Committee Chairman

Tim Raines in the Canadian Baseball HOF

Jun 30, 2013

          The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has added five members to its institution in their Class of 2013, and much like previous years, the high profile members are former members of the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos.

          The headlining entrant is Tim Raines, who spent his best years with the Montreal Expos. While playing in Montreal, Raines would become a seven Time All-Star, batting .301 with a WAR of 48.8. The fleet footed Raines would also lead the National League twice in Runs and four times in Stolen Bases. In regards to Cooperstown, Raines has been on the ballot for six years, eclipsing the 50% mark for the first time last year, indicating that he may have a decent chance to have enshrinement in both countries.

          Raines is joined by George Bell, the Dominican born outfielder who had powerful seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1980’s. Bell was the 1987 American League MVP, and was a top five finisher two other times. Bell may not have had a Hall of Fame career by Cooperstown standards (he only received 1.2% in his lone year of eligibility) but by the basis of what he accomplished as a Blue Jay, he deserves his spot in the Canadian Hall.

          The third entrant is Canadian born, Rob Ducey, who played for both Toronto and Montreal in a journeyman 13 year career. Ducey was born in Toronto, and was very popular because of that during his stint with Blue Jays in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

          The fourth is already scheduled to enter Cooperstown this summer. Tom Cheek, who was the long time radio broadcaster for the Jays will also be entering the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Cheek passed away in 2005, and was the radio announcer for the first 4,306 games of the Toronto Blue Jays.

          The Class of 2013 is rounded out by Nat Bailey, who owned the Vancouver Mounties, and was a big supporter of Baseball in Western Canada. To qualify for the Baseball Hall of Fame, the player in question must be Canadian born, or have done something significant in their career in Canada.

          We congratulate all five men for their Hall of Fame inductions.

RIP: Matt Borne

Jun 30, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

          The world of professional wrestling lost another of its brethren when Matt Borne passed away yesterday at the age of 56. To fans of the WWE, Borne is best known as the original Doink the Clown. As strange as that character was, even in the cartoonish world of wrestling, Borne made it work and fans often look back on his heel run in 1994 as a great role, and one that was completely neutered when he left the organization late that year and the role was recast.

         Matt Borne was a second generation wrestler, the son of “Tough” Tony Borne. He debuted in 1978, and had significant runs in Portland and in Mid South where he was in a faction called the “Rat Pack” with Ted DiBiase and Buzz Sawyer. He competed at the inaugural Wrestlemania in a losing effort to Ricky Steamboat in what was a very brief WWF run.

          He would later appear in WCW as mid card run as Big Josh, a rugged outdoorsman character who would be one third of the WCW Six Man Tag Team Champions, though it was a couple years later that he would sign with the then named WWF and defeat Crush at Wrestlemania IX and would have good matched with Bret Hart at Summer Slam and Mr. Perfect on multiple Monday Night RAWS. Unfortunately, issues with substance abuse caused him to lose his position with the WWF, and he was out of the organization less than a year after he was inked to a contract. He would compete on the indies for the rest of his career, and would later become known for his candid shoot interviews.

         We here at Notinhalloffame.com offer our sincere condolences to the friends and family of Matt Borne.

Sapp trashes Strahan regarding the HOF

Jun 25, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We are going to be lazy here and just reprint what was written by Caroline Lee from UPI.COM as we have not seen it anywhere else:

“Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is not NFL Hall of Fame material, according to former NFL defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

Sapp commented Wednesday after Strahan was not accepted into the 2013 class, and said it was because the Giant was overrated.

"Nobody ever talks about Simeon [Rice,]'' Sapp said of his former Tampa Bay teammate. "Simeon was a better rusher than Michael Strahan any day of the week and twice on Sunday.''

Sapp also said that Strahan didn't succeed in the NFL until the Giants moved him from the right side to the left side, leaving Strahan blocking a weaker player.

"This is a man who wants something given to him and they gave it to him,'' Sapp said. "So have it.''

In February, Sapp started the feud, saying that Strahan was a "media darling" during his first year of hall-of-fame eligibility. Strahan responded to Sapp on Twitter.

"You never cease to amaze me!" Strahan tweeted. "Enjoy your moment. You don't need to take a shot at me to justify yourself to other people."

Strahan has not yet responded to Sapp's latest jabs.”

Hmmm….We honestly thought Strahan should have gotten in before Sapp, or at least together. Still, considering Strahan is living it up on “Kelly and Michael” and Sapp just declared bankruptcy, we will let Sapp have this moment.

RIP: Jackie Fargo

Jun 25, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Another wrestling legend was lost today when it was reported that Memphis legend, Jackie Fargo passed away today at the age of 85. Fargo would win many titles in his long career, mostly in the NWA in promotions in the South. Fargo would be a multi-time tag team champion with his kayfabe brother, Don Fargo, and eventually would settle in as a mainstay on the Memphis scene, where he would mentor Jerry “The King” Lawler to greatness.

Some wrestling historians have pegged Jackie Fargo as one of the inventors of the “Hardcore” style, as he was one of the first to have wild brawls in the ring. Perhaps his greatest gift to wrestling was the “Fargo Strut” which is copied by many wrestlers today.

Although Jackie Fargo had no real association with the WWE, we have him ranked at #67 on our WWE list, and as the organization has inducted performers with similar resumes (Abdullah the Butcher). We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Jackie Fargo at this time.