Committee Chairman

Andy Pettitte to 250 Wins

Jun 09, 2013

It was not that long ago that we here at Notinhalloffame.com looked at two pitchers (Roy Halladay and Tim Hudson) who reached the 200 Win milestone and openly discussed their overall Cooperstown credentials. We now have had a greater milestone achieved, that of 250 wins by Andy Pettitte, who secured that feat by defeating the Seattle Mariners today. Pettitte is currently the active pitcher with the most career wins, but unlike Roy Halladay, who has significantly less, we are not sure that Pettitte measures up.

First off, there is the PED question. The New York Yankee is an admitted PED user in the past, but he set the blueprint that virtually every other caught Baseball player should follow on what to do if becoming associated with Performance Enhancing Drugs. That part of Pettitte’s history is hardly brought up anymore, though we can imagine that once he becomes eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, it will be brought up again. However, if we take that out of the equation, do his 250 wins bring him a little bit closer? In our opinion, it very well might.

Andy Pettitte was a Cy Young Runner up in 1997, and three other times was a top five finisher. However, he was associated with very good seasons, and never won that was truly dominant. His All Star appearances only total three, and his top ten finishes in major categories are not at a mark that screams to us “Hall of Fame”.

He did have the most Wins in 1996 in the American League, and was a top ten finisher five other times, however he only was in the top ten in ERA three times, and never had a top ten finish in WHIP. With WAR for Pitchers, Pettitte also finished in top ten only three times.

Statistical accumulation might be his best route for potential induction. Since his return to the Major Leagues, he has added ten wins, moving from 240 to 250, and ten spots in the all-time rankings, where he is currently 47^th. He has added 2.6 in his career WAR for Pitchers, which moved him eight spots to the 62^nd all-time career rank.

At the age of 41, Pettitte can’t have much more left, and though he has been relatively productive this season, we think a lot more will have to be done before we could pencil him in for enshrinement. Now, we want to know what you think!

Ivan Rodriguez to the Rangers HOF

Jun 08, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

As you have seen, we here at Notinhalloffame.com have also chosen to honor those who have been selected to any of the “Big Four” sports franchises Hall of Fame. As such, we would like to take the time to recognize that the Texas Rangers have announced that Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez will be the latest member of their Hall of Fame.

For Rodriguez, this may be the only Hall of Fame he gets into, as he has been alleged to have been a PED user in his career, and we have all seen what the Baseball Hall of Fame has done with those associated with them. Statistically speaking, Ivan should have been a lock, as he is amongst the best all around Catchers in both offensive and defensive metrics, and he will be ranked very high on our list once eligible, though again, we won’t be expecting Rangers fans to do any pilgrimage to Cooperstown to check out his plaque.

Overall, the best seasons of Ivan Rodriguez’ career were in Arlington. In his twelve seasons with Texas, he won the MVP (in 1999), was both an All Star and Golden Glove winner ten times, and a Silver Slugger six times. He had 217 Home Runs, 1,747 Hits, a .304 Batting Average and a 49.4 WAR while playing there.

We congratulate Ivan Rodriguez on his latest accomplishment.

RIP: Deacon Jones

Jun 06, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Today is a sad day for Football fans as one of the greatest Defensive players of all-time has passed away. Legendary Defensive End, Deacon Jones passed away today at the age of 74 due to natural causes. Jones has been called by many fans and sports historians as the greatest Defensive End who ever lived, and by his list of accolades, it is easy to see why.

Jones was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 14^th Round in 1961, and three years after he made his first Pro Bowl. He would become part of the Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome”, which was the most talented group of defensive players in the NFL in the 1960’s. Of the foursome (which also included Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier & Lamar Lundy), Jones was the most “feared” and the man who gave the world of sports, the Sack.

That is a bit of an ironic statement, as the Quarterback Sack was not an official stat until 1982, however it is widely accepted that Deacon Jones was the master of pass rushing of the 1960’s. Unofficially, Jones has 194 ½ sacks, which would put him at third in the all-time list. Also unofficially, he recorded 26 sacks in 1967 which would have remained a single season record.

From 1965 to 1969, Jones was named as a First Team All Pro, and was also named to the NFL 75^th Anniversary team. He was also selected to three Second Team All Pro squads; the 1960’s All-Decade Team and was named to eight Pro Bowls. Deacon Jones was also the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1967 and 1968.

Despite having one of the most impressive resumes in the NFL, many remember Jones for his television appearances on The Brady Bunch, The Odd Couple and Bewitched. He also had a small role in the acclaimed football film, Heaven Can Wait.

We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Deacon Jones and are going to search out old film of his famed moments.

Jason Kidd Retires

Jun 04, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

This feels a bit like deja-vu. Only a few days ago, co-winner of the NBA Rookie of the 1995 Rookie of the Year, Grant Hill announced his retirement. His co-winner, Jason Kidd has just done the same.

Like Hill, we believe that a strong case can be made for the Point Guard to be an early entrant to the Basketball Hall of Fame. His on the court legacy can be summed up by turning around weak teams and making them better. Despite that reputation, he only had one NBA Championship, that being in Dallas two seasons ago, where he was still productive, though far from the player he was the decade before.

Kidd will probably be best known for his time with the New Jersey Nets, where he had his best seasons, and led that team to an NBA Finals. Kidd’s court vision and rapid play, made him difficult to defend; though attacking players struggled equally with Kidd, as he was also known for his defensive skills.

Overall, Jason Kidd was named to five First Team All NBA Teams and four First Team All Defensive squads. Those accolades are impossible to overlook, and we can’t imagine Jason Kidd not entering the Hall in his first year, and we expect that he and Hill will join together.