Oh, what a special day.

When you run a website called Notinhalloffame.com, you are naturally obsessed with existing Halls of Fame.  The natural progression is creating your own.

Actually, we have three!

The first one we built was the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, in 2013, with Rocky Balboa enshrined as the inaugural inductee.  Since that time, we have had an open vote where you, the people, decided who should be inducted.

In the years after, you have inducted into the Athlete wing, Roy Hobbs (The Natural), Crash Avis (Bull Durham), Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Major League), Happy Gilmore (Happy Gilmore), Reggie Dunlop (Slap Shot), The Hanson Brothers (Slap Shot), Charlie Conway (The Mighty Ducks) Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez (The Sandlot), Apollo Creed (Rocky), Willie “Mays” Hayes (Major League), Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump), Bobby Boucher (The Waterboy), Paul “Wrecking” Crewe (The Longest Yard), Dottie Hinson (A League of Their Own), Daniel LaRusso (The Karate Kid), Clubber Lang (Rocky), Ivan Drago (Rocky), “Fast” Eddie Felson (The Hustler & The Color of Money, Al Bundy (Married...with Children), Homer Simpson (The Simpsons) and Johnny Lawrence (The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai).

After a delayed vote, (let’s say due to COVID-19), the Class of 2021 is now official based on your votes, staggered over three stages.

This year, the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame Athlete Wing welcomes:

Jake Taylor: Major League & Major League 2.  Taylor (Tom Berenger) joins his fellow teammates from Cleveland, Ricky Vaughn and Willie “Mays” Hays into the Hall.  The veteran Catcher would later parlay his wits into an interim managerial role with the team.

Jimmy Chitwood: Hoosiers.  Chitwood (Maris Valainis) finally enters the Hall after making the Final round four previous times.  His skill took small town Hickory to the Indiana State Basketball Championship in 1954, an upset of epic proportions.

Sam Malone: Cheers.  A finalist every year since we have been doing this, “Mayday” (Ted Danson) brings his five years as a Red Sox Relief Pitcher into the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame.

You can view their complete bios here.

The Contributor Wing has previously inducted Harry Doyle (Major League), Carl Spackler (Caddyshack), Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid), Chubbs Peterson (Happy Gilmore), Gordon Bombay (The Mighty Ducks), Mickey Goldmill (Rocky), Morris Buttermaker (The Bad News Bears), Coach Ernie Pantusso (Cheers), Adrian Balboa (Rocky), Jimmy Dugan (A League of Their Own), and the Gopher (Caddyshack).

This year, the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame Contributor Wing welcomes:

Norman Dale: Hoosiers.  In the same year that Jimmy Chitwood finally enters, another perennial Finalist from Hoosiers enters with Norman Dale (Gene Hackman).  Dale led Hickory to a win at State, and atoned for many of his past misdeeds.

Paulie Pennino: Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV and Rocky V.  Paulie joins the Rocky series brethren as the downtrodden sister of Adrian, and eventual cornerman of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World.  

You can view their complete bios here.

The Veteran Wing has previously inducted Andy “Champ” Purcell (The Champ), Dennis Ryan (Take Me Out to the Ball Game), Guffy McGovern (Angels in the Outfield), Huxley College (Horse Feathers), Sport Goofy (Disney) and Joe Hardy/Joe Boyd (Damn Yankees).

This year, the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame Veteran Wing welcomes:

Harold Lamb: The Freshman.  Lamb played college football for Tate University, and the undersized talent got the girl at the end.

Voting has now begun for the Class of 2022, which we hope you will take part in.

As always, we thank you for your support, and we are excited to keep this project alive!

On his Instagram, Los Angeles Rams’ Offensive Tackle, Andrew Whitworth, announced his retirement from football.

The 40-year-old went out on top, anchoring the Rams to their first Super Bowl win in Los Angeles, in a year where he also won the coveted Walter Payton Man of the Year.

Whitworth played his college ball at LSU, and was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals in the Second Round of the 2006 Draft.  Although he became a starter as a rookie, Whitworth didn’t break out until his 30s, earning his first Pro Bowl at 31 in 2012.  Earning a First Team All-Pro in 2015, and a second Pro Bowl, Whitworth secured a third in 2016, his last with the Bengals.

Whitworth signed with the Rams in 2017, and in his first year in L.A., he was again a First Team All-Pro, and captured his fourth and final trip to the Pro Bowl.  With his retirement, Whitworth leaves the game with 239 Games Played, and his 142 in Approximate Value is currently 88^th all-time.

With his play in the last half of his career, Whitworth carved out a case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which he is eligible for 2027.

We here at Notinhallofame.com would like to wish Andrew Whitworth the best in his post-playing career.

Professional Wrestling lost a legend today.

Scott Hall, passed away at the age of 63.  This followed hip surgery, that resulted in a blood clot that generated three heart attacks.  Hall was placed on life support, and was taken off by his family.  He died hours later.

Hall began his wrestling career in 1984, and won his first major title a few years later, the AWA World Tag Team Title with Curt Hennig.  After competing in WCW, Hall joined the WWF in 1992, debuting as Razor Ramon.  Hall was instantly put in the upper card, feuding, and pinning Randy “Macho Man” Savage on multiple house shows.  Turning face following an upset loss to the 1-2-3 Kid, Hall would dominate the Intercontinental Title, winning it four times, with his ladder match win at Wrestlemania X over Shawn Michaels peaking his run.

Hall kickstarted one of the greatest wrestling angles ever, when he interrupted a broadcast of Nitro in 1996.  Followed by Kevin Nash, they would form the New World Order, the most powerful faction in WCW history.  Hall would win the WCW World Tag Team Titles seven times and the United States Title twice, but behind the scenes, his alcohol and drug addictions were wreaking havoc in his personal life.  His personal problems would eventually lead to his release in 2000.

The NWO was resurrected by the WWE in 2002, with Hall wrestling “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at Wrestlemania, but his issues resurfaced with the “Plane Ride from Hell”, and he was let go.

After years of issues, through the help of Diamond Dallas Page, Hall became clean and sober, and made multiple appearances for the WWE in reunion segments.  Hall was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice, one as a single and with the New World Order.

We here at Notinhallofame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Scott Hall.

As a sports fan, you can't miss the NCAA Tournament. Think of it as the Super Bowl, but with 67 games to look forward to instead of just one. Sixty-eight teams play in seven rounds of the NCAA Tournament, known as March Madness.

March Madness is tipped to begin on March 15 with the First Four games. The first round begins proper on March 17.  Excitement is already building around the tournament - both for sports enthusiasts and bettors.

March Madness betting works the same way as the other basketball games. The lines and game totals are provided when the teams are disclosed. Due to the high level of competition and the presence of some of the country's best teams, it may be hard to get an edge over the books.

What's the Deal with March Madness Betting?

Betting on the NCAA Tournament is similar to betting on other basketball games. March Madness Betting Odds take on a whole new level of excitement when you include the high stakes tournament format and the greatest institutions in the NCAA.

During Selection Sunday, oddsmakers start to put out brackets with point spreads, totals, and other March Madness wagering lines for the First Four and Round of 64 games.

During the tournament, bookmakers quickly set betting lines for the following slate of games up to and including the National Championship game, altering their odds to reflect the current form and matchup advantages.

Common Ways to Bet on March Madness

1. Point Spread

Oddsmakers calculate each NCAA tournament game's point spread to maintain an appropriate level of competition for both teams on the field. Point spread bets need the underdog to win outright or lose by less than the allotted spread to cover and win the bet.

During the first few betting rounds, higher-ranked teams may meet lower-ranked opponents, like as No. 1 vs. No. 16 matches. The spreads will narrow as the tournament progresses and the level of competition increases.

2. Over/Under

The over/under is betting on the total amount of points each team is expected to score in their NCAA Tournament matchups. Gamblers may wager whether the final score will be higher or lower than the sum stated.

Oddsmakers believe that college basketball totals are one of their most challenging markets to book. They become even tougher during March Madness due to foreign opponents, different styles of play, and quick turnarounds in each round.

3. Moneyline

Moneyline is the simplest bet in March Madness, which involves picking a winner. Each team's Moneyline value is assigned based on the implied probability of winning the game outright.

When a higher seed takes against a lower seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Moneyline odds get higher. Because of the many shocks throughout the tournament, Moneyline underdogs are a popular gamble during March Madness.

Other Ways to Bet on March Madness

As March Madness betting has grown in popularity, there have been more ways to wager on the NCAA Tournament, from long-term to quick and thrilling bets.

1. The Futures

When betting on long-term outcomes, like who will win the National Championship or reach the Final Four by winning a specific region, you’re placing "futures" wagers.

You can place futures bets during March Madness, and the odds are continually changing based on the outcomes, injuries, and betting activity.

2. Props

Alternative bets, such as props (or proposition bets), are made for not having typical markets. If you want to make a wager on the NCAA Tournament, you may use March Madness props that focus on individual performances by teams or players based on statistics and occurrences.

Prop bets such as how many teams from one conference will make it to the Sweet 16 or how many of them dubbed "Wildcats" will make it to the Round of 32 may be found for wagering.

3. The Derivatives

You can bet on derivative odds in the first half of March Madness games.

As a result, these markets are evaluated only based on the first-half total combined points earned by the opposing team. Bettors may find additional value in derivative odds when it comes to team patterns and speed of play.

Where is March Madness Betting Available?

One of the busiest periods for online sportsbooks is March Madness. March Madness odds are available at every betting site, but the best ones are safe and secure, have a wide variety of deposit options, and provide a large range of markets for each game. Get a feel for the best March Madness betting options in your region.