Ah, the road to the Class of 2018 is officially underway as the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released with 33 candidates who are on the ballot.

The candidates in alphabetical are:

Barry Bonds: Bonds is on his sixth ballot and enjoyed his biggest jump last year with a 53.8% finish. That increase gives a lot of hope to the PED associated players for Hall of Fame entry. He is ranked # 2 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Chris Carpenter: Carpenter is on his first ballot and the former Starting Pitcher went 144 and 94 and won the Cy Young Award in 2005. He was also a three time All Star.

Roger Clemens: Like Bonds, Clemens enjoyed a significant increase in his vote tally moving up to 54.1%. If the seven time Cy Young Award winner enjoys another gain in his sixth year on the ballot we could see him inducted before his time on the ballot ends. He is ranked #1C on Notinhalloffame.com.

Johnny Damon: Damon is on his first ballot and will struggle to make a second. He was a two time All Star and a two time World Series Champion. He is ranked #99 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Vladimir Guerrero: Guerrero is on his second year of eligibility and came off a 71.7% result. The 2004 American League MVP likely we will see enough of a rise to gain entry to Cooperstown. He is ranked #9 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Livan Hernandez: A two time All Star, Livan Hernandez had a career record of 178 and 177. This is his first time on the ballot

Trevor Hoffman: Hoffman was only one percentage point away from Cooperstown last year, thus only a marginal increase in his third year of eligibility should get him in. His 601 career Saves puts him second all-time and he is also a seven time All Star. He is ranked #20 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Orlando Hudson: Making his first appearance on the ballot, Hudson would go to two All Star Games and was a four time Gold Glove winner.

Aubrey Huff: Huff would accumulate 1,699 Hits and 242 Home Runs over his career. He is also a two time World Series Champion with the San Francisco Giants.

Jason Isringhausen: Isringhausen is also on his first year of eligibility and he was a two time All Star.

Andruw Jones: Jones is entering his first year of eligibility and brings a decent resume with eight All Star Games, ten Gold Gloves and 434 career Home Runs. He is ranked #47 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Chipper Jones: The career Atlanta Brave is debuting on the ballot and is the most likely newly eligible former player to get inducted immediately. Jones was the National League MVP in 1999 and is an eight time All Star. He won the Batting Title in 2008. He is ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Jeff Kent: Kent is on his fifth year of eligibility and finished with 16.7% of the vote last year, his highest to date. The Third Baseman was the 2000 National League MVP and was a five time All Star. He is ranked #50 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Carlos Lee: Lee is making his first appearance on the ballot and was a two time All Star. He hit 358 Home Runs with 2,273 Hits.

Brad Lidge: The former Relief Pitcher recorded 225 Saves and was a two time All Star. He was also a World Series Champion with Philadelphia and he is entering his first year on the ballot.

Edgar Martinez: The former Designated Hitter is on his ninth try but his 58.6% gives him hope to possibly get in as it was a 15.2% increase from the previous vote. He is ranked #17 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Hideki Matsui: “Godzilla” was a two time All Star with the New York Yankees and was the 2009 World Series MVP.

Fred McGriff: It is not looking good for Fred McGriff who is on his ninth year of eligibility following a 21.7% vote tally last year. McGriff is a five time All Star with 493 career Home Runs. He is ranked #33 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Kevin Millwood: An All Star in 1999, Kevin Millwood is on the ballot for the first time. He went 169 and 152 with 2,083 Strikeouts.

Jamie Moyer: Playing almost to age of 50, Jamie Moyer makes his Hall of Fame ballot debut. Moyer was an All Star once and retired with a record of 269 and 209 with 2,441 Strikeouts. He is ranked #105 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Mussina: Mussina is on his fifth year of eligibility and finished with a high of 51.8% of the vote. Mussina retired with 270 Wins against only 153 Losses. He would be named to five All Star Games. He is ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Manny Ramirez: Manny debuted last year with only 23.8% of the ballot but the two time World Series Champion and 500 Home Run Club member should see an increase this year. He is ranked #7 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Scott Rolen: Rolen will be one of the most hotly debated new arrivals to the ballot as his sabremetric numbers far exceed his traditional ones. Still, this is a seven time All Star with a World Series Ring. He is ranked #17 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Johan Santana: Santana was a two time Cy Young Award winner and four time All Star. He is making his first appearance on the ballot. He is ranked #65 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Curt Schilling: Unlike many others who were on the ballot previously, Schilling actually trended downwards mostly due to his comments against the media finishing with 45% last year as opposed to the 52.3% he had the year before. Schilling is a three time Cy Young runner-up, two time World Series winner and a six time All Star. He is ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Gary Sheffield: Sheffield is on his fourth year of eligibility and received 13.3% of the vote last year. He has 509 career Home Runs with nine All Star Game appearances. He is ranked #21 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Sammy Sosa: Sosa is entering his sixth year on the ballot following an 8.6% vote total. That is concerning as he has only finished in double digits on his first year of eligibility. He is ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Jim Thome: Thome is on the ballot for the first time and brings five All Star Games and 612 Home Runs for consideration. He will likely get in but possibly not on his first try. He is ranked #6 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Omar Vizquel: Vizquel is also entering his first year of eligibility and the defensive specialist should receive enough ballots to remain on future ballots. He is ranked #76 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Billy Wagner: The seven time All Star is entering his third year on the ballot and he received 10.2% on the ballot last year.

Larry Walker: The 1997 National League MVP is running out of time. He is on his eight year of eligibility and he finished 21.9% last year. He is ranked #15 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Kerry Wood: The former flamethrower is on his first year of eligibility. Wood was a two time All Star and was the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year.

Carlos Zambrano: On his first year of eligibility, Zambrano was a three time All Star who finished with a career record of 132 and 91.

Not everyone who was Hall of Fame eligible for the first time made the ballot. This includes Miguel Batista,Francisco Cordero, Brian Fuentes, Adam Kennedy, Guillermo Mota, Carl Pavano, Scott Podsednik, J.C. Romero, Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan and Jack Wilson.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com will be very interested to see what will transpire with this latest ballot and we will love watching all of the debates begin!

A very significant (and expected) retirement took place today as Carlos Beltran of the Houston Astros announced today that he was calling it a career. Beltran is 40 years old, and played 20 years in the Majors, punctuated by a World Series win in his final game.

Let’s get right to what we usually talk about here at Notinhalloffame.com when a player of this magnitude retires; is Carlos Beltran a Hall of Famer?

Our first reaction is…maybe.

Beltran has very good traditional statistics. Nine All Star Games. 2,725 Hits. 435 Home Runs. There are a lot of Hall of Fame outfielders that have similar numbers and when you look at the advanced metrics, Beltran’s “on the fence” case is further enhanced. The native Puerto Rican has a career bWAR of 69.8, eight all-time at this position and higher than HOFers Duke Snider, Andre Dawson, Richie Ashburn and Billy Hamilton. The average JAWS of a Hall of Fame Centerfielder is 57.9, of which he is close at 57.1, so this does look Cooperstown worthy, though Kenny Lofton has a comparable career bWAR and JAWS of 68.2 and 55.7 respectively and he failed to get past the first ballot.

What works against Beltran is that he was never really close to being the MVP in any year (his highest finish was 4th in 2006) and there was never a consensus that he was the best at this position.

Still, this is an excellent candidate who we will enjoy debating in depth over the next five years. Beltran will be Hall of Fame eligible in 2023.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Carlos Beltran for the on-field memories and we look forward to see what he will do next!

The “Hall of Fame” season is really amping up. The Baseball Hall of Fame Modern Era Committee has announced the ten finalists for consideration. This new Committee covers those who participated from 1970 to 1987.

The nominees are:

Steve Garvey: Ranked #31 on Notinhalloffame.com. Garvey was a ten time All Star and was named the 1974 National League MVP. He accumulated 2,599 Hits with a .294 Batting Average with 272 Home Runs. He was on the ballot for the fifteen full years finishing as high as 42.6 %.

Tommy John: Ranked #16 on Notinhalloffame.com. John won 283 Games and is a four time All Star. A two-time Cy Young runner-up, John had 2,245 Strikeouts over his career. He was on the ballot for fifteen years peaking at 31.7% on his final year of eligibility.

Don Mattingly: Ranked #54 on Notinhalloffame.com. Playing his entire career with the New York Yankees, Mattingly was the American League MVP in 1985. Mattingly went to six All Star Games and had a career Batting Average of .307 with 222 Home Runs. He would also win the 1984 Batting Title. He was on the ballot for fifteen years with a high of 28.2% in his first year of eligibility.

Marvin Miller: The head of the Players Association from 1966 to 1982, salaries skyrocketed under his tenure.

Jack Morris: Ranked #11 on Notinhalloffame.com. Morris would win 254 Games and is a four time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and came very close with a 67.7% finish in his fourteenth year.

Dale Murphy: Ranked #42 on Notinhalloffame.com. In a career spent mostly with Atlanta, Murphy was a back-to-back MVP winner (1982 & 1983) and blasted 398 Home Runs. He was a five time All Star. On the ballot for fifteen years, Murphy peaked at 23.2% in 2000.

Dave Parker: Ranked #28 on Notinhalloffame.com. “The Cobra” was the 1978 National League MVP and hit 339 Home Runs over his career. He was also a two time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 24.5% in his second year of eligibility.

Ted Simmons: Ranked #14 on Notinhalloffame.com. Simmons was an eight time All Star and one of the top Catchers of his day. He was only on the ballot for one year where he finished with 3.7% of the ballot.

Luis Tiant: Ranked #44 on Notinhalloffame.com. Tiant was known mostly for his time in Boston and he was a three time All Star with 229 career Wins. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 30.9, which occurred in his first year of eligibility.

Alan Trammell: Ranked #12 on Notinhalloffame.com. Trammell played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers and was a six time All Star. Trammell had 2,365 Hits and was the 1984 World Series MVP. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished with 40.9% on the ballot in his last year of eligibility.

It will be very interesting to see if any of these names will get in. To be chosen, a candidate must receive 75% of the 16 member vote.

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 amount 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.

We are now taking a look at the Gold Glove Award, given annually to the best defensive player in MLB in each respective position.

I don’t know about you but there was something satisfying about this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony.

Perhaps it is because the induction of Jeff Bagwell after seven years was finally was chosen, likely forced to wait for the Hall due to PED suspicion. 

Maybe it is more due to Ivan Rodriguez getting in on his first ballot.  While I-Rod never tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs, Jose Canseco named him as someone who he injected personally.  Regardless of whether that is true or not, Pudge is regarded by many as the greatest Catcher of all time by many pundits and the admission of both Bagwell and Rodriguez to the Baseball Hall of Fame suggests a sway in popular opinion as to how the PED era is looked upon, which should open the door for names such as...well…you know the names.

Maybe the satisfaction is that on his final year of eligibility Tim Raines got in after it looked like he may have to wait for a Veterans Committee Selection that are rarely doled out. 

This year just feels right. 

As expected, the speeches from this trio were emotional and focused on family and teammates.

Rodriguez was particularly teary eyed when he looked at his father and exclaimed “If I’m a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer – double.”  Pudge’s speech went back forth in Spanish and English much to the delight of the many Puerto Rican fans who made the trip.  Only Johnny Bench made the Hall in his first try as a Catcher and fittingly he was on the dais as Rodriguez was enshrined. 

The very humble Jeff Bagwell also thanked his family and in typical fashion talked about how he “wanted to score for my team and for (his) other players”. There were a slew of Astros fans present to welcome Bagwell to the Hall to join his teammate, Craig Biggio.  Bagwell is sixth overall in JAWS amongst all First Basemen.

The long awaited induction of Tim Raines saw busloads of fans from Canada who are likely witnessing the last player to go in as a Montreal Expo.  Raines thanked three Hall of Famers for being a positive influence on his career, Andre Dawson, George Brett and Rickey Henderson.

Not to be forgotten is that former Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig also took his place amongst the immortals.  Ironically Selig presided over the PED era thus convincing some Hall of Fame voters to overlook the Suspected and confirmed PED users. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate this year’s class.  Our Baseball list for the next class is already up.

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 amount 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.

We are now taking a look at the Gold Glove Award, given annually to the best defensive player in MLB in each respective position.

Is this still going on?

The Baseball Hall of Fame, which we want to note acts “independently” of Major League Baseball has announced that Pete Rose is still banned from the Hall.

Here is what they stated:

"After extensive discussion, a vote was taken in which the Board ratified the resolution that was passed on February 4, 1991, known today as Rule 3(E) in the BBWAA's election rules. As such, anyone deemed permanently ineligible by Major League Baseball, including Pete Rose, may not be considered for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame."

As it stands now Pete Rose remains ineligible but in the view of many (and us) he is Hall of Famer.

Pete Rose and the Baseball HOF news won’t end anytime soon.

It is time for us to continue our additions here at Notinhalloffame.com. 

We have added to our Baseball Futures section by adding those who will be eligible for Cooperstown in 2021.

The complete list can be found here, but here are each of those who could appear on the ballot for the first time in ’21.

A.J. Burnett: An All Star in 2015 who led the American League in Strikeouts in 2008.  He is currently 31st all-time in that stat.

Aaron Harang: Harang led the NL in Wins and Strikeouts in 2006 and would finish 4th in Cy Young voting.

Adam LaRoche:  A winner of both the Silver Slugger and the Gold Glove in 2012.  He has over 250 Home Runs over his career.

Alex Rios:  An All Star in 2006 & 2007.  Rios would win the World Series with Kansas City in his last season.

C.J. Wilson: A two time All Star in 2011 and 2012.

Corey Hart: A two time All Star who is known most for his time in Milwaukee.

Dan Haren:  Went to three consecutive All Star Games (2007-09) and also led his respective league in SO/BB three times.  He is currently 7th all-time in that category.

Dan Uggla:  A three time All Star and one time Silver Slugger recipient.

Grady Sizemore:  Sizemore went to three straight All Star Games (2006-08) and won a Silver Slugger and two Gold Gloves.  He would lead the AL in bWAR for Position Players.

Grant Balfour:  The first Australian to be named an All Star (2013)

Jason Marquis:  An All Star in 2009 who would win 11 Games six seasons in a row.

Kevin Gregg:  A Relief Pitcher who was in the top ten in Saves four times.

LaTroy Hawkins:  A middle reliever who is 10th all-time in Games Pitched.

Mark Buehrle:  A five time All Star who helped the Chicago White Sox win the World Series in 2005.  He is currently 61st all-time in WAR for Pitchers.

Michael Cuddyer:  A two time All Star who won the National League Batting Title in 2013.

Nick Swisher:  An All Star in 2010 and a World Series Champion with the New York Yankees in 2009.

Rafael Soriano:  A Pitcher with 207 career Saves.

Shane Victorino:  A two time All Star with four Gold Gloves.  Victorino won two World Series Rings in his career.

Skip Schumaker:  A member of the St. Louis Cardinals World Series Championship team in 2011.

Tim Hudson: A four time All Star who led the AL in Wins in 2000.  He is 68th All Time in WAR for Pitchers, 69th in Strikeouts and 75th in Wins.

Torii Hunter:  A five time All Star who also won the Gold Glove nine times.  Hunter is also a two time Silver Slugger.

When you have the chance, take a look at this new section on Notinhalloffame.com and let us know if any of these former baseball players are Hall of Fame worthy!

When one Hall of Fame class is chosen it means it is time for us to start revising.  Now that the Baseball Hall of Fame has selected Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez to Cooperstown, we are now ready to put out our new Notinhalloffame.com Baseball List

As such, we took into account the following when looking at our Baseball Revisions:

Ranking the now eligible former players.  We already have them on our futures sections and your votes and comments have been taken into account. 

The votes and opinions that all of you have given based on those who are already on the list.

Remember, we encourage you to keep giving us your opinions and comments as this does alter our rankings as we continue.  Also, it is worth noting that we have expanded our 100 to 105. 

So, let’s get right to the Top 10!

If you are a regular visitor here, you know that we have a 1A, 1B and 1C on our to accommodate:

1A. Pete Rose:  The Hit King remains ineligible for the Hall of Fame due to gambling.

1B. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson:  Jackson remains ineligible after nearly a century has passed following the Black Sox Scandal of 1919.

1C. Roger Clemens:  It is either Clemens or Bonds in this spot.  Rocket gets the duke only because he has a slightly higher vote tally from all of you who voted.  Seriously though, can we get off the PED era already?

2. Barry Bonds:  The All-Time leader in MLB Home Runs remains #2.  While he does not have the vote total that others have who are ranked lower, like Clemens, this is as far as his (and Clemens) basement goes as far as Notinhalloffame.com is concerned, and yes, we know we said that we too take your votes into account!  With these two, we re going to hold firm right now.

3. Chipper Jones:  The career Atlanta Brave is considered by many to be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee.  Jones has the stats, both traditional and advanced, a World Series Ring and is very well liked.  He is the highest rated new entry.

4. Mike Mussina:  Mussina may have dropped one spot, but he is still a major snub in our eyes.  The former Yankee and Oriole may have played in high profile markets but his profile is relatively low amongst those who think about Cooperstown.  Apparently it is low with the Baseball Hall of Fame voters too.

5. Bill Dahlen:  “Bad” Bill Dahlen also drops one spot.  Dahlen is one of the few legitimate omissions from the game’s early days and was surly as he was good…and he was very good!

6. Jim Thome:  Thome statistically should be a first ballot Hall of Famer, and probably will be, but for someone who smacked over 600 Home Runs with an OPS of .956, he is a player that could easily fall below the radars of voters on the first go around.  He is the second highest ranked of the new entries.

7. Manny Ramirez.  Manny is being Manny in Japan now, but he got a far higher vote in his first year of eligibility than many people thought he would.

8. Curt Schilling.  Schilling took a tumble with the voters this year, the biggest drop of anyone who was on the ballot.  It might be worth watching to see if he falls again.

9. Vladimir Guerrero.  “Vlad, The Impaler” had the biggest jump in our Top 20, moving up from 14 to 9.  Guerrero was very close to entering Cooperstown on his first try, and probably should get in on his second try.

10. Lou Whitaker.  The sabremetric darling of the Detroit Tigers infield remains in the #10 spot.

Chipper Jones and Jim Thome are not the only new entries on this list.

Scott Rolen debuts at #18.  The former infielder and seven time All Star brings a very interesting case to the Baseball Hall of Fame and we are very curious to see how his first vote goes.

Chipper Jones is not the only high profile former Atlanta Brave to make the top 50 as Andruw Jones debuts at #49.

Johan Santana debuts at #67 though we wonder how much higher he would be if he lasted just two more seasons. 

Omar Vizquel is another new entry.  The defensive star makes his first appearance at #76.

Johnny Damon and Jamie Moyer appear at #99 and #105 respectively.

You know what we want you to do!

If you haven’t cast your vote for these former baseball players on our list, please do so and offer your opinion!

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you all 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 amount 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.

We are now taking a look at the Gold Glove Award, given annually to the best defensive player in MLB in each respective position.

Frank Thomas has always been critical of PED users getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  At the recent “Sox Fest”, The Big Hurt has softened his stance on that…sort of.

Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines were selected for Cooperstown this year, and Thomas is not overly thrilled with two of them anyway:


“We have two great players going in (this year) and they know. It's no secret.  If they didn't do it they would be stomping and kicking on interviews, 'I didn't do it.'

If you didn't, you come to the forefront, 'Let's take a lie detector test," and these guys won't do it. Some of these guys were great players, but they wouldn't have been great players without drugs."


Thomas did not use Rodriguez and Bagwell by name, but it was clear that these were the two players he was speaking of.

Rodriguez, who enter the Hall on his first year of eligibility was named in Jose Canseco’s book, “Juiced” as someone who he personally injected with PEDs has been someone who many have speculated (though never proven) to be a PED user.  Bagwell has also been accused by some, but again, never proven. 

While Frank Thomas is “not happy” that Bagwell and Rodriguez are inducted, he now has developed an “all or nothing” attitude in regards to higher profile PED suspected users:


“Now some guys are getting passes and some guys are not. It's wrong.  If you're going to punish Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens, how can you let the rest of these guys get in?

Either you let all those guys in and put them in a special wing or you clean it up and keep everybody out."


Based on hard line stance that Frank Thomas has taken in the past towards PED users in the Baseball Hall, this is practically a 180, or at least an acknowledgement of the era itself.

This coincides with many writers relaxing their stance on the PED users, especially with Bud Selig selected as a Today’s Game inductee.  Those writers claim that the PED rise and subsequent ignoring of it for years happened under Bud Selig’s watch. 

For what it is worth, Thomas doe support the induction of Pete Rose to the Hall and was excited with the selection of Tim Raines to Cooperstown.

Who will be the next Baseball Hall of Famer to come out in support, or against these former players?  We know it won’t take long to find out!

Let’s try something new here.

We’ll combine a few news items that we think our noteworthy in the “Hall of Fame” world. 

Let’s start with the WWE.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard, former ECW World Heavyweight Champion was asked if he ever saw himself in the WWE Hall of Fame in the future.  He didn’t exactly imply he wanted in, nor did he have kind words to say about the institution itself:

“It’s such a fake Hall of Fame.  I’d only do it because I need the money. I don’t know if I would mother--- everyone or if I would take it graciously, but I don’t consider it a real Hall of Fame. It’s not like the Baseball Hall of Fame or the Football Hall of Fame. They let anybody in it, anybody who could draw money. The real wrestling Hall of Fames are in Iowa and Amsterdam, New York. They look for donations because they’re so broke, but they have s--- from the 1800s.

Vince’s Hall of Fame only has s--- from Vince’s company. If you didn’t work for his company, you’re not in the Hall of Fame. That’s nothing to do with how good you are, it only matters who owned them.”

Notably, Sabu inducted his uncle, The Original Sheik into the WWE Hall of Fame, and he is ranked currently #79 on our Notinhalloffame.com WWE List. 

In what is our constant news from the world of Curt Schilling, he told TMZ that he doesn’t care about the Baseball Hall of Fame anymore.

Whether or not he means that or not, the fact will remain that he will be intertwined with Cooperstown until he gets in.  Ironically, he will be less associated with the Baseball Hall of Fame if he were to get in.

As we have stated many times before, we know this story isn’t going away soon

Going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, former Head Coach, Lovie Smith has said that his former player, Devin Hester, who is expected to formally retire soon, goes down as one of the most prolific Returner in NFL history.  He is a three time First Team All Pro Selection, is 8th all-time in Return Yards and 3rd all-time in Punt Return Yards.  Hester was considered a game changer for years during his time as a Chicago Bear.

Should Hester retire, he will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022. 

As always, the world of Halls of Fames continue, and we will always be paying attention!  

Barry Bonds made a sizeable increase in Hall of Fame votes.

So did Roger Clemens.

Edgar Martinez had his highest increase and for the first time since he has been on the ballot looks like he has a real Hall of Fame chance

Trevor Hoffman inched closer.

Mike Mussina climbed over 50%.

Curt Schilling dropped seven percent and dipped below 50%.

We know why don’t we?  So does Curt Schilling, who this week on the Dan Patrick show sounded off on his snub:

“We all know why.  Because I’m not — I’m not quiet. I think if I didn’t talk, I might have gotten in this time.

Listen, if that sacrifices the Hall of Fame, I don’t want to be in anyway… Schilling said.

If the writers that vote for the Hall of Fame are going to invoke, quote-unquote, the character clause, and they’re gonna randomly invoke it, then you know what, so be it. It wasn’t meant to be…If you want to invoke the character clause and vote for (players linked to performance enhancing drugs like) Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens, kiss my butt”

It doesn’t sound like Schilling will stay out of our front page does it?

As always, it will be entertaining and we know we haven’t heard the last of the Baseball media Vs Curt Schilling!

Our favorite day here at Notinhalloffame.com is always when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces their annual Classes.  Our second day is when they announce their Baseball Hall of Fame Class.

That second day is here.

The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2017 has been announced and let’s get right to it as we have three new Baseball Hall of Famers

The highest vote getter this year is Jeff Bagwell who is selected on his 7th year of eligibility.  Bagwell received 86.2% of the vote, well up from his 71.6% last year.  It has been believed that his delay into getting into the Baseball Hall has been due to PED suspicion, but that is all there was in his case. 

Finishing second on the ballot is Tim Raines, who was on his last year of eligibility.  “Rock” had 86.0% and like Bagwell received a more than 15% jump.  For many Baseball fans, this is long overdue and many are thrilled to see him get his due.

Perhaps a bit of a surprise is that Ivan Rodriguez entered on his first ballot with 76.0%.  Statistically, I-Rod is Cooperstown worthy but he has a direct PED accusation from Jose Canseco though was never named in the Mitchell Report.

Overall, the PED users/suspected players have seen a rise in the totals, a lot of which can be attributed with the elimination of older and inactive baseball writers from the process and the induction of Bud Selig, who presided over the time that PED use arose in the game.

Let’s look at those who didn’t make the cut:


Trevor Hoffman: 2nd Year on the ballot, 74.0%

The prolific reliever did not make this year, but he was only a handful of votes away.  He finished with 67.3% last year and should get in next year. 

Vladimir Guerrero: 1st Year on the ballot, 71.7%

“Vlad the Impaler” was pegged by some as a first ballot inductee but it won’t take him long to get in.  He should be a lock next year.

Edgar Martinez: 8th Year on the ballot, 58.6%

Edgar has only two years left but this was a huge jump from the 43.4% he had last year.  Martinez was a Designated Hitter, a position that has hurt him in the past and the fact that three people got in to help thin the ballot somewhat does not hurt his cause.

Roger Clemens: 5th Year on the ballot, 54.1%

This was a huge jump for Clemens and the first time he eclipsed 50 percent.  This is up 8.9% from last year and perhaps for the first time we have a strong reason to think that the Rocket could get in. 

Barry Bonds: 5th Year on the ballot, 53.8%

See above.  Could we see in the future a year where both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens enters Cooperstown together?  A few years ago we wouldn’t have thought so, but now that seems like a possibility.

Mike Mussina: 4th Year on the ballot, 51.8%

Mussina doesn’t get a lot of attention as he is not a controversial choice, nor is he one that plays to the media.  He did however jump up past the 50% mark for the first time and is going in the right direction.

Curt Schilling: 5th Year on the ballot, 45.0%

Schilling dropped 7 percent, and we all know why don’t we?  He angered the media with his comments toward them and is this backlash was long expected.

Lee Smith: 15th Year on the ballot, 34.2 %

This is the end for Smith, who at one point was the all-time Saves leader.  Based on how he was trending, he was lucky to make it this far.

Manny Ramirez: 1st Year on the ballot, 23.8 %

This could be the biggest surprise.  The suspected PED users went up, but Ramirez was caught and suspended twice.  Maybe the writers thought “Manny being Manny” was not enough explanation.

Larry Walker:  7th Year on the ballot, 21.9%

While it doesn’t look like Walker will get in, he did jump up from his 15.5% from last year.

Fred McGriff:  7th Year on the ballot, 21.7%.

McGriff barely budged from his 20.9% from last year.  It isn’t looking good for the “Crime Dog.”

Jeff Kent: 3rd Year on the ballot, 16.7%

The former National League MVP moved up…0.1%.  Is there a Survivor Hall of Fame?

Gary Sheffield:  3rd Year on the ballot, 13.3%

Sheffield mildly improved but he on such a crowded ballot, he still has time to jump up considering his career stats.

Billy Wagner: 2nd Year on the ballot, 10.2%

Wagner actually went down from his 10.5% from the year before.  Realistically, just staying on the ballot is a win for him.

Sammy Sosa:  5th Year on the ballot, 8.6%

Sosa is still alive, so we are stuck debating him another year.

The notable player who did not make the 5% to stay on the ballot was former New York Yankee Catcher, Jorge Posada, received 3.8%.

Others who received votes were Magglio Ordonez (0.7%), Edgar Renteria (0.5%), Jason Varitek (0.5%) and Tim Wakefield (0.2%).

The others on the ballot who did not receive any votes were Corey Blake, Pat Burrell, Orlando Cabrera, Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew, Carlos Guillen, Derrek Lee, Melvin Mora, Arthur Rhodes, Freddy Sanchez and Matt Stairs.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the latest Baseball Hall of Fame Class and we will be unveiling our next list in a month’s time.

It has felt that for years that existing Baseball Hall of Famers have been constantly stating that PED users have no place in Cooperstown.  As such, it took us by surprise when Hall of Fame Pitcher, Gaylord Perry said today that he thought Barry Bonds deserves to be inducted.

It took place in a conference call from Diamond Resorts, and while it was not exactly a glowing endorsement, it was considering that it came from a Hall of Famer over the age of 60:


“I think he’ll get in eventually.  If you have a player like that, pretty soon, you put him in.’’


While this is not exactly a ringing endorsement, compared to his Hall of Fame peers it really is!

Perry may have had a somewhat lackadaisical endorsement of Barry Bonds, he had an adamant stance against Pete Rose:


“Pete did the worst thing possible, worse than steroids,…he put money on games, win or lose. He’s paying the price.”


Quite the different stance regarding Rose isn’t it?

Gaylord Perry was not the only Baseball Hall of Fame inductee who was on this conference call.  John Smoltz was also on this call and he had a softer stance in regards to Bonds:


“I’m trying to figure out what is actual, and what isn’t,  To me, the one thing forgotten in this thing is the mission statement. Character is a big part of it. You have to not only have the numbers, but the character that matches it


If you have first-hand knowledge that a player used, or has publicly acknowledged it, I think it’s an easy decision. When it is circumstance and evidence, and you don’t know, and just follow the rumor mill, that’s difficult for the writer to be judge and jury.”


This is not exactly an endorsement for Bonds, but it is not a condemnation either.

As it stands now, Bonds and his “PED brethren” are on the outside looking in, but from revealed ballots it looks like he and his ilk are inching closer to the 75% needed to get in.  As some writers have put it, the fact Bud Selig has been chosen by the Today’s Game Committee, it is harder to omit the players who juiced up under his watch.


The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce their Class of 2017 on the 17th of January.

This could be the most interesting vote yet!

You knew Curt Schilling couldn’t keep quiet right?

It seems like we have been discussing the potential drop off of Schilling’s votes from last year on a weekly basis as three Baseball Hall of Fame voters have openly stated that they will not be voting for him.  Curt of course was bound to respond and he had this to say to his former employer, ESPN.

He had the following to say:


“The Hall of Fame vote, to people like Dan and Wallace Matthews and Jon Heyman, is power to them.  That’s how it works when you give weak people power.  They want to ‘hold it over me’ or something like that? Please.  An arbitrary process done by some of the most vindictive and spiteful humans I’ve ever known?  One I stopped having control over nine years ago?

I sleep fine. My three World Series rings, trophies and 20-some years of amazing memories are all mine, and always will be.

I hate bullies, and I hate people who make other people feel bad on purpose. Clemens? Bonds? They ruined people’s lives to keep their legacies, which they eventually lost. I’ve never in my life done, nor will do, anything remotely close to something like that.

I know who I am, and this has been an amazing teaching opportunity for my children, and especially my three sons. They know me, so when they read about ‘racism’ and the other bulls— people spew, it affords us a ton of opportunity to talk about how the real world works.


Schilling isn’t wrong in that many baseball writers have taken a lot of moral high ground and there have been occasions where writers have given reasons not to vote for a candidate that have come off as self-righteous. 

Either way, Schilling’s vote are likely to drop and there is a war brewing between him and those who decide his Hall of Fame legacy…which whether he admits it publically or not does matter.

This isn’t going to be Curt Schilling’s year is it?

We have another Baseball Hall of Fame writer who has stated that he will not be voting for Schilling and furthermore, won’t be voting for anyone for the 2017 Hall of Fame Class.  That person is Wally Matthews, a former beat writer for the New York Yankees who had this say to say in a column regarding Schilling:


“If baseball’s Sabremetricians could come up with a way to quantify character, Curt Schilling’s would be a negative number.

But a guy’s personality is not supposed to be the criteria for voting, his performance is. However, voters are human beings and sometimes it is difficult to separate the man from the player.

That is where the question of Curt Schilling’s candidacy comes up for me this year. I have voted for Schilling in the past, based on his superior career WAR (80.7, higher than that of Tom Glavine, Don Sutton, Jim Palmer, Bob Feller, and yes, even Sandy Koufax) and his outstanding post-season numbers.

His personal views have often troubled and at times offended me — he is an unabashed collector of Nazi memorabilia — but I have kept that out of my thought process.

Until, that is, about a month ago, when he retweeted a photo of a man wearing a T-shirt advocating the lynching of journalists, with the comment, “OK, so much awesome here . . .”

Beyond the offensiveness of any reference to lynching, which is profoundly racist in itself, is the threat to the men and women in my profession. That is something I take personally and if Curt Schilling really wants to “lynch” journalists, he can start with me, in a boxing ring with 10-ounce gloves on. That will put an end to his sick little fantasy.”


Did he just challenge Schilling to a fight?

This wasn’t all that Matthews had to say, as other comments showed how he was disheartened with the baseball players in general and their attitude towards the media in general:


“I thought I had reached my breaking point a couple of years ago when, while covering a Yankees road game in a Midwest city, a pitcher who had recently been voted into the Hall of Fame — he was a borderline candidate at best but I voted for him, I must admit, under pressure from some colleagues — came upon the Yankees beat crew waiting for the elevator down to the post-game clubhouse.

This borderline Hall of Famer looked at the group of people, many of whom had voted for him, and turned to a companion. “Look at all the sheep,” he said, derisively. Then he began making ridiculous bleating noises. I couldn’t decide whether to belt him in the mouth or refer him to a psychiatrist. All I know is in that moment, I was profoundly sorry I voted for him and his slightly-better-than average stats.”


We are not sure who sounds more bitter, Matthews, or the former baseball player he is describing. 

Matthews also vented about the hypocrisy of the Today’s Game Era Committee selecting Bud Selig for the 2017 Hall:


“As if trying to determine whose numbers are real and whose were inflated by artificial (read: chemical) and therefore illegal means weren’t difficult enough, the Hall has further complicated matters this year by voting in Bud Selig, a  co-conspirator with Donald Fehr and Gene Orza in allowing the steroid era to occur in the first place.”


While his argument on the induction of Bud Selig is sound, the fact that someone is just throwing away a ballot is absurd and juvenile.  Certainly there are other baseball journalists who would love to have this opportunity.

Either way, the tally for Schilling is not looking like it could possibly be higher than last year.   

We have another entrant in to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Annually, the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award gains entry into Cooperstown.  This year, it is the late Bill King, who was the voice of the Oakland Athletics for years. 

King, who had been a finalist six times, also served as the play-by-play voice for the Oakland Raiders and the Golden State Warriors.  Basically, he was the voice of the city of Oakland. 

The Athletics job was his third major role in the city, taking over the full radio broadcasting duties in 1981.  It was his voice that called the A’s World Series win in 1988 and his “Holy Toledo” catch phrase rang throughout the Bay Area. 

This is a posthumous induction as King passed away in 2005.

We know for sure that the Baseball Hall of Fame will be adding at least two people to their institution next summer.

The 16 Man “Today’s Game Era” Committee has selected former Commissioner, Bud Selig and Executive, John Schuerholz to Cooperstown, the latter of which received a full 100 percent of the vote. 

To get elected, a candidate needed 75 percent (12 votes) to gain induction.

Bud Selig received all but one of the 16 votes.  A former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, Selig is either widely praised or panned depending on your point of view.  Work stoppages and PED growth happened under his watch, but so did substantial revenue growth, interleague play and revenue sharing.  He becomes the fifth former commissioner to get elected.

Schuerholz was considered a lock and based on his record how could he not be?  He was the first General Manager to win the World Series in both leagues (Kansas City in ’85 and Atlnata in ’95) and while Atlanta only one World Series, it was a powerhouse team that won 14 consecutive divisions.

Former player and Manager, Lou Piniella received seven votes.

The other candidates received five for less and as per the rule (though we find that absurd) their exact vote count was not released. 

Those who received five votes or less are George Steinbrenner (Owner), Mark McGwire, Albert Belle, Davey Johnson (Manager), Harold Baines, Orel Hershiser and Will Clark.  They could possibly be nominated again in four years, the next time that the “Today’s Game Era” is scheduled to meet.

Of note, the 16 man committee are owners Bill DeWitt Jr. (Cardinals) and David Glass (Royals), executives Andy MacPhail (Phillies), Kevin Towers (Reds) and Paul Beeston (formerly of the Blue Jays), media members Bill Center, Steve Hirdt and Tim Kurkjian, and Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar, Bobby Cox Andre Dawson, Dennis Eckersley, Pat Gillick, Frank Thomas, Ozzie Smith and Don Sutton.

We would like to congratulate the two new entries to the Baseball Hall of Fame and are curious to see who will join Bud Selig and John Schuerholz.

This may not be Curt Schilling’s year. 

Boston Herald columnist, Dan Shaughnessy stated that he would not be voting for Curt Schilling following a tweet in which he captioned “Ok, so much awesome here…” while taking a picture of a man wearing a t-shirt that read, “Rope. Tree. Journalist: Some Assembly Required” at a Donald Trump rally.

It would appear that this is not the only reporter with a Baseball Hall of Fame ballot that may not be voting for Curt Schilling.

Jon Heyman, who works as an insider for MLB Netowrk and for the FanRag Sports Network spoke to the SportsHub on 98.5 in Boston and had this to say:

“Two of the criteria in a very short paragraph are character and integrity, and I’m starting to feel sick to my stomach to even vote for this guy.  Some people can throw out character and integrity, and generally, I don’t put that much stock into it. I basically go on the on-field performance.

I dealt with [Schilling] and did not like him personally, but that doesn’t come into play. I usually like the guys but I’ve voted for a few people I do not like. I do not like Curt Schilling, at all.  It has nothing to do with his political views; it’s about character and integrity.

There is a line there to me and he crossed that line by espousing lynching. He did many things before that, and many of those things got him fired at ESPN. I was willing to ignore all of those things, but I can’t imagine why anyone would espouse lynching.  I don’t know what he believes. I saw him with some hateful rhetoric on TV and then he went and added this to it. If you think that’s a joke, it’s not a very good joke and it seems to line up with things he espouses.

If someone else wants to just look at his baseball career, I’d certainly understand that. To me, he belongs in the Hall of Shame.  I understand if you want to not count character and integrity. If you want to say it only applies to his character as a ball player, that’s fine. But to me, he’s crossed the line and I would not feel good voting for him.”

Ouch.

Schilling did go over the half way mark in votes but both Heyman and Dan Shaughnessy might represent a backlash of writers upset with Schilling’s latest comments.

Didn’t this Baseball Hall of Fame Vote get even more interesting?