We have our first significant retirement in this NFL post-season as Indianapolis Colts’ Left Tackle, Anthony Castonzo, has announced his departure from pro football. A First Round Pick from Boston College, Castonzo began his rookie season as a starter, and he never appeared in an of his 144 Games with Indianapolis without beginning the game. Castonzo was never chosen for a Pro Bowl but he did have three years where he scored a double-digit in Approximate Value according to Pro Football Reference. Injuries began to compile, as he missed nine Games in the past three years.  Castonzo flirted with retirement before this season, but it is official now. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Anthony Castonzo, the best in his post-playing career.

The Boston Bruins announced today that they will be inducting the number 22 of Willie O’Ree, who made history over six decades ago as the first black player in the NHL.  O’Ree, 85, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder’s Category in 2018. The event will take place on February 18, during their home game against the New Jersey Devils. O’Ree made history when he was called up for two Games in 1958 for the Bruins, and he came back for 43 Games in the 1960-61 campaign.  He scored 15 Points over his NHL career, but played pro hockey for 21 years. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Willie O’Ree for earning this honor.  

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Cleveland Indians. The origin of the Cleveland Indians begins in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1894, where they played in the Western League.  The franchise relocated in 1900, becoming the Cleveland Lake Shores, and eventually were an inaugural team of the American League, going through multiple name changes (Bluebirds, Broncos, Naps) before becoming the Indians for over a decade. Cleveland would become a great sports town, but the baseball team has not given them very much to cheer for over the years.  The Indians have only won the World Series twice (1920 and 1948), with three other appearances.   The team has announced that they will soon drop the Indians nickname, though as of this writing, it is not sure what they will change it to and when precisely it will take place. Our Top 50 lists in baseball look at the following: 1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Bob Feller 2. Nap Lajoie 3. Tris Speaker 4. Lou Boudreau 5. Stan Coveleski We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always, we thank you for your support.

The College Football Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2021, which include 11 former players and two coaches. The Class of 2021 is: Harris Barton -- Offensive Tackle, North Carolina, 1983-86:  Barton was an immediate starter at UNC, playing mostly at Left Tackle.  The All-American was named the ACC Outstanding Offensive Lineman as a senior and he was also an academic All-American. Barton would later win three Super Bowl Rings with the San Francisco 49ers. David Fulcher – Defensive Back, Arizona State, 1983-85:  Fulcher was a two-time All-American who recorded 12 Interceptions.  He earned the nickname of “Fo-Rock” for his punishing hits, as he hit like a rock, and the “Fo” was in reference to the start of his last name. Rudy Hubbard – Head Coach, Florida A&M, 1974-85:  A former Running Back at Ohio State (1865-67), Hubbard was an Assistant Coach for the Buckeyes before taking over the reins of the Rattlers in 1974.  Hubbard had a career record of 83-48-3 and won two Black College National Championships and a Division I-AA Title. Dan Morgan – Linebacker, Miami (FL), 1997-2000:  Originally a Fullback, Morgan became one of the best Linebackers in the country.  In 2000, Morgan made college football history becoming the first player to win the Butkus Award, Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award.  Morgan also won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.  At the time of his graduation, Morgan was the all-time school leader in Tackles (532).  He would later play seven years with the Carolina Panthers. Carson Palmer – Quarterback, USC, 1998-2002:  One of the best Quarterbacks in Trojans history, Palmer won the Heisman Trophy in 2002, and also was the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.  Statistically, Palmer threw for 11,818 Yards and 72 Touchdowns.  Palmer would play in the NFL for 15 years after being taken number one by the Cincinnati Bengals, and he went to three Pro Bowls. Tony Romo – Quarterback, Eastern Illinois, 2000-02:  Romo took Eastern Illinois to two OVC Championships and was a three-time OVC Player of the Year.  Winning the Walter Payton Award as the top player in the Division I Subdivision, Romo threw for 7,816 Yards and 82 Touchdowns in college.  He moved on to the pros, playing for the Dallas Cowboys for 14 years and earning four Pro Bowls. Kenneth Sims – Defensive Tackle, Texas, 1978-81:  Sims became a starter as a Junior and in his senior year, he became the first Longhorn to win the Lombardi Trophy.  Also named the UPI Lineman…

We didn’t see this one coming. Corey Crawford announced that he is retiring from the NHL days before he was set to begin play with his new team, the New Jersey Devils.  He asked for a leave of absence on Friday, and will evidently not be returning. Crawford played all of his NHL Games with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he had a career record of 260-162-53. Backstopping Chicago to Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014, Crawford also won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2013 and 2015.  He also finished in the top-ten in Vezina voting three times.  Crawford also participated in two All-Star Games. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Corey Crawford the best in his post-playing career. 

A year removed from his last game, former Indianapolis Colt Safety, Antoine Bethea announced his retirement from professional football. A Sixth Round Pick from Howard in 2006, Bethea helped Indianapolis win the Super Bowl as a rookie as a starter. Staying with the Colts for eight seasons, Bethea went to two Pro Bowls in Indianapolis (2007 & 2009) and had five seasons where he cracked at least 100 Combined Tackles. Bethea went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons, going to his third Pro Bowl in 2014. He would complete his career with two seasons in Arizona and a final one as a member of the New York Jets. Bethea accumulated 25 Interceptions, 9.5 Sacks and 1,333 Combined Tackles.  He will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, and we will shortly upload his profile for consideration on our futures list. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Antoine Bethea the best in his post-playing career. 

2021 remains a lot like 2020. Hall of Fame Manager, Tommy Lasorda passed away today at 93 after suffering a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest last night.   A Pitcher who made it to the Majors for 26 Games playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Kansas City Athletics, Lasorda became a scout for the Dodgers after his playing career ended. He went on to manage in the minors before becoming L.A.’s Third Base Coach in 1973 under Walter Alston, and it was clear he was being groomed to replace Alston when he was ready to step down. Lasorda took over in 1976, and would manage Los Angeles for 21 seasons, accumulating a record of 1,599-1,439 and took L.A. to World Series Titles in 1981 and 1988.  He also won the Manager of the Year in both 1983 and 1988. He retired as a Manager in 1996, but he remained with the Dodgers in an advisory capacity. Lasorda was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, and three years later, he came out of retirement to manage the United States in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.  The Americans won, and Lasorda became the first Manager to lead a team to a win in the World Series and Olympics. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Tommy Lasorda

Oh, what a day! The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 Finalists for the Class of 2021.  This group was pared down from 25 Semi-Finalists, who were chosen from 133 Preliminary Candidates.   Let’s get right to who they chose for the final stage. Jared Allen: Defensive End:  2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-13 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears & 2016 Carolina Panthers.  This is Allen’s first year of eligibility, and anyone who makes it as a Finalist in his first year of eligibility will make it to Canton eventually.  Allen led the NFL in Sacks twice (2007 & 2011) and had 136.0 in total.  He was also a five-time First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #19 on Notinhalloffame.com. Ronde Barber:  Cornerback/Safety:  1997-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Barber is a former Super Bowl Champion and was the 2001 leader in Interceptions.  He has over 1,000 Solo Tackles with 47 career Interceptions.  After four years as a Semi-Finalist, Barber makes it through to the Finals.  Ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com. Tony Boselli:  Tackle: 1995-01 Jacksonville Jaguars & 2002 Houston Texans.  The career of Boselli was short, but he is believed to be the greatest Jaguar of all-time. The Lineman has now been a Finalist for the five years in a row.  Ranked #45 on Notinhalloffame.com LeRoy Butler: Safety: 1990-01 Green Bay Packers.  Butler had 38 career Interceptions, won a Super Bowl and went to four Pro Bowls over his career.  He is on a four-year streak of Semi-Finalist nods, and he was also a Finalist last year.  In terms of gaining momentum over the past three years, Butler is in the upper-tier of the list.  Ranked #73 on Notinhalloffame.com. Alan Faneca:  Guard: 1998-07 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets & 2010 Arizona Cardinals.  A Super Bowl Champion with the Steelers, Faneca went to nine Pro Bowls and was a six-time First Team All-Pro.  Faneca has been a Semi-Finalist and Finalist in his first five years of eligibility, and this makes year six. He has been arguably been “leapfrogged” by Steve Hutchinson and Kevin Mawae.  Could this be his year?  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com. Torry Holt:  Wide Receiver:  1998-08 St. Louis Rams & 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars.  Holt won a Super Bowl with the Rams, and he went to seven Pro Bowls with 12,832 career Receiving Yards.  Holt is now a two-time Finalist, but the Wide Receiver position is loaded with worthy candidates.  Ranked #9 on Notinhalloffame.com. Calvin Johnson: Wide Receiver:  2007-15 Detroit Lions.  Johnson went to six Pro Bowls, three First Team All-Pros and was considered the most exciting Wide Receiver of his day.  This is his first year on the ballot, and while other Wide Receivers exceed his overall stats,…

January 2, 2021 feels a lot like 2020. Moments after learning that Hall of Fame Running Back, Floyd Little died, news broke out at that Basketball Hall of Famer, Paul Westphal passed away at age 70 after a battle with brain cancer. Earning two First Team Pac-8 honors at USC, Westphal was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the tenth pick in the 1972 Draft.  Westphal helped Boston win the 1974 NBA Championship, but his greatest individual success happened later with the Phoenix Suns, where he was a four-time All-Star and three-time First Team All-NBA Selection.  Westphal added a fifth All-Star with Seattle (1981), and he finished his career with New York and a final run with the Suns. Westphal was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.  His number 44 was retired by the Phoenix Suns and number 25 by USC. After his playing career ended, Westphal became a coach, and at one time was at the helm of the Suns (1992-95), Seattle (1998-2000) and Sacramento (2009-12).  His last coaching role in the NBA was as an Assistant for Brooklyn, which ended in 2016. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend condolences to the friends, fans and family of Paul Westphal.

Pro Football has lost another great as it was announced today as Hall of Fame Running Back, Floyd Little, passed away at age 78 after a battle with cancer. A three-time All-American at Syracuse, Little was taken by the Broncos in 1967 with the sixth overall pick. Playing for Denver for the entirety of his nine-year career, Little went to five Pro Bowls and was a First Team All-Pro in 1969.  He would lead the NFL in Rushing Yards (1,133) in 1971 and Rushing Touchdowns (12) in 1973. At the time of his retirement his 6,323 Rushing Yards were seventh all-time.   Little was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. His number 44 has been retired by both the Broncos and Orange.   We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend condolences to the friends, fans and family of Floyd Little.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  There are many that feel that the Pittsburgh Steelers really did not begin until the 1970s, but of course, that isn't true. The origin of the Steelers dates all the way back in 1933, and they are the seventh oldest NFL franchise in existence.  They made the playoffs in 1947, but that was the only time they made it to a post-season from 1933 to 1971.  The Steelers would then become the power of the AFC, winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s, primarily on the strength of their potent "Steel Curtain" defense. Their 70s success made them one of the most popular teams in the game, a status that they maintain today.  Pittsburgh never had another dynasty, but they did have success winning two more Super Bowls this millennium, giving them six, which is tied with the New England Patriots for the most. 1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Joe Greene 2. Jack Lambert 3. Mike Webster 4. Franco Harris 5. Jack Ham We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always, we thank you for your support.

One of our pet projects, the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the Class of 2020, which will be the 6thfull class.   The Finalists were decided by all of you, after being pared down from other 500 Preliminary Nominees, to a group of Semi-Finalists, and then sixteen Finalusts. Whoever gets inducted this year, will join these previous inductees: Spinal Tap, The Monkees, The Blues Brothers, Gorillaz, Tenacious D, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Wyld Stallyns, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Wonders, Bleeding Gums Murphy, Otis Day and the Nights and Stillwater. The Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020: Josie and the Pussycats (Josie and the Pussycats):  From Riverdale, they went to outer space and back again and were a three-time Finalist before getting in.  This entrant is for the cartoon and not the film.   We are pleased to induct Josie and the Pussycats to the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Marvin Berry and the Starlighters (Back to the Future):  This was the band that played at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance in 1955.  Marty McFly played with them for one song.  Had it not been for McFly and Marvin, Chuck Berry never would have found that sound he was looking for. We are pleased to induct Marvin Berry and the Starlighters to the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rutles (All You Need is Cash):  Finalists on two other occasions, The Rutles remind of us another group called the Beatles.  In the fictional musical universe, there are few that have been as successful. We are pleased to induct The Rutles to the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The other Finalists were Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension), Don Music (Sesame Street), Figrin D’An and the Modal Nodes (Star Wars), Leather Tuscadero (Happy Days), Nick Rivers (Top Secret!), Phoebe Buffay (Friends), Rowlf the Dog (The Muppets), Sex Bob-Omb (Scott Pilgrim VS The World), The Archies (The Archies), The Banana Splits (The Banana Splits), The Be Sharps (The Simpsons), The Max Rebo Band (Return of the Jedi), The School of Rock (The School of Rock) and The Soggy Bottom Boys (O Brother, Where Art Thou?). When one class is announced, it means it is time to induct another.  The Preliminary Nominees for the Fictitious Rock Hall is now up. You can vote for…

We might be ending 2020, but for the purposes of Notinhalloffame.com,  we are right in the middle of “Hall of Fame Season”. Yesterday, The Poker Hall of Fame announced their newest entrant into the hall, Huck Seed, the winner of the 1996 WSOP.  Seed becomes the 59thmember of the Poker Hall. The process of the Poker Hall nomination is open, with all 31 living Hall of Fame members who have ten votes to distribute.  There was one absentee, so there was a total of 300 votes issued.   The votes were: Huck Seed: 76 Votes Matt Savage: 51 Votes Isai Scheinberg: 45 Votes Eli Elezra: 30 Votes Antonio Esfandiari: 23 Votes Lon McEachern and Norman Chad: 20 Votes Ted Forest: 20 Votes Mike Matusow: 17 Votes Patrik Antonius: 15 Votes Chris Ferguson: 3 Votes We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like congratulate Huck Seed for entering the Poker Hall of Fame.

We are thrilled here at Notinhalloffame.com to announce that our own hall, The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame presents the six new members of the seventh full class, the Class of 2020.   This was all decided by you, after being pared down first from over 500 Preliminary Nominees to 50 Semi-Finalists, to 15 Finalists and now to the Class of 2020. There are three wings in the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame: The Fictitious Athlete wing, whose members are: Rocky Balboa (The Rocky series), Roy Hobbs (The Natural), Crash Avis (Bull Durham), Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Major League), Happy Gilmore (Happy Gilmore), Reggie Dunlop (Slap Shot), The Hanson Brothers (Slap Shot), Charlie Conway (The Mighty Ducks) Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez (The Sandlot), Apollo Creed (Rocky), Willie “Mays” Hayes (Major League), Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump), Bobby Boucher (The Waterboy), Paul “Wrecking” Crewe (The Longest Yard), Dottie Hinson (A League of Their Own), Daniel LaRusso (The Karate Kid), Clubber Lang (Rocky), Ivan Drago (Rocky) and “Fast” Eddie Felson (The Hustler & The Color of Money. The Fictitious Contributor wing, whose members are: Harry Doyle (Major League), Carl Spackler (Caddyshack), Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid), Chubbs Peterson (Happy Gilmore), Gordon Bombay (The Mighty Ducks), Mickey Goldmill (Rocky), Morris Buttermaker (The Bad News Bears), Coach Ernie Pantusso (Cheers) and Adrian Balboa (Rocky) The Fictitious Veteran wing, whose members are: Andy “Champ” Purcell (The Champ), Dennis Ryan (Take Me Out to the Ball Game), Guffy McGovern (Angels in the Outfield), Huxley College (Horse Feathers) and Sport Goofy. The members of the 2020 Fictitious Hall of Fame Class are:   Athletes: Al Bundy (Married With Children).  Bundy has been a Finalist every single year of the Hall’s existence with the Polk High football star finishing fourth on two occasions.  He is most famous for scoring four touchdowns in a game, and he also led the Newmarket Mallers to a league championship in baseball.  Bundy was also an excellent bowler. We are pleased to induct Al Bundy into the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame. Homer Simpson (The Simpsons).  The multi-time Semi Finalist has excelled in multiple sports including Softball, Boxing and Mixed Curling.  He has played alongside Daryll Strawberry, fought a heavyweight champion (Drederick Tatum) and was in the Olympics with his wife.  Homer has been a Finalist before, and he has all the skills you expect from a fictional athlete. We are pleased to induct Homer Simpson into the Fictitious Athlete Hall…

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Cincinnati Bengals.  If you want you to name a team that exemplifies hard luck in the National Football League, it would have to be the Cincinnati Bengals.  Formed in 1968 as the last member of the American Football League, the Bengals joined the NFL with the official merger two years later.  Cincinnati always seems to be a team that struggles, but they have appeared in two Super Bowls, losing both to the San Francisco 49ers.  While they have never been a champion, two Super Bowl appearances are the envy of a few teams in the NFL.   As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Antony Munoz 2. Ken Anderson 3. Geno Atkins 4. Boomer Esiason 5. Ken Riley We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! Up next, will be the top 50 Cincinnati Bengals. As always we thank you for your support.

Two months ago, we put together our first ever Notinhalloffame.com mock committee which sought to mimic the process of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and select 25 Semi-Finalists.   It was one of the best ideas that we ever had, conversing on a topic we are passionate about, and we knew that we wanted to do it again, with the second meeting discussing who we would put through the Finalists.   We went with two groups of Semi-Finalists; the one that we came up with two months ago and the other that is official from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Through Twitter, this is the group that was assembled: @notinhalloffame(Official Twitter site of Notinhalloffame.com and run by Kirk Buchner) @2ndHandBurrito(Evan Nolan, co-host of the Hall of Fame Show) @konadreamssssss(Glen Pawlowski, triathlete from Buffalo) @readjack(Jack M. Silverstein, Sports Historian and writer from Chicago) @lhd_on_sports(David Whitlock is a blogger and commentator on lhd-on-sports.com. @tedcrockettlll(Ted Crockett is a veteran and follows all sports halls. @ThomasHallNFL(Thomas Hall follows the Denver Broncos and is the host of Convincing Numbers, a show on Football Analytics.  He also contributes to @milehighhuddle. @Profhofcantonf(As his Twitter handle will tell you, Paul Lawrence has been studying the process of the Pro Football Hal of Fame for years. @VinLospinuso91(Vinny Lospinuso studies journalism at Hofstra, and is a regular guest on our shows.   @TheFakeSith(Alec Tessitore is a baseball hall enthusiast and avid Jacksonville Jaguars and Clemson fan. This was a group that comes from varying fan bases and differing perspectives.  As we progress, we hope to expand it, adding more people from different parts of the United States, and beyond.   Please note that in our Zoom discussion, Paul were unable to attend, but his initial votes were counted.   We hope to have him on for future roundtables.  This is also Alec’s first appearance, as he was not part of our initial group.  Echoing what was said in our first write-up this is still a work in progress and will be constantly tweaking to make things better. Each person was asked to submit their 15 selections from ours and the official list.  First off, the lists, with the number of votes given (out of nine): Please note that we decided unilaterally NOT to just accept the top 15 vote-getters and call it a day. The best part of this endeavor is exchanging our opinions as to why a player should, or should not be where they are.  Notinhalloffame.com 25 Semi-Finalists…

2020 can just go away. It was announced this morning that Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher, Phil Niekro, passed away last night at the age of 81.  This makes him the seventh Hall of Fame inductee to pass away this year following the deaths of Lou Brock, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan and Tom Seaver. The master of the knuckleball debuted in 1964 as a member of the Milwaukee Braves.  Three years later, he was a permanent fixture of the Braves rotation, winning the ERA Title in 1967 (1.87) and going to his first All-Star Game in 1969.  Niekro was second in Cy Young voting that year, and would be third in 1973. Niekro’s knuckleball allowed him to stay a productive player well into the 70s and early 80s.  Playing with Atlanta until 1983, he had three more top-ten Cy Young finishes, and appeared in three more All-Star Games. Niekro was also a five-time Gold Glove winner with the Braves. Released by Atlanta, Niekro signed with the New York Yankees, and defied age where at 45 years old, he went to his fifth All-Star Game.  Niekro played until 1987, finishing with Cleveland, Toronto and one final game in Atlanta.  He left the Majors with an overall record of 318-274 with 3,342 Strikeouts. The Baseball Hall of Fame would induct Niekro in 1997, his fifth year on the ballot. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Phil Niekro.

The world of amateur and professional wrestling lost one of great ones as Danny Hodge passed away at the age of 88. Hodge is one of the best amateur wrestlers in American history, having never been taken off of his feet in a 46-0 career at the University of Oklahoma.  He would win the NCAA Title for the Sooners three years in a row (1955-57), and in 1956, he won the Silver Medal for the United States Melbourne Olympics. After his amateur career, Hodge became a professional wrestler, competing mostly in the Mid-West usually for promotor, Leroy McGuirk.  Hodge won the NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion eight times.  He is a member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame. He is currently ranked #45 on our current list of those to consider for the WWE Hall of Fame.  We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Danny Hodge.

2020 has taken another one legend from us and on Christmas Day no less. K.C. Jones passed away at 88 today, taking from us a man who wherever he went winning was always present. Jones, who played with Bill Russell at the University of San Francisco won two NCAA Titles (1955 & 1956) and was a key member of the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team that won the gold.  Jones was taken in the Second Round in 1956 by the Boston Celtics, a team he would play nine years for.  Playing at Point Guard, Jones was known for his defensive prowess, and he won eight titles in the nine NBA Championships he played. After his playing career ended, Jones was a Coach, winning four NBA Titles, one as an Assistant (1981) and two as a Head Coach for Boston (1984 & 1986).  The fourth title was as an Assistant in 1972 for the Los Angeles Lakers. Jones was chosen for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. This is the second legendary Celtic to pass away this year.  Tom Heinsohn, a long-time teammate of Jones, died on November 8 this year. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of K.C. Jones.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Los Angeles Chargers.  The Los Angeles Chargers came into existence in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The stay in Los Angeles was brief, as they moved south to San Diego the season after, but this was one of the most successful teams in the AFL.  They would make the playoff five times in the upstart league, winning the AFL Title in 1963.   The Chargers would be part of the AFL-NFL merger, and while they have had their share of excellent players, they have only made the Super Bowl once, a losing effort in 1994.  In 2016, the Chargers moved back to Los Angeles. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Junior Seau 2. LaDainian Tomlinson 3. Lance Alworth 4. Dan Fouts 5. Philip Rivers We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! Up next, will be the top 50 Cincinnati Bengals. As always we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the New York Giants.  In 1925, the New York Giants were one of five teams that joined the National Football League, and of those five, they are the only ones that are still in existence. The Giants have been in existence for nearly a century and have won eight Championships. The first four as NFL Champions (1927, 1934, 1938 & 1956) and they were a perpetual contender in the early 1960s. In the Super Bowl Era, they won in 1986 (XXI), 1990 (XXV), 2007 (XLII), and 2011 (XLVI). Eight Championships is impressive regardless of the league and the sport! As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here,but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Lawrence Taylor 2. Emlen Tunnell 3. Rosey Brown 4. Mel Hein 5. Michael Strahan We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! Up next, will be the top 50 Los Angeles Chargers. As always we thank you for your support.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has announced their Nominees for the Class of 2021. As usual, it is a gigantic list, so we will not be doing brief resumes of each candidate, and will do so when they become a Finalist. Finalists from the North American and Women’s Committee will be announced All-Star Weekend, with the full Class of 2021 announced during the Final Four.  At present, the 2021 Enshrinement Ceremony will take place in September. The 2020 Ceremony, which was postponed due to COVID-19 is scheduled for May 13-15. The Nominees are: (*indicates a First-Time Nominee) North American Committee Nominees: Rick Adelman (Coach) Ken Anderson (Coach)* Fletcher Aritt (Player) Johnny Bach (Coach) Gene Bess (Coach) Chauncey Billups (Player) Chris Bosh (Player) Rick Byrd (Coach) Muggsy Bogues (Player) Irv Brown (Referee) Jim Burch (Referee) Marcus Camby (Player) Michael Cooper (Player)* Jack Curran (Coach) Mark Eaton (Player) Cliff Ellis (Coach) Dale Ellis (Player) Hugh Evans (Referee) Michael Finley (Player) Steve Fisher (Coach)Cotton Fitzsimmons (Coach) Leonard Hamilton (Coach)* Tim Hardaway (Player) Lou Henson (Coach)* Ed Hightower (Referee) Bob Huggins (Coach) Mark Jackson (Player) Herman Johnson (Player) George Karl (Coach) Gene Keady (Coach) Ken Kern (Coach) Shawn Marion (Player) Rollie Massimino (Coach) Bob McKillop (Coach) Danny Miles (Coach) Steve Moore (Coach) Speedy Morris (Coach) Dick Motta (Coach) Jake O’Donnell (Referee) Jim Phelan (Coach) Digger Phelps (Coach)Paul Pierce (Player)* Jere Quinn (Coach) Lamont Robinson (Player) Bo Ryan (Coach) Bob Saulsbury (Coach) Norm Sloan (Coach) Ben Wallace (Player) Chris Webber (Player) Willie West (Coach) Buck Williams (Player) Jay Wright (Coach) Paul Westhead (Coach)* Women’s Committee Nominations: Leta Andrews (Coach) Jennifer Azzi (Player) Swin Cash (Player) Yolanda Griffith (Player)* Becky Hammon (Player) Lauren Jackson (Player)* Suzie McConnell (Player) Debbie Miller-Palmore (Player) Kim Mulkey (Player) Marianne Stanley (Coach) Valerie Still (Player)Marian Washington (Coach) Contributor Committee Nominations (Direct-Elect Category): Val Ackerman* Marv Albert Dick Baumgartner Bill Bertka Henry Bibby Marty Blake Vic Bubas Doug Collins* Wayne Duke Lou Dunbar Bill Foster Howard Garfinkel* Harry Glickman Marty Glickman Simon Gourdine Curt Gowdy Tim Grgurich Del Harris Greg Heineman Robert Indiana Johnny “Red” Kerr Bill King John Kline Red Klotz Tom Konchalski* Bobby Lewis Herbert Livsey Jack McCloskey Jerry McHale Johnny Most Dennis Murphy Joe O’Toole Billy Packer Jack Powers Dee Rowe Sam Schulman* Zelda Spoelstra Jim Valvano Donnie Walsh Jerome Williams Early African-American Pioneers Committee Nominations (Direct-Elect Category): Clarence “Puggy” Bell Sonny Boswell Bill Garrett Inman Jackson Clarence “Fats”…

2020 has been a brutal year for us all, and it isn’t over yet. It was announced today that Hall of Fame Linebacker, Kevin Greene, passed away today at the age of 58.  It was not announced at this time how he died. Playing his college ball at Auburn, Greene was taken in the Fifth Round in 1985 by the Los Angeles Rams.  After three years coming off the bench in a pass-rush role, Greene became a starter in 1988, and posted 16.5 Sacks, a number he matched in 1989, while also going to his first Pro Bowl.   The Linebacker joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993, where he not only joined a competitive team but was gaining national attention.  A Steeler from 1993 to 1995, Greene helped the Steelers reach Super Bowl XXX, and in 1994, he led the NFL in Sacks with 14.0, while also earning First Team All-Pro honors.   Greene moved to Carolina for 1996, where his 14.5 Sacks led the NFL, and he was a First Team All-Pro for the second time.  He was in the NFL for three more years, one with San Francisco and two more with Carolina.   He would accumulate 160.0 Sacks and was a five-time Pro Bowl Selection. Greene was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Kevin Greene.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential. Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least number of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact. Last time, we looked at the now defunct Rolaids Reliever of the Year, an award that was mathematically calculated to honor the best closer. This time, we have another award from the past, in the Delivery Man of the Year. Existing from 2005 to 2013, the Delivery Man of the Year was not awarded in each league, but the rather to best Relief Pitcher in Baseball. Its time overlapped the Rolaids Reliever of the Year (which ended in 2012) and ended when the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year and Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year came into fruition in 2014. So how many Delivery Man of the Year winners have made the Baseball Hall of Fame? Let’s find out! The following are the past players who have won the Delivery Man of the Year Award who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have been enshrined. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: 7-4, 43 Saves, 1.38 ERA, 80 SO, 2005    Who else should win this first?  Rivera, who was also the Rolaids Reliever of the Year also led the American League in Games Finished (67), and this was the first year he had an ERA under 1.50.  He finished second in Cy Young voting and ninth in MVP voting. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: 5-5, 34 Saves, 1.80 ERA, 55 SO, 2006 (2)    An All-Star for the eighth time, Rivera again kept his ERA under two (1.80) and WHIP under one (0.960), a sick statistic considering he did that seven times!  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: 3-3, 44 Saves, 1.76 ERA, 72 SO, 2009 (3)  This was Rivera’s third and final Delivery Man of the Year win and it also coincided with his fifth (and final) Rolaids Reliever of the Year Award. Rivera would later take the Yankees to another World Series win,…

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Anaheim Ducks.  Named after the Mighty Ducks, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim first took flight in 1993 as an Expansion Team in the same year as the Florida Panthers. The Ducks landed their first major star in Paul Kariya in 1996, and they would trade for another in Teemu Selanne.  In 2003, they would surprisingly win the Western Conference, but they lost to the New Jersey Devils.  The team was sold by their original company, Disney, and in 2006 they were renamed the Anaheim Ducks.  The newly named team went on to win their first Stanley Cup by defeating the Ottawa Senators in 2007.  They have yet to reach the Finals since. As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NHL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019-20 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Teemu Selanne 2. Ryan Getzlaf 3. Paul Kariya 4. Corey Perry 5. Jean-Sebastian Giguere We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! Up next, will be the top 50 New York Giants. As always we thank you for your support.

The Poker Hall of Fame has announced 10 Finalists for their institution, one of which will be announced on December 30, coinciding with the final day of the World Series of Poker.   The Finalists are: Patrik Antonius:  From Finland, Antonius has made three Final Tables at the WSOP and won one European Poker Tour Title. Eli Elezra:  Elezra was a four-time WSOP Bracelet winner and the Israeli has also won a title on the World Poker Tour. Antonio Esfandiari:  Esfandiari has won three WSOP Bracelets and two World Poker Tour Titles. Chris Ferguson:  Ferguson won the WSOP six times and finished in the money 97 times. Ted Forrest:  Like Ferguson, Forrest is a six-time WSOP Bracelet winner, but he is also a one-time World Poker Tour winner. Mike Matusow:  Matusow is a four-time WSOP Bracelet winner, and has made the Final Table 13 Times. Matt Savage:  Savage is a longtime tournament director. Lon McEachern and Norman Chad:  McEachern and Chad have covered the WSOP for years on ESPN. Huckleberry Seed:  Seed is a four-time WSOP Bracelet winner and is a 1996 WSOP Main Event Champion.

As the plans for the 2020-21 NHL season are still being hammered out, we know now that Alex Steen, Center for the St. Louis Blues, will not be part of it.  He announced his retirement from hockey today, citing back injuries. From Sweden, Steen began his NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he played for three-and-a-half years before he was traded St. Louis early in the 2008-09 campaign. Steen had five 50-Point years for the Blues, and in seven seasons, he received at least one vote for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.  Late in his career, Steen was a veteran cog on the Blues’ first Stanley Cup win in 2019. Internationally, he won a Silver Medal with Sweden at the 2014 Olympics. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Alex Steen the best in his post-playing career.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the New England Patriots. An inaugural franchise of the American Football League, the New England Patriots debuted as the Boston Patriots, but they were unable to win the AFL Title.  They did appear in the 1963 AFL Championship Game, but that was their only playoff appearance of the 1960s. The Patriots took on New England as their designation when they moved to Foxborough in 1971, shortly after the NFL-AFL merger.  The Patriots only made it to the playoff twice in the 70s, but in the 80s, they went to their first Super Bowl but were thumped by the Chicago Bears in 1986.  A decade later, they were back again but lost to the Green Bay Packers. The 2000s were completely different, and with Quarterback om Brady and Head Coach, Bill Belichick, the Pats won six Super Bowls, which is tied for the most with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Tom Brady 2. John Hannah 3. Rob Gronkowski 4. Logan Mankins 5. Andre Tippett We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

It is really hard to come up with a more loaded Hall of Fame Class regardless of the sport than this. The International Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2021 consists of 13 people, comprising of former boxers, non-participants and observers. Laila Ali (Women’s Modern Category):  The daughter of former multi-time Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali follows her father, who was inducted as part of the first class in 1990.  Ali had a perfect 24-0 record with 21 KOs, winning the WIBA Super Middleweight, WBC Middleweight, IWBF Light Heavyweight and IBA Super Middleweight Title.  Her 2011 win over Jacqui Frazier-Lyde was the first women’s match to headline a Pay Per View.  Freddie Brown (Non-Participant Category):  Brown was a legendary trainer and cutman.   Dr. Margaret Goodman (Non-Participant Category):  Goodman is a pioneer as a ringside physician.  She is a noted neurologist. George Kimball (Observer Category):  Kimball wrote for the Boston Herald, and is the author of the book; “Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing”. Wladimir Klitschko (Men’s Modern Category):  From Ukraine, Klitschko won the Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympics and was a two-time Heavyweight Champion who dominated the division for years.  Klitschko defeated a record 23 opponents in Heavyweight Championship Matches, and he was a champion for a record 4,382 Days, which is a record for that division.  He retired with a 64-5 record with 53 KOs.    Jay Larkin (Observer Category):  Larkin was a television boxing and entertainment executive who produced Showtime Championship Boxing and ShoBox. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Men’s Modern Category):  Mayweather Jr. left the sport with a perfect 50-0 record (27 KOs) and World Titles in five different weight categories (Super Featherweight, Lightweight, Light Welterweight, Welterweight and Light Middleweight).  He holds wins over Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosely, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Arturo Gatti and Conor McGregor. Jackie McCoy (Non-Participant Category):  McCoy was a longtime trainer and manager who was in the corner for five former World Champions. Davey Moore (Old Timer Category):  Moore was a former World Featherweight Champion who had a 59-7-1 record.  He died days after he was defeated by Sugar Ramos for the title in 1963. Jackie Tonawanda (Women’s Trailblazer Category):  Tonawanda was a true pioneer in that she was boxing as far back as the 70s and fought for the right to compete and raise the sports profile among women.  She was also an early combatant in what would become Mixed Martial Arts. Maria Trimiar (Women’s Trailblazer Category):  Trimiar had…

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the San Francisco 49ers.  The San Francisco 49ers history goes all the way back to 1946, where they were a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and were the first professional team in the Bay Area.  They joined the NFL when the two leagues merged, but it was not until the 1980s where they had any significant success. Legends like Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice arrived, and they won three Super Bowls in the 80s (XVI, XIX & XXIII) and two in the 90s (XXIV & XXIX).  With an overall Super Bowl record of 5-2, the 49ers are one of the most successful teams in league history and one of the most popular. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Jerry Rice 2. Joe Montana 3. Steve Young 4. Ronnie Lott 5. Leo Nomellini We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

We have lost another musical legend today. Charley Pride, who last month was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Country Music Association died at 86, due to complications from COVID-19. Pride was a trailblazer in that he was the first black superstar of country music.  He amassed 21 number one hits on the country charts, with his first coming in 1966, and the last in 1984.  Pride’s earnest and humble music resonated with the traditionally white and southern country audience.  He would become the first black performer at the fames Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Charley Pride.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Chicago Bulls.  The Chicago Bulls were founded in 1966, bringing Basketball to the Windy City far later than it should have. For most fans, the Bulls history really did not begin until they drafted Michael Jordan.  The drafting of M.J. changed everything, and he would take them to a pair of "three-peats," which will be forever celebrated, as it should be. Chicago has not made the Finals since Jordan’s departure. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NBA. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019-20 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Michael Jordan 2. Scottie Pippen 3. Artis Gilmore 4. Chet Walker 5. Horace Grant We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced today that Al Michaels, will be the 2021 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. The Award is given annually and decided on by a panel of 12 living Ford Frick winners and three broadcast historians.  Michaels becomes the 45thperson to earn this honor. Michaels began covering the Majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 1971, and would later work with the San Francisco Giants (1974-76).  Nationally, he did the play-by-play for NBC (1972) and ABC (1976-89).  Michaels has called seven World Series, including the 1989 Oakland/San Francisco series that was stopped due to an earthquake. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Al Michaels for earning this prestigious accolade.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the New Orleans Saints.  The New Orleans Saints first came to fruition in 1967, bringing the city their first major professional sports team.  The Saints were awful for their first 20 years of existence, only having two .500 years in that timeframe, and it took until 2000 for the team to record their first playoff win. Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints to play their entire 2005 season on the road, and for a time it looked like they might relocate.  It didn’t happen, and with Quarterback, Drew Brees, they went to their first Super Bowl and won it (Super Bowl XLIV).   The Saints have fielded many competitive teams since, but have yet to return to the Super Bowl. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Drew Brees 2. Rickey Jackson 3. Jahri Evans 4. Willie Roaf 5. Pat Swilling We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

In terms of Hall of Fame tragedy, this might be the worst that we can think of, especially with 2020.  It was announced today that Dick Allen, passed away today at age 78. Dick Allen was an offensive star in Baseball’s deadball era, winning the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year with Philadelphia in 1964.  The power hitter would become a seven-time All-Star and as a member of the Chicago White Sox, he was named the American League MVP in 1972.  With the ChiSox, he was a two-time Home Run leader. Allen had his issues with the baseball media, but following his career, he was on the Hall of Fame ballot for the full fifteen years, but failed to gain induction. On August 13 of this year, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that they would be retiring his number.  We here at Notinhalloffame.com speculated that it was to assist Allen in getting into the Baseball Hall, as he would be eligible for this year’s Veteran’s Committee. There was a lot of hope that this could be his year. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Dick Allen at this time.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our first revision of our top 50 Atlanta Braves of all-time. As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.  3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. This one went a complete overhaul, which was reflected in our top five as seen below. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Hank Aaron                                              2. Warren Spahn 3. Kid Nichols 4. Greg Maddux 5. Eddie Mathews Our top five remains the same, and for that matter, there is only one significant change to the Top 50.  Pitcher, Craig Kimbrel debuts at #49. We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our first revision of our top 50 Philadelphia Phillies of all-time. As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League.  3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. This one went a complete overhaul, which was reflected in our top five as seen below. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Mike Schmidt                  2. Robin Roberts 3. Steve Carlton 4. Pete Alexander 5. Ed Delahanty Our top five remains the same, and for that matter, there is only one significant change to the Top 50.  Pitcher, Aaron Nola debuts at #45. We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

It is a dark day in the WWE as Pat Patterson, longtime employee and former wrestler passed away today at the age of 78. From Quebec, Patterson first wrestled in 1958, and rose up the ranks, moving from promotion to promotion, winning many regional titles.  Hid best early work was considered to be his tag team with Ray Stevens as the Blonde Bombers.  Based out of San Francisco, many modern tag team wrestlers cite the Bombers as one of the most influential tag teams of the 1970s. Patterson joined the then named WWWF in 1978, and would become the first ever Intercontinental Championship in a fictional tournament.  Patterson would have the WWF feud of the year after turning babyface against Sgt. Slaughter.  His in-career would wind down, and he would later serve WWE Owner, Vince McMahon’s right hand, where he was praised for his ability to lay out matches and come up with finishes.  It was Patterson who came up with the concept of the Royal Rumble, which is one of the biggest and most important matches of the year. In the late 90s, Patterson was known on TV alongside Gerry Brisco as one of the “Stooges”, which often provided comedic aspects and occasional in-ring returns.   Patterson is believed to be one of first openly gay wrestlers. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Pat Patterson.

As the National Basketball Association is prepping for their upcoming season we know for sure that they (and the Australian League for that matter) will go on without Andrew Bogut, who officially announced his retirement yesterday.

The College Basketball Hall of Fame has announced the Class of 2021, which will comprise of six former players and two coaches. The new inductees are: Len Bias, Maryland 1982-86:  One of the best athletes in Terrapin history, Bias was a two-time ACC Player of the Year, and was a Consensus First Team All-American in 1986.  Bias tragically died two days after he was taken second overall by the Boston Celtics from a cocaine overdose. Rick Byrd, Coach, Lincoln Memorial 1983-86 & Belmont 1986-2019:  Byrd retired last year with a record of 805-402 and was named the NAIA Coach of the Year in 1995.   David Greenwood, UCLA 1975-79:  Greenwood was twice a Consensus First Team All-American and was a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year.  He would later win an NBA Championship in 1990 with the Detroit Pistons. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1984-88:  In his senior year, Hawkins led the NCAA in scoring, and was named the AP Player of the Year, the UPI Player of the Year, and also won the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Adolph Rupp Trophy.  Hawkins was also a former Consensus First Team All-American and was a two-time MVC Player of the Year.  He would later be named an All-Star as a pro in 1991 when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers. Jim Jackson, Ohio State 1989-92:  With the Buckeyes, Jackson was a two-time Consensus All-American, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, and he was named the UPI College Player of the Year in 1992. Jackson went on to have a 15-year NBA career spent over 12 NBA teams. Antawn Jamison, North Carolina 1995-98:  Jamison was the ACC Player of the Year in 1998 and was also a Consensus First Team All-American and Consensus National Player of the Year.  As a pro, he would be a two-time All-Star and a Sixth Man of the Year. Tom Penders, Coach, Tufts 1971-74, Columbia 1974-78, Fordham 1978-86, Rhode Island 1986-88, Texas 1988-98, George Washington 1998-01 & Houston 2004-10:  Penders would have an overall record of 649-437 and was the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 1987. Paul Pierce, Kansas 1995-98:  Pierce was a Consensus First Team All-American in 1998, and he would later go to ten All-Star Games in the NBA, as well as winning an NBA Championship with Boston in 2008. The 2021 ceremony is tentatively scheduled for next November. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Washington Football Team.  The Miami Dolphins entered the world of Pro Football in 1966 when they joined the AFL.  Once the leagues merged, the Dolphins emerged as one of the first elite powers of the conference in the early 70s, something that seemed incomprehensible based on their early struggles. The Dolphins went to Super Bowl VI, losing to Dallas, but they would then put forth an undefeated season in 1972 and would win Super Bowl VII, which to date is the only time a team has gone an entire year without a loss. The Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl Champions the following year. That was the last Super Bowl win for the Dolphins, but they did appear in the big game twice in the 1980s. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Dan Marino 2. Jason Taylor  3. Zach Thomas 4. Bob Griese 5. Jim Langer We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has announced which day that the Class of 2000 will be officially inducted. A three-day induction event scheduled for May 13-15 will happen in Springfield, Massachusetts, which houses the Hall of Fame. The 2020 Class consists of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Rudy Tomjanovich, Eddie Sutton, Kim Mulkey and Barbara Stevens. The induction of Bryant, will be posthumous, as he died tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26 of this year.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Washington Football Team.  The Washington Football Team can be traced back to 1932 where they originally the Boston Braves, a nickname that existed one year, before they became the Boston Redskins.  They relocated to Washington, keeping the Redskins name in 1937, and they won the NFL Championship in both 1937 and 1942 on the strength of Sammy Baugh. They struggled throughout the 1950s and 1960s, slowly reascending in the 1970s, and winning two Super Bowls in the 1980s (XVII & XXII) and a third in the early 90s (XXVI) on back of the Redskins Offensive Line, the famed “Hogs”.   Prior to the 2020 season, societal pressure caused them to dismiss the Redskins nickname. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019-20 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Sammy Baugh 2. Darrell Green 3. Chris Hanburger 4. Charley Taylor 5. Art Monk We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our first revision of our top 50 Winnipeg Jets of all-time. As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.  3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. This one went a complete overhaul, which was reflected in our top five as seen below. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Ilya Kovalchuk                  2. Blake Wheeler 3. Dustin Byfuglien 4. Mark Sheifele 5. Connor Hellbuyck In the top five alone, Kovalchuk remains at the top, but Wheeler moves up from #6 to 2.  Mark Sheifele came from #19 to #4.  The biggest change in this group is Hellbuyck, who was not on the previous list, and is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner.  The Goalie looks to have the number one spot in sight. Many more significant changes are present on our new top fifty, with eight new additions. Finnish Right Wing and one-time All-Star, Patrik Laine, debuts at #11.   Jacob Trouba, who was traded to the New York Rangers last year, moved up ten spots to #13.   Danish Wing, Nikolaj Ehlers makes his first appearance at #14. Current Vancouver Defenseman,Tyler Myers shot up from Mathieu Perreault also breaches the top twenty, moving from #38 to #20. The other new entries are Ben Chiarot (#38), Andrew Copp (#39), Adam Lowry (#41) and Dmitry Kulikov (#50). We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

A huge day is afoot for us as the Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced their 25 Semi-Finalists for the Class of 2021. The 25 were pared down from 130 Preliminary nominees, which includes four first year eligible players: They are: Eric Allen:  Cornerback: 1998-94 Philadelphia, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints & 1998-01 Oakland Raiders.  Eligible since 2007, Allen cracked his way to Semi-Finals for the first time.  He has 54 career Interceptions and is a six-time Pro Bowl Selection.  Ranked #42 on Notinhalloffame.com.   Jared Allen: Defensive End:  2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-13 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears & 2016 Carolina Panthers.  This is Allen’s first year of eligibility, and he was expected by many to make it to this round.  Allen led the NHL in Sacks twice (2007 & 2011) and had 136.0 in total.  He was also a five-time First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #19 on Notinhalloffame.com. Willie Anderson: Tackle: 1996-07 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens.  Anderson has been Hall of Fame eligible since 2014, but this is his first time making it as a Semi-Finalist.  Ranked #283 on Notinhalloffame.com. Ronde Barber:  Cornerback/Safety:  1997-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Barber is a former Super Bowl Champion and was the 2001 leader in Interceptions.  He has over 1,000 Solo Tackles with 47 career Interceptions.  Barber is a Semi-Finalist for the fourth consecutive year, all beginning with his first year of eligibility.  This has not yet translated into a Finalists appearance.  Ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com. Cornelius Bennett:  Linebacker: 1987-95 Buffalo Bills, 1996-98 Atlanta Falcons & 1999-00 Indianapolis Colts.  Bennett has been eligible since 2006 but this is the first time, he has made it to the Semi-Finals.  Over his career, Bennett helped take Buffalo to four Super Bowls, had 71.5 Sacks and was a five-time Pro Bowler. Ranked #124 on Notinhalloffame.com. Tony Boselli:  Tackle: 1995-01 Jacksonville Jaguars & 2002 Houston Texans.  The career of Boselli was short, but he is believed to be the greatest Jaguar of all-time. The Lineman has been a Finalist for the last four years.  Ranked #45 on Notinhalloffame.com LeRoy Butler: Safety: 1990-01 Green Bay Packers.  Butler had 38 career Interceptions, won a Super Bowl and went to four Pro Bowls over his career.  He is on a four-year streak of Semi-Finalist nods, and he was a Finalist last year.  Ranked #73 on Notinhalloffame.com. Alan Faneca:  Guard: 1998-07 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets & 2010 Arizona Cardinals.  A Super Bowl Champion with the Steelers, Faneca went to nine Pro Bowls and was a six-time First Team All-Pro.  Faneca has been a Semi-Finalist and Finalist in his first five years of eligibility, and this is year six.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com. Rodney Harrison:  Safety: 1994-02 San Diego Chargers & 2003-08 New…

According to John Franco, he should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In an interview this past weekend with WFAN in New York City, Franco was asked about his Cooperstown omission and had quite a bit to say on the topic: “I’m still trying to figure it out myself, too.  It is what it is. Writers at the time … guess they felt the save statistic wasn’t that important. The game has changed from early 90s to present where relief pitchers more important and part of that strategy of the game.  It is what it is. My numbers are just as good as anybody in the Hall of Fame. Mariano’s off the chart, obviously, and Trevor Hoffman, but [my numbers] are comparable to everyone else in there. The Hall of Fame is supposed to be about numbers…relief pitchers in there have 400-600 saves. The other ones who have been in there a while have 300 saves, obviously that’s a different era. I have 424. In my mind, I think I deserve to be in there, but it’s up to the voters.  Longevity, number of games I pitched in, games I finished – I think it was over 1,100 games I played in – my ERA has been really good…these are things that they consider and we’ll just have to see who is on that committee.  The thing I like about that is that there are players voting on that, too. That’s probably how the Hall of Fame should be…we’ll have to wait and see what happens but I’m hoping vote goes my way next time.” Franco was on the ballot in 2011 and received 4.6% of the vote, thus failing to meet the 5% to remain on the ballot.  The first thing to look at is the year he was on the ballot, 2011.  It was a loaded year, and he finished 19thon the ballot, with 11 of them currently inducted.  Look at what he was up against: Roberto Alomar, 2nd Year, 90.0%Bert Blyleven, 14th Year, 79.7%Barry Larkin, 2nd Year, 62.1%Jack Morris, 12th Year, 53.5%Lee Smith, 9th Year, 45.3%Jeff Bagwell, 1st Year, 41.7%Tim Raines, 4th Year, 37.5%Edgar Martinez, 2nd Year, 32.9%Alan Trammell, 10th Year, 24.3%Larry Walker, 1st Year, 20.3%Mark McGwire, 5th Year, 19.8%Fred McGriff, 2nd Year, 17.9%Dave Parker, 15th Year, 15.3%Don Mattingly, 11th Year, 13.6%Dale Murphy, 13th Year, 12.6%Rafael Palmeiro, 1st Year, 11.0%Juan Gonzalez, 1st Year, 5.2%Harold Baines, 5th Year, 4.8% The first reaction is that it is possible that some Hall of Fame voters left Franco off of their ballot, as he…

During last night’s UFC 255 Broadcast, Marc Ratner was announced as the latest member for the UFC Hall of Fame.  He will be inducted in the Contributor Wing. He will join Georges St-Pierre (Modern Era Wing), Kevin Randelman Pioneer Wing) and Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson (Fight Wing).  Due to COVID-19, the Class of 2020 will be inducted in 2021, which is tentatively scheduled for next July during Fight Week.   Ratner joined the Nevada Athletic Commission in 1985, and rose to the Executive Director in 1992.  In 2006, he joined the UFC where he helped to make Mixed Martial Arts legal in all of the 50 states, and later in other countries.   We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Marc Ratner for earning this prestigious honor.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the New Jersey Devils.  An expansion team in 1974, the Devils were originally the Kansas City Scouts, but they only stayed there for two years before relocating to Denver and becoming the Colorado Rockies.  That only lasted six years before they relocated to New Jersey to become the Devils. After a few more years of mediocrity, they adopted a defensive strategy and won three Stanley Cups, 1995, 2000 & 2003. As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NHL. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories. This list is updated up until the end of the 2019-20 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Martin Brodeur 2. Scott Stevens 3. Scott Niedermayer 4. Patrik Elias 5. Ken Daneyko We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.   Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the second revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills of all-time. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.  3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. This one went a complete overhaul, which was reflected in our top five as seen below. The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Bruce Smith 2. Thurman Thomas 3. O.J. Simpson 4. Bart Starr 5. Andre Reed O.J. Simpson moved up from #5, which moved Jim Kelly and Andre Reed down one spot. We had a colossal error in that former Fullback, Cookie Gilchrist was omitted from our first list.  He appears at #16.   Former Running Back, Joe Cribbs also should have been on our initial top 50.  He enters at #34.  Another Running Back, LeSean McCoy debuts at #39.  The other additions are Defensive End, Mario Williams (#44), Linebacker, Bryce Paup (#45), Linebacker, John Tracey (#46) and Defensive Tackle, Marcell Dareus (#48). We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the second revision of our top 50 Green Bay Packers of all-time. As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:  1.  Advanced Statistics. 2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.  3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. This is the second revision of the Packers, and our first since last year. The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Brett Favre 2. Don Hutson 3. Forrest Gregg 4. Bart Starr 5. Ray Nitschke The top five remains unaltered from our last rank and there are no new entries, however, there were two significant changes overall. Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers inched up from #7 to #6.  Offensive Lineman, David Bahktiari, debuts at #37.  It was an oversight on our part not to have had Bahktiari enter the list in our last revision. We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.