Committee Chairman

Baseball HOF Weekend is here!

Jul 26, 2014

Let’s not talk about the PEDs or gambling for a change. This weekend the Baseball Hall of Fame will be officially inducting their Class of 2015, and let’s just focus on the new inductees and the pageantry that will embrace the small town of Cooperstown, New York this weekend.

This weekend will feature six worthy inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame, all alive, and all to be present. Three of them (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine & Frank Thomas) are first ballot Hall of Fame inductees marking the first time that has happened since 1999 when Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount were selected. The other three (Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa and Joe Torre) are arguably the greatest Managers in the last twenty five years.

With this group, it can be argued that it is so strong that there is no inarguable headliner, though we can imagine that there will be a strong contingent coming in from Atlanta as four of the six inductees played or managed there.

With Greg Maddux, you have an inductee who earned four straight Cy Young Awards and someone who stands in eighth place all time in Wins. Maddux also holds the Major League Record for the most Gold Gloves accrued in eighteen. Maddux’s longtime teammate, Tom Glavine also won a Cy Young Award, and also hit the 300 Win mark. This marks the first time since 1936, the first year of the Baseball Hall of Fame induction that two 300 game winners entered the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Famed Chicago White Sox slugger, Frank Thomas enters the Hall. A power hitter with great plate discipline, Thomas is a member of the 500 Home Run club and is a two time MVP. “The Big Hurt” brings to the Hall a whopping career OPS of .974.

These three greats are joined by three excellent choices by the Veteran’s Committee; the three men who are 3rd, 4th and 5th all time in Wins as a Manager. Accumulatively, the triumvirate of Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa have won eight World Series and have taken their teams to the playoffs a whopping thirty-eight times. Torre was a strong Hall of Fame contender himself as a player, staying on the ballot all fifteen years.

Let’s toss a beer back and grab a dog and toast the excellence of these six legends.

Knoblauch's Twins HOF invite revoked

Jul 25, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It was not that long ago that the Minnesota Twins announced that Chuck Knoblauch would be entering their franchise’s Hall of Fame. There was a ceremony that was to take place on August 23rd before their home game, but that has been officially cancelled in wake of the alleged allegation that he assaulted his ex-wife.

This is not the first time that the former Second Baseman has had domestic issues. He was convicted of hitting a previous wife in 2010, and received one year’s probation for the assault.

In Minnesota, Knoblauch earned four All Star nods and the 1991 Rookie of the Year Award, the same season he won the World Series with the Twins.

This is one of the first times that we can remember that a Hall of Fame invite was revoked. Constantly, and this is regardless of the sport, we learn that our heroes are not necessarily worthy of our adoration and when these events occur, debate will ensue as to whether that athlete should have his Hall of Fame induction pulled.

The best example is when O.J. Simpson murdered (sorry, we are not going to say allegedly) his ex-wife in 1994, he was not removed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, or the Buffalo Bills Ring of Honor. There were articles and a small movement looking to remove O.J. from those honors, but that movement never gained any steam.

The Twins for that matter had Kirby Puckett, who entered the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2001. Shortly after Puckett entered Cooperstown, stories of Puckett’s indiscretions came out, mostly through a Sports Illustrated article though there was never any consideration to remove Puckett from the Baseball Hall of Fame, or the Twins Hall of Fame.

It is uncertain at this time, whether the Minnesota Twins will ever reinstate the Hall of Fame induction of Knoblauch. The Twins organization can either be praised for how they recognize that character matters or jeered for how only on field accomplishments should matter.

With all due respect to Knoblauch, it is not like this is Harmon Killebrew, who was a much bigger star in the Twins canon, so perhaps the decision was not a hard one. Either way, we wonder if this will create a precedent that other franchise Halls of Fame will follow.

Lisa Leslie headlines Women's Basketball HOF Class

Jul 20, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Today the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame has announced their Class of 2015; the 17^th Class that the Knoxville, Tennessee based institution has inducted.

The unarguable headliner of this Class is Lisa Leslie, who led the United States to four consecutive Gold Medals in the Olympics. Leslie would play her College ball at the University of Southern California and was named the Player of the Year in 1994. Following the formation of the WNBA (which first took the court in 1997), Leslie would star for the Los Angeles Sparks, the flagship franchise of the new league.

In L.A., Leslie would win the WNBA MVP three times and was named a First Team All WNBA selection eight times. Most importantly for Leslie, she was able to finally lead the Sparks to the WNBA Title in 2001 and repeated the effort again in 2002.

Joining Leslie is Janeth Arcain, the main star of the Brazilian National Team in the 90’s. Professionally, Arcain played for the Houston Comets of the WNBA and would be a focal point of the Comets squad that won the first four WNBA Titles. She would also earn First Team honors in her career.

Another inductee this year is Janet Harris, who was a standout player at the University of Georgia. Harris was the first NCAA player to record 2,500 Points and 1,250 Rebounds.

Kurt Budke is posthumously inducted. Budke passed away in 2011 in a plane crash and was coaching the Oklahoma State Cowgirls at the time. Budke is recognized as one of the most successful Junior College Head Coach and had revitalized the OSU program.

Current Los Angeles Sparks Head Coach, Gail Goestenkors is being inducted also. Goestenkors primarily enters based on her work with Duke University and at the University of Texas. She was named the Coach of the Year in 2003 and took the Blue Devils to four straight Final Fours.

The Class is completed by Oregon High School Coach, Brad Smith and the 1972-74 Immaculata College who enter in the “Trailblazers of the Game” showcase.

We would like to congratulate this year’s Class.

Beyonce exhibit to the RRHOF

Jul 18, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It looks like Beyonce is headed towards the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; well at least her clothing is anyway.

Outfits from her Super Bowl Performance and single black unitard worn from her “Single Ladies” video will be on display this Tuesday in the Ahmet Ehrtegun Main Exhibit Hall in its Legends of Rock section. Based on the amount of material that Beyonce was willing to donate, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame elected to put her display in the main attraction of the site.

This addition to the Hall, and the comments made by Rock and Roll HOF Executives comparing her to Aretha Franklin open the question as to whether Cleveland will permanently honor Beyonce next decade. Beyonce will be eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 as a member of Destiny’s Child and again in 2027 as a solo artist.

Regardless of whether you think a Beyonce exhibit belongs in the Hall, based on the progression of music, we here feel that this is a nice addition.