example) shows that the Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes bursts of excellence over years of above average consistency.  This will reflect in our ranking as a younger player who may have less accolades than a more tenured one could be ranked higher if he has more years where he was unquestionably an elite player at his position.  

We also have to add the caveat that we will only qualify those who have been chosen via the Modern Era class in the last fifteen years.

For reference, here are the last five Hall of Famers for each position and we have created what we call the Modern Positional Average, the MPA:

Quarterbacks: Troy Aikman, Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Kurt Warner, Steve Young.

Note that three of these QBs (Aikman, Marino & Young) competed in the 1990’s where offensive output is not what it is today.  This is one of the reasons why we are adding Super Bowls and Super Bowl appearances to offset this and since Quarterbacks are graded on that accomplishment more than all other positions combined, it seems appropriate. Please also note that while Quarterbacks are not initially thought of based on their rushing totals, more and more pivots act as a dual threat, and this helps to offset those who aid their offense as much as with their legs as they do with their arm.

200.4 Games, 175.5 Approximate Value, 0.8752 AV/G, 7.4 Pro Bowls, 2.2 First Team All-Pros, 46,122 Passing Yards, 306.6 Touchdown Passes, 1,537.6 Rushing Yards, 15.8 Rushing Touchdowns, 1.6 Super Bowls, 2.6 Super Bowl Appearances.

*Note that this is the same as last year, as no modern era Quarterbacks were inducted in 2020.

Running Backs:  Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson.

151.2 Games, 120.6 Approximate Value, .7976 AV/G, 4.6 Pro Bowls, 2.0 First Team All-Pros, 12,240 Rushing Yards, 89.2 Rushing Touchdowns, 2,839 Receiving Yards, 9.2 Receiving Touchdowns.

*Edgerrin James replaces Marshall Faulk in regards to the last five Running Backs.  This changed the averages from 2019’s: 156.8 Games, 126.4 Approximate Value, .8061 AV/G, 5.2 Pro Bowls, 2.4 First Team All-Pros, 12,266.6 Rushing Yards, 97.2 Rushing Touchdowns, 3,541 Receiving Yards, 14.2 Receiving Touchdowns.

Wide Receivers: Tim Brown, Isaac Bruce, Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens.

221 Games, 153.6 Approximate Value, .6950 AV/G, 6.6 Pro Bowls, 2.4 First Team All-Pros, 1,056 Receptions, 15,189 Receiving Yards, 125.6 Receiving Touchdowns.

*Isaac Bruce replaces Andre Reed in regards to the last five Wide Receivers.  This changed the averages from 2019’s: 223.2 Games, 152.8 Approximate Value, .6581 AV/G, 7.2 Pro Bowls, 2.4 First Team All-Pros, 1,041.4 Receptions, 14,787.6 Receiving Yards, 124.8 Receiving Touchdowns

Tight Ends: Tony Gonzalez, Shannon Sharpe.

Please note that there are only two Tight Ends who have been inducted in the last sixteen seasons and we will base the average only on these two players.

237 Games, 126.5 Approximate Value, .5338 AV/G, 11 Pro Bowls, 5 First Team All-Pros, 1,025 Receptions, 12,593.5 Receiving Yards, 86.5 Receiving Touchdowns.

*Note that this is the same as last year, as no modern era Tight Ends were inducted in 2020.

Offensive Linemen: Steve Hutchinson, Walter Jones, Kevin Mawae, Orlando Pace, Will Shields.

196.6 Games, 141.4 Approximate Value, .7192 AV/G, 8.6 Pro Bowls, 3.4 First Team, All-Pros.

*Steve Hutchinson replaces Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden.  Allen and Ogden entered the Hall of Fame in the same year; hence we used the last six Offensive Linemen as a baseline as opposed to five.  This changed the averages from 2019’s: 223.2 Games, 152.8 Approximate Value, .6581 AV/G, 7.2 Pro Bowls, 2.4 First Team All-Pros.

Defensive Lineman: Chris Doleman, Charles Haley, Cortez Kennedy, Michael Strahan, Jason Taylor.

203.4 Games, 138.8 Approximate Value, .6824 AV/G, 6.8 Pro Bowls, 2.8 First Team All-Pros, 5 Interceptions, 118 Quarterback Sacks, 753.4 Tackles.

*Note that this is the same as last year, as no modern era Defensive Linemen were inducted in 2020.

Linebackers: Derrick Brooks, Kevin Greene, Ray Lewis, Junior Seau Brian Urlacher.

226 Games, 152 Approximate Value, .7699 AV/G, 9.8 Pro Bowls, 4.8 First Team All-Pros, 62.6 Sacks, 1,478.8 Tackles, 20.2 Interceptions.

*Note that this is the same as last year, as no modern era Linebackers were inducted in 2020.

Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey, Ty Law, Ed Reed, Aeneas Williams.

203.5 Games, 146.5 Approximate Value, .7199 AV/G, 8.5 Pro Bowls, 3.5 First Team All-Pros, 53.5 Interceptions, 770.3 Tackles.

*Note that in 2019, all Defensive Backs were grouped together, and were Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, Ty Law, Ed Reed and Aeneas Williams. Now, Cornerbacks and Safeties are separated.  We are only using four for both Corners and Safeties to keep everything relatively modern.  Last year’s composite for Defensive Backs were 202.6 Games, 134 Approximate Value, 0.6614 AV/G, 8.8 Pro Bowls 3.4 First Team All-Pros, 48 Interceptions and 861.8 Tackles.

Safeties: Steve Atwater, Brian Dawkins, Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed.

180.8 Games, 130.5 Approximate Value, .7218 AV/G, 8.5 Pro Bowls, 3.8 First Team All-Pros, 39.3 Interceptions, 925.3 Tackles.

*Note that in 2019, all Defensive Backs were grouped together, and were Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, Ty Law, Ed Reed and Aeneas Williams. Now, Cornerbacks and Safeties are separated.  We are only using four for both Corners and Safeties to keep everything relatively modern. Last year’s composite for Defensive Backs were 202.6 Games, 134 Approximate Value, 0.6614 AV/G, 8.8 Pro Bowls 3.4 First Team All-Pros, 48 Interceptions and 861.8 Tackles.

Note that over the last sixteen years, there was only one Place Kicker and Punter and no Special Teamers, thus we elected not to feature that average and input based on our elective opinion.

This list is based on the beginning of the 2020 Season:

Any asterisk in front of a statistic indicates that this metric exceeds the average.

Please remember that this list is based on accomplishments and not necessarily future potential.  Think of it as where they stand if their career ended today, with a partial look at where they are trending.