William “Brickyard” Kennedy played for Brooklyn in the first ten (1892-1901) of his 12 years in the Majors, where he won a lot of Games, though he would not dazzle with other statistics.

A four-time 20-Game winner, Kennedy had a very good record for Brooklyn of 177 and 148, but his ERA for the team was 3.98, including a 5.05 year where he still had a 19-12 record.  Still, Kennedy did enough to keep his team in games, and Brooklyn batters had enough confidence that he could keep them competitive.  He also helped his cause with his offense, batting .256 with 306 Hits in Brooklyn.

Kennedy’s overall numbers may not hold up, but his 177 Wins are still fifth all-time in franchise history, and that means something!

Bob Welch's best year was with his second team, Oakland, but his longest tenure was further south, in Los Angeles, where he served his first ten years of MLB service.

Welch went to his only All-Star Game as a Dodger in 1980 and was an excellent near-the-top-of-the-rotation player for Los Angeles for the rest of his Dodgers tenure.  A First Round Pick in 1977 (20^th Overall), Welch debuted for L.A. the following year, helping the Dodgers win the pennant.  They lost in the World Series, but he put himself on the map with a two-out ninth-inning K on Reggie Jackson.

Welch helped L.A. win the 1981 World Series and, over the next four years, was decent, winning at least 13 Games in each year, including an eighth-place Cy Young finish in 1983 (15-12 2.65 ERA).  After a poor 1986, Welch's 1987 was deceptively good, with a 15-9 year and league-leading 7.1 bWAR for Pitchers.  

There was still life in his arm, but the Dodgers traded him to Oakland, where he won a second World Series and a Cy Young Award, though, to be fair, Los Angeles won the 1988 World Series without him. 

With the Dodgers, Welch compiled a 115-86 Record with a 3.14 ERA and 1,292 Strikeouts.

Barriers exist between most countries; culture, language, politics, and other blockages create walls that are challenging to climb. But one universal element every nation has in common is sports – and sports break those barriers. Whether participating or watching, sport is a language in itself that appeals to the social, competitive side of humans – and it’s an excellent way to understand, get to know, and enjoy the company of anyone from any country around the world. 

Sports becomes an incredible experience when combined with a love of traveling; many people explore other lands and cultures through their passion for their game. With that in mind, these destinations with penchants for sports are perfect itinerary items for sporting fanatics. 

United Kingdom

England is famed worldwide for its soccer scene. Across the land, local, national, and even international matches take place like regular clockwork. Plus, the crowds are phenomenal; it’s not uncommon for stadiums to sell out, with fans showing up for games in numbers over 40,000. 

Furthermore, cricket is another contender that English folks across the pond go nuts for, as is tennis, especially in the season when London becomes the center of the world’s attention each June – when the iconic Wimbledon championship starts. Among other unmissable sporting events in the UK are Epsom Downs and Ascot horse races (along with the Grand National, too), which turn into highly sophisticated formalwear events and sporting shows. However, when it comes to getting rough and dirty, the rugby league is unmissable – especially when Wales is playing; the team’s camaraderie is second to none.

North America

North America is famed globally for many things – but a robust roster of sports is probably one of the biggest. Some destinations are renowned for one or two particular sports (like the UK and its buzzing soccer culture). All across the United States and Canada, though, all sports are rife – right from kids in elementary school taking part in extra-curricular clubs to college sports teams – and, of course, the major leagues at the professional level. 

People go wild in the US and Canada for football, basketball, ice hockey, baseball, and even crazier and more dangerous sports like NASCAR. In fact, many Americans and Canadians make their sport of choice their entire reason for a vacation. Take ice hockey, for example; fans often book tailored NHL travel packages designed to get them in on the hockey action, attend matches, and enjoy a trip away. Many travel operators also offer the same services for fans of other sports and leagues, from the NBA to the NFL.

Japan

Think “baseball”, and the USA immediately springs to mind. Granted, the game was birthed in New York – but the Japanese seem to be the biggest baseball fans in the world. In big cities like Tokyo, tourists can enjoy a unique blend of western and Japanese sporting culture, with sumo wrestling and martial arts representing one flavor and the country’s passion for baseball another.

Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil

Brazil is the ultimate place for soccer lovers who can’t get enough gorgeous beaches and sports culture simultaneously. Specifically, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are two top spots for soccer fans; the latter’s home team draws in crowds of over 70,000 at the Macaranã stadium – an atmosphere discerning soccer enthusiasts do not want to miss. 

If that’s a little too exciting, sampling the fun street soccer with the locals in Sao Paulo affords an authentic insight into Brazil’s soccer culture at the grassroots level.

The Hall of Fame season continues in full gear as the Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced their seven member Class of 2023.

Here are the inductees:

Glen Ballard:  Ballard is best known for his collaboration with Alanis Morissette, and he co-wrote all the hits from her monster 1994 album, “Jagged Little Pill”.  He also wrote Michael Jackson’s hit, “Man in the Mirror”, “The Space Between” (Dave Matthews) and “Hold On” (Wilson Phillips).

Gloria Estefan:  Estefan penned many of her hits, including “Don’t Wanna Lose You”, “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” and “Let’s Get Loud”.

Jeff Lynne:  Lynne was the mastermind behind E.L.O., the band that generated hit songs like 

Teddy Riley:  Riley wrote many New Jack Swing standards, such as “My Prerogative” (Bobby Brown) and “Make It Last Forever” (Keith Sweat),

Liz Rose:  Rose is best known for collaborating with Taylor Swift early in her career.

Sade:  Sade wrote her biggest hits, including “Smooth Operator”, “No Ordinary Love” and “The Sweetest Taboo”.

Snoop Dogg:  Snoop is one of the most successful and well-known hip-hop artists of all-time, with his hits, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, “Nuthin’ But A Thang”, “Gin & Juice” and “Next Episode”. 

Additional special awards honorees will be announced at a later date.

Those who were nominated but were not chosen were:

Bryan Adams

Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty

Blondie (Clem Burke, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein)

Dean Dillon

The Doobie Brothers (Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald & Patrick Simmons)

Vince Gill

Franne Golde

Bobby Hart/Tommy Boyce

Heart (Ann Wilson & Nancy Wilson)

Sandy Linzer/Denny Randell

Roger Nichols

Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham

Dean Pitchford

Patti Smith

Tom Snow

Steve Winwood

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