Committee Chairman

Dominik Hasek to Buffalo Sabres HOF

Mar 09, 2014

The Buffalo Sabres began their Hall of Fame in 1980 and have already inducted forty-one men in their Hall. Honestly, this is a high amount for a franchise that has never won a Stanley Cup (although they have been to two), but the 42^nd inductee is someone that hockey fans should have no problem with.

That man is Czech born Goaltender, Dominik Hasek, who arrived in Buffalo via a trade from Chicago as the backup for Grant Fuhr in 1992. Hasek would ascend to the starting position following an injury to Grant early in the 1993-94 season, and he immediately became one of the elite Goaltenders in Hockey.

Hasek would have his best professional seasons in Buffalo where he would win the Vezina Trophy five times, the Hart Trophy twice and was named a First Team All Star six times. Hasek made the Buffalo Sabres a contender and willed them to a Stanley Cup Final in 1999. There is no argument that during the last half of the 1990’s that “The Dominator” was the best player in between the pipes (he won the Olympic Gold for the Czech Republic in this time frame too) and that he was Buffalo Sabres Hockey.

His time in Buffalo was not all sunshine, as he had a serious falling out with Head Coach, Ted Nolan, who despite being the Coach of the Year was essentially rode out of town by Hasek. He would be traded out of Buffalo in 2001 in a cost cutting move by the Sabres, and he would win a cup with the Detroit Red Wings shortly after.

Hasek may not have left Buffalo on the best of terms, but this team can’t have a Hall of Fame without him in it. We congratulate Hasek on this accolade and count the days until he is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto!

College Football HOF Nominees are out

Mar 08, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

The College Football Hall of Fame has announced 75 former players and 6 former coaches who are on the ballot for the 2014 Class. To qualify for the Hall, a player must be an All American at least once. Below are the 75 players chosen for the ballot:

Trev Alberts, LB, Nebraska

Eric Bieniemy, RB, Colorado

Dre Bly, DB, North Carolina

Tony Boselli, OT, USC

Brian Bosworth, LB, Oklahoma

Bob Breunig, LB, Arizona State

Jerome Brown, DT, Miami

Ruben Brown, OT, Pitt

Larry Burton, WR, Purdue

Dave Butz, DT, Purdue

Freddie Carr, LB, UTEP

Mark Carrier, S, USC

Wes Chandler, WR, Florida

Shane Conlan, LB, Penn State

Tim Couch, QB, Kentucky

Tom Cousineau, LB, Ohio State

Bob Crable, LB, Notre Dame

Paul Crane, C/LB, Alabama

Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska

Randall Cunningham, QB/P, UNLV

Troy Davis, RB, Iowa State

Eric Dickerson, RB, SMU

Mike Dirks, DT, Wyoming

D.J. Dozier, RB, Penn State

Tim Dwight, WR/Returner, Iowa

Jumbo Elliott, OT, Michigan

William Fuller, DT, North Carolina

Thom Gatewood, WR, Notre Dame

Willie Gault, WR, Tennessee

Kirk Gibson, WR, Michigan State

Charlie Gogolak, K, Princeton

Joe Hamilton, QB, Georgia Tech

Al Harris, DE, Arizona State

Dana Howard, LB, Illinois

Randy Hughes, DB, Oklahoma

Bobby Humphrey, RB, Alabama

Raghib Ismail, WR, Notre Dame

Roy Jefferson, WR, Utah

Ernie Jennings, WR, Air Force

Keyshawn Johnson, WR, USC

Clinton Jones, RB, Michigan State

Lincoln Kennedy, OT, Washington

Tim Krumrie, DT, Wisconsin

Greg Lewis, RB, Washington

Jesse Lewis, DT, Oregon State

Ray Lewis, LB, Miami

Robert Lytle, RB, Michigan

Bob McKay, OT, Texas

Cade McNown, QB, UCLA

Mark Messner, DL, Michigan

Darrin Nelson, RB, Stanford

Ken Norton Jr, LB, UCLA

Tom Nowatzke, FB, Indiana

Jim Otis, FB, Ohio State

Paul Palmer, RB, Temple

Antwaan Randle El, QB, Indiana

Simeon Rice, LB, Illinois

Ron Rivera, LB, Cal

Willie Roaf, OL, Louisiana Tech

Mike Ruth, NG, Boston College

Rashaan Salaam, RB, Colorado

Warren Sapp, DT, Miami

John Sciarra, QB, UCLA

Larry Seivers, WR, Tennessee

Sterling Sharpe, WR, South Carolina

Art Still, DE, Kentucky

Derrick Thomas, LB, Alabama

Zach Thomas, LB, Texas Tech

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU

Jackie Walker, LB, Tennessee

Wesley Walls, TE, Mississippi

Lorenzo White, RB, Michigan State

Clarence Williams, RB, Washington State

Ricky Williams, RB, Texas

Steve Wisniewski, OG, Penn State

These are the six coaches who will appear on the ballot:

Mike Belotti -- Chico State, Oregon

Jim Carlen -- West Virginia, Texas Tech, South Carolina

Pete Cawthon -- Texas Tech

Danny Ford -- Clemson, Arkansas

Billy Jack Murphy -- Memphis

Darryl Rogers -- Call State-Hayward, Fresno State, San Jose State, Michigan State, Arizona State

In May, they will announce the Class, which will be officially inducted in December of this year.

St. Louis Cardinals to unveil their own HOF

Mar 08, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

In January, the St. Louis Cardinals announced the first class for their club’s Hall of Fame. It will have a physical structure within Cardinal Nation in Ballpark Village. The Cards are one of the most decorated franchises in all of sports and have won nineteen National League Pennants and eleven World Series, easily the most of anyone in the Senior Circuit.

They have followed the pattern of other Major League franchises that have their own separate Halls of Fame, and since they have well over 100 years to draw from, they have the ability to create one that not only celebrates great players, but a great organization.

The first twenty-two men selected are those who have already been inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York and/or have had their number retired by the team.

These men are:

Jim Bottomley: First Base, 1922-32 (HOF, 1974):

1928 MVP, .325 Batting Average, 1 Home Run Title and 2 RBI Titles. 1,727 Hits and 1,105 RBIs. 33.5 bWAR.

Ken Boyer: Third Base, 1955-65

1964 MVP, 6 time All Star, 5 Gold Gloves. .293 Batting Average, 1,855 Hits, 255 Home Runs, 1,001 RBIs. 58.2 bWAR.

Lou Brock: Outfield, 1964-79 (HOF, 1985)

6 Time All Star, 2 Runs Scored Titles and 8 Stolen Base Titles. .297 Batting Average, 1,427 Runs Scored, 2,713 Hits, 888 Stolen Bases. 41.7 bWAR

Jack Buck: Broadcaster, 1954-2001

1987 Ford Frick Award Winner.

August A. Busch Jr.,: Owner, 1953-89

3 World Series and 6 N.L. Pennants as an Owner.

Dizzy Dean: Pitcher, 1930 & 1932-37 (HOF, 1953)

1934 MVP, 1935 & 1936 Runner Up. 4 Time All Star, 4 Strikeout Titles and 2 Wins Titles. 134-75 record with 1,095 Strikeouts. 38.5 bWAR.

Frank Frisch: Second Base, 1927-37 (HOF, 1947)

1931 MVP and 1927 Runner Up. 3 Time All Star and two Stolen Base Titles. .316 Batting Average. 1,577 Hits and a 32.6 bWAR.

Bob Gibson: Pitcher, 1959-75 (HOF, 1981)

1967 and 1969 Cy Young Winner. 1967 MVP. 8 Time All Star, 9 Gold Gloves, 1 Wins Title, 1 ERA Title, 1 WHIP Title and 1 Strikeout Title. 251 and 174 record with 3,117 Strikeouts. 81.9 bWAR.

Chick Hafey: Outfield, 1924-31 (HOF, 1971)

1 Batting Title and 1 Slugging Title. .326 Batting Average and .568 Slugging Average. 963 Hits and 127 Home Runs. 20.6 bWAR.

Jesse Haines: Pitcher, 1920-37 (HOF, 1970)

210 and 158 record and 981 Strikeouts.

Whitey Herzog: Manager, 1980-90 (HOF, 2010)

822 and 728 Managerial Record. Three NL Pennants and 1 World Series.

Rogers Hornsby: Second Base, 1915-26 & 1933 (HOF, 1942)

1924 MVP. 6 Batting Titles (including three over .400), 6 On Base Percentage Titles, 7 Slugging Titles, 7 OPS Titles, 3 Runs Scored Titles, 2 Home Run Titles and 4 Runs Batted In Titles. .359 Batting Average, .427 On Base Percentage, .568 Slugging Percentage, .995 OPS, 2,110 Hits, 367 Doubles, 193 Home Runs, 1,072 Runs Batted In and 1,089 Runs Scored.

Tony LaRussa: Manager, 1996-2011 (HOF, 2014)

1,408 and 1,182 Managerial Record. Three NL Pennants and 2 World Series.

Joe Medwick: Outfield, 1932-40 & 1947-48 (HOF, 1968)

1937 MVP & 8 Time All Star. 1 Batting Title, 1 Slugging Title, 1 OPS Title, 1 Runs Scored Title, 2 Hits Title, 1 Home Run Title and 3 Runs Batted In Titles. .335 Batting Average, .545 Slugging Average, .917 OPS, 1,590 Hits, 152 Home Runs and 923 Runs Batted In.

Johnny Mize: First Base, 1936-41 (HOF, 1981)

MVP Runner Up in 1938 & 1939 and 5 Time All Star. 1 Batting Title, 4 Slugging Titles, 3 OPS Titles, 2 Home Run Titles and 2 Runs Batted In Titles. .336 Batting Average, .419 On Base Percentage, .600 Slugging Percentage, 1.019 OPS, 1,048 Hits, 158 Home Runs and 653 Runs Batted In. 39.0 bWAR.

Stan Musial: First Base & Outfield, 1941-63 (HOF, 1969)

1943, 1946 & 1948 MVP and 1949, 1950, 1951 & 1957 Runner Up. 20 Time All Star, 7 Batting Titles, 6 On Base Percentage Titles, 6 Slugging Titles, 7 OPS Titles, 5 Runs Scored Titles, 6 Hits Titles, 8 Doubles Titles, 5 Triples Titles and 2 Runs Batted In Titles. .331 Batting Average, .417 On Base Percentage, .559 Slugging Percentage, .976 OPS, 3,630 Hits, 1,949 Runs Scored, 725 Doubles, 475 Home Runs and 1,951 Runs Batted In. 128.1 bWAR.

Branch Rickey: Manager, 1919-25; General Manager, 1919-42 (HOF, 1967)

4 World Series wins as a General Manager.

Red Schoendienst: Second Base & Outfield, 1945-56 & 1961-63 (HOF, 1989)

9 Time All Star and 1 Stolen Base Title. .289 Batting Average, 1,980 Hits and 1,025 Runs Scored. 33.1 bWAR.

Enos Slaughter: Outfield, 1938-42 & 1946-53 (HOF, 1985)

10 Time All Star, 1 Hits Title, 1 Doubles Title, 2 Triples Title and 1 Runs Batted In Title. .305 Batting Average, .384 On Base Percentage, 2,064 Hits, 1,071 Runs Scored, 135 Triples, 146 Home Runs and 1,148 Runs Batted In. 50.3 bWAR.

Ozzie Smith: Shortstop, 1982-96 (HOF, 2002)

14 Time All Star and 11 Gold Gloves. .272 Batting Average, 1,944 Hits and 433 Stolen Bases. 65.6 bWAR.

Billy Southworth: Outfield, 1926-27 & 1929; Manager, 1929 & 1940-45 (HOF, 2008)

620 and 346 Managerial Record. 3 NL Pennants and 2 World Series.

Bruce Sutter: Pitcher, 1981-84 (HOF, 2006)

2 Time All Star and three Saves Titles. 127 Saves and a 6.2 bWAR

All twenty-two men will be officially part of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame on Opening Day on April 7^th, where the team will dedicate the HOF and Museum as open.

This is not all that the Redbirds have planned. A “Red Ribbon Selection Panel” was created to select a Veteran player and a ballot of six to ten players for a fan vote. The Panel consists of Tom Ackerman, Frank Cusamano, Derrick Goold, Rick Hummel, Randy Karraker, Martin Kilcoyne, Jenifer Langosch, Tony La Russa, Bernie Miklasz, Red Schoendienst, Joe Strauss, and Brian Walton.

They have selected eight former players who are modern ballot nominees. The Voting commences Friday, March 7th. The two players with the most fan votes after voting concludes on April 22nd will be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame this August. Voting takes place online at cardinals.com/HOF.

The nominees are:

Jim Edmonds: Outfield, 2000-07

3 Time All Star, 1 Time Silver Slugger and 6 Gold Gloves. .285/.393/.555/.947 Slash Line. 1,033 Hits, 241 Home Runs and 713 Runs Batted In. 37.8 bWAR

Bob Forsch: Pitcher, 1974-87

2 Time Silver Slugger. 163 and 127 Record with 1,079 Strikeouts. 21.5 bWAR.

Keith Hernandez: First Base, 1974-83

1979 MVP. 2 Time All Star, 1 Time Silver Slugger and 6 Time Gold Glove. 1 Batting Title, 1 On Base Percentage Title and 2 Runs Scored Titles. .299/.385/.448/.833 Slash Line. 1,217 Hits. 34.3 bWAR.

Willie McGee: Outfield, 1982-90 & 1996-99

1985 MVP. 4 Time All Star, 1 Time Silver Slugger and 3 Time Gold Glove. 2 Batting Titles, 1 Triples Title and 1 Hits Title. .294/.329/.400/.729 Slash Line. 1,683 Hits and 301 Stolen Bases. 25.5 bWAR.

Mark McGwire: First Base, 1997-2001

3 Time All Star and 1 Time Silver Slugger. 2 Home Run Titles, 1 On Base Percentage Title, 1 Slugging Title and 1 OPS Title. .270/.427/.683/1.111 Slash Line. 220 Home Runs. 19.3 bWAR.

Matt Morris: Pitcher, 1997-2005

2 Time All Star and 1 Wins Title. 101 and 62 Record with 986 Strikeouts. 18.7 bWAR.

Ted Simmons: Catcher/First Base, 1968-80

6 Time All Star and 1 Time Silver Slugger. .298/.366/.459/.824 Slash Line. 1,704 Hits and 172 Home Runs. 44.9 bWAR

Joe Torre: Catcher, 1970-74

1971 MVP and 4 Time All Star. 1 Batting Title, 1 Hits Title and 1 Runs Batted In Title. .308/.382/.458/.840 Slash Line. 1,062 Hits. 22.4 bWAR

We want to go on record that we love what the St. Louis Cardinals have done in the creation of their Hall of Fame and how the fans will be able to participate. Well done, St. Louis!

PS: we also voted for Ted Simmons!

RIP: Billy Robinson

Mar 05, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Professional Wrestling lost another legend today, as the British star, Billy Robinson passed away at the age of 74. Robinson was a true International star, as he was successful in multiple continents, and he executed multiple styles that made him not just known as a “shooter” in the ring, but one who was comfortable with whatever style was presented for him.

Robinson was a very successful amateur and professional wrestler in his native United Kingdom and planted his North American flag in Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association, where he became a top star. Robinson held titles in All Japan, the AWA, Britain, Australia and multiple territories and had a very memorable match against Antonio Inoki in 1975 in Tokyo which was billed as the “Match Between the World’s Top Two Technicians”, which was accurate.

If you are not familiar with Billy Robinson, seek out his matches on YouTube and you will be in for a treat.