Committee Chairman

Baseball HOF Ballot is out

Nov 26, 2013

The Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot is officially out, and the most talked about Hall of Fame in sports is set for another round of the same two debates that always seem to occur:

How much should sabremetrics matter in comparison to traditional statistics?

Should those who took or are suspected of taking Performance Enhancing be banned from the Hall of Fame?

We have talked about these issues constantly here, and currently another slew of articles in print and online will continue those arguments. Rather than debate it, let’s just mention who is on the ballot in order of their rank here:

#1C: Barry Bonds 2^nd Year on Ballot, 36.2% of the vote last year

#2:     Roger Clemens   2^nd Year on Ballot, 37.6% of the vote last year

#3:     Greg Maddux   1^st Year on the Ballot

#4:     Jeff Bagwell   4^th Year on the Ballot, 59.6% of the vote last year

#5:     Frank Thomas   1^st Year on the Ballot

#6:     Mike Piazza   2^nd Year on the Ballot, 57.8% of the vote last year

#7:     Mike Mussina   1^st Year on the Ballot

#8:     Tim Raines   7^th Year on the Ballot, 52.2% of the vote last year

#9:     Tom Glavine   1^st Year on the Ballot

#11:   Curt Schilling   2^nd Year on the Ballot, 38.8% of the vote last year

#13:   Craig Biggio   2^nd Year on the Ballot, 68.2% of the vote last year

#14:   Mark McGwire   8^th Year on the Ballot, 16.9% of the vote of the last year

#15:   Alan Trammell   13^th Year on the Ballot, 33.6% of the vote last year

#16:   Rafael Palmeiro   4^th Year on the Ballot, 8.8% of the vote last year

#17:   Sammy Sosa   2^nd Year on the Ballot, 12.5% of the vote last year

#18:   Larry Walker   4^th Year on the Ballot, 21.6% of the vote last year

#19:   Edgar Martinez 5^th Year on the Ballot, 35.9% of the vote last year

#27:   Jack Morris   15^th Year on the Ballot, 67.7% of the vote last year

#29:   Fred McGriff   5^th Year on the Ballot, 20.7% of the vote last year

#34:   Lee Smith   12^th Year on the Ballot, 47.8% of the vote last year

#47:   Jeff Kent   1^st Year on the Ballot

#64:   Don Mattingly   14^th Year on the Ballot, 13.2% of the vote last year

#86:   Luis Gonzalez   1^st Year on the Ballot

#89:   Kenny Rogers   1^st Year on the Ballot

Unranked and 1^st Year on the Ballot:

Moises Alou, Ray Durham, Shannon Stewart, Esteban Loaiza, Jon Leiber, Hideo Nomo, Geoff Jenkins, Keith Foulke, Matt Morris, Jose Vidro, Richie Sexson, Paul Lo Duca, Armando Benitez, Mike Timlin, Sean Casey, Dmitri Young, Eric Gagne, Shawn Estes, J.T. Snow, Todd Jones and Joe Borowski.

The obvious story lines:

Will Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas enter the Hall of Fame on the first try?

What percentage of the ballot will solid contenders, Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina receive?

On a cluttered ballot, does Craig Biggio receive enough votes to put him over the edge?

The same question goes for Jack Morris, who is on his final year of eligibility.

Will the voters continue to punish Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds?

We know this much…we thought last year was the most interesting vote since 1936. This one may just top it.

RIP: Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon

Nov 22, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

The world of Professional Wrestling has lost a legend today. French Canadian superstar, Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon passed away after a long bout of declining health. He was 84 years old.

Vachon competed in the 1948 Olympics and won the British Gold Medal in 1950 in Greco Roman competition. The Mad Dog turned pro, and with his shaved head, black goatee and missing teeth he became a superstar in the industry.

Vachon was not tall, but his pit bull stature, brawling skills and legitimate wrestling skills made him more than a credible worker and a multi time champion in many promotions. His greatest work was in Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association where he won the World Heavyweight Champion five times.

World Wrestling Entertainment inducted him into their Hall of Fame in the Class of 2010.

We offer our condolences to the friends and family of Maurice Vachon at this time.

Football Semi-Finalists are out

Nov 21, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We have said it before and we will say it again. We love how the Football Hall of Fame undergoes the process of selection to be both transparent and offer a build up. Perhaps that is why we modelled are new Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame on their process.

Tonight, the Football Hall has now selected 25 semi-finalists. We will take a look at them in order of where they fall on our Football list.

#1 Derrick Brooks

Our new number one selection is what we believe will be a “one and done”, where as his first year on the ballot should be his last. We would be shocked if the Linebacker does not get in.

#3 Marvin Harrison

Another first year eligible player, Marvin Harrison now moves to the head of the line in great Wide Receivers who are on the ballot. This addition may impact Andre Reed and Tim Brown, who have been waiting for quite some time.

#4 Michael Strahan

We were stunned when Strahan failed to get inducted on his first year of eligibility last year. We think that the sackmaster will not be denied this year.

#7 Will Shields

A finalist the last two years, Will Shields returns again with what should be his best chance yet. As the highest ranked Offensive Lineman not yet inducted, we predict that this will be his year.

#9 Andre Reed

Constantly climbing in our annual rankings, and building internet support for his induction, Andre Reed returns after seven consecutive Finalists appearances. As mentioned above, the addition of Harrison could impede him and make him a bridesmaid again.

#10 Charles Haley

Another who is climbing our rankings due to fan support, the only man with five Super Bowl Rings is a four time Finalist. Expect him to be a finalist again, as we suspect he will once again narrowly miss out.

#13 Roger Craig

Craig has been a Semi-Finalist often, but a Finalist only once in 2010. Our suspicion is that he will have to wait for a Senior Nomination should he ever get in.

#14 Walter Jones

Another first year Offensive Lineman entering the ballot; Jones will battle Will Shields for the spot in Canton. We are not sure if both Jones and Shields will make the Finalist cut, but if it is only one, it is unlikely to be Jones. At the very least, a Finalist slot is very important to garner future induction.

#17 Tim Brown

Four year Finalist Tim Brown, returns to the Semi Finals, but the Wide Receiver finds himself in a very familiar position as there are more accomplished players in his position ahead of him. He should squeak in again as a Finalist, but that will be it.

#20 Jerome Bettis

Although we have Roger Craig ranked higher than Bettis, there is a belief we feel among many that “The Bus” is the top Running Back on the ballot. If that is true, this could be his best shot to get selected.

#23 Steve Atwater

A Semi-Finalist the last two years, Steve Atwater pulls the hat trick again this year. We have been a big supporter of Steve’s but we don’t think he is getting any farther than this.

#24 Aeneas Williams

Williams was a Finalist the last two years, but what constantly works against him is the low profile he has maintained since retiring. His play is close to being Hall of Fame worthy, but a little self promotion wouldn’t hurt. It won’t happen from him though.

#26 Terrell Davis

This is one of greatest internal debates, and we wager it is for the committee in Canton too. If only he didn’t get injured, or even had an average second half of his career. If that occurred, we wouldn’t be debating it here...he would have been inducted already. As it is now, Davis is a seven time Semi-Finalist and possibly counting.

#30 Steve Wisniewski

For the first time, Steve Wisniewski has made to the Semi Finals. We have our doubts that he can make it to the next level.

#44 Kevin Greene

Greene is not ranked that high by us but has worked his way up to being a Finalist the last two years. The odds of him regressing back to only a Semi-Finalist are not likely.

#58 John Lynch

A Semi-Finalist last year, Lynch is overshadowed by his teammates who have also reached this level. Still, with only he and Atwater as Safeties who have made it this far, it is possible that one of them could advance to the next round. Although we think that Atwater was the better player, Lynch was more popular. If one advances, our money is on Lynch.

#64 Joe Jacoby

The Hogs are represented again as Joe Jacoby is a Semi-Finalist for the fourth time in nine years. Realistically, if he has not made it to being a Finalist by now, he probably won’t this year.

#69 Karl Mecklenburg

We love the nickname of the “Albino Rhino” but as it took him a while to finally make the Semi-Finals (he made it the last two years), does he have the steam to make the next round? We have our doubts.

#100 Morten Andersen

This was a surprise. Special Teams notoriously get no love from the Football Hall of Fame, however in the year where Ray Guy will likely get in
as a Senior candidate, perhaps we should not have been surprised at all.

Please note that we do not rank Coaches and Contributors

Don Coryell

Back again on the ballot, Coryell’s impact in the NFL cannot be measured by wins and losses. His offensive innovations revolutionized the sport, and are a huge reason for the excitement that people watch on Sundays today. We don’t he will get in this year, but he should!

Edward DeBartolo Jr.

The former San Francisco 49ers owner was very successful and has the Super Bowl Rings to prove it. He has been a finalist before.

Tony Dungy

The former Super Bowl winning Coach and very popular analyst is on his first year of eligibility. He may not make it this year, but he will make it eventually.

Jimmy Johnson

The very popular former Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys is again a semi-finalist. The issue for him is the length of his tenure as a Head Coach in the National Football League, but his work as an analyst for Fox certainly helps keep his profile strong.

Paul Tagliabue

He is a former NFL Commisioner. Bank on it happening sooner or later.

George Young

A very solid, yet under the radar candidate with three Super Bowl wins as a Coach or Administrator. He is a five time NFL Executive of the Year, which makes him in our eyes a future inductee.

Our #29 and #32 ranked players, Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey are Senior Nominees and automatically are Finalists.

Other than Anderson, nothing here shocks us. The 15 Modern Era Finalists will be announced on January 8, 2014 at 10 PM.

Fictitious Athlete HOF is here!

Nov 19, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It took us a long time but it is finally here! After months of work we here at Notinhalloffame.com are proud to unveil are latest creation, “The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame”. This is exactly what it sounds, where the athletes of Television and Movies have a chance to receive their due, and unlike the Halls of Fame that we debate here on a regular basis; the selected entries will be decided by all of you! Well, that is except the first inductee.

We are proud to announce that the inaugural inductee to the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame is none other than Rocky Balboa.

Seriously, could it be anyone else? The Rocky franchise is the most successful sports film series of all time, and it remains the most recognized character of Sylvester Stallone’s career.

There are over 300 athletes on the ballot for potential induction for the Class of 2014, and a contributors section where over 100 possibilities exist.

You may have noticed the link to the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame on the main page on the right side. We encourage you to check it out and cast your votes!