It was a very sad day in the world of Baseball as former American League MVP, Don Baylor, passed away to cancer at the age of 68. 

Baylor would begin his career in Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles but it was after he signed as a Free Agent with the California Angels where his star rose.  In 1979, Baylor would go to his first and only All Star Game and won the MVP.  Baylor would blast 36 Home Runs that year and would lead the AL in Runs Scored and Runs Batted In. 

The playing career of Don Baylor would see the slugger accumulate 338 Home Runs with 2,135 Hits and also saw him win a World Series late in his career as a Minnesota Twin in 1987. 

For many, Don Baylor is more well known for his run as a MLB Manager.  In that capacity he would win the National League Manager of the Year when he helmed the Colorado Rockies to a 77 and 67 season in the franchise’s third year of existence.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Don Baylor at this time. 

In an interview with the Tennesseean, Nashville Predators Captain, Mike Fisher has officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. 

The 37 year old Center played 1,088 career games accumulating 276 Goals and 388 Assists over a seventeen year career split between Nashville and his original NHL team, the Ottawa Senators.

It was in Ottawa, where he had his best seasons, twice finishing in the top five Frank J. Selke Award balloting for the league’s top defensive forward.  Ottawa had a lot of great teams which Fisher was a part of and he helped them reach the 2008 Stanley Cup Championship, though they would go down to defeat at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. 

Fisher would be traded in the 2010-11 season to Nashville, which allowed him to be with his wife, country superstar Carrie Underwood.  In what would be his final, and still productive season he helped take Nashville to the Stanley Cup Finals, although they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Fisher was named the team’s captain that year.

While Mike Fisher is not likely to get a call from the Hockey Hall of Fame, he is a player that both the Senators and Predators might consider honoring in some capacity.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Mike Fisher on having a memorable career and wish him the best in his post-playing career.

You have to think that this could only happen to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On March 9 of this year Offensive Tackle Branden Albert was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Jags, but three months later before playing a game for the team he abruptly announced his retirement from the National Football League.

Again only the Jaguars.

Saying that, this raises our usual question, which is do we have a Hall of Famer on our hands.

Albert played 120 Games in the NFL with Kansas City and Miami and started all but two of them.  He would achieve two Pro Bowl selections, one in 2013 and again in 2015 and his career, a respectable number but not one that is typical of a Canton bust.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Branden Albert on his successful career in the NFL and we wish him the best in his post playing career.

I don’t know about you but there was something satisfying about this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony.

Perhaps it is because the induction of Jeff Bagwell after seven years was finally was chosen, likely forced to wait for the Hall due to PED suspicion. 

Maybe it is more due to Ivan Rodriguez getting in on his first ballot.  While I-Rod never tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs, Jose Canseco named him as someone who he injected personally.  Regardless of whether that is true or not, Pudge is regarded by many as the greatest Catcher of all time by many pundits and the admission of both Bagwell and Rodriguez to the Baseball Hall of Fame suggests a sway in popular opinion as to how the PED era is looked upon, which should open the door for names such as...well…you know the names.

Maybe the satisfaction is that on his final year of eligibility Tim Raines got in after it looked like he may have to wait for a Veterans Committee Selection that are rarely doled out. 

This year just feels right. 

As expected, the speeches from this trio were emotional and focused on family and teammates.

Rodriguez was particularly teary eyed when he looked at his father and exclaimed “If I’m a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer – double.”  Pudge’s speech went back forth in Spanish and English much to the delight of the many Puerto Rican fans who made the trip.  Only Johnny Bench made the Hall in his first try as a Catcher and fittingly he was on the dais as Rodriguez was enshrined. 

The very humble Jeff Bagwell also thanked his family and in typical fashion talked about how he “wanted to score for my team and for (his) other players”. There were a slew of Astros fans present to welcome Bagwell to the Hall to join his teammate, Craig Biggio.  Bagwell is sixth overall in JAWS amongst all First Basemen.

The long awaited induction of Tim Raines saw busloads of fans from Canada who are likely witnessing the last player to go in as a Montreal Expo.  Raines thanked three Hall of Famers for being a positive influence on his career, Andre Dawson, George Brett and Rickey Henderson.

Not to be forgotten is that former Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig also took his place amongst the immortals.  Ironically Selig presided over the PED era thus convincing some Hall of Fame voters to overlook the Suspected and confirmed PED users. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate this year’s class.  Our Baseball list for the next class is already up.