Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Atlanta Braves have announced that they will be retiring his number 25 this season.

From Curacao, Andruw Jones made his debut with the Braves at age 19 and it was clear from the beginning that this was a star in the making.  Jones would have his first 30 Home Run season in 1998 and from 2000 to 2003 he would hit that mark with three 100 RBI seasons and a .300 season in 2000, which surprisingly was the only one he ever had.  Jones would add to his already prolific power numbers in the 2005 season where he had a league leading (and career high) 51 Home Runs and also was the champion in Runs Batted In with 128. For his efforts he was the runner-up for the National League MVP.  His overall power totals for the Braves would be an impressive 368 Home Runs, 1,117 RBIs with a .497 Slugging Percentage.

No conversation about Andruw Jones can take place without discussing his incredible defensive abilities.  Jones would win the Gold Glove every season from 1998 to 2007 (all with Atlanta) and he had six straight years where he would finish first in Total Zone Runs (1997 to 2002).  As a Brave, he was the NL leader in Defensive bWAR and in six other seasons he was in the top ten. 

Had Jones had a better Batting Average and OBP (.263 and .342 are decent but not spectacular) he would be higher on this list.  The Braves chose Jones for their Hall of Fame in 2016, and he is currently on the Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 58.1 percent last year, which was his sixth time.

Jones will join Dale Murphy (#3), Bobby Cox (#6), Chipper Jones (#10), Warren Spahn (#21), John Smoltz (#29), Greg Maddux (#31), Phil Niekro (#35), Eddie Mathews (#41), Hank Aaron (#44), Tom Glavine (#47) and the league-mandated #42 of Jackie Robinson.

The ceremony will take place on September 9 during Atlanta’s hone game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Pau Gasol for earning this impending honor.

It is another major announcement in the Hall of Fame season that will wrap up soon, as the Country Music Hall of Fame has named three inductees of the Class of 2023. They are Patti Loveless (Modern Era), Tanya Tucker (Veterans Era) and Bob McDill (Songwriter).

Loveless had ten number one songs, with 41 overall in the top ten, most of which came in the 1990s.

Tucker, who is close to age of Loveless (Tucker is 64 and Loveless is 66), began her career as a teen, and had most of her big hits well before Loveless’s run took off.

McDill wrote a bevy of hits, most notably recorded by country legends such as Ronnie Milsap.   The Country Hall rotates the induction of Songwriters with Recording and/or Touring Musician and Non-Performer.

With the help of special contributor, Aaron Freeman, our Notinhalloffame.com Country list will be updated soon.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

If you are a regular visitor at Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we created the Notinhalloffame NHL Cup, where in every regular season game, we award points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five performers.  This is the second year that we have done this, and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid won the first one.

To keep everyone regularly in the loop this time, we have decided to give regular updates, starting at when the first player cracked 40 Points, and tell all of you the top ten.  We were going forward with every update as the first player breaches the elevated ten-point threshold afterward, but now that we are in the home stretch, this will be the last update until season’s end.

Here is the current top ten, based on the first player to breach 160 Notinhalloffame Cup Points:

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers.  160 Cup Points:  77 Games, 62 G, 84 A, 146 P, +17, 17.2 PS.  (#1 on last update)

What more can we say about McDavid’s 2022/23 Season.  He is running away with every major statistical category, and has a commanding lead in Cup Points, that cannot be caught.  Last year’s Notinhalloffame NHL Cup winner is extending his lead and he is currently the league-leader in Goals (60), Assists (78), Points (138) and Point Shares (16.3).  The Hart, Pearson, Richard and Art Ross are his to lose, and he won’t.  Is this the best year of his life?  He would agree, but only if the Oilers win it all!

2. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins. 134 Cup Points:  76 Games, 56 G, 46 A, 102 P, +33, 13.6 PS. (#3 on last update)

Pastrnak is back where he belongs at #2.  The top offensive Bruins player is second in Goals (56), fifth in Points (102), seventh in Plus/Minus (+33) and is also leading the NHL in Even Strength Goals (38) and Shots (371).

3.  Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche, 126 Cup Points:  64 Games, 34 G, 63 A, 97 P, +23, 11.0 PS.  (#2 on last update)

MacKinnon is playing phenomenal hockey, is ranked very high in Cup Points considering he played relatively less than the rest of the top ten.  He is third in Points per Game (1.52), and sixth in Points (97).

4. Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins.  116 Cup Points:  46 Games, 37-6-1, 1.88 GAA, .938 Save Percentage, 12.4 PS. (#6 on last update)

Ullmark is the odds-on favorite for the Vezina and is currently the league leader in Wins, GAA and Save Percentage.  Our question, is can he do this is the playoffs?

5. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche. 114 Cup Points:  75 Games, 49 G, 43 A, 92 P, +10, 11.1 PS. (#4 on last update)

Rantanen slips one spot to #5.  He is the current co-leader in Even Strength Goals (38), fourth in Goals (49) and is on a team that could repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.

6. (TIE) Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers, 108 Cup Points:  74 Games, 38 G, 64 A, 102 P, +26, 11.5 PS.  (#5 on last update)

Dropping one to #6, Tkachuk is at present is seventh in Assists (64) and fourth in Points (102).  He is only two Points away from last year’s total.

6. (TIE) Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators, 108 Cup Points:  76 Games, 34 G, 44 A, 78 P, -9, 8.5 PS.  (Not on last update)

Yes, the Tkachuk brothers are tied in Cup Points, although Matthew is clearly having the better year.  The younger sibling is a point-per-game player, and has emerged as the top gun for the Senators.  He is currently fourth in Shots (324), which is a large part of how he is this high.

8. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks, 107 Cup Points:  73 Games, 36 G, 60 A, 96 P, +15, 10.2 PS.  (#7 on last update)

Pettersson is having his best year to date, albeit on an abysmal Canucks team.  He is currently tenth in Assists (60) and ninth in Points (96).

9. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils.  106 Cup Points, 72 Games, 40 G, 49 A, 89 P, +7, 10.3 PS. (#9 on last update)

Hughes holds on at #9.  The two-time All-Star is ninth in Goals (40), and is the top offensive threat for the Devils.

10. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning.  105 Cup Points:  77 Games, 48 G, 41 A, 89 P, +7, 10.7 PS. (#8 on last update)

Point is having a good year, and is a point-per-game player, there are still quite a few players with higher point tallies than the Tampa Center, who dropped four spots in our last update.  Saying that, Point has been the most clutch player for the Lightning, and is currently fourth in Goals (44).

Dallas’s Jason Robertson, fell off the top ten.

Our next update will the final one.

It is a wonderful time of the year!

For all of the things that we can accurately criticize about the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, we love how they always time their announcements, based on major hoops-related events.  As such, during Final Four weekend, the Hall announced 12 new members, comprising the Class of 2022.

Alphabetically, they are:

The 1976 Women’s Olympic Team:  Team U.S.A. won the Gold Medal at the Montreal Games.

Gene Bess:  Bess had a career record of 1,300-416 making him the winningest coach in NCAA history.  Spending his entire career at Three Rivers Community College, he is a two-time Junior College Champion as a Coach.

Gary Blair:  Blair coached for 37 years, most notably leading the women’s program at Texas A&M to a National Championship in 2011.  He had a lifetime record of 852-346.

Pau Gasol:  The Spanish Center went to six All-Star Games and helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to two NBA Championships.  Gasol also was a two-time Second Team and two-time Third Team All-NBA player and while representing Spain, he is a two-time Olympic Silver Medalist, won an Olympic Bronze, and also led his country to Gold in the 2006 World Cup.

Becky Hammon:  Hammon was a six-time WNBA Selection and was named to the NBA 15^th, 20^th, and 25^th Anniversary Team.  She won Bronze representing Russia in the 2008 Olympics and was the first female Assistant Coach in the NBA (San Antonio).  Hammon won the WNBA Championship in her first year as a Head Coach with Las Vegas.

David Hixon:  Hixon was Amherst College’s Men Head Coach for 42 years, winning two Division III National Championships and two Division III Head Coach of the Year Awards.

Gene Keady:  Keady was the Head Coach for Purdue for 25 years and led the Boilermakers to six Big Ten Regular Season Titles.  He is a seven-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Dirk Nowitzki:  A Finalist on his first year on the ballot, Nowitzki was the centerpiece for the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade, and took them to their first NBA Championship in 2011.  The 2007 MVP was a four-time First Team, five-time Second Team and three-time Third Team All-NBA recipient and also was named to the NBA 75^th Anniversary Team.

Tony Parker:   Parker won four NBA Championships with the San Antonio Spurs and was a six-time All-Star.  The 2007 NBA Finals MVP was a three-time Second Team All-NBA player and would represent France in many tournaments, most notably winning EuroBasket Gold in 2013.

Gregg Popovich:  Popovich is still active, and is already a legend in basketball coaching.  “Pop” led the Spurs to five NBA Championships.  He is also a three-time NBA Coach of the Year and the was the Head Coach for the U.S. Team that won Gold at the 2020 Olympics.

Jim Valvano:  Valvano is a posthumous induction, who is best known for leading an underdog North Carolina State to a National Championship in 1983.  He would pass away from cancer, but not before he set up the V Foundation that donates funds toward cancer research.

Dwyane Wade:  Wade was the long-time Point Guard with the Miami Heat where he won three NBA Championships.  The first ballot nominee went to 13 All-Star Games, and was an eight-time All-NBA Selection (two First Team, three Second Team and three Third Team).  He is also a 75^th Anniversary Team.

We will be revising our Notinhalloffame.com Basketball list next month.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.