California Football lost a great one today, as former San Diego Charger and San Francisco 49er, Fred Dean, passed away due to complications from COVID-19.  He was 68 years old. A standout at Louisiana Tech, Dean was a Second Round pick by the Chargers in 1975.  Dean, who played Linebacker at college, was moved to Defensive End by San Diego, where he was an immediate starter.  He went to his first Pro Bowl in 1979, the year after he had 15.5 “unofficial” Sacks.  An elite pass-rusher, Dean was a Pro Bowler again in 1980, this time earning a First Team All-Pro Selection. In 1981, Dean was openly frustrated with his contact and he was traded early in the season to San Francisco.  It proved to be the final piece in the 49ers puzzle, as he helped take San Francisco to their first Super Bowl win.  He was again a Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro that year. Dean had an “official” 17.5 Sack season in 1983, a year that took him to another Pro Bowl.  He played two more years, retiring in 1985 after winning another Super Bowl. Dean is a member of the College Football, Louisiana Tech Athletic San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, family and fans of Fred Dean.

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 Dallas Cowboys.  Known to many as America’s Team, the Cowboys are one of the most recognized professional sports programs on the globe.  Formed in 1960, the Cowboys have won five Super Bowls (VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII & XXX), and when they play, regardless of their record, NFL fans pay attention. 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. Emmitt Smith 2. Bob Lilly 3. Roger Staubach 4. Randy White 5. Mel Renfro We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  Up next, will be the Seattle Seahawks. Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

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 Hart Trophy, awarded annually to the top MVP of the year in the NHL.  The Hart is not the only award considered the MVP, as in the 1971-72 Season, the Lester B. Pearson Award was created, which is where the players vote on who they feel is the league MVP.  In 2010, it was renamed the Ted Lindsay Award, in honor of the Hall of Famer who spearheaded the creation of the NHLPA. So how many Ted Lindsay Award winners have made the Pro Hockey Hall of Fame? Let’s find out! The following are the past players who have won the Ted Lindsay Award who are eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame and have been enshrined. Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins, Center: 76 G, 76 A, 152 P, 18.5 PS  1971       A year after he led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup, Phil Esposito won the first ever Lester B. Pearson Award on the strength of hockey’s first ever 76 Goal Season, a number he matched in Assists.  His 152 Points landed him another Art Ross Trophy, and he was a First Team All-Star for the third straight season.  Esposito was not the Hart Trophy winner, as despite his incredible accomplishments, the honor went to Bobby Orr, who had 139 Points and 22.8 Point Shares. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984. Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers, Center: 46 G, 63 A, 109 P, 13.6 PS  1972  Jean Ratelle had his best season in hockey where he had career-highs in the big three offensive stats (46 Goals, 63 Assists and 109 Points).  Ratelle was the league-leader in Even Strength Goals (40) and Shot Percentage (25.1%) and with only four Penalty Minutes, he was an easy choice for the Lady Byng. Ratelle was only fourth for the Hart this year (Bobby Orr won it), and he was a Second Team All-Star at Center behind Phil Esposito.  Ratelle scored 1,267 Points over his…

Our baseball hearts are being broken again today. The Field of Dreams on the Kinsella Farm in Iowa added its third Hall of Famer in roughly two weeks as Joe Morgan passed away.  He was 77 Years Old. Considered to be one of the greatest Second Baseman in the game’s history, Morgan first appeared in the Majors for the Houston Colt .45s in 1963, and in 1965 he was Houston’s starting Second Baseman, finishing second for the Rookie of the Year, and leading the National League in Walks.  Morgan played with Houston until 1971, where he was a two-time All-Star. The Astros dealt him to the Cincinnati Reds after the 1971 Season, and it was at Riverfront where he truly became Cooperstown worthy. Morgan was the engine that drove the “Big Red Machine” leading them to the 1975 and 1976 World Series Championship.  He won the MVP in both of those years, earned five Gold Gloves, four OBP Titles, one Slugging Title and was named an All-Star every year as a Red (1972-79).   He played another year in Houston (1980), two in San Francisco (1981-82), and in 1983, he reunited with Pete Rose in Philadelphia, and the two elder statesmen helped the Phillies win the Pennant.  Morgan played one final season in Oakland before retiring in 1984. Morgan’s career stats included 2,517 Hits, 268 Home Runs, 1,133 RBIs and 689 Stolen Bases.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, family and fans of Joe Morgan.

Roughly a week after the death of Hall of Fame Pitcher, Bob Gibson, another legendary Cooperstown hurler passed away. Whitey Ford died last night at his home at the age of 91.  No specific cause of death was given. Ford broke into the Majors in 1950 with the New York Yankees, which would be the only team he ever played for on the Major League level.  After finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting, Ford missed the next two years due to military service, but he returned to become the ace of the Yankees staff for years.   Over the course of his career, Ford helped lead New York to 11 American League Pennants where they won six World Series Titles.  The southpaw was an eight-time All-Star, won the 1961 Cy Young, was a two-time leader in ERA, and an all-time record of 236-106 with 1,956 Strikeouts. Ford was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, family and fans of Whitey Ford.

This is a punch to the gut. Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso who was considered one of the greatest players of all-time died after a long battle with cancer.  He was 65. Born in the Netherlands and raided in California, Van Halen formed a band with his brother Alex (drums), Michael Anthony (bass) and David Lee Roth (lead vocals) that bore his last name.  The band caught attention from their gigs in the Los Angeles scene, and they were signed by Warner Brothers. In 1978, they put out their first album, eponymously named, “Van Halen” that opened with “Eruption”, a solo by Eddie that was not just the intro of what the band was but who was now the top axe man on the planet.  The Van Halen/Roth pairing was rock and roll poetry.  While Roth might have been the front man, it was Eddie who was the band’s leader and the one responsible for the bands’ direction.  Hit album after hit album came out, each with signature Eddie licks that every kid with long hair tried to mimic.   Van Halen was not just the envy of every aspiring guitar player but of just young men in general when he married actress, Valerie Bertenelli. They would have a child, Wolfgang, who later replaced Anthony in the group, but before that, it was Roth, who left first, as he and Van Halen constantly clashed. What should have been a decimation of the group, led to their longest run of commercial success. Sammy Hagar took over the front man gig, and under Van Halen’s direction, they had four number one albums.  Hagar too what be let go, as would Anthony, and despite a new lead singer (Gary Cherone), the band was done as a relevant act.  That being said, Van Halen’s 20 year run as a top and influential group has few equals, and there is no musician in the world who did not respect the skills of Eddie Van Halen. We don’t know about you, but we are about to blast some Eddie solos right now.  I expect many of you will do the same.

A significant retirement has just taken place as Philadelphia Flyers Defenseman, Matt Niskanen, is calling it a career at age 33. From the hockey-rich state of Minnesota, Niskanen was taken 28thOverall in the 2005 Draft by the Dallas Stars.  Niskanen played in Dallas for three and a half seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he had his best individual season, 2013-14.  That year, he had a career-best 46 Points and was the NHL leader in Defensive Point Shares.   Niskanen joined the Washington Capitals as a Free Agent, where he remained a solid two-way player, scoring at least 25 Points in all five seasons he played there.  He helped the Capitals win their first Stanley Cup in 2018, which was the only one of his career.  Niskanen wrapped up his career last year as a Flyer with a 33-Point year.   We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Matt Niskanen the best in his post-playing career.

In our eyes, one of the greatest Pitchers in Major League Baseball has just passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.  He was 84 years old. Debuting with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959, Gibson played his entire MLB career with the team, retiring after the 1975 season.  Gibson was an eight-time All-Star won the 1968 National League Cy Young and MVP, and two years later he was again a Cy Young winner.   Gibson hurled the Redbirds to two World Series Wins (1964 & 1967) and he was the MVP of both Fall Classics.  Over his career, Gibson had a record of 251-174, a 2.91 ERA and 3,117 Strikeouts. Gibson entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, which was his first year of eligibility.  We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolence to the friends, fans and family of Bob Gibson.  

Following the announcement of Alex Gordon’s impending retirement only a few days ago, we have another career-ending statement from another significant retirement. Hunter Pence announced on Twitter that he will be retiring after a 14-year career, last playing for the San Francisco Giants where he was designated for assignment early in August. Pence made his Major League debut in 2007 with the Houston Astros as their starting Centerfielder, and he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.  Moving to Rightfield the year after, Pence was named to the All-Star Game in 2009, and would be again in 2011, though he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies during the season.  Pence’s stay in Eastern Pennsylvania would be short-lived as he was dealt to the Giants during the 2012 season, and he went on to help them win the World Series that year. He would go to a third All-Star Game in 2014, and win a second World Series that year with the Giants, and with the exception of the 2019 season as a Texas Rangers, he completed his career with San Francisco. Pence retired with 1,791 career Hits, 244 Home Runs and a lifetime Batting Average of .279. Pence will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026, and while he is unlikely to make Cooperstown, he should be on the ballot.  

We have a significant retirement that will take place within a week as Kansas City Royals Outfielder, Alex Gordon, has announced that he will be retiring at the season’s end. Gordon was drafted second overall in 2005, and the Golden Spikes Award winner made his debut for the Royals in 2007.  Gordon would become one of the best defensive players in franchise history, winning eight Gold Gloves while becoming a three-time All-Star.  He led the American League in Doubles in 2012, and he had a pair of 20 Home Run campaigns.  Gordon helped Kansas City win the 2015 World Series, and he blasted a Home Run in Game 1 that forced extra innings and led to a Kansas City victory. At present, Gordon has 190 career Home Runs with 1,641 Hits. Gordon will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026, and while he is unlikely to make Cooperstown, he will be on the ballot.  

The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced the nominees for the Class of 2021, and it consists of five former players, and two contributors. The five player nominees are: Jonas Bjorkman:  Bjorkman won six singles titles, but his real strength was on the doubles circuit where he won 54 championships including three Australian Opens (1998, 1999 & 2001), two French Opens (2005 & 2006), three Wimbledons (2002, 2003 & 2004) and one U.S. Open (2003).  Internationally, Bjorkman helped lead Sweden to three Davis Cup wins Sergei Bruguera:  Bruguera won the French Open in 1993 and 1934 and he won the 1996 Silver Medal representing Spain in 1996.  Bruguera won 14 singles titles. Juan Carlos Ferraro:  From Spain, Ferraro won the French Open in 2003 and was in the Finals in the U.S. Open the same year.  Ferraro won 16 Singles Titles and led Spain to three Davis Cups (2000, 2004 & 2009). Lleyton Hewitt:  After winning the 2001 U.S. Open, 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt made history as the youngest tennis player to be ranked #1.  He would later win the 2002 Wimbledon, and he captured 30 ATP Championships.  The Australian would also lead his country to two Davis Cup Championships (1999 & 2002). Lisa Raymond:  Raymond was a doubles specialist who won the Australian Open (2000), French Open (2006), Wimbledon (2001) and U.S. Open (2001, 2005 & 2011).  She also won in Mixed Doubles at the French Open (2003), Wimbledon (1999 & 2012) and U.S. Open (1996 & 2002).  Representing the United States, Raymond was a Bronze Medalist at the 2012 London Games. The Contributor Nominees are: The Original 9 – Peaches Bartkowicz, Rosie Casais, Judy Tegart Dalton, Julie Heldman, Billie Jean King, Kristy Pigeon, Kerry Melville Reid, Nancy Richey & Valerie Ziegenfuss:  50 years ago, they created their own non-sanctioned event, which was a costly risk considering they would be no longer eligible for rankings, Grand Slams or playing on their national team.  It led to the Virginia Slims Tournament and pay equity in the sport. Dennis Van der Meer: Van der Meer was a junior player who became a very successful coach.  He would standardize teaching methods and create his own Tennis University. To be elected into the Hall, a candidate must receive an affirmative vote of 75%.  The Class of 2021 will be announced in early 2021, with the Induction Ceremony scheduled for July 17. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the Nominees for making it to this stage.  

It is a sad day in the world of pro wrestling as it was announced this morning that Joe Laurinaitis, who performed as Road Warrior Animal passed away at the age of 60.  It was not revealed at this time how he died. From Minnesota, Laurinaitis was trained to wrestle by Eddie Sharkey, who also mentored Rick Rude, Barry Darsow and Mike Hegstrand, who would later become Laurinaitis’ tag team partner.  Laurinaitis originally competed as the “Road Warrior” but he would paired with Hegstrand, where they would compete forever more as Animal and Hawk. With their jacked-up bodies, studded leather outfits, and face paint, no other tandem looked like them.   In 2011, along with the Hawk (posthumously) and Paul Ellering, Animal was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  They cut their teeth in Georgia as the Road Warriors, destroying every team in sight.  They won the NWA National Tag Team Titles, and would later win the NWA World and AWA World Tag Team Titles in the 1980s.  As phenomenal as they were, they often were not in tag title pictures, as they were a draw without the belts.  They main evented everywhere in the United States, and also in Japan, where they were just as popular. The Road Warriors finally entered the WWF in 1990, and would win the Tag Team Titles, but they were no longer presented as the dominant team of old.  The 90s were turbulent for the team, as Hawk left Animal in 1992, and he sat out for a few years recovering his back.  The team reunited in WCW in 1996, but went back to the WWF, winning the belts again in 1997.  Hawk suffered from drug addiction (which was used in a tasteless angle) and the team only made sporadic appearances after.   Hawk died in 2003, and Animal would return to the WWE as part of a new Legion of Doom with Heidenreich. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Joe Laurinaitis.

2020 continues to take our heroes away. This morning, Hall of Fame Running Back, Gale Sayers passed away at the age of 77. A two-time All-American at Kansas, the Chicago Bears chose him with the 4thOverall Pick in 1965.  Sayers wasted no time proving that he belonged at football’s elite level.  He won the Rookie of the Year and was a First Team All-Pro who had a career-high 20 Touchdowns.  Sayers won the Rushing Title the following season (1,231 Yards) and also was first in Yards From Scrimmage (1,678).  As expected, he was again a First Team All-Pro. Sayers was a First Team All-Pro again in 1967, but in 1968, he injured his right knee in Chicago’s ninth game of the season. He was still awarded a First Team All-Pro, but this was a harbinger of things to come. Sayers rebounded in 1969, and he was the only 1,000 Yard Rusher for the season.  He won his second Rushing Title and his fifth straight First Team All-Pro.  Sayers was named the Comeback Player of the Year.  That would be the last great year of Sayers’ career. His left knee was injured in training camp, and he was only able to play two Games in 1970, as was the case in 1971. After a poor training camp in 1972, he retired. While Sayers retired with only 6,263 Yards From Scrimmage, he was without question the best Running Back in the last half of the 1960s, and any player who is considered that is a legend in the game of football.  Many fans who saw him play maintain that he was the fastest player they ever saw. Sayers was inducted the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he was chosen for the 50th, 75thand 100thNFL Anniversary Team.  When Sayers was inducted into Canton in 1977, he did so as the youngest man (34) ever to receive that honor. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Gale Sayers.

Tommy DeVito, former member of the legendary singing group, the Four Seasons, passes away today at the age of 92.  He had been hospitalized recently after contracting COVID-19. DeVito began singing with Frankie Valli in 1954 and along with Bob Gaudio and Nick Messi, the Four Seasons were officially formed in 1960.  They were signed to a major label and they would become one of the most successful American groups in the 1960s.  The lead guitarist and backup singer was part of #1 Hits like “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and Walk Like a Man”.  He left the group in 1970. As a member of the Four Seasons, DeVito was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Hall of Fame in 1999. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Tommy DeVito.

During last night’s halftime of the Thursday Night Cincinnati VS Cleveland game, Pro Football Hall of Fame President, David Baker was in a pre-recorded segment announcing that Joe Buck, who was broadcasting that game with Troy Aikman won the Pete Rozelle Award.  The annual winner receives automatic entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Pete Rozelle Award was first given in 1989, with one of the past inductees being Jack Buck, the father of Joe.  Buck is a previous Emmy winner, and he has called six Super Bowls. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Joe Buck for earning this honor. 

For us at Notinhalloffame.com, this is our march toward our Christmas.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced the Modern-Era Preliminary Nominees for the Class of 2021, a total of 122 former players.   To qualify, a player must have retired less than 25 years ago and at least 5 years ago: The nominees are: Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe: 1993-2006, NE, BUF, DAL. Bledsoe was a four-time Pro Bowler and he twice led the NFL in Completions.  He threw for 44,611 Yards and 251 Touchdowns.  Ranked #99 on Notinhalloffame.com. Randall Cunningham: 1985-2001, PHI, MIN, DAL, BAL. Cunningham is a three-time Bert Bell Award winner a four-time Pro Bowl Selection.  Ranked #31 on Notinhalloffame.com. Jake Delhomme: 1999-11, NOR, CAR, HOU. Delhomme went to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and he would throw for over 20,000 Yards. Jeff Garcia:  1999-09, SFO, CLE, DET, PHI, TAM.  Garcia was a four-time Pro Bowler and would throw for over 25,000 Passing Yards. Dave Krieg:  1980-98, SEA, KAN, DET, ARI, CHI, TEN.  Krieg went to three Pro Bowls with the Seahawks and threw for 38,147 Yards and 261 Touchdowns over a 19-year career.  Ranked #120 on Notinhalloffame.com. Peyton Manning:  1998-2015, IND, DEN.  Manning was a five-time MVP, two-time Offensive Player of the Year, three-time Bert Bell Award winner and two-time Super Bowl Champion.  The 14-time Pro Bowl Selection threw for 71,940 Yards and 539 Touchdowns and is a first ballot nominee.  Ranked #1 on Notinhalloffame.com. Donovan McNabb:  1999-01, PHI, WAS, MIN.  McNabb took the Eagles to the Super Bowl and was a six-time Pro Bowler.  He threw for 37,276 Yards with 234 Touchdowns and ran for another 3,459 Yards and 29 TDs.  Ranked #70 on Notinhalloffame.com. Steve McNair:  1995-2007, HOU, TEN, BAL.  McNair was a three-time Pro Bowl and former MVP.  He threw for 31,204 Yards and 174 Touchdowns.  Ranked #108 on Notinhalloffame.com. Running Backs: Shaun Alexander:  2000-08, SEA, PHI.  Alexander went to three straight Pro Bowls and in the last one he won the Rushing Title and was named the AP MVP.  Alexander retired with 10,973 Yards From Scrimmage and 112 Touchdowns.  Ranked #90 on Notinhalloffame.com.  Mike Alstott:  1996-06, TAM.  Alstott won a Super Bowl with the Bucs and was a six-time Pro Bowl and three-time First Team All-Pro.  He would total 7,373 Yards From Scrimmage with 71 Touchdowns.  Ranked #184 on Notinhalloffame.com. Tiki Barber:  1997-06, NYG.  Barber rushed for over 10,000 Yards and was a three-time Pro Bowler.  He also caught another 5,000 Yards and was a two-time leader in Yards From Scrimmage.  Ranked #139 on Notinhalloffame.com. Earnest Byner:  1984-97, CLE, WAS, BAL.  Byner won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins…

One of the most important musicians passed away today, and we wish it was getting more publicity.  Toots Hibbert, the lead singer of the ground-breaking reggae group, Toots and the Maytals died at the age of 77.  The cause of death was not officially released, but he was diagnosed with COVID-19 two weeks ago. From Jamaica, Hibbert formed his first group in 1961, and he was part of the first wave of Ska music that would eventually become popular internationally.  The Maytals were credited with coining the word “reggae” in their 1968 song, “Do the Reggay”, and along with the Wailers, Jimmy CliffPeter Tosh and others, the Jamaican sound took off. While the Maytals did not achieve the same success as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Toots was a unique star is own right.  With a soulful voice derived from gospel and traditional Jamaican roots, Hibbert carved out of the best discographies of any artist regardless of the genre. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Toots Hibbert.

A day before the 2020 NFL Season is set to start, we have a significant retirement on our hands.  Free Agent Cornerback, Aqib Talib announced his retirement on Twitter.  Talib was the 20thOverall Pick in 2008, but the former Kansas Jayhawk struggled early to live up to expectations. Winning the starting job at Left Cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his sophomore year, Talib did well, but it was not until 2012 when he was traded to the New England Patriots where his star began to rise. Talib was a Second Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl Selection in 2013, his lone full season in New England, but he did not stay there as he signed with the Denver Broncos as a Free Agent in 2014.  His success continued, as he was a Pro Bowler in all four of his years at Mile High, earning a First Team All-Pro in 2016 and helping the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. The Cornerback would finish his career with the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins and retires with 35 career Interceptions. In our updated 2020 pre-season Hall of Fame Monitor of active players, Talib was ranked at #75 and #6 amongst Cornerbacks. He is now eligible for Hall of Fame consideration in 2025. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Talib for the on-field memories and we wish him the best in his post-playing career.

We always find this a fun topic. The National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum has announced their 12 Finalists for the Class of 2020. They are: Baby Nancy Bingo Breyer Horses Jenga Lite-Brite Masters of the Universe My Little Pony Risk Sidewalk Chalk Sorry! Tamagotchi Yahtzee Which ones should get in?  

The National Soccer Hall of Fame announced that there will be one lone member of their Class of 2020, that of former National Team Captain, Carlos Bocanegra. The Defenseman represented the United States in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup and represented the U.S. in 110 Games, serving as the Captain in 64 of them. Bocanegra played 15 years professionally, where he was the 2000 MLS Rookie of the Year as a member of the Chicago Fire.  A two-time MLS Defender of the Year, Bocanegra later played for Fulham (England), Rennes (France), Saint-Etienne (France) and Rangers (Scotland) before returning to MLS for Chivas USA. There will be no ceremony this year due to COVID-19. The Class of 2020 will be inducted alongside next year’s class.  Bocanegra is the 305thmember of the Class. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Carlos Bocanegra for earning this honor.

Just days after the passing of Hall of Fame Pitcher, Tom Seaver, another Cooperstown legend has passed away. Former St. Louis Cardinals Outfielder, Lou Brock passed away at the age of 81.  There was no specific cause of death, but it was reported that he was fighting numerous ailments. Brock broke in with the Chicago Cubs in 1961 but was traded to the Cardinals during the 1964 season in a transaction that the Cubs would instantly regret. The Outfielder went on fire for the rest of the season, and he would be the spark plug of the St. Louis machine that won the 1964 World Series.  Winning another World Series in 1967, Brock led the National League in Runs Scored twice, and Stolen Bases on eight occasions.  The speedster went to six All-Star Games, and was the runner-up for the 1974 NL MVP, in the year he stole a then record 118 Stolen Bases. Brock retired as the all-time leader in Stolen Bases (938), which would later be broken by Rickey Henderson.  He also accumulated 3,023 career Hits and 149 Home Runs.  He was indicted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985, which was his first year of eligibility.   We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Lou Brock.

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 Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Jaguars have only been in existence since 1995 and while they have not appeared in a Super Bowl, there have been many talented players who have worn their jersey.   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. Jimmy Smith 2. Fred Taylor 3. Tony Boselli 4. Mark Brunell 5. Maurice Jones-Drew We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  Up next, will be the Dallas Cowboys. Look for our more material coming soon! As always we thank you for your support.

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. Eventually, we are going to get to that of the Division I schools, and conferences.  As such, it is news the University of West Virginia has announced their Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020. This group comprises of eleven new members.  Due to COVID-19, there will be no 2020 ceremony, and they will be officially inducted alongside the Class of 2021. The eleven new members are: Janae (Cox) Asbury, Women’s Gymnastics 2004-07:  Cox was a three-time First Team All-American and three-time individual qualifier at the NCAA Championship.  Nobody in Mountaineer history has more career Points (2,070.65), and also holds program records in meets (50). Da’Sean Butler, Men’s Basketball 2007-10:  Butler is third all-time in WVU in Points (2,095), and was a Second Team All-American in 2010.  Averaging 14.3 Points per Game, Butler took the Mountaineers to an NIT Championship in 2007, and a Final Four in 2010. J.D. Drummonds, Women’s Basketball 1980-81:  Drummonds scored 1,160 Points and averaged 21.0 Points per Game in the 1981 Season, which is second all-time for WVU.   Jedd Gyorko, Baseball 2008-10:  Playing at Second Base and Shortstop, Gyorko has the school record for Home Runs (35) and Batting Average (.404).  Gyorko was a First Team All-American as a Senior, and he went on to play eight seasons in the Majors. Dick Leftridge, Football 1963-65:  Leftridge played at Fullback and rushed for 1,701 Yards and 21 Touchdowns.  He helped lead the team to Sothern Conference Championships in 1964 and 1965, and he later played one year as a Pittsburgh Steeler. John McGrath, Men’s Soccer Coach 1969-95:  McGrath took the Mountaineers to five NCAA Tournaments and had a career record of 202-181-45. Tony Robertson, Men’s Basketball 1976-77:  Robertson scored 1,026 Points over two years with an 18.0 Points per Game Average.  He would later play two seasons in the NBA. John Rost, Men’s Rifle 1979-82:  Rost won the NCAA Air Rifle event in 1981 and 1982 and he would later represent the United States at the 1984 Olympics. Clara (Grandt) Santucci, Women’s Track & Field 2005-10:  Grandt won All-American honors in three different disciplines.  Her specialty was the 10,000 Meter. Tom Shafer, Baseball 1960-62:  Shafer had a 1.69 ERA over 125 Innings, and he was a First Team All-Southern Conference Selection…

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. Eventually, we are going to get to that of the Division I schools, and conferences.  As such, it is news to us that the Missouri Valley Conference has announced their Hall of Fame Class of 2021. This is the 24thHall of Fame Class for the Conference, and due to COVID-19, there will be no physical ceremony, nor any modern candidate, as all of these inductees are classified as “Veteran Candidates”. The eight new members are: Maurice Cheeks, West Texas State, Men’s Basketball, 1974-78: Cheeks started all four years at West Texas State, and was an All-MVC player three times.  He tallied 1,127 Points, and averaged 16.8 Points per Game as a Senior.  Cheeks later had a successful career in the NBA where he was a four-time All-Star, four-time First Team All-Defensive player and was a champion with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983.  His number was retired by the Sixers and he was named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. Joe Greene, North Texas, Football, 1966-68:  Greene was a three-time All-MVC Selection and his squad went a combined 23-5-1 with him on the field.  An All-American in 1968, Greene went on to play professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers where he was a Rookie of the Year, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 10-time All-Pro and four-time Super Bowl winner.  Greene is also a member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Clark W. Hetherington, Missouri, Administrator:  Hetherington was the Missouri’s Athletic Director from 1900 to 1910, and helped broker what is now the MVC. James Naismith, Kansas, Administrator:   Yes, that James Naismith.  Naismith is the man who invented basketball, and was the first coach of the Jayhawks program (1898-1907), and he would later be a Professor at Kansas.  Following his tenure as a Professor, Naismith became their Athletic Director from 1919 to 1937. Tara Oltman, Creighton, Softball, 2007-10:  Oltman was an All-MVC in all four of her years, and was a three-time MVC Pitcher of the Year.  She holds the conference records for Wins (118), Strikeouts (1,086) and Innings (1,064), and she led the Blue Jays to three NCAA Tournament Appearances. F. Morgan Taylor, Grinnell, Track & Field, 1926:  Taylor was also an Olympian who won the…

We are getting really tired of writing obituaries. Tom Seaver, who has been battling dementia for the past few years, has passed away at age 75. When Seaver debuted for the New York Mets in 1967, it was evident immediately that this was one special Pitcher that the Mets had on their hands.  Named the Rookie of the Year, Seaver was named an All-Star, and “Tom Terrific” would earn that honor 11 more times in his career.   Seaver is universally regarded as the greatest New York Met of all-time, and how could it he not be?  He was the anchor of the 1969 squad that shocked the baseball world winning the World Series for the “Miracle Mets”.  The Mets were considered underdogs, despite Seaver winning his first of three Cy Youngs that year.  With the Mets, Seaver won three ERA Titles, three WHIP Titles, and five Strikeout Titles. The Mets shocked their fans by trading Seaver to Cincinnati during the 1977 season, and two of his All-Star appearances occurred as a Red.  Seaver would return to New York, and finished his career with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. Seaver retired with a record of 311-205, 3,640 Strikeouts with a career ERA of 2.86.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Tom Seaver.

This has been a horrible week for basketball legends.  Recently, we lost Lute Olson and Clifford Robinson. Now we lost John Thompson. Thompson played his college ball at Providence where he was an honorable mention All-American by the AP.  He went on to play three years with the Boston Celtics, winning two NBA Championships under the dynasty led by Red Auberbach. Immediately after his playing career ended, he took over as the head coach for St. Anthony High School in Washington D.C., and did so well there, he caught the attention of Georgetown, who signed him to be their Head Coach in 1972.  This would be the school he coached for 27 years, and put on the national map. Thompson had a coaching record of 596-239 and he had a 14-year streak of NCAA Tournament Appearances (1979-92).  That streak was easily the highwater mark of Thompson’s career, as in that timeframe he was a three-time Big East Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year and UPI Coach of the Year.  Thompson took the Hoyas to the NCAA Championship in 1984, and in doing so became the first African-American Head Coach to win the Title. He would be named to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of John Thompson.

Our second annual pre-season Active 150 NFL Player Monitor ranking their current status for future Hall of Fame consideration is now up.   Our Football Hall of Fame monitor for football looks at the following criteria: The biggest factor we look at is how each active player measures up to the last five players at their position who were chosen.  To reflect the modern era and how stats have changed, Senior Inductees will not be considered as part of the last five inductees.  To keep everything simple, we are looking at Pro Bowl Selections, First Team All-Pro Selections, traditional statistics, games played and approximate value.   Obviously, there are other intangibles, such as playoff success, content of character etc. and we have adjusted where we think necessary due to those considerations.  While we don’t see this as a perfect system, these are the points that people make when determining whether or not someone is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, it does put forth a good baseline for us to work with. The other criteria we look at is dominating seasons.  We call this the Terrell Davis Rule.  In Davis’ Hall of Fame resume, you see that he was an elite player for three seasons and was the difference maker aiding the Denver Broncos to win their first two Super Bowls.  The induction of Davis and others with similar careers (like Gale Sayers for example) shows that the Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes bursts of excellence over years of above average consistency.  This will reflect in our ranking as a younger player who may have less accolades than a more tenured one could be ranked higher if he has more years where he was unquestionably an elite player at his position.   We also have to add the caveat that we will only qualify those who have been chosen via the Modern Era class in the last fifteen years. For reference, here are the last five Hall of Famers for each position and we have created what we call the Modern Positional Average, the MPA: Quarterbacks: Troy Aikman, Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Kurt Warner, Steve Young. Note that three of these QBs (Aikman, Marino & Young) competed in the 1990’s where offensive output is not what it is today.  This is one of the reasons why we are adding Super Bowls and Super Bowl appearances to offset this and since Quarterbacks are graded on that accomplishment more than all other…

Following the passing of Lute Olson, basketball lost another one of its stars.  Former UConn and NBA star, Clifford Robinson died at the age of 53.  He had been battling cancer for the last two years. A star at Connecticut, Robinson was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1989 as the 36thOverall Pick.  Standing at 6’ 10”, Robinson was a versatile player who played at Center, Power Forward and Small Forward.  He was the Sixth Man of the Year in 1994, an All-Star in 1994, which was the year began three 20 Points per Game seasons.   Robinson later played for Phoenix and Detroit, where he was named a Second Team All-Defensive selection once for each team.  We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to offer condolences to the friends, family and fans of Clifford Robinson. 

The wrestling world lost a legendary figure as “Bullet” Bob Armstrong succumbed to a long battle with prostate cancer.  He was 80 years old. For decades, Armstrong was a main event draw in Georgia and throughout the American South.  A babyface for most of his career, Armstrong was a fiery figure whose lunch pail work ethic made him a relatable fan favorite.  He looked and wrestled tough, and was one of the most related figures in the business. Armstrong’s career began in 1960, and he retired in 1988, though still made sporadic appearances, namely for Jim Cornette’s Smokey Mountain Wrestling in the mid-90s.  He won a litany of titles in Georgia and Florida, and he had four sons, Scott, Steve, Brad and Brian, all of who became pro wrestlers.  Brian became the most successful, known as the Road Dogg, as part of the New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X.   Armstrong was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Bob Armstrong.

Last night, it was announced that Lute Olson, died at the age of 85.  He had been in poor health following a stroke last year. Olson played his college ball at Augsburg, a liberal arts college in Minnesota, and he would coach at the high school level from 1956 to 1969 before taking over the reins at Long Beach Community College. After four years there, and a year at Long Beach State, Olson won the coaching job at Iowa, where he won the Big Ten regular season in 1979, and was also the Big Ten Coach of the Year.  In 1980, Olson took Iowa to the Final Four, and was named the NABC Coach of the Year. In 1983, Olson would leave the Hawkeyes for the Arizona Wildcats, and it was there where he truly became a coaching legend.  With the Wildcats, Olson won 11 Pac-10 regular season titles, four Pac-10 Tournaments, went to four Final Fours, and won the National Championship in 1997. Olson had a career coaching record of 781-280 and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the family and friends of Lute Olson at this time.

This is interesting. Recently, Larry Michael, 62, the voice of the Washington Football Team and Senior Vice President for years stepping down in those capacities.  As abrupt as it was, it became evident that it was due to his participation in allegations of sexual harassment that ran rampant among Washington executives. Michael was also a member of the 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee, but the key word here is “was”. It is not known whether he was asked to leave the Hall of Fame Committee or quit on his own, but nevertheless he is gone, and Tony Dungy is in. This is about as good an addition as you can get. Dungy is a Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach with a career record of 148-79, split between Tampa Bay and Indianapolis, the latter who he took to a Super Bowl Championship.  Following his coaching career, Dungy took on a position as an analyst for NBC. Dungy is the third new member of the committee this year, joining fellow Hall of Famer, Bill Polian, and Lisa Salters.

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. Eventually, we are going to get to that of the Division I schools.  As such, it is news to us that Central Michigan has announced their Athletic Class of 2020. The Class of 2020 comprises six new members, and right now, the tentative plan is to have a ceremony in 2021. The six members are: Sue Guevara, Women’s Basketball Coach:  Guevara was Michigan’s Head Coach from 1996 to 2003, and she would take over as the Head Coach for the Chippewas in 2007 until she retired last July.  She took Central Michigan to the Sweet Sixteen in 2018, and had an overall record of 215-151.  Guevara also led this team to two MAC Tournament wins. Margo Jonker, Softball Coach:  Jonker was the Chippewas’ Head Coach for 31 years and had an overall record of 1,246-780-8. She took the school to 10 MAC Regular Season Championships and 11 MAC Tournament Championships. Dan LeFevour, Football:  LeFevour was thee MAC MVP in 2009, and was also a two-time MAC Offensive Player of the Year.  Playing at Quarterback, LeFevour threw for 12,905 Passing Yards with 102 Touchdowns, and he would play professionally for Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Jacksonville in the NFL, and also Hamilton, Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg of the CFL. Katie Simon, Gymnastics:  Simon won seven MAC Individual Titles, and helped the Chippewas win the 2010 MAC Title. Joe Staley, Football:  Playing at Offensive Tackle, Staley was the Central Michigan Captain when they won their first Bowl Game in 2006.  He would go on to have a productive career in the NFL, where he was a five-time Pro Bowl Selection and played in two Super Bowls. Tyler Stovall, Baseball:  Stovall was a Third Team All-American and the MAC Player of the Year in 2007. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the six new members of the Central Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame.

As part of the new structure for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, at least one Coach, one Senior and one Contributor will be nominated and pushed through the final round.  This will go for at least four years.   Days earlier, we learned that Tom Flores and Drew Pearson were named the Coach and Senior Finalist respectively.  Today, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that scout, Bill Nunn will be moving forward as the Contributor Finalist. Originally a journalist in the Pittsburgh area, Nunn openly lobbied Steelers’ owner, Dan Rooney, to look at the History Black Colleges to accumulate talent.  This was not a common place where teams would look, but rather than dismiss Nunn’s idea, he hired him to do exactly that.   The Steelers became a powerhouse in the 1970s, and Nunn helped Pittsburgh draft HBCU players like Mel Blount, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Donnie Shell and John Stallworth. Nunn was an Assistant Personnel Director from 1970-1987, and a Scout from 1987 to 2014.  He has six Super Bowls and was elected as an inaugural member to the Black College Hall of Fame. This is not a lock for Nunn to enter Canton, but it definitely bodes well.

As regular Notinhalloffame.com podcast guest Vinny Lospinuso just told me, “It’s like they never heard of Zoom”. The Baseball Hall of Fame Board of Directors voted unanimously today to reschedule the two committees, Golden Days and Early Days to 2021.  They cited that due to COVID-19, that the conversation held by the respective 16-person committees could not be held in person, thus breaching the ability to have an open and confidential dialogue. Confidential?  What the hell are they saying in these meetings? The Golden Days Era Committee looks at the player from 1950 to 1969, and the Early Days concentrates on players before 1950.

We are excited to unveil another new section here at Notinhalloffame.com.  We always look to the future, and as such, it is with great excitement that we unveil our write-ups on the Baseball Futures of 2024.  Specifically, this is in reference to the former baseball players who will be eligible for Cooperstown in 2024. They are set up so that you can cast your votes and offer your opinions before they become officially eligible. The formers players who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024 are: Adrian Beltre:  From the Dominican Republic, Beltre has a great shot for early induction as the Third Baseman is a member of the 3,000 Hit Club, won five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers and was a four-time All-Star. Beltre has 377 career Home Runs, 1,707 RBIs, and his plaque will look good with that Texas Rangers cap. Adrian Gonzalez:  Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star who also won two Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves. “A-Gon” had 2,050 Hits, with 317 of them being Home Runs.  He was also the American League leader in Hits (213) in 2011.  Alcides Escobar:  Escobar played in the Majors for 11 years, and in 2015 he won the World Series with Kansas City.  That year, the Shortstop was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner. Bartolo Colon:  Colon played 21 years in the Majors, with runs in Cleveland, Montreal, Chicago (AL), Anaheim, Boston, New York (AL), Oakland, New York (NL), Atlanta, Minnesota and Texas, but he never felt like a journeyman, as a Colon start was an event.  The big man was a four-time All Star, a Cy Young winner and had 247 Wins with 2,535 Strikeouts. Brad Ziegler:  Ziegler was a reliever throughout his career, and in 2013 and 2018 he led the league in Games Pitched. Brandon Morrow:  As a Blue Jay in 2011, Morrow led the AL in SO/BB. He had a career record of 51-43. Brandon Phillips:  Phillips was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove recipient and he had 2,029 career Hits and 211 Home Runs. Chase Headley:  Headley had 1,337 Hits and was a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. Chase Utley:  Utley was a six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and he had three top-ten finishes for the MVP.  A World Series Champion with the Phillies in 2008, Utley accrued 1,885 Hits, 259 Home Runs and 1,025 RBI. Chris Tillman:  Tillman was a ten-year vet (all with Baltimore) and an All-Star in 2013. David Wright:  Wright played all fourteen of his MLB years…

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 first revision of our top 50 Arizona Diamondbacks 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.  This is the first revision since we put up this list after the 2018 Season. The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Randy Johnson 2. Paul Goldschmidt 3. Brandon Webb 4. Curt Schilling 5. Luis Gonzalez We slightly altered one of our algorithms and that has led to some slight changes to past Diamondbacks.  This altered the top five slightly, as Curt Schilling and Luis Gonzalez traded their fourth and fifth rank. There were a few significant jumps.  Zack Grienke, who was traded during the 2019 Season to Houston, rose from #10 to #6.  Ketel Marte went from #44 to #13.  This shocked us too, but again, we are reminded that a top five MVP season in a team as young as the Diamondbacks can do that. Starting Pitcher, Robbie Ray, moved from #20 to #16. Third Baseman, Jake Lamb, climbed from #30 to #26.  Relief Pitcher, Archie Bradley went from #48 to #40. We have several new entries.  Nick Ahmed debuts at #20.  While this seems like a seismic debut for the Shortstop, we erroneously left him off of our first list, of which he would have been on.  Venezuelan Infielder, Eduardo Escobar makes his first appearance at #43.  He joined the Diamondbacks during the 2018 season on a trade from Minnesota.  Lefthanded Relief Pitcher, Andrew Chafin comes in at #44. 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 first revision of our top 50 Kansas City Royals 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 American League.  This is the first revision since we put up this list in 2017. The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. George Brett 2. Bret Saberhagen 3. Kevin Appier 4. Willie Wilson 5. Amos Otis As the Royals are in rebuilding mode the last two years, beyond minor tinkering, very little has changed.   The top five remains intact from our original list.   There is one new entry in Whit Merrifield, their current Second Baseman.  He debuts at #32. 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 first revision of our top 50 New York Yankees 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 American League.  This is the first revision since we put up this list in 2017. The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are: 1. Babe Ruth   2. Lou Gehrig   3. Mickey Mantle   4. Joe DiMaggio   5. Derek Jeter With a team as storied and as old as the Yankees, very little has changed overall, and the top five remain the same.  Actually, there beyond minor tinkering, there is only one significant addition.  That is Gil McDougald, who we incorrectly omitted. The 1951 Rookie of the Year, and five-time World Series Champion is ranked at #29. We are certainly keeping our eyes on Aaron Judge, who could enter this list shortly. We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

The hockey world lost a great one today as Dale Hawerchuk passed away at the age of 57 following a battle with cancer. The first overall pick of the 1981 Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, Hawerchuk put the team on the NHL map. Playing there for nine seasons, the Center won the Calder Trophy, was a Second Team All-Star in 1984/85 and had six 100 Point seasons as a Jet.  Hawerchuk also played five years for Buffalo before finishing his career with St. Louis and Philadelphia. Over his 16-year career, Hawerchuk scored 518 Goals and 1,409 Points, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. Hawerchuk was the Head Coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts at the time of his passing. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and Family of Dale Hawerchuk.

Recently, the Pro Football Hall of Fame made its announcement as to how it would go forward with Senior, Coach and Contributor candidates, as they stated they would have one Finalist going forward in the next four years.  We already know who the Coach and Senior candidates are for the 2021 Class, which are Tom Flores and Drew Pearson respectively. Flores was a Finalist in 2019, and was a 2020 Centennial Slate Finalist.  The first Hispanic Coach of the NFl, Flores had a career record of 105-90 with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders & the Seattle Seahawks, taking the former to two Super Bowl Titles (XV & XVIII). The Hall faced backlash when Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher appeared to have leapfrogged Flores and six-time Finalist, Don Coryell.  Coryell has long since passed, but Flores is still alive at 88, and was upset about his snub last year, especially after being told by Hall of Fame President, David Baker, that he was a “shoe-in”. Pearson was never a Finalist in the Modern Day Committee, and like Flores, he too was on the Centennial Slate list of Finalists.  Pearson played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 to 1983 and he was a three-time First Team All-Pro and the Receiving Yards leader in 1977.  He helped Dallas win Super Bowl XII, and was a member of the 1970s All-Decade Team.  He had 7,822 Yards with 48 Touchdowns over his 11-year career. Pearson was filmed watching the 2020 Hall of Fame 100thAnniversary selection show.  He was clearly crushed by his omission, and felt that the hall did him wrong.  Based on the fact that it was a two-hour show, and he had to wait until the end to learn for certain that he wasn’t selected.  The pain had to have come early, as in the show’s first segment, fellow Wide Receiver, Harold Carmichael came to accept his gold jacket.  It had to be evident to Pearson, and those watching that if he hadn’t already known that he was being inducted, it was unlikely that he would be. Pearson in ranked #28 on our latest Notinhalloffame.com Football list.  We do not rank Coaches at this time. Please keep in mind that this is not a guarantee that both will be inducted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, although it seems inconceivable that they will not be chosen. We cautiously offer our congratulations to Flores and Pearson at this time, and hope that the Pro Football Hall of…

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 first revision of our top 50 Milwaukee Brewers 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 their respective League. 3. Playoff accomplishments. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet. This is the first time that we have revised this specific list, which was first put up in 2016, and there are many changes, though none that are changing the top five. 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, which has altered the rankings considerably. 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. Robin Yount 2. Paul Molitor 3. Ryan Braun 4. Cecil Cooper 5. Teddy Higuera We had a debut of Christian Yelich, who despite only having completed two full seasons, won two Batting Titles, two OPS Titles and an MVP.  No Brewer has ever had back-to-back years like Yelich, who arrives on this list at #11.  Two-time All-Star, Corey Hart was overlooked in our original list.  He now appears at #25. Current Milwaukee Centerfielder, Lorenzo Cain debuts at #37.  Former 2000s infielder Bill Hall, who was previously overlooked, comes in at #49. 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 first revision of our top 50 New York Mets 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 is the first time that we have revised this specific list, which was first put up in 2016, and there are many changes, one of which affecting the top five. 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, which has altered the rankings considerably. 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 Seaver   2. Dwight Gooden   3. David Wright   4. Darryl Strawberry   5. Jacob deGrom The top four remains unchanged, but DeGrom ascent was astronomical, as he was at #40 when we put out our first Mets list in 2016.  Two straight Cy Youngs will do that! Beyond DeGrom, the other significant jump was Noah Syndergaard, who jumped from #50 to #31. 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.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Baltimore Orioles.  The Baltimore Orioles were formed as a charter member of the American League in 1901, when they were the Milwaukee Brewers.  That only lasted one year, as they relocated to St. louis as the Browns.  While in St. Louis, the Browns had limited success, having only won one Pennant (1944), but fortunes changed when they relocated to Baltimore in 1954 and became the Orioles. With a trade that brought them Frank Robinson, the Orioles won the World Series in 1966, and with a starting rotation based around Jim Palmer, the O’s won it again in 1970.  A young Cal Ripken Jr. would lead them to their third World Series in 1983, which is to date their last title. 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 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. Cal Ripken Jr. 2. Jim Palmer 3. Brooks Robinson 4. George Sisler 5. Eddie Murray 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 onward and upward for us at Notinhalloffame.com as we have added a new section, that of the Basketball Hall of Fame Futures for 2023.   This is the group of former players who will be eligible for the Hall for the first time in 2023, and we have four former players in this section. They are:  Tony Parker:  Arguably the best player to come from France, Parker is a four-time NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs, and he was a Second Team All-NBA Selection three times.  Parker also went to the All-Star Game seven times. Luol Deng:  From South Sudan, Deng was a two-time All-Star when he played for Chicago, and he was a Second Team All-Defensive player in 2011/12. Dwyane Wade:  Wade went to thirteen All-Star Games and was a three-time NBA Champion, all with the Miami Heat.  He was also a First Team All-Star twice, and a Second Team and Third Team All-Star three times. Dirk Nowitzki:  Nowitzki played his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks, the team he took an NBA Championship in 2011.  The German star was a four-time First Team All-NBA Selection, 14-time All-Star, and was the NBA MVP in 2007. Parker, Wade and Nowitzki sounds like a pretty sweet class doesn’t it?  You can find the full page here of the 2023 eligibles here. You know what we want you to do! Take a. look and cast your votes and offer your opinions. As always, we thank you for your support.

It is onward and upward for us at Notinhalloffame.com as we have updated one of our sections, that of the Basketball Hall of Fame Futures for 2022.   This is the group of former players who will be eligible for the Hall for the first time in 2022, and we have had this up for two years, however we have now new entries that are now available for your votes and comments. They are:  Jameer Nelson:  Nelson was an All-American at St. Joseph’s and he would later be an NBA All-Star in 2009. Joe Johnson:  Johnson played most of his career with the Atlanta Hawks, and he was a seven-time All-Star as well as a Third Team All-NBA Selection in 009/10. Josh Smith:  Smith was Second Team All-Defensive choice in 2009/10. Tony Allen:  Allen was a champion with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and a three-time First Team All-Defensive player. Zach Randolph:  Randolph was a two-time NBA All-Star and in 2010/11 he was named a Third Team All-NBA Selection:   They join David West, Manu Ginobili, and Richard Jefferson. You know what we want you to do! Take a. look and cast your votes and offer your opinions. 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 Colorado Rockies 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 is the first time that we have revised this specific list, which was first put up in 2016, and there are many changes, one of which affecting the top five. 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, which has altered the rankings considerably. 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. Todd Helton   2. Larry Walker   3. Nolan Arenado   4. Troy Tulowitzki   5. Carlos Gonzalez There are several new entries.  Shortstop, Trevor Story is the highest debut, coming in at #13.  Starting Pitcher, German Marquez is at #21. Starting Pitcher, Kyle Freeland, makes his first appearance at #22.  Another Starting Pitcher, Jon Gray debuts at #30.  Tyler Anderson, who now pitches for San Francisco is at #48.  Relief Pitcher, Scott Oberg appears at #50. Based on performances over the past three seasons, there have been significant rises on the list.  Charlie Blackmon moved from #15 to #6.  Current Yankees infielder, D.J. LeMahieu climbs from #13 to #8.  Another current Yankee, Adam Ottavino went from #38 to #28.   We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

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 news to us that the Philadelphia Phillies will be retiring the number 15 of Dick Allen. This is especially notable as the Phillies have had a policy of not retiring the numbers of players unless they have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Allen was on the writer’s ballot fourteen times, finishing as high as 18.9% in 1996. Since that time, he has appeared on the Veteran’s Committee Ballot, where he was one vote shy in 2014.  He is eligible on this year’s Golden Days Committee, where he is expected to be on the ballot.  This move by the Phillies could help propel Allen into Cooperstown. Allen played nine of his fifteen years as a Phillie where he had 1,143 Hits, 204 Home Runs and had a Slash Line of .290/.371/.530.  He is currently ranked #18 on our latest list of those to consider for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The induction is scheduled for September 3, with a ceremony planned next season when fans are (hopefully) allowed back in the ballpark. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like congratulate Dick Allen for this impending honor.

It is a pretty big day for us at Notinhalloffame.com as we are unveiling our new Notinhalloffame Hockey List of those to consider for the Hockey Hall of Fame.   However, this is not just any list, as we have expanded it to 300! First, off we know what you might be thinking; “There is no way that any of those players from ___ to 300 will get into the Hall of Fame.”. We agree.  It isn’t likely to happen.  Obviously, we love lists, and that is, and always will be, the crux of what we do.  Think of them as a great batch of players, all of which were damned good and any bottom 25 of whomever is on our 300 (providing there is a Goalie there) could win a Stanley Cup.   Let’s move on… We have not just added new entries up to 300, but retooled those that were already listed. The first thing we did was remove the four former players who were inducted into the Class of 2020.  That consisted of Jarome Iginla (#1), Marion Hossa (#10), Doug Wilson (#14) and Kevin Lowe (#37).   We then added the new entries who are now eligible for the Class of 2021.  Afterwards, we altered rankings based on your comments and votes. Before we continue, please note that the Hockey Hall of Fame recently announced that due to the pandemic, they have pushed back the Class of 2020 ceremony to November of next year.  Hall of Fame Chairman, Lanny McDonald said that there might be a dual ceremony with the Class of 2021, or that the 2021 Class might not happen at all.  We certainly are praying that the latter is not the case. Please note that we do not currently rank women, coaches or builders, although we do have Don Cherry listed.  That is our only exception, which is grandfathered in. The entire list can be found here, but here is the revised top ten: 1.Henrik Sedin:  Sedin tops the 2021 list, and the career Vancouver Canuck is a former Hart Trophy winner, which usually means you are entering the Hall. If you don’t go by that, he is also a former Art Ross Trophy winner, and every eligible Art Ross winner are in Toronto. 2. Daniel Sedin:  The twin brother of Henrik also played his entire NHL career with the Canucks, but he is not a Hart winner.  That shouldn’t matter as his accolades include an Art Ross (see above), and…

The Country Music Hall of Fame has announced the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2020, which will include one Veteran Era Artist, Hank Williams Jr., one Modern Era Artist, Marty Stuart, and one Songwriter, Dean Dillon. Hank Williams Jr. is the son of legendary county artist, Hank Williams, who himself was inducted into the Country Music Hall nearly 60 years ago.  Williams Jr. had been performing for years, arguably gaining attention based on his name, but it was in the mid-70s when a stylistic change to a more rowdy and rock based country that propelled him to the top of the country charts.  He has eight number one singles on the country charts. Marty Stuart has been active since 1968 and he has had 30 songs that made the Country charts.  The native of Philadelphia, Mississippi, never went number one, but did have a number two hit with “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’”, a duet with Travis Tritt. Dean Dillon was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, and in addition to his own songs, he has written many hits for George Strait.  His biggest song, “Tennessee Whiskey” was covered by many artists.   Notably the Songwriter category is only in place every three years.  It rotates between Non-Performers and Recording and/or Touring Musicians.   The Class of 2020 will be inducted later this year, but do the pandemic, there is not date or location announced at this time. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

COVID-19 strikes again, as the Hockey Hall of Fame has postponed the Hockey Hall of Fame Ceremony to celebrate the Class of 2020.   Originally scheduled for November 16 in Toronto, the Class consists of Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Doug Wilson, Kevin Lowe, Kim St. Pierre and Ken Holland.   Hockey Hall of Fame chairman (and Hall of Famer himself), Lanny McDonald said that there would be no virtual ceremony, and that the most likely scenario would be postpone the ceremony to November of 2021, either by waiving the 2021 election or combining the 2020 and 2021 classes. We here at Notinhalloffame.com hopes that they will opt for two classes. Actually, we are begging them to do it!