Willie MaysClass of 1979Perhaps the greatest five-tool player in the history of baseball, the Say Hey Kid dazzled with his personality and excelled in every facet of the game, hitting 660 homers (sixth all-time), stealing 338 bases, hitting .302 for his career and playing in a record-tying 24 All-Star Games. I was elite, for a period of time, you know. and our He went on to play more games at first base (2,413) than any player in history, winning three Gold Glove Awards there. But I played varsity and spending that year on the varsity and that experience gave me a big boost of confidence. I dont know. Wisconsins Joe Thomas was 33 , but he stayed at left tackle and become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Willie StargellClass of 1988Stargell spent his entire 21-year career in Pittsburgh, topping 20 homers in 13 straight seasons and winning a pair of home run crowns after the Pirates moved to Three Rivers Stadium in 1971. And maybe Im getting too deep with this, but the Hall of Fame is very validating for me and I didnt realize how much I needed it, how much I needed that recognition that I dont always see what I did back in the day, back in the 90s. (The seventh season of Hills contract was a $16,901,500 player-option, which he exercised, after only playing in 21 games the season before. Kevon Looney's historically elite rebounding provided separation in a winner-take-all Game 7. After the 1999-00 season, Grant Hill and Detroit were both ready to go in a different direction. And it was a little different for him growing up in Oakland and the Bay Area. He was enshrined to the Hall with a 98.5 percent vote. Wir verwenden Cookies um Inhalte und Anzeigen zu personalisieren, um Social-Media-Funktionen zur Verfgung zu stellen und unseren Traffic zu analysieren. Derek JeterClass of 2020There was never a doubt that Jeter was going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Your default site has been set for 7 days. It wasnt all bad, if that makes sense. He won a World Series with the Mets in 1969. The following is a list of players who immediately made the semifinals and their current Hall of Fame status. He joined Bill Raftery and Jim Nantz to call games together throughout the tournament. 2nd Class of the Curley Athletic Hall of Fame How might we remember Hill? That has to be a hard thing to shake, what could have or should have been? In 2017 as the Twins' skipper, Molitor joined Frank Robinson as the only Hall of Famers to be elected as players and go on to win the Manager of the Year Award. He is the only player in MLB history to compile seven straight seasons with at least 20 homers, 100 RBIs, 100 walks and a .300 batting average. Like I said, my confidence prior to my freshman year of high school to after my freshman year was night and day. Wir teilen auch Informationen ber Ihre Nutzung unserer Website mit unseren Social Media-, Werbe- und Analysepartnern. Hall of Fame Ivan RodriguezClass of 2017"Pudge," as he became iconically known, was a 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove Award winner, both benchmarks for catchers in MLB history. Defensively versatile and offensively adept, Molitor hit .306 over 12,167 plate appearances and logged 50 or more games at designated hitter, third base, second, first, shortstop and in the outfield. Sandy KoufaxClass of 1972Before the left-hander's career was cut short after his age-30 season due to his arthritic elbow, Koufax posted one of the most dominant four-year stretches from 1963-66 for the Dodgers, winning three Cy Young Awards, an NL MVP Award, three Triple Crowns and two World Series MVP Awards. Ken Griffey Jr.Class of 2016As the son of a successful 19-year big leaguer, the No. I did some good things, I did play in the Olympics. The six-time All-Star has since been topped in steals by only Rickey Henderson. He quickly had to reckon with an Each member is worthy of the distinction, and adding four former members of the Phoenix Suns (Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, and Charlie Scott, is hugely important to our beloved franchise. Maybe not as a scorer, but in terms of overall value, the numbers suggest a peak player right on par with Bryant, even if that peak was substantially shorter. Hill: You know, thats a really good question. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Pedro MartinezClass of 2015If it wasn't Johnson, then Martinez was the most dominating pitcher of their era. Despite it being a position that takes such a pounding, Rodriguez played almost exclusively at catcher throughout his 21-year career. So for me at the end of my eighth grade year I played in a national tournament, an AAU tournament and it looked a lot different then compared to what they look like now and our team won the tournament. But at that point you are measuring yourself against the so-called best in the country and not just in your neighborhood or your neck of the woods. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Once frustrated by injuries, Hill's focus is now on the good of his career. Carl YastrzemskiClass of 1989A young Yastrzemski had huge shoes to fill, stepping into left field as a 21-year-old rookie the season after Ted Williams' retirement. In the ESPN 30 for 30 Films documentary This Magic Moment, Penny Hardaway states at one point that he retired seven years too late. Previous finalists included again this year for consideration are four-time NBA All-StarMaurice Cheeks, the only coach in NCAA history to be named Conference Coach of the Year in four different conferencesCharles Lefty Driesell, 28-year NBA refereeHugh Evans, two-time NCAA National Championship Coach of BaylorKim Mulkey, two-time NBA Champion coachRudy Tomjanovich, five-time NBA All-StarChris Webberand 10-time AAU National ChampionsWayland Baptist University. Seaver's 98.8 percent Hall vote is the highest for a starting pitcher. To fully articulate Hills dominance at his zenith, well play a different what if game. The two-time AL MVP Award winner, two-time Triple Crown winner and six-time AL batting champion also served in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for three years of his prime and later served in the Korean War. I remember being hurt. The first time Hodges was on the BBWAA ballot was for the 1969 Hall of Fame class. Fair or not, its part of his legacy. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter. He pitched his last game on Oct. 4, 2009, less than a month shy of his 46th birthday. There arent many people who get anointed to carry the crown of being the face of the league. I was just getting ready to come into the league and youre coming off your college stuff, and it just doesnt seem like college was 20 years ago or whatever it was. The people who vote for the HoF fill in what are called ballots, where they decide who they think should be Rivera won both World Series MVP and American League Championship Series MVP in his career, as well as All-Star Game MVP in 2013, his final season and final All-Star Game. WebRT @CalFootball: In honor of this years NFL Draft in Kansas City, lets throw it back to 1997 when our first-ballot Hall of Famer @TonyGonzalez88 was selected 13th overall by the When the sun set on Hills sixth season and he decided to sign with the Orlando Magic, he had career averages of 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game which at that point, had only been matched by Oscar Robertson through six seasons. The Suns, needing depth, Hill needing a change of scenery, and Phoenix with the widely-believed best training staff in the NBA, was the perfect destination, and thus the third chapter of his career began. Palmer became the premier pitcher of the 1970s, compiling the most wins (186) and lowest ERA (2.58) of anyone in that decade. Grant also serves as an occasional studio analyst on TNT's Inside the NBA. He played super defense, hit for power and average and played every day. Henderson also owns MLB's all-time record for runs scored (2,295) and is second in walks (2,190) over his 25-year career and in 1990 was the AL MVP Award winner after swiping 65 bases and posting a 1.016 OPS -- the type of season that will almost assuredly never be matched again. Joe MorganClass of 1990Morgan won his first NL MVP Award in 1975 after hitting .327 with 17 homers, 67 steals and 132 walks -- and only got better the following season, when he won the NL MVP Award again. Herrin native Steve Fisher up for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame By Associated Press updated: 12/22/2017 2:39 PM Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, fellow star point guard Jason Kidd, Grant Hill and Ray Allen are among six first-year candidates for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. What Does It Mean To Be A First-Ballot Hall of Famer? : It was too painful, both physically and emotionally, for Grant Hill to go over all of the scenarios in his mind while trying to heal his body. WebThe Hall of Valor is the worlds largest public database of American military award citations, collected by Doug Sterner, a Vietnam veteran and Military Times contributing editor. Grant and young Tracy McGrady were supposed to be the new Jordan and Pippen in Disneyworld, but it didnt quite work out that way. Hill: Its crazy. He shared Rookie of the Year honors with Jason Kidd in 1995 and was the man expected by many to serve as the superstar bridge for the league between the Michael Jordan era and whatever came next. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Grant Hill But perhaps his most prominent milestone was helping the Red Sox snap the 86-year Curse of the Bambino with their World Series title in 2004. As you might guess, big name offensive superstars get more attention than other positions. And he was going to Georgetown, so my mom ending up getting season tickets and my mom and I, we had two tickets, and we would go to all these games at the [Capital] Center and she became a huge Georgetown fan. MC5, a six-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee, revs up for first album in 51 years and new tour Guitarist Wayne Kramer, who leads the new edition of the band, likens its mission to Paul Reveres. But immediately injuries took their toll on Hill, and after seven incredibly unsuccessful (and highly expensive) seasons with the Orlando Magic, in which he had played: 2000-01: 4 games2001-02: 142002-03: 292003-04: 02004-05: 672005-06: 212006-07: 65, it was time for Hill to move on. Golden State's star sharpshooter enjoys another historic moment, which also set his playoff career high. If Penny and Grant dont get hurt, those are the two guys back in their day that everyone wants to play like.. Thats why it matters that Grant Hill is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Grant Hill is in the Hall of Fame because of the Phoenix He won 13 straight Gold Glove Awards from 1980-92 and was an All-Star in all but one season in that stretch. I think when I was in the midst of it, fighting the injuries in Orlando and then went to Phoenix, youre just so caught up in the moment and looking forward. First Ballot Hall of Famer - BR Bullpen - Baseball So again, I wanted to play with my friends on the freshmen team, who by the way went 22-0 that year, so if I had played with them I might have messed them up (laughing). I remember the end. WebRT @CalFootball: In honor of this years NFL Draft in Kansas City, lets throw it back to 1997 when our first-ballot Hall of Famer @TonyGonzalez88 was selected 13th overall by the @Chiefs #ProBears . Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. And when Grant Hill came in he was basically anointed by the league, players and everyone, he was anointed to be the next face of the league, former Pistons great and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said after Hill was announced as one of the selections for the, . He was an eight-time All-Star, a 1995 World Series champion, the 2008 NL batting champion and the '99 NL MVP Award winner. And as our communication increased, phone calls and mail, and then going and taking official visits my junior year of high school, it was just something about him I believed in and I wanted to be a part of that program. When you talk about 6-8 guys with a handle, we see a lot of those guys now, but Grant Hill was the first guy who came into the NBA that I remember being 6-8 with a, Hill would have settled for at least a brief return to his pre-injury form. A First Ballot Hall of Famer is a player who is elected to the Hall of Fame on his first appearance on the BBWAA ballot. But yeah, I forget sometimes, even my kids remind me. Greg MadduxClass of 2014A jokester in the clubhouse but an assassin on the mound, Maddux is widely considered the game's most cerebral pitcher ever. ESPN I took one visit, one official visit, and when I came back from it I knew thats where I wanted to be. Mike SchmidtClass of 1995Schmidt excelled with both his bat -- he led the NL in home runs eight times -- and his glove -- he won 10 Gold Glove Awards -- during his Hall of Fame career. Metrics like Box Plus-Minus and Value Over Replacement Player also allude to Hill having a similar peak impact as Bryant with Hills career best in each of those superior to Bryant. Johnson, the leading receiver in Detroit Lions history, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in voting that was announced Saturday at the NFL Honors show. I obviously knew about the NBA but I was still just a fan. Which positions are most often honored on the first ballot? Among the tens of thousands of players, managers, owners, executives and other personnel that have made their marks on baseball, only a select 340 are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including 268 former Major League players. During his remarkable 1972 campaign, he compiled a 1.97 ERA and struck out 310 batters over 346 1/3 innings and remains the last pitcher to exceed 300 innings in a single season ('80). Scan this QR code to download the app now. Stan MusialClass of 1969Not only did Stan "The Man" win three NL MVP Awards, three World Series championships and seven batting titles, but he did it all in St. Louis, where he spent his entire 22-year career and became the face of the franchise. 1 overall pick in the 1987 Draft and perhaps one of the most touted prospects ever, "The Kid" lived up to the hype and more. NBA.com: So much has been made over the years about you choosing Duke for college. An amazing four-year career at Duke, Rookie of the Year, Olympic gold medalist and 7-time All-Star, Hills career arc includes the injuries which prematurely ended his prime and derailed any potential best player chatter.