Committee Chairman

Ultimate Warrior to the WWE HOF

Jan 14, 2014

About eight years ago, World Wrestling Entertainment released “The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior”; a DVD that as you can tell from the title was far from flattering. As outspoken and let’s just say strange as the Warrior has been, for a multi-million dollar company to use their resources to bury a former talent was a questionable decision; even if there was some validity to the claims of those who spoke on the production.

At that moment, picturing the Ultimate Warrior in the WWE Hall of Fame was as impossible as picturing...well....Bruno Sammartino in the WWE Hall of Fame! We all know what happened last year where through the political savvy of Triple H, the man who held the WWE Championship longer than anyone else was inducted to the institution where he belonged. As that bridge was healed, another has apparently been resurrected as the man who was born James Hellwig (though his legal name is now Warrior) is coming back to the fold and has been announced as the first inductee to the 2014 Class of the WWE Hall of Fame.

At Wrestlemania VI in Toronto, Canada, the Warrior pinned Hulk Hogan in a great match to win the World Wrestling Federation Championship. He held that belt for nearly ten months before losing it to Sgt. Slaughter at the 1991 Royal Rumble. He would have the match of the night at Wrestlemania VII in a pinfall win over Randy “Macho Man” Savage, but over the next five years he would leave and return to the promotion twice; each time leaving with acrimony on both sides.

The Ultimate Warrior may not have been the most technically profound wrestler ever, but he was a huge draw and a major part of the history of the promotion. He was ranked at number 8 on our WWE list, and we are happy to cross him off.

2014 Football HOF Finalists Announced

Jan 10, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It is time to put the nonsense of the Baseball Hall of Fame continuing fiasco behind us (for awhile anyway). Today, the Football Hall of Fame, which continues to do so much right has announced their finalists and we are going to take a quick look at them in order of their ranking on Notinhalloffame.com.

#1 Derrick Brooks

Brooks moved into our number spot in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, and there remains little reason to think that he is not going to Canton immediately.

#3 Marvin Harrison

Harrison is the top rated Wide Receiver in our eyes and is also a first year candidate. Harrison’s emergence on the ballot makes it harder for Tim Brown and Andre Reed, who have been multi-time finalists in the past and are again this year.

#4 Michael Strahan

Strahan is one of the busiest men in show business, and we think he will busy Hall of Fame weekend. Frankly, he should have his dance card punched last year.

#7 Will Shields

The Hall of Fame loves its Offensive Linemen, and this is the best one on the ballot (though we all know Jerry Kramer should be in) and this looks like an excellent shot.

#9 Andre Reed

Back again as a Finalist, Andre Reed finds himself with this very familiar spot, and again with a higher rated Wide Receiver (Harrison) on the ballot. We believe that he has separated himself from Tim Brown, and could sneak in as the second Wide out. If not, he will be right back here next year.

#10 Charles Haley

Every time Charles Haley gets passed over, twitter goes crazy with “#5SuperBowls”. On our list, he keeps rising as does his support from journalists across the country.

#14 Walter Jones

Jones is another first ballot Finalist, but is he the best Offensive Lineman on the ballot? They have inducted two Linemen before, but we don’t this will happen again.

#17 Tim Brown

Look who is back! We will stand with what we said regarding Andre Reed and that if a second Wide Receiver spot is offered it will be to Reed. There won’t be three.

#20 Jerome Bettis

Bettis may not be our highest rated candidate but unlike past years, he has the Running Back spot to himself. Without Roger Craig or Terrell Davis on the list of Finalists, this is his best chance ever.

#24 Aeneas Williams

Honestly, Williams is such a good guy we are pulling for him. It won’t make a difference, this is far as he is going to get.

#29 Ray Guy

Honestly, we thought for sure this was his year. That was until Morten Andersen was also named a Finalist. Guy is a Senior Finalist for the first time after multiple Semi-Finalists spots. With all due respect to some of the other uncertain choices, if Guy does not get in, expect there to be more articles on that than anyone else.

#32 Claude Humphrey

The second of two Senior Nominees is a real wild card here. More than sixty percent of the Senior Nominees get in, so the odds are actually for him.

#44 Kevin Greene

Back again as a Finalist, he still seems like he is on the second tier of great defensive players on a ballot.

#58 John Lynch

Wouldn’t it be a nice story if he got in with his long time teammate Derrick Brooks? That is all it will be is a story, as it isn’t happening.

#100 Morten Andersen

What is with the love of this ballot for Kickers? Did anyone see this coming, and regardless of whether you did or didn’t, isn’t this a nice surprise? The only one who should be upset is Ray Guy, as this is the best shot he realistically had, and Andersen could easily split support, as there is no way two Kickers are going in. Of course, we would have lost our house on these two being Finalists.

Our highest rated snub is Roger Craig (#13) who is likely to have to wait for a Veterans look.

As you have noticed, we do not rank contributors. First year nominee Tony Dungy and former San Francisco owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. have also been named as Finalists. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue failed to make it to this round.

The Class of 2014 will be announced on Super Bowl Weekend.

2014 Baseball HOF Class set

Jan 08, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

This is definitely our favorite time of year and one of the days that shows the reason why this website was created. Today, the Baseball Hall of Fame have announced the Class of 2014 and there will be three new members as Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas have all been selected on their first year of eligibility. They will join a Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre and Bobby Cox who have already been selected by the Veterans Committee, making this a loaded class and one that should draw significantly better than the sad sack Class of 2013 which inducted one player (Deacon White) who last played in 1890.

We are going to take at this year’s ballot in order of their percentage of the vote.

Greg Maddux 97.2% Ranked #3 by NIHOF 1^st Year on the Ballot

There is no shock here, as Maddux was clearly the biggest “untainted” name on the ballot. The only question here that we have is how many left their ballot blank or avoided this era completely (ie: Ken Gurnick) as we can’t see how the name Greg Maddux does not get written down. Frankly, anyone who didn’t should probably have his ballot revoked.

Tom Glavine 91.9% Ranked #9 by NIHOF 1^st Year on the Ballot

Maddux’ long time Atlanta Braves teammate completes a Braves trifecta with Bobby Cox. Glavine statistically belongs here too as a first ballot inductee, though a look at some of the first ballot pitchers who did not get nearly the support shows that they are not far from some of the numbers that Glavine put up. Still, there is something that has to be sweet for Atlanta fans to see this happen.

Frank Thomas 83.7% Ranked #5 by NIHOF 1^st Year on the Ballot

Thomas was very vocal about PED users and how they should not go in. He got his wish as not only are they not HOF bound this year, they are not going in with him on his first year on the ballot. Thomas is another that the Hall got right and statistically is worthy of a first ballot choice.

Craig Biggio 74.8 % Ranked #13 by NIHOF 2^nd Year on the Ballot

Ouch! Up from his 68.2% from last year, the Houston Astro came as close as you can get without getting in. Biggio is the victim of the logjam on the ballot, though he is one of those players who although is a rare member of the 3,000 Hit Club and did so relatively speaking recently, he is one of those players you don’t always think about unless you are in Houston. He will get in soon though.

Mike Piazza 62.2% Ranked #6 by NIHOF 2^nd Year on the Ballot

The good news for the greatest hitting Catcher of all time is that his tally went up by four percent. The bad news is that he should be in already and there is a PED suspicion around him that is keeping him from getting in.

Jack Morris 61.5% Ranked #27 by NIHOF 15^th Year on the Ballot

You had to see this coming. Morris for some is a controversial choice as his signature performances and traditional statistics make him a Hall of Fame choice. His advanced metrics put him well out. He had worked his way to 67.7% last year, but rather than get over the hump, he fell due to the glut of new pitching talent that entered the ballot; namely Maddux and Glavine. Jack Morris will have to rely on the Veterans Committee from here on in, but our bet is that he won’t get in that way either.

Jeff Bagwell 54.3% Ranked #4 by NIHOF 2^nd Year on the Ballot

See Piazza, Mike. Bagwell is another suspected (though unproven) of taking PEDs. However, unlike Piazza, Bagwell saw his support drop by about four percent from the previous year. Frankly, we are the most curious about following Bagwell’s future pattern than anyone else on this ballot.

Tim Raines 46.1% Ranked #8 by NIHOF 7^th Year on the Ballot

The Rock’s HOF support has risen every year...until now. Last year he had over 52% and his drop has nothing to do with PEDs, just with the high amount of quality players on the ballot. More and more journalists have been writing about Tim Raines and the Hall of Fame, and we suspect that trend to continue. Expect him to again grow support next year and resume his climb.

Roger Clemens 35.4% Ranked #2 by NIHOF 2^nd Year on the Ballot

This is not a shock as there was no reason to suspect that support was going to change for the known PED users. Clemens actually saw his percentage dip by 2 percent from last year, indicating that might follow the pattern of the first known PED guy on the ballot, Mark McGwire whose vote totals dip annually.

Barry Bonds 34.7% Ranked 1C by NIHOF 2^nd Year on the Ballot

Like Clemens, Bonds’ support dropped by approximately two percent from the previous year. Do we really think that in thirteen years the climate will change for these guys to get in? Hey, that is a lifetime in sports and in public opinion!

Lee Smith 29.9% Ranked 34 by NIHOF 12^th Year on the Ballot

Here is the guy we feel the worst for. Whether or not you think Lee Smith should be in for eleven years he had to think there was some kind of shot. His support has been from 36.6 to as high as 50.6 two years ago. For the first time, he has dropped to below 30 percent, and with three years left, he will be lucky to get back to the 50 mark. He won’t be that lucky.

Curt Schilling 29.2% Ranked 11 by NIHOF 2^nd Year on the Ballot

Huh? Schilling dropped from 38.8 from last year which is either due to the mild PED speculation or mostly from the addition of Maddux and Glavine on the ballot. His JAWS is actually higher than Tom Glavine. We did not think he would get in this year, but we did not expect a near ten percent drop in voting percentage.

Edgar Martinez 25.2% Ranked 19 by NIHOF 5^th Year on the Ballot

Edgar dropped ten percent on the ballot from last year and here we are forty years after the creation of the Designated Hitter it is clear that the establishment doesn’t respect it yet. Seattle fans, we know how important he was to you, but it doesn’t look good.

Alan Trammell 20.8% Ranked 15 by NIHOF 13^th Year on the Ballot

Trammell also took a double digit drop and is way down from his 36.8% from two years ago. Perhaps the Veterans Committee will take a look at him (and Lou Whitaker) and give that duo a stronger look. Trammell will be fortunate to even get back the 16 percent back he lost in his final two years of eligibility.

Mike Mussina 20.3% Ranked 8 by NIHOF 1^st Year on the Ballot

Are you kidding us? We did not think that Mussina would get on the first ballot, but this total is an insult. His 270 Wins and 2,813 Strikeouts should put him on the fence with traditionalists and his 83.0 WAR makes him a lock with sabremetricians. Let’s get some of these Baseball Writers to explain this one as even with this loaded ballot, this is a joke.

Jeff Kent 15.2% Ranked 47 by NIHOF 1^st Year on the Ballot

This is at the high end of the spectrum of where we thought he would fall. A first year debut here usually means that this is where he will stay. Unless, the Baseball Writers watch reruns of Survivor.

Fred McGriff 11.7% Ranked 29 by NIHOF 5^th Year on the Ballot

This isn’t good for the Crime Dog. This is McGriff’s lowest total by far, as two years ago he reached 23.9%. We aren’t saying that he should be in the Hall of Fame, but doesn’t it seem like he would have been higher than this?

Mark McGwire 11.0% Ranked 14 by NIHOF 8^th Year on the Ballot

This is McGwire’s lowest total on his eight years on the ballot. Big Mac said that he shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame because he took PEDs. Apparently more writers listened this year.

Larry Walker 10.2% Ranked 18 by NIHOF 4^th Year on the Ballot

Walker also dropped ten percent in voting. Want to what is worse than Performance Enhancing Drugs to the Baseball Writers? Playing in Coors Field.

Don Mattingly 8.2% Ranked 64 14^th Year on the Ballot

Donnie Baseball is really just riding the pines on this one, though this is his lowest level of support. Incidentally, his highest vote percentage was 28.2 which occurred on his first year of eligibility.

Sammy Sosa 7.2% Ranked 17 2^nd Year on the Ballot

We wonder if Sammy needs an interpreter to tell him that he won’t get in?

Rafael Palmeiro 4.4% Ranked 16 4^th Year on the Ballot

Palmeiro doesn’t need an interpreter as he saw this coming a long time ago. In our eyes, this is the biggest victim of the PED backlash, or at least the one who comes off looking the saddest.

So...what have we learned?

We know that the PED users are still screwed in regards to Cooperstown.

We know that those suspected (Bagwell, Piazza, Schilling) still have a long haul to go.

We know that Mike Mussina was screwed.

We know that he will be screwed next year because Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz now enter the ballot.

We would like to hear from you and your thoughts on the Class of 2014.

RIP: Phil Everly

Jan 04, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We have lost another musical legend as Phil Everly passed away at the age of 74 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Everly was a heavy smoker in his life which attributed to his severe emphysema and bronchitis. He was one half of the Everly Brothers, who were one of the most popular acts of the 1950’s and one of the most unique at the time.

The duo mastered two part harmonies and perhaps better than anyone else did at the time combined the Country Sound with the new Rock and Roll style. This gave them a broader appeal than most of their contemporaries and they racked up hit after hit in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Their sweet sounding voices masked an edge that their lyrics had, which again, helped them increase their fan base.

Chart wise, the Everly Brothers had 35 top 40 Hits, including three number one songs (Wake Up, Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream and Cathy’s Clown) with four going number one on the Country Charts and three hitting the top on the R&B Chart. The Everlys were one of the ten acts to go into the inaugural Class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and they became one of the rare cases where they also entered the Country Music Hall of Fame which occurred in 2005.

The Everly Brothers left behind a strong legacy which has labelled them one of the most influential acts of the 1950’s. This includes the Beatles, who launched the British Invasion and have openly stated that the harmonies of the Everlys had a huge impact on their music. There is a reason that John and Paul said that one of the names they toyed around with was “The Foreverly Brothers”. Ironically, they may have helped inspire the Invasion, but they were not able to succeed during that time, as along with most of the other acts from the 1950’s they were quickly replaced in the musical world of pop culture.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com offer our condolences to the friends and family of Phil Everly at this time. Now we are going to listen to some of their greatest hits.